Atticus "Tic" Sampson Freeman is the main protagonist in Lovecraft Country. He is portrayed by Jonathan Majors.
He is a Korean war vet who always has a pulp novel in his back pocket, and wears his heart on his sleeve despite the daily injustice of living in Jim Crow America. His search for his missing father, Montrose, takes him on a personal journey as he uncovers a dark, secret family legacy.
History[]
Biography[]
Born to Dora and Montrose Freeman, Tic was raised on the Southside of Chicago, where he met his childhood friend Leti, both of whom were on the Southside Futurists Science Fiction Club. Growing up, Tic had a strained relationship with his father, so much so that when he came of age, he joined the military simply to get away.[1]
Throughout the Series[]
Season 1[]
Sundown[]
Tic has a dream where he finds himself in the middle of a war between mankind and aliens. Winged creatures and UFOs fly above his head. He even finds himself faced with a scarlet-skinned alien woman. He awakens from his sleep on a bus headed to his hometown, Chicago. Sitting across from him is an older woman named Maybelle, who tells Tic that they made it to the promised land. The bus suddenly breaks down, forcing Tic and Maybelle to walk the rest of the way while the white people receive another means of transportation.
Maybelle asks Tic about the books he’s been reading — A Princess of Mars. It’s about a man who goes from being a captain in the army of Northern Virginia to becoming a Martian Warlord. Tic loves pulp stories and how the hero gets to go on adventures to other worlds. Tic didn’t join the army for adventure. He did so to get away from his father, who is also the reason for Tic’s return as he’s gone missing.
Tic returns home and greets his uncle George, aunt Hippolta, and cousin Diana. Afterward, he goes to his uncle's shop and picks up H. P. Lovecraft’s The Outsider and Others. George tells Tic that his father has been missing for about two weeks. Tic then reveals that his father wrote him a letter regarding his mother. The letter details how Montrose found out where Tic’s mother’s family originated, and he wanted Tic to join him in finding them. Montrose also spoke of Tic having a birthright that had been kept from him by his mother. The place Montrose wanted Tic to go was in Lovecraft Country. His mother’s ancestors were from Ardham, Massachusetts.
Tic goes to Denmark Vesey's Bar to find Sammy, who might be able to tell him where to find his father. Inside, Tic is approached by Tree, who tells him that the bar is closing early for the block party and that he can find Sammy out back. Tic finds Sammy out back getting a blowjob. Sammy informs Tic that he hasn’t seen Montrose in two weeks — not since he left with a well-off white man, possibly a lawyer. The man drove a silver sedan.
Tic sneaks up on Diana at the block party and then turns on the fire hydrant, spraying water everywhere. Afterwards, Tic finds George icing his knees. They’re sore from having two shattered knee caps. A result of him being on the road and being attacked by white folks. It’s George’s entire reason for the guidebook — to keep Negroes safe. Tic looks at Diana’s art in the book. The last mention George could find of Ardham was over two centuries ago, putting it near Devon County, Massachusetts. Tic intends to go after his father, and George invites himself along. However, Tic presents George with Diana’s drawing from the guidebook, which seems to indicate Devon County as a sundown town.
Tic returns to his apartment, completely oblivious to the silver sedan outside his home. Tic looks at old family photos and grabs the gun out of his closet. He then makes a call to South Korea. A woman answers and knows that it’s Tic calling even though he doesn’t speak. She realizes that he went home and tells him that he shouldn’t have.
The following day, Tic greets Leti with a hug at his uncle’s garage. She’ll be joining Tic and George on their trip. At least for half the way. Her brother, Marvin, is working for the Springfield African American, and he’s going to look into Ardham for them.
Tic , George, and Leti go Midwest. They make a few stops along the way. One of which is at a gas station. There, Tic is berated by a white mechanic, who imitates monkey sounds as Tic eats a banana. They pull off of the road to discuss making a detour for Lydia’s diner in Simmonsville as George wishes to add some entries to the guide. The three of them arrive in Simmonsville and pull up to Lydia’s diner, which was supposedly a red-bricked building on the far end of town. However, Lydia’s was no longer red-bricked, but white, and had been renamed to Simmonsville Dinette. The only customer is a white man, who immediately exits upon their arrival. Tic and Leti wish to leave as they are clearly unwanted, but George reminds them that they’re all citizens.
Tic notices the white bricks of the diner. He then asked George to remind him why the White House was white. George reveals that during the war of 1812, British soldiers put the executive branch to torch, and later when the slaves rebuilt it, they had to repaint the walls white to cover up the burn marks. Tic slides the tiles from under his foot, revealing the exposed and burned wood underneath. Leti then comes running from out back and tells them that they need to leave immediately.
Unfortunately, they're shot at by a lynch mob. Tic grabs his gun from out his bag and shoots back. They notice the silver sedan on a nearby road. The roads merge, but Leti stays ahead of both the silver sedan and the group of men. The silver sedan comes to a sudden stop, causing the group of men to mysteriously flip over the sedan without having even touched it. A white woman exits the silver sedan and makes eye contact with Tic as they drive away.
They arrive at Marvin’s, who reveals everything he’s gathered in Devon County. Bideford, the county seat, is named after a town in England where they had one of the last witch trials. They hung a woman for fornicating with the devil who appeared to her as a Negro man. Bideford was founded by witch hunters. Marvin’s also found stories of how travelers were attacked in the surrounding woods by undetermined animals. There’s also a number of missing people, some of which might be due to the current Sheriff, Eunice Hunt. Ardham was settled around the same time as Bideford. Marvin pulls out a map and pinpoints Ardham, which appears to be in the middle of nowhere, with no guide stops. With this, they can go to the registry to map out the property lines.
Tic and George stand in the front yard, away from the house as Leti and Marvin argue. Tic reveals to George that the last time he was home, he got into a fight with his dad. A reporter wanted to interview Tic on what it was like to be a Negro soldier. Montrose became enraged. He refused to allow Tic to inspire others to make his same mistake and serve for a country that hated them. They got into a fight after that. George insists that Montrose loved him. During Tic’ first year in Korea, Montrose would come by almost every night and wait for George to volunteer information about Tic. George often defends his younger brother, Montrose, because he didn’t have it easy growing up with their father. George regrets not protecting him back then. Tic asks if George regrets not protecting him.
