S04.E01: Thanks For The Memories

[Shanna Marie]

I thought Mystery Blonde must be his mom, but she really doesn't seem old enough. Ex-wife?

They haven't ever explained why he wears a wedding ring yet lives alone. But hasn't there been something somewhere along the way about things Hexenbiests do to maintain their youthful appearance? Adalind's mom did look like she could be her mom, but we don't know how old she really was.

 

My favorite part of the episode was Nick having the Adalind as Juliet flashback, and then getting up to clean the blood.  Juliette then joins him, telling Nick he doesn't have to do it alone. Nick seemed so broken in that scene and on the verge of really freaking out, and Juliette seemed to get that. I like that what Adalind did to Nick wasn't really being glossed over.

I loved that scene, too. I think anyone in either of their shoes would be totally wigged out by what had happened, so their reactions were natural. But then they came together to deal with it. Though by this point, you'd think these two would have a crime scene cleanup company on speed dial, and maybe a frequent customer punch card.

 

That she momentarily wanted to fall back on her usual plan-run- and didn't, was because Nick, Juliet and Hank were there to help her and T. knew they would help her. That is a testament to how welcome and safe she felt in the Burkhart/Silverton household.

That was my other favorite moment, when Teresa was ready to run, and they all just surrounded her. Through the whole episode, as they were supporting her and backing her and then incorporating her into their work, you could see her walls being chipped away, like it was the first time in her life that she felt accepted.

 

I also loved the way they used her to Grimmcheck the suspect. I'd been ready to cry foul at the idea of bringing her, already the subject of an investigation, into the police station to see if the guy was Wesen, but it was clever to put her in hoodie and sunglasses to pretend to mug the guy as he left the station, riling him into woging, so she could scope him out without him knowing she was a Grimm.

[Prevailing Wind]

 

Sorry, I don't know what I did, but my post got split into two. I'm blaming it on Adalind.

 

Works for me!  Let's blame everything on her.  Heck, Ebola is probably one of her potions gone awry. Can we get rid of her then?

[anamika]

I am just seeing a big difference in the way Nick behaved towards Juliette after knowing that she was under a spell during her "affair" with Renard and the way Juliette behaves with Nick after knowing that he was raped by Adalind. Nick was also under a lot of stress at that time. The woman he loved did not remember him, he was without a home, his girl friend was going behind his back to see his boss. But he gives her the space she needs and does everything she asks of him. If Nick had behaved this way towards Juliette then he would have been roundly (and rightly) criticized by viewers for victim blaming. But for some reason, Juliette gets a pass because there's blood on her house walls and her living room is in a mess. I am just not a fan of her reaction which seems to be more about her, than the actual victim in this case, which is Nick.

 

I have still not seen any sign of her overtly comforting him. She basically starts off by blaming him for what happened and tells him that their life is being infected by 'you being what you are' when he is trying to apologize to her for getting screwed over by Adalind. It can't get worse than that for me. We see everyone else making an effort to be there for Nick, from Truble and Hank to Monroe and Rosalee. She looks accusingly at him each time when telling everyone how he slept with Adalind. Poor guy.  Juliette makes some gestures with helping him clean up the floor, but still she is not bending enough to tell him it's not his fault. I feel sorry for Nick's character and I wish he would follow the path taken by his aunt. As his mother says, sometimes sacrifices are necessary.  But it seems he is destined to be stuck with Juliette and her complaints.

 

I also thought that Juliette would kick off those heels once she walked into the house. Did she spend the whole day standing and walking around in those? Her feet must have hurt like hell. Maybe that's why she was so pissed off at everyone.

 

For some reason, I noticed Nick's flexing biceps a lot this episode. Especially when he was standing with folded arms.

 

I liked that the Wu-Hank scene mirrored the Hank-Nick scene in season 2. Hank says he is having nightmares and not sleeping and Nick tells him that he needs to tell him something when they get interrupted by Hank's wesen friend.  Here, Wu says he has nightmares and Hank starts with ' I have to tell you something' and they get interrupted by the doctor.

 

I also noticed that in the first couple of episodes each season Nick or the others are trying to cover up something from the cops/FBI. In the season 2 opener, it was Nick trying to cover up the murder of the FBI agents and Catherine Schade. In the season 3, it was everyone trying to cover up Nick's murderous rampage from the cops and now they are trying to cover up Trubels criminal activities. Does anyone not get suspicious?

 

That poor house. I don't think it's escaped a season unscathed. But I finally got to see the floor planning for the rooms up top.

Edited October 25, 2014 by anamika

[Enigma X]

I hope Nick gets his powers back soon, since he is the Grimm that I assume the show's title refers to. I don't mind Theresa, though I refuse to call her Trubel. I don't mind Juliette either and never understood her utter dislike by some. (But, as my mantra on these forums, I don't understand a lot of the dislike for the most-hated characters on the shows that I watch). The premiere was ok.

 

And yes, the only thing the premiere left me caring about is Renard. He better not be dead!

 

Also, was there supposed to be more of a purpose of Adalind sleeping with Nick other than revenge? I get an impression that will come back with consequences.

