Lovecraft Country: Why Montrose Is Protecting Tic (& Why He Might Be Evil)

In Lovecraft Country’s fourth episode, it seems that Montrose is simply protecting his son, Tic, but it is also heavily implied that he might be evil.

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In episode 4 of Lovecraft Country, “A History of Violence,” Montrose (Michael K. Williams) is explicitly trying to protect his son, Tic; however, it is also not so subtly implied that he might be evil. He seems to be hiding something, whether it be a secret connection he has to the Order of the Ancient Dawn or otherwise, and Tic is picking up on it. Without question, Montrose is a mysterious character in a show filled with mysterious characters, so much so that he doesn’t even appear physically until the second episode.

In episode 2, when Tic (Jonathan Majors), George (Courtney B. Vance), and Leti (Jurnee Smollett) finally track him down in Ardham, his brusque personality is immediately on full display. He is incensed that Tic comes to rescue him and claims that he doesn’t need rescuing — which seems to be true, since he has already tunneled his way out of captivity by the time they find him. He calls Tic a fool and berates him for his poor decision making skills. This animosity between Tic and his father is built up throughout the first episode, at the beginning of which Tic says that he joined the army to get away from his father. In fact, it is a central part of show’s premise — Tic and George are fans of the works of racist white authors that Montrose detests. They are deeply at odds with each other, but are both intensely protective of one another at the same time.

Montrose’s aggression toward his son can be seen as an evil trait on its own, but it is his secretive nature and his large knowledge base regarding the Order of the Ancient Dawn that really make him seem suspicious. He claims that he gets his knowledge of the Order the same way that he gets any of his knowledge — from books. Throughout the show, up to and including episode 4, Montrose is portrayed as a well-read person who places a high value on education. This might be all there is to his deep knowledge of the Order, and the implication that he is anything but a protective father could be a red herring meant to throw the audience off his reasonable preoccupations.

What Is Montrose Trying To Protect Tic From?

Montrose’s intense protectiveness of his son and his fear of the white supernatural forces they are up against might be exactly what they seem to be — a rational reaction to the threat of annihilation. He is the type of person who takes matters into his own hands, as evidenced by his initial trip to Ardham, his subsequent escape, and of course, his shocking murder of Yahima at the end of episode 4.

The episode starts out with Montrose binging on alcohol as he grieves the death of his brother, George. George’s voice echoes in his memory, telling him to give Tic the book of the Order’s bylaws to protect their family. Instead of doing what his brother told him to do, he burns the book instead and mutters, “Smells like Tulsa,” referring to the Greenwood Massacre of 1921 in which a large affluent Black community was burned to the ground by a vicious white mob. This introduction provides the background for Montrose’s comments and actions throughout the episode, including the big twist ending.

Montrose is trying to save his son, who is presumably all that is left of his family. He explicitly states this several times throughout the episode and the show in general. Tic has become obsessed with the Order of the Ancient Dawn and the Sons of Adam now that he knows that he has a personal connection to them through Titus Braithwhite, his evil ancestor. In some way, Montrose is responsible for this obsession, since it was he who was originally obsessed with tracking down his wife’s people. However, it seems that Montrose’s fear goes deeper than that. Knowing that Tic is a descendent of this evil person, Montrose is not only trying to protect his son from becoming the victim of said evil — he is also trying to protect him from becoming as evil as his ancestor. Essentially, he is trying to save Tic’s soul as well as his life.

Why Montrose Could Actually Be Evil

Judging by the violent way the episode ended — with Montrose slitting Yahima’s throat as he whispers that he’s sorry in their ear — Montrose could actually be evil. In some sense, he is evil, because murder is an evil act, despite it sometimes being necessary. Additionally, if Yahima is truly innocent, then Montrose could be seen as evil regardless of how necessary he believes the murder to be. Aside from this, however, there is virtually no evidence in the show that Montrose is evil in the sense that he has something to gain from Yahima’s murder. Everything he does seems to be done with the intention to help his son and family.

This does not exonerate him for Yahima’s murder, of course, and he could be hiding something, as the entire episode seems to imply, but that secret, if it exists, has yet to be revealed. Everything else is just speculation: Montrose may have already discovered that Yahima is actually evil and not so innocent as they seem; or he could be working for Christina Braithwhite (Abbey Lee) — the possibilities are endless.

The title of the episode can also be seen as an implication that he is evil: “A History of Violence” could be a direct reference to Montrose’s violent past and how that informs his choice to murder Yahima. However, while Montrose did suffer an abusive father and was also somewhat abusive to his own son, his history of violence is not very well-documented in the show. In fact, he is one of the few people in the show who seems to be actively trying to avoid violence by convincing Tic and Leti to drop their pursuit of the Order.

Regardless of Montrose being evil or not, it is likely that the history of violence that the episode is referring to is America’s history of white violence. This is ultimately what Montrose truly fears and is trying to protect Tic from. It is also why he references the Greenwood Massacre at the beginning of the episode. When he burns the bylaws and mutters, “Smells like Tulsa,” he doesn’t literally mean that it smells like Tulsa, he means that the situation smells like Tulsa. In other words, it seems to him that the white supernatural forces of the Order want to destroy his Black family. This wouldn’t exonerate Montrose for Yahima’s murder, but it fits the premise of Lovecraft Country, and states that America’s history of white violence and the threats that go with it can lead good people to commit heinous acts out of desperation.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/lovecraft-country-montrose-protecting-tic-evil-why/