This Fall's Shows

What's New This Fall??

Now that most shows that I love will soon be coming back into broadcast, I'll finally come back to this blog.  Actually, I intended to keep posting through the summer, but I felt a little disappointed by a lot of shows, especially True Blood (worst season ever!).  Because those shows underwhelmed me, and I knew that there would be plenty of that going on in the fall, I decided to not bother writing about it.

I'm pretty much going to continue posting on all the same shows I did last time around, except Grimm, which has already started its second season (to my huge surprise).  I may drop some other shows that I recall being quite frustrated with by the time they had come to the season finale, but I'll give them a couple more episodes this season to see if they can turn things around (off the top of my head is How I Met Your Mother--it better step it up!).  The only show I anticipate starting this season is The Mindy Project.  It looks like it could be funny and cute.  I also may try The New Normal.  That already has a few episodes out, but I haven't gotten around to seeing any yet.  So we shall see.

Anyway, I'm most excited to see Once Upon A Time, and that there will be a second season to Suburgatory, a show I'm not so sure so many people liked as much as I did.  Another surprise was that 2 Broke Girls got another season--wow.  I mean, after seeing that Ringer (I never posted on it, but I had enjoyed watching it) got cancelled when I felt it had a lot of potential (and I wanted to see what happened next, damnit!!), it just amazes me what gets picked up again.

This fall I hope that my shows don't disappoint me as much as they did last year and hopefully I can find some new ones that are as good as Once Upon A Time was last year (which I will call my personal Fall 2011 MVP)!

Grimm's Future For Me Looking Grim

Grimm, S01E22

Nick and Hank were investigating the murder of a private investigator that Akira, a person involved in Nick's parents' murder, had hired.  They found pictures of Nick, Hank, Renard, and Monroe, and Akira began to turnout their houses looking for the gold coins.  Adalind brought her cat to Juliette and a scratch from it made her ill.  Before she was hospitalized, Nick tried to explain about being a Grimm and the Wesen, but Juliette failed to believe him.

It was a bit convenient that after Nick found out about Akira, he came to town looking for information about who might have had the coins he was looking for.  I suppose with the incident before it would make sense that he would get wind of the coins landing in Portland, especially when he had already encountered Farley without them, but I just figured that Nick might go looking for Akira, not the other way around.  I was surprised that Renard wasn't able to do much against Akira himself, even if he was ambushed.  I just expected that a reaper would be able to put up a better fight.  But Akira did seemed highly skilled and powerful, so I suppose I can see why he wouldn't be able to do anything.

The fight between Nick and Akira was a little impressive.  I never expect Nick to be able to do more than get by on the skin of his teeth, simply because I just don't buy that he should be that skilled.  But when fighting Akira, who seemed like a force to be reckoned with, he was kicking some ass.  Maybe it was because he was face to face with the killer of his parents, or maybe it was because he had been "training" in the more recent episodes.  It's going to take a while before I believe that he's that good at fighting Wesen he's never been up against before.  At least Nick wasn't that successful with the crossbow full of sleeping potion.  If he had gotten that shot, I would have been so calling bull crap, especially since Nick had only seen Akira for a second before attacking.

Nick never got to question Akira about anything because the mystery lady stabbed Akira to to death and then revealed herself to be Nick's mother.  I couldn't be that surprised or invested in that finale "bombshell."  It just seemed random and like a ploy to get viewers to keep watching next season (if there is one).  Yes, I would like to know how and why Nick's mother faked her death (and what became of Nick's father), but the execution of his background story was handled so poorly that it seems a little forced.  There's enough to handle on the Grimm mystery plate without this.  Of all the things that could have been made clearer, Nick's parents were not on the top of my list at all!  Maybe it has to do with those coins, which are obviously very important to the story overall somehow, but who cares at this stage??  For them to end the finale with that made me just groan.

Another thing that was left open was the matter of Adalind's cat attack upon Juliette.  Rosalie and Monroe had just begun to paralyze her cat to find out what might have been put inside of Juliette, but we have no idea.  All we know is that Juliette became conscious again, but seemed to be affected by the same dark influence that Adalind's cat was exposed to.  I thought we were going to see Juliette start attacking Nick or something, but that was as far as the Juliette and Adalind (who was nowhere to be found when Nick went looking for her) story went.  Seriously?  That's all we get?  But we got to see Nick's mother appear.  What a rip.  Couldn't Adalind's revenge story started another time??  It was just so annoying that barely anything had developed and it was over.

Then the "jewel" of the episode was when Nick was finally pushed to shove with hiding the truth.  Either he had to fess up or watch his girlfriend die, really.  But Nick's idea was to bring her to his crazy, late aunt's trailer and show her all of the Grimm stuff in one swoop.  But Nick didn't try to ease her into his world at all--he just rambled on about different Wesen and weapons in such a scatterbrained way that anyone would have thought that Nick was just suffering from psychosis, not saying any facts.  What the hell??  He totally blew it!  He's had time to prepare what he would say and use past strange occurrences to back up his stories.  Instead he just sited those random moments and pointed to drawings in old Grimm books and expected Juliette to just believe him.  I wanted to shake him.  So disappointed at how he carried himself.  At last, he made a desperate attempt to have Monroe show his wolf side to her, but by then it was just too late she was out.  Freaking ridiculous.

I think there were many other episodes that had more force than this one, yet this was supposed to be the season finale.  I still don't feel any deep attachment to the relationship between Juliette and Nick, so I'm not entirely worried about her fate.  To tell the truth, I'm not too worried about anything that they left hanging in this episode nor the others.  After sticking with this show for the entire season, I don't think that I will be tuning in for much longer.  If there is a second season, I might look at the premiere, but I doubt I would continue to watch after that.  And if there isn't a second season, I wouldn't be broken about it either.  This show has been like trudging through a muddy river in search of a tiny earring.  I think I'm about ready to abandon ship with this one.

The Wesen Walk Among Us

Grimm, S01E21

After some people were killed in the woods by a wild Wesen, Nick and the others had to find the killer before the media exploded with stories about a Bigfoot attack.  Larry, the culprit, was a friend of Monroe's and sought shelter at his house.  Larry was stuck in a half-creature mode and wounded, and Monroe asked Nick to help him, but Larry soon died after the two hid him from the police catching his trail with dogs.  They found a suspicious drug-pumping device on his neck that was found on other Wesen who were killed (or died) before they went berserk as well.  The device was traced back to a Wesen therapist who was trying to perfect a "cure" to the Wesen's inability to control their darker or animal sides.  Nick and Hank had to ultimately chase down and shoot the therapist when he, too, lost control and rampaged in a theater.

There were a few interesting things in this episode (unlike most).  One was the idea of a therapist existing for Wesen who had problems controlling themselves and conforming to the human world.  It shouldn't be so surprising to imagine that even Wesen need some counseling, but the idea that there are many who actively try to correct themselves so they can live peaceful lives isn't what I expected.  I liked knowing that Monroe wasn't so special after all and many people share his sort of problem.  He even was part of a support group and seemed to have a significant bond with those in his circle, Larry included.  I had always wondered how he managed to keep straight on his own, but obviously he's had help.

