Why haven’t we seen more of Hippolyta?
It was George’s wife’s turn to shine on Lovecraft Country Season 1 Episode 7.
And shine she did, as she went through a revealing journey of self-discovery that helped her to understand what she’s been feeling.
Her trip started under the guise of determining the truth about George’s death, which Montrose, Tic, and Leti had been hiding from her, obstensibly for her own good.
But Hippolyta was too smart for that deception. So she naturally went back to the scene of the crime, Ardham.
At first, this seemed like a lost opportunity, as Hippolyta truly didn’t get to experience the white-supremacist freak show that was Ardham.
Then again, with Samuel and his Sons of Adam dead (?) and Christina attempting to set up a new base in Chicago, perhaps Ardham itself is in ruins, just like the remains of the lodge that Hippolyta picked through.
The scene in Christina’s lab proved that both William and Dell are dead people into whose images Christina has transformed when it suited her.
So, yeah, probably there was nothing for Hippolyta to find in Ardham other than Diana’s comic book, which gave her the proof she needed that she was right all along that there was more to George’s death than she had been told.
What we discovered in this spotlight episode is that there is a whole lot more to Hippolyta than previously indicated on the series.
Yes, she was George’s loving wife and is Diana’s protective mother. (So why did she take Diana along to Ardham, which could have proven more dangerous than it turned out to be?)
And it had been established she was an astronomy buff. But lots of people have hobbies, with no great proficiency in them.
But for some reason that has yet to be revealed, Hippolyta is predestined to be a part of this quest.
It can’t be coincidence that on Lovecraft Country Season 1 Episode 3, she found Hiram’s orrery, Christina’s Holy Grail which was bound to appeal to an astronomy fan.
Then, using her knowledge of astronomy, in this episode she was able to operate the orrery, unveiling a key and coordinates inside just for her.
Naturally, Hippolyta got sucked into that mystery.
And when she found what appeared to be an abandoned observatory at those coordinates, it was like kismet.
That was when the narrative went astray.
Thus far, Hippolyta was just an enthusiastic amateur scientist. Yet she was throwing around scientific theories and numbers like she had been doing it for years as she tried to get the mystery machine running.
A bit of a headshaker, that. But Lovecraft Country is good for a few of those every episode.
Like when Tic rushed in to save Hippolyta from the pair of yokel cops Lancaster had sent to check on the observatory.
Yes, Missouri and Kansas are adjoining states. But Tic was relying on public transportation and are we to believe the bus route ran by this observatory in the middle of nowhere?
Again, suspension of disbelief is a must here.
For such a big brain, Hippolyta got way too close to that interdimensional rift, especially after seeing that cop get pulled in.
But that was necessary for her journey of self-discovery.
My favorite of those worlds was when she got to be a backup dancer, then confidant, for her idol, Josephine Baker. I especially loved that elaborate production number to “Lady Marmalade.”
Each of these stops were made to force Hippolyta to look inward and to understand the feelings she had been shoving down for so long.
And who couldn’t relate to her feelings of “shrinking,” of settling for less and less rather than striving to be something more?
Little wonder she was pissed, being a ’50s black housewife rather than Hippolyta the Discover?
But in the end, love won out, as she opted to return to Diana rather than take her place in an enlightened society.
There are still some unanswered questions: Why did someone want her to go through this psychic cleansing? What role does she play in what’s to come? And where the hell did she go, since it wasn’t back to the observatory?
The hits also just kept coming for Leti and Tic.
After finding out he was destined for a premature death onLovecraft Country Season 1 Episode 5, Tic naturally wanted to instantly translate the spells in the Book of Names.
The freakiest part was that he and Leti were sharing the same dreams about Hanna.
How did Leti not pick up on Hanna’s signal that Leti was pregnant?
Then Tic got confirmation that Montrose is gay and his mother knew about it. So he concluded that the beatings he had taken from Montrose, a self-hating gay, were meant to knock the “softness” (gayness) out of him.
At least their conclusion that Hanna had stolen the Book of Names gave TIc a clue to follow, however slight. What did he expect to get from talking with Ethel’s old friend about a book of spells? “Oh, yeah. She mentioned that during Bible studies.”
All he discovered is that he and Ethel shared a tattoo, which likely will mean something down the line.
Someone (Ruby) now knows Christina’s grand plan. So is Ruby now a spy for Christina or will family win out in the end?
To make sense of this mystery, watch Lovecraft Country online.
What will Hippolyta’s role be?
Is Leti pregnant?
When will Tic make progress?
Comment below.
Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.