[Syme]

She would have to woge first, then see that Teresa is a Grimm.  I don't think there's any reason for an FBI agent to freak during a non-confrontational interaction.

 

My bad, I was misremembering things. I'd also blame Adalind, but the real cause is the summer hiatus....despite visiting Portland...

Also, was there supposed to be more of a purpose of Adalind sleeping with Nick other than revenge? I get an impression that will come back with consequences.

 

She's ....Royally.... destroying his self esteem, his relationship, and his life -- isn't that enough justification?

Edited October 25, 2014 by Syme

[AudienceofOne]

I have still not seen any sign of her overtly comforting him

 

 

It's been one day. Some of the stuff being written about Juliette is verging on the disturbing.

 

She may not be the best actor but I personally like that the main character is in a serious long-term relationship and there's none of that Alpha Male "we have to keep the male character single so he can have sexy times with random Wesen" stuff or worse an endless boring will they/won't they UST.  

[Fable]

There is no way Renard is really dead or at least stays dead for long, no way!  I refuse to believe they would bring the actor back just to kill him off in episode 1.  It would have been far easier to have just mentioned his death if they were done with his story.  Right?  Please tell me I'm right.  I love Renard, and I would sorely miss him being around. 

 

I sincerely hope that they don't spend too much time this season leaving Nick without his powers.  It's fine for a couple of episodes and could be interesting but I think, for me, it would get old pretty fast, although I am enjoying Trubel and I hope she sticks around for a while.  I know I posted it somewhere before, not sure if it was here or TWoP but I honestly think she is going to end up being Nick's sister.  I'm betting that after Kelly left Nick with Auntie Marie, she found out she was pregnant and decided she needed to give up the baby.  There are several reasons I think this, not the least of which is that they look very much like they could be related, but also because on rewatching some of the scenes from last season with Kelly, I seriously thought she was telegraphing having given up a baby at some point in her past.

 

With regard to Juliette, I enjoyed her in this episode.  Of course, she feels hurt and betrayed, but I think her reaction was realistic and not at all whiny or petulant.  I never felt that she was being overly bitchy to Nick.  I like that she trying to come to terms with her own emotions yet still being supportive of Nick. 

 

Overall, I thought this was a solid episode and a great start to the new season.

[SnarkyTart]

I'm glad that Grimm is back, but I wanted the season premier to be better...much better.  Really, so much of nothing happened.  The only forward progress to be found was giving us a MotW, which was in fact completely without purpose in this episode. 

 

In my fantasies for this show, we get to lose Juliette, Adalind, Adalind's baby, all the Royals (except Renard).  We get to bring back Nick's mother as a series regular.  Nick and his mom can be the most BAMF crime-fighting duo in paranormal history.  We'll keep Monroe and Rosalee because they're the cutest thing in ever, and Monroe seems to be the only actor with whom Nick can bring some personality into his scenes.  We'll keep Hank and we MUST add Wu, because this show is in serious need of some fun and campiness, and those two could provide it. 

 

I wouldn't mind Nick being single, but not for hooking up with random characters introduced into the plot.  The reason I wouldn't mind him single is that I've yet to see David Giuntoli show any sign of being able to pull off a romantic leading man thingy.   While I certainly agree with others who say that Juliette is an annoying character, and Bitsie Tulloch's acting in this role has been one-dimensional and uninspired.   I can't say that it's all her fault, though, as David Giuntoli can't be the easiest actor to do scenes with because, well, cardboard.   

 

I think this show, if it is to survive another season or maybe two, would need a major overhaul and some new writers.  I'll keep watching it for now, unless we have to see too much of Adalind/Royals/JulietteVictim/NickGrimmless/WuClueless.

[merylinkid]

Adalind made a deal with the Royals to deGrimm Nick in exchange for being told where her baby is.    The Royals want Nick deGrimmed because he keeps killing their assassins and is working with Renard (on some mysterious plan doing with keys/coins/maps/resistance).    Whatever plan the Royals have requires no interference from Grimms they don't control.  Of course, they neglected to tell Adalind they don't have her baby, but she was too dumb to ask for proof they had the information she wanted.   

[hincandenza]

Yeah, I've actually been surprised at how much I like David Giuntoli in this role; he didn't create another "grizzled cop" cliche, but a normal guy who tries to do his job well and be a good man, and happens to find out he has a family secret that will change his life.  That dialogue was so strong in season 1, with the occasional humor to make it feel "real".  I think we lost that grounded, earthy Portland charm sometime around the 5th or 6th iteration of Adalind or Renard's 5th-dimensional chess scheming, and also when Nick seemed to stop caring about being a good cop first and Grimm second- now he's a Grimm first and a cop as an afterthought.  And yeah, kudos to whoever noticed that the color is more washed out this season; the glowing, vibrant palette of the first season made Portland and its surrounded Pacific Northwest beauty seem appropriately magical.

 

But I agree, I wouldn't call him cardboard or lifeless at all. Hard to believe this guy was some celeb-wannabe on MTV's "Road Rules", and now he's headlining a reasonably successful prime time drama entering its fourth season.  It reminds me of how actresses like Yvonne Strahovski of "Chuck" and the amazing Tricia Helfer of "Battlestar Galactica" managed to surprise and impress as models-turned-actors as well.

