The Grimm season finale brings death and destruction as the battle between Nick (David Giuntoli) and the Royals reaches its apex.
Let’s bitch it out…
Considering all of the shit that he’s been through in the second half of this fourth season, it’s no big surprise that Nick’s default attitude in ‘Cry Havoc’ is the equivalent of “eff this shit.” Nick lost his fiancé, who then burned his trailer, nearly had him kill his friend and then lured his mother into a fatal trap, so yeah…it’s been a shitty few weeks.
Trauma, heartbreak and murder sure has done wonders for Grimm, though. The series has always held a special place in my heart, even when it has forced us to endure some challenging storylines <cough amnesia cough Wu’s descent into insanity cough>. Hiccups aside, Grimm is one of the few shows that manages to strike a satisfying balance between its mythology pieces and its procedural aspects and it has attracted – and retained – a loyal fan base over four seasons as a result. With all that said, I have never been as satisfied with the show as I have been since the truly ballsy decision to take the female lead and turn her into the villain.
Fans may love to hate Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch), but I defy anyone to argue that Juliette’s transition into a Hexenbiest and her subsequent descent into darkness has not made for compelling TV. It has forced Grimm out of its safe zone and prompted some of the show’s most dramatic moments ever. Do I wish we could have focused on it more and less on Renard’s (Sasha Roiz) Jack The Ripper serial killer persona? Definitely. Do I wish that some of the finer details had played out in a slightly different fashion? Sure. But that’s quibbling. I can honestly say that I went into this finale incredibly impressed with the show’s recent offerings and I had no idea where the finale would leave us.
A pile of bodies, it turns out. Yes, folks, by the end of the hour we have no less than three deaths (and countless Red Shirt Verrat agents, but no one cares about them). Of the three, one is laughable, one is the well-earned death of a guest star that I really enjoyed and one…is the only character who could not be forgiven.
I mentioned in last week’s review that it seemed unlikely that Juliette would be able to walk away after everything she’d done, but I had concerns that the writers would pull back in an unconvincing attempt to suggest she had had a change of heart. After all, Juliette’s reaction to Diana suggested that Juliette regretted her decision to help Prince Kenneth (Nico Evers-Swindell) – she admits as much when she confronts Nick in ‘Cry Havoc’s final scene. Thankfully it’s a ruse; Juliette meant it when she told everyone that she was happy. In the end, she tries to follow through on her desire to kill Nick and would have succeeded if Trubel (Jacqueline Toboni) had not been present to shoot her surrogate mom with two crossbows to the chest. And just like that, Grimm kills its first major cast member.
How will Nick react to Juliette’s death? Will he forgive Trubel for making the decision he was unable to? We will have to wait until the fall when Grimm returns (and see what Elizabeth Rodriguez’s Agent Chavez wants). I, for one, could not be more satisfied with the way this story line played out and the gumption of the writers to follow through on turning Juliette evil. It all worked out marvellously.
Courtesy of NBC
Other Observations:
- Kenneth’s death offers Renard the get out of jail free card he needs: a dead body to pin the prostitute murders on. It’s a little too convenient for my tastes, but then again, last week I wrote that I never want to revisit Renard’s phantom passenger so I’ll just repeat that in the hopes that this time it sticks.
- Alas poor Kelly Burkhardt’s death definitely sticks. This means that the last time we see Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is that fake looking head in a box. That’s kinda disappointing.
- Speaking of fake looking: this is an expensive looking episode, but that doesn’t excuse the really awful CGI. I thought we were past this, Grimm!
- King Frederick (Dan Kremer) we hardly knew ye. As an actor, Kremer had the thankless task of making a character who appears in only two episodes memorable and he does well with the little time and info provided. Frederick is a pompous, arrogant ass and his pathetic death – thrown out of the chopper by Meisner (Damien Puckler) – is hilarious. Even before Diana showed him his future in the window, Frederick felt destined to die a stupid, insignificant death. And he did.
- My S5 request: juicy story lines for both Hank (Russell Hornsby) and Wu (Reggie Lee). At this point both have basically just become Nick’s back-up. One cheer worthy moment, however, is when Verrat head Marcus (Philip Anthony-Rodriguez) seemingly gains the upper hand on Hank, only to find himself thrown over the balcony. I would have been truly surprised if something had of happened to Hank, but his victory as a lowly human over a fairly significant member of the Royal’s guard is a nice moment.
- Like everyone not named Nick or Juliette, Adalind (Claire Coffee) doesn’t get to do much in the finale (presumably her powers are still suppressed so fighting is out?). I’ve seen a few fan comments that compare her lovable trouble-causing character to Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I can only imagine watching the first half of S5 with Adalind living in Bud’s (Danny Bruno) guest bedroom!
- Nice continuity shout-out when Bud asks Trubel how Josh Porter is doing. Remember Josh is the normal guy whose father was a Grimm. He’s also the current owner of the one of the seven Keys. Maybe one day we’ll see him again although Grimm is seemingly reticent to revisit this story line.
- Finally, the shot of Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Rosalee (Bree Turner) relaxing on the couch with extra-large glasses of red wine really says it all. As my husband murmured, they must regret the minute they ever invited Nick into their lives! Lol
Best Lines:
- Trubel (seeing Adalind): “She’s pregnant?” Nick: “It’s mine.” Cue Trubel’s eyes as wide as saucers.
- Monroe (woging, when Trubel asks him what weapon he’ll use): “I’m fine.”
- Hank (when Bud asks how they all got away): “They had a helicopter.”
Your turn: what will happen with the Royals now that Frederick & Kenneth are dead and Meisner has Diana? Do you want Adalind to stick around and cause fun-loving trouble? Do Hank and Wu deserve their own stories? Is Trubel sticking around? Do you hope the series retains its newly invigorated creative approach? And what does Agent Chavez want with Nick and Trubel? Sound off below.
Grimm has now finished airing its fourth season. It will return for a fifth on NBC in the fall.