Because The A.V. Club knows that TV shows keep going even if we’re not writing at length about them, we’re experimenting with discussion posts. For certain shows, one of our TV writers will publish some brief thoughts about the latest episode, and open the comments for readers to share theirs.
- Grimm’s checked off a lot of the major myths in five-plus years, but there a few of the big ones that it’s steered away from, either due to overuse in other adaptations or difficulty fitting to it into this universe. But if “The Son Also Rises” is any indication, it’s possible there’s a third option, and they’re saving the best for last. The show tackles the Frankenstein myth and does a bang-up job of doing so, embracing both the terror and the loneliness that exists within it. They may as well bring on Dracula at this point. (No, not that one.)
- Given the number of people who’ve come back from the dead on Grimm, the establishment of a mad science resurrection isn’t the reach that it could have been. And with the addition of the wesen element—four different woges present in one, without a single person understanding that’s what’s happening—it amplifies the levels of fear on the part of the monster’s victims in a way that’s very appropriate to the show.
- It was fun to see Hank and Wu working together this week with Nick’s absence as the two share an easy rapport together as partners, in some ways better than the status quo. The afterlife conversation they have on the way to the funeral home in particular has a comedic spark missing in the more workmanlike relationship with Nick and Hank. (Hank’s “Don’t mess with a man’s afterlife” was a highlight.)
- In general it’s a great episode for Wu as he does the due diligence to track down the fingerprints, gets to appear competent in interrogation, and makes the connection that all those dead Black Claw soldiers they washed out to sea might be striking back from beyond the grave. How has he not been promoted in the last six years? Maybe that stint in a mental ward has something to do with it. Or that time he ate a bunch of inedible objects.
- Wu’s conclusion about the wesen nature of the limbs is a clever connection to the past events of the show. It’s also an explanation that clears up my lingering concern that there’s two dozen corpses just rotting underneath the Fortress Of Grimmitude.
- Speaking of the Fortress Of Grimmitude, Julievette evicts herself and moves into the spice shop. The lines between her personas continue to blur, to the degree that Nick even gets a Freudian slip out of it. This oscillates between the most interesting the character’s been all season and a borderline meta joke about how the inability to define this character has now become her entire reason for being.
- While watching Julievette, Nick flashes through many of their past interactions from early days to Grimm reveal to Dark Juliette’s death. Ironically, the amnesia plot from season two is completely forgotten—you can assume that much like the viewers, the writers want to pretend that never happened.
- So, any names for the black skull seen in the mirror visions? I’m open to suggestions.
- Renard’s investigation into the Shroud Of ’Curin’s drawings takes on an international flavor as he calls an ally in Siberia for translation. Between this and the pawn shop owner who may or may not exist, how many connections does he still have in his back pocket? And said connection makes him the first one to see that Diana may be more than just an observer in whatever horoscope is playing itself out.
- It’s obvious about 30 seconds in that Monroe seeing Rosalee give birth nonstop is a dream, but it’s executed well with both actors delivering some entertaining facial expressions and sounds. While the most disposable part of the episode, it does mesh with the slow burn of Monroe and Rosalee coming to terms with the danger of being parents and Team Grimm members at the same time.
- Blaine Palmer as Melville the funeral home director gets added to the list of characters I wish had showed up to this world earlier to become a recurring player. There’s such a charming sense of oddness to him, the feeling that too much time around the dead has messed with his ability to deal with other people. The best moment is his explanation of the bribe money: “But I did report it on my income tax. It was a business deal.”
- Enough guest stars this week that you can play a round of “Hey, it’s that guy!”: Vik Sahay (Lester from Chuck) as Sanji, George Newbern (Charlie from Scandal) as Julian, Dinora Walcott (Carol the reporter, also from Scandal) as Deidre, and Geoffrey Blake (many things but most recently Doc Heyer from The Man In The High Castle) as Victor. Yep. Victor Shelley. Well, Grimm’s never been subtle about referential names.
- “The terribly wrong part is in here.”
- “This isn’t normal!” “Well, in case you haven’t noticed, neither are we!”
- “I think I learned a really valuable lesson today.” Again, Melville is great.
- “Someone’s gonna explain this, and it’s not gonna be me.”
- This Week In Portland: Melville references River View Cemetery when justifying his move to take money for the bodies, which makes sense as River View is the oldest nonprofit cemetery in Portland and as such would be above the mercenary need to deal in corpses.
- This Week’s Epigram: “No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness.” You’d expect a Mary Shelley quote for this kind of story, but this one belongs to her mother Mary Wollstonecraft, from the 1790 pamphlet A Vindication Of The Rights Of Men.
- Know Your Wesen: It’s unclear which wesen lent their limbs to poor Patrick. With a reptilian right arm the obvious candidates are Gelumcaedus or Skalenzahne, and the clawed/furred left arm could belong to all manner of lupine wesen. Nick and Monroe also identify Löwen, Jägerbar, and Taureus-Armenta as candidates for constellation inspiration.
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