S05.E09: Star-Crossed

[Darklazr]

Earth to the Grimm writers:  I don't care about Black Claw any more than I cared about the Royals or the keys. I don't care about Seans' political leanings, or his love life.   I like the case of the week, the spice shop, Rosalee, Monroe, Wu, Hank.    Every single time a writing staff decides to go all crazy with arc themes, etc, the show jumps the shark:  Sleepy Hollow and Person of interest come to mind. 

 

Please reset this show.   Take Trubel, Adalind, Meisner, and even Sean (if you can't explain his presence within the Wesens), out of the equation.  The case of the week was enough without all these creepy stuff you try to add into it. 

 

My theory is the characters who were involved with saving Monroe's life last year are being targeted one by one with the members being a part of Black Claw prison team; Sean is being set up and probably outed as a Zauberbiest and working with (Dixon) who will probably end up as being a part of Black Claw.  Nick is clearly getting ready to be ambushed when Black Claw come looking for him and he needs a way to escape his new paint shop home.  Rosalie is being targeted by her old drug buddies who may have been contacted by some of the folks in prison that tried to kill Monroe.  Hank was suppose to get a love life this year, but it looks like the writers decided to give that to Renard as part of his political story which will all eventually tie into the woman being a part of Black Claw.  Hank will probably have a ONS and the woman is probably Black Claw killer.  That leaves Wu and Bud with Black Claw probably coming for them during May sweeps... 

[johntfs]

 

Juliette talked about Meisner doing to Nick what he did to her during last weeks show, which basically was beating the crap out of her until she broke.

 

I think there was a lot more to it than that.  Eve doesn't seem to be afraid of Meisner or to defer to him.  If anything he defers to her.  That's not the power dynamic of someone beaten into submission and broken to another's will.  I think "Eve" is Juliette with her humanity (good and bad) removed.  Eve suggested "breaking" Nick and removing his humanity to make him an efficient servant of Hadrian's Wall.

[merylinkid]

Which is STUPID.   Nick was a cop long before he ever manifested his Grimm powers and learned about Wesen.   Sitting down and TALKING to him would work better.   First, of all, he's probably against a return of Nazism.   Second of all, voluntarily joining would ensure he believes in the principles of it and stays  loyal a lot more than turning him into a robot.   I'm quite sure having your humanity beaten out of you is not a permanent condition.   When it returns guess who you hate?  Not the bad guys, but the guys who did that to you. 

 

Honestly.   This whole thing can be resolved with a little more talking.   Nick is open to the idea already.   He already trusts certain members.   Just give him enough information to make an informed decision.   

[johntfs]

Which is STUPID.   Nick was a cop long before he ever manifested his Grimm powers and learned about Wesen.   Sitting down and TALKING to him would work better.   First, of all, he's probably against a return of Nazism.   Second of all, voluntarily joining would ensure he believes in the principles of it and stays  loyal a lot more than turning him into a robot.   I'm quite sure having your humanity beaten out of you is not a permanent condition.   When it returns guess who you hate?  Not the bad guys, but the guys who did that to you. 

 

Honestly.   This whole thing can be resolved with a little more talking.   Nick is open to the idea already.   He already trusts certain members.   Just give him enough information to make an informed decision.   

 

Sure, but the whole thing was more about illustrating Eve's outlook and personality.  Whether she was good or Bad, Juliette was a human, emotional being.  Most of the bad that came from her being a hexenbiest stemmed from her being overwhelmed, drowning in negative emotions to the point that they warped her into being a monster (or so the plot dictated).  Eve isn't like that.  Emotions are irrelevant to her save those that can be exploited to serve the cause (like the fear of the guy she See/Hear/Speak no eviled).  She also didn't press the point or insist that Nick be "broken."  She simply raised it as an option.  The fact that she raised the idea of "breaking" a man she (as Juliette) deeply loved gives us a view of her mindset.  Eve isn't someone who cares about relationships or morality, just about accomplishing whatever objectives she's been given however she can.

