‘Hemlock Grove’ Season 2 Review: It’s Actually Watchable!

[This is a review of episodes 1 – 6 of season 2 of Hemlock Grove. There will be SPOILERS!]

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As a fan of horror and a sucker for anything Eli Roth, I was very much looking forward to the start Hemlock Grove last year. But, if you caught our review of the beginning of the show’s first season, you know I wasn’t just disappointed – I was dumbfounded. Hemlock Grove season 1 wasn’t just a poor production. It was almost entirely unwatchable. In fact, I never even made it beyond episode 4.

For some reason, the sucker in me opted to give it another go. So to prepare to review season 2, I re-watched all four episodes and then finished the rest. It didn’t get any better. It’s all supernatural, melodramatic nonsense.

The moment I made my way into the new season, I was dumbfounded yet again, but for a different reason this time – because season 2 of Hemlock Grove is actually pretty good! The show’s still got problems and would probably only classify as a satisfactory production, but that’s enough to make it watchable. And if you’re into the idea of werewolves, the Upir and other supernatural forces, becoming watchable also allows it to become rather enjoyable.

Roman Is Crazy

Roman (Bill Skarsgård) is crazy, but good crazy. He was a bit odd throughout season 1, but after unleashing his inner Upir in the finale, Roman became a different breed of crazy. During season 1, it was much more about his obsession with his visions and learning about all the supernatural forces in Hemlock Grove as a normal person might. However, now he’s full-blown supernatural himself and he isn’t happy about it, and that lends itself to some wildly intense imagery and temper tantrums.

Roman’s still trying to do the right thing, but now more so than ever, he’s hardwired to do the opposite, and Skarsgård is doing a solid job maintaining both. Roman isn’t just maturing as an Upir; he’s also growing up as an average human kid might. It could be easy to forget that Roman is still a teenager, especially now that he no longer attends Hemlock High, but Roman’s behavior reeks of immaturity. Whether he’s feeling vulnerable, lonely and lost as anyone might or if he’s being consumed by his Upir bloodlust, Skarsgård approaches it as any teen would, by exhibiting an understanding of right and wrong, but being unable to adhere to it due to a lack of patience and maturity.

Regardless of the quality of season 1, Skarsgård was the perfect fit for this role from day one. He’s got an undeniable onscreen presence that makes him incredibly captivating no matter what nonsense the character’s up to. Roman’s ill-structured arc throughout season 1 didn’t do much to serve Skarsgård’s striking work, but what’s happened to Roman thus far in season 2 is far more coherent and properly paced, letting Skarsgård really show off his firm handle on all of Roman’s layers.

Peter Is Too Crazy

Landon Liboiron, on the other hand, is having the life sucked out of him thanks to a very repetitive and disjointed character narrative. First off, the police raid on the gypsy funeral comes out of nowhere. We know why Peter and Linda (Lili Taylor) skip town, and it makes sense that they’d wind up in the company of other gypsies, but why the cops? And why now? It’s too much of a coincidence and comes across as a forced way to bring them back to Hemlock Grove.

Some of Peter’s efforts to get his mother out of jail have led to some outstanding VFX moments, but it’s still tough to care about his mission or to care about Linda herself for that matter because, thus far, the reason she’s in there doesn’t really have anything to do with the core of the show.

Peter’s visions are more intriguing, but more because the killers involved are so disturbing. Even though we had no clue how that very first murder would play into the season, that opening sequence is extremely enthralling, and the same goes for just about anything those masked men do thereafter. It’s just too bad that all Peter does is whine about it without really accomplishing anything. Although it does look like he’ll team up with Michael Chasseur (Demore Barnes) in the episodes to come, so perhaps he’ll finally stop all this sulking and actually make some smart decisions.

The Love Triangle

As a big fan of Orange is the New Black, I was eager to see what Madeline Brewer was capable of beyond Litchfield and she doesn’t disappoint. Miranda is really just a nice, normal person, especially compared to all these supernatural creatures around her, but Brewer also gives her just enough sass and individual flare to make her feel like a really person who’s worth knowing on a deeper level. In fact, Miranda functions as an anchor of sorts in season 2.