Even though the therapist was a bit unbalanced, wanting to completely shut off a Wesen's "dark" side with drugs, he was right about Nick having little time left before his double life came to light.  After all, Juliette's investigation of Larry's hair basically gave her evidence that Wesen exist.  She may not see the whole picture yet (and truly, does even Nick?) but she's way beyond Nick being able to fool her with casual brushoffs of strange events.  I can't believe after her lab findings and the whole "Bigfoot" incident that he wouldn't just tell her the truth!  Instead, he makes her sound a little crazy for starting to believe that there are creatures in the world beyond what is written in books (at least human books).  Of course, worse than that Nick decided to make Hank appear as if he was hallucinating when he saw the therapist change from beast to human right before their eyes.  I don't know if he wants to protect Hank or if he's trying to protect himself.  What an awful thing to do to your partner and friend.  Hank's been through enough that I feel like he's earned the right to a little truth.  Instead, I'm sure that Hank is going to doubt his sanity from now on.  I just wish Hank would be smart enough to start doubting Nick and pay closer attention to what his partner is doing behind his back. 

Another thing I found interesting was that Wesen's true form can be seen by humans other than Grimms.  I thought that it was a special skill that Nick was able to do, but I guess if they don't "retract" then even someone like Hank can see them as they are.  It's not the first time that one of them has given us a glimpse of their true face during one of Nick's investigations, but I thought no one else reacted because they were unable to see, not just because they weren't paying close enough attention.  It's weird that there are so many people in the dark.  I just don't buy that with so many Wesen around people wouldn't catch a glimpse of their change and not just write it off as their imagination.  Then again, people do want to see only what they want to.  It might be denial of a world that they can't understand.

I feel like the cat's out the bag at this point.  A large number of people saw a mixture of animal and man attack them in a theater.  I don't know how it's possible for them to cover that up.  A woman was kidnapped, after all, and people were killed by the other "Bigfoot" characters running around.  If Nick values the relationships he has with Juliette and Hank, he will spill the beans right away.  He's already risked their lives by not letting them know, so I think that there can't be any harm in them knowing now.  I suspect that the Wesen like keeping themselves hidden from humans (with good reason like Monroe suggested), so maybe Nick will have to help their society remain in the shadows before some kind of hunt for their kind begins.  I would enjoy that kind of development more than the "mysterious" Wesen murders that unfold in most episodes.  The season is almost over and only about now do I feel like it's giving me more than anger about all the unanswered questions.

Cinderella's Revenge

Grimm, S01E20

Nick had to handle the murder of a woman named Mavis, who had been killed by a bat-like Wesen.  The suspects were the woman's family members, especially those who had asked her for money just before her death.  When one of Mavis' daughters turned up dead with her stepdaughter's godfather Spencer at the scene, Nick arrested him, despite there was no evidence to prove he had did it.  Nick finally learned that the real killer was Lucinda, the stepdaughter, from Spencer's confession at the police station.  Nick went to stop Lucinda from killing the second daughter with a Grimm weapon that Monroe brought him, but it was Spencer who finished her off.  However, Spencer took her life at the cost of his own.  Juliette also got Nick some more information about the car crash that killed his parents.  Instead of finding closure, he got the name of only still-living suspect who might be able to explain his parents' death.

The beginning of this episode was so long (aka revealing a Wesen-related murder) that I wasn't even sure I was really watching an episode of Grimm.  That actually was a good thing because I am unusually inattentive during the murder scenes.  I tend to ignore that part because it's typically short and slightly unimportant (because you know that Nick's going to be dragging his ass before he figures it out), but this time their spin on the Cinderella tale was interesting.  Especially because it was set after the couple had supposedly had their happy ending, but instead were experiencing financial trouble and had to beg the stepmother for money.  I was so invested in the strained relationship between Mavis and Lucinda's family (Arthur and Spencer) that I almost forgot about the existence of the Wesen and the Grimm world at all.  Thus, when a bat creature popped out from under Mavis' bed, I actually jumped in my seat.  I really forgot I was watching the kind of show that Grimm is. 

I, of course, thought that the Wesen that killed Mavis was Spencer for a second, but when I thought about how he was best friends with Lucinda's dad, I knew there was no way that her dad wasn't a bat too (I doubt anyone could go such a long time without knowing their best friend wasn't as human as they appeared to be).  I understand that Lucinda wanted to get her "rightful" inheiritence by getting rid of her step-family, but I don't know why it took her so long to do so.  Either Arthur must have been making such good money that she didn't feel a need to bother with them or either she just was so traumatized by her father's passing that it never crossed her mind to eliminate them until her supposedly wealthy husband looked like he was going to be penniless.  I dunno.  I just would think that after all the years of her step family's abuse, she might have used her eyeball-popping screech once or twice before Arthur came into her life.  And speaking of her husband, I feel really bad that she dropped him like a bad habit once she went on her money-grubbing murdering spree.  But I did like the idea of the Cinderella type being the villain, while the stepmother and stepsisters were the victims.  No matter what they did to Lucinda in the past, I'm sure it wasn't horrible enough to deserve a brain-splattering death.

Monroe didn't have many scenes this time, but I liked when he and Nick were in the Grimm trailer, looking for information about the bat Wesen.  It was cute how excited Monroe was to try out the device that would cancel out the bat attack.  I'm surprised that Nick was nice enough to let him do the honors of trying it out.  When it comes to using Monroe, Nick rarely gives his "servant" any perks to helping him.  I just thought that the weapon was a little cumbersome to use.  I mean, you had to put it on a stand and then crank it.  It's not something that's very mobile, that's for sure.  I couldn't see that being very useful if they had to chase Lucinda throughout the rest of the night.  Lucky for them that Spencer took care of her.

Concerning Spencer, I think he was a damn loyal friend and good godfather.  He might have been a bit of a busybody, but he kept his promise for a long time.  I mean, Arthur seemed to not know his left foot from his right without Spencer there to tell him what to do.  Maybe he was just like that since he invested his money in the wrong person, but from what was shown in the episode, he seemed like a pretty helpless guy most of the time.  Spencer was the rock that made sure Arthur gave Lucinda everything she wanted so she would fly off the handle.  He even went as so far to kill her to stop her from killing more innocent people.  It's not as if he could turn her and tell the police everything she had done--he tried to do that with Hank there and he thought he was insane.  That was a great scene, by the way.  I thought Nick would be exposed as a Grimm, but Hank didn't believe Spencer for a second.  I almost wished he had because I would love to see Nick have to explain that one.

I must admit, though, Nick was smart to submit the Grimm weapon as evidence of Lucinda's crimes.  There would be no other way in the world that he could have logically explained the way Mavis and Tiffany were killed.  Still, is it safe to leave that kind of powerful weapon at the police station?  I kind of worry about what Renard might do with that thing.  He's no stranger to the Wesen world, so he might have a use for it one day.  Hell, Nick might have a use for it one day (who knows when another bat might cross his path?).  How smart is it to get rid of the one thing that could handle those creatures?  Even though Nick just started using the tools Marie left him, it seems that they are his best bet to effectively take care of murderous Wesen.  Yet he's just throwing them away like he has enough know-how to survive without them.  If this show was slightly more realistic, Nick would have been dead from almost every episode so far.

My biggest complaint about Nick digging into his past again was why couldn't he do the digging himself?  Why is it that Juliette is better at getting information from the police than her own cop boyfriend?  This is like the second time or so this has happened and it still puzzles me.  Either Nick is a shittier investigator than I thought or Juliette must have some past with the police that I failed to remember.  What Nick found out also had me a little confused.  I don't know why only now he found out that his parents' accident had been reclassified as a murder, but he never knew.  Granted, it happened while he was a child, but you would think once he became part of the law force that he would check into that once or twice.  It's just dumb.  Unless it just was all too painful for him to think about it again.  I could buy that if I had seen Nick agonizing about it more.  We rarely get to see Nick's emotional side, so I don't buy his internal pain at the moment.  Besides that, I'm slightly interested in the last living suspect, Akira.  I don't know what he'll be able to tell Nick, but it's curious that there is still someone around who can shed a little light into Nick's past.