The next day, Tic and George prepare to leave Marvin’s. Leti joins them after being kicked out by her brother. They went to the registry and learned of a bridge over the river to Ardham, but they’ve yet to find it. They pull over and search the woods, where they are confronted by Sheriff Hunt, who approaches with a shotgun in hand. He asks where they are from and if they know what a Sundown town is, referring to Devon County as a sundown county. He warns them that had he found them in his woods after dark, it would’ve been his sworn duty to hang them from a tree. They have seven minutes to leave his county. Tic sarcastically asks if it’s legal to make a U-turn in Devon. Sheriff Hunt says that he’ll allow it but only if Tic asks him real nice. He tells Tic to say "pretty please, will you let this smart n****r make a U-turn here?" Tic reluctantly repeats him, and Sheriff Hunt lets them go.
Tic, George, and Leti drive to the county line with merely four minutes left and Sheriff Hunt right behind them. They can't go faster in fear of being pulled over. Sheriff Hunt rams their car multiple times. Tic tells Leti to get the gun. She grabs it out of his bag and lies low. They have just under a minute left before the sun sets. Sheriff Hunt stops as they just barely make it over the county line to Worcester. However, not far down the road, they hit a roadblock, where four of Hunt’s officers stand ready for their arrival.
The three of them are taken into the woods by Sheriff Hunt and his deputies. The trio is shoved to the ground and accused of burglaries in the area. Tic insists that they haven’t stolen anything. As they are about to be killed, a mysterious creature jumps out and eats one of the deputies whole, leaving nothing but his arm. Tic and Leti jump to their feet and run.
Tic and Leti take refuge in an abandoned cabin. Tic realizes that uncle George is missing but there’s nothing he can do. Sheriff Hunt, who has been bitten in his shoulder, and Deputy Eastchurch force their way inside and make Tic and Leti barricade the door.
George finds his way to the cabin and realizes that none of the monsters attacked him when he had the flashlight. He quotes a scene from Dracula, suspecting that much like vampires, these monsters are weakened by light. Tic wants to make a run for the car to get the flares. However, Sheriff Hunt orders Leti to go instead. She agrees, reminding Tic that she was all-star track in high school.
Sheriff Hunt starts to cough and snarl uncontrollably. George asks Tic what happens when someone gets bitten by a vampire — relating that to Sheriff Hunt’s predicament. As he begins to change, Tic and George tell Deputy Eastchurch to kill Hunt, but he is hesitant, and so Hunt rips his throat out.
Sheriff Hunt has fully transformed into one of the monsters. In that time, Tic manages to get the shotgun and shoot him, though the gun runs out of ammo. Fortunately, Leti arrives soon thereafter, driving through the cabin and into Sheriff Hunt, who then flees. Tic pulls George into the headlights and then helps Leti disperse the flares to keep the monsters at bay. However, they didn’t need to for long as the monsters appeared to retreat at the sound of a piercing whistle.
The sun rises as Tic, George, and Leti cross over the bridge into Ardham. They arrive at a large mansion covered in blood, where they notice the silver sedan from before. Tic knocks on the front door and a blond man named William answers the door. He says that they’ve been expecting Tic and welcomes him home. [1]
Whitey's on the Moon[]
After getting cleaned up, Tic, George, and Leti reconvene after hearing an alarm. William explains that what they heard was merely the lunch bell and offers to escort them to the veranda. Tic asks when his father is expected to return from Boston. However, William is unaware of when he’ll return, simply stating that Montrose left to see the lawyer with Miss Braithwhite two nights ago. He then explains to them how Samuel Braithwhite inherited the Sons of Adam Lodge from Titus Braithwhite.
Tic and George suspect that they’re being lied to and that Montrose isn’t in Boston after-all. Tic then comes to realize that George and Leti have no recollection of last night, where they were attacked by monsters. George realizes that they’re being watched and tells Tic to calmly sit down. They plan to to find Montrose and escape at the first chance they get.
Despite George’s car, Woody, being crashed into the cabin, they find it in the garage. William explains that he found it on the other side of the bridge leading into the village. The back window was smashed out but overall, Woody was in good condition. William assures them that he drove the car up just as he found it. Though, there was quite a bit of blood in the seat that he had the butler wash out.
They head into the village in search of Montrose. Tic hears the high-pitched whistle from the night before. He goes to investigate and finds a woman named Dell with two vicious guard dogs. He asks her what the whistle is for, but she doesn’t answer. George asks if she’s the sheriff, reasoning that she must be given that she's standing in front of the only stone building in the entire village. But it’s actually where she hangs her meat. Dell explains that they have animals in the village who break into the cottages in search of food, but they can’t get into the stone cellar. She tells them how they have an uncontrollable black bear population. She remarks that the "blacks are bad enough," and that "they’re clever enough to cause mischief."
The sun is setting at the three of them are headed back to the Lodge. George recalls something Tic' mother, Dora, told him years ago about her ancestors. She told him that her great-ancestor was a slave named Hanna and that she escaped her master’s house after a fire. He reminds them of what William said in regards to Titus Braithwhite being "kind" to his slave, meaning that Hanna ran through the very same woods they’re standing in, pregnant with Titus Braithwhite’s child after the fire. They are suddenly surrounded by two large monsters. Christina arrives on a horse and blows her whistle, causing the monsters to flee. She then orders Dell to escort Tic to her father’s lab and George and Leti to their rooms. And just like that, George and Leti have no memory of what just occurred.
Tic is taken to Samuel’s lab, where he finds Samuel undergoing a painful surgery to have an organ removed. Samuel is sewn up following his surgery. He gets to his feet and remarks that Tic is darker than he expected. He points to one of his favorite paintings of Adam, by Josef Tannhauser. He entitled it "Genesis 2:19." Christina recites the biblical verse associated with it, which details how in naming these creatures, Adam is assigning them their final form and putting them in their place. At the dawn of time, everything was the way it should be, but then Eve brought entropy and death into the world, Christina adds. Samuel compares himself to Adam, stating that he’s worked a long time to return to Paradise. Christina believes that Tic can help in her father in his mission.
