S04.E02: Octopus Head

[ramble]

Grrrrr Grimm! You're pissing me off. I've never fast forwarded through this show the way I did this episode. I can't stand Trouble. I don't enjoy her being the Grimm. I don't enjoy her character. I don't enjoy her front & center in storylines. I don't enjoy her acting. She is sucking the joy from a show I previously really enjoyed. I was hoping that she'd get the full octopus treatment & be given a farewell wave as she was wheeled away.

Juliette shut up. Announcing your decision regarding Nick's Grimmness is disgusting & reeks of selfish manipulation. I always verge on completely disliking her & this crap isn't helping.

Since all I'm doing is complaining I'll try for some positives. I enjoyed Remard's mom & am glad the shirtless wonder that is her lovely son is alive & well. Adalind's possible Rumpelstiltskin neighbor & her Nick headache switcharoo are kind of interesting. And um... I like how truly castle-ish the royal castle is

[FishyJoe]

I'm not on the Teresa/T.Rubel train at all. I feel like she has the disease formerly known as Aspergers or something. She just doesn't seem to care in the least about the feelings of other people. It's all about her, screw everyone else. 

[Big Bad Wolf]

Looks like Viktor is old school -- a dungeon complete with rats. Of course.

 

And gruel.

 

It really annoyed me that Teresa didn't call Nick/Hank as soon as she saw which house the octupus guy had gone in to, and told them the full address. That was just stupid. And then, isn't a Grimm supposed to be super strong? But she was just lying on the sofa cringing away from the wesen about to attack her. I don't know, there was an awful lot of 'stringing it out unnecessarily' in this episode, and I ended up FFing through stuff to get where I knew they were going. Need to do better, writers.

 

Overall, I'm with those who don't love Trubel, and are annoyed by Juliette.

 

On the upside, I'm loving Louise Lombard as the new badass hexenbeist mama. More of that, and Monroe and Rosalee, please. Less Trubel and Adaline and Juliette. Twentieth'ing 'Tell Wu!'

Edited November 2, 2014 by Big Bad Wolf

[ABay]

"She's had some work done." Heh. I also enjoyed Viktor's comments about the gruel recipe being in his family for years. Not very good, more of a tradition, really.

 

Introducing GrimmGirl wasn't a mistake, I think, but the nickname definitely was. WTF were they thinking?

[marceline]

 

Has Jacqueline Toboni/Trubel's acting improved a lot, or is she just good at acting stealthy?

 

Neither as far as I'm concerned. I'm not here for Bootleg Faith and her caveman table manners.

 

I've never had the problem with Juliette that a lot of others have but I'm over this thirsty chick thinking she can speak for Nick. This business of smiling in his face and pretending everything is fine when it really isn't just doesn't work. Tell the man how you feel and work on fixing it or walk away but don't sabotage him and pretend it's out of love.

 

Poor Wu. I agree he needs to know but once they tell him, then he'll need to deal with the fact that they betrayed him on such an unbelievable level. That's gonna leave a mark.

 

Is there some reason Adalind always refers to her child as "my baby" and never by her name?

[Syme]

It really annoyed me that Teresa didn't call Nick/Hank as soon as she saw which house the octupus guy had gone in to, and told them the full address.

 

Have you seen the Geico ad where the kids are in a horror movie situation, and rather than getting into the running getaway car, they hide behind the collection of chainsaws and scythes???? This is one of those; if the characters acted rationally, we'd have no show....

 

That was just stupid. And then, isn't a Grimm supposed to be super strong? But she was just lying on the sofa cringing away from the wesen about to attack her. 

 

She got it together soon after. With her hands tied behind her; she drop-kicks him repeatedly, holding him off for several rounds.

[jhlipton]

I think they really screwed up the casting.  Claire Coffee should have played Juliette, and Bitsie should have played Adalind (or someone else or no one at all).  Coffee is so much better at acting it's not even funny!

[formerlyfreedom]

Folks, started a new topic: The Grimm Wishlist - and I'm going to move some posts over there, since it's a better fit to talk about what you'd like to see the show do, or wish they had done.

[beeble]

There has been some very lazy writing, I agree but what else is new? This show is a guilty pleasure and while it has its awesome moments, too often there is some easy kool-aid packaged powder that in 2 minutes can undo some spell that took, like 300 years and the blood of a rare rabbit-lizard hybrid to create. 

 

Why does Wessen-FBI lady want a Grimm? Shouldn't she scream and run the other way, like every other critter does?

 

And Hank used to be able to see the Wessen…but now he doesn't? What did I forget during the summer?

