When I started watching the overly-bizarre Netflix horror series, Hemlock Grove, I instantly was perplexed, disgusted and enthralled all at once. I don’t know if it was the horrifying images of werewolves literally shedding then eating their human forms, or the unanswered questions stacking up about the infamous Godfrey building, but something had me hooked. All the seemingly pointless gore was not enough to make for a truly well-written show, but equally not enough to turn me away either. And here I am on episode eight. The entire point of the show is to bewilder the audience until they don’t think they can hang on much longer. I have taken it upon myself to dictate my main suspicions about the characters and the funky businesses each one engages in.
So, what I have gathered about the plot is essentially that the setting, a fictional town called Hemlock Grove, Pennsylvania, is the most ridiculous place one could ever settle their family. Murders start occurring 60 seconds into warming us up to this town, leading us on to believe that a werewolf was at fault, and for the police to point a finger at the new neighbor Peter Rumancek who is from a family of gypsies. The town’s most iconic corporation is Godfrey, a twisted place owned by the lead villainess of the show. Because she is a vile woman to her core, I am under the impression Olivia Godfrey is some sort of mythical succubus – and not a person I would ever want to meet. Like, ever. Her son and daughter are also very strange people, including the horrendously deformed but sugar-sweet Shelley and aloof, brooding teen Roman.
My favorite character is easily Roman Godfrey. He is one of those characters that isn’t exactly a traditional heartthrob given that he is shown to be a pretty repulsive person when not defending his younger sister. Additionally he has the power to control others, by verbally giving them orders which they follow in a creepy manner. To a more human degree, he is often portrayed objectifying women and pursuing nasty habits with drugs. He is spoiled by his mother who is the leader of their expensive household, and he inherited his father’s expensive car after he passed away.
Roman’s role plays off perfectly with that of Peter the werewolf. I think the relationship between the characters is one that an audience feeds off of – it’s the sickly, strange, rich guy against the scruffy, rough, poor man. Both have good intentions and are after a similar goal, but have aggressive tendencies. They work well together like vanilla and chocolate even though they go at each other’s throats at the drop of a pin. Sound familiar? In my eyes, this specific combination plays out both between Edgar Linton and Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, as well as Edward Cullen and Jacob Black in the frivolous Twilight series. Descriptions of both Edgar and Edward remind one of Roman Godfrey. What with their pale complexions and brooding personalities, the two perfectly exemplify this half of the duo. They are supported by their affluence and family name. Heathcliff and Jacob fit the other half with Peter Rumancek; they are misunderstood, outcast in society, put down because of their poor upbringing, and a slave to their own fluctuating emotions.
There is no way this trend is a coincidence – for years, we have never even noticed the dynamic between these two types of characters, and I think it’s a beautiful harmony that should not be ignored. I can’t help but think of this every time I watch Hemlock Grove and think, man. I’m a genius for picking up on this brilliance.