[kathyk24]

I love Nick It's so refreshing to have a hero who doesn't wallow in angst. I think his quiet nature is a nice contrast to Monroe. Too much quirkiness is a turn off for me.

[Syme]

With regard to Juliette, I enjoyed her in this episode.  Of course, she feels hurt and betrayed, but I think her reaction was realistic and not at all whiny or petulant.  I never felt that she was being overly bitchy to Nick.  I like that she trying to come to terms with her own emotions yet still being supportive of Nick. 

 

What you said..... In my experience with women, expecting rational behaviour at times of their extreme stress is hardly the best plan; rather... sit silently and listen and help her work it out. It's fair to say finding out your mortal enemy just bonked {& castrated....} your BF in your own body, bed & negligee is hardly everyday relationship issues. Add a headless corpse in the hall, and.....

 

 

Helping to clean some blood off the floor and not making your kicked-puppy boyfriend sleep on the couch does not equal compassion for me. This is after she was all, "HE SLEPT WITH ADALIND! BOO HOO! FEEL SORRY FOR LIL OL" ME!" 

 

And yeah, she's totally forgetting that under Adalind's spell, she was having some hot scenes with Renard, so if anyone shouldn't be walking around being accusatory, it's Juliette.

 

See  comment above..... And I've learned the hard way citing quid pro quo is sure to end badly for the male....BTDTGTTS

 

Further Nick has a much better handle on the ...widespread weirdness... that is part of Grimm & Wesen and such; she is still trying to grok.

 

Just my 2¢....

There is no way Renard is really dead or at least stays dead for long, no way!  I refuse to believe they would bring the actor back just to kill him off in episode 1.

 

It smells like contract dispute to me, but what do I know.....

[AudienceofOne]

Wow this thread is becoming the perfect object lesson in ongoing sexism and misogyny.

 

With regard to Juliette, I enjoyed her in this episode.  Of course, she feels hurt and betrayed, but I think her reaction was realistic and not at all whiny or petulant.  I never felt that she was being overly bitchy to Nick.  I like that she trying to come to terms with her own emotions yet still being supportive of Nick.

 

 

Absolutely. In one day, she found out her husband was tricked into having sex with another woman, was whammied into no longer being a Grimm, found out Renard was shot, their house is a crimescene, Trubel beheaded somebody, there's cops and FBI everywhere and she's somehow supposed to be... what?  Existing totally for Nick's feelings without having any of her own? Like I said, some of the stuff being said about Juliette is disturbing.

[LittleIggy]

No, no, no! Foxy Renard must live!!!

[arrowhead]

.... baby hexengrimm drama...

 

 The child is not part hexenbiest/ part Grimm.

I wasn't talking about the magical royal baby. I'm talking about the baby of Adalind and Nick ... come on, you know it's coming!

Edited October 26, 2014 by arrowhead

[shapeshifter]

I wasn't talking about the magical royal baby. I'm talking about the baby of Adalind and Nick ... come on, you know it's coming!

Aaaack! Noooo! Say it isn't so! But, yes *sigh* it is the logical outcome. And it will be half-sibling to the half-Royal baby. Argh. And will it have Juliette DNA since Adalind was wearing Juliette's body when this likely impregnation occurred? So maybe it can provide a blood transfusion to Nick to get his powers back and/or a blood transfusion for Juliette to save her life after she is attacked by evil doers, resulting in Juliette having hexenbiest powers, and, of course, since it would be upsetting for prime time viewers to see any of this happening to a baby, it will rapidly age to adulthood in the almost universally-loathed-by-fans-but-loved-by-writers trope. Woe is me for our little show that started out in emerald green forests with a rivetingly good looking male lead and lovable sidekick beast. :>(

[anamika]

It's been one day. Some of the stuff being written about Juliette is verging on the disturbing.

 

Why is expecting or wanting a girlfriend to comfort her sexually violated boyfriend disturbing for you? Not sure I understand.

 

My point about Juliette not being comforting towards Nick was in response to all the posts about how Juliette was so awesome and super supporting to Nick. I did not see this and I was explaining what I did see. Which was Juliette blaming Nick for what happened to him and being cold towards him. I don't mind her taking time off to take care of her own emotional well being, but blaming her lover for being deceptively sexually violated is what I am criticizing here and I think I am allowed to have that opinion without being labelled as a misogynist.

 

And I think this response from her is having an effect on him. Losing the Grimm part of him has left him unsure about many things. We see this in the trailer when Hank asks him 'Really?' and he answers 'No, not really.' But, IMO, because Juliette has told him that his being Grimm has led to all this, he is willing to lose that part of him for her. Juliette can tell Truble that it was not her fault but she can't do the same for Nick?

 

Nick tells Monroe to not ruin his life for his sake (At least Monroe sets him straight on that).  He is ready to sleep on the couch because he's made to feel as if this was his fault. He wakes up in the middle of the night and is cleaning off the blood from the floor because he did not want Juliette to wake up to all the blood. Because he was responsible for the mess. He keeps flashing back to what happened with Adalind. Nick has issues and Juliette's response to what happened is not helping. From what I have seen so far this relationship is not good for either of them.

