Are GRIMM’s Werewolves Drinking Pina Coladas at Trader Vic’s? Nah…

Episode 514: “Lycanthropia”
Written by Jeff Miller
Directed by Lee Rose

[recap by Maia Ades]

Another classic Grimm episode. However, because this one wasn’t inventing new history and hinting at much more possible story, it was more effective. Also the reveal at the end of this episode was more shocking and interesting.

Overall this episode worked very well. It was Grimm‘s take on the classic werewolf story with bits of information on the lead character’s stories.

[su_audio url=”http://www.podcasts.com/download/scifi4me-radio-grimmly-speaking-ae5c60159/Are-GRIMMs-Werewolves-Drinking-Pina-Coladas-at-Trader-Vics-Nah-8bce”]

A real estate agent, Doyle Baske (Matt Angel), is driving to visit his mother when one of his tires blows out, he loses control of the car and crashes into a tree. He starts running in the same direction he was driving. We hear hikers in the distance, and just before the commercial break we see a different kind of blutbad. The next morning Doyle is nearly hit by a truck as he lays in the road.

Nick (David Guiltoli) and Hank (Russell Hornsby) are called to the scene by Sgt. Wu (Reggie Lee). This is unusual, since Nick and Hank are homicide detectives and so far, it’s not a homicide investigation. But, Wu explains that Doyle claims he was attacked by a man and his dog, only the bite marks on him appear to be human, not canine. Which is the explanation for why they are called to a man found on road incident.

Possibly the oddest scene was when Nick and Hank reunite Doyle with his mother (Ann Cusack). Their interaction is so far removed from what normal people would display. Set in the world of Grimm it somehow feels fairly normal, but, that’s in the world of Grimm.  If you take it out of that setting and compare it to what you’d expect to happen in the real world. It’s down right bizarre.

It’s not till they engage the aid of Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) to track Doyle’s scent that they find the two dead campers. Now, it’s a homicide investigation. Ah, it reminds me of how Nick and Monroe first worked together back in the series pilot. Still one of my all time favorite scenes, Monroe tracking another Blutbad with his head out the window of his VW bug.

The assumption is that Doyle is a werewolf, or Lycanthrope. But, if you’ve been watching Grimm you know that they nearly always give you red herrings. Monroe and Rosalee (Bree Turner) explain that this is a disease or mutation. It’s a recessive trait in Blutbads. There is no actual cure. Blutbads have dealt with this by killing offspring that exhibit any signs of the condition.

Of course it’s not Doyle, it’s his mother that’s the Lycanthrope. He visits her each month to contain her and help keep her condition a secret. Only, now the whole Wesen gang knows and they’re looking for her in the woods. That doesn’t go well. She attacks Wu (Reggie Lee) and ends up being shot to death by I think at least two of the officers, Nick and either Wu or Hank.

The other bits of story in this episode are Nick hiding the bronze chest and opening the door at the end of the tunnel. Renard (Sasha Roiz) meeting with Adalind (Claire Coffee) to supposedly talk about their daughter, Diana. Though really they don’t share much information about Diana. Or what Renard shares is information that we already know. The interesting part of the meeting is not the exchange of information but the dynamics between these two. Their relationship has always been complicated and it doesn’t look like that will change soon.

Nick is still withholding information from Adalind. He doesn’t really share what he found or couldn’t see on the other side of the door he finally opened in the tunnel. Maybe it was handled this way because it’s a TV show and the audience already knows. We don’t need to hear him share it with Adalind. But it seemed like a deliberate decision to not share what he found. Why? It’s a hole, or well or deep pit. Why is it important to keep that information to himself? Wouldn’t knowing that it’s not an easily traversed path into their supposed safe house be a comforting bit of information? Adalind tried to dissuade him from opening the door in the first place. In fact, her words were something to the effect of “Some very bad things live a very long time.” If that was not foreshadowing something, an opportunity was missed.

The big reveal at the end of the episode, the thing everyone is talking about, was Wu was scratched by the Lycanthrope. And in the very last shot of the episode he’s having sweaty dreams by the light of the full moon.

So, what does this mean? Will Wu become some form of wesen or Lycanthrope? Or will he just go a bit off the rails every full moon? I guess we’ll have to wait to find out.

Grimm airs Friday nights at 9/8c on NBC.