Article first published as HEMLOCK GROVE Review on Seat42F.
Grade: 83%
Grade: 83%
Netflix’s latest drama is called HEMLOCK
GROVE. Based on the novel of the same name, HEMLOCK GROVE begins with
kinky sex and the murder of a teenager, which are unrelated, I think,
but make for a one-two punch with some serious drawing power. It’s
important, in a television field crowded with horror and murder mystery
entries, that the opening grab viewers. But many a series has had a
great hook, then failed to deliver.
HEMLOCK GROVE, not even released yet,
has already been beset upon by bad press. Many note that it fails to
live up to Netflix’s last original series, House of Cards. Although,
just about every series ever created would fail to live up to House of
Cards, a brilliant drama, so by comparison, yes, HEMLOCK GROVE is not
nearly as good.
Which doesn’t make it bad, necessarily.
HEMLOCK GROVE feels pretty familiar.
It’s about a bunch of brooding teens and their equally mysterious
parents living in a gloomy town. There are hints in the first episode of
both a vampire and a werewolf, and one girl looks like something
straight out of FX’s American Horror Story: Asylum. In fact, HEMLOCK
GROVE seems to take inspiration from Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, The
Secret Circle, and The Killing, to name a few.
What it lacks in originality, it does
attempt to make up for in pay-cable level content. You will see a
topless girl in the first few minutes. The body of Brooke Bluebell
(Lorenza Izzo), the character killed early in the pilot’s run, is pretty
gory. There is a homosexual predator introduced who goes after girls
far too young for her. These are things that HEMLOCK GROVE, being on
Netflix, can use to set itself apart from the tamer fare.
I also think Netflix’s model of
releasing all thirteen episodes of the first season at once will serve
it well. This is the type of show that begs marathon viewing. Want to
know who killed Brooke? Just keep watching. You don’t have to wait
twelve weeks, with the puzzle slowly doled out forty minutes at a time.
That immediacy should help retain viewers who are on fence after the
first installment or two.
That being said, I don’t know that
HEMLOCK GROVE has real staying power. I only have access to the
beginning of the season, not the entire thing, so I can’t say for
certain the impact of the complete picture. But, only a few hours after
viewing the first episode, I am having trouble remembering very many of
the characters’ names, and I’m not entirely sold on the premise, which
isn’t completely apparent. The effects are good, and I remember moments,
just not people. The cast is capable, but their roles aren’t well
defined as unique personalities at this point, certainly no one really
standing out right away. I will probably watch more. But I’m not super
excited to get back to it, a I was with House of Cards.
At the start of the first episode,
“Jellyfish in the Sky,” a Gypsy boy named Peter Rumancek (Landon
Liboiron, Terra Nova, Degrassi: The Next Generation) comes to town with
his mother, Lynda (Lili Taylor, Six Feet Under). Because they are new to
the area, obviously they quickly become suspects in Brooke’s murder
case. But they seem gentle enough. Also, they move into a deceased’s
relative’s place, so they may have some connection to the locale.
The other major family introduced in
“Jellyfish in the Sky” consists of Roman Godfrey (Bill Skarsgard), his
mother, Olivia (Famke Janssen, X-Men), and his sister, Shelley. They are
rich and not very nice, and we soon see that there is likely more to
them than meets the eye. Olivia is accused of being some type of
monster, and Shelley visually is one, providing the only really cheesy
bit in the pilot, as Shelley shuffles around with her grotesque face
covered up, presumably to save on effects, though I have trouble
complaining about not seeing her face too often.
While the Godfreys appear evil and the
Rumanceks seem good, it’s clear that it won’t be as simple as that. We
do get more backstory on the Godfreys in the first episode, so of course
we get to see the darker aspects of their clan, including what happened
to Mr. Godfrey, and how they interact with remembers of their extended
family. But we don’t know much about the Rumanceks, and they may have a
gritty side, too, as we see that they aren’t above stealing.
Either way, these are the main
characters, or the two boys are, at least, so it’s unlikely that one of
them is the killer. Instead, we’ll eventually find out who they are and
what their motivations might be. A description of the series says they
end up working together to find the killer, which seems an odd pairing,
but I’m sure that will explained as things unfold, and it could be
interesting.
The guys are surrounded by many other
strange characters, each of whom could possibly be the murderer, based
on the little bits we see of them. There’s the weird girl next door,
Christina (Freya Tingley), who fancies herself an investigator. Norman
Godfrey (Dougray Scott, Desperate Housewives) is Roman’s uncle, who has
had, or is having, an affair with Roman’s mom. The town sheriff is Tom
Sworn (Aaron Douglas, Battlestar Galactica), whom we know nothing about.
And surely there will be others in the coming episodes.
I feel like HEMLOCK GROVE distracts us
with a large number of characters so that they have room to keep us
guessing, which is a good thing, sort of. If only there were any clue
that might help us begin that process in “Jellyfish in the Sky.” Or a
character to connect to and get behind. As such, it should appeal fine
to those who dig the other scary stuff on TV, but I doubt it will have a
broad appeal or defy convention.
HEMLOCK GROVE’s thirteen episode first season will be available this Friday on Netflix.
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