Even though we’ve known Roman, Peter, and the rest of the gang for a while now, they’re changing big time and Miranda serves as a point of reference. It’s easy to jump into this realm of werewolves and the Upir, sit back, relax and take it all as fact, but then Miranda steps in to remind us just how crazy this all is before getting sucked into it herself.

Brewer, Skarsgård and Liboiron also sell that love triangle exceptionally well. Supernatural, young adult romances have a bad rap, but it works here because the connection is palpable. Miranda isn’t just after both Peter and Roman because they’re handsome, brooding and mysterious. She’s alone, they’ve been good to her and she finds the kindness comforting. It makes sense.

And the same goes for Peter and Roman, too. Peter lost Letha (Penelope Mitchell), Roman lost Shelley (now played by Madeleine Martin) and he’s also completely isolated from his mother. Miranda fills a void for both of them. These aren’t hollow relationships. These three share a real connection, so when Miranda hits the point where she’s sleeping with both Peter and Roman, it’s easy to discern how every single person involved feels, making it tough to judge Miranda or even to root for one guy over the other.

Destiny

Hemlock Grove needed more Destiny in season 1. Clearly, the folks behind the show recognized that, because this season, Tiio Horn has a title card during the opening credits and loads more screen time in the first six episodes.

Similar to Skarsgård, there’s something magnetizing about Horn. Destiny is a fascinating character who adds an interesting layer to the supernatural happenings in Hemlock Grove, but as an individual, there’s really not that much to her. She’s constantly warning Peter of bad things to come, she eats some weird stuff, sees the future and that’s really all there is to it. An issue like that should sink a character, but with Horn, it doesn’t make her any less fun to watch. Destiny’s a brash, vibrant and confident person right smack in the middle of a whole bunch of sad sap characters; her energy is both infectious and necessary.

Do We Need Shelley?

Shelley is the most underused character in Hemlock Grove. Sure, she had her big moment at the end of season 1, but what happened to her of value beyond that? This is an abnormally tall teenage girl with one enormous eye and skin that glows. How is there not more depth to her, especially considering how she wound up that way to begin with? We need more of that, not her hanging out with a random little boy in an abandoned building.

Shelley accomplishes absolutely nothing in the first six episodes of season 2. Yes, she does finally put an end to Christina/the Vargulf, but even that isn’t particularly satisfying or exhilarating. The Vargulf was bad guy (or girl) #1 all throughout season 1 and then she digs herself out of the ground in season 2 only to have Shelley tear her apart in mere minutes with minimal effort? If you’re going to bring your primary villain from the previous season back at all, she can’t be a throwaway character.

Norman Who?

Who even cares about Norman? He didn’t accomplish much in season 1 and now it’s as though he’s only needed in season 2 because of his relationship with Olivia (Famke Janssen), and that’s nowhere near enough to sustain his presence in another 13 episodes. Plus, he’s a drag. Does Norman even care about anything or anyone? He says he does, but when Dougray Scott leaves him with a single facial expression and entirely monotone dialogue, it’s tough to buy that he’s got any feelings whatsoever, especially when most of his scenes are alongside Olivia.

Janssen is right in line with Skarsgård and Horn; no matter what Olivia is up to and whether or not we have a clear understanding of what’s driving her, there’s still something undeniably engaging about her. In a way, Olivia is right back to where she was at the very beginning of season 1, but minus the accent and plus the limp. Season 1 features this endless game of trying to judge Olivia’s motives; is she pure evil or does her dedication to her family justify her behavior? The same thing is happening now. One minute, she’s broken, vulnerable and you truly feel for her, but then next, she’s up to something that’s just downright abhorrent. A little more clarity is vital for the character to keep growing at this point and the new issue of her aging faster could help make that happen.

Pryce Is Making Moves

Dr. Pryce is really becoming a Frankenstein of sorts and it’s loads of fun to watch and track. During season 1, Pryce basically just did Olivia’s bidding or worked on his own project in secret. In season 2, however, he’s making decisions on his own and Joel de la Fuente offers so much access to the character that the audience can feel part of it.