This was one of the better adaptations of the fairy tales that Grimm has come up with (not the best but still good).  I almost wish that I could have seen the story before it had gotten to the point where murder was involved.  There wasn't much development this time, as far as any of the overall mysteries, but at least Nick has gotten interested in his parents' death again.  With that being explored again there's a bit of hope we might glimpse into Nick's emotional depth.  It'd be nice to see him as something more than a bumbling, lucky fool with a pretty face.

More Like A Grimm And Less Like A Cop

Grimm, S01E19

Nick started training with some of the Grimm weapons he had with Monroe's help.  Juliette invited Monroe to dinner, and Nick and he had to lie to her about their relationship.  One beaver Wesen named Arnold witnessed a murder by a troll Wesen named Sal.  Since he called 911 before he fled, Nick and Hank were able to find out his identity and address.  Nick noticed that he was friends with Bud, a beaver Wesen whom he had met a few times before.  Arnold went into hiding, but after Nick spoke to Bud and some of the other people in the beaver lodge, Arnold decided to identity Sal so they could make the arrest.  Before Nick arrested Sal, Sal hired some reapers to take care of Nick, but the reapers turned on Sal so that they could get information about Nick.  Nick was attacked by the reapers when he tried to take Arnold home and successfully killed both reapers.  With Monroe's help, Nick and he sent the heads of the reapers back to their headquarters (?) to send them a warning.

After fighting so many creatures that could have easily torn Nick to shreds (his luck to avoid injury from most fights is unbelievable--literally), Nick decided to train with some of those Grimm weapons he has had from almost the beginning.  What the hell??  What has taken him so damn long?  He is a police officer and a normal human being (to any non-Wesen), so I'll admit that if he started regularly carrying things like crossbows and axes, he would look a like a psycho.  Still, most of his battles were done somewhere private with enough time for him to grab a relevant weapon to use.  He needs to keep some of those weapons in the house (where Juliette would never look--definitely not in the sock drawer like his damn ring) and have them ready to go.  Of course, Nick has little trouble using any of the tools he practiced with in this episode.  That, despite his police background, I just find hard to swallow.  Nick looks like you could take him down by throwing a rock at him.  I wish that we could have seen him a little less "naturally skilled" at using the weapons.  He may be a Grimm, but so far he hasn't really exuded any kind of special skill, so it's strange he's that good on his basically first try.

What I did like about his training session was when Monroe attacked him and later Nick was on top of him.  After Nick scolding him for doing exactly what he needed (a sudden attack by a Wesen), Monroe asked him to get off because it was "awkward."  It actually seemed just about right to me.  I feel like there's more sexual chemistry between Monroe and Nick than there is with Juliette.

Speaking of Juliette, it's not so random that she invited Monroe to dinner.  I think it might be a little later than I would have thought if it were to thank him for saving her life.  That seems like it was ages ago.  I just think that  Nick, despite that he would have trouble explaining why he knows Monroe, shouldn't have been so resistive about the dinner.  I mean, damn.  Monroe has done a lot of free things for Nick--that selfish bastard can at least allow him one free dinner!  I won't even comment on how bad they were at keeping their lies straight, but I will say that Juliette better not be dumb enough to let their obvious secrecy slide.  What I really want to mention is that Juliette served them vegan salmon.  I'm not a vegan, so I may not just understand why that doesn't sound ridiculous, but it does to me.  I can't imagine eating artificial seafood.  Nor could I imagine serving it to guests.  What if Monroe wanted some damn meat??  I'm just saying, it's an odd choice for a first-time guest.

Onto the murder of Robert by Sal.  Sal was such a stereotypical construction guy.  He even had goons who looked like they just walked out of a bad mob movie.  Wow.  I'm still not too clear as to why Sal decided to go with reapers to get rid of Nick.  Getting rid of Nick was a good idea (if he had no idea of how weak Nick really is), but I don't see why he didn't just send one of the many trolls after him.  I was expecting that.  I wasn't expecting to see this headquarters (what is this place where these reapers are all gathered??) for the reapers who were taking requests from regular Wesen like Sal (I assume he's nothing too special).  What was even stranger was that the reapers beat the crap out of Sal from the beginning, wanting answers.  He had asked them to get rid of the Grimm, and they thought he was his friend?  Do these reapers have any kind of intel on Nick at all?  I'm wondering if the reason most reapers don't know much about Nick is because Renard is protecting him in some way.  More than the reapers' interrogation of Sal, I wanted to know why some Wesen have the means to contact reapers for hired kills (do you pay them?).  Probably a question that I will never have answered.

Nick attending the beaver lodge meeting was a little interesting.  It didn't do anything to convince the beaver community to stand with Nick.  However, they didn't want to anger him either, which was indicated by the elder (or whoever it was) requesting that Nick not cut off their heads for opposing him.  That made me laugh.  As if Nick could or would.  After that failure of a meeting, Nick told Bud that he was really courageous to approach him as he did.  Uh, I wouldn't have called Bud's actions brave or anything of the like.  He went to Nick basically groveling as if Nick would smite him if he didn't.  If Nick had punched him lightly in the arm, Bud would probably have crapped his pants.  Still, I think I like Bud and his Wesen kind.  Arnold eventually did the right thing and helped locked Sal away, and Nick was showered with gifts by all the beavers Wesen in Portland after everything was said and done.  I don't know why just putting away Sal was good enough to keep the rest of the trolls in line. Won't the others go ahead and take revenge on the beaver people?  Or did the news of Nick killing the reapers scare all the troll folk away?

I will admit that Nick's fight with the reapers was one of his best fights.  I expected Nick to get his ass kicked, but he was moving so nimbly that they didn't even seem like a problem for him.  Granted, his quick moves allowed one of them to chop off the head of the other (how convenient), but I thought for sure Nick would be in real trouble this time.  I mean, he had prepared to fight trolls!  Reapers were a wild card that should have tripped him up a little more than they did.  All complaints aside, I liked Nick escaping from near beheading and taking the heads of the reapers himself instead.  He called Monroe when the deed was done (of course--leave the dirty work to him) and told him to bring a shovel.  They both agreed that they needed to send a message to the reapers to let them know they meant business because surely more reapers would come after him.  I'm not sure that sending their heads back to the headquarters was such a great idea.  It does raise a lot of questions, though.  The most important to me is why does Monroe know where to send the box where the reapers gather?  Is this common knowledge among the Wesen?  If you know where they are, why not go to them and take them out?  However, I did see that the box looked like it was addressed to Germany (and it was airmailed, so definitely out of the USA), so I guess Nick can't just fly off somewhere and kill people as he pleases (not yet, I guess).  Also, the reapers that came for him were special "Grimm reapers."  Why are there specific reapers?  These questions hurt my head.  I feel like I need a guidebook when watching this show.

There were quite a few more questions that I didn't care to add to my list, but I still think this was a good episode because Nick started to act a little more like a Grimm.  I always thought, from the time I saw Aunt Marie fight a Wesen in the street, that Nick would be brandishing more odd, but interesting weapons to dispose of those creatures, but it's taken him to almost the end of the season to really take advantage of the supplies he had been bequeathed.  Besides Nick owning a little more of his Grimm persona, I like that the reapers are becoming more and more an important part of this whole Wesen creature world mystery.  More questions are irritating to me, but I'm intrigued enough by the reapers that I'll see if this show can enlighten me.  As always, though, I won't hold my breath.

