Bill Skarsgård (L) and Joel de la Fuente (R) in a scene from Netflix’s “Hemlock Grove” Season 2. Credit: Brooke Palmer for Netflix.
Resolutions are coming fast for the people of “Hemlock Grove” as we end the halfway mark of the season.
The episode opens with Roman (Bill Skarsgård) eating his delicious snack of raw meat only to soon be confronted by Miranda (Madeline Brewer) about the secret baby he has hidden upstairs. Roman stares at Miranda with lustful eyes and you can probably guess what happens next. He chomps at her neck and blood spurts all over the room. The strangely erotic moment is then revealed to be a daydream. Some teenage boys have wet dreams. Upirs have…well…wet dreams with a different meaning of the word, “wet.”
More crazy moments in your recap!
Peter’s visions are becoming all too real
Peter (Landon Liboiron), who was just put in jail after warning the family about danger heading their way in the previous episode, gets released by Michael (Demore Barnes) on the grounds that the woman and her son left town and there was no one to press charges. Peter tries to warn Michael about his dream of a kid underwater and of a German Shepherd. Michael initially refuses to believe that anyone can have dreams of something before they happen.
However, later on, the woman is seen talking on the phone with a friend about a guy she just met. This is happening while water floods from upstairs, where her son, Jack, is taking a bath. From her window, you can see a billboard with a German Shepherd displayed. Does this sound familiar?
When she notices water flooding on the floor, she hurries upstairs and sees her son dead in an overflowing bathtub. While reaching down for him, one of the white-masked men is seen approaching her from behind.
Michael delivers the news to Peter that the woman drowned her son in the bathtub and then jumped out of the window 10 stories high. It looks like Michael finally believes Peter’s dreams since he confesses this is not his first time dealing with an out-of-the-ordinary case. Will Peter and Michael become allies?
Also, since we know about Jack and his mother, the murder/suicide in the third episode probably wasn’t what it seemed to be.
Lynda is finally free!
Peter and Destiny (Kaniehtiio Horn) meet with Frieda (Yanna McIntosh), the lawyer in charge of Lynda’s (Lili Taylor) case. Frieda tells them that there are new charges against Lynda and it looks like the case is hopeless as she will be given up to 10 years in prison. Peter, furious at the lawyer for being unable to do anything for his family, shoves a bookcase on the floor.
This further reinforces Destiny’s concerns about Peter changing during a bad moon. Peter, not wanting to worry Destiny, assures his cousin that he not only hasn’t been changing during the bad moon but he also hasn’t been investigating his dreams.
Later, the young Rumanceks visit Lynda to see her with a black eye. Lynda, being the strong-willed and fabulous woman she is, assures Peter and Destiny that they should “see the other chicks.” Lynda also tells them she is going to be transferred to another prison where she hopes the food will be better.
This does not sit well with Destiny, who later makes a mixture of Grandma Lumilda’s psychoactive gypsy brain fog. While driving Lynda to her new prison, the two drivers experience the effects of the brain fog which makes them think spiders are crawling on their faces. Don’t you wish all grandmothers had cool recipes like that?
After the drivers leave the car, Peter, Destiny and Andreas (Luke Camilleri) break Lynda out of the vehicle. Andreas gets her a plane ticket to Bucharest along with a Romanian passport. Lynda is nervous about moving to a place where she doesn’t know anyone and she fears that she may never see Peter again. Peter promises her that Andreas will whip him up a new identity and join her soon. But Lynda tells Peter that he must stay in Hemlock Grove because she has a strong feeling that the people need him there and she’s never wrong about these things. After Jack and his mother are killed, it becomes all too clear that the town does indeed need him.
Lisa Marcos (L) and Dougray Scott (R) in a scene from Netflix’s “Hemlock Grove” Season 2. Credit: Brooke Palmer for Netflix.
Shelley and Norman need serious help in drastically different ways
Little Jason shows Shelley (Madeleine Martin) his parents’ cell phone so they can play games. Shelley uses the phone to check for emails and notices several messages from Norman (Dougray Scott). She replies and tells him that she is OK and that helping her anymore will only get him in trouble.
