Original Release Date (Netflix): Friday April 19, 2013
Today’s episode of Hemlock Grove starts 18 years earlier, at Juliette’s funeral. Olivia is chatting up some guests, acting like business as usual. This disturbs JR, who is talking with his brother Norman about it. Norman tries to comfort him by saying, “There are as many ways to grieve as there are people in the world.” JR of course doesn’t buy it. He’s convinced there is something deeply wrong with Olivia. JR asks Norman to be Olivia’s doctor, despite Norman’s objections.
We then see Olivia having her first visit with Norman as a therapist. She’s very concerned with what looks normal, and asks him how she should react. This is strange to Norman, and Olivia confesses that they are both participating in this “charade” for him and she wants to understand her role. Olivia thinks she has to be a mother to more than just children, and she asks Norman if he’s always needed so much reassurance. They have a very interesting conversation about motherhood, and Olivia brings up her father, ever so briefly. He apparently had a low tolerance for non-sense. Right after this scene the credits roll and onward we go!
The next scene is present day again, with Roman and his mother driving. She stops the car at the train tracks, and Roman confronts her about letting him get arrested on their property. She threatens him, saying she’ll cut him out of the will, when suddenly her eyes start to roll into her head. The lights flicker, and we hear strange whispering noises. Roman gets worried for her, and when it stops he tells her he hears them too. Olivia isn’t happy to hear this, but he brings Roman into an embrace to comfort him.
The next scene is Peter coming home angrily as his mother greets him. Lynda questions him as he tells her he had to walk 5 miles and that Roman left him there. He tells her she was right. He shouldn’t have trusted an Upir. She asks him if he learned from it and gives him a hug.
The scene changes and we see Clementine in Castle Godfrey, snooping around. She finds a heel print of Olivia’s, just as a couple cops find her there. They warn her she’s trespassing, and her wish badge is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. They find the remains of Lisa, and realize it’s now a crime scene. The Sheriff confronts her about showing up without him and then he gets a call on his cellphone from the Mayor. He tells Clementine they have to withhold information from the public, and he asks her about how long she’s been with Fish and Wildlife. He keeps questioning her and she deflects, until she receives a call on her cellphone, ending their little banter.
The following scene is of Shelley in the general store, and she is determined to buy those earrings she liked the last time she was in. The girl behind the counter knew she’d be back for them, and saved them for her. Shelley tells her she took the bus, all by herself, and the girl applauds her independence. The counter girl tells her, “A good piece of jewelry can turn a girl into a woman, not to mention, a little rebellion.”
At dinner that night, Shelley is wearing her earrings. Olivia notices them and instantly disapproves, and tries to shame her out of them. Shelley tells her she took the bus, by herself, and this as well as the earrings, are why Olivia is pissed. Roman is proud of his sister being independent and stands up for her. It’s actually a really beautiful thing to see. Roman may be really messed up, but he loves his sister. So when Olivia gets all cruel to Shelley, he tells her off. He warns her that he knows she’s lying about the will, and that everything is actually his once he turns 18. He’s the sole beneficiary.
His final remark, “All you had to do was leave her alone.”
It’s quite the scene. Olivia seems to take it meekly, and scurries away like a wounded animal. When she’s gone, Roman helps Shelley put her earrings back on and puts her to bed. While he tucks her in, he sees a picture she’s painted.
It’s the snake eating its own tail symbol, with reds and a strange light at the top. He remembers his dream he shared with Peter as he stares at it.
The next scene is Norman being awoken from a phone call. He tells the caller to calm down and says he will be there. His wife asks if it’s Olivia and he says no. He goes to his study and gets his car keys, as Letha sneaks in after he’s gone. She starts looking for clues, looking for the suicide letter JR wrote about Olivia. And she eventually finds it…in plain sight. It’s hidden under a picture of JR.