[Hiddenpick]

So it's clear that Wesens don't give a phuck about their once secret traditions, since the evidence of their work is left for all to see in the light of day. I am kinda thinking that there must have been drought at one time before this recent bout and this ritual must have been carried out then. Had they not given a crap there would have been records. Oh well.  I suppose the new attitude is due in part to the ominous Wesen (Black Claw) war that's a comin'. But damn if this particular ritual wasn't kinda barbarous. Sacrificing humans on a cross?

 

Any human life taken is horrific, but I have this added empathy for these poor homeless folks missed and loved by no one. Also, the placement of glass in the eye socket is reminiscent of the Tooth Fairy figure (Francis Dolarhyde) in the Red Dragon movie. *shrudder*.

Glad to see team Grimm working together to solve the mystery. Who knew that Rosalee was fluent in Middle Irish??! And yesss...even Adalind contributed to the solution of the ritual's origin. It was good to see her doing something more than folding baby clothes. Speaking of mystery, what does Rosalee's ex want and what's behind the bolted/welded/locked door in Nick's basement? Not sure I care about Rosalee's mystery but I'm extremely curious about what's behind door #1.

 

Can anyone of you goodly folk tell me why Juliette..oh, sorry..Eve...wears theses wigs? What's the purpose? Is it to enhance her look while interrogating? No. Is she balding? No. Is it so that we aren't confused? (*smirk*) I mean wearing the wig will indicate that she's Eve? Is she incognito? I mean will the Wesens she captures and kills or imprisons recognize her in a line up? Is it like a super wig that increases her powers? Whatttt???..Anyone?

 

 

[applecrisp]

I noticed when thy went to a murder sight, Wu was handing out Vicks vaporub.  I guess it really is used to reduce the smell. I think I am addicted to it.

[theatremouse]

Can anyone of you goodly folk tell me why Juliette..oh, sorry..Eve...wears theses wigs? What's the purpose?

I'm pretty sure the point is literally to make people think of Alias. I mean that in-show universe, ABC and Jennifer Garner exist. The super secret org wants anyone she kidnaps or beats up to think of Sydney Bristow. For reals.

I still can't believe they're really doubling down on the Hitler-as-Wesen shit. But so they are.

[OtterMommy]

I still can't believe they're really doubling down on the Hitler-as-Wesen shit. But so they are.

 

Replying in the Everything Wrong thread...

[ottilie]

"Juliette talked about Meisner doing to Nick what he did to her during last weeks show, which basically was beating the crap out of her until she broke."

 

Okay - I wish that in a future episode they'd explain that Meisner used a government mind control approach like MK Ultra, because it would be somewhat realistic while still having good storytelling potential.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_MKUltra   

 

   In the past episodes, they both implied that Meisner was going in the cell and fighting with her, but maybe they could explain that they were just practicing, like judo partners. The thing is, Eve is so strong and has amazing telekinesis and magic skills that I don't think it's feasible that Meisner could ever win in a regular fight. Therefore, Meisner clearly has some other type of control over her. In fact, remember how Meisner knew Capt Renard before? It would make sense if he also has magic at his disposal, or at least some very advanced mind control approach.

[Actionmage]

Can anyone of you goodly folk tell me why Juliette..oh, sorry..Eve...wears theses wigs?

 

I believe it is so that those interrogated by Eve, and left alive, can't give an accurate description of her. The point of why Sydney Bristow did so in Alias. Still? The guy we saw this week would probably remember her dead eyes and voice more than clothing and hair color, which can be changed pretty easily.

 

So it's clear that Wesens don't give a phuck about their once secret traditions, since the evidence of their work is left for all to see in the light of day.

 

So what does that make Monroe or Rosalee or Bud and the rest of the very on-the-down-low Eisbeiber population, for a start? Not Wesen?