 

I wish people would stop with the kneejerk labeling of posters as sexist and misogynist whenever a female character is criticized. It's false, annoying and often used used in discussions of TV shows to attack posters who dislike or criticize one's own favorite fictional character. There can be as many legitimate reasons for criticizing a female character as there can be for a male character. If Nick had acted this way towards Juliette after knowing that her attraction towards Renard was magical in nature and that she was Adalind's victim, I would be as hard on him as I am being towards her right now. My criticisms pertain to the actions of a character, not their gender and trying to make it about gender is disingenuous at best.

 

Juliette is a poorly written character. Not that this show has stellar writing or anything, but among a group of poorly written characters, badly written mythology and dropped plot points, her character is the worst. The acting does not help either. I think the problem is that the character is there to create problems for Nick and hence she often acts in ways that don't make sense or feel wrong to me. All her actions are plot driven. Since the writers want Nick to lose his Grimm powers and question his life as a Grimm, they make Juliette the motive. Which would need her to blame him and make him doubt himself. Which makes me annoyed. That's the show making me feel this way, not because Juliette has breasts.

 

 I am here for Nick and Hank solving the wesen crime of the week (tied into a fairytale or myth), Monroe and Rosalee being the wesen buddies helping them, Renard (and his cell phone) being the asshole with dubious loyalty to the gang, the humor and the lush green Portland locale. As for Adalind, as much as I don't enjoy her, Claire Coffee seems to be good at the comedy as the bumbling bad guy who just won't go away. Juliette is the character I enjoy least on this show.

Edited October 26, 2014 by anamika

[formerlyfreedom]

Let's get back to talking about the episode here. If you want to discuss Juliette further, you can take it to her topic here, and as always, do it in a respectful and civil manner. It's fine, and even encouraged to agree to disagree.

[iMonrey]

I look forward to seeing Bud's reaction when he finds out what happened to Nick.

[ottilie]

I actually like the 'royals' storyline the best, and I know the writers have a bunch of constraints to work with. They realize that a lot of the audience can't watch each week so they can't follow a highly detailed storyline, so instead they created a generalized european royal family that wants to regain world power, and a generalized, murky 'resistance' group.

I also like that it's implied that witches or hexenbiests will have a larger role this season. If you think about it, most wesen just have a certain personality, like fuchsbau with proclivities for making medicine and a weakness for drug addiction, or trolls which struggle with being bullies. I guess some wesen do have powers to kill in inhuman ways.

But hexenbiests have special magical powers that are elevated above regular wesen. But they aren't super-powerful. It's unclear what skills Renard actually has. Since a witch can remove a grimm's powers, were they the ones to initially create them, or to give wesen their alter-ego? Anyway, creating this story beyond Portland which suggests that these bloodlines go back for centuries, helps give some purpose to the characters. Rather than just dealing with a few wesen who wish to steal or use violence on a local basis, it makes it seem like there is a bigger purpose for it all.

[Crim]

It's just one episode, but I still felt that the premiere didn't quite deliver on the promise that Nick losing his powers would be a worthy story. Sure, they hit the big notes - "maybe it's better this way" for Juliette, Trubel being the only Grimm, Nick being unable to see his suspects... but, for example, when Trubel asked him if the case was Wesen-related, then amended that he wouldn't know without his Grimm powers and Nick just looked at her, that was stupid. It just was. So stupid. For one thing, Nick just came back from the crime scene and had not seen any suspect, so his Grimm eyes would have been useless. Secondly, he always hit the books anyway, to determine what type of Wesen could have done the, in this case, wound; his Grimm powers didn't help his research in the Grimm books in any way. That whole scene gave me the feeling that it was written for its effect, without caring that it made no sense, i.e. it was lazy.

 

The line that the King loves his bastard son didn't bother me in the context of Renard's death. Besides, while Renard left Europe, I never thought he currently lived in disgrace - he seems rich for a police captain and he is officially the Royal in Portland. The King just didn't favor him over others, which is fair enough, but maybe was getting too much for Renard to be comfortable in the middle of Royal power games.

Edited October 26, 2014 by Crim

[catrox14]

I have no problem with the way both Nick and Juliette reacted to the events of the finale.

 

Both are dealing with something horrible and devaluing to both of the them for different reasons.  Juliette has been a victim of Adalind's crap in the past and now she's been victimized again by someone posing as her.  And yes I think the "maybe it's better" is a perfectly reasonable reaction to having your entire world turned upside down in a pretty short span of time.   That doesn't mean she doesn't love Nick or respect him but this is a whole lot of shenanigans to process. I think she is entitled to that processing time.

