Grimm 2.10: "The Hour of Death"

In my never-ending quest to get caught up with TV blogging, today I'm THRILLED to welcome my friend Tasha from Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Books to talk about episode ten from this season of Grimm (and our mutual love of all things Renard-related).

After the short break from the "norm" for a spectacular special Halloween episode, Grimm made a fantastic return to form with the following episode. This show never fails to surprise and delight me. :) Going forward this season, I suspect there's a chance that this week marks the moment Nick begins to come undone -- his "Grimm" life and his "normal" life appear rapidly headed towards a collision course, and I for one cannot wait to see how that all plays out! This episode opens with Nick (David Giuntoli), still exiled to the living room sofa -- since apparently his house with Juliette only has ONE bedroom (does anyone think that is a realistic possibility?) -- haunted by dreams about his latest case involving a missing woman. Between the stress of the case and his less-than-ideal sleeping arrangements, Nick is getting a little testy -- and my only question is it took him THIS long? Guy has a LOT of patience. *wink*

Tasha: I loved the way this episode began by setting up the plot and the emotions of the characters through Nick’s trouble sleeping. He does have a lot of patience. Not only does he have to sleep on the couch IN HIS OWN HOUSE, Juliette treats him like a houseguest who won’t take the hint and leave. That’s cold. She and Renard may make a better couple than I first thought. I find it odd that they don’t have a spare bedroom (where was Mama Grimm sleeping when she was staying over, btw?), but I suppose the couch works as a metaphor. If they had a dog, Nick would no doubt be in the dog house.

I LOVE the idea of the couch as a metaphor! I think you're onto something with that! And all things considered I do think she started to check out of this relationship with Nick faster than I ever expected.

The following day (or the same day :) (not sure loL!) Nick and Hank (Russell Hornsby) are proceeding with the missing woman investigation, canvassing a local neighborhood for any clues. At the home of a skanky looking guy named Adrian (Michael Maize) burning photos of said woman in his stove (subtle, not), Nick raises the alarm and the aforementioned skanky guy transforms into a Schakal. Nick is clearly losing control as he lays into the guy, freaking poor Hank out and even the suspect, who for some reason thinks yelling about Nick wanting to kill him is going to divert suspicion from him (dude,  a tip, that is only gonna work if you have nothing to hide, which you most assuredly do not...). Unfortunately for Nick, the only concrete evidence burned in their suspect's stove -- so they are forced to release him.

Nick clearly gets pretty grouchy when he hasn’t had his beauty sleep. It seems like he’s been punching people in the face A LOT lately. If he doesn’t punch Renard at some point, I’m going to be hugely disappointed. Surely that's coming!!! I live in hope. :)

After Adrian's release, which sees him yelling about Nick wanting to kill him, Renard (Sasha Roiz) takes the opportunity to call Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) -- ostensibly because they are both SO CONCERNED about Nick (yeaaahhh, right *wink*). He suggests they meet for coffee, and Juliette agrees, because seriously what woman COULD resist the magnetic pull that is Renard in a sharp suit? Not I, just sayin'! :) How adorable is Renard on the phone? Like a nervous teenage guy calling a girl he really really likes for the first time. I CAN HARDLY STAND IT.

Haha, ye olde “Let’s get together to discuss your current boyfriend,” ploy. Renard really is like a teenager in those scenes. Although I don’t get Juliet; it’s like she doesn’t want to get all squeey (“He’s calling! He’s calling!”) so instead she just acts like cardboard. She’s playing her cards pretty close to her chest.

Agreed. :) Hopefully Tulloch will loosen up in scenes like this in the future...just a tick at the very least.

Meanwhile Nick has decided to go all Grimm on Adrian in order to extract a confession and asks Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) to whip up some truth serum to be injected via crossbow (because CLEARLY that is the best method...so subtle). I just have to ask, I'm sure Monroe's getting a cut of the spice shop profits while Rosalee is out of town, but how the heck is he making his mortgage payment and utility bills? Does clock repair on the side pay that well? Discuss. Anyways -- Nick heads to Adrian's house, and by this time it is dark, but he is very casual about carrying a FRIGGIN' CROSSBOW across the yard and breaking into his house, because that would be oh so easy to explain away (I jest). To his ever-lasting surprise, he finds his suspect #1 strung up and dead in the basement, covered with a mysterious brand. Continuing with the theme of freaking Hank out, Hank arrives to see Nick standing over Adrian's tortured body and thinks HOLY CRAP NICK'S FINALLY LOST IT. Thankfully at this point we get the sense that Nick is starting to realize that he *might* be on the verge of going off the rails -- but his resolve to become less suspicious is sorely tested when Sgt. Wu (Reggie Lee) arrives on the scene with backup, prompted by a call from the now-dead Adrian where he confessed to the kidnapping. THE PLOT THICKENS!!!

Monroe probably invested in Whole Foods right when they started up and now he lives off a trust fund and just works more as a hobby. :) It certainly doesn’t seem like he spends a lot of time fixing clocks. Anyway, Nick better cool it or Hank’s not going to let him move in with him.