The Resistance Moves To Portland

Grimm, S01E18

Nick investigated a shooting, which turned into a murder.  This was all due to a Verrat bounty hunter named Edgar looking for one of the leaders of the resistance group.  This leader, Ian, came to Rosalie for help and was furthered assisted by Monroe and Nick.  When Rosalie got held against will by Edgar, he demanded that Ian be turned over to him in exchange for her life.  Nick and team were able to take him down, and Ian shot him dead so that he wouldn't find a way to come after them again.  Nick looked like he was going to arrest Ian for that murder, but he ended up covering up the hunter's death and letting Ian escape.

I think that this whole impending war that's coming with the Wesen is a lot more interesting than the usual Portland-brand conflicts that have been happening so far.  Renard is definitely a part of that, but the depth of his involvement isn't too clear yet, so I'll just let that go.  I'm not too sure if Nick is entirely interested in it as much as he should be, now that it's been revealed that the Verrat, who are determined to preserve the Wesen natural order, have connections with Grimm in the past.  He did watch a video about the group, but he didn't bother to question Ian much, who would have had tons of valuable information.  Pretty sure just like everyone (including Renard) was hinting, someone will probably come looking for them now that Edgar has been killed in their town.  Hopefully when that happens we can learn more of this conflict and about those seven royal families.

Besides the intrigue of the battle between the big Wesen powers, I simply liked the hunter, Edgar himself.  No matter who he was dealing with, he had such a confident and superior aura about him.  And for this show where people have a lot of uninspired schemes and low intelligence, I thought his method of framing Ian to get Renard to "help" him was a good technique.  I just expected him to just sniff around for information until he found him, but he did one better and murdered a bartender just to make sure Ian would be cornered.  He probably would have achieved his goal if he had figured out Nick was friends with Rosalie.  I guess it's a good thing that Grimms don't typical befriend Wesen because it allowed Nick to get the upper hand and defeat him.  Wish Ian could have let him live, though.  Edgar was an interesting character.

Another interesting thing was just seeing Monroe get jealous when Ian appeared and he knew that Rosalie had once dated him.  He was kinda cute pouting off to the side when Rosalie was attending to Ian while he recovered from the bullet removed from him.  I bet Monroe might have taken a swing at Ian had he stayed in town long enough to keep fueling his envy.  However, maybe Rosalie will take notice that Monroe really likes her and make a move on him herself.  Monroe is dragging his feet with Rosalie--we may not get to see any development in their relationship before this season is through (or the show gets cancelled).

 This may be my second favorite episode, right below the one about the spiders.  Unlike a lot of the stories where I was just waiting for Nick to figure out what we already knew, I was paying attention closely to learn more about the Verrat and the resistance group.  Edgar was the majority of the appeal for me, and it's shame he had to be killed.  However, the appearance of Verrat in Portland gives this show some much needed steam.  I won't get my hopes up too high, (with this show's record) but I am anticipating the next episode a little more than usual.

Nick And Company Save Hank and Wu

Grimm, S01E17

Nick saw that Hank was quickly becoming the love slave of Adalind and had little luck convincing him that she wasn't the woman she claimed to be.  Using his two Wesen lackeys, he found out that Hank was under a very deadly love potion and had to rush to save him before Adalind caused his death.  They also figured out that Wu had been affected by the same potion and cured him, but they were too late to get to Hank and Nick had to fight Adalind to snap Hank out of a coma.  During their fight, Nick got his blood into Adalind and removed her of her powers, freeing Hank.  This was a victory for Nick, but it was a failure for Renard's plans to get Nick's key.  The significance of the key was yet to be revealed, but Nick seemed to be more interested in it than he had been since his aunt gave it to him.

Okay, I understand now that Adalind was after Hank so that she would have leverage to ask Nick for his key.  And since Renard was murdering people who were getting in the way of said plan to get that key, I guess this was what it was ultimately about.  We don't know what will happen when Renard does get that key, but it seems like it's something that his whole family is involved in.  But I've been way past wondering what the big secret was, so I didn't take any joy in understanding those little facts.  It was a little funny watching Renard have to cover his tracks since Nick was getting closer to the truth.  I'm almost a little excited to see how Nick changes his tune about his captain once he finds out that he's been working in the shadows.

For being a Grimm, Nick really has no power to stop Wesen who are plotting against him until it is almost too late.  At dinner, he threatened Adalind to stay away from Hank, but he was just as powerless as any other guy who didn't know what she really was.  It's amazing that neither Juliette nor Hank picked up on how much Nick disliked Adalind, despite all the signs he was throwing out.  If it wasn't for Rosalie and Monroe at his command, he would have never stopped Adalind (I can't believe that Renard called Nick smarted than her--he's just lucky he has people he can use!).

Monroe brought up a funny point when Nick was pumping him for information.  He suggested that Rosalie might have the answer they needed about what potion Adalind could have used on Hank, but said it was too late in the night to bother Rosalie now.  Then he remarked that if it was him, Nick wouldn't have given a damn and bothered him anyway.  Nick proved to him that Rosalie gets no special treatment and told him to call her right away.  I like that Monroe is aware that Rosalie is as much under Nick's thumb as he is, but rather than be relieved someone else can take Nick's abuse for a change, he often seems a little miffed that they don't get the same treatment.  If only he didn't like Rosalie so much, he might try to push her as Nick's "number 1" and get out of his unofficial sidekick role.

But I think that Monroe may never escape Nick's clutches because he seems to care about Nick so much.  I'm almost certain that he holds Nick in higher esteem than Nick does he.  It was pretty cute when Monroe was pacing around in Adalind's room, fretting about whether Nick would be all right against Adalind on his own (a valid concern).  As dangerous as she was, Monroe seemed more than ready to join him on the battlefield.  I guess all the deadly adventures they've had together has really made Nick an indispensable partner for him.  Oh, Monroe, you're more of a good friend that Nick deserves.

The best thing about this episode was that Wu really had been eating weird things like I had thought.  He definitely ate a paperclip last week, but was eating weird things like coins and chapstick tubes this week.  Even though Nick was the one to really notice that Wu was acting strange, Rosalie was the one who pieced together that Wu's strange eating habits were from the love potion he had mistakenly took.  It was pretty funny that Wu was in his apartment eating carpet when Nick and his crew busted in to save the day.  And they never even bothered to explain themselves after they successfully sprayed the antidote up his nose; Wu ran away to his room (not understanding his visitors nor why he was in his underwear) and when he got back they were all gone.  Well, I hope that Wu just writes that off as a dream because Nick is the worst liar ever.  But I guess it's okay that he sucks at covering up things because everyone is stupid enough to believe him anyhow.  

Well, now that Hank is safe (and they no doubt have a horrible lie to cover up why Monroe and Rosalie were at Adalind's) I guess now the focus will be on the key that hasn't been mentioned for a while until this week.  It would have been nice if Nick had been wondering about the key in previous episodes, so the audience might have thought the key was what Renard was after without him having to tell us directly.  Oh, well.  With Nick having no chance of marrying Juliette any time soon, I guess it only makes sense that they would need to create some task for Nick to focus his attention on (you know, besides his real job).  At this point, I'm in for it for the occasional laughs and the new Wesen that are introduced.  It's not enough to keep me interested forever, but I'll at least finish up this season and see if they can wrap things up in way that doesn't make me regret my time completely.