Tic is warned by Christina that her father, along with the other arriving lodge members, can be very dangerous and suggests that Tic suggests that he start making friends. Tic accuses spelling George and Leti to forget what they saw. Christina explains that the spell wasn’t specifically targeted towards them, rather anyone who would encounter their guard dogs and live to tell about it. Tic manages to persuade Christina into removing the spell from George and Leti. As they’re memories return, they scream out for Tic, but Christina has used a spell to lock him in his room.
Tic communicates with George through a series of knocks on the wall. George eventually manages to spell out the word "Wizards." Tic suddenly finds himself being shot at and attacked by Ji-Ah. He disarms her of her guns, leaving her to attack with a knife. Ji-ah drives her knife into Tic’ shoulder, forcing him to fight back. He disarms Ji-ah again and knocks her through a table. Tic proceeds to get on top of Ji-ah and snap her neck.
The bell rings and the trio exit their rooms. William tells them that dinner will be served in 15 minutes and that it’s black tie only, as well as men only. After he leaves, Tic asks George who did they make him see. He says that it doesn’t matter. The lodge is simply trying to get in their heads. He tells Tic and Leti that they have to stick together and that he’s come across something that’ll work in their favor.
William escorts Tic and George into the dinning hall with the other lodge members. Samuel joins them. They’re founder, Titus Braithwhite, was a son of a son, and they follow in his image just as he followed in the first son’s. As Adam gave of his rib to create Eve, so did Titus give of himself to empower the founding members of the Order. So Samuel honors him by giving a piece of himself over — his organ that was removed during the surgery is to be eaten by the lodge members.
George reveals that he came across the bylaws for the Order of Ancient Dawn. Normally, the Order wouldn’t have admitted a black man, but he discovered that there’s a loophole. Men who are direct descendants of Titus Braithwhite are automatically high ranking members known as sons among sons, who can give orders to regular members. Tic is the last blood heir of Titus Braithwhite, so with that, Tic orders everyone but Samuel to leave. Tic then tells Samuel to return his father. However, Samuel refuses.
Tic and George sneak into the stone silo in search for Montrose, but all they find is his flask. Dell comes downstairs with a loaded shotgun, referring to them as dumb animals. Before she can pull the trigger, Leti knocks her out with a shovel. George then realizes that Montrose must’ve dug his way out. Taking inspiration from his favorite book "The Count of Monte Cristo." They eventually find Montrose, who claims that he didn’t need their help and that he didn’t think Tic was stupid enough to show up merely because he wrote a letter under duress. On their way back to the lodge in Christina’s silver sedan, they crash into an invisible barrier. The four of them exit the vehicle as Samuel and Christina pull up behind them. Samuel shoots Leti, who bleeds out in a matter of seconds. Samuel then gives Tic a choice of who he will shoot next. When Tic doesn’t choose, he shoots George.
Tic is stripped naked and washed of blood by the servant girls. Christina informs him that her father intends to open the door to the Garden of Eden, to a time when man was immortal. He believes that he’ll step through it into eternal life. They believe that with Tic being a direct descendant of Titus, his blood will help Samuel accomplish his goal. Tic wonders why Christina tries so hard to help her father when he clearly doesn’t care about her. Christina explains that while the things they’ve done are unforgivable, she still comes running whenever they need help. Admittedly, it’s pathetic. Tic then watches through a portal as Leti resurrects. Christina assures Tic that her father will heal George as well, but only after Tic has willingly participated in the ceremony. Christina then gives him the official ring of members of the Order of Ancient Dawn. She tells Tic that their destinies aren’t decided by their fathers or grandfathers. The smallest thing could take them on a new course.
Tic acts as a conduit for Samuel's ceremony. He stands in between three conductors as a door to the Garden of Eden opens. However, the ceremony was fracturing the lodge. As Samuel recites the spell, Tic sees his ancestor Hanna appear on the other side of the portal. She derails the ceremony, turning Samuel and the other lodge members to stone. Tic follows Hanna out of the collapsing building, with a trail of fire following behind her. He makes it out just as the lodge comes down. Outside, he reconvenes with Leti, who delivers the unfortunate news of George’s passing. Tic looks inside Woody to find Montrose cradling George’s lifeless body.[2]
Holy Ghost[]
Tic and Diana prepare breakfast. Diana almost sets a place at the table for her father. Hippolyta joins them, and Tic reveals that the printer called for the new addition to the guide and that he sent them in. They were about a month overdue. Diana wants to check the scrapyard for robot parts later in the day, but Tic is leaving.
Tic arrives at Montrose’s place to find him on the floor, drunk, and mumbling on about his past, specifically an incident where he and George were under attack. Tic throws a cup of water in his face to wake him up. Tic recalls that being George’s favorite story to tell — a group of white boys had them surrounded and out of nowhere came a mysterious stranger armed with a bat. He hit home runs on each of their heads. And after saving them both, all he said was "I got you, kid." Upon returning home with George’s body, Tic and Montrose told Hippolyta that George was killed by Sheriff Hunt. However, Tic is having doubts about lying to Hippolyta. Montrose would rather let the truth die with George and slams his fist down on the table.
Tic arrives at Leti's new home on the North Side after learning that she supposedly hit the lottery. Tic has come to say goodbye. He's leaving for Florida. Leti tells Tic that she has an available room and asks him to stay, at least until the housewarming party. They suddenly hear car horns outside the house, where three white men stand in front of their cars, each with a brick tied to the steering wheel to ensure that the car horn persists. With that, Tic decides to stick around.
Tic heads down into the cellar with a baseball bat after Leti tells him that she heard something. Ge goes to investigate but fails to find anything. Leti insists that she’s heard voices. She suspects that it was her white neighbors who tampered with her boiler. Tic explains how excessive heat and noise are the same tactics they used in Korea. He offers to nail the windows down in the basement and keep watch for a couple nights.
Dressed in his military uniform, Tic enters the house from standing guard on the porch to find Leti dancing with another guy. He is approached by Tree, who reveals that he and Leti used to mess around back in high school and that he is feeling nostalgic. He asks Tic about his relationship with Leti and stands down following his response. Tic follows Leti into the bathroom, where they have sex on the bathroom countertop. Tic notices that Leti is bleeding. She’s embarrassed, claiming that her cycle started. Tic insists that it’s okay as he leaves.