Similar to Roman, Dr. Pryce is a particularly fascinating character because he’s so conflicted. There’s a ruthlessness to him, but he seems to genuinely care about the Godfreys’ wellbeing. He could be using Olivia to continue to ensure he has free rein at The White Tower and what he does to Roman in episode 6 is questionable, but Pryce still gives off the impression that he’s a man of compassion in addition to science.

More Structure

The biggest problem with the first season of Hemlock Grove is that it had zero structure in almost every respect. The narrative dragged and often didn’t make much sense, characters either had no arc at all or one that progressed in an uneven fashion, and then the shot selection was almost entirely ludicrous. The large majority of the coverage in the first season was simply coverage; it in no way enhanced a moment and certainly didn’t string the visuals together in a way that facilitated a build.

Season 2 doesn’t do a complete turnaround, but it certainly fixes enough of season 1’s most devastating issues. Hemlock Grove has gone from being absolutely unwatchable to a worthy guilty pleasure. The show does tend to cave under the weight of the abundance of main characters, but this time around, most of them are in the middle of some very engaging and exciting predicaments. If Hemlock Grove would just chop off the unnecessary main players and refine certain plot points, it might actually manage to go from sufficient entertainment to a mildly well-made production.

Hemlock Grove season 2 is available in its entirety on Netflix. Screen Rant will have more reviews on the season soon.

Eh, a lot of what’s going on in season 2 is just so connected to what happens to the characters in season 1. I feel like it’s info you might need to know in order to appreciate what’s happening, but maybe you can get away with just reading some recaps and jumping into it. I would never suggest anyone watch season 1 in order to get to 2, but I will say, getting through the first season did get easier and easier each episode.

i absolutely DISagree with the author of this article…hemlock grove is actually pretty good….better than the rest(read:true blood ,vampire diaries ,supernatural currently).Also the guy playing roman is actually a bad actor…his swagger..everything seems made up..whereas the guy playing peter seems seasoned…there a certain nuance in his acting. So the critic basically doesnt know s***..Find new career..

So lets see your professional credentials and love of horror then. Otherwise, it’s that magic word again…..opinions!

*jazz hands*

Seriously though, it depends what you’re into. My aunt loves the Hostel films and enjoyed Hemlock Grove too while I prefer my horror to be psychological and creepy rather than just counting the amount of squibs exploding per second and violence for the sake of it and no rhyme or reason for its existence (which is why I couldn’t stand Hostel or the Saw sequels).

At least the Upir and werewolf appearances make the violence feasible and almost necessary but the performances….

Maybe Dougray decided to phone it in because he didn’t enjoy the script but figured that at least he had some work so he’d just get it over with?

I agree avinav, the Author really needs to watch the rest of season 2. I was very disappointed with Shelley MK2 and how it ended for her, I think it would of been so much better for the show if they hadn’t of done what they did with Shelley at the end of the last episode (who knows, maybe we will see a Shelley MK2.5 or something).

I also liked what they did with Norman in the end and how his actions effect Olivia.

I’m assuming Perri only reviewed the first half of the season to allow people on here to read the review and if interested, seek out the show without the ending possibly being spoiled, hence the reason it states the rest of the season will be reviewed at a later date.

I don’t share the opinions of the review, I feel only giving a review half the season when the whole season is available to watch presents inaccurate impression. An example of this is the “Norman who?”

Yeah but it was stated in the actual article (I’d guess you skimmed that part) that only the first 6 episodes were going to be reviewed with the rest reviewed later.

I’m just making suppositions based on why that’s the case, I never said anything in that comment about opinions or the show being bad or good so no clue why you felt the need to state 80% of your response to me.

The only thing that made sense in your reply was “I feel only giving a review half the season when the whole season is available to watch presents inaccurate impression”, which is true but like I said, why would anyone read an entire season review and potentially get spoiled?

What reviewer in their right mind would say “here’s an entire season review, enjoy!” and potentially stop people from tuning in due to the whole season’s plot and characters being discussed when you could review half of the season, use questions that came up by that point and then if readers of the site are interested in the show, they can watch the entire season and then wait for the rest of the review before deciding whether they agree or not with what’s being written?

I dunno, it just seems like you lack common sense temporarily and can’t see why a half-season review would be posted and then attempted to try and argue a point by using my own words from further up the page against me to start an argument over what amounts to nothing.

