Courtesy of NBC
Who ordered the apocalypse?
Let’s bitch it out…
Turns out that Nick (David Giuntoli)’s hastily constructed plan to rescue Eviette (Bitsie Tulloch) last week was, in fact, ill conceived. As Rosalee (Bree Turner), Wu (Reggie Lee) and Hank (Russell Hornsby) discover in the Grimoires – and matched with Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell)’s old family bible – the date predicted in the calendar has arrived and Zerstörer has lured Eviette and Nick to the Other Place in order to hitch a ride back to Earth…and Diana (Hannah R. Lloyd).
There’s a nice symmetry in the use of flashbacks to the first episode. It’s a clear sign that the series is drawing to a close, as the emotionally heightened interactions (this episode is full of “feels”) and reappearance of Trubel (Jacqueline Toboni) signal an apocalyptic shift and the arrival of the final battle.
Of course Zerstörer’s plan works, and as discovered by Eviette’s loss of Hexenbiest powers, he appears on Earth in human form (oh heyyyy Jessica Jones‘ Wil Traval). His staff has appeared in a variety of historical artwork (Moses, David) and, upon further investigation, it is revealed that the Stick is a missing piece of the staff, which is why the Crusaders buried it in the Black Forest. The rest of the episode is an inevitable build to a confrontation with Zerstörer and the Scoobies, with at least one death an inevitability. Admittedly, though, I didn’t think Grimm would take out both of the likeliest candidates – Wu and Hank (for whom the series has had no clue what to do with for at least two or three season). The fact that both deaths occur within the episode’s final moments ends the episode on a major down note while also giving viewers a seven day period to process our grief.
Let’s be honest: while Wu and Hank were always unlikely to survive the events of the series, they’re also the hardest people to lose. For almost the entirety of the show, the pair of them have been the heart and soul of the group and, as the only non-powered people, they’re the closest thing we have to audience surrogates. With only the finale left, we’ve lost our lifeline…and the battle will be that much harder to win as a result.
Courtesy of NBC
Other Observations:
- Holy cow, those flashbacks to the first episode makes Giuntoli and Weir Mitchell look like babies.
- The naked arrival of Zerstörer reeks of Terminator, right down to the murder for clothing that fits him perfectly. Though, hey, if you’re going to do a homage.
- Less exciting is the Poltergeist homage of Diana opening a magical portal through a mirror.
- The exploding eyeballs at the gas station is suitably icky, though it would have resonated better with practical effects instead of CGI.
- Love the completely weak explanation offered by Trubel for her absence: Black Claw is dead and all of the cells have been destroyed. How convenient!
Best Lines:
- Adalind (looking at Nick and Renard): “And that was before I had a baby with you…or you.”
- Wu (remarking on the electrified corpse at the gas station): “Naked in the gas station. That’s a dignified way to go.”
- Renard (to Adalind, about their ability to defend themselves): “The three of us aren’t going to be that easy, either”
And with that we’re down to a single episode. What did you think of Zerstörer’s appearance on Earth? Were you excited to see Trubel again? Did you expect Wu and Hank to die? And how will Zerstörer be defeated? Sound off below.
Grimm airs its finale next Friday at 8pm EST.