After having sex with Leti, they discover a flaming cross in the front yard. Tic and Tree grab shotguns while Leti heads out with a baseball bat to break the window of all three cars and removes the bricks tied to the steering wheels in order to stop the honking. As the police get closer, they put the shotguns in the back of a car and Ruby drives away. Tic, Leti, and Tree put their hands behind their heads and get down on their knees.
Tic finds Leti at a bar, where reveals to him that her house is haunted. The last owner of was a man named Hiram Epstein, who was a scientist at the University of Chicago. Until he was fired for unethical experimental practices. Leti believes he was experimenting on humans considering that eight bodies were found in the basement and that Lancaster was supplying him with subjects. Also, in the pictures Leti took, the eight dead victims from the South Side are showing up in her photos. They’re all trapped in her house with Epstein’s ghost. Tic fears that the ghosts won’t stop until Leti is dead and suggests that she move out. Leti then tells Tic that the night of the housewarming was her first time having sex and that ever since she’s come back from the dead, she’s felt like a ghost in her own right.
Tic and Leti hire a priestess to cleanse the house. She slices open a goat’s throat and marks their foreheads with its blood as seals of protection. They go into the cellar, where the ghosts’ presence is at its greatest. They grab hands and form a circle. The lights flicker and the room shakes around Tic and Leti as they chant with the priestess. The water pipes burst and the protection seals on their foreheads wipe away, making them vulnerable. The priestess is attacked and thrown against the ceiling. She is possessed by Hiram Epstein, who attacks Tic. As he chokes Tic against the wall, Leti calls out to the eight ghosts: Betsey, Phillip, Lucy, Jasper, Anarcha, Rufus, Grover, and Oliver. The priestess drops to the floor as Epstein takes over Tic’ body. He demands that Leti get out of his house. Leti pleads with the ghosts to help her. They appear and the nine of them join hands and banish Epstein.
Tic stakes out the realtor’s office who sold Leti the Winthrop house. It doesn’t take long for Christina to arrive in her silver sedan. She thanks JJ for his service and tells him that the bank has wired his money. Once JJ leaves, Tic confronts Christina with the truth. Leti’s inheritance money came from her. He figured it out because of the name Winthrop. He saw it carved on one of Samuel’s favorite paintings. Christina explains that Horatio Winthrop was one of the founding members of the Sons of Adam. But he was banished after stealing pages from the Book of Names. He was sick of Titus Braithwhite having the only cipher to read the Language of Adam and tried to develop his own from the stolen pages. Hiram Epstein was one of his followers. Tic isn’t interested in a history lesson. He pulls a gun on Christina, intent on killing her, but she uses her magic to control him, completely immobilizing him.[3]
A History of Violence[]
Tic is confronted by Leti at Southside Colored Library after she learned the truth about her house and that he tried to kill Christina. Tic explains that she can’t be killed. She’s protected by the invulnerability spell. Tic believes that Christina used him as a Trojan horse to kill her father. Tic is now searching for the two sets of deciphered pages from the Book of Names that Hiram Epstein stole. Christina also told him about the Book of Names that Titus Braithwhite kept hidden in a booby-trapped vault. Tic shares his blood, so perhaps he could access the vault, but he doesn’t know where to begin to look. Leti suggests that he talk to Montrose, who would be well-versed in the matter. Tic is reluctant to turn to his father but has no choice after finding his name in the checkout logs of books relating to Titus Braithwhite.
Tic meets with Leti and Montrose at Sammy’s bar. Montrose warned him to stay away from the wizardry. They’re outnumbered and outgunned. He unintentionally mentions that there are 34 other lodges besides the Sons of Adam. Montrose initially tells Tic and Leti that he won’t help, but then reveals that Titus’ vault is in a museum in Boston.
Tic, Leti, Montrose, Hippolyta, Diana, and Tree arrive at the Museum of Science in Boston. Tree confronts Tic for telling Leti that he claimed they hooked up in high school. Tree suspects this is payback because of when he sent Tic out back when Sammy was with another man. Tic replies that what happened that day was Sammy’s business and that he isn’t gay. Tree then explains how much closer Montrose and Sammy have become, alluding to the fact that Montrose may be.
Montrose informs Tic and Leti that the security guard will let them in through the back at night. Tic questions how his father knows the guard. Montrose claims that he’s a friend from the bar. More importantly, they only have a two hour window to get to the vault and get back out. In the center of the Titus Braithwhite wing, they see his statue. They suspect that the vault is located somewhere underneath.
Tic, Leti, and Montrose sneak into the museum after night. They search for a way to open the door underneath the statue. Montrose tells them to turn off their flashlights. The light from the moon shines down on the statue, revealing the means to unlock the door. Tic climbs down a rope to investigate. He sees three tunnels and a warning: “Beware, all ye who tread the path. Ever the tides shall rise.” With the map of Titus’ voyages, Leti and Montrose join Tic. The three tunnels relate to Titus’ expeditions. His voyage to the Caribbean was supposedly his last. According to the brochure, the first renovations were done to the museum after he returned from the Caribbean in 1810, three years before he founded the Sons of Adam. With that, they travel down the north tunnel.
They reach the end of the tunnel. Below them is a black, seemingly bottomless pit. The only way to make it across to the other side is a single wooden plank. Tic ties a rope around Leti and assures her that it will hold as Montrose ties a rope around him. Leti walks the plank slowly and steadily. She is nearly knocked to her death by one of Titus’ booby-traps — a large, swinging anchor. Tic joins her on the plank. As the anchor swings back and forth, Leti times it perfectly and makes it safely onto the other side. Montrose then alerts Tic that the plank is disappearing. Montrose jumps onto the plank with Tic, and they race to the other side with Leti. On the other end, they reach a locked door with panels that must be pushed in the correct order to open. Montrose recalls the quote from the bylaws and recites them to Tic and Leti, who manage to get the door open.
