Hemlock Grove 2.02: “Gone Sis”

A new girl with questionable taste in roommates.
Hemlock Grove has a history of bloody, gory intros and so far, it’s not slacking on upholding that tradition.

Read more about the weekend's binge watch schedule.

Roman (Bill Skarsgård) and prostitutes. His blood lust is getting to him, and I might be just a little bit in love with overly hungry Roman.

We finally get to meet Miranda Cates (Madeline Brewer), the new gal in town. She’s run off the road by an unknown person. She might be a victim of the masked crazies, who've managed to survive. That could have interesting possibilities. She’s artsy and a bit reckless, but looks like she can take care of herself. She definitely has more substance than Letha did, also some snappy one-liners. Her tattoos are intriguing, especially when you compare the bird flying into Olivia’s window to the apparently dead or dying bird on Miranda’s back. Foreshadowing, anyone? I love the idea of tattoos changing or reflecting events. She’s staying with Roman on a permanently temporary basis while her car is repaired. What’s Roman going to do with a warm, blood-filled vending machine down the hall?

It’s kind of a bummer feeling things.

I love that the writers are taking Olivia in a new direction. She’s experiencing empathy and other human emotion. It’s strange to see something other than aloofness or disgust on her face. Perhaps her newly-colorful wardrobe is a reflection of her inner change. Olivia’s lost her power. The exchange between her and Roman is exceptionally moving, because you can see how badly he hurts her. She wants to usher him into life as upir, and Roman would give anything not to share her legacy.

In Episode 1, they gave Letha a final (?) goodbye.

I find Norman (Dougray Scott) and his relationship with his now ex-wife Marie (Laurie Fortier) oddly fascinating. They’re pretty amiable, despite his overly obvious cheating, the death of their daughter, and Marie suing Godfrey Industries for wrongful death. He’s gone a bit manic, which I can’t say is a bad look for him. He stayed on the sidelines last season, but this time he’s a lit fuse. The explosion will be devastating.

I find Norman’s also become more emotional. He still emails Shelley, even though she’s supposedly dead. It makes him feel better, and showing that sort of vulnerability rounds out his character. The writers had to a lot to make up for in terms of development, and they’ve really fleshed out some of the people I didn’t care about.

Why couldn’t I just foresee lottery numbers?

Peter (Landon Liboiron) is continuing to have visions and turns to his cousin for help. The snake theme is popular in Hemlock Grove. We get another cool look into Destiny’s (Kaniehtiio Horn) psychic vision. The film budget is definitely not wasted on these little forays into the dark. They’re visually stunning and creepy, evoking the feel of the town. Destiny warns Peter to ignore the dreams, but of course, he goes after them anyway.

No season would be complete without the unfortunate drunk guy stumbling upon something he shouldn’t see. This year, he gets garroted by our masked friends after interrupting their ritual. There’s a cult element around these guys, but they don’t feature in this episode, so I have to wait it out to see what their M.O. is. If it’s scaring the hell out of everyone, so far, so good.


Meghan Harker grew up in a small, awkwardly-named town in Georgia. She attended Brenau University, where she earned her BA in English and a minor in Graphic Design; she also attended the University of Cambridge, England, where she didn't quite master the perfect Oxbridge accent. She's an avid reader, writer, and fire spinner. She's currently working her first novel, a paranormal thriller. Visit her blog at ExquisitelyOdd.com.

Read all posts by Meghan Harker for Criminal Element.