Nick's Weekend Getaway

Grimm, S01E16

Nick took off a weekend with Juliette so that he could propose in a romantic setting.  The house in the woods that they rented was near a house where a cat-like Wesen was keeping his bird Wessen girlfriend prisoner so he could steal a golden stone from her throat.  When Juliette and Nick can no longer turn a deaf ear to what has been going on next door, they get involved.  Nick not only took down some Wesen up to  no good, but with Rosalie's help, he also performed a mini surgery on a woman's neck without killing her.  When all of that terror was over, Nick thought it was still a good idea to pop the question, but his lack of honesty lately got him rejected.  Hank, on the other hand, was no longer being rejected by Adalind, and Renard had the two go out on a date.  It becomes no clearer as to why it's necessary to have Hank wrapped around her finger.

I sort of forgot that Nick intended to propose to Juliette already.  Their relationship has just not been that great.  So when he told Hank he was taking off to propose to her, I didn't care too much about it because I knew she would never agree.  The idea for them to leave Portland was mainly an excuse to play out the Wesen domestic violence story.  I mean, how could you care about Nick proposing when you don't really understand why they are together in the first place?  I feel like Hank and Adalind have more chemistry than Nick and Juliette and Hank's under a damn spell.

Speaking of Hank, he's went full out stalker in this episode.  It was a little scary because I wondered how far he would go to protect "his woman."  He did threaten a man who kissed her, but that was all according to Renard's plan (why are people bending backwards to help him??).  I just don't want to see Hank get locked up because he's found sitting outside of her apartment watching her with no non-creepy reason to explain it.

Something else that worries me about Adalind's spell--has it effected Wu?  I could have sworn I saw him eat a paperclip at work.  Maybe I was imagining things, but if that's true, what the hell has eating those cookies done to him?  We don't know yet, but so far he is acting normal (if that paperclip thing was just me).  Why not just tell us now, writers??  Why do you wait like you're adding suspense?  You're just adding fuel to my frustration.

Anyway, the main story was fairly good.  I didn't like seeing a scared and abused woman with her obsessive and violent husband (boyfriend?), but he eventually got what was coming to him, thanks to Nick sticking his nose into their business.  But it did make me uncomfortable, the way he kept force-feeding her, especially in that electric-chair-looking thing.  Before they said he was trying to get her to grow a deposit in her throat, I thought he was going to fatten her up and eat her or something (since he was a cat and she was bird).  It was a little less disturbing that he wanted to cut open her throat and take something out of it.  Seeing Nick do it (who I wouldn't trust to cut a turkey) was bad enough, but I can't imagine how violently Tim might have done it since he probably didn't care if Robin lived or died.

I like that Monroe and Rosalie are getting along so well.  They are definitely making goo goo eyes at each other, but Monroe isn't making any moves yet.  What is most interesting is that Monroe seemed a little hurt that Nick has started to use Rosalie for Wesen information just like him.  Almost as if Monroe has to be the only Wesen he can call for how-to advice in the creature world.  I would love to see this expanded upon in the future.  No one can replace Monroe (Nick would be lost without him), but Rosalie could certainly make him "jealous."  Then again, why fight over helping Nick?  You don't get any rewards (or concern about your well-being from him).

They brought up another "mystery" by showing that Rosalie's brother had several different passports in the shop.  Um, is that really important??  If the dead brother's past isn't relevant to things that are already going on, I'm going to be really pissed that they gave the audience one more thing to ponder.  Just stop it!  Finish your other mysteries and then start a new one.  

One thing that was more annoying than some random question I may not want the answer to was when Nick finally took down Tim and the stone broke into pieces.  Nick let out a classic cop-show line saying:

You know what they say, Tim--you got to break a few eggs to make an omelet.

Really, Nick?  Even if there was someone else around to hear you say that (besides Tim), why the hell would you say that hackneyed line? He lost a good bit of credit with me, surprising me that he had any left in the first place.  He actually made me put my hand to my face.  So lame!

Another complaint I have against Nick is that he could have Juliette as his fiancee easily if he'd stop lying!  When she gave him a perfect opportunity to come clean about the recent terrifying and eerie events, he just tried to smooth it over with telling her all that mess would just be done soon enough.  Um, that's not reassuring at all!  Thank God she decided to learn to use a gun because Nick is committed to leaving her ass in the dark.  And she's not about to marry someone who is so closed off to her.  Juliette's reasons for turning down Nick make think she is about the smartest person in this show.  Her reasoning was completely valid.  So much so that Nick couldn't even argue with her and left the room without a word.

I think this episode was all right, but all the extra things around the main story were in the way of it being a solidly good one.  I want to see more of Monroe and Rosalie (we only got a little taste), and I'd like to see why Nick even loves Juliette or they need to not bother with their relationship at all.  I'm interested to see what will happen to Hank the more he falls for Adalind as much as I want to see what residual effects that spell has for Wu.  And I'm begging the writers--please no more new questions.  Answer the old ones.

Even With Cookies, Grimm Ain't Sweet

Grimm, S01E15

After not seeing Grimm for a good couple of weeks, I felt like watching it hurt my head in terms of how the plot moves in comparison to other things I watch.  Nick having to step into the world of creature (I'll try to refer to them properly by "Wesen") addiction and busting two reptile-like guys was a pretty routine development for this show.  Each time we get to see Nick uncover that some of the Wesen are involved some way or another in the murder of someone in town.   Also typical of the show, we got to see more mysteries, but no more pieces of the puzzle.  The connection between Captain Renard and Adalind continued without giving us much of a reason as to why, but we found out that they are trying to get Hank so they can get to Nick.  But why??  I  don't know what it is about this show that infuriates me so that they create these questions without leaving us some kind of bread crumb trail to the answer.  Most likely, we'll just get to know all at once, but it brings a more important question of whether I will still care by then.

I liked the idea of Wesen having their own kind of drugs they were able to get high on, but would instantly kill humans if they smoked the same thing.  They all used these elaborate and antique-looking horns to inhale, which made the act seem even more exotic.  My favorite thing was when they went to the "crack house," full of all of these red-lit tents of Wesen getting high.  Apparently, there are tons of them all over America, and they're not even really illegal since they're all smoking mold.  I thought Nick would be pointed out as a narc right away, going to a place like that, but I guess everyone was too busy smoking up to notice there were two guys sifting through each tent.

I had to notice again that Monroe does a lot of dangerous things for absolutely no pay.  Nick may be a Grimm and perhaps he has some duty to that side job of his, but he's a damn cop!  After Monroe (and Rosalie this time) fill in all the gaps in his investigation, Nick possibly fights someone and then takes all the glory later (I assume).  Monroe had to play bodyguard in addition to the later drug bust he assisted with--Nick needs to be paying him!  Usually, Nick just milks him for the information and then tosses him away, but when the guy has to stay at a stranger's house and possibly fight off some attackers, that's way beyond helping a "friend."  But I suspect that Monroe didn't mind too much and that Rosalie may become his sweetheart (Huh, didn't see that coming.  Guess there are some perks to helping Nick).

Let's talk about some other "sweethearts."  Hank will soon be obsessed with Adalind, thanks to some enchanted cookies or something.  Do they really need to play around with Hank in order to get to Nick?  I could go along with this scheme better if I had some kind of idea of why it was necessary.  It just seems like a pointless sidestory right now.  Also, I think that it's good that Adalind is an attractive girl (and perhaps Hank is a moron) because anyone showing up at my doorstep at night with homemade cookies would be looked upon as a stalker (this day and age you don't take free food from others so easily).  Must be nice to be able to do something that shady, but have little suspicion raised about you because of your appearance.  That whole "I need to pay you back for saving my life" crap shouldn't hold up at all.  But Hank surely isn't portrayed as the sharpest tool in the shed.

