Contributor: John Keegan
Written by Jim Kouf and David Greenwalt
Directed by Rob Bailey
It looks like the writers for “Grimm” are trying to step back and reintegrate concepts and plot threads from earlier in the season, and the result is a largely stand-alone episode that doesn’t quite have the same punch as more recent offerings. There are some signs that Adalind’s presence will finally amount to something, but this is very much a transitional episode, rather than a payoff.
At the same time, this does show the writers addressing one of Nick’s ongoing mistakes: his inability to tell the people most affected by his role as a Grimm about the dangers that might coming knocking on their door. While Juliette is a more egregious oversight, Nick’s tendency to run across creatures in his regular job means that Hank is in the crosshairs as well. That is certainly true in this episode.
The collateral damage doesn’t end there. While Adalind has been dispatched to seduce Hank through her natural charms and a bit of blood magic, the specific effects are harsh to any innocent cookie eaters. Wu nearly dies, and while he’s saved from immediate death, he’s just as addicted to the cookies as Hank. How that will manifest itself in Adalind’s presence remains to be seen; if Wu is suddenly just as fascinated with Adalind as Hank, it might be the trigger for Nick’s suspicions.
While Hank (and Wu) don’t seem to be prepared for what’s coming in any substantial way, which only makes him too good a victim to pass up, Juliette has some hidden skills of her own. It’s safe to say that she’s not a creature, since I’m fairly sure Nick would have noticed that by now, but who has that kind of immediate talent with a weapon? One intriguing possibility is that she’s a potential Grimm as well, and those powers behind the scenes that have been hinted now and then pushed them towards each other for a purpose.
Other than that, the episode might have fleshed out the creature world a little more, touching on earlier elements here and there, but there just wasn’t much to it. The potential for a love interest for Monroe was there, and his presence in any episode is always a highlight. Granted, it’s not as though there was anything wrong with the episode, per se, but it certainly didn’t stand out as much as others have of late.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
