GRIMM Holidays. But There’s Fruitcake!
Episode 4:07 “The Grimm Who Stole Christmas”
[photos: Scott Green/NBC]
I told you that resuming this season right where the last one left off would throw off the show’s calendar. Grimm‘s season begins right around Halloween. Usually that’s a cool time to start this show, all spooky and whatnot. And usually they start with an episode that has at least some reference to Halloween. Or the second episode has a Halloween element to it. This year the the show’s storyline picked up in the spring and now seven weeks later it’s Christmas time. Wow, that was a fast summer, fall and early winter.
I get that the title is a riff on the “Grinch Who Stole Christmas”, but it’s not an accurate description of the episode at all. None of the Grimms were even trying to steal Christmas. The Kalikantzaroi, Christmas gremlin things, are bent on ruining the holiday festivities. The inconsistent way they behave and the confusing history all make it hard to write about in a logical manner.
The police case is about three Kalikantzaroi. It was somewhat confusing about what they are. The information from Aunt Marie’s trailer says they are not Wesen but children. In the end it seems that they are Wesen, only this isn’t normal Wesen woging. It’s a sort of adolescent disorder gone wild. The cure is fruitcake, lots and lots of fruitcake. (Full disclosure, my Mother makes delicious fruitcake. The trick is to age it for several weeks with brandy. I’ve never understood the disdain for fruitcake.)
The episode starts with these gremlin things planning a premeditated entry and attack on a home. One of them is in a wrapped box, which is brought in and placed under the tree. Once the home owners are asleep, that one busts out of the box and lets the other two in. They wreck havoc in the house, drawing the attention of Dennis, who lives there. He goes down stairs while his wife, Emma, calls the police. He’s attacked by the little rotters.
This goes on till Nick and Hank catch them in action. Some of this was probably meant to be really humorous. Except I don’t find someone destroying property and attacking people too funny. They catch one of the monsters and what do they do? They take it to Monroe’s house. Then Monroe leaves with Nick and Hank to try and figure out what it is. Leaving Rosalee and Juliette with the thing in the garage.
This part was confusing to me. The Grimm book with information describes them as not Wesen. They are children with a sort of seasonal disorder, a bit like the Krampus last season in “Twelve Days of Krapmus”. Only, when they track down the parents of one of the Kalikantzaroi the mother that answers the door woges. Doesn’t that make the kids Wesen?
Don’t even get me started about how or why they stay woged all night. How in their woged state they are about two feet shorter than the kid they transformed from.
Did I enjoy the episode? Yes, yes I did. But don’t think about the details too much. They just get in the way.
So, what are the rules, or way(s) that someone becomes a Grimm? I thought the first few episodes back in season one set the rules for this world. Nick was gaining his Grimm ability as his Aunt Marie was dying. At that time it was thought that Nick’s mother was dead. Of course later we met Kelly and discovered she is very much alive. So, why the Grimm powers were transferred to Nick when his mother was still alive is unclear.
I didn’t question how or why Trubel was a Grimm because that wasn’t part of her story. Last season we met Josh, who brought his dying father Rolek to Nick. Now, Rolek has passed and Josh is being chased by at least two Hundjagers. And guess what? He’s not even a bit Grimm. Does he have siblings we’ve not met? Has he somehow not been worthy? I don’t know.
I wanted to ask when Trubel would learn how to sneak around outside a house? Then upon reflection I decided this was part of her youthful inexperience and a nice touch for her character. It’s her gusto and a sense of immortality common to young adults that gets her in trouble. That and her inability to follow directions.
Just when I got used to Trubel being on the show she goes and leaves. At least she seems to have a noble reason. She’s accompanying Josh, and he’s why I’m questioning all of this how one becomes a Grimm thing. Why isn’t he a Grimm?
Why hasn’t anyone contacted the Wesen Council about the threats being made to Monroe and Rosalee? Or is that something that the Wesen Council would condone? Is this Secundum Naturae Ordinem sanctioned by the Wesen Council? Considering some of the less than legal stuff Nick has done in the past, I don’t buy that there isn’t something he could do about this group of nasty Wesen.
What could Juliette getting pregnant while transformed into Adalind mean for her, the baby, Adalind, Nick and their relationship? So many questions. And I expect that we’ll get at least some answers, very slowly, over the rest of this season and maybe into the next season. If I were a betting person I’d say this story will get stretched out for a very long time.
My favorite bits: Josh trying to overcome his rational fear of monsters. Bud and his musings on the Wesen they are watching from his truck. The spectacular Christmas display in Monroe’s house.
The worst bits: I’ve already covered this. It’s the inconsistencies in the story for this episode and the rules of becoming a Grimm.
It looks the next episode will finally see Wu getting some answers. Unless that was a mean tease and it doesn’t happen for a few more weeks. But, really this can’t be dragged out much longer. Wu is putting together his own version of reality. He looked through Nick’s Grimm book in Trubel’s room. He has his own sketches of what he’s seen and the police sketch of the Kalikantzaroi. He’s now trying to come up with something that his mind will accept.
I’m looking forward to Trubel and Josh returning, probably to rescue the rest of the crew from something really horrid.
[Show site at NBC] [Previous recap: “Highway of Tears”]