 

I can't even begin to imagine what kind of mental duress I would feel if I knew my partner had sex with my doppelganger and couldn't tell the difference. I think Juliette is trying to understand it wasn't Nick's fault, that he wasn't doing something to Juliette. But it would be hard IMO for  Juliette to not be thinking "Oh gods, he slept with another woman" regardless if it was her doppelganger, which I dunno seems worse...to me. Like wasn't there something in Adalind's behavior that was just not quite Juliette...aside from the obvious one that Juliette would not have made sex between them a priority right before the wedding(that is not a knock on Juliette). And Nick will feel guilty every time he looks at Juliette. Also, Nick did enjoy it until he realized it wasn't Juliette and then he's been sick about, so let's be honest. He might be confused about the fact that he was enjoying it and feeling guilty for that.  It's after the fact that he was disgusted and horrified by what he discovered.  It's a pretty messed up situation really. I think Juliette telling Nick he didn't have to sleep on the couch was her trying to overcome her own legitimate feelings of betrayal and confusion. 

 

IMO, there is room for both Nick and Juliette to have needs here and sadly I don't think either one can really support the other one right now because they were both violated by Adalind's actions and it affects them differently. 

 

 . I would find it ludicrous to think it's just going to be not a problem for either one and that neither should feel what they rightly feel.

Edited October 26, 2014 by catrox14

[possibilities]

The show seems to be being written by people who don't really have much interest in it, other than that it's a job. There's a real phoning it in atmosphere, with the repetitive plotting and uninspired dialogue. That said, I am still praying that they've learned their lesson with the first baby story, and won't give us yet another Adalind baby (this time via Nick). But on the other hand, if it happens, I won't be all that surprised. They can always age it fast or pack it off to foster care with Mama Grimm if they get bored having people fight over who gets to carry around a bundle of swaddled doll.... Not that I'm bitter over lost potential or anything, but Ye Gods, get it together, show! They put so much thought into the visuals, you'd think they could put a little into the story, too.

I do think it's weird that, if the King is still alive and in charge, there has never been the slightest indication of it before, and it's all been about the various cousins,half-brothers, and extended relations. Also, I suppose there are no mothers, sisters, daughters or other females of significance in the entire royal line? Weird. We know real-world Europe has had a few Queens and princesses at least.

When Adalind finds out the Royals don't have her baby, will she be driven back to Portland to seek help from Nick and Co, or will she be driven back with the realization they are the ones who tricked her and sent the kid away? She really has no allies on either side, and would be both right and wrong either way she plays it. I wonder why the witches on this and so many other shows lack covens, since witchery has always been a sisterhood kind of thing and this show could use a few more women who are more than love interests and assistants to the men. Too late for that, though. The show has already established that hexenbiests are competitive and backstabby, not good candidates for collective action or other forms of bonding.

I predict Renard is restored through some kind of magic, and maybe this changes him in some way, rather than simply bring him back to status quo. I think the show has been struggling to define him for a while. Maybe whatever the side effects of resurrection are, they will get him the ability to do something other than pose shirtless and talk on the phone.

[hincandenza]

I look forward to seeing Bud's reaction when he finds out what happened to Nick.

 

I just look forward to seeing Bud, period!  He's best in moderation of course, but one of the things I loved most about season 1 was the cool hidden communities of Wesen that weren't all monstrous people.

 

I can't recall the last Wesen species we were introduced to that wasn't known for being increasing levels of horribly dangerous.  Used to be they were just tougher and stronger than normal people, then we got toad-men who could create zombie armies, and now we have Bill Nighy from "Pirates of the Caribbean" stealing people's entire minds and memories like he was Sylar from "Heroes".

 

When Adalind finds out the Royals don't have her baby, will she be driven back to Portland to seek help from Nick and Co, or will she be driven back with the realization they are the ones who tricked her and sent the kid away? She really has no allies on either side, and would be both right and wrong either way she plays it. I wonder why the witches on this and so many other shows lack covens, since witchery has always been a sisterhood kind of thing and this show could use a few more women who are more than love interests and assistants to the men. Too late for that, though. The show has already established that hexenbiests are competitive and backstabby, not good candidates for collective action or other forms of bonding.

I predict Renard is restored through some kind of magic, and maybe this changes him in some way, rather than simply bring him back to status quo. I think the show has been struggling to define him for a while. Maybe whatever the side effects of resurrection are, they will get him the ability to do something other than pose shirtless and talk on the phone.

 

Based on what we've seen of Adalind the last season and a half- much less the more powerful hexenbiests- it's kind of surprising to me that hexenbiests aren't ruling the world.  They shapeshift, they can control people's minds or put them in comas or make them fall in love with anyone, and that's just off the top of my head.  I guess if they did work together, they'd be unstoppable.  Forget having Grimms as the royals personal enforcers- having the hexenbiest equivalent to a team of Navy Seals seems much more powerful! 

 

Although four seasons in, we still don't know why the Royals are the hidden royalty of the world.  I've never seen indication of their having any special powers other than the ability to overact along with a centuries-old alliance with Grimms to maintain control of the Wesen population.  Then again, Adalind and Sean's child- who is 3/4 hexenbiest and 1/4 royal- is basically baby Jack-Jack from Pixar's "The Incredibles".  No idea where that came from; was it the hexenbiest side, the royal side, or a combination- and if the latter, then why on earth would the royal family (excepting apparently the King) shun Sean for being half-breed himself, since that seems to make you some kind of demi-god?