Norman meets with Leticia (Lisa Marcos), the private investigator, and tells her about Shelley’s email. He also tells her to continue looking into Marie’s disappearance. Leticia says she would like to be put in a room with Olivia to question the last person who saw Marie. But Norman, being the trustworthy soul that he is, says Olivia has been bothered enough. Instead, Norman wants Leticia to look into how Marie disappeared so soon after promising to sue the White Tower.
Later on, Shelley hides from the neighborhood watch committee as they break into the basement. The terrified Shelley sends a message to Norman saying, “Help me.”
Will Norman come to her rescue and will Shelley be able to stop running?
Famke Janssen in a scene from Netflix’s “Hemlock Grove” Season 2. Credit: Brooke Palmer for Netflix.
Olivia’s still got it
Olivia (Famke Janssen) cuts her leg while shaving and while that may be a first world problem, it is definitely not a good sign for an upir, according to Pryce (Joel de la Fuente). This, along with her normal human emotions, mean that she will only live a normal human lifespan. Olivia makes the point that it’s hardly worth the trouble of being born if one only has the time of a human life. Maybe Olivia should consider writing self-help books from the perspective of an upir.
Later, Olivia sees the clock ticking and Pryce’s words hit her. She refuses to sit around waiting for death to find her. So, she puts on a sexy dress and even puts away the cane she has been using to walk. At a karaoke bar, she gets hit on by a guy only to turn him down and she even sings a song.
Olivia knows how to be fierce even when her time is running out.
Madeline Brewer (L) and Bill Skarsgård (R) in a scene from Netflix’s “Hemlock Grove” Season 2. Credit: Brooke Palmer for Netflix.
Miranda and Roman get it on
Miranda is starting to get serious with Roman but how can you not get serious when you are already breastfeeding his baby? Roman suggests that Miranda should see Dr. Spivak to learn about why she’s suddenly lactating.
The doctor tells Miranda to never go to Norway because the Norwegians are a loathsome bunch. While that may not seem like completely relevant advice, the doctor also gives her information about her condition. It turns out, Miranda has pseudocyesis, a condition where the body acts as if it’s pregnant while it’s not. According to the doctor, this is likely a result of being around the baby. But Miranda started to lactate before she even knew of the baby’s existence. Doctors in Hemlock Grove probably don’t give the best advice or treatments to begin with though.
Meanwhile, at Godfrey Medical Center, Roman gets a note from Pryce to go to the S5 mechanical closet A.S.A.P. This task is made easier by the elevator in the building which goes from the 50th floor to the basement in just seconds. When Roman gets to the room, he sees a naked woman floating in a tube, the same woman we saw in the first episode of the season. Pryce says her name is Prycilla and she’s the first human to be born in an extrauterine environment.
But this is not the creation Pryce actually wants to show Roman. Pryce takes him to another room and shows him a product from a wide spectrum of genetic experiments he’s been conducting repurposed as nutrient concentrate to satiate the upir appetite. In other words, it’s a huge box filled with floating bloody limbs to prevent Roman from wanting to kill people.
Roman drinks one cup and instantly wants more. Pryce tells him not to take anymore because his metabolism hasn’t adjusted yet. Roman pushes the mad doctor aside and continues drinking, resulting in him getting nauseous. You should always pace yourself while eating. This show does try to give valuable lessons to children after all.
Later on, Roman tells Miranda most of the truth: that he’s the baby’s father and the mother died during childbirth. Also, the baby’s grandmother is a psycho. Roman tells Miranda how grateful he is for her and they eventually kiss and have sex.
While lying in bed, Roman hears Miranda’s pulse and is tempted to eat her like in the daydream he had earlier. This temptation prompts Roman to visit Pryce with tears in his eyes and says he’ll do anything not to feel hungry anymore and to not be like his mother. Pryce tells Roman that what he has in mind has never been tried before and it might not work. Regardless, Pryce assures Roman that everything is going to be okay.
Will Pryce actually try to help Roman? Or does he have an alternative agenda? Either way, Pryce is still going through with having the feisty Russian doctor make the enzyme inhibitor. He even threatens the doctor that unless she gives him the enzyme, she will be on trial in Hague for war crimes like her buddy Chemical Ali. Ominous threats in the workplace always work if you’re Dr. Johann Pryce.
Grade:B+
Check out the recap of the last episode here.
Follow Jeremy Rodriguez on Twitter:@RodriguezJeremy
