GRIMM Takes Baby for a Ride

Episode 3.17 “The Law of Sacrifice”

[photos: Scott Green/NBC]

If you enjoy twists in your plot, this week’s episode is for you. I enjoyed the way it kept me on my feet. I’ve gotten used to Grimm giving away all the secrets in the first couple of scenes. This was a nice surprise to not have all the answers at the beginning and get to learn them along the way.

In a departure from the show’s usual formula, this week there is only one storyline. I don’t think that has ever happened. I maybe alone on this, but I’d like to see more shows do one story done well. There’s no shame in doing one storyline. Most of the time when there are multiple storylines it feels like there is story left out. Probably why we didn’t learn how Wesen know Nick is a Grimm till the third season.

Like last week, this episode is again all about the baby. The first conflict is Renard and Aladlind on one side and Nick and Kelly on the other. Following their uneasy truce the lines are drawn again, this time between The Resistance and The Royals. Everyone wants the Royal offspring. The whys are not well explained. I don’t fully understand why either side is so desperate to get their hands on the infant. Yes, it’s a special baby. She has powers that apparently are very unusual even in the Wesen world. She is expected to be the sign of something, a change that is coming. She is like a Wesen prophet coming to herald a new era. Now, what all that means in the world of Grimm, I don’t know.

The Verrat has long arms that reach all the way into the FBI in Portland. The local Verrat-FBI connection is tapped to find Adalind and her child. Which he does easily and then sends to heavies up to Renard’s apartment. Luckily for Adalind, Renard and baby, Kelly saw the FBI agent send up the two Verrat thugs. Nick and Kelly eliminate the two thugs. They all dash off to where else? Monroe’s house.

Now they’ve put Monroe and Rosalee in danger to try and keep the baby away from the Royals. But don’t worry; she won’t be there long. Interestingly the baby, soon to be named Diane, is forming a bond with Kelly. There’s a CGI scene in which Diane takes a locket from Kelly through the air and brings it to herself. It’s not done badly but it doesn’t match the shots with the real baby. There are some other effects that were much better.

The plan that Renard, Nick and Kelly have come up with involves giving the baby to Prince Victor and then ambushing them at the airport and kidnapping the baby back. Most of the crew is involved in this plan. The noticeable exception is the women who are not a part of this plan; Rosalee, Juliette and Adalind. On the one hand this makes sense. The less they know, the less danger they are in and each of the men has reason to protect these women. On the other hand, it also feels a bit sexist. Most weeks I’m commending the show for the strong female characters. It’s not that the the female characters are less brave this week. It’s that usually they are in on the action with the boys. Kelly is the only female that’s part of the kidnapping plan and really; it’s hard not to think of her as one of the boys.

The last part of the plan has Kelly driving off with the baby, Diane, in a pickup that Nick and Juliette apparently bought her.

This is probably the only time I’ve felt badly for Adalind. Her baby was taken from her, without her consent. Yes, it is to protect the baby in the end but it’s a pain no mother should bear. Even if she knows Diane is safe and well, she will forever be haunted by this event. She will likely blame herself for the betrayal of Sean Renard. This may add new layers to her character. It would be interesting if this was the cure for her whining. I’m not a fan of the whining.

There was no time to update us on the wedding plans. It looks like everything is still a go for the wedding. Baby Diane just took center stage for this episode. Now that Diane and Kelly have been sent off in the pickup I’m sure life will return to normal, or as normal as it usually is on Grimm.

It looks like next week we have moved on and are back to the police case of the week. Only this time instead of a Wesen it looks like it’s going to be a runaway Grimm. I can only imagine how moody a young adult Grimm must be. It’s bad enough living with young adults who are normal. Add to that coming to terms with being a Wesen or Grimm and look out world, the angsty storm could get really rough.