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'Lovecraft Country' Episode 2: Who is Hanna? Is Atticus's ancestor 'literally leading our hero to freedom'?

We came really close to losing Letitia Lewis and our hero Atticus Freeman too, but while Leti was revived with Montrose's powers, Atticus was saved by someone not entirely from our realm of the living

Another episode down of Misha Green's hilariously heartbreaking 'Lovecraft Country' and fans are left with more than just questions. After calling the episode more of a finale than a follow up to the pilot, fans are still reeling under the tragic death of one of the central elements of the lead trio - uncle George Freeman (Courtney B Vance). We came really close to losing Letitia Lewis (Jurnee Smollett) and our hero Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors) too, but while Leti was revived with Montrose's powers (yes, he's finally back!), Atticus was saved by someone not entirely from our realm of the living. Most fans are of the opinion that much like Uncle George's assurances, Atticus's maternal ancestor returns to save him from a collapsing mansion's fire. But is this ancestor Atticus's real mother? Here's he truth!

After making their way to the Braithwhite mansion in search of Atticus's father Montrose, the trio couldn't find him anywhere. Instead, they learned about the mansion and the all-white gathering in its premises as part of a secret society called Sons of Adam. Although in a 50s America where Segregation was in full swing and so were sundown towns too, Samuel Braithwhite (Tony Goldwyn) and his cult talked about opening a Garden of Eden that will lead them to an ideal world where humanity will be saved and things will be as they should be. Aka, white supremacy. Braithwhite tells them of the original ritual to open the Garden that had caused Titus Braithwhite his life. The mansion had gone up in flames and the only survivor out of the debris was Titus's slave, Hanna (Joaquina Kalukango).

This spurs George and Atticus to conclude that Samuel was a descendent of Hanna as Atticus recalled his mother talking about an ancestor escaping from her master's mansion-on-fire while she was pregnant. It makes sense since Titus was "kind' to all his slaves, thereby making Atticus a descendant to both Titus and Hanna. Atticus's refusal to participate in the Garden of Eden ritual sees the trip turn into prisoners of the mansion, and when they escape, Samuel shoots both Leti and George, thereby forcing Atticus to participate.

But it's almost like deja vu once again. The ritual doesn't open portals to magical kingdoms but sure does cause destruction and devastation amidst the mansion as it begins collapsing. The charges emitting off Atticu's body turn all living people around him into stone, and that includes Samuel too. It's satisfying, but the worry for Atticus lingers. Will he survive? Of course, he does. As he witnesses everything go up in flames, a mysterious pregnant woman wearing the help's clothes leads Atticus out of the fire and he comes out without a blister. But this woman is not Atticus's mother.

She is an ancestor, whose appearance has become fans' fave scene of the episode. Soon as Hanna made her appearance, a fan tweeted, "Ummm I hope we all peeped Tic's ancestor (Hanna) with that book in her hand. Oh yes honey I seen it!!!!" Another noted: "The ancestor literally leading our hero to freedom." A third fan also tweeted: "The imagery in this show is so powerful and filled with symbolism. The power of Atticus’s maternal ancestor saved him." We do get to meet Atticus's mother Dora in this episode, by the way. She and George are most likely Atticus's real parents. Find out here why we think so!

'Lovecraft Country' airs on Sundays at 9 pm only on HBO.