The three of them travel through the tunnel. They have less than an hour to find the vault and escape before the water rises and they drown. The water is now above their waist. Tic questions how his father knows so much about the Sons of Adam. Montrose admits that George gave him the Order of the Ancient Dawn bylaws the night he died. He read it and he burnt it because George made him promise that he would protect their family. Leti screams upon finding a body floating in the water. It’s one of her missing neighbors. They discover that they’re just below Leti’s house as they come across her elevator. Given that Hiram Epstein was part of the Order, it stands to reason that he was chasing Titus’ pages as well. Tic wants Leti and Montrose to go home, but Leti refuses to leave, reminding Tic that they’re all involved in this.
The water has reached their shoulders as they near Titus’ vault. Tic puts on his Sons of Adam ring and sticks his hand into a hole, where his blood is drawn and used to grant him access to the vault. Inside, they find at least half a dozen corpses. On the table, in the hand of a corpse, they find Titus’ pages to the Book of Names. Tic reaches for the pages and the corpse of an Arawak woman comes alive. She has the genitalia of a man but the breast of a woman. She explain in Arawak, a language that only Tic can understand, that Titus has been dead for over a century. She reveals that her name is Yahima Maraokoti. Both woman and man. Two spirits. She comes from the land of many waters. Titan came on his ships searching for those who could read his book. She knew the symbols from the cave of Alomun Kundi. When she saw Titus for what he was, she refused to decipher another word, but he promised to reunite her with her people. And he kept that promise by killing them and imprisoning her in his vault. Tic asks for her help, but she doesn’t trust him. So Montrose grabs the pages from her hand, which causes the windows to crack and the vault to flood.
Tic, Leti, Montrose, and Yahima swim to the elevator. The water is now above their heads. Leti goes back to get the pages that George dropped and then returns to the elevator. As it rises up, they are able to lift their heads above water to breathe and Tic passionately kisses Leti. Yahima then lets out a high-pitched scream, forcing Tic to knock her out.
Montrose suspects that Titus turned Yahima into a siren so she couldn’t speak if she ever escaped the vault. Tic wants to teach her English so that she can write down the words of Adam. Montrose tells Tic that he was brave and grew to be a good man. His mother would’ve been proud. Tic gets teary-eyed and tells Montrose good night.[4]
Strange Case[]
Tic and Leti come to learn that Yahima is missing. Montrose claims that she’s gone. However, Tic realizes that his father killed her. And so, Tic savagely attacks Montrose to the point where he has to be forcefully pulled off of him. Tic rushes down into the basement hoping that Leti took photos of Titus’ pages, which Montrose also destroyed. Leti follows him with a baseball bat in hand. Tic asks if she took photos. She doesn’t respond. He raises his voice and leaves.
Tic caters to the wounds on his hand following his altercation with Montrose. Leti joins him in the garage and reveals that she did take photos of the pages, but she didn’t have a chance to develop them yet. She asks if Tic would’ve killed Montrose if she wasn’t there. He replies that he’s imagined it enough. Mostly after his father would beat him. He never thought the violence in his father could be in him, but he found it in the war. He tells Leti not to be scared of him and pulls her close. The two move to the couch and proceed to have sex.
Tic has a dream of the ritual at the Sons of Adam Lodge. He recalls staring down Hanna as they ran towards the exit of the flaming building. Suddenly, Tic finds himself on fire. He then awakens from his sleep and continues to decipher the Language of Adam. He managed to decipher his initials A, S, and F, as they’re carved into his Sons of Adam ring in the Language of Adam. He also deciphered another seven letters, a total of 11 out of 26. Assuming the Language of Adam is analogous to English as there’s one symbol in particular that repeatedly shows up in the text, suggesting it’s similar to Chinese hieroglyphics. Leti remarks this would’ve been easier with Yahima’s help. She understands why Montrose let her go, however, Tic reveals that his father didn’t let Yahima go. He killed her. Leti starts to suspect that the Language of Adam is evil and the devil’s tools. She fears that it’s corrupting them, but Tic insists that it’s not inherently evil.
Tic finds Leti in the bathroom, soaking in the tub. Tic blames himself for bringing the bad into Leti’s life. He tells her about a girl he knew back in Korea. They were romantically involved, but it ended in a strange way. Tic isn’t sure if what he felt for Ji-Ah was love. He never had a good example growing up. His parents were enduring, but unknowable. Growing up, Leti felt that love wasn’t special. Her mother fell into it every two seconds, and Ruby is the same way. Leti didn’t want to be with a man if it didn’t mean something. Tic looks Leti in the eyes and tells her what they have is special.
Tic continues his efforts to decipher the Language of Adam. He comes to a realization and rushes to the nearest phone. He frantically calls Ji-Ah and asks how she knew. She tells him that he should’ve listened to her. He asks her what she is. Ji-Ah doesn’t reply. She hangs up the phone instead. Among the words from the pages, Tic managed to decipher “D-I-E.”[5]
Meet Me in Daegu[]
Summer of 1950, Tic is stationed in South Korea. Upon the discovery that the hospital has been infiltrated by a a Communist spy, they begin killing the nurses until Young-ja Unni confesses. When Tic is injured during a bombing, he is sent to the hospital, where he doesn't recognize Ji-Ah from their previous encounter at the checkpoint. She comes over to change the sheets on Tic’s bed. He offers to help her, though he struggles to stay up on his feet as he has not yet recovered from his injuries. He explains how his glasses broke during the bombing and asks if she can read the last few chapters of The Count of Monte Cristo. Ji-Ah spoils the end for him, though that was the movie ending. Tic explains that the book differs and offers her a chance to read it herself, but Ji-Ah turns him down.
Tic introduces Ji-Ah to his friend, Sung. He jokingly asks if she’s seen any new flicks that she wants to spoil for them. Ji-Ah hasn’t seen any movies lately due to the fact that the movie theater had been shut down. She was hoping to see Summer Stock. She asks if either of them has met Judy Garland. They laugh given that she’s a famous white woman while they’re minorities and made out to be enemies in their own home. Sung reveals that he was drafted to the war unlike Tic, who volunteered. He reasoned that the books he read to get away from the real world no longer filled the void so he sought actual adventure.
Ji-Ah concedes and reads the last few chapters of the book to Tic and asks why he chose it. He explains that it’s his father’s favorite, though they don’t talk much anymore. Ji-Ah can relate as she has a strained relationship with her mother. Ji-Ah says that they have to stop letting their parents’ fear shape them.
