Hemlock Grove: A New Take on Tired Memes

Hemlock Grove has the most original take on vampires and werewolves to emerge in the past decade. It's more interesting, and deep, than the vampire/werewolf origin story in the Underworld franchise, and it's less sappy and conflict ridden than that of the Twilight franchise. In Hemlock Grove, like in Twilight, being a werewolf is a genetic condition which does not afflict all members of the tribe. However, unlike in Twilight, in Hemlock Grove, the affliction occurs among members of specific Roma (gypsy) families, not Native American tribes. Additionally, there is no INHERENT conflict between the werewolf and the vampire, just a general compulsion among the Roma to avoid vampires at all costs due both to their appetites and their abilities to subvert one's will. The way these memes play out in Hemlock Grove, and the additional Roma component, make the series well worth watching. I'm impatiently awaiting Season Two as I type this.