Courtesy of NBC
With only four episodes remaining, Grimm makes a big stride toward its end game…but only after another case of the week.
Let’s bitch it out…
Wesen of the Week: Admittedly by opening on an extended cold open featuring Adalind (Claire Coffee) and Eviette (Bitsie Tulloch), I initially thought that Grimm had finally abandoned its procedural component…then Maddie Simms had to go and get herself killed by an unseen assailant coming out a club.
While my patience for the case of the week has certainly waned as we near the series’ conclusion, I am willing to go on the record that if we have to have a murder to solve, the sad case of the Stantons is a strong one to include. There’s a universal emotional empathy built-in, particularly as we spend time with distressed Mrs. Stanton (Nancy Linehan Charles), an elderly woman who wants to protect the Wesen community by keeping her sick husband (Frank Birney) at home long enough for the Godfather of Death (Rob Brownstein) to euthanize Mr. Stanton.
It’s a testament to actress Linehan Charles’s prowess that her performance is so effective; in what amounts to a relatively minor guest role she manages to generate a substantial amount of viewer empathy for her situation. It’s obvious from her brief early interaction with Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Rosalee (Bree Turner) in the Spice Shop that she has a larger role to play, but watching her struggle to let her husband go is surprisingly compelling. Who knew that a case of the week could be so emotional?
The other interesting fact about the case is how it reinforces that Nick (David Giuntoli), Hank (Russell Hornsby) and Wu (Reggie Lee) still do not fully understand the unique intricacies of the Wesen community. Despite their confidence in assigning blame to the Wesen community whenever they come across a mauled body or unusual murder scene, the trio of lawmen not only still require the expertise of Monroe and Rosalee, they don’t yet comprehend the complex moral code of the Wesen. I can’t remember the last time that we saw a scene wherein Nick’s role as a police officer conflicted with his role as Grimm – it’s been at least a season – and ‘Blood Magic’ is a nice reminder that even a Grimm remains a tourist in this world. I almost would have preferred a little more tension between he, Monroe and Rosalee since the dialogue hinted that Nick would have to go against his promise not to arrest Dr. Landeaux in order to protect the freedom of Mason (Regi Davis) the human orderly accused of murder. While the Stantons certainly aren’t the most memorable case of the series, they are an interesting case to highlight with (presumably) so few left. It makes me wonder if this conflict between Nick and the Wesen ways will become prevalent again now that the mythology narrative is finally starting to pick up steam.
Courtesy of NBC
Eviette and the Stick: At this point Eviette is the sole member of Team Grimm who is pushing the mythology narrative forward. After going into full blown research mode to try and find clues about the portal to the other world, Eviette resorts to leveraging Adalind (Claire Coffee)’s concerns for Diana (an unseen Hannah R. Lloyd)’s safety in order to gain access to Adalind’s mother’s old spell books. The fact that Adalind repeatedly mentions being unfamiliar with the content of the books ties the mythology and the procedural storylines together in that they both concern privileged and confidential information that is unknown to outsiders. Nick, Hank and Wu are on the outside of the Assassin Bug’s euthanasia protocol, while everyone who is not a Hexenbiest is physically prevented from learning about the dangerous Blood Magic that grants Eviette access to the portal at episode’s end.
I could quibble that a substantial part of this storyline is essentially Tulloch sitting around mumbling to books, but I will instead focus on the positive: with Eviette’s irrational and ill-conceived plan to travel between worlds, there’s now a driving incentive for the narrative to shift and focus on the quest to save her. And thank goodness, because there’s barely a moment to spare with only three episodes remaining!
Other Observations:
- In other news, Renard (Sasha Roiz) confronts both Adalind and Nick about Diana’s drawings, demanding to see the tunnel. It’s a bit of a relief to see Roiz interact with at least one other member of the main cast, though his storyline continues to progress slower than HBO’s Game of Thrones melting ice block premiere date stunt (ohhh topical!)
- Baby Watch: No progress, aside from another aside from Monroe about putting the babies in danger by continuing to work cases. If Portland’s most adorable couple does end up moving by the finale, hopefully it won’t be a hastily planned announcement in the final minutes. It seems obvious that they’ll opt for raising the litter in safety, but no one has even checked out a listing at this point!
- Trubel Watch: Don’t even ask. Maybe next week when they need all hands on deck to rescue Eviette?
Best Lines:
- Adalind (considering Eviette’s motivation): “I think she’s looking for a little redemption <beat> We all are.”
- Adalind (to Diana, offscreen): “And no making your brother float!”
Grimm airs Fridays at 8pm EST on NBC. Please note that next week’s review may be substantially delayed as I try (once again) to balance a curling bonspiel and these reviewing duties.