Grimm invaded by "Natural Born Wesen"

Article first published as Grimm invaded by "Natural Born Wesen" on TheTVKing.

This week's episode of NBC's Grimm, "Natural Born Wesen," gets business back to normal, kicks off a new arc, and winds down a past one, all at the same time. Banks are being robbed by crooks that appear to wear very realistic masks, but are actually Wesen, revealing their hidden faces to the general public. Nick (David Giuntoli) tries to bring them in as a cop would, but their actions threaten Wesen everywhere, and Nick isn't the only one dealing with the problem.

I like that the cure for Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) and Captain Renard's (Sasha Roiz) condition is over with quickly in "Natural Born Wesen." We see Juliette freaking out that Nick is lying prone on the floor, unmoving, but then he wakes up, Renard and Juliette drink a potion themselves, and everyone goes home. The secret about the two drinking Nick's blood could just be kept because of the gross factor, and I certainly didn't read anything more sinister into it. Considering how long this plot has been going on, it's nice to get some resolution.

It isn't just forgotten, though. Juliette goes home and sees a gaping hole in the floor of her house. She feels trapped, unable to go back outside, and it's clearly a metaphor for whatever is going on inside of her. We see soon enough that the hole is an illusion, likely because Julliette just lost an all-consuming element of her emotional state. But her ability to overcome it, and her happiness to hear from Nick at the end of the hour, seems to mean things are going back on the right path, even if we don't know if she gets her memory of Nick back or not yet.

Nick has got to tell Juliette everything if they have a chance of getting back together, and that will still be part of their story this year. If he doesn't, he will lose her forever. Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Rosalee (Bree Turner) try to vamp without giving anything away while Nick is unconscious, but Juliette doesn't want to hear it, just like she doesn't want to hear any more about the cat scratch. She's done being kept in the dark, and it is Nick's place, and only Nick's place, to tell her about the Wesen and being a Grimm.

One might assume that Captain Renard goes something similar to what Juliette experiences, but as a Wesen himself, is more capable of dealing with the strange feelings. We don't need to see a repeat, albeit a toned down one, with him, and he has other plot in this episode.

The bank robbers are of concern to the police, the Royals, and Wesen everywhere, and everyone has their own way of dealing with them. While Nick wants to do it within the confines of his job as a detective, locking them up in prison for their provable crimes, others are not content to give him time to act. Both Renard and Rosaelee take matters into their own hands, alerting the Wesen authority that deals with such rule breakers, those who would expose the Wesen kind, with a permanent silencing.

The fact that Renard and Nick can't talk about their varied approaches, as well as the other secrets they keep from each in this installment, worries me. Nick has the right to be upset that Renard hid his Wesen side for so long, but he should also be grateful that Renard saves Juliette's life. Renard wants to work together, and a team up between the two of them, as Renard says, could change the world. Renard is trying to reach out to Nick, and is even nice about learning Hank (Russell Hornsby) is on the secret, relying on Nick's judgment. Nick brushes him off.

Imagine, a Grimm and a Royal on the same team! Such power they would have, and the force to do good things! Renard seems like he's on the right side. Nick needs to see that and respond in kind.

Nick is cutting himself off from everyone. He doesn't make an effort to be kind to Monroe when Monroe makes him breakfast. He treats Renard with suspicion even when Renard tells Nick that he trusts Nick more than his own family. Nick does check in by phone with Juliette, but he's been distant from her, too. As mentioned in my previous Grimm review, this is not good for Nick. He is losing a lot of his kindness and what makes Nick Nick.

Nick is showing signings of the anger and callousness that make Grimm feared among all Wesen. His loves one are what make him different, and if he shuns them, he could end up being the villain in his own story. He needs to be surrounded by loving friends and family to keep him grounded. If not, he will be as bad as other Grimm we have heard about.

It's interesting that Grimm moves in this direction, making their star unlikeable, especially so early in the series' run. It's a cool concept to explore, and one they are handling well. I just hope it really is a thought out plan, and there will be resolution by the end of the year. If so, this will be a neat plot.

Now that the Wesen bank robbers have been killed in "Natural Born Wesen," what's next? They brag to Nick that others will follow in their footsteps. Is this just bravado, or do they know something he doesn't? An aggressive offense by Wesen to make contact with the outside world could prove to be quite a story, and will take everything Nick has, including trusting Renard, to stop them.

Grimm airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.