Courtesy of NBC
Grimm returns after a month long hiatus with an episode that deftly balances its case of the week with Juliette’s (Bitsie Tulloch) ongoing Hexenbiest drama.
Let’s bitch it out…
Case of the Week: This week’s case concerns a traditional ritual for overcoming Wesen infertility. The couple places a lucky (left) rabbit foot under their bed for three nights and voila! near guaranteed results follow. The gruesome reality is much darker, however, as the foot comes from a rabbit Wesen, in this case a member of the Bennett family who are being systematically hunted and killed. It’s a pretty standard case for Nick (David Giuntoli) and Hank (Russell Hornsby) – with research eagerly provided by Wu (Reggie Lee) – and the case only really gains traction at two points: 1) the conclusion when Hank gets to blow away the perp and 2) when Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Rosalee (Bree Turner) go undercover at a fertility clinic.
Undercover Baby: There’s nothing explicitly anticipatory about the married Wesen’s visit to discover who is providing the rabbit feet, but the excitement that Monroe reveals when reading the pamphlet suggests that there might be fox/wolf baby in their future. Bonus points: Rosalee’s awesome right hook when she takes out the nurse in an effort to prevent her from escaping.
Hexen-Drama: For me – as usual – the mythology bits are the most intriguing. ‘Bad Luck’ picks up in the immediate wake of ‘Trial By Fire’ as Juliette shows Nick her new Hexenbiest visage. He…does not take it well. In fact, his reaction completely f*cks things up. It makes sense that he would have a negative reaction given his complicated relationship with Adalind (Claire Coffee), but the way that he treats Juliette is kinda awful. He pulls his gun on her, leaves the house to clear his head, sleeps on the couch and, during the episode’s final dramatic confrontation, refuses to look her in the face. It probably would have been better if Juliette had slowly eased him in (the fact that she told Sasha Roiz’s Renard first probably didn’t help), but I definitely found myself siding with Juliette on this one. Nick’s final speech that they’ll find a way to work through this hits a false note and she knows it.
This could be a deal breaker for the couple. Thank goodness it’s great TV for us Grimm fans.
Baby Drama: Adalind spends the episode doing what she always does: running around, trying to cut deals and get something back. She’s still recovering from her spat with Juliette and seeks out Renard for info. Renard doesn’t fall for her tricks, but he does reveal that Henrietta (Garcelle Beauvais) helped Juliette. Unfortunately for Adalind, her visit to the other Hexenbiest doesn’t reveal anything fruitful about Juliette; it provides the stunning revelation that Adalind is pregnant…with Nick’s baby! While I can’t say that the idea of another baby being introduced into Adalind’s world fills me with excitement, the identity of the father holds all kinds of wacky promise. I’ll allow it for now.
Courtesy of NBC
Other Observations:
- Claire Coffee is responsible for roughly 50% of the comedic moments on the show (Wu makes up the other half) and I thought she was quite funny tonight. The reveal of her black eye definitely caused me to chuckle and while some may beg to differ, I found her overly long scream at the end of the episode to be quite humourous.
- Did we know that Hexenbiests can make people do things simply by touching them? Sure they’re seducers and spell casters, but is this a new trait? Is Grimm changing the rules on us?
- Adalind’s claim that Juliette picked things up quickly teases the possibility that there is something exceptional about Juliette. Why has she been able to master all of this so easily?
Best Lines:
- Juliette (when Henrietta’s address rearranges itself): “It’s not me. I didn’t do that.”
- Wu (reading the description of the killer): “…and, I quote, ‘a really big-ass axe.’”
- Wu (after getting his marching orders from Nick): “I’ll hop right on it. … I tried to stop myself from saying it, sorry.” Oof…that is quite the dad joke
Your turn: are you glad to have Grimm back? Are you surprised at how Nick reacted to Juliette’s powers? Excited that Adalind is bearing Nick’s progeny? Think that Rosalee and Monroe are going to become parents? Sound off below.
Grimm airs Fridays at 9pm EST on NBC