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.

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.

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.