I "Cry" For GRIMM

Article first published as GRIMM Season 4 Episode 5 Cry Luison on Seat42F.

This week’s GRIMM on NBC is called “Cry Luison.” Luison is a variation of the werewolf mythology, used primary in Paraguay and other Guarani-speaking cultures. Which means, roughly, there is a South American werewolf on the loose, terrorizing people. To be more accurate, there are multiple werewolves, and they’re only terrorizing one woman, whom no one believes when she mentions said wolves. But you get the point.

Once more, a large chunk of GRIMM is given over to a formulaic plot. Nick (David Giuntoli) and Hank (Russell Hornsby) investigate the woman’s case in a story that really has nothing to do with the larger mythology, save for letting views know that Blutbads aren’t the only wolf-type Wesen out there. It’s very standard fare, Nick still not having his Grimm powers, and Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) just helping out a bit, as is often the case.

I wish GRIMM would stop doing this. There are subplots in “Cry Luison,” which I’ll get to in a minute, that are very good. But GRIMM is a genre show and should start acting like it. Forcing crime procedural stories into this structure is unnecessary and annoying. Perhaps it seems worse this fall after a long-arcing tale last spring that abandoned the standard format. But I’d hoped GRIMM had moved beyond that and am very disappointed that it hasn’t.

Now, while Nick, Monroe, and Hank are off on this, there are a number of other, much more interesting, stories playing out. Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) has to decide if she wants to temporarily look like Adalind (Claire Coffee) and have sex with Nick so he can be a Grimm again. Adalind is trying to escape a prison that messes with her mind. Trubel (Jacqueline Toboni) secretly protects Nick when Bud (Danny Bruno) blabs about Nick losing his Grimm powers. Renard (Sasha Roiz) speaks to his mom (Louise Lombard) about his daughter. All of these could be expanded and made to fill up an episode, and probably should be.

Juliette’s decision is a hard one. Nick doesn’t want to tell her he misses being a Grimm, but surely she knows him well enough to figure that out. Plus, she overhears the trouble Bud causes, so she’ll see the wisdom in in helping Nick get back to fighting form. But she would like a chance at a normal life, which Nick does want to give her. And she’d have to look like Adalind while having sex with Nick, which brings up oh so many bad emotions, especially jealousy and anger. What will she do?

I think it’s almost certain that Juliette will go through with this. She has to, to keep the premise of the series going. Plus, Nick’s calling is noble, so she would be petty to stand in the way of it. She has her own heroic part to play by sacrificing the life she thinks she wants for Nick. Besides, she has Wesen friends now, too, so surely she doesn’t want to leave them behind, as detestable as the act will be to undo the spell.

Nick’s talk about moving away and giving up the Wesen-hunting calling in “Cry Luison” is only talk. Were he to follow through, there would be no show. However, he really should mention to Monroe how hard it will be to leave friends behind. I feel bad for Monroe when Nick is going on about this choice without bringing up the strong bond they share.

I’ve missed having Bud around, who has been seen sparsely in the past season or so. “Cry Luison” doesn’t make it easy to miss him, though. I know he’s a little talkative and that’s always been a weakness of his. But he has to know that blabbing the particular secret that he does is a huge mistake. Bud feeling bad isn’t enough punishment. GRIMM should take this element and run with it, giving Bud a good story to enact change and growth for himself. They probably won’t, though.

Adalind’s prison experience is cool enough that it doesn’t completely seem like filler, though that’s primarily what it is. Last week’s near-death disaster turns out to be a hallucination, and it isn’t the last one she has. If her going through this ordeal doesn’t convince Viktor (Alexis Denisof) she’s telling the truth, I don’t know what will. I’m actually feeling sorry for her, even when she disobeys the Key, because motherly instinct would be hard to shut out and she doesn’t have a reason to trust him, anyway.

Once more, Wu’s (Reggie Lee) involvement in the supernatural world is kicked down the road. Renard mentions to Nick that Wu’s investigation into Trubel must be stopped, but “Cry Luison” doesn’t go any further than that. Is Wu really content to let things simmer this long? Come on already!

“Cry Luison” has good elements, but isn’t a great episode overall. After some excellent runs, it’s sad to see GRIMM decline in quality this year. I hope the change is temporary.

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

Prayer For GRIMM To Improve

Article first published as GRIMM Review Season 4 Episode 4 Dyin' On a Prayer on Seat42F.

Unfortunately, this week’s installment of NBC’s GRIMM, “Dyin’ on a Prayer,” was another case-of-the-week snooze fest. A Gollum attacks an abusive husband. Nick (David Giuntoli) and Hank (Russell Hornsby) have to investigate, bringing in Trubel (Jacqueline Toboni) when they think a Wesen might be involved, since Nick is still without his Grimm powers. The fact that, while certain people involved in the case are Wesen, the murderer itself is not, makes it even more like every other crime procedural on television.

GRIMM airs Friday nights at NBC. If there were ever a night and time to break the standard formula and do something interesting instead on broadcast television, it’s that one. Add to that, GRIMM has already done several good arcs in the past that depart from the common structure, with a heavy supernatural mythology. Why, early in its fourth season, would it revert to a weaker story makeup? If viewers want a run-of-the-mill police story, they have a plethora of other choices. GRIMM should stick with what makes it special, not try to be like everyone else.