I'm not on the Teresa/T.Rubel train at all. I feel like she has the disease formerly known as Aspergers or something. She just doesn't seem to care in the least about the feelings of other people. It's all about her, screw everyone else. 

 

She's the TV show's version of a teenager. At least she isn't a mean girl.

[merylinkid]

Hank could never see Wesen unless they deliberately did the full on woge.   Just the usual "Grimm can see" woge he could never see.   He had to watch Nick for his reaction.   Which he doesn't have now.

[lynny]

And gruel.

 

It really annoyed me that Teresa didn't call Nick/Hank as soon as she saw which house the octupus guy had gone in to, and told them the full address. That was just stupid. And then, isn't a Grimm supposed to be super strong? But she was just lying on the sofa cringing away from the wesen about to attack her. I don't know, there was an awful lot of 'stringing it out unnecessarily' in this episode, and I ended up FFing through stuff to get where I knew they were going. Need to do better, writers.

 

Overall, I'm with those who don't love Trubel, and are annoyed by Juliette.

 

On the upside, I'm loving Louise Lombard as the new badass hexenbeist mama. More of that, and Monroe and Rosalee, please. Less Trubel and Adaline and Juliette. Twentieth'ing 'Tell Wu!'

 

I could be way off here, but when I saw that, I didn't think she was cringing. I thought she was closing her eyes so that Octopus Guy couldn't see that she was a Grimm.

[AudienceofOne]

I didn't think she was cringing. I thought she was closing her eyes so that Octopus Guy couldn't see that she was a Grimm.

 

 

That's exactly what she was doing. I thought, "smart girl!"

[Georgia]

I feel like they've lost control of a lot of storylines and threads.  They really needed to establish their timeline better.  I can forgive Adalind for not being her normal, devious self because she's not even 6 weeks postpartum (I think).  I can forgive Juliet for not wanting Nick to be re-Grimmed because she just found out he slept with Adalind yesterday (or the day before).  She was clearly hurt that he didn't notice it wasn't really her, which is fair and speaks to the problems in their relationship.  I think she's having a moment of weakness.  When my husband comes home from work late and I've had a long day with 9 kids, I wish he had a job with more predictable hours.  I might even have given voice to this thought in a less-than-dulcet tone.  But then I remember that I enjoy our family having both food and shelter and I chill.  Juliet was having a moment and that's fine.

 

It's weird to me that none of them is freaking out about how dangerous Nick being de-Grimmed is to all of them.  He's well-known in the wesen world and has powerful enemies. They seem to be keeping his situation on the down low, but he's dead if it gets out.  I'd be trying to re-Grimm him ASAP if I were Juliet.

 

Honestly, I think they're relying on nostalgia with regard to Prince Wesley from Buffy.  I don't know what his endgame is and I don't care.  Compared to Renard's late brother (Eric?), he's meh.  

[merylinkid]

 

When my husband comes home from work late and I've had a long day with 9 kids, I wish he had a job with more predictable hours.  I might even have given voice to this thought in a less-than-dulcet tone.

 

Completely normal.   You might have expressed this thought to him.   Or vented to a girlfriend or two.   But I am betting even in a moment of weakness you did not go to his boss and ask his hours be changed.   While Rosalee and Monroe are not Nick's bosses, they do seem to be looking for the ability to return his Grimm powers.   So in a way they have control over his future, like a boss does.   And that's what Juliette did.   She went to people who can affect Nick's future and tried to influence, without making sure that was what NICK himself wanted..   That's not a moment of weakness.   That is deliberate action that affects her loved one's future and she fucked with it without permission.

[Syme]

That's not what happened.

 

What Juliette said in the scene with Monroe and Rosalee, was that she wanted some time for Nick to think over whether he wanted his powers back. Juliette reassured them that she still loves them, but she wanted Nick to have some space.  A valid point, even if I don't agree. It did come off as 'behind his back' as opposed to concerned.

 

On reflection/rewatching, I see Juliette's move above as a cry for help to them. She's having a really hard time coping with all the shit unloaded on her in the last few months, and does not know where to turn.

 

• There's a near-teenager suddenly living in her [not Nick and hers.., hers.. ] house, and rather than oh... making out on the couch with some guy and leaving stains [al-la a teenagers,] said houseguest instead beheads a  Feebee in the upstairs hall. Couldn't she just eat all the bacon instead?????
• Her worst enemy, who put her in a coma and almost killed her, just jumped her BF in her own bed...and negligee.. and... BODY... And he went along with it, smiling all the way. And her MiL, the dead one, brought the bitch into her house in the first place.
• Just as she was trying to cope with learning the truth about Clark Kent, and committing to how her life would change with him; suddenly he's been fed Kryptonite and he's now reduced to being Walter Mitty.
• She must be asking herself....Now What...What happens next?

