Grimm review – 4×12: ‘Maréchaussée’

Another Manticore hits Portland, just as a trouble-making twosome arrive from Vienna.

Let’s bitch it out…

Case of the Week: Unlike last week, this week’s Wesen case is tied into the world of the core cast and, as a result, it actually resonates. After the Wesen Council dispatches a hired killer named Jonathan Wilde, the titular Maréchaussée (Arnold Vosloo) to take out a few problem Wesen, Nick (David Giuntoli), Hank (Russell Hornsby) and Wu (Reggie Lee) get involved. Nick’s continual interference frustrates the Council, who not only strongly advise Rosalee (Bree Turner) and Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) to stay out of the way, but ultimately put a hit out on Nick. I particularly liked the small detail that when Nick and co. pick up Wilde, he plays innocent because he knows who Nick is and then uses their mistake to escape from jail. This leads to a showdown at Nick’s house that just happens to tie into Juliette’s (Bitsie Tulloch) storyline.

So I Married a Hexienbiest: There’s good and bad in Juliette’s storyline this week. Her burgeoning powers continue to excite and Henrietta’s (Garcelle Beauvais) suggestion that Juliette is incredibly strong has lots of potential for future storylines.

It is the end of the episode that frustrates me: Juliette’s insane ability to take out a hired killer is the perfect opportunity to confess her secret condition to Nick. Naturally she doesn`t. Instead Juliette acts like she’s annoyed that she keeps ending up in these fatal situations. Add to this the fact that Nick doesn’t press her (“He missed” is the excuse he accepts from her? Really?!) is beyond belief. Surely knowing how dangerous and powerful a Manticore is would make Nick just a little more suspicious how his girlfriend managed to survive, no?

The Royals: Viktor (Alexis Denisof) and Adalind (Claire Coffee) also arrive in Portland to stir up shit. I love that they’ve barely landed before Sean (Sasha Roiz) is at their door for a heated confrontation. Viktor uses an interesting tactic when he suggests that not only are he and Adalind staying in Portland until they have baby Diana, but that Sean should help them since they’re all family.

In the end Sean does help, but in his own way: he secretly sends an investigator after Kelly Burkhardt and informs Nick that the Vienna couple are in town, which will likely initiate events to bring the baby out of hiding. While I appreciate the fact that everyone, including Juliette, knows that Viktor and Adalind have returned, I’m not sure it was wise of Nick to immediately email his mom. I get that the computer/account is likely secure and Kelly doesn’t seem like a slouch when it comes to covering her path, but immediately emailing the person everyone is looking for seems like playing right into Viktor and Adalind’s hands.

Wonderful Wu: Although Wu (Reggie Lee) isn’t technically doing anything that Nick and Hank couldn’t handle themselves, I will continue to praise the decision to bring Wu into the fold. Not only does his chirpy quips help keep spirits up, but he’s actually earning his stripes identifying Wesen thanks to some extra study time in the trailer. Go Wu!

 

Other Observations:

• Not a lot of humour tonight given the stakes of the episode, but I might have chuckled – meanly – when Juliette smacks herself in the head with the pepper mill. Also: her explanation about what happened when Nick inquires made no sense. He really needs to pay more attention to her and her lousy excuses.
• Juliette’s battle with Wilde is exciting, albeit brief. I’ll confess that I was secretly hoping she would blow up his head, but I guess seeing what else she can do with her powers is OK, too.
• Rosalee and Monroe last all of fifteen seconds before calling Nick when they return from their honeymoon. I like that Rosalee looks frustrated that Monroe is so dedicated to Nick, then relents and confesses that she, too, wants to know if anything happened in their absence.
• Finally, Nick sends the Council a picture of their dead assassin. I wonder if Grimm is finally going to double-down on this story line and have the Council actively take him on. There are still so many floating story lines that Grimm only touches on sporadically, I can’t help but get excited whenever it seems like one of them will begin to drive the narrative. For me, ‘Maréchaussée’ is a step in all of the right directions.

Best Lines:

•  Rosalee (when Monroe confirms that Nick and Hank are coming over): “Uh, that didn’t take long.”

Your turn: how do you feel about Juliette’s burgeoning powers? Are you glad that she appears to be keeping them, or frustrated that the writers have seemingly forgotten that Nick’s blood can cure her? Glad to have Viktor and Adalind close at hand to stir things up? Intrigued by Renard seemingly going out on his own to find Kelly and baby Diana? And do you want the Wesen Council to come after Nick? Sound off below.

Grimm airs Fridays at 9pm EST on NBC. Next week has the NBC promos going into overdrive promoting the #Biestfight hashtag as Adalind and Juliette throw down. Bring. It. On!