Would you rather Screen Rant never reviews another TV show that airs on network TV until the finale has aired to prevent an “inaccurate impression” being formed based on the first few episodes? That’s what you seem to be saying.

Then you would be guessing incorrectly. Why would anyone be reading a review on anything and not expect it to be slightly spoiled? When an entire series is available to be watched, writing a review on only half of it is much like writing review on half a film. It isn’t like your standard TV series that you can only watch in small bits over a period of months. Its something you can happily sit down and watch on a day off from start to finish (maybe two).

This little speech you’ve made is pretty funny giving your comment about opinions (which is why I felt the need to include it). The writer is allowed to have his opinion and express it, I am just as welcome to agree or disagree and then express it.

We’ve actually discussed how to approach reviewing Netflix series quite a bit and for this, I thought discussing 1 – 6 first and then 7 – 10 was the best way to do it. But of course, that’s only my opinion and you’re absolutely entitled to yours. I know the entire show goes online all at once, but not everyone will binge watch it in one session, so I thought that if I did part now and part in about a week, it’ll give the people who blew through it something to read now, but also wouldn’t spoil anything for those who are taking a little longer to finish the season. Again, you’re totally entitled to your opinion and I hear where you’re coming from. Just wanted to throw in the thoughts behind running with this format.

TBh, if you’re going to break it down like that to me it makes more sense to break it down per episode how ever many times you desire a week followed the season roundup.

guest 7 months ago

Eat more A S S!

SxullPunch 7 months ago

I agree it wasn’t bad. It wasn’t great but then I thought the same of True Blood and stuck with it for a season. I don’t know how you can give a review when you don’t even watch a whole season. Your still building characters and backstory etc.. Anyways Hemlock Grove was decent it wasnt the quality of a show like Dexter but it was fair nontheless.

You would need a really good summary of season 1 to understand everything that’s going on in season 2. There are some pretty big plot lines that build on everything that happened in the tail end of season 1. My recommendation would be just to suck it up and get through season 1. After the first few episodes it DOES get better. I would just accept that it’s campy and dark and unreal and that should make it bearable. Season 2 is definitely worth watching season 1.

I dunno. I think you could understand it entirely just by watching the recap netflix put before the first episode. You would lack some character details and points of reference but the details are not necessarily a barrier to entry.

you wouldnt miss much but i would definitely finish the first season and then watch season 2. season 1 would be just to build characters and what they are about. season 2 is alot more complete and like i was sayin, i wasnt big on season 1 but the second season is great

I guess the good thing is that it’s all available at once so you can plough throw the first season in a couple of days, get it over with and even if it still sucks, at least you didn’t waste 10 weeks on it.

i just finished all 10 episodes of season 2. season 1 to me was just strange but season 2 did fix alot of the problems and i would say if you havent watched the last 4 episodes yet, youre in for a pretty good treat. i was skeptical going into season 2 but after just completing it i am already upset that they didnt make as many episodes. i absolutely loved the final few episodes of season 2, not only are they watchable, it gives you that feel of wanting more and leaving you with more questions going into the new season. if you didnt like season 1 or did not complete it, i would rewatch them and then start season 2. it is levels above season 1 by far, did not dissapoint

I don’t quite get what kind of “Upyr” Roman and Olivia are. Never heard of a vampire with a tail before. How old is she supposed to be? Why exactly did her husband kill himself? There is no real plot, or solid characters, and there are a lot of unanswerable questions. How Olivia orchestrated her son raping his cousin, how and why, getting her pregnant, and he has no recollection of it, and for what purpose, and to accomplish what, exactly?

With the Upyr in Hemlock Grove the idea is that they aren’t really “vampires” until they die; until their death they are just carriers of the Upyr gene. The reason Olivia had a tail was because she was essentially a human child with a birth defect, until she killed herself by cutting off her tail, which then turned her completely Upyr.
Also I never got the impression that Olivia orchestrated the rapes that Roman committed, just that she knew about them. Roman committed both rapes as part of his internal good vs evil struggle and he just blocked out his attack on Letha because she was his cousin and he loved her.
They leave it up to the viewer’s imagination as to EXACTLY how old Olivia is, but she’s supposed to have been born several centuries prior to the show’s timeline.
And I liked that they never fully explain J.R’s suicide because that’s how life is… sometimes people kill themselves and it’s not easy to understand why. They do give you a general idea though that J.R knew that Olivia was evil in some way, and that at the time of his suicide he had just lost his child, and he also had just found out that his brother was sleeping with his evil wife… I don’t know about you but I think that seems like plenty of reasons.

