Contributor: John Keegan
Written by William Bigelow
Directed by Eric Laneuville
I think it’s safe to say that the time had come to get back to Captain Renard’s plans for Juliette, and it’s not much of a surprise that it currently involves a bit of romance. I’m still not clear on whether or not that is a planned outcome of the spell or magic that saved her life, or a somewhat unfortunate side effect. Whatever the reason for it, things are getting a lot more complicated for Nick as a result, even if he’s not quite aware of the scope of his situation.
I don’t remember if the show has explored the possibilities of cross-breeding in the past; human/Wesen combinations clearly exist, but this might be the first time that a cross between two types of Wesen has been at the center of a case. I like the idea that this is not a common thing to do, putting it mildly, and the results are disastrous. Having it be something akin to multiple personality disorder is a bit of a stretch, but for the purposes of the procedural elements, it adds a neat little complication.
That side of the episode wasn’t particularly compelling. Sure, the mystery of who might be the actual killer had its good points, but it was a bit lacking with Monroe on the sideline. I’m guessing that Monroe’s current work Rosalee’s shop is related to Bree Turner’s pregnancy at the time; I can’t imagine why they would sideline one of their best characters without that sort of impetus.
On the other hand, Hank’s education into the Wesen world continues, and I’m glad they’re not rushing it. It should run its course soon enough, at which point it would be fun to have Nick and Hank conducting research towards solving various cases. Nick works best when there’s at least one other character in the scene, and Hank is becoming very reliable.
Thankfully, there was a lot of Renard’s struggle to gain control over his attraction to Juliette. How creepy was that scene where she was in the shower, and he was standing outside the bathroom door? I think it was obvious from the start that the spell was going to draw Renard and Juliette together, but I like that it has happened after Nick has invested so much of himself, and his hopes, into repairing her memories. It will make losing her all the more painful.
We also finally learn that Renard is part hexenbeist, which goes a long way towards explaining why he’s been dealing with so many of them from the start of the series. I’m beginning to wonder if Adalind, her mother, and the woman who sent the assassin after Monroe are all extended members of Renard’s family. It would make sense, and also explain the tensions he’s had with them along the way. His portion of the series mythology intrigues me to no end, and Sasha Roiz just kills it as Renard.
I said that something was lacking with Monroe on the sideline, but it’s not enough to take a significant amount of energy away from the episode. His scenes added just the right amount of levity to a heavy set of plot threads, and it was actually good to see that a Monroe-light episode was able to work so well.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Score: 8/10
