Hemlock Grove: "Luna Rea"

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Can Peter and Roman mend their friendship? It’s possible, but there will likely be a few obstacles in the way.

In the first season of Hemlock Grove, Peter and Roman became close. That changed when Letha died, Shelley disappeared and Peter split with his mom. Now that Peter’s mom is incarcerated and he’s back in town, the two have been at odds. When Peter heads to a trailer park to warn people about the vision of the future he had in a dream, a woman pulls a gun on him, and he bumps into his old friend. Roman wants nothing to do with Peter right now. He tries to drive off as Peter explains his dreams. Roman mentions some weird dreams of his own.

“Luna Rea” explores what remains of the bond between Hemlock Grove’s two male leads. They weren’t just guys who formed a bond despite their different backgrounds. They’re linked together by their supernatural abilities, a gift and a struggle that makes them outsiders amongst the townspeople. Their premonitions are real; two deaths occurred in the park after their encounter and they were written off as as a murder-suicide. They are both facing turmoil as they try to control their powers. Peter turned himself into a werewolf under the wrong moon. Now, he will face physical consequences. His cousin, Destiny, gives him an “I told you so” before talking about someone who destroyed himself the same way. Roman watches gory Godfrey Industries videos as he shovels food into his mouth. He’s trying to push away the urges, but they’re building up inside of him. Right now, Roman and Peter really need each other for support, but there might be a problem with that. There’s a love triangle brewing on Hemlock Grove.

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Peter has been helping out Miranda, Roman’s houseguest, with her car. They drive around together. Peter takes a collect call from his mom. Miranda eavesdrop and asks who Lynda is. When he explains that Lynda is his mother they get to talking. Peter suggests going back to his house to get a tarot reading from Destiny. Destiny isn’t around, and they have sex. Miranda tears up, but she says it’s nothing. They talk about their exes. Peter mentions that his is dead. Things get awkward. Peter falls asleep, leading into a dream sequence that cuts to Roman awaking.

Peter gets up and heads over to Roman’s place. He starts talking about the dream. Roman asks if Peter is “trying to make up for skipping out” on him months ago. Peter apologizes for leaving when his friend obviously needed him. They’re shared dreams might bring them back together, but a shared affection for the same girl might drive them apart.

Roman’s sister, Shelley, has been on the run after killing Christina Wendell, who’d turned into a deranged werewolf and was responsible for murdering many in the town. Inside a cemetery, Christina’s wolf hands pop out from her grave—Carrie-style. The wolf emerges and chases Shelley through the woods. Ultimately, Shelley is able to re-kill the wolf by bashing its head open with a rock, then tearing it apart at the neck. Shelley finds a hiding spot and is eventually discovered by a little boy who brings her an apple. She and the boy develop a friendship. He brings her essentials and offers to make her new bandages for her hands. She shows him how mangled her hands are and he doesn’t wince. He’s been kinder to Shelley than most everyone from her past.

Olivia and Norman are out in the open about their relationship, but she gets jealous when she spies on her lover talking with his ex-wife. Norman tries to tell Olivia that it’s time to leave the rehabilitation center where she’s staying—”You’re not an invalid, you’re not weak,” he says. Later on, Marie—Norman’s ex-wife—pays Olivia a visit. She tells Olivia to “just take care of him” and offers forgiveness. Olivia is livid. She doesn’t believe that she needs forgiveness. The two go at it. The argument will not bode well for one of them. Later on, after an intimate encounter between Olivia and Norman, we find out that Marie is laying in a tub, apparently lifeless.

Amidst all of this, there are snippets of information that will likely make more sense later in the season. A priest is talking to the sheriff about getting rid of Roman. He’s part of Order of the Dragon and claims that “God is diversifying his portfolio.” Later on, Dr. Pryce is talking to the same priest and the real problem with Roman emerges. He’s a loose cannon. Olivia, on the other hand, “kept her end of the pact.” We’ve got some conspiracy stuff going on here.

Later on, a woman with a young boy is approached by a police officer who tells her that there’s a prowler loose in the neighborhood. The officer gets into his car and we see the mask associated with this season’s murders. Meanwhile, there’s a new sheriff in town, who may cause problems for multiple characters. Right now, though, Peter is the one who may be in too deep. The drug dealers just found out that faked them out for $20,000.

Liz Ohanesian writes about pop culture from her base in Los Angeles. For updates, follow her on Twitter or Facebook.

Hemlock Grove: “Luna Rea”

(Episode 2.03)