 

They maybe aren't thrilled with being secretive 24/7/365, but they get to live a relatively "normal" life and tend to not eff with anyone they don't need to mess with. The Black Claw has agitated enough of  "average" wesen into acting on their frustrations. I can understand being tired of not getting to be honest about yourself and your beliefs. Yet the people being shown to be enticed to the Black Claw's vision are folks who are looking for a way to strike back at humans who have no idea they exist. Also, folks who just want to hurt folks. In this episode, we had a reason to suspect that the son of committing the murders. Once we saw the meeting, the suspect pool jumped a great deal. Any future wesen-related crime might be committed by those folks. That it was someone we'd met in the episode was nice, as a viewer. But part of the Black Claw's agenda is to stop the masquerade, the veneer of seeming human when you are wesen, humans be damned. 

 

I am sure there were previous droughts that did not have the ritual, though there might have been some droughts that could have, but the person conducting them was mindful of the mundane consequences and acted accordingly. The point of this episode was to show the growing discontent, but, imo, if we have Teresa running all over the globe to stick a finger in the dike of the masquerade? That boat is largely out to sea already and makes Portland look provincial and isolated, which I'm pretty sure it isn't.

 

The reason the very ancient traditions have persisted, as shown in-show, is that it actually protects wesen in more cases than it hurts. Only, since our introduction to it, through Nick and the group, it seems there are some gaps that haven't been sewn up in the rules/laws/traditions. That's where  good wesen are getting screwed over. Only the show hasn't shown more cynicism and growing dissatisfaction  in the Portland wesen over the past four seasons, just the cases we see in-show. There haven't been many that seemed to show a united wesen feeling of justice miscarried. Hell, there are wesen in the mundane prison system and doing okay there ( in kitchens, as was shown, even)!

 

It comes back to telling us that there's lots of angry wesen and they feel it's time to go all Network/ Howard Beale* on humans, who for the most part have no idea that there are wesen in the world. (* "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!")

 

It is strictly the cast and the fumes of past characterization that keep me circling back each week.

[ShadowFacts]

 

The reason the very ancient traditions have persisted, as shown in-show, is that it actually protects wesen in more cases than it hurts. Only, since our introduction to it, through Nick and the group, it seems there are some gaps that haven't been sewn up in the rules/laws/traditions. That's where  good wesen are getting screwed over. Only the show hasn't shown more cynicism and growing dissatisfaction  in the Portland wesen over the past four seasons, just the cases we see in-show. There haven't been many that seemed to show a united wesen feeling of justice miscarried. Hell, there are wesen in the mundane prison system and doing okay there ( in kitchens, as was shown, even)!

 

I noted that the farmer said to his son when arguing and trying to get him to leave the meeting, that just because it's an old tradition, doesn't mean it's good.  Just like the real world, some of the wesen are responding on an emotional level more than others.  And they can be more easily manipulated by "leaders."

[kili]

The geography of this episode made no sense (nothing else does, so why should I be surprised?)

 

There are seven points on the big dipper/plow. The first three bodies found are within their jurisdiction and are on the cup of the dipper. The next three points they have others investigate because they fall in areas  outside of their jurisdiction - all those bodies are much older (and at 3 weeks with a major hole in the stomach, I think the older ones should look a lot more gross). The final killing spot appears to be within their jurisdiction (they only mention three being outside) and it is at the end of the handle? Is their jurisdiction shaped like a crescent moon? 

 

Why does Rosalee have all those Grimm-type books around her Spice Shop? If she had all those, why did they keep running to the Grimmebago? Or did they manage to salvage a few things from that raging inferno? One would think books would not be the things that survived. I think some writers are regretting the fire.

 

Meanwhile, I wish those same writers were start regretting the Nick/Adalind romance. That warm smile he shot her while she was remembering her hexenbiest home-schooling lessons? Ugh. Dude, look up Stockholm Syndrome and remember all the things she did to you and your friends.