Tic has arranged for him and Ji-Ah to watch the film Summer Stock on base. He got the idea from his uncle George. Afterward, they return to her house, where Tic reveals that he’s a virgin and that he feels his best when he's with her. They start to kiss, but Ji-Ah has developed actual feelings for Tic and tells him to leave as she no longer wishes to kill him.
Tic is confronted by Ji-Ah the following day, and she reveals that she was among the group of nurses that were taken to a checkpoint and harassed. His unit killed her best friend. Tic was following orders. He questions why she agreed to go out with him. She admits that she initially had plans to kill him, but she’s began to develop feelings for him. And the more she got to know him, the more she saw that the war was tearing him apart. They don’t have to be monsters. They can be the people they see in each other. Tic is brought to tears and kisses Ji-Ah. They head onto base, where they proceed to have sex.
Winter has come, and Tic and Ji-Ah are still together. She reads him a tale about the nine-tailed fox spirit named kumiho that lived deep in the mountainous forest. The spirit can be summoned into the form of a beautiful woman to avenge the wrong done by men. Tic then reveals that he’s earned enough points to go home. But he's also willing to stay. However, Ji-Ah would never ask that of him as he hates the war. He asks her to come home with him, but Ji-Ah admits there is so much he doesn’t know about her. Tic says that nothing she says could change the way he feels about her. They start to have sex, during which time, Ji-Ah’s tails emerge and latch onto Tic, allowing her to see his past and future. Fortunately, she manages to stop herself from killing him, though she did see his death. She tells Tic that he will die if he goes home, but he is freaked out from the encounter and rushes out.[6]
I Am.[]
Tic has managed to translate half the pages. The ceremony of Ardham was complicated. There was a symbol that repeatedly showed up. It was written in chalk throughout the lab, though he couldn't make it out. Leti makes mention of Hanna and her dream, which was very similar to Tic's. Leti points out that Hannah had the Book of Names in hand while escaping the house.
Tic and Leti stumble upon Montrose and Sammy together. Tic refers to his father as a “f*ggot” and asks if his mother knew, which she did. Tic rushes out back, where he struggles to cope with this latest revelation. Leti joins him after asking Montrose how he found out about Dora’s family. He said that she had a cousin that survived the riots too. Montrose tracked a friend of hers down to St. Louis. Leti proposes they take Woody to St. Louis. Tic recalls how his father would used to say that he’d beat him so that he wouldn’t be soft, and the worst part is that Tic told himself that his father did it because he cared about him, but in actuality, it was Montrose struggling with his own demons.
Tic and Leti arrive just as Hippolyta is heading out on what she claims is a guide trip. They were hoping to borrow Woody, but her trip is more important, and she leaves. So Tic is forced to take the bus to St. Louis on his own so that Leti can stay behind to talk with her sister.
Tic arrives in St. Louis on the Greyhound to meet with Ms. Osberta, a friend of his cousin Ethel. Ms. Osberta’s husband served alongside Ethel’s on the deacon board at First Baptist Church. Not long after her husband died, Ethel’s husband died too. It was hard and they didn’t want to be too lonely widows anymore. Ms. Osberta then reveals that Ethel often talked about Dora and how close they were growing up. Ms. Osberta recalls Ethel having a family book, which Tic believes could be the Book of Names, but it supposedly got burned up in the Tulsa massacre.
While looking through Ms. Osberta’s photo album, Tic notices a photo of Ethel, who has the same birthmark on her right arm that Tic has on his upper back. Leti then calls for Tic. She informs him that Hippolyta had Hiram’s orrery the entire time and that it has a set of coordinates engraved in the top. She suspects that Hippolyta followed the coordinates. Unbeknownst to Leti, Ruby eavesdrops from the hallway.
Tic tracks Hippolyta down to the observatory and a scuffle ensues with two officers, during which time one of the officers shoots the machine. This causes a portal to open, which Tic uses to get rid of one of the officers while Hippolyta shoots and kills the other. The two of them are then sucked into the portal as well. Tic is eventually expelled from the portal. Sirens approach. He calls out to Hippolyta, but she doesn’t answer. He is forced to turn off the machine and flee with the key. Also in his hand, he holds a Lovecraft Country book named after his uncle George. In his haste, Tic leaves behind Dee’s travel comic, which lies in a pool of blood next to the dead officer.[7]
Jig-A-Bobo[]
After Bobo's funeral, Tic meets with Christina and tells her to teach him how to cast a spell to protect himself. Tic shows her the key to Hiram’s time machine and uses it as a bargaining chip to persuade Christina into teaching him. She informs him that an incantation isn’t a spell. He’ll need more than just his words. To cast, he needs energy, intention, and a body. She outlines a protection sigil in dust and tells him to trace it around the location he’s going to cast the spell in. Tic hands over the key as promised and asks what’s going to happen during the autumnal equinox. She tells him that she’s going to achieve immortality.
Tic returns home to find a woman’s shoes sitting by the front door. He realizes it’s Ji-ah and heads inside to find her sitting across the table from Leti. Ji-ah reveals that she’s a kumiho — a Korean term for succubus. When she has sex and her lover climaxes, her nine tails attach to him, taking his life force. This is how she’s able to see their entire lives up until their death. Tic asks when he is supposed to die, but she doesn’t know when nor did she see how it happened. Tic questions why she came if she didn’t have any answers. Leti replies it’s because Ji-ah loves him. Tic tells Ji-ah to leave as their relationship wasn’t real.
Leti blames Tic for lying to her about his time in Korea. He's realized her errors and tells her of his plan to cast a protection spell, which he learned from Christina before giving her the key. Tic explains that he’s fighting for their future as they’re surrounded by monsters.
Tic finds Montrose sitting on the curb and asks if he ever cheated on his mother. Montrose had desires but he never acted on them. Not until Dora was gone. Both he and Dora wanted a family and that’s what their love was built. Tic then reveals that Leti is pregnant. She hasn’t told him yet. He found out when he went to the future. He hands Montrose the Lovecraft Country book he returned from the future with. It’s written by Tic’s son, George Freeman.