At this point I'm not sure that Nick and Hank's working relationship and friendship could survive being roommates, lol!

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So, all's well that ends well for the kidnapped woman (years of therapy for the trauma aside of course), and that leaves Nick and Hank tasked with the mystery of uncovering the meaning behind the mysterious symbol burned all over Adrian's corpse. Not wanting a vigilante on his hands, Renard takes the info they have public during a televised press conference -- and to say the symbol creates quite a stir among the Wesen residents of Portland would be the understatement of the century. Both Monroe and Bud (Danny Bruno), the latter now even more nervous than normal, contact Nick when they recognize the symbol -- but it's Monroe that Nick and Hank turn to first for more info. The symbol is known in the Wesen world as the symbol of Endezeichen-Grimms, an ancient and much-feared branch of the Grimm family known for their merciless killing of Wesen. They are the "monsters" Wesen children learn of in their own book of cautionary tales -- "Albtraume fur Wesen Kinder." I LOVE the fact that the writers have chosen to flip the fairy tale mythos on its head, creating the Wesen equivalent of our traditional fairy tale mythology. It's a nice touch and one I hope is explored in greater depth in upcoming episodes of the show. The possibilities are endless!

I loved how Nick and Hank nodded through that whole explanation by Monroe as if the German words made perfect sense to them. “Albtraume für Wesen Kinder,” there’s a mouthful. Also, he just happens to have a copy of the book there even though he has NO KIDS?

Ha! Good point...maybe he's sentimental and its his copy from when he was a young Wesen...

The bloody "G" symbol means that someone is invading Nick's territory and isn't afraid of making a very public statement of intent. The danger to Nick is of course that he will be blamed for the attacks on Wesen -- while he has many Wesen friends, his good relations with them are certainly NOT the historical norm. Methinks this is a harbringer of difficult times to come for Nick -- no matter how close to "unhinged" he becomes, if he is going to maintain any semblance of a normal life in Portland he is going to have to be VERY careful how far he lets the Grimm within overtake him.

Nick’s not going to have a normal life, that went out the window when Aunt Marie died. I think this episode did do a good job of reminding us/Nick how fragile his credibility still is with the Wesen in Portland. He can’t really take the law into his own hands even if he wants to.

Renard being Renard, he of course recognizes the symbol and suspects that someone from "the family" has sent a Endezeichen-Grimm to Portland in a blatant power play. While this lead doesn't play out for the Captain, it leaves me DYING to know more about his own family dynamics. The writers are driving me crazy teasing out information about Renard's tension-fraught family and his own plans for power. GIVE ME SOMETHING TO WORK WITH PEOPLE!!

Back to the E-G investigation -- Adrian's killer calls Nick, confirming Monroe's suspicions that someone isn't happy with Nick's rather personable relations with the Wesen world thus far and is seeking to clean up what he perceives as Nick's shoddy messes. Making things more difficult for Nick, the killer's video of Adrian's murder goes viral overnight (SICK). In an attempt to tie up the case's loose ends, Nick and Hank interview the kidnapped woman who confirms that two men snatched her, and her description of the van they used leads to some handy-dandy security camera footage and another Schakal, who proceeds to freak out that Nick is going to kill him (clearly, clearly, this "G" makes Wesen lose any filter of self-preservation!). While Nick and Hank conduct this new interrogation, their forensics team discovers Donna's purse and wallet in the van, and her kidnappers are revealed to be the STUPIDEST CRIMINALS OF ALL TIME. While this evidence means essentially a slam-dunk conviction, their suspect manages to escape the precinct and in short order turns up dead covered in "G" brands. The rogue Grimm takes particular delight in taunting Nick over having once again succeeded where he perceives rank failure.

Haha, okay, at this point in the show, you know the G person has to be one of two people--either Ryan the Clumsy Intern, or the uniform officer who hangs out in the hallway for no reason and tells people things. “Where are the suspects?” “Oh, we had to let them go.” V e r y suspicious. But it’s more likely Ryan because there’s really no reason for him to be on this show other than to kill people.

I also want to say the ceilings in Nick’s house are AMAZING. Tri-colored trays? I bet Nick hand-painted that all himself. That’s hot. If he cooks, too, he should have no problems finding a new roommate. ;)

I could totally see Nick being very into house renovations... :)

But let's take a break from all this to talk about RENARD, more specifically Renard crushing on Juliette and their much-previewed coffee-talk scene. The LOOKS, oh he kills me...positively smoldering. *wink* Renard is all concern for her and Nick (yeah right...), and Juliette OF COURSE checks any common sense she may possess at the door and starts to open up -- and I can't say I blame her. There's even a telling slip where she states since the coma she's starting over with Renard instead of Nick...pretty sure he loved that. *wink* When Renard reaches out and TOUCHES HER HAND (I can barely type this as just RECALLING the moment is a bit overwhelming...ha!), she freaks out and leaves -- but leaves her sunglasses behind. The PERFECT excuse for a follow-up meeting. Well-played, Juliette, well-played. :)

What I loved most about that scene is that the entire time you can tell Renard’s thinking, “Don’t do it, DON’T DO IT,” and then he does it! *dies* How do you like that, Mr. Commanding Armani Suit Guy? Hmm, there might be a disturbing Fifty Shades of Grey tie-in there...