[OtterMommy]

Why does Rosalee have all those Grimm-type books around her Spice Shop? If she had all those, why did they keep running to the Grimmebago? Or did they manage to salvage a few things from that raging inferno? One would think books would not be the things that survived. I think some writers are regretting the fire.

 

Meanwhile, I wish those same writers were start regretting the Nick/Adalind romance. That warm smile he shot her while she was remembering her hexenbiest home-schooling lessons? Ugh. Dude, look up Stockholm Syndrome and remember all the things she did to you and your friends.

 

Re: The Books - those are the ones that were salvaged from the trailer fire.  They brought everything they could save to the Spice Shop.  Now, Rosalee also has hundreds of OTHER books that could be useful, but they never think to look to those anymore.

 

I'm hoping that this does all turn out to be Stockholm Syndrome.  Honestly, *even I* could admit that it would be a cool twist that this all some great revenge plot on Adalind's part.  And it would make her interesting again (hopefully).

[Darklazr]

Grimmabago!  What a waste to get rid of the trailer!  I think the trailer being gutted ticks me off more than Nick not being the head cheese on his own show!

[TVSpectator]

So it's clear that Wesens don't give a phuck about their once secret traditions, since the evidence of their work is left for all to see in the light of day. I am kinda thinking that there must have been drought at one time before this recent bout and this ritual must have been carried out then. Had they not given a crap there would have been records. Oh well.  I suppose the new attitude is due in part to the ominous Wesen (Black Claw) war that's a comin'. But damn if this particular ritual wasn't kinda barbarous. Sacrificing humans on a cross?

 

I think that the writers have been hinting that there was at least some old Wesen traditions that have been dropped, for different reasons, but mostly because of Grimms hunting them down (but also for the fact that a lot of modern-day Wesens just don't buy into a lot of the old folklore, unless they are desperate and/or want to reconnect with their heritage, which kinds of happens IRL). Although, I have no idea what is currently happening on the show. First in Seasons 1-3 it has been stated, and shown, that if a regular human sees a voged Wesen he/she would probably end up crazy (look at what happened with Wu) and that the Wesens just want to be left alone, but then you have this Black Claw group that wants to make Wesens known to the public (and honestly, all they have to do is just voged online/TV to get their message across), but I think they have also been saying that this Black Claw wants to take over the world, somehow. 

[OtterMommy]

First in Seasons 1-3 it has been stated, and shown, that if a regular human sees a voged Wesen he/she would probably end up crazy (look at what happened with Wu) and that the Wesens just want to be left alone, but then you have this Black Claw group that wants to make Wesens known to the public (and honestly, all they have to do is just voged online/TV to get their message across), but I think they have also been saying that this Black Claw wants to take over the world, somehow. 

 

So, as I said, I haven't been watching the show--just following the plot here.  Have they ever explained why this is all happening in Portland?  If Black Claw wants to take over the world, Portland is a pretty strange place to base their operations.

[theatremouse]

So, as I said, I haven't been watching the show--just following the plot here.  Have they ever explained why this is all happening in Portland?  If Black Claw wants to take over the world, Portland is a pretty strange place to base their operations.

It's not just in Portland. Teresa was various other places on other continents dealing with other mini-uprisings before she resurfaced. It's implied it's been happening all over and just now becoming noticeable in Portland, and since the show is focused there, showing the Portland happenings. Edited February 16, 2016 by theatremouse

[TVSpectator]

So, as I said, I haven't been watching the show--just following the plot here.  Have they ever explained why this is all happening in Portland?  If Black Claw wants to take over the world, Portland is a pretty strange place to base their operations.

 

I don't remember at all. All they have been saying is that Black Claw is worldwide and is causing all of this mass chaos. Although, I totally agree that a city like Portland (which I believe is only 600,000 people) is at the center of this worldwide conspiracy to amass great power does need explaining but they have been just trying to paint this worldwide chaos and that Portland is just one epicenter of it. 