As much as I hate that Adalind is working in the shadows for Renard for maddening unclear reasons, I liked the cookie thing for one reason: Sergeant Wu.  Thank goodness for him bringing humor to this show when I'm sitting there pulling at my hair or scratching my head.  For some reason, Hank brought one of his cookies to work ,and Wu suggested that it would be nice it he shared that gigantic cookie with him.  I was rolling with laughter when Hank only made this face at him:

If it were me, I'd probably not think about stealing his cookie, but Wu was like "the hell with you!" and took the damn thing away.  I didn't think his face would explode with warts and he would nearly die after eating it, but I was totally unprepared for the way he was hoarding the cookie after his near death experience.  I suppose he didn't realize how much danger he was in, not being conscious for most of it, but if he's so oblivious to the danger of the cookie, why they hell is he storing it in his couch cushion??  Either that cookie has made him insane or he has a bad habit of putting snacks in the same place he sits.  So I assume that the same thing won't happen to him again, so is he going to also be obsessed with Adalind or will he be obsessed with Hank (please, let it be the latter because this show could use a laugh)?

I thought that Juliette was going to dump Nick's lying ass, but instead she wanted to learn how to use a gun.  Well, I'll give her half credit for not being a complete idiot.  Obviously it will be dangerous for her to stay with Nick, so a little preparation on her part only seems smart.  Still, Nick's attempts to cover up why the beaver family is laying gifts upon them like they are gods that need offerings to prevent their wrath are laughable (almost in a good way).  I enjoyed how the guy kept coming back to offer a pie or fix the door, and Nick barely had to convince Juliette why this was nothing to be concerned about.  I guess when people are praising you, you ask a lot less questions than when they are throwing fruit at your house or stalking you.  This can't last forever.  Someone who hates Nick will surely find out his location and make trouble.  They better because this show needs all the interesting bits it can get.

I may have to just give up wondering when I'll know what a reaper wants to do with the Wesen connections he has and what it means for Nick.  Instead, I'll turn my attention to whether Monroe might start up a romance with Rosalie and what that cookie will do to Wu.  If I try too hard to think about this show, I think my head will explode from all the holes I could pick at it.

Nick, The Crappy Dragon Slayer

Grimm, S01E14

I knew from the preview that in this episode Nick was to face a dragon, and Juliette would be kidnapped.  You would think that would make for a superb episode, but it didn't.  I figured Nick would stick his nose into some creature business he wasn't supposed to and make a new dragon enemy who would kidnap Juliette to get back at him.  Well, that's not exactly what happened...

Nick's investigation of a dragon breaking into a warehouse to steal copper, led him to his flame-dancing daughter, Ariel, at a club (where Monroe is a regular customer).  She was a little flirty with him, which I thought was just an attempt to fluster him because he was a Grimm and a cop, but she later jumps him and halfway opens his shirt.  Granted, Nick was acting like a stalker himself (he had no legal right to follow her home and trespass in her yard), but the last thing I thought she would do was kiss him.  To make things worse, Ariel answered his phone and made Nick sound like he was fooling around.  He kinda was, so I'm glad he was whipped enough to run home and explain himself.

Thanks to that stunt, Ariel started stalking him and lured him to her house so she could sneak into Nick's house, abduct Juliette, and sneak into his bed.  You knew it had to be Ariel in his bed, but Nick was less furious and shocked about her being there than I would have thought.  He did chase after her into the street (shirt open for all those lady fans), but I feel like he could have been a bit more freaked out.  She wasn't just a psycho who had his girlfriend; she was a dragon psycho.  For all he knew, she could have burned her up already!

The rescue part of Juliette was beyond moronic.  If Monroe wasn't there at all, I'd think Nick had lost his damn mind.  He didn't even have a plan on how to defeat the dragon (I suppose he didn't find any information on their species' Achilles heel) and figured because he was a Grimm, he'd be all right.  Monroe made a huge deal out of this point, thankfully, so it wasn't as if the writers were dismissing Nick's brash actions.  In the end, he just winged it or either the old dragon just wasn't on top of his game enough to burn Nick into ashes, despite he only had like a copper rod to fight with.  Nick managed to run the dragon through and took his sweet time escaping before Ariel burnt the whole place up.

Juliette finally met Monroe after he helped her escape, but you could tell that she was curious about the relationship between him and Nick (as she well should be).  She also seemed to realize that being with Nick had a lot of drawbacks that she probably hadn't noticed before.  The way Nick and she talked after the rescue, it looks like they may break up indeed.  Well, I can't say that I would blame Juliette one bit, nor do I feel bad for Nick.  After all, they haven't invested a lot of time into the depth of their relationship.  Perhaps if they did some kind of flashback to when they first met or something of the like, I might cheer for them to stay together, but right now I don't know the extent to which Nick loves Juliette and vice-versa.  Nick obviously values his job (and I think being a Grimm) more than he does Juliette, so why would anyone demand they stay together?

Aside from this pitiful rescue that didn't do anything to give me a thrill nor fill me with romantic adventure, Monroe pointed out something that seemed very significant:  another Grimm was decapitated recently and the reapers seemed behind it.  Or at least, I think he said "reapers."  If he did, when did Nick and he discuss about reapers coming after Grimms??  When I heard that I was like, "Hold up!"  It's very possible that I missed something because Grimm is pretty boring at times, but there's no way I can be sure without re-watching the episodes (hell no) or searching the internet for the information.  Does this mean that Captain Renard all this time was supposed to be getting rid of Nick or something?  So confused!!  And not in the good way that makes me want to continue watching.  In the angry way, like I've been fooled.

Ariel also didn't die, which sucked.  I don't want her to come back.  Her brand of deadly seduction wasn't clever or creative or even entertaining.  She was just crazy and her plan seemed scattered.  I would have much rather the spider lady had gotten away than her.

One last thing.  I didn't get why the dragon were hoarding copper.  It it because copper has some kind of heat-resistant property?  OK, I don't remember much from school, so I'd have to look that up.  I'd rather a character blurt that information out like I'm an idiot (which I am, I guess) instead of me having to do the work.  I was so confused about that too.  And now I'm annoyed because Grimm is making me feel dumber than I am.

This episode was decent, at best.  We still have yet to see Nick release his true Grimm powers (whatever those are) and put up an interesting fight.  I think he did a better job as a gladiator than he did as a dragon slayer.  It's time for him to Grimm up and impress us with his battles against the creatures, instead of fumbling around like a moron.  Or at least if he is going to continue to do this, he needs to make better use of his unofficial sidekick Monroe.  As weak as Nick is, I'd rather watch an entire episode of Monroe fixing clocks at this point.

Lord Of The Coins

Grimm, S01E13

A theft at a jewelry leaves another dead body for Hank and Nick to investigate.  What makes this story more interesting than most is that we learn a little about Nick's unknown past (did he ever mention his parents were in a car crash?), and we get to see another side of Captain Renard, though not the kind that reveals any of the questions I have.  The whole quest to get the coins that bring you power and whatnot just reminded me of Lord of the Rings.  When Hank was trying so hard to keep them, I just was waiting for him to come out with "My precious..."

Anyway, Nick found out that his parents were mostly likely killed by a creature named Soledad.  He not only made Nick an orphan 18 years ago, but also ruined the relationship between another eagle-like creature named Farley and Marie.  Huh, so Grimm sometimes date the creatures?  I know not all of them are bad, but it seems kind of backwards.  Then again, Monroe is like Nick's best friend (if his friend was like his assistant against his will).  I found that this information could have been more intriguing but for some reason it wasn't.  I guess because we only got to hear it from Farley's side, and he's not the best storyteller around.  We can't, of course, have Marie give her side now that she is dead, but I wish there was something to add to that background story.  Juliette, instead of Nick, confirms that Farley was indeed living in Rhinebeck around the time his parents were killed.  I didn't know his girlfriend was such a sleuth.  I just think it's odd she is able to get that information so easily.

