Hemlock Grove 2.05: “Hemlock Diego’s Policy Player’s Dream Book”

Lady Lawyer has a lot of reasons for optimism…who believes that?
Okay, sometimes I just don’t get the titles for these episodes, but below the jump is the scene I’ve been looking forward to since we caught a glimpse of it in the trailer.

Fountains of Vein.
It’s completely indulgent and reminiscent of Fright Night with Roman’s (Bill Skarsgård) elongated mouth. And the fountains of blood. Oh, the overly dramatic blood splatter! Roman’s (thankfully) daydreaming, but he’s really losing it, so badly he’s calling Dr. Pryce for help. Now that Miranda (Madeline Brewer) knows, Roman has to come clean, but with his usual snark and sass. Of course, he lies. Miranda is, understandably, freaking out. Secret baby, her spontaneous lactation; she’s learning that Hemlock Grove is a strange, strange place.

Peter (Landon Liboiron) needs anger management. I’m not sure if it’s because he keeps calling the wolf, or if he’s all bent about the murders and the jail stay and his worry over mom Lynda's (Lili Taylor) legal woes, but he’s far gone from the mild Peter we knew last season. His world is changing, and he’s going to have to deal with the change.

The girl in the tank has a name! We didn’t see a lot of Prycilla (Alexandra Gordon) last season, but I think we’re going to know more soon. Dr. Pryce also has a… grinder in which he’s made something to satisfy the upir appetite. Honestly, it looks vile, like chunky jello goop. We’ve seen a lot of nasty things on Hemlock Grove, but I think this takes the cake. Last season, I couldn’t stand Pryce, but we’re getting to see more of his personality and his desires. I might, dare I say it, even like him.

Nothing takes the pain away… not for long.
Miranda is lactating due to her being around the baby, even though she just technically discovered her. She’s got a surprising amount of common sense, which I find refreshing. She’s a logical thinker in an illogical situation. Roman’s really won me over this season. His vulnerability is unexpected, but beautiful. He’s so different from Olivia.

I knew they’d have to do something interesting with Olivia (Famke Janssen), but I didn’t expect this twist. I hope they get more into the upir physiology. Obviously, they’re sanguinarians, but they can eat normal food, even if it doesn’t sate their hunger; Olivia has quicker healing abilities, and given the backstory we got last season, she’s far older than she looks. I wished they’d done more with her heritage last season. I know it was supposed to be the plot twist, but when Olivia mentions her beginning the treatments, it makes me wonder at what stage this whole process begin.

Maybe she just needs a glitter ball.

I’ll take Olivia singing karaoke, though.

It looks like Peter and Sheriff Chasseur (Demore Barnes) are teaming up against these murders-framed-as-accidents. I’m not sure how far Hemlock County extends, but I guess there’s enough distance between crimes scenes to avoid being in Hemlock Grove’s local news. Chasseur alludes to not being unfamiliar with unusual incidents.

These guys teaming up: an idea so crazy, it just might work?

Roman has really come a long way in terms of character development. I love the broken ones, and he’s is teetering on the edge of hopelessness. I’m not sure what sort of “cure” Pryce can offer him, but his suffering is so great, I believe Roman would do anything.


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.