As usual i tend to disagree alot with yalls opinons which i will admit season one was stiff and could not be easiky consumed in a binge treatment. It was i nteresting enough and since i just finished seaaon 2 i can totally forgive season one for its slowness and wtfs. It basically to me a big setup for season two. It may have been hard to watch but the pay off was awesome. Season two is much better but to fully understand it watch the season one recap.

Some people have no imagination… I watched and re-watched season 1 i loved it!!!! And it is hard for me to get into anything these days; i don’t even watch much tv, because everything is just bad!!! So when i found Hemlock Grove i was hooked after the first episode… in my eyes i’m like WOW a show that is finally watchable!!! I was about to give up watching anything anymore on tv or anything until i found this show!!!

I dunno. I think you could understand it entirely just by watching the recap netflix put before the first episode. You would lack some character details and points of reference but the details are not necessarily a barrier to entry.

She had her tongue ripped out and surgically sewn back in. No such attempt was needed. Her accent would change just from that. She actually does attempt to return to the accent in the OotD flashback scene.

I would agree with a lot of people that Season 1 was hard to get into up to episode 6 and then it really picked up. I feel Season 2 has improved the issues that plagued season 1 and now I am totally hooked. I cannot wait for season 3 because there are soo many references to certain “events” from S1 into S2 that will play huge into S3(if renewed)

I really hope it is renewed! I just finished watching all the episodes. I binged watched the show the past few days. I agree that the 1st season was a little harder to get into, but it kept my attention enough to watch season 2, so that’s saying something. =)

Easily the worst show I’ve seen on Netflix. Bad acting, bad story and even worse dialogue. My favorite worst moment was the cute black girl from BSG telling someone she was a “Doctor of Predatorolgy”.

After the first 3 episodes of the first season, I skipped to the last two episodes and pretty much got it all. There were so many flashbacks in that last two episodes and they were so dumbed down and contrived, I fully understood the entire series.

So apparently, if your a good werewolf, you can have yoru face eatne off and die, yet still turn, die again (without turning back to human form because that only happens to bad werewolves) and then wake up completely healed. And the explanation for all that… love.

What… No, Peter had to sacrifice his human face as part of a spell in order to transform on the wrong moon without turning into a Vargulf. Then once the spell took effect he transformed, then was attacked as a wolf, was injured and knocked out but didn’t die (Letha thought he was dead), and just woke up like people tend to do when they aren’t dead. The Vargulf was killed, which is why she reverted to her human form. As of the season 1 finale, the show was very consistent.

You tend to miss a lot of helpful information by skipping half of the season, FYI.

I loved season one and felt it followed the book scene by scene for the most part. Since there is no book to follow for season two, I was a little skeptical, but love it and can’t stop watching. I’m at episode 4.

Agreed that it was a teenage level book, but if you knew that going in to watch the show you wouldn’t have been surprised. Netflix has added a love of “adultness” to the show, especially in season two.

Question, am I the only one to notice that Olivia lost her british accent?? She’s like a new character.

Conceptually, I really like the series. The writing however, is at times very poor. Some of the actors are just terrible. Bill Skarsgard is a poor actor. The author’s take about his “onscreen presence” is likely the physical attraction to this pretty boy actor. Dougray Scott’s overacting is laughable . Catch his gaffe in episode 9, season 2- “the Spanish ramada”. LOL I had no idea there was a Ramada Inn run by Andalusians!
I liked the actors portraying Destiny, Dr. Spivak and Dr. Price. I agree with the author that Madeleine Price is an excellent addition to the cast.
Entertaining show, I just think it could be so much more!

