Hemlock Grove – S3E5 – Boy in the Box

Previously on Hemlock Grove, ‘Every Beast’

The Past

We dive into Hemlock Grove with a heavy dose of imagery, but the end result was worth it provided the backstories of Dr. Pryce, Olivia, and our newcomer of the season, Annie. Unfortunately, the tragedy that is Dr. Pryce began at a young age, stemming from the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father. Any little mistake led to time in a locked closet in living room. Like what the hell kind of father thinks this is motivating?

Once Pryce was older he locked his father in the same closet. And although Pryce gained control over his father that day, he’s been running and hiding who he is ever since. This is not the type of information the paid companion Pryce has with him wants to hear. He tells Pryce what we’ve all been thinking throughout these flashbacks: “That’s fucked up.”

Meanwhile, Olivia is having her own eat, pray, love moment after being rejected by Shelley, who is gaining confidence in spades under the protection of the inhabitants of the Rooster Pit, in particular Aitor Quantic. Isaac the boundary crossing PI advises Olivia to check on her other daughter and work on being a better mother to her. This relationship is so weird that it’s starting to work for me. Olivia and Isaac make absolutely no sense on paper, but when you see it play out from the first episode it’s easy to see how Olivia has come to rely on him for advice and see her feelings grow. They even make it official when he gives her a token of affection, a charm necklace to rein in impulsivity.

The following scenes between Annie and Olivia also explain Olivia’s deep-rooted feelings of abandonment stemming from her first love hundreds of years ago. Olivia doesn’t process loss well due to being a psychopath and all, her feelings tends to come out in extremely irrational ways that lead to someone’s death in order to protect herself emotionally. Annie divulges the many lives she lived and how she came to find Olivia.

The Present

Poor Roman keeps calling Annie and now that we know they are siblings, I don’t know how I feel about this plot involving them. Why did the writers decide to go this route? I hope there is a satisfying payoff for the ick-factor we are being forced to experience. Although Roman is on his Hotline Bling, Annie is more interested in mommy dearest, and I can’t say I blame her.

Dynamic Duo

Peter and Roman figure out that Isaac is working with Olivia and set up a plan to catch him in the act. That plan backfires and while being confronted by Isaac, Peter loses the last of his shit and mercilessly attacks him. Roman tries to talk some sense into him, and Isaac smartly decides to use that moment to leave, and this is when Peter tells Roman of Andreas’ death and the Croatians. Roman continues to be the best bro ever and helps Peter with the body and calls in an anonymous call to 911. But Peter still has to be the bearer of bad news when he tells Dee that he has identified Andreas’ body at the morgue. This scene broke my heart for Dee. She’s buried her instincts for so long when it comes to her deceased fiancée, and now with the dishonesty surrounding his death, you get the feeling she’s going to ramp it up to a 100.

Most Badass scene

When Dee’s nose starts to bleed at the bridal fitting as she accepts Andreas isn’t coming back. The white of her wedding dress with the deep red of the blood was pretty cool.

The Future

Shelley is the only winner this episode, as she continues to gain more confidence under the eye of Aitor and the Rooster pit. She’s a bit removed from the main plot, living in a mill with what the town would consider crazy people. Though, many of them seem to be a lot saner than the main characters we’ve seen throughout the seasons. It is a bit weird that a 38-year-old man who looks like he belongs in a café in Paris is discussing philosophy with, and wooing, Shelley. But this is still the least creepy relationship we’ve seen this season, and oddly enough, by the end of the episode I was here for Shelley and Aitor as a couple.

Weirdest scene of the night

When a bunch of teenagers show Shelley and Aitor a video of her falling, and it has gone viral.