S05.E11: Key Move

[formerlyfreedom]

Newly gained artifacts take Nick and Monroe closer to the source of a long-gestating mystery. Elsewhere, Black Claw makes a deadly move that will send Portland into disarray.  This is the series 100th episode!

 

[merylinkid]

Oooh ick.   Really Nick???   You know she tried to kill your aunt, yet sex with her is okay because "she's the mother of my child."   That does not mean you have to have sex with her.   Heck, it doesn't even mean you have to shack up together.   Nope, all it means is you should treat her with respect and co-parent the best you can.   

And Adalind's overwrought "No don't go, you might not come back" was just horrible.   We know Adalind is needy because her mother treated her a commodity rather than a daughter, but still this is way toooooo needy.   Just ick.

 

Now compare that to Monroe saying goodbye to Rosalie.   No begging Monroe not to go.   No big scene.   Just a very tender good bye.   I swear those 2 are the best written couple on tv.

 

Honestly where are Renard's superiors?   He's only the captain, not the Chief of Police.   Why is he at a political rally -- on the phone -- instead of dealing with the random shooter running around Portland?   

 

Then we have Monroe and Nick running around the Black Forest like idjits.   Give me a fricking break.   No plan, no being careful around the locals (except for using fake names), just wandering around and babbling.   Good god, Nick got spotted as a Grimm and they still are all "lalalalala, let's just go out on a HILL with lanterns at night.  No one will notice us.  We're not acting suspicious in the least."

[Actionmage]

Not to quibble too much, but the previews said that next week is the 100th episode, but  other than that and a horrible mistake they're doubling down on really hard, it was a decent, suspenseful episode.

 

Didn't Like:

* Trying to make Adalind's rape of Nick into Nick 'sleeping with' her. There could be a good survivor's story in this, but nope! TIIC are trying to make some star-crossed luv thing out of Nick and Adalind. You don't show either of them remembering Adalind trying to kill Aunt Marie with a syringe full of Death and then have them Do The Sex almost right after. Then Nick remembering the 'Let's settle our differences...Violently' in the "afterglow". Poor Claire Coffey even got stuck with a "if you'