I can’t believe how many people are attacking season 1 of Hemlock Grove. I thought it was one of the best horror/supernatural TV shows I have ever seen. Dark, gritty, creepy, sexy, bloody, at times disgusting… what more can you ask? The special effects are nothing to sneeze at, either.

I do have to say that the main reason I love this show is that I love werewolves, & usually tv werewolves are so disappointing, they just look like humans with claws & contact lenses, but this show has absolutely done their werewolf justice. Season 2 Ep 1 was my favorite transformation personally.

I love that they left a lot of things unanswered, because it’s a lot more interesting to not know every last little detail. I think that a lot of the things that some people are complaining about & attributing to poor writing were done on purpose & are just not necessarily in everybody’s taste.

With that being said, I thought that season 2 (which I have watched all of) was rather disappointing. Peter was just transforming willy nilly on the wrong moon, Roman was all of a sudden much less out of control and scary, & the new girl Miranda was extremely annoying… she did get slightly better in the later episodes but every time she was on screen I was just really hoping somebody would kill her, & the big reveal in the very last scene was just out of left field… Although I did like seeing more of Destiny & I wished that Lynda was there more since I thought the relationship between her & Peter was great.

I completely agree with pretty much everything you’ve said. I rewatched season 1 before starting season 2 and while I didn’t really love S1 the first time through I really enjoyed rewatching it the second time. The show was really dark and gritty and IMO Roman was a lot more interesting. Like you said Peter going werewolf on the bad moon all the time kinda pissed me off.. It seems like now they are just looking for any excuse to make him change when before him doing it once was a huge f’in deal that required him having to get his face eaten off.

To me it seems like season 2 sacrificed a whole lot of the shows “character” to be more streamlined and make the average viewer happier.

So were you as upset as I was about that totally weird scene where Roman just like rips human Peter out of the Vargulf Peter but somehow he’s fine and the wolf is intact…? Like really, you just spent like 9 episodes this season having Destiny run around telling him it’s so super dangerous and he’ll never be the same and there’s no way to reverse it… and then Roman just tears him in half and everything is fine?

You’re right, they were definitely pandering to the more “mainstream” audience with this season. But at least the special effects were still good.

Don’t get me wrong, this show was always a campy guilty pleasure for me and I mostly lost interest early on in season 1. However, I was completely amazed that there was a season 2 at all. Having said that, was okay with the giant bat that just randomly shows up at the end of the last episode?

I just finished season 1 and its not bad. The actors fit their place, the show is kind of spooky, i think people are hating too much on this show. Every horror series starts off like this, a bit all over the place. I really didnt want to comment, but i just come to the realization that person who wrote this article and the people who commented are all nothing but a bunch of b&$@hes. U expect too much and u all think u got a “directors eye” lol..go f&$k urselves.

We’re b!tçhes because we have good taste and can see a show’s faults? No. When you’ve been spoiled by great tv (I’m an HBO addict myself), you start to recognize when a show just doesn’t work. Hemlock Grove isn’t the worst show ever (it’s better than most of the stuff that’s on the major networks) but some of us can’t just watch any old stale, badly written bull$h!t and not notice the flaws.

“It’s All Good.” I loved the nudity. The ending of Episode 10 of Season 2 was disappointing and somewhat of an insult to the series and the acting staff. A Turdidactyl? The final reveal of the new creature was terrible and disrespected the actors that I looked forward to seeing. It is a wonderful cast actually(applaus). Everything else was progressively captivating and improving with every episode. The music for the end credits was surprisingly pleasing for almost every episode and it improved over time. The violin may be just a touch overstated for the opening themeThe special effects are great for a show of this level. Did I say I loved the nudity? The were a few awkward moments but overall I left with a good feeling.

Everything in this review is so spot on, couldn’t agree more! I trudged through season 1 (mostly as background noise while messing around on my phone) with many eyerolls, but I just finished episode 6 of season 2 so I’m right where you were when this post was written and I’m finally beginning to think I could actually tell people that I watch it and not feel totally stupid. Lol.

I’m a disney happy endings fan. I love to live in my lil bubble and believe life is like a disney movie. HEMLOCK GROVE was awesome from beginning to end. I hate horror movies but this has the perfect amount of sexual, love, and mystery that this show kept me watching. FREAKING awesome!!!!