{Compared to her, Andy Sipowicz's travails looked almost blasé....}

 

The only people she can talk to are the Newlyweds...

[SmithW6079]

I can't stand Trouble. I don't enjoy her being the Grimm. I don't enjoy her character. I don't enjoy her front & center in storylines. I don't enjoy her acting. She is sucking the joy from a show I previously really enjoyed. I was hoping that she'd get the full octopus treatment & be given a farewell wave as she was wheeled away.

 

ITA. If I had wanted to watch a show with a kick-ass female killing monsters every week, I would have watched it when it was called "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Also, for the show to establish that Trubel is a kick-ass female, it means they have to wussify the men -- witness Nick turning into emo ex-Grimm. Why can't men be strong and protective? Oh that's right, not in today's society they can't. Because when they are, the show (or the showrunners) are labeled as sexist or misogynistic or whatever. So shoehorned into a story where she doesn't belong is a "kick-ass female." Besides, this show does have kick-ass females -- for hard-core action, there's Nick's mother; for more subtle emotional/psychological manipulation, there's the Hexenbeasts. And there's nothing wrong with coming up with non-violent solutions that don't require kicking ass, the way Rosalee and Juliette do.

 

Besides, every single Trubel storyline is the same: puts her nose into police business (either on her own or by invitation), decides to strike out on her own, even though the professionals tell her not to, because of course she knows best, gets into trouble, and then Nick and Hank have to show up to rescue her (or, because she's supposed to be a "kick-ass female"), get there too late, because she's already dispatched the bad guy.

 

I really hope the FBI make her disappear for good, and Nick's loss of his powers is resolved soon. I do not want to watch Trubel as the "only Grimm in town" while NIck emos his way through the rest of the season.

 

 

 

 

[anamika]

On reflection/rewatching, I see Juliette's move above as a cry for help to them. She's having a really hard time coping with all the shit unloaded on her in the last few months, and does not know where to turn.

 

Responding in Juliette thread...

 

 

Also, for the show to establish that Trubel is a kick-ass female, it means they have to wussify the men -- witness Nick turning into emo ex-Grimm.

 

I like that for once the female Grimms are the more fierce and scarier of the species. I am a little disappointed that Trubel got to cut off a wesen’s head while I was waiting for Nick to get to it. But I don’t think Nick is an emo-ex Grimm. He’s just restricted by his job as a police detective that does not give much leeway for hard core Grimm work and right now he is trying to work without his Grimm self. That's going to be hard. I would not expect him to carry on as usual after what happened.

Edited November 3, 2014 by anamika

[proserpina65]

But alas, we're back to the All Wesen are evil troup again....

 

Well, without knowing their intent, we can't say for sure that FBI wesen and co. are evil, just unscrupulous.  Time will tell.  I'm still hoping that maybe they aren't evil.

[Hanahope]

It's only going to get worse from here. I  mean Nick's dad died because he was married to a Grimm. It should have been clear to any fool by now that a Grimm's life is not normal or peaceful. Hence the many people (Aunt Marie, Truble, Monroe etc.) telling Nick that it's best to be single.

 

It was my impression, though, that Nick has been using his Grimmness differently than others because he was getting others to help him rather than be so lone wolf about it as Grimms were wont to be in the past.  Further, Nick was getting other "good" Wesen to help him.  So its possible that when in a group, it wouldn't necessarily be significantly more dangerous for a Grimm to have a significant other, especially one who can help, can call on others for help, etc.

 

I too am surprised that Adalind seems fairly unknowledgable for a Hexenbiest, both in how she was unable to open her mother's spell book and apparently didn't realize or read the full side-affects of her 'anti-grimm' spell, and obviously was too stupid to ask for Proof of Life from the Royals.  I guess her mother didn't teach her very well and she wasn't a very good lawyer. 

 

Here's to hoping Renard's mother becomes a full member of the Scooby gang.  And Wu.

 

I think Renard's potion was time sensitive, but there may be another, not so easy way to get Nick back his powers.  I'm sure it will have something to do with needing to rescue Adalind.

 

Did the Rumplestiltskin-like voice actually say something to Adalind?  I heard giggling and something that sounded like words, but I couldn't make them out.

[lynny]

It was my impression, though, that Nick has been using his Grimmness differently than others because he was getting others to help him rather than be so lone wolf about it as Grimms were wont to be in the past.  Further, Nick was getting other "good" Wesen to help him.  So its possible that when in a group, it wouldn't necessarily be significantly more dangerous for a Grimm to have a significant other, especially one who can help, can call on others for help, etc.

