GRIMM Ups the Tension

Grimm is back after a mid winter break. This episode delivered on several levels. There was payoff for the cliffhangers and furthering the main characters’ stories. Just in case that wasn’t enough a new adventure is about to begin.

I’m not fan of gore, horror or very scary, all of which was packed into this one episode. I’ll let you guess where I had to pause the show to get up out of my seat before I could resume watching.

In the episode before the break, we left off with three cliffhangers. The big one was Monroe being abducted by the Wesenrein. This wasn’t a big surprise. There was the Wolfsangle brick through the window; the burning Wolfsangle set ablaze on Monroe and Rosalee’s front lawn; and the final threat, the hanging dead fox at the back door of the Spice Shop. It was more of a gotcha moment than an actual surprise.

The second cliffhanger: what was going to happen with Wu. When we left him last, he’d stormed off from the scene with Nick and Hank, saying he’d have to quit the police force. Nick and Hank knew that they were going to have to give Wu answers. But before they could do that they had to deal with the Chupacabra. With a series of flashbacks we see just how many times Wu came face to face with the truly weird. Not surprisingly he ends up in a cell after taking a couple of swings at patrons of a bar.

Third, we saw Juliette transform into a Hexenbiest. It’s not clear how or why this is the side effect of her aiding Nick getting his Grimm powers back. I assume this isn’t the usual way that women become Hexenbiests. I’ll take a guess and say it’s probably hereditary. If you saw this episode, you know that there aren’t any answers to any of the questions about her transformation.

Monroe should have better karma than he’s getting right now. He’s put his life on the line numerous times for Nick. He’s done a bunch of favors for various people. He has put out some epic Halloween decorations for the neighborhood children. He’s given his love to Rosalee and the commitment of marriage. You’d think all of this would have given him some serious brownie points. Instead he’s been abducted, beaten, held prisoner in chains and it looks like the Wesenrein plan to execute him.

I find it interesting how violence against a character that we know and care about feels so much worse than the same level of violence to characters we don’t know. There have been all sorts of horrible things happen on Grimm. The ones that feel the worst are ones that happen to characters we get to know, or children. Violence to children always hits me hard.

I understand from a writing point of view why Terry, also a prisoner of the Wesenrein, is introduced. Seeing his fate increases the audience’s sense of danger for Monroe. We see what they did to Terry and know Monroe could be next. But, I don’t feel that it was necessary. We saw the illustrations in Nick’s book depicting the Wesen burned with a huge stake through their chest. It felt like it used up screen time that could have been used for more back story or details that would make the episode more layered.

Which brings me to my chief complaint about this episode: the whole structure was predictable and expected. Now, maybe this is because I not only watch every episode but I watch it closely and write about it. Maybe I’m asking too much. I don’t think so. I’m asking paid, professional writers to do a really good job.

Admit it, when Nick and Hank took Wu to the trailer you knew exactly when the phone was going to ring and who was going to be on the other end. When Nick called Juliette, you knew that Juliette wouldn’t spill the beans about what was going on with her. When Shaw ran from his house, you knew he was a dead man.

Oh, it goes back further. The previous episode, when only one police officer was left to watch Monroe and Rosalee’s house. You knew he was going to turn out to be a bad guy. That Monroe and Rosalee stayed with Nick and Juliette before so they’d be safe but, the night before they leave on their honeymoon they stay alone in their house. All of this is convenient writing. It makes it easier for the writer to quickly tell the story. However, I challenge the writers to not fall into the mode of easy storytelling. They have interesting characters, and a strong fan base. Please don’t let them down.

I haven’t written specifically about what happened in this episode in any detail. It’s pretty easy to sum up. Monroe is in mortal danger. Juliette is a danger to herself and others as an emerging Hexenbiest. Wu has been brought into the fold. He’s now one of the gang. Other story items; Renard has put his own man/beast on the Wesenrein case and Adalind is coming back to Portland. That’s about it.

This week’s gotcha moment for me was Juliette’s dream. I literally gasped. Then it quickly sunk in that the show could not lose Rosalee at this time and I knew something else was up.

I feel the same way about Monroe. I think Monroe being killed by the Wesenrein is about as likely as it was that Nick would not regain his Grimm powers. Monroe has been so much to Nick on his journey as a Grimm. It would be such a drastic shift for the show to lose Silas Weir Mitchell as Monroe. I suspect that if the show killed off Monroe, it would tick off fans to the point the show’s audience numbers would drop.

Next episode it looks like we’ll find out Monroe’s fate. I don’t see how they can drag this out longer. He’s already been drug in front of the the Wesenrein tribunal and they are ready to pass judgement. Don’t despair. Remember that Renard has his own man on the job.

[Show site at NBC]     [Previous recap: “Chupacabra”]