 

Ah hell, I'll drive myself mad trying to find internal logic to this show.  I just need to smoke more weed when I watch it, and let go. :)

 

 

As for Sean Renard running around shirtless, I suspect a fair number of viewers would prefer they at least keep that part of the show around. :)

[seamusk]

Then again, Adalind and Sean's child- who is 3/4 hexenbiest and 1/4 royal- is basically baby Jack-Jack from Pixar's "The Incredibles".  No idea where that came from; was it the hexenbiest side, the royal side, or a combination- and if the latter, then why on earth would the royal family (excepting apparently the King) shun Sean for being half-breed himself, since that seems to make you some kind of demi-god?

I'm pretty sure it came from the black magic she did to get her hexen-beastness back.  That somehow worked possibly with the bloodlines to create a different kind of powerful child.

[hincandenza]

Ooh, good point, I'd forgotten about that.  Although that kind of underscores my point; if the hexenbiests can use black magic to take away, restore, or even amplify someone's powers, just how powerful are they?  And could they essentially black magic a normal person into being a Wesen or a Grimm or a baby Jack-Jack?

 

I suppose I could fanwank that hexenbiests were the original Wesen, and maybe thousands of years ago they were experimenting with their powers and essentially "made" all these hybrid Wesen creatures, and even Grimms, but like the ancient wonders of "Game of Thrones" or the powerful talismans of "Harry Potter", there are no modern hexenbiests with the skill or understanding to do what the original masters did.

[catrox14]

 

And yeah, she's totally forgetting that under Adalind's spell, she was having some hot scenes with Renard, so if anyone shouldn't be walking around being accusatory, it's Juliette.

 

Juliette was in no way in control of what she did with Renard unless she could magically not be affected by the spell.  She could not give consent because she was being compelled by magic.

 

Nick was equally as duped as Juliette but through a different means. Nick was of sound mind and body because he thought it was Juliette. But in reality he did not give consent to have sex with Adalind.  In both cases, Juliette and Nick were directly victimized by Adalind and were indirectly victimized as well.

 

I think they are both doing what they can to deal with their own emotions and feelings about and towards each other. 

 

I just don't think either one is worse or better than the other in how they are each dealing with it.

[Actionmage]

Aaaack! Noooo! Say it isn't so! But, yes *sigh* it is the logical outcome

 

(emphasis mine)

Not really. Adalind has gone through a pregnancy, granted a pregnancy that was sped up, but still. She was no fan of the experience. If she finds herself pregnant again? I can see her abort. She doesn't want a tie to Nick. There is too much history and bad blood. Also, his part in the Diana thing. Yes, he helped protect her child, but not getting her permission or giving her knowledge after Kelly took off isn't endearing him, as per the latest mayhem she's caused.

 

If there is a hexengrimm baby for the show, I cannot see it between Nick and Adalind.

 

Why is expecting or wanting a girlfriend to comfort her sexually violated boyfriend disturbing for you? Not sure I understand.

 

Responding in Juliet thread.

Edited October 26, 2014 by Actionmage

[GaT]

Aaaack! Noooo! Say it isn't so! But, yes *sigh* it is the logical outcome. And it will be half-sibling to the half-Royal baby. Argh. And will it have Juliette DNA since Adalind was wearing Juliette's body when this likely impregnation occurred? So maybe it can provide a blood transfusion to Nick to get his powers back and/or a blood transfusion for Juliette to save her life after she is attacked by evil doers, resulting in Juliette having hexenbiest powers, and, of course, since it would be upsetting for prime time viewers to see any of this happening to a baby, it will rapidly age to adulthood in the almost universally-loathed-by-fans-but-loved-by-writers trope. Woe is me for our little show that started out in emerald green forests with a rivetingly good looking male lead and lovable sidekick beast. :>(

Holy shit, I can absolutely see this coming now, you nailed every stupid point. Do. Not. Want.

[Syme]

I can't recall the last Wesen species we were introduced to that wasn't known for being increasing levels of horribly dangerous.  Used to be they were just tougher and stronger than normal people.....

 

 

The Naiads; S3E4.....

[ottilie]

well - you know how Trubel used to carry a knight chess figure, and they repeatedly showed this? In the first season, it seemed like a grimm was a police officer for wesen, with the purpose of keeping criminals with a beast side under control.

 

But now it is suggested that grimms could be knights who either work for themselves, or could go work for powerful families. Nick's mother is working with some purpose in europe and asia, but it isn't clear whether she has her own goals, or is trying to balance world peace.

  So when will Trubel be recruited by a royal?

[thuganomics85]

I was gone over the weekend, so I finally got around to watching the premiere now.  Overall, I thought it was an OK return.  Nick losing his Grimm powers is an interesting idea, and having him and Hank incorporate Teresa as their new "Grimm eyes",  is a nice touch.  I'm still not wild about the actress, but I guess when you cast an inexperienced actress, you have to put up with some roughness in her performance.  I guess the question is if she has enough good qualities to counter it, but it's a bit too soon for me to make that determination.