 

I too am surprised that Adalind seems fairly unknowledgable for a Hexenbiest, both in how she was unable to open her mother's spell book and apparently didn't realize or read the full side-affects of her 'anti-grimm' spell, and obviously was too stupid to ask for Proof of Life from the Royals.  I guess her mother didn't teach her very well and she wasn't a very good lawyer. 

 

Here's to hoping Renard's mother becomes a full member of the Scooby gang.  And Wu.

 

I think Renard's potion was time sensitive, but there may be another, not so easy way to get Nick back his powers.  I'm sure it will have something to do with needing to rescue Adalind.

 

Did the Rumplestiltskin-like voice actually say something to Adalind?  I heard giggling and something that sounded like words, but I couldn't make them out.

 

 

Their exchange went something like, "My name is Adalind." "My name is for me to know and you to find out."

 

At least that's basically how I heard it.

[Rosieroo]

I'm not on the Teresa/T.Rubel train at all. I feel like she has the disease formerly known as Aspergers or something. She just doesn't seem to care in the least about the feelings of other people. It's all about her, screw everyone else. 

 

It was my impression, though, that Nick has been using his Grimmness differently than others because he was getting others to help him rather than be so lone wolf about it as Grimms were wont to be in the past.  Further, Nick was getting other "good" Wesen to help him.

I see this but I also get a "teenager" vibe from her...the grabbing all the bacon and running out, the getting money from Hank for lunch and keeping the receipt and just her general "kid sister" kinda relationship with Nick.  And teens are wilful, selfish little critters who don't listen to anything and don't seem to care about the feelings of others so that part doesn't bother me.  I am really liking Trouble (spell? eh....pffft!).

 

Also the Buffy storylines are getting a bit obvious there, Greenwalt.

Edited November 3, 2014 by Rosieroo

[luckyroll3]

My only comment about this episode is that I am so happy that that sexy ass piece of man candy did not die.  I was seriously considering not watching the show anymore if they killed off Renard. (And the I googled some of his pics online....hot damn!)  The mom's hot too, although they were kinda creeping me out with the levels of affection, mostly because she looks much younger than him.  

[shapeshifter]

Their exchange went something like, "My name is Adalind." "My name is for me to know and you to find out."

 

At least that's basically how I heard it.

Which sure sounds like classic Rumpelstiltskin.

[ABay]

Please no. One on TV is enough, especially one that is somehow part of every fairy tale ever. </bitter Once Upon a Time gripe>

 

Wasn't there a Rumplestiltskin thingie in Grimm before....season 1? The software company?

Edited November 4, 2014 by ABay

[Syme]

Well, without knowing their intent, we can't say for sure that FBI wesen and co. are evil, just unscrupulous.  Time will tell.  I'm still hoping that maybe they aren't evil.

 

Well, they did snatch Theresa off the street.....

[candall]

Loooved jumper cable snake!  Nice CGI and a clever solution to Renard's death.  I still don't get why Renard's mother seems to be the same age as Renard.  Adalind's mother was age-appropriate, so it's not a Hexenbiest thing.

***********************

 

I got distracted by the hoagie business.  Why did Nick roll his eyes when Trouble needed some cash for something to eat?  Seems pretty reasonable; was she supposed to get a paper route?

 

But okay, Hank picks up the slack for Nick cheaping out on his houseguest/ward and then suddenly Trouble is nom-noming a giant hoagie while she lingers casually in the hotel corridor--all hunched over with her ear pressed up against the door.  LOL, because that's not suspicious at all.

 

Obviously I'm a superficial viewer.  I think Monroe being a vegetarian is more interesting than the Resistance vs. the Royalty.

 

.

[Zahdii]

I think Nick was just astounded at how much Teresa eats, she eats like a teenage boy going through a growing spurt, and her table manners are much the same.  I assume/hope that she'll outgrow both of those behaviors if she stays on the show and calms down.

 

My ex told me that when he was a teen, he had two very close friends and their mothers would feed those human food vacuums lunch.  They each figured that they served better food and were quietly patting themselves on the back at knowing what a growing boy needed to eat.  What they didn't know until years later was that the boys would go to one house and eat, then on to the next, then on to the last one. 

 

I really don't think Teresa's issues aren't growth related, but was hungry a lot in the past so that kind of "eat while you" can mentality is still with her.  Not to mention I don't know how many calories she expends during her daily life riding that bike everywhere and whatever Grimm training she's doing.