Edited February 16, 2016 by TVSpectator

[OtterMommy]

It's not just in Portland. Teresa was various other places on other continents dealing with other mini-uprisings before she resurfaced. It's implied it's been happening all over and just now becoming noticeable in Portland, and since the show is focused there, showing the Portland happenings.

 

 

I don't remember at all. All they have been saying is that Black Claw is worldwide and is causing all of this mass chaos. Although, I totally agree that a city like Portland (which I believe is only 600,000 people) is at the center of this worldwide conspiracy to amass great power does need explaining but they have been just trying to paint this worldwide chaos and that Portland is just one epicenter of it. 

 

Okay, so let's say it is happening all over the world.  Why would they keep Juliette in Portland?  Wouldn't they want to send her where no one knows her?  I mean, when Nick first saw her from afar in a darkened warehouse, he immediately recognized her despite her oh-so-lovely wig (so, you know, not a great disguise).

 

Unless, of course, all the really bad shit is going down in Portland...which, again, why Portland?

[theatremouse]

Okay, so let's say it is happening all over the world.  Why would they keep Juliette in Portland?  Wouldn't they want to send her where no one knows her?

They've implied they're using her to get Nick on their team. So, again, it's a "just right now" thing. It's also been loosely implied there may be a slightly higher-than-average Wesen population in/around Portland. But it really just boils down to "this has been stated as a worldwide thing and we're just seeing the Portland bits of it." I don't think they really need to explain "why Portland" more than that. They're not even trying to say it's mostly Portland, or a biggest deal in Portland, or Portland is the center of it (or Portland is a Hellmouth). They bothered to clarify it's a worldwide thing, and since this show takes place in Portland we see the effects on Portland.

Plus ever since Juliette mentioned "doing what was done to her" (which I still don't think was a bludgeoning into submission and they haven't at all clarified what "it" was) I doubt Eve is the only one like her they have. Just like I don't think Teresa is the only Grimm they have. It's not like Meisner, Eve and Teresa are the only ones fighting the thing. They're just the characters on this show that we see doing so. Maybe they've got a wigged robot witch in every major city.

Edited February 16, 2016 by theatremouse

[orza]

It's been established that HW is a super-secret Federal agency set up to fight the Black Claw that is part of a worldwide network, or HW is name of the worldwide network, I forget which. Every self-respecting Federal agency would have a whole bunch of people working for it. We saw other people in the computer room at the beginning of this episode. Trubel and Meisner are the local operatives, at least for now.

 

Limiting the action to a single city, usually the actual filming location, is something that lots of shows do for practical reasons, No one has the budget to travel all over the place and one can only fake a limited number of other locations. While Oregon can stand in for rural Austria, it cannot easily stand in for Arizona or Israel.

 

Juliette/Eve is in Portland because that is where the show is set and where all the other characters are.

[OtterMommy]

Juliette/Eve is in Portland because that is where the show is set and where all the other characters are.

 

That I do understand because it is a show, but I still don't quite get the narrative reason for it.  Because they want to recruit Nick make the most sense--except they were already "training" her when Chavez discovered Nick was a Grimm.  I guess Trubel could have said something....

 

I know, I'm thinking too hard.  Yeesh, how much worse would it be if I was actually watching the show?  

[orza]

Maybe you really should watch the show if you need that level of detail.

[ShadowFacts]

Portland has the most super-powerful type of hexenbiest, a made-hexenbiest, which I don't know how HW knew about.  I may have forgotten that crucial revelation.  But if they knew about her, why wouldn't they know Nick was a Grimm?  I would also think they would want to recruit a half-zauerbiest to their cause, who happens to be up in the hierarchy of law enforcement.  And Meisner knows who/what he is.  But no, Renard messes around with politics and seems like he's in normal 'keep me posted' mode. 