Tic was only in the future for a second before the woman in the hood, with the robotic arm came in, shoved the book in his hand, and pushed him back through the portal. Tic reveals that the book is their family’s story, though some of the details differ; Christina’s a man. George survives Ardham. And Dee’s a boy named Horace. It ends with Christina sacrificing Tic on the autumnal equinox to become immortal, which is just five days away. Tic isn’t sure what to do next. Montrose tells Tic that he’s going to do whatever he can to save him and his grandson. And so, Montrose does the incantation, though he has trouble reading as he’s dyslexic. Tic draws the symbol in his blood and Montrose recites the incantation, but it doesn’t appear to work.
Tic arrives outside of Leti’s to see the house under police fire. He stands there helpless as they shoot. The officers turn their guns on Tic and open fire even as he has his hands up. Fortunately, a shoggoth emerges from underground and shields Tic. After tearing through Captain Lancaster and his men, the shoggoth turns its attention to Tic and Leti and comes to heel in front of Tic as a pet would its master.[8]
Rewind 1921[]
After learning that Dee had been cursed, Tic planned to go to Christina for help in exchange for Titus' pages but Leti had already given her the page. Fortunately, thanks to Ruby, Christina agrees to help, but only if Tic agrees to come back with her to Ardham on the night of the autumnal equinox. Before leaving, she hands Tic a symbol to trace around the apartment and tells them that the blood of Dee’s closest relative will be needed for the spell. With Hippolyta gone, the task falls on Montrose.
Tic finds Montrose in the garage getting drunk off George’s moonshine. He reveals that his blood might not be able to save Dee as Tic might be George’s son, making him Dee’s closest relative. Tic becomes upset at this revelation after all the years he wished George was his father. Leti joins them to inform them that Christina is back. Hippolyta then suddenly returns and inquires about Dee’s health.
After Christina resets Dee's curse, buying her more time, Tic, Leti, Montrose, and Hippolyta head to the observatory in Kentucky to retrieve the Book of Names from Tic’s family before it got lost in the Tulsa riots. It doesn't take long for Hippolyta to get the time machine up and running. Tic, Leti, and Montrose travel back in time to Tulsa, 1921 while Hippolyta controls the machine. They get dressed in more time appropriate clothes so as to not draw any attention and head over to Dora’s house to find the Book of Names. Tic realizes that Montrose is drunk and scolds him. He suffered under Montrose’s abuse for years only to learn that he may not even be his father. Tic tells Montrose that after Dee is safe, they’re done.
The three of them arrive outside of Tic's mother's house. Montrose and George stayed just next door. After realizing that Montrose has sneaked away, Tic suspects that he’s gone to warn George about dying in Ardham. So Tic and Leti decide to split up. He goes looking for Montrose while she recovers the Book of Names. Before parting ways, Tic reveals that he knows she’s pregnant, to which she replies that they should name him George.
Tic finds Montrose hiding in an alleyway near the park. He warns his father against informing George of his death, but that’s not why Montrose came. He had a "friend" named Thomas who got shot in the head that night, which Montrose is hoping to prevent. Tic reminds Montrose that if he saves Thomas, then he won’t end up with Dora and Tic will never be born. However, Montrose argues that this won’t be the case. He won't allow for it to be.
Tic and Montrose watch as young Montrose and Thomas are surrounded by a group of white men and Thomas is shot in the head. George and Dora show up shortly after and the three of them attempt to fight off their attackers. Tic and Montrose wait for the stranger with the baseball bat to show up and save them but he never shows. Tic sees a baseball bat on the ground and realizes that he is, in fact, the mysterious stranger who saved them when they were kids. Tic races over to George, Montrose, and Dora’s with a baseball bat and fends off the group of white men attacking them. He then looks down and says: “I got you kid.”
Tic and Montrose make their way back to the portal. Tic jumps through the portal, where Hippolyta is struggling on the other side to maintain its structure. Foaming at the mouth as the energy is too much for her to maintain. He pleads with Hippolyta to maintain the portal. Her eyes glow white, her hair turns blue, and she levitates into the air as the portal holds, allowing for Leti and Montrose to make it through with the Book it Names.[9]
Full Circle[]
They return home with Dee and the Book of Names. Tic recites the spell to unbind the book. It opens up to a page featuring Tic’s birthmark. He and Leti then lose consciousness and fall to the floor. Tic finds himself back in the Sons of Adam Lodge with Hanna, and she tells him the story of how she escaped as the lodge burned to the ground. Knowing that her child had Titus’ blood, Hanna feared that the Order would come looking for them, so she used a spell Titus created to keep their bloodline hidden from all who know magic. Every night when Hanna would close her eyes, she’d find herself back in the lodge being burned alive, suffering an unbearable pain. Eventually, Hanna realized that the fire was her rage made manifest, that it could be tamed. She did that and made the ancestral realm a safe place for their ancestors. She then realized that magic was a gift, and now passes it on to Tic.
Tic asks for Hanna’s help in saving Dee. She replies: “You gonna save ‘em all.” Tic then finds himself in his father’s apartment, where he comes face-to-face with his mother. Hanna wants Tic to sacrifice himself, but Tic isn’t ready to die. Still, Dora encourages him to stop Christina at all cost. She tells him that there’s no choice. Their destinies are set. She then tells Tic how he has the best traits of Montrose and George. She assures him that Hanna's spell will change everything. Tic and Dora then join Leti and Hattie, and together they use the Book of Names to cast a spell to save Dee before waking up.
Tic is determined to go through with Hanna’s spell. The blood tie is the most important part; they need a blood connection between Tic, Titus, and Christina. In doing this, they’ll be able to use the energy from Christina’s spell against her. However, Montrose refuses to allow Tic to sacrifice himself as he recalls the book saying that Tic dies in the ritual. So Tic lies to Montrose and tells him that the book is wrong.
Tic and Leti go back to the Winthrop house and take the elevator down into the tunnels leading to Titus’ vault. They follow the path back to the chamber and enact the first step of their plan to acquire Titus blood in order to make the blood connection. After forming a salt barrier, Tic and Leti perform the resurrection spell to summon Titus. Titus and Hanna appear before them. They intend to kill him. Something she should’ve done all those years ago when Titus attempted to sacrifice her baby. Tic and Leti charge at Titus, but he manages to escape the circle. They eventually summon him back, and Tic kills him and takes a piece of his flesh.
