Hemlock Grove - Jellyfish in the Sky

I will say that after the first episode of Hemlock Grove, I’m not sure this will be the series for me. I am already not feeling these characters, but perhaps they will grow on me over time. I’m giving the first season a chance anyway. I’m willing to try.

A teenager (who appears to be having sexual relations with her science teacher) named Brooke (Lorenza Izzo) encounters a beast that rams into her car while waiting for a train to pass. She flees for a little barn to hide away in and is soon pulled out and disemboweled. This sets the town of Hemlock Grove on edge and under distress.

Gypsy Lynda (Lili Taylor) and Peter (Landon Liboiron) Rumancek move to a property containing a trailer of Peter’s uncle, with wealthy neighbors, The Godfreys. Olivia (Famke Jannsen) has two children, Roman (Bill Skarsgård), pushing dope and paying for hookers before school, and the statuesque Shelley (Nicole Boivin, when face is revealed, Erika Ervin when walking about to establish her size) who hangs her hair across one side to hide it. Olivia Godfrey funds a science corporation ran by Dr. Johann Pryce (Joel de la Fuente). Olivia’s husband committed suicide and knew that his brother, Dr. Norman Godfrey (Dougray Scott), was sleeping with his wife. Norman finds Pryce repulsive and doesn’t even want to associate with him. Norman even questions why Olivia would want to be such a benefactor for Pryce. I bet she has her reasons. She clearly would love to just get a quick one in with Norman but he makes for the exit once he tells her he isn’t fond of her son buying Pennsylmania for the night just to take out his cousin, Norman’s daughter, Letha (Penelope Mitchell). Pennsylmania is an amusement park in Hemlock Grove and Roman just rented it for the night to show off the family wealth. Norman is bothered by his daughter accompanying Roman because the community would consider such brazen behavior as disrespectful. When others in town are suffering and yet the privileged few just rub their nose in the distance of classes, Norman can see why Roman doing that would be tough for many to stomach, not wanting his own daughter under such a reputation as some rich snob.

The show right off the bat paints Olivia as quietly insidious. As if she’s got some secrets and some type of agenda that is not quite yet revealed to us. What is going on at the company headed by the seemingly sociopathic Dr. Pryce? Pryce is brought the mutilated photograph of Brooke by the town sheriff with Norman hesitantly (and uncomfortably) tagging along considering his last name is attached to the company. Pryce is very clinical in his findings and quite unaffected by the gory pictures. This is one of the reasons Norman despises him…that he’s this unfeeling scientist who puts his energy into the work. Whatever that work is will be left for us to ponder in the next episodes afterward.

The flashback of Norman’s brother confronting him about Olivia—telling him there is something about her that is quite suspicious and he knows of their affair—informs the viewer of just why he isn’t in the picture. Olivia and her husband have this weird discussion about what she wants from him and how she would not give up her son. He had visited both his children before shooting himself. Olivia could care less. Olivia also has this awkward exchange with Roman before school is to start, about spending time together and him getting some new clothes. He just seems indifferent towards her. And most of the time I found Roman was just bored period. He fucks a paid girl, cutting a finger and rubbing blood on her. It doesn’t seem to excite him much. In fact I rarely see him excited at all about anything. He did seem to enjoy his time with Letha. He does seem to care about his sister, though. And he and Peter appear interested in each other. It isn’t sexual or anything, just as if they are drawn towards each other for a purpose not yet identified. The episode goes out of its way to point this out to us.

The character of Christina (Freya Tingley) is introduced also in a peculiar way. Peter is on a hammock in the yard of his and Lynda’s junk trailer and premises.  Christina is curious about him, soon realizing he was both a gypsy and noticed his forefinger and middle finger being the same length, questioning if he was a werewolf. It plants the seed in our mind that he just might be. Roman, later, thinks he just might be, implying he knows that he might have killed Brooke. Christina has like this book of details, perhaps later developed into something literary. She indicates that Peter might be a subject she’d be interested in. But at school she’s defensive and distant, perhaps choosing to avoid him when around others. When those in school eye Peter—despite not even knowing him; he’s just the new kid—as the killer of Brooke, it sure doesn’t help his status among the student body.