[OtterMommy]

Portland has the most super-powerful type of hexenbiest, a made-hexenbiest, which I don't know how HW knew about.  I may have forgotten that crucial revelation.  But if they knew about her, why wouldn't they know Nick was a Grimm?  I would also think they would want to recruit a half-zauerbiest to their cause, who happens to be up in the hierarchy of law enforcement.  And Meisner knows who/what he is.  But no, Renard messes around with politics and seems like he's in normal 'keep me posted' mode. 

 

I don't think they knew about Juliette until Trubel spilled the beans at some point on the night that Juliette was supposedly killed (the way that ep went...she didn't know about Juliette until she was sitting around Bud's table with Bud, Adalind, Monroe, and Rosalee and she asked where Juliette was).  Now, that doesn't give her a heck of a lot of time to go to Chavez to tell her about Juliette, get whatever sedative they used in the crossbow (I'm assuming she was using Nick's crossbow) and get back to Nick's house just in the Nick of time (see what I did there? ha!).  Supposedly, she only had the time it took Nick to get from Bud's house to his (which is not that far, if I remember from season 1).  Also, Chavez didn't know that Nick was a Grimm until he nabbed her, which I guess means that Trubel kept that bit of information to herself to protect him?  And Meisner didn't seem to know who he was until he night that Trubel was in the hospital.

 

Either the viewers are being asked to accept something that doesn't quite make sense OR there is some piece of information that they are withholding from us.  If it is the latter--which should be a good thing--I don't think they are doing it well.  When that happens in books, TV, movies, etc...the audience should either know that there is more information out there OR not feel that they are missing anything.  Here, if that is really the case, the audience (er, some of the audience) is just left scratching their heads.

Edited February 16, 2016 by OtterMommy

[ShadowFacts]

Replying in the writing thread.

[Hiddenpick]

I don't remember at all. All they have been saying is that Black Claw is worldwide and is causing all of this mass chaos. Although, I totally agree that a city like Portland (which I believe is only 600,000 people) is at the center of this worldwide conspiracy to amass great power does need explaining but they have been just trying to paint this worldwide chaos and that Portland is just one epicenter of it. 

I know I may be reaching here and giving in to analyzing and speculating way more than is necessary or true, but writers tend to, I think write (be it subtle or blatant) stories that reflect social/political climate. If so, the Claws uprising could be--could be interpreted as a mirror of terrorism around the world and also introspective of the mindset of those feeling disenfranchised or oppressed and are vulnerable to the ideology of those who speak of a by-any-means-necessary way. And so, maybe the focus of these disruptions in and around Portland is reflective of how global problems affect local 'politics' with some local angry Wesens giving in to extremist ideology .i.e those who want to 'take back' or 'reclaim' by going on the offense rather than being on the defense?

[ShadowFacts]

I know I may be reaching here and giving in to analyzing and speculating way more than is necessary or true, but writers tend to, I think write (be it subtle or blatant) stories that reflect social/political climate. If so, the Claws uprising could be--could be interpreted as a mirror of terrorism around the world and also introspective of the mindset of those feeling disenfranchised or oppressed and are vulnerable to the ideology of those who speak of a by-any-means-necessary way. And so, maybe the focus of these disruptions in and around Portland is reflective of how global problems affect local 'politics' with some local angry Wesens giving in to extremist ideology .i.e those who want to 'take back' or 'reclaim' by going on the offense rather than being on the defense?

 

Yes, I definitely think this is what they are doing.  They even show the Wesen uprising hotspots as the real-world equivalents.  And they've pretty often, in seasons past, depicted some of the wesen criminals and/or victims as being either oppressed or wanting to show their true selves to the world.

[theatremouse]

I know, I'm thinking too hard.  Yeesh, how much worse would it be if I was actually watching the show?

