Lovecraft Country: Why Ruby’s Shocking New Power Is So Important
Lovecraft Country’s “Strange Case” witnessed Ruby gain a shocking and important new power that has the potential to change everything; here’s how.
You Are Reading :Lovecraft Country Why Rubys Shocking New Power Is So Important
WARNING: Spoilers for Lovecraft Country episode 5, “Strange Case”
In Lovecraft Country season 1, episode 5, “Strange Case”, Ruby (Wumni Mosaku) gained the power to shapeshift into a white woman named Hilary; here’s why this new power is so important. Misha Green’s series, adapted from Matt Ruff’s 2016 novel of the same name, does not hesitate in its provision of bizarre twists. From the moment it premiered, Lovecraft Country proved that it was a show unlike any other with historically based horrors and its subversion of the racist icon, H.P. Lovecraft. In the most recent episode, “Strange Case,” a new element was added that gave Ruby the ability to navigate the world as a white woman rather than as a Black woman.
While the episode itself was full of twists and turns, the addition of the polyjuice potion gave Ruby everything she has ever desired; it also opened up the opportunity for her to witness the severity of racism behind closed doors. She initially utilized this new power for self gain, yet quickly discovered that she could use it to do whatever she wanted and enact revenge on racists, rapists, and anyone else who disproportionately targets Black women. Lovecraftian horror has reached a new level of popularity in recent years, with adaptations ranging from Richard Stanley’s Color Out Of Space to William Eubank’s Underwater. Each took from specific Lovecraft lore, but Lovecraft Country is taking the opportunity to craft one of the most important stories on Black lives with numerous elements from Lovecraft’s fiction, which has been repurposed to serve as a perfect backbone for cutting-edge social horror.
Ruby’s new power is a monumental addition to the HBO show that could create an even more complex and historically accurate story on race relations in the United States. The potion could be used to benefit Atticus (Jonathan Majors) and Letitia (Jurnee Smollett) by allowing them to enter spaces allocated to white people, and help them to expand their search for more answers about the mysterious Sons of Adam without the fear of racist police officers and citizens, such as was seen in season 1, episode 1, “Sundown”. Ruby’s new power could play a major role in the episodes to come, especially considering her partnership with Christina, who also revealed in “Strange Case” that she uses the potion to pose as William.
What Ruby’s New Power Could Mean For The Series
Ruby’s primary use of the potion has been, thus far, to adopt the form of a white woman. However, there are a multitude of factors that could influence the future use of this magic for various characters on Lovecraft Country beyond Ruby and Christina’s endeavors. For instance, it is entirely possible that Atticus and Leti may want to utilize it in order to get closer to more of the missing pages, or find a reliable translator for the cryptic lettering. Undoubtedly, a member of the Sons Of Adam must have the key to understanding the language, but getting close to them may be the main difficulty regardless of Atticus’s relation to Titus Braithwhite.
While the powers provided by the potion may appear as a gift, it could potentially bring more harm than good to Ruby. She actively seeks to support her community, but “Strange Case” revealed that her new ability to appear as Hilary may corrupt her morality. After Tamara—the new Black employee hired at the department store—tells Hilary (Ruby) that she does not have a high school education, nor did she take courses at the Frederick Douglass center, she responds with cold disdain, and tells Tamara that she needs to do better to represent her race. This inadvertently put Ruby into the same position with the other racist white women that she has spent her entire life dealing with, and alludes to the potion’s potential to corrupt her entirely.
Conversely, when the manager of the department store attempts to rape Tamara, Ruby responds by using Hilary’s white privilege as an advantage and enacts revenge on him. However, her act of vengeance proves that she can use her power to her advantage as well as for others’ benefit, and will stop at nothing to ensure the safety of her community. It’s uncertain whether Ruby will ultimately use this power for good or not. Even so, Lovecraft Country delivered a strong message by allowing a character to simultaneously exist in both Black and white spaces during a crucial time in American history.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/lovecraft-country-ruby-shapeshifting-power-potion-explained/