She sits down and reads it. JR talks about Norman being a gentle-man, and how Olivia will destroy that. He says, “She will bring out all the worst in you, and by the time you realize it, it’s too late because she’s already destroyed the best.” He tries to warn Norman almost pleading with him to not let Olivia destroy him.
The note disturbs Letha greatly. As it bloody well should!
We then see Olivia walking the halls of the manor, her long silk white gown trailing behind her. She moves almost like a specter. She enters Romans room and curls up with him, curling her fingers around his neck lightly. She tells him, “You’re stronger than I’d ever hoped.”
The next scene is of Norman coming out of Francis’s room, cops and orderlies everywhere. Norman finds him dead, a needle shoved in his brain, his eyes wide open. That creepy milky eye staring listlessly. Norman says he was talking of releasing him, which almost sounds like he’s saying it out of guilt. Like he regrets now the idea. The Sheriff is disturbed at finding the body in that condition, and they assume he killed himself.
Do you think he did reader? I’m not so sure.
We are then brought back to the High school, where Peter finds a nasty image tucked into his locker. Suddenly, Roman asks Peter to join him for a smoke. They stand outside together smoking when roman says he has a lead to the White Tower. Peter tells him he’s done with Roman. He feels betrayed by being abandoned at the mill. Roman angrily tells him not to fuck his cousin Letha or he will kill him.
The following scene is of Lynda making burgers when Olivia shows up. She invites her in and they play at pleasantries. They talk about Olivia’s previous arrangement with Vince, and that she has a condition that doctors aren’t much help. She says she needs more of the substance, and then asks to eat some of the raw meat. Lynda, trying to be a good hostess, let’s her have some, than tells her the price. It’s a heavy price because of the means she must take, or so she says. 5,000 dollars a bottle for the substance.
After her meeting with Olivia, Lynda goes over to see Destiny to celebrate. Destiny warns her not to trifle with the Godfrey’s but she is convinced she knows what she’s doing. Lynda says, “It’s just business.” As they drink together. Destiny says, “I have seen Roman’s hand.” And warns her he’s capable of a lot and Lynda is assured that Peter now knows this. They briefly mention the Vargulf, and Lynda says dismissively, “Nature will take its course.”
The next scene is Peter getting on the school bus as Letha comes to join him. She tells him about the note, after he asks her what she found out. “Adulthood is just like high school with mortgages.” Peter reads the note and asks about Olivia and Letha’s dad. Letha simply says they were doctor patient, not knowing it went deeper. She also informs Peter Francis is dead. They have an uncomfortable silence for a bit until Letha brings up Roman’s weirdness today. Peter explains he’s pissed off at him because Roman has a giant Roman-shaped blind spot where he sees the world. She asks about him getting arrested and Peter calls it more like a time-out. Letha tells him that he doesn’t have to leave things out because she’s a girl.
After the school bus drops them off, we see them in Peter’s trailer together. She asks him if he believes in Angels, and tells him it scares her parents because they don’t believe her. He teasingly tells her it sounds a lot like crazy. She asks him again if he believe her, and he says he doesn’t know. After they talk about it a little more she starts to flirt with him heavily, and then she blurts out, “Do you wanna try and fuck me?” He sighs and mentions Roman, and she asks if it’s being pregnant that bugs him. He says no, it’s kinda sexy.
“Are you really saying no?” Is all Letha says before it cuts to Roman in his room. Roman is being weird too, and tries to pull apart two links in a rusted steel thing. Then he does some coke and cuts his face open, running the blood over his lush lips. “Shut up and kiss me.”
I…I really don’t know what’s going on in his head.