I actually think you might have fewer questions if you'd watched the episode(s) in question. I don't mean that at all to be harsh. Just that some of the questions you're asking sort of seem to me to assume a particular interpretation of how things have been presented (not what, how) and I think if you'd seen the how directly, it would have been more clear or at least you'd have your interpretation based on seeing how it was presented, not just from reading others' descriptions of what went down. I mean, I'm not at all one to defend the writing on this show. I have many quibbles. I'm not even saying they've done a good job. But they did present some of this stuff in a certain way such that you might not need/want some of the explanations you're currently looking for because either: they made it pretty obvious it's a "to be revealed" thing or as with the "why Portland" discussion above, it's not really begging that particular question.

[OtterMommy]

I actually think you might have fewer questions if you'd watched the episode(s) in question. I don't mean that at all to be harsh. Just that some of the questions you're asking sort of seem to me to assume a particular interpretation of how things have been presented (not what, how) and I think if you'd seen the how directly, it would have been more clear or at least you'd have your interpretation based on seeing how it was presented, not just from reading others' descriptions of what went down. I mean, I'm not at all one to defend the writing on this show. I have many quibbles. I'm not even saying they've done a good job. But they did present some of this stuff in a certain way such that you might not need/want some of the explanations you're currently looking for because either: they made it pretty obvious it's a "to be revealed" thing or as with the "why Portland" discussion above, it's not really begging that particular question.

 

Thanks...I am actually planning to watch the last 2 episodes (it was my plan today before the sick kids took over the TV).  I had been planning to just binge watch the season on Amazon in September, presuming that they straightened themselves out, but you're right...maybe I need to actually check in with the show now and then....

 

But, thanks for the help on clearing this all up.  I still think, as I said in another thread, that you could play whack-a-mole with all the plot holes...but maybe it would just be a shorter game than I originally thought!

[jmonique]

I watched about 7 minutes of the show on Hulu.

What in the hell is going on with this show? It's nothing like it was two seasons ago. Is the writers' room made up of interns from other shows?

[TVSpectator]

I watched about 7 minutes of the show on Hulu.

What in the hell is going on with this show? It's nothing like it was two seasons ago. Is the writers' room made up of interns from other shows?

 

I am not quite sure but I think that they really wanted to drop the Royals Storyline and moved onto this as some kind of replacement for a new major story arch. IMO, they just totally screwed up the Royals storyline and just jumped the shark to this new storyline. 

[Darklazr]

I am not quite sure but I think that they really wanted to drop the Royals Storyline and moved onto this as some kind of replacement for a new major story arch. IMO, they just totally screwed up the Royals storyline and just jumped the shark to this new storyline. 

 

I wanted a storyline where we met all Seven Royal Houses and have it mixed in with the wesen of the week as they schemed to get Nick's key(s) and the conclusion to whatever the heck it was the Grimm's found and refused to turn over to the families.

[OtterMommy]

Finally watched this one...and I was sort of pleasantly surprised.  Against the series, it wasn't a great episode, but I do think it was better than most (or maybe the best) of the rest of this season.  Thoughts...

 