Nick also gets a good bit of information about the Soledad's kind after he enlists Monroe to translate some journals in German for him.  That's none too surprising, but again I just feel bad that Nick uses him so unashamedly.  The second Monroe finds something that interests him (antique cameras and such), Nick pretty much kicks him out.  The reason I even mention this typical Monroe abuse moment by Nick is because Monroe had a pretty funny line about Soledad-type creatures:

They ate a baby.  That's rude.

Sick as that is, his definition of "rude" cracked me up.  I could have used a little more Monroe comedy this time to offset all of the "drama."  It's not that it was too intense for me, but it would have helped me keep engaged with the story better.

What I liked most of all was Captain Renard becoming possessed by those coins.  I knew he would already know what those coins would do, but I didn't think that he would be able to be taken in by their power.  I guess not even reapers are impervious them.  Hank sure wasn't.  I liked how ambitious he became and how good he looked in his police uniform.  And  that guy has a pretty nice body!  We got a good look at it when he was absentmindedly rubbing the coins between his fingers in his room.  I'll admit that scene was a little creepy, but getting to check out his great abs distracted me from that fact pretty well.

Luckily for him, Farley took the coins away from him before he went mad with power.  I have to hand it to Nick that he was able to get into Farley's room before the creature could escape with them, though.  I don't have much confidence in Nick's skills as a detective, but he has his moments.  I guess eagle creatures aren't much of fighters because Nick smacked him down once and took the coins.  If anyone has been watching this show, Nick can't fight for crap, so if Farley had fought a little harder, he would have probably won.  The stupid thing is that Nick took them back to Marie's trailer of Grimm goods and hid them.  I just know that someone is going to find that place and get those coins or some horrible weapon from there.  That is not a secure place!

The last thing I want to mention is that Nick watched a film that showed Hitler was a creature.  What the hell??  When I saw that I was like "Really, Grimm writers?"  There's something stupid about that, and I'm not sure what.  I guess it shouldn't be surprising that historical figures could be creatures in the Grimm universe, but I feel like it was an unnecessary reveal.  They ended the episode like that as if it would make you gasp.  I would have rather they did something with Renard at the end instead of that.  Or something that would reveal more about Nick's past.  I would have rather that Farley mentioned it in his story than the way it came out as if the viewers were wondering about Hitler's humanity.  Thanks for answering a question no one asked.

This week's episode didn't deal with Juliette and Nick's relationship, which is a shame.  And there was nothing else about why Renard pretty much knows about everything going on in the creature world.  I loved him speaking French, by the way.  It would be nice to know what it is that makes him multilingual and with whom he was speaking in Paris.  I feel like with this show I keep shouting for answers, but get almost nothing in return.  Seriously, Grimm--it's time to give us more than what we see.  You're not so thrilling of a show that I won't drop you.

Nick Battles For Monroe's Life

Grimm, S01E12

Well, I didn't think last Friday's Grimm would be as exciting as the last episode, but it wasn't too bad.  Nick and Hank discover a gladiator-type arena in an abandoned warehouse after a couple is found murdered in their house.  It turns out that these death fights are between the creatures.  I thought that would be a little more thrilling, but it was only interesting in the sense that it was an unusual situation.

Before I get into the arena stuff, it was revealed in this episode that Nick and Juliette were celebrating their 3rd anniversary.  After they have an "inspiring" conversation about what their special dinner would be, Juliette finds an engagement ring in Nick's sock drawer.  Is he an idiot?  If you're not doing your own laundry, you should think of a much more creative place to hide it.  I mean he is a detective, you'd think that he'd have experience with finding things and knowing which spots were the best for doing so.  Juliette was really touched by finding it, but after Nick misses their dinner, she takes the ring again and seems to be having second thoughts.  I understand that he missed an important day, but he's a cop.  How is it that she hasn't understood yet that he will miss things because of his job?  I mean, isn't she a doctor?  Surely she has missed some important days as well.  I thought that was a little petty of her.

The parole officer of their main suspect, Demetri, is the leader of these fights and surprisingly is an acquaintance of the captain.  We keep getting some of his shady background, but we don't know what it means yet.  This guy even called the captain "highness," and it's not clear whether he was being sarcastic or not.  The best thing about this secret connection between the two was that the captain told him to put an end to it, and the guy basically told him to screw off.  So the captain goes to confession to alert some kind of secret, creature assassin he has.  I loved how the captain showed up in the end, after nick had put a stop to the gladiator business, and had the guy killed.  So what in the hell is his connection to other creatures??  Obviously he has some "friends" in that realm and has relation to reapers.  This episode only made me confused about the mystery surrounding him.  I'm going to need them to hurry up clear that mystery before it gets any bigger.

My favorite thing about the episode was that Monroe got captured by the wranglers of the fights and was thrown into the arena against his peaceful will.  He was pretty adorable trying to convince his captors to let him go because he wasn't the kind of Blutbad that they were hoping for.  He's a pretty easy-going guy to help out Nick like that and not curse his name for what had happened to him.  Luckily, Nick gave a damn about Monroe and came to his rescue.  Now, I find it hard to believe he was able to get all the way up to the leader and put a gun to his head before anyone was the wiser.  Nick is not that slick!  But whatever.  It was almost sweet that Nick, who is a pathetic fighter, wanted to take Monroe's place in the arena and fight the creature with relic weapons and shields.  I found it harder to believe that Nick barely got messed up from his fight.  What the hell??  I wanted to see him a little more bloody.  I mean, it's not like he has any superpowers, as far as we know.  Lame.

It was funny that Monroe, once Nick's backup arrived, got his ass out of there before he was arrested along with the rest of them.  What?  They had the place surrounded.  Then again, the leader of the fights got away too, so I guess it's plausible.  I couldn't imagine that Nick could save him from police investigation.

One last thing that bothered me was that Nick told Hank that Monroe gave them the lead to when and where the fights were going down that night.  Hank didn't really question that Nick was getting information from Monroe.  That should be more suspicious!  God, they make Hank seem like such a moron.

There was a good bit of action in this episode, but I could have less of that and more information about the characters.  Or at least have them not so stupid.  I'm looking forward to Juliette breaking up with Nick or him possibly letting her in on his secret.  One day his battle with creatures will probably consume him, so he's gonna have to bring her into his world soon or let her go.

Spinnetods Are Cool

 This week's Grimm delivered!  All of my questions weren't answered this time, but we had a great story about spiders, which would usually make me squeamish.  Now at episode 11, I feel like I could keep watching this show.

This one had the best opening scene there has been in a while.  You see some fox-looking creature on the prowl for some unsuspecting lady at an art gallery.  From the lady's angled hat, I felt that she was something too, but not sure what.  She did the smart thing and left before she got involved with the guy of dubious character, but somehow she is not shaken by the guy following her outside.  Whoa!  If anyone did that to me, I'd be walking to the nearest place with plenty of light and witnesses.  Instead, she ends up going to his place.  I was sure she had to be one of those creatures then because how dumb could a girl be?  She kept saying that she couldn't stay--bitch, why did you come in the first place??  Well, we soon find out that she came to feed on his internal goo after she vomits some acid down his throat.  Gruesome, but attention-grabbing.  My eyes were locked on the screen, opposed to other episodes where I didn't pay much attention until Monroe made an appearance.

