Hemlock Grove – S3E6 – Pendant

Previously on Hemlock Grove, ‘Boy in the Box’

Cousins

This was a rough episode that put a lot of strain on Dee and Peter’s relationship. And just like Peter predicted, just because Andreas is dead it doesn’t mean the consequences of his actions are no longer relevant. The cops are on the case and questioning both of them about Andreas’ dealings and associates. This only puts Peter more on edge and he loses his temper, which only raises Dee’s suspicions. And with the many bumbling idiots Andreas surrounded himself with, there are problems with their cover stories immediately, especially when one of Andreas’ friends tells Dee that Andreas died a hero. This guy just needed to keep his mouth shut, and that it seems was too hard for him.

Unfortunately for Dee, his words start a spiral of her investigating Andreas, death, which ends in her almost getting killed by Milo, leader of the Croatian mob, because she saw the watch she bought Andreas on his wrist. Luckily for her, Peter arrives in time and gets her away from him. But that only leads her back to the cops listening to the tape of the anonymous caller. And, oh boy, the moment we see the look on her face when she realizes it’s Roman, that little shift in her facial muscle was everything. I really loved watching Kaniehtiio Horns acting this episode.

Peter’s Boss Moments

When he tricks Bajram into telling him what he told Dee.

When he drives his truck between Milo and Dee.

Loving v. Virginia

We see a different part of Shelley’s life at the Rooster Pit; mainly the friends she’s been making - from Ali, who spraypaints her room in a dizzying array of colors, to the group she hangs out with, watching a viral video of herself falling over and over again. This is eclipsed by Aitor telling a story about an interracial couple who had to fight for the right to be legally married and the case went all the way to the Supreme Court in 1967. Filled with conflicting emotions, Shelly goes home to Roman to ask for advice and is confronted by an extremely angry Roman, who just found out that the woman he’s been sleeping with is his sister. She leaves and makes the decision herself, and we see her in her room at the end of the night cuddled up with Aitor.

Chango

But the real big fry when it comes to doomed relationships is Olivia Godfrey. Like the layout of her apartment, her scenes were a rotating circle of emotions. After learning more of her backstory last episode, we understand her motivations a bit more and she starts to look more like a tragic character, but aren’t most monsters? Initially, before I knew the outcome of this episode, I loved seeing Olivia, happy and laughing and sharing herself with Isaac. But all is not as it seems to be, and I should have noticed when Isaac initially returns wearing a very fetching black jacket with inlaid red, Olivia’s colors, ready to swear his fealty to her.

A day of adventure must have its bumps and that comes in the form of the pendant Isaac gave her last episode. Constantly losing and finding it just reminds me of all the loves Olivia’s had and lost/killed from Norman to Isaac. And unfortunately as the parasite continues to ravage her mentally and physically, you accept that Olivia might not have another ace up her sleeve to save her life. Especially in the middle of her freak out when she visits Annie, discovers Roman there, and lets him know that Annie is his sister.

When we realize that what we thought was Isaac and Olivia having a great time was just her mind unraveling, it was quite sad. Even though, at this point, we have an inkling of what’s to come, it still sucked to see Isaac dead and decaying, impaled on a hook in her closet. We finally get the truth of what the hell happened, and I realized that earlier when Olivia imagined Isaac telling her about his wounds, those were probably the same wounds he suffered at her hands.

Things I loved this episode

The portrayal of what Olivia would consider a happy relationship, with her imagined interactions with Isaac.

Moments

Pryce informs Blinsky that he’s off artificial stimulants for good, and they share as intimate a moment as someone like Pryce as capable. He follows that up with killing a Nazi war criminal who experimented on children and was a colleague of Dr. Spivak’s, but only after getting the necessary information he needed. You know what they say about the company you keep… And when we see him in bed later, you kind of think he’s earned the deep sleep we see him in.

Unfortunately, Olivia does not and the episode ends on a cliffhanger of her choking the very life from him while monologuing her refusal to die.

There is not much to say about the man child that is Roman Godfrey, but this episode, you honestly had to feel bad for him. He’s trying his best to find his missing daughter/niece, help Peter retrieve a body, and for the most part he’s showing a good amount of restraint. We see this when he confronts Pryce about revealing his plans to Olivia, but he also doesn’t react outrageously and they make up. But that’s as good as it gets for him. After learning about Annie, his anger turns to lust when she comes back to apologize. This scene really pissed me off, because I’m not really sure if this is going to have the kind of payoff I want from Roman.