Courtesy of NBC
The season premiere of Grimm gets off to a rocking start in the wake of last season’s massive cliffhangers.
Let’s bitch it out…
No one can argue that Grimm wasn’t pulling out all of the stops in the back half of S4. The series finally pulled the pin on its least interesting character by turning Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) into a Hexenbiest and, in doing so, the writers blew up the status quo. The trailer was the first to go (RIP/<sob>), then Nick’s (David Giuntoli) mother, Kelly (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) and finally, in the season finale, Juliette herself, felled by several arrows to the chest by Grimm-Jr, Trubel (Jacqueline Toboni). The events of last season paved the way for a brand new series; the only question that remained is how far the writers would push the envelope.
As expected, the spectre of Juliette’s death looms large over the season premiere. It’s clear that Nick is not okay the moment that the episode begins: there’s an extended surreal sequence in black and white involving memories of Juliette, Kelly’s head in a box and a revolving roster of coffins and moving boxes (foreshadowing?). Nick is unconscious during this sequence, but it’s clear from the imagery that the shock of so many upsetting developments is weighing heavily on his mind.
With so much going on, Nick latches onto the only thing that can keep him busy. Instead of processing his grief and taking some time off like Renard (Sasha Roiz) advises, Nick initiates a vendetta against FBI Agent Chavez (Elizabeth Rodriguez). It certainly doesn’t help that Nick is unable to communicate or work with any of the members of Team Grimm for the majority of the episode – in fact, in the early parts of the episode he seemingly does everything that he can to drive them away or make them question his sanity.
It doesn’t take long for things to come to a head: Nick tracks Chavez down at her house and knocks her unconscious, drags her to the Spice Shop in handcuffs and promptly turns up the heat. With Rosalee (Bree Turner), Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell), Hank (Russell Hornsby) and Wu (Reggie Lee) providing back-up, Team Grimm eventually manages to convince Chavez to trust them. Things move quickly from there: Chavez and Nick go to a clandestine meeting with her group which is turns out to be an ambush. The entire group is dead and in the ensuing melee Chavez is (naturally) killed. Before she dies, Chavez confirms what every mythology series dreads: there’s some kind of conspiracy / secret war being waged, with no details and ominous warnings. Nick ends up in possession of her cell and makes contact with another member of her cell, including contact person Meisner (Damien Puckler)!!!
As far as premieres go, this one is a crackerjack. If there’s a complaint to be made, it is that there’s too much packed into a single episode. Chavez goes from recurring bit player to prominent character to dead in the space of a single episode. It’s unfortunate because she had a lot of potential (I particularly liked how steely Chavez is when she was tied up in the back room of the Spice Shop). It makes sense that Rodriguez wouldn’t be joining the cast in a more significant role considering she probably has to get back to OITNB, but it might have been nice to keep her around as a recurring character instead of simply killing her off.
On top of everything else going on, Adalind (Claire Coffee) goes into labour. If nothing else, this additional component feels like one component too many in an already overstuffed episode. Was it essential that Adalind have the baby in the premiere or is it simply an attempt to launch the season in a more dramatic fashion? In any case, the scenes set at the hospital feel lightweight (does it really matter that Adalind requires an emergency C-section? Nick is barely around to wish her well and see her go into surgery before he’s called away). All we really need to know is that the child survives and that Adalind names him after Nick’s mom.
Courtesy of NBC
Other Observations:
- As always, leave it to Bree Turner to infuse some heavy duty emotional lifting. In the wake of Juliette’s unexpected death and Trubel’s disappearance, Rosalee’s reactions run the gamut from humourous (flipping the Spice Shop sign) to distraught (rambling about how everything has changed in such a short time).
- The secret Wesen society is pretty diligent: Chavez’s phone requires a thumbprint scan or else it alerts the group that she’s been compromised.
Best Lines:
- Nick (after unloading everything that happened to Monroe and Rosalee): “I’ll call you back.”
- Rosalee (freaking out over the events of the cliffhanger): “How did this happen since just last night?!”
Your turn: how did you feel about the premiere? Are you psyched that the series is barreling forward? Sad that Chavez is gone? Excited for Meisner to take on a more significant role? How long before Adalind and Nick hook up? Sound off below.
Grimm airs Fridays at 9pm EST on NBC. Want more? Here’s a season overview