Contributor: John Keegan
After the pilot episode of “Grimm”, there was some minor discussion on it during a recording session for the Critical Myth Podcast. And one very strong opinion was that it was a better pilot in many respects than the pilot for “Once Upon a Time”, but that the setup wasn’t necessarily there for an ongoing series. The concern was simply that the procedural elements of the show would drive an overly episodic format, where the “fairy tale” spin would factor into that format in the most obvious respect.
This is only the second episode, and that is already starting to come to fruition. While there are some ongoing elements, like Nick’s boss being knee deep in collusion with the monsters that Nick is supposed to be fighting, this episode is far more dominated by a modern recasting of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
In this version, Goldilocks has a boyfriend, they like to break and enter into the homes of the rich, eat their food, drink their wine, and make merry all over their furniture. And the bears are more than three. But numerical differences aside, it takes about three minutes to figure out the basic idea behind the episode, and the rest is just a matter of letting things play out. Goldilocks is named Gilda, of course, and the bears are the Rabes. (Yes, as in a rather obvious anagram.)
To be fair, there are some nice little twists along the way, particularly since the writers have to deal with Aunt Marie and complete the process of handing over the reins of the Grimm legacy to Nick. That’s some of the more interesting material, particularly when Marie puts Nick on the trail of the bear-clan lore. Perhaps that’s because moments like that are the closest this show gets to “Supernatural”.
Eddie, the “wolf” from the pilot, still stands as more engaging than Nick, and a source of much-needed comic relief. If Nick brings in Eddie as something of a “creature consultant”, to work with him and his partner, then there would at least be a watchable core group at the center of the show. But I stand by my original concern: “Supernatural” did much the same with urban legends in its first season, with a better overall initial status quo, and it didn’t quite take off until it began to transcend that episodic formula.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 6/10