I do like the Rabbi (David Julian Hirsh, Weeds) who calls forth the Gollum to protect his nephew, David (Jakob Salvati, Red Widow). There is massive opportunity for character development here, a man who abhors violence, but accidentally sets it loose, not understanding what he is doing. The Rabbi is very clearly a good man, and is plenty willing to pay for the consequences of his actions. Unfortunately, “Dyin’ on a Prayer” spends very little time exploring that element.

There are subplots that entice this week. Adalind (Claire Coffee) continues her escape from the castle, only to be stymied by a weeping wall which threatens to drown her. Her fate is not shown. Again, this is another cool concept that is actually visually pretty impressive. There are real stakes in these scenes. But they are brief, barely a few minutes of the hour, and underdeveloped.

“Dyin’ on a Prayer” teases us with a story involving Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Rosalee (Bree Turner) dealing with haters, who don’t believe Wesen should marry a different breed of Wesen. This hate-crime thing is probably a little dated, but when a brick is thrown through the shop window, I sit up and take notice. Unfortunately, that one moment is all GRIMM does with this, not making any effort to show us how the characters deal with the attack.

A third storyline in which Elizabeth Lascelles (Louise Lombard) figures out what Adalind did to Nick is cool. She is an intriguing character, and has some great lines. I don’t know how long she’ll stick around, but she is a welcome addition to the recurring cast. However, in spite of providing a nice capper to the episode, she is also barely used.

A fourth (yes, fourth!) possibility for greatness emerges when Wu (Reggie Lee) brings his suspicions about Trubel to Captain Renard (Sasha Roiz). Renard knows who Trubel is, of course, and must protect her, so doesn’t give anything away to Wu. It is past time Wu is brought into the secret loop, though, and the more he pushes, the more likely that is to happen.

So, in summary, GRIMM gives us four excellent threads (five if you count the Rabbi, which is arguable) in “Dyin’ on a Prayer,” and still chooses to make the vast majority of the episode revolve around the one storyline that is boring and trite. The ingredients for a truly excellent series are present, and the writers tease us with them without delivering on any. How frustrating is it when a show that has been so good in the past stubbornly refuses to maintain that quality on a consistent basis? I can’t wait to get past these crap episodes at the start of the year and to this season’s real plots, which are surely coming, but not nearly quickly enough.

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

"Fight" the Formula, GRIMM

Article first published as GRIMM Review Season 4 Episode 3 The Last Fight on Seat42F.

NBC’s GRIMM goes back towards being a standard procedural this week in “The Last Fight.” A murder leads Nick (David Giuntoli) and Hank (Russell Hornsby) to investigate a boxing establishment that they think is run by Wesen. Of course, since Nick no longer has his Grimm powers, they can’t know for sure without bringing Trubel (Jacqueline Toboni) along to help. That isn’t the best idea, since she’s not a cop. But the ‘mystery’ of the hour is pretty normal fare and is easily solved by the end.

I don’t like procedurals. The format is tired and stale at this point, presenting the same boring story week after week. Some shows, like GRIMM, have taken the genre and turned it on its head a little bit, but refuse to leave it behind completely. What’s disappointing about GRIMM is that it hews so closely to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a brilliant series that ditched the monster-of-the-week formula in season one. GRIMM sometimes follows this example, but not always, and by comparison, it is definitely inferior.

The reason “The Last Fight” is not as annoying as most instances of this repetition is because the case serves to highlight a number of things. Most importantly, the status quo is not working. Nick has to rely too much on Trubel when dealing with the Wesen, and she’s not reliable, neither experienced nor reasoned enough to follow instructions. He is endangering her and that’s frustrating for him and the viewer, and probably to Trubel, too, to a lesser extent.

Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Rosalee (Bree Turner) are working on a cure for Nick. This week, they team up with Renard’s mother, Elizabeth (Louise Lombard, CSI), to retrace Adalind’s (Claire Coffee) footsteps and recreate the potion. It’s an uneasy alliance, but I think we can trust Elizabeth. After all, Renard (Sasha Roiz) trusts her, and he has proven himself to us time and again. He doesn’t trust her enough to tell her exactly where the baby is, but the fewer people that know that, the better.

Speaking of trust, it’s time to trust Wu (Reggie Lee) with the secrets that the rest of the main cast already know about. Nick begs off of explaining things this week, claiming that, since he’s not a Grimm any more, he doesn’t have anything to tell Wu. This is bull crap. Nick could still show Wu the trailer and Monroe and fill him in on what’s been happening. There will obviously be a big adjustment period for Wu once he does find out, but the sooner Nick starts talking to him, the sooner Wu can be useful. Right now, with his powers gone, Nick needs all the help he can get.

The other thing Nick is dealing with is his body switch with Adalind. We don’t know what causes it and it seems to be very temporary, but apparently there is some connection between the two that isn’t yet broken. I honestly have no idea what it means.

Adalind is still over in Europe, but at least she’s not locked up anymore. She makes a friend in the dungeon who escorts her out through a secret passage way. If I were Adalind, I’d be suspicious of this deus ex machina. For one thing, the man seems completely insane. For another, would Viktor (Alexis Denisof) really lock her up somewhere that was so easy to escape? I smell a trap here. The question is, what is Viktor hoping Adalind leads him to? The baby? Because he knows Adalind has no idea where the infant is.

For what “The Last Fight” is, a standard procedural installment, it does manage to be pretty darn good. By keeping lots of the mythology and on-going arcs in the episode, it helps ease the annoyance of the very predictable case included, too. I hope most GRIMM episodes are better than this, but this one isn’t bad.

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