Clementine interrupts, and Roman pretends he was shaving. They sit down and talk, after Roman teasingly refers to her as “The dogcatcher.” Shelley shows up and Roman tells her, “She’s here to talk about the Vargulf.” And tell her its fine. Clementine is confused by the statement but he refuses to repeat it. Clementine questions him, and he tells her he’s fucked up right now. He is very frank about things. He says people are afraid of the Godfrey’s and of Peter. Clementine asks if they have reason to be, and he says no. He says Peter would never hurt anyone…but doesn’t say he wouldn’t She asks him why he went to the site of the first murder, and Roman says he followed Peter. He says they were Rubbernecking. She asks him if he dug up Lisa and he says no. She takes off her badge and asks again. This time he says no, then says they did for a ritual or something. Gypsy thing. He says Peter thought he could help her. She asks about the world Vargulf. He says, “I don’t want you to think my sister is the Vargulf!” He says Vargulf means some kind of sickness. It’s like hunger with no appetite. He then tells her that he learned the word from Peter.
She then questions him about the experiment in the White Tower called Ouroboros. All he can tell her is the symbol means something, something happening. He tells her he sees things sometimes. He then tells her he can help her, that he wants to help her. He says he can find out what Ouroboros is. That his father built the White Tower. She tells him he can’t help, which of course pisses him off.
And when he asks why not she tells him, “God doesn’t want you to be happy. God wants you to be strong.” Just then, Olivia shows up. Clementine introduces herself. Olivia plays at being helpful, “Of course we would be thrilled to offer our assistance…”
Clementine makes her leave, but not before commenting on Olivia’s shoes. “They do leave quite an impression.”
After Clementine is gone Roman gets a call from Norman, who asks where Letha might have gone. Bitterly Roman says, “ I have an idea.” Norman asks if he’d call him back when he sees Letha next and of course Roman agrees…and goes out to find her.
Norman remembers lying with Olivia after they’ve been having sex, and her telling him, “It’s nice to see a man take what he wants.” He remembers feeling right with her, and how he was ready to leave his wife. But when he gets home, she tells him she’s pregnant with Letha.
We are brought back to the scene with Letha trying to seduce Peter. She’s crawling over him now, smelling him. “You smell sweet, like a puppy.” Peter does cave and goes for her, making out with Letha just as Roman shows up to watch through the window.
Of course…Roman takes this very, very badly.
He flips out driving off in the rain in a rage. He ends up at a girl from school’s house, who he ignored at the dance. Her name is Ashley. He just stands there, soaked, staring at her with a lost expression that makes her want to help him. She gently coaxes him inside, and offers to take him out of his wet clothes.
Inside her room is lit with candles, as the power across town has gone out. She puts him in her house coat, which looks super funny and tiny on his giant frame. She asks him what’s wrong when roman just starts to weep. For a moment, he seems so fragile, like a broken child. She asks him about the wrappings on his chest, but he doesn’t reply. He tells her he should go, but she tells him he should talk about his problem. He says, “I’m ugly person. I have an ugliness it’s impossible to love.”
Ashley of course doesn’t believe that.
(Also I would like to add, this is one of my favorite quotes so far. I know there are a lot of quotes that rock in this series, but this one, just hits me deep. I think we all can relate to that feeling at least once in our lives. Feeling so ugly inside we are impossible to love.)
Ashley eventually brings Roman to the bed, and they start to make out. At first it seems harmless…just teenagers making out, getting ready to have sex. Then Roman tries her hands up. She laughs it off at first, calling him crazy. He sees his reflection in the mirror and something snaps, but the poor girl doesn’t realize it until it’s too late. He hears the whispers and it’s like he’s possessed. She freaks out and demands to be untied, that she’s not interested anymore.
This only causes Roman to go further.
He makes her call him ugly while he rapes her.
After that horrible scene we see Letha curled up in Peter’s arms. They look kinda cute, and she asks him to make his stomach growl. He tells her he can’t make his stomach growl on command.
Back to Roman again, and we see him all cleaned up. He wipes her mind with his powers and unties her. He tells Ashley to dream about something nice, before leaving here there in the candlelight.
And that is how this episode ends! I’m a little stunned at all that’s happened. Roman does have an ugliness inside him, but he also has such goodness, it makes the extremes of his nature really interesting to watch. And who knows what he’s going to do to Peter now too!
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