Contributor: John Keegan
Written by Sean Calder
Directed by Peter Werner
“Grimm” has been on a roll lately, kicking things up a gear for the second season. It seems that every request that fans made during the first season was tacked up on the wall of the writers’ room over the summer, so they could have a punch list to work from in the second season.
One of those big ticket items was the arrival of a more traditional Grimm, one that would view Nick’s activities with his Wesen allies as a travesty. If nothing else, it would open the door for future exploration of what the Grimms are actually like, outside of the occasional reminder from Monroe when the latest Wesen to meet Nick freaks out. I especially want to see how the Grimms’ alliance with the Royal Families, meant to keep the non-Royals in line, currently works.
One nice touch in this episode is that Nick’s usual steady demeanor slips at just the wrong time. The audience is never given a reason to think that he’s killing off Wesen and posting gruesome videos about it, but it’s taken far enough that one can see how the characters on the show would have their doubts.
The episode turns things on their head in a very nice way by having the killer be a self-loathing Wesen who is obsessed with Nick and the Grimms, and wants to be the most ruthless and feared Grimm ever. There’s quite a bit of transference going on in this situation, but it still says a great deal about who the Grimms have been and perhaps really are. If someone obsessed with the Grimms is trying to show Nick how it should really be done, that continues to demonstrate how unusual Nick is.
It whets the appetite for a time when the other Grimms actually do come calling, because we know what they are capable of, if this is any indication. And it could push Nick ever closer to the edge, which this business with Juliette and Renard will likely contribute to as well. For better or worse, even as he has managed to gather his little Scooby Gang together over the course of the season (though Rosalee is sorely missed), Juliette has remained his anchor. His inability to restore her has been wearing away at his stability, and if she turns away from him, it could have serious consequences.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Score: 7/10