 

As for why Nick didn't give her the money, maybe Hank just offered first while Nick was rolling his eyes.  Now if Nick reimbursed Hank later isn't known.  I thought the request for the receipt was funny.  Maybe it'll be turned in to the police later as "money given to confidential informant".

[AudienceofOne]

I feel like they've lost control of a lot of storylines and threads.  They really needed to establish their timeline better

 

 

This is what happens when they have a premise rather than a plan. The first half of the first season was fantastic but since they didn't have anything ready to propel the plot forward they had to come up with coins and maps and keys and royals, all of which are basically MacGuffins and none of which make any sense because they're too ill-defined. I genuinely don't know why I kept watching this.

[theatremouse]

they had to come up with coins and maps and keys and royals

Sorta turned it into a board game, didn't they there?

[Actionmage]

Wasn't there a Rumplestiltskin thingie in Grimm before....season 1? The software company?

 

Yes, there was. Nameless, S2E16. Maybe he was a New World or more modern version? ::shrugs::

[hincandenza]

Sorta turned it into a board game, didn't they there?

Hadn't you heard?  Much like 50 Shades of Gray started as "Twilight" fan fiction, the Royals plotline of Grimm was adapted from one of the best known "Cones of Dunshire" slashfics.

[beadgirl]

 

Further, Nick was getting other "good" Wesen to help him.

I think this alone would greatly increase his lifespan, because it signals to the Wesen that he is not indiscriminately killing every one he comes across.  Once word spreads that the local Grimm is taking a "live and let live" approach (and it has, through the refridgerbeavers and Monroe's allies), the number of wesen looking to kill the Grimm on sight will drop significantly. 

 

I think Nick's resources as a cop will help too, in that he has two approaches, legal and extra-legal, to deal with threats.  I think it is perfectly possible for a Grimm in Nick's circumstances to have a family in relative safety, and I'd like to see that -- I want him to get his powers back, I want Juliette to realize he is better off with them at this point and to decide it is worth it to stay with Nick (even if she gets occasionally grumpy about it, as any human with emotions would do), and then I want the writers to leave her the hell alone.  Let her be a source of comfort and relief for Nick, and maybe a little help.

[kathyk24]

I loved seeing Adalind getting what she deserves for once. I also liked seeing Nick and Hank showing genuine concern for Renaud. I didn't like Juliette going behind Nick's back. His powers came from his mom it's who he was meant to be not who he chose to be like Bruce Wayne deciding to become Batman. I'd love to know the difference between male and female Grimm. I wonder if Trubel has a different metabolism than Nick does. I love her lack of angst.

[Actionmage]

His powers came from his mom

 

Well not exactly. Grimmness runs in his maternal genes yes, but it was Aunt Marie dying that activate Nick's Grimm powers. Nick's grandfather inherited the powers, as did Kelly and Marie.  Instead of The Royals I'm more interested in how Grimm families have worked and what a "progressive" Grimm family looks like. I think Nick's arrangement would be considered  "hippy dippy"/"crunchy" (i. e., just weird.)     

[Bruinsfan]

When they showed this week's Wesen doing his brain-sucking thing I immediately thought "So THAT'S what a Mind-Flayer would look like in the real world!"

 

I also loved poetic justice of Octopussy being driven insane by Teresa's memories. I guess he should have been more careful of who he decided to brain suck.

I was definitely a big fan of this. A couple of years ago on the worst-ever episode of Supernatural they had some witch taunting the leads while tormenting them with their worst memories. I thought the guy's head should have exploded when he went fishing for hard luck stories like abuse by an alcoholic father and instead came up with decades-long subjective stays in Hell (with the Devil's undivided personal attention for one).

[Rahul]

I loved the snake jumper cables, too. Mama definitely loves her son. It looks like she transferred some of her life force to Renard. I think I want to keep her. She seems kind of bad ass. I loved how Sean smiled when he realized she was really there.

 

The double ended/headed snake was very cool in theory, but man did the CGI suck.  It was as bad as the SFX on Once Upon A Time.  Grimm must be outsourcing the CGI to a cheap, off brand studio. Speaking of bad effects, the exterior of the Viennese castle is also extremely fake looking. 

 

I'm kind of glad there's another Hexenbiest in the mix. Witches are my fave supernatural entity and make for badass villains if done properly. I'm confused why Mama Renard has a British accent and looks younger than her son though, although I suppose the later could be chalked up to magick. We heard her voice during a phone call with Renard last season and she had some nondescript Eastern European accent, but now its decidedly British.

Edited November 9, 2014 by Rahul