Courtesy of NBC
We’re back to case of the week format on Grimm and everyone is having visions!
Let’s bitch it out…
Wesen of the week: 6×04 ‘El Cuegle’ brings Grimm back to its procedural roots. The case of the week focuses on Paul and Haley, new parents whose child is abducted by a three armed, three eyed Wesen who “aborts the bad future” of kids before they can commit crimes in the future. <Insert your own Trump joke here>
While the case itself is fairly straightforward (it’s clear from the initial visions why El Cuegle is abducting children), there’s a suggestion of a big picture arc in play if we care to speculate. Join me, won’t you, for the inaugural edition of Speculation Corner:
Last week, Grimm hinted pretty clearly that we should be apprehensive of the détente between Renard (Sasha Roiz) and Nick (David Giuntoli), particularly when Renard claimed authority over Diana (Hannah R. Loyd). It’s clear this week that Renard not only intends to poison his all-powerful daughter against his nemesis, but that she has the capacity to become increasingly dangerous as she grows older*. While the saga of baby Auggie doesn’t amount to much beyond the usual procedural case of the week, it does hint at the dangerous future that lies in wait if someone doesn’t intervene in Diana’s upbringing.
*You could argue that Diana is actually at her most dangerous now because she lacks the ability to discern facts from emotions, but ‘El Cuegle’ clearly suggests with baby Auggie that Nurture – not Nature – is the dominant determinant in producing future monsters.
Now, if we want to go really speculative, we could apply the same rationale to the other arc that’s dominating the final season: ye ol’ healing Stick. It’s clear that Grimm‘s writers are adopting a slow burn approach when it comes to revealing information about the Stick, which resides firmly in the B (maybe C?) storyline this week. Eviette (Elizabeth Bitsie Tulloch) spends the episode in the tunnels, alternately coveting the Stick like Gollum and going all A Beautiful Mind, drawing symbols from her Death Grasp vision in the premiere after she burns herself trying to handle it. Again, it is possible that what we’re seeing is a potential dangerous future. It’s clear that the Stick has great power and its positioning in the narrative as the other dominant character arc suggests that it may intersect with Diana at some point. Is the Stick something to be feared or learned from? Will Diana cross paths with it and produce something combustible (possibly in her attempt to kill Nick)? At this point, it’s all just guesswork.
Courtesy of NBC
Other Observations:
- Hallucinatory Visions: The other vision that pops up is Meisner (Damien Puckler), who appears to Sean – and only Sean, as humourously illustrated by the scene in the precinct – as a bit of a prankster foil. I’ll admit that my thoughts immediately jumped to The First from Buffy S7, but it seems far more likely that Sean is simply suffering from a crisis of conscience in the aftermath of his Black Claw activities last season. Still, the fact that Sean managed to push Meisner at his house is odd, no?
- Baby Chatter: There are only a few developments on the Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Rosalee (Bree Turner) front as we learn from Diana that Rosalee is carrying an undetermined number of babies (a litter?). The series’ favourite couple also revisit the idea of moving out of Portland because it no longer feels safe. While their feelings are understandable, Rosalee’s zero to sixty reaction about feeling vulnerable doesn’t feel entirety genuine. While it is true that Nick attracts nothing but danger is completely accurate, Rosalee’s reaction doesn’t account for the fact that they’re surrounded by friends who would die to protect them. Regardless, the odds look increasingly likely that Monroe and Rosalee will end the series by moving away to raise their children.
- Coffee Talk: I’ve decided that since we’re back to cases of the week, I’ll dedicate some space each week to Grimm‘s unheralded supporting characters, notably Hank (Russell Hornsby), Wu (Reggie Lee) and Adalind (Claire Coffee), none of whom the series knows what to do with anymore. This week that observation holds completely true as both cops simply follow Nick around while Adalind moves house once again. Surely the writers can find something for these talented actors to do in the final episodes?
- Trubel Watch: Grrr. No sign of the young Grimm.
- Finally: what’s going on Damien Puckler’s accent? Sometimes he’s got it, and other times he doesn’t. Is Sean just hallucinating a weird American version of Meisner?
Best Lines:
- Nick (when Renard kicks them out of his office): “So…no medals then?”
- Rosalee (after Monroe tries to shield her from the book): “Oh my god don’t tell me that it’s another baby eater.”
That’s it for me. What do you think about my speculation about Diana’s upbringing? Am I off base that she and the Stick are endgame for the series? Do you think that Rosalee and Monroe will move out of Portland? And where the eff is Trubel?! Sound off below and we’ll see you back here next week.
Grimm airs at 8pm EST on NBC.