Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Grimm--"The Kiss" Review



     In this episode, Nick, Rosalee and Monroe attempt to stop Juliette’s memory loss and Nick deals with suspicion from the FBI while Nick’s mother continued to kick ass and be completely unhelpful in getting answers. Meanwhile, Renard and Adalind’s mother work together to wake up Juliette. Nick’s mom has to leave (although she doesn’t, really) because she keeps killing people, and Juliette wakes up but doesn’t remember Nick.
    Grimm seems to like ending each episode with semi-cliffhangers. The last episode ended in a cliffhanger which had to be resolved in the beginning of this episode, and then this episode ended in a pseudo-cliffhanger. It makes for a strange cycle, where a previous story has to be tied off before the next can begin, all within 45 minutes. But maybe it’s intentional? In order to give a sense of good progression with the over arching, seasonal plots.
     Why do all the people that Nick’s mom questions keep dying? She does not have the gentle touch, for sure. Her motherly heart-to-heart with Catherine Schade made me wonder, though, do hexenbiests get any extra physical strength when they shift (I can’t remember the proper word)? Because Schade seems pretty tough for not liking the “physical stuff”.
     On to Captain Renard. “The prince”? I love this story arc. There’s so much possibility. Seven families? The Wesen Wars? Yes, please! The more Grimm develops its history and mythology, the better.
     I want to know exactly how Catherine Schade’s concoction “purified” Renard. Like, physically? Did it clear out all his cholesterol or something? It doesn’t seem like it would affect his intentions or emotions, really, because he’s the bad guy, right? Hard to have a pure heart when you’re the bad guy. But maybe he’s not! Maybe he’s just a complex character with complex motivations.
     Also, I don’t know, but I find it curious that Renard had to kiss Juliette to administer the cure. For one thing, because everyone acknowledges that kisses are the way to do things. What is the historical basis for that? In “Once Upon a Time”, they say it all the time: “True love’s kiss can break any spell”. Not that Renard’s kiss was one of true love, but still. The power is acknowledged.
    For another thing, it led me to wonder whether when Juliette wakes up she’s suddenly going to be devoted to Renard. That would be a horrible backfire for him, wouldn’t it?
     Overall, I enjoyed this episode. It was good because it gave some more attention to how Nick has to balance his Grimm life with his job as a police officer. The episode also gave time to Renard, which is a good idea because he’s awesome. He’s very tied into the mythology of the show and developments with him usually mean developments of the back story, as well. For instance, what exactly is he the prince of? Why is he in Portland? What's up with that CGI castle Renard's brother was in? So many delightful questions!

Extraneous Notes:

  • There was some pretty spectacular gore happening with the severed arm hanging from the ceiling, yeah?
  • It’s seems very convenient and fan-servicy that Renard had to rip his shirt off during the purification process.
  • I loved Monroe’s face when Nick assigns him and Rosalee to take Nick’s mom home. “We three will all just… Go on living”—with a tiny question mark at the end.
  • Nick’s mom has such a supernatural look to her that it’s strange that she’s just human. Her face is so… Elfin.
  • What is Mama Burkhardt’s plan? Can she really be trusted?

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