HA!! I'm dying over here... :)

Back to the whole, you know, murder investigation part of this episode (why oh why couldn't they have given me a WHOLE HOUR of Renard angst? Whatevs...). An extremely stressed-out Bud finally goes to the station and corners Nick for a one-on-one conversation about the fact that he is about to lose ALL the tenuous goodwill he's managed to accumulate among the Wesen community if the E-G killer isn't stopped ASAP (the "E-G killer"...I feel like I'm writing about an episode of Bones, LOL!). Reassured Bud leaves Nick to his work, who in short order is called over to Wu's desk where he's uncovered some disturbing surveillance footage. The second kidnapper is on film, aided in leaving the precinct by none other than RYAN THE SAPPY INTERN (Michael Grant Terry)!

I have to admit, people, that I did not see that one coming. Terry's previous two appearances on this show were SUCH throwaways, so pointless, in hindsight I should have realized that the writers had something worthwhile up their sleeves for a recognizable face like Terry's. Well done writers! IT ALL MAKES SENSE TO ME NOW!! After some quick research and an oddly pointless detour to Ryan's druggie mother's house (that was his mom, right?), the pieces of the puzzle start to fall into place as they discover Ryan's cache of photos and articles about Nick -- this is a stalking case that has been in the works for months. They arrive in the nick of time (no pun intended) to save Bud from becoming Ryan's third victim -- and I have to tell you that seeing sweet lil' ol' Bud threatened like that stressed. me. OUT. As Ryan flees the scene he reveals himself to be not a Grimm as first suspected, but the MOST DISGUSTING WESEN EVER -- a Lebensauger, which is basically the NASTIEST LEECH you can imagine. *shivers* That said, i did think it was an interesting way to touch on what severe self-loathing and projection might look like in the Grimm/Wesen world. Also, I'm betting that this is just a preview to real Grimms-visit-Portland shenanigans that Nick is going to have to deal with at some point, if not this season than the next!

I totally saw it coming, sorry. But I did like how Ryan was revealed to be the killer. I was really worried Nick’s face would show up in that reflection by some odd quirk of fate, and I did NOT expect him to be a Wesen. Although who can blame him for wanting to be Nick, what with the painting skillz and all. But the real loser in this scenario was poor Sgt. Wu! See what happens when you take a kid under your wing--he turns out to be a psychopathic leech monster.

Go you! And you are right, poor Wu...needs to work on his people reading skills...

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Now, now I finally get to talk about my favorite five minutes perhaps ever on this show. *fangirl squeal* Renard stops by Juliette's house to drop off her sunglasses (it is all kinds of convenient that Nick is out on a case and he's just on his way home...ha!!). I love love LOVE seeing Renard all awkwardly flirty...it is TOO CUTE. I know, I KNOW his attraction to Juliette is all because of the pure heart potion, but I am DYING for this to become something real for him. Think of the angst! Think of the potential for SMOLDERING GLANCES!!! How will I survive it?! As they play the whole "it's late I/you should go" dance, he suddenly kisses Juliette -- and not only is that one of the most perfectly staged & filmed kisses EVER, but it also triggers a memory in Juliette of the kiss that woke her from her coma. "It was you" -- and without a word Renard kisses her AGAIN!!!! I cannot, CANNOT begin to tell you how much I LOVE THIS SCENE! When Juliette finally breaks the kiss and basically slams the door in Renard's face (it's okay, he's dazed too, ha!), she takes a page from my book and crumples to the floor in shock -- and this sets up fantastic tension between the two of them for the next two episodes, ending with the fall finale.

LOL You are too funny. I agree that I’d LOVE to see the spell/curse broken, with Juliet having no memories of Renard while he realizes he’d actually fallen in love with her. Ah, unrequited love! It will be so sweet. When Nick is sad on this show, I’m sad; but when Renard is all brooding and sad, I’m all like:

Bring it!

Um that is TOO PERFECT, you know how much I love Sleeping Beauty, right?!

ONE MORE Renard photo (I can't help myself):

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Needless to say for the Renard moments alone this episode of Grimm ranks high on my favorites list. But I also appreciate the way in which the show surprised me by the reveal of Ryan's identity and the way it explored Nick essentially coming apart at the seams from the stress of his dual life. Reviews of the next two episodes coming soon!

I agree. Overall this was a very well-written and ambitious episode where they tried to show the emotional lives of the characters in creative ways. Really kind of like a mini-novel! 

Thanks so much for joining me in recapping this fantastic episode, Tasha!