• Cracked up a little when Nick came to the Spice Shop and asked Monroe and Rosalee if they had time to talk to them instead of just basically walking in and demanding their attention as usual.  Awww, maybe our boy is growing up!
• Or..maybe not.  What kind of idiot starts banging at walls under their residence without any idea of whether or not they are load bearing.  Also, if those tunnels have been closed for over a hundred years and this place is near the river, they would have been flooded 3-4 times by now.  So, who knows what kind of pandora's box is down there...
• Back to the Spice Shop...my daughter (7 years old) walked in while Rosalee was on the phone to her stalker and asked what that.  I couldn't figure out what she was talking about until I realized it was Rosalee's old-style phone.  Apparently, she has no idea of what phones used to be.
• I ignored most of Adalind because, well, it's Adalind...however, I did see the scene where she was imparting all this valuable knowledge **that Monroe and Rosalee should have known** (based on what they knew already).  A lot has been said, mostly over on FB, about Nick's "loving" look at her, but I don't think that's what that was.  That scene was almost identical to a scene Nick had with Juliette in the El Cucuy episode (the set up was the same, the words of the script were different, but the structure of the dialogue was the same, and the blocking was even similar).  If anything, I think it was more a sense of familiarity--there is finally something in Nick's life that is familiar to him--than any sort of attraction (although I'm also still holding onto my hexen mind-control theory).
• I was actually impressed with the interrogation scene!  Honestly, I thought that would be a flop but it was really quite powerful.  I think *right now* Eve is interesting, but I don't know if she is a sustainable character.  I mean, I can't see her staying "like this" for an extended period of time.
• I really wish that they would give Russell Hornsby something interesting to do.  For over 4 years now, the vast majority of Hank's time has been following Nick around.  On the few occasions that Hank has been given a substantial scene, Hornsby has excelled.  I wish that they paid even half the attention to him as they do some other members of the cast.
• Monroe is a wonderfully horrible "zombie follower."  The scene in the grange was sort of "eh" except for him!
• Honestly, I loved the last scene with the end.  That is actually how things went down here.  We hadn't had rain in ages and then, just one day, the temperature dropped and it rained heavily for about 3 straight days (which is very unlike Oregon).  

 

I have another issue...but it really has to do with the show as a whole, so I'll address it in the Everything's Wrong post when I can wrap my mind around what exactly I want to say.

[TVSpectator]

Back to the Spice Shop...my daughter (7 years old) walked in while Rosalee was on the phone to her stalker and asked what that.  I couldn't figure out what she was talking about until I realized it was Rosalee's old-style phone.  Apparently, she has no idea of what phones used to be.

 

^^^ IMO, this is when you known you are old. You have to start explaining things to kids about things that were just everyday mundane things when you were a kid. 

 

Overall, I have to agree with you, this was one of the best season 5 episodes and I did like how it ended. 

[Clanstarling]

I have not yet watched the most recent episode, and didn't watch the previews, so my comments may already be invalid, but here goes.

I like the plot where Rosalee is about to fall off the wagon with her old J addict friend, but perhaps they should have slightly changed the lines? They have set it up with their angry responses over the phone so they are sure to immediately chase him off when he finally arrives at their store. Maybe there is some unexpected angle which will cause her to talk to him.

 

I liked that they explained that Adalind actually studied witchcraft as a child, because it is funny how Renard, who didn't attend Hogwarts, always has to find a female witch in order to do anything. He rarely uses his powers, or perhaps male powers are just different. I thought the CGI special effects with Eve interrogating the guy were good. She is so powerful that they are bound to win. Only another witch could defeat her.

 

I think Monroe could potentially be interpreted as coming around to the black claw cause. He still has some wesen friends and they don't all regard him as a threat.

 My assumption is that the guy calling Rosalee is Donald (Daniel?) Jones, or whatever name that was, the guy recruiting at the Black Claws meeting.

 

I haven't seen it mentioned, though may have missed it, but Renard also knew about the ritual, which surprised me and made me think it might be a little more than Hexen/Sauberbiest ABCs.

 

Juliette's wig made her look like Ronald McDonald. I'm glad that I was wrong, I was thinking that the teenage son was the one doing the killing, but it turned out to be the hipster at the lumber yard. Shirtless Renard was great, but how is the politician thing going to tie into the storyline?

I think the politician is a Black Claw leader who is using Renard's position in both the general world, and Royal world.

 

That whole “spy organization headquarters” thing with Trubel & Meisner at the beginning just pissed me off. When did this show become an Austin Powers movie?

I don't expect they'll explain, but I just figured the feds repurposed an old high security prison, so they are housed in cells for bedrooms, etc.

Count me in as thinking that sending Monroe to the meeting was beyond stupid.

Though I noticed the bearded lumber guy in the back of the meeting room, I was still surpised when he turned out to be the culprit.

Edited February 28, 2016 by clanstarling