Courtesy of NBC
Oh boy, the b*tch is back in town and she is on the warpath. Adalind Schade (Claire Coffee), my favourite Grimm character, is making a power move and everyone better watch their backs.
Let’s bitch it out…The only problem with an episode like ‘Season Of The Hexenbiest’ is that it showcases just how simple and hollow many of the other episodes are.
Granted not every episode is a fall finale, but holy h*ll, this episode proves that when the show is on its A-game, it has a ton of potential. Obviously events have been leading up to this for the entire second season as every storyline converges (the kiss, the curse, the death of Adalind’s mom, the power struggle between Sasha Roiz’s Renard and his brother, Eric and the key).
While I know that not every fan of the show enjoys Adalind, it’s hard to deny that she brings something unique to the show. She’s a great recurring adversary (something that the show desperately needs since its been playing slow-burn reveal with Renard) and ‘Season Of The Hexenbiest’ utilizes her in the best way possible: she initiates long-standing plots, she creates conflict between Nick (David Giuntoli) and Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) and she riles everyone up.
It all comes together in the final moments as the rest of the second season is set-up in a few masterful strokes. After dancing around these issues for nearly half a season, nearly every plot is advanced in the last few scenes: Adalind dangles the reveal of Renard as the Prince, Nick moves out, and Renard finds the trailer (curses – we all knew that that trailer would going to be too easy to discover!). And so now we wait until 2013 to see what comes next…
Courtesy of NBC
Other Observations:
- I love the (re)introduction of Adalind – it’s all legs as she emerges from her vehicle in front of the hotel. She’s always been an enigmatic, sexualized creature so showcasing her legs without showing her face seems appropriate
- I may not have always been a fan of David Giuntoli’s acting, but his face looks absolutely destroyed when Juliette tells him about the “affair” (can we even call it that?)
- The conversation between former lovers Hank (Russell Hornsby) and Adalind is appropriately uncomfortable and double-edged. Hank’s gloating superiority is a nice match for Adalind’s innocent “who me?” attitude. Too bad for Hank this is all merely a precursor to a brutal beat down by her thugs
- Adalind’s police interrogation is like entertaining exposition: she helpfully clarifies a number of important plot pieces (including the name of the company she works for – GQR Industries – which ties back to the season premiere and the Mauvais Dent). Bonus points for making a barbed comment about Juliette as Renard watches from the other side of the double sided glass
- Anyone else think that Nick was going to boot Juliette out of the house when he showed up and announced he wasn’t sleeping on the couch anymore?
- Loved the apologetic “Sorry” following the ‘To Be Continued ‘as the episode ends. At least they know they’ve done right by us and given us lots to salivate over until Grimm returns.
Best Lines:
- Monroe (to Nick about Juliette’s kiss): “That looks like…resuscitation, I know”
- Adalind (when Hank asks if she brought more cookies): “No, my baking days are over”
- Adalind (when Renard states she’s seen his brother): “All of him”
- Juliette (to Monroe): “I’m getting really tired of being left in the dark all the time”
- Juliette (turning the extraordinary into the most mundane sounding event ever): “It’s kind of a long story…I sorta went into a coma after that.”
- Nick (when Monroe asks if he wants to arrest the Verrat assassins or what): “Or what…”
- Monroe (after Nick kills all the assassins): “Oh that’s great…all the evidence back at my place. And the murder weapon, too, why not?”
So what did you think of the fall finale: everything you hoped for? Are you frustrated the show is taking a long break just when it’s gotten so good? Are you happy to see Adalind back? And why do you think Nick is such a dunce that he just left that trailer there, waiting to be found?! Sound off below
Grimm airs Fridays at 9pm EST on NBC. It will return in 2013.