 

As someone who doesn't care about Juliette, I actually liked her here.  I'm glad she is slowly getting it together, and is rightfully placing the blame on Adelind, and not Nick.  Yeah, she's still awkward around him, but I think she will move pass that.  Maybe that's a low bar, but I've seen worse (I remember when a similar situation happened on Fringe, and the male lead was blamed for being manipulated.  I remember disliking the female lead when that happened.)  So, I'm more optimistic on that front.

 

Not a fan of them only having Monroe and Rosalee for one scene.  I'm not wanting a complete takeover or anything, but it sometimes feels like their screen time is reduced each season.  Hope that rectified soon.  At least they were awesome, and I did like the Nick/Monroe bit.

 

I continue to like how Wu is being incorporated into the main story.  Interesting that Hank seemed this close to letting the cat out of the bag.  How long can they keep this from him?

 

Renard's... "fate", was something.  I'll wait and see on an actual death.

 

I continue to hate everything involving the Royals.  Most boring villainous organization ever.  I will hate them even more if they are being used to make me "root" for Adelind, because, no.  That's never going to happen, show.

[Fable]

I wasn't talking about the magical royal baby. I'm talking about the baby of Adalind and Nick ... come on, you know it's coming!

 

Oh crap, I hope you're wrong and yet it sounds plausible!  That might be a deal killer for me.  That just sounds too soapy! 

 

 

 

Edited October 27, 2014 by Fable

[Dobian]

I was glad when Nick offered to sleep on the couch, Juliette said that they're not doing that again.  Hopefully that shuts the door on another season of soapy relationship angst between these two, this show has played that card to death.  An Adalind pregnancy would just be jumping the shark.

 

Renard can't be dead, he's too big on the show and probably has amazing hexenbeast rejuvinating powers.

 

Great to see one of my favorite shows back.  I just hope they resolve the plot about Nick losing his powers after only a few episodes.  I generally hate plotlines about superhero characters losing their powers, now they're all helpless and vulnerable, etc., etc.  It's a very tedious and worn-out trope.

Edited October 27, 2014 by Dobian

[proserpina65]

Renard cannot be dead.   He just can't.   Although c'mon show, he's in the hospital after surgery, surely you need his shirt off so the hospital can monitor his wounds?   Right?   Shirtless Renard.

 

Yeah, what was up with no Shirtless Renard in the hospital?

Moping around the house silently blaming Trubel.

 

Juliette's not my favorite character; I don't hate her but she is the most dispensible member of the cast, still, I didn't get this from her at all.  What gave you that impression?  (Not being snarky - I honestly want to know.)

Pretty sure that was Adalind's mom, also an ex-lover of Renard's.

 

Isn't she dead?  Didn't Nick's mother kill her in a fight?

[AudienceofOne]

Moping around the house silently blaming Trubel.

 

 

Juliette's not my favorite character; I don't hate her but she is the most dispensible member of the cast, still, I didn't get this from her at all.  What gave you that impression?  (Not being snarky - I honestly want to know.)

 

 

She neither moped nor blamed Trubel as far as I saw. She hardly had time for either and neither is consistent with her characterisation. She's far too pragmatic. If anything she was supportive and protective of Trubel through the episode.

Edited October 27, 2014 by AudienceofOne

[TudorQueen]

Things I disliked about the season premiere:

• Nick's de-Grimming (which I know happened last season, but the fallout is just now starting and I will be annoyed if it takes most of the season to get him back his powers).
• The FBI Wesen seeming to be a real bitch with an agenda (though I deeply appreciate many of you pointing out that we don't really know this yet, and she might just be a straight-laced, good agent who doesn't accept the easiest answer).
• Poor Wu!
• Renard flatlining. (I love Renard, he's one of my favorite characters).
• WORST OF ALL - the Royals framing Nick for hiring the crooked FBI agent who shot Renard.

 

Things I liked about the season premiere:

• That the show is back. I've been waiting all summer.
• I do not believe for one moment that Renard is really dead.
• Juliette actively working with Nick to preserve their relationship, and both being sensitive to each other's feelings (at least that was my reading)
• The Monroe/Nick scene. Perfect!
• Hank's compassion and concern for Wu.
• Theresa, trembling and uncertain, realizing that these people care about her - and her happiness at being asked to help. The actress has a lovely smile that should be given more opportunities to be used.

 

So it was a mixed bag for me. And while I don't have a problem with Theresa, I will have a big one if she starts to eat the show.

[Dobian]

I was also happy to see Alexis Denisof appear as Viktor in the opener, as I'm a fan of his from Buffy/Angel.

[iMonrey]

It's actually pretty damn lucky for Nick & Co. that the female FBI agent turned out to be Wesen, because otherwise she would have taken those Grimm books into evidence instead of shoving them back into the night stand. Obviously she doesn't want to draw any attention to what's in there for her own sake - any human investigator would have been all over that shit. Trouble is, now Nick has no way of knowing she's Wesen, and I doubt Trubel will be spending enough time around the precinct to find out herself.

 

 

The show seems to be being written by people who don't really have much interest in it, other than that it's a job. There's a real phoning it in atmosphere, with the repetitive plotting and uninspired dialogue.