Leti wants to use Ruby in order to retrieve a sample of Christina’s blood, though Montrose doesn’t trust her. The ancestors said that they would have to connect all three of their bodies to bind Christina. Christina then arrives and asks for the Book of Names. She tells Tic that it’s not personal. His death is merely a consequence of the spell she’s attempting to cast. There’s no other way for it to work, at least not without the Book of Names. Christina gives her word that she’ll leave Tic and his family alone if they hand over the book, but Tic declines her proposal. As she’s leaving, Christina removes the invulnerability spell she put on Leti.
Tic calls Ji-ah and arranges for them to meet at the Drake Hotel. He admits that what they had was real. He thought if he could deny their past, then he could deny his future. Ji-ah reveals that her mother died recently. For a long time, she thought she couldn’t feel because she’s a kumiho, but then she met Young-ja and Tic and realized otherwise. But that feeling has since. Tic explains the process of grieving and how it’s a human emotion. He grabs Ji-ah’s hand and tells her that their intertwined destinies make them family. Ji-ah then reveals that a shaman told her that Tic will die and that she’s destined to enter the darkness, but Tic isn’t convinced.
After getting baptized, Tic and Leti join the others and make their way to Ardham. As Montrose lays down a trail of salt, Tic makes the blood connection. He eats Titus’ flesh and drinks Christina’s blood. Tic then arrives at the Sons of Adam Lodge. He finds himself surrounded by Adamites. They take his bag and lead him to Christina. As Tic is strapped onto the sacrificial altar, Christina arrives with the Book of Names in hand. She’s aware of his plan and admits that it might’ve even worked if not for Ruby. Tic asks about Leti, but Christina’s silence is all the confirmation Tic needs to fears that she’s dead.
The spell begins. Christina cuts open both of Tic’s wrists and bathes in his blood. The spell appears to work as Tic’s life force is transferred into her. Leti arrives just as Tic breaths his last breath. Leti tells Tic that she loves him just as he dies and the spell is complete. Although, Tic dies, Leti and Ji-ah manage to stop Christina and strip all white people of magic.[10]
Personality[]
Tic is goal-oriented and disciplined, with dreams of being an adventurous hero. He's also quite observant, realizing the significance of the white walls in Simmonsville Dinette. He also has an affinity for pulp fiction books. Most of all, he's kind and protective of those close to him.
Physical Appearance[]
Tic is a physically fit young black man in his 20s with a shaved head and brown eyes.
Relationships[]
- Montrose Freeman - Tic's father, who he has an estranged relationship with after years of abuse. Montrose was Tic's reason for enlisting in the army -- to get away from his father.
- George Freeman - Tic's uncle, who he looks up to as a father figure and has a much closer relationship with than his own father. They even shared a love of pulp fiction books. While enrolled in the army, Tic would write his uncle rather than his father with tales of his journey. Unbeknownst to Tic, there appeared to be a dispute between George and Montrose as to who is actually his father.
- Letitia Lewis - Tic's childhood friend, who he attended high school with and has recently come to develop genuine feelings for.
- Ji-Ah - Tic's former lover from when he was stationed in South Korea. However, he returned home after discovering her true nature.
Appearances[]
- Season One
- Sundown
- Whitey's on the Moon
- Holy Ghost
- A History of Violence
- Strange Case
- Meet Me in Daegu
- I Am.
- Jig-A-Bobo
- Rewind 1921
- Full Circle
Quotes[]
Stories are like people. Loving them doesn't make them perfect. You just try and cherish 'em, overlook their flaws.
Tic, Sundown
No, I've never left a man behind, you hear me? Ever. Out in the trenches, I can trust those standing next to me.
Tic to Montrose, A History of Violence
I don't know if what I had with Ji-Ah was love. I never had any good examples of it growing up. My parents' love was... enduring, but unknowable.
Tic to Leti, Strange Case
I've imagined it enough. When I was younger. Mostly after he beat me. That violence that's in him, I thought wasn't... could never be in me. I found it in the war.
Tic to Leti, Strange Case
My entire life, my father's been trying to turn me into someone I'm not. I've gone halfway across the world to get out from under his thumb, and now... Being here, this war, it's done his job better than he could ever imagine.
Tic to Ji-Ah, Meet Me in Daegu
He said he had to whup my ass so I wouldn't be soft. That's not the real fucked-up part. The fucked-up part is I told myself it was because he cared about me. Wasn't never about me. He was beatin' my ass, whuppin' my ass, beatin' my ass 'cause he's a...
Look what we been through to get here: monsters, ghosts, a-a magical treasure hunt, curses, the past, the future. We can't stop fighting now. The mysterious stranger I heard about my entire life, swinging the bat like Jackie Robinson, saving you, Mama, and Uncle George was me. This book belongs to our family, and together, we're gonna use this book to protect our family.
Look what we been through to get here: monsters, ghosts, a-a magical treasure hunt, curses, the past, the future. We can't stop fighting now. The mysterious stranger I heard about my entire life, swinging the bat like Jackie Robinson, saving you, Mama, and Uncle George was me. This book belongs to our family, and together, we're gonna use this book to protect our family.
Tic to Leti, Full Circle
Your feelings are not gone, not forever. It's what happens when you lose someone so close to you. You... you lose a part of yourself. It's called grieving. It's human. [sighs] And in times of mourning, that's when you should be surrounded by family, and that's what we are. I was too scared to see it at first, when you first showed up, but our connection... our intertwined destinies... it makes us family.
Tic to Ji-Ah, Full Circle
Dear Pop, I hope you'll forgive me for this one last secret. I knew you wouldn't accept it... but it had to be done to protect our family, to protect us all. "There is neither happiness nor misery in the world. "There is only the comparison of one state with another, "nothing more. "He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness." Recognize that? Dumas's wise words are my wish for you... supreme happiness. Teach my son new ways of living, instead of repeating what we've been through. As little George's grandfather, you have a second chance to be the father you always wanted. Don't waste it. Love, Tic.
Tic to Montrose, Full Circle
Gallery[]