Later, some creature kids are egging Nick's house.  He doesn't know who it is at first, but he grabs his gun to find out.  Take it down a notch, Nick!  We know you're a cop, but do you need to shoot at people who are armed with eggs?  I'm glad that he realizes this is overkill, despite that a little beaver or otter kid is vandalizing his house.  This turn of invents makes me giggle, as Nick is apparently becoming the neighborhood boogeyman.  Before children and mothers start running screaming from Nick on the street, he really ought to tell Juliette what's going on.  I can't imagine that he could just explain his way out of that.

What makes his new status as the local monster even funnier is when he pays a visit to his ex-plumber/handyman who happens to be a beaver creature of some sorts.  He harasses him and his other creature friend, threatening them not to let any more people get wind of his whereabouts, or he might have to come back again.  OK, Nick, it's a good thing that the legend of Grimms precedes you because you are anything but menacing.  He may be a cop and all, but I don't recall that cops can freely go around shooting at people even if they are "creatures" that the rest of us can't see.  If these creatures were any smarter, they'd figure out that when it comes to Grimm stuff, Nick is about as capable as legless man in a foot race.

The woman-spider (she's what they call a "Spinnetod" or "Death Spider"), strikes again, but Nick and Hank are no closer to finding her.  They make her character even more interesting to reveal that she is a soccer mom with a loving husband.  When I saw her get out of her van, I thought she might be looking for her next victim.  The Rolex she stole from the art gallery guy was given to her husband.  I was unsure if the rest of her family were spiders or knew what she was up to (I mean, she was missing a finger and no one seemed to be questioning that).

Another moment of interest was when Monroe takes Nick to the "rest home" for creatures.  What the...  Now why would Nick be welcomed there?  It sounds like he'd be everyone's nightmare.  However, they only meet one creature, another spider named Charlotte (OK, you writers are terrible).  I enjoyed Charlotte's explanation of how the spiders age if they don't feed on the life of others.  After all, she looked like she was 70-something but she was only 26!  Guess being a creature isn't as glamorous as this show tries to make it.

Eventually, the Spinnetod daughter takes the father's Rolex, and it gets traded around the schoolyard before the principal gets involved.  This gets back to the police, and they arrest the father.  I thought this would be the end for the lady now that Nick and Hank had caught sight of her bandaged finger.  I was delighted to see that when she took it off, the finger had grown back!  Not so easy to catch her.  Excellent.  But Nick gets her fingerprint anyway and matches it to the prints left behind at the other crimes.  Guess that little ability isn't as helpful as I had thought.

At the end, when the Spinnetod is being captured on the boat, I was surprised at the almost-victim.  Hank suddenly grabs him and says, "I'm a cop.  Don't move and come with me."  Hank had a gun next to his head and a hand over his mouth--who would believe him??  A thief/killer would say anything to get your guard down!  After that, Hank was just gone (guess he had to stay with the owner of that boat?), and Nick captures the lady all by himself.  How convenient since she was leaping through the air and crawling on things like the spider she was.  Seriously.  Why wouldn't Hank or anyone else be backing him up?

I wonder what will become of that daughter.  She was revealed to be a Spinnetod too, so one day she will be compelled to suck the life out of some young men or become like her incarcerated mother who had become a fossil within hours.  I doubt that they will ever show what happens to her unless the show makes it to several seasons (I'm not holding my breath on that).

The next episode needs to be like this one.  And Nick needs to hurry up and tell Juliette.  One day the creature kids are throwing eggs at you, the next day they might be throwing bricks and burning your shrubbery.  With any luck, we will see more of Nick's boogeyman status next Friday.

It's Time For Grimm To Get Good

In the 10th episode of Grimm, Nick and Hank are tasked to figure out the death of a young boy found in a river near a waterfall.  As the episode began in the same pattern I have grown accustomed to (strange murder scene before Nick and crew arrive), I wondered if they might start to tell the audience more about any of the main characters.  Frankly, I feel like I don't know them that well yet, and by the 10th episode I feel we should know a little more.
I was pleased that Nick seemed concerned about what the consequences might be for keeping Juliette in the dark about his Grimm business.  I don't know how an ogre barging into your house at night and beating your boyfriend isn't a big enough consequence to warrant the truth.  Also, there was that mysterious truck that came by their house that led Juliette to spy on a terrified mother and children--what was that about?  Surely, it's time for him to tell her the truth, regardless if Nick needs Monroe's help.  Monroe was right, though, that either Juliette would think he was working too hard and imagining things or she would believe him and think herself a bit crazy.  I guess time will only tell (providing the show doesn't get cancelled) whether Nick will being able to keep lying to Juliette without getting her killed.  But I still think that he needs to tell Hank already.  Hank may be a detective and used to dangerous situations, but I think enough has happened to him via supernatural criminals that he has been oblivious to.  And it's not really fair that Nick is kinda cheating to solve all these murders!  He needs to be honest with his partner or a better liar because if Hank paid attention more, he would be way more suspicious of Nick.

Also according to the Grimm show pattern, Nick goes to Monroe for help with the creature issue in this episode.  I liked that Monroe, tried of being used, tells Nick that he doesn't even know Monroe's favorite color (It's red--no surprise there!).  Yep, the good-looking cop is only interested in taking and never giving.  Nick feigns interest in Monroe as a person, but the charade doesn't last long, and it's all back to Nick Land.  I would love to see them bond in a real manner, or I'd like to learn more about Monroe beyond his love of fine wines and expertise in clocks.  But this episode was not about developing their relationship beyond the one-way street it has become.  Nick does owe Monroe $300 for that ground gallbladder that he had to buy.  Let's see if he ever gives it back.

The whole scheme behind Steven's death and the disappearance of other street kids in Portland was all tied to a group of creatures who harvest organs for various healing and enhancement purposes.  It was a little funny when Monroe explained this to Nick, telling him that testicles could act as Viagra to the creatures.  What was very predictable to me was that the lady doctor turned out to be one of the masterminds behind it.  She just seemed a little too busy and insensitive to be innocent when she was first introduced.  Luckily, Nick was able to find out where she was cutting up some more street kids that night by forcing out the information from a fellow creature involved in the crime.  I guess no one would really question how he was able to drag that information so easily.

Another thing that I feel like someone should be like, "Hey!" is all those cuts that Nick got from fighting that doctor creature at the end.  She had like claws and stuff, so it would look like a wild animal attacked him.  Either he just slapped on a few bandages and no one saw his wounds, or either everyone just ignores this oddity because they're too busy wondering why people are harvesting human organs and aren't selling them to people who need donors.  I guess Nick just explained it by saying he unexpectedly enraged a cat ten right after the police bust.

I would say that I wasn't anticipating the next episode if not for the last couple of minutes.  Captain Renard returns to his desk to see that he has a box with a reaper's scythe on it.  Yes!  It seems that they might explain more about him and that incident a few episodes ago where he cut off the ear of someone seeking to kill Nick for revenge.  I really want to know what his connection is with the Grimms.

Another thing I want to know is what group beat the crap out of Monroe that other episode.  They didn't address it in this one.  I assume it's someone who knows that Monroe is helping a Grimm, but there must have been a reason they didn't kill him or leave more of a message of what they wanted.  I'll be happy if that mystery is a little clearer by the next episode too.

I like Grimm fine, but it has too many unanswered questions and too little development of characters right now to be one of my primary shows.  In fact, I could easily see my interest disappear if they don't have another great episode soon.  I think the last episode I really liked was the one with the beast that was kidnapping women and raping them.  It was creepy and a lot more interesting than most so far.

You're on a ticking clock, Grimm--don't make me regret watching you.