 

I don't have a problem with the dialogue, but I do get a sense that the writers are sort of getting tired of the show. The addition of Trubel, in particular, reeks of the sort of desperation you start to see in shows that have been on the air much longer than just three years. When you feel the need to add Batgirl to your cast, you're getting desperate for fresh blood. And as I've pointed out repeatedly, the idea of spending an entire season watching Nick try to regain his powers after we just spent the last season watching Adalind do the exact same thing stinks of unoriginality. The superhero losing his powers is, indeed (as the above poster pointed out) a very tired and cliche trope. We've only got three measly seasons under our belt - surely the writers aren't running out of ideas this soon! 

[Dobian]

Yeah, you know they're going to get their powers back evenutally, but you have to waste all this time getting back to square one that could have been spent advancing better story arcs.

Edited October 27, 2014 by Dobian

[Hanahope]

Add me to the list of those that hope Renard isn't 'dead-dead', but just "mostly dead" and that he can be revived with some sort of Wesen/Royal power.  Also, the blonde can't be Renard's mother unless again, there's some sort of anti-aging power that Hexenbeists get.

 

And yes, we all need Nick to get his powers back and I also hope that it won't be all season long. I wish we'd get more explanation/background on this whole Royal story line because these dribs and drabs are very tiresome.

 

Haha to the T.Rubel bit.  I hope we get more info on her background as well, given that the power is hereditory.  I keep thinking she'll end up being Nick's half-sister that his mother had when she went back 'on the road'.  But it also possible that she ended up at the orphanage when her real parent(s) got killed by Wesen.  I think the female FBI agent has a suspicion, either about Truble or Nick, but is wisely keeping her mouth shut.

 

Can we add Wu to the Scooby team already?  Seriously.

[Dobian]

Yeah the whole Royal subplot feels so disconnected from what happens in Nick's world.  Every episode seems to have the "Meanwhile, back in Austria" segment.  They need to start tying things together this season.

[Prevailing Wind]

The FBI Agent: I noticed she was pondering Rubel's chess piece dangling off the backpack, too.  She looked like it was meaningful or something.  I'm pretty sure she believes Rubel is the Grimm, but not necessarily Nick.  I was relieved when she put the books under the nightstand.

 

But you have to consider those investigators must be wondering WTF goes on in Nick's house that he has a machete casually laying on a chair in the guest room.  LOL.

 

The blonde in the hospital.  She's not the blonde who had the hit out on Monroe, is she?  And I wouldn't put it past a hexenbiest to have some sort of anti-aging thing going - she just might be Mama Renard.

 

Someone, early-on upthread, mentioned how good foreign languages sound when Renard speaks them.  I just started watching Caprica, and even Tauron sounds good, if gutteral.

 

My complaint with this episode: Not nearly enough Monroe.

[Prevailing Wind]

No.  I keep my machete in the shower, in case Norman Bates comes a-calling.

[shapeshifter]

Isn't she dead? Didn't Nick's mother kill her in a fight?

Oops. You are correct. There are too many botoxed bottle blonds with shoulder length hair running around my shows.

Plus, this is the kind of show where dead is not always dead, but I just got confused.

Edited October 28, 2014 by shapeshifter

[TudorQueen]

Just make sure you don't let the machetes rust - they're hell to get properly cleaned and oiled.

 

I' have the potentially unpopular opinion of liking both Juliette and, to a limited extent, Adalind. Claire Coffee is actually very funny, especially with her facial reactions, but can also be frightening. I do agree that the writing for her character is repetitive and a bit shallow. I did kind of hope she and Renard would get together - I loved the scene where he acknowledged that they might be made for each other.

[jbrecken]

I was wondering if Mystery Blonde was supposed to be Renard's mother but she doesn't look quite old enough to me.

Maybe she's his (half-)sister.

[formerlyfreedom]

What about my guest machetes? My kids are always using them, and then leaving them lay around, but I do want the guests to have proper access to machetes during visits. Do  you hang them on the hooks in the bathroom only when you expect guests, and the rest of the time leave the day-to-day machetes out?

[Shanna Marie]

I kept waiting for them to try to explain the machete. I figured they could go with it being something of Nick's that he inherited from his aunt, who was a collector, and Teresa had taken it out to look at because it was cool, and she hadn't put it away, so it was handy when she needed it. If you've got something like that and you've got a houseguest of a certain age range and personality, it's probably going to get taken out, with or without permission.

 

I actually have a cutlass leaning against the foot of my bed at the moment. I'm ready if a monster invades my house. (It's a Halloween costume prop, but it's pretty heavy metal and the edge is sharp, so while I'm not sure about beheading, I could do some serious damage with it.)

 

I was thinking about Juliette's reaction to everything, and I imagine part of her discomfort is wondering what else Adalind mind have done while looking like her. Someone has been going around pretending to be her, and did so well enough to fool Nick. I hope she's put two and two together and figured out that this explains Renard's odd phone call, but then she has to wonder what exactly Adalind did with him under the Juliette disguise. It may not be the same kind of violation that Nick experienced, but it is a violation to have her appearance appropriated and used to screw people around.

[Prevailing Wind]

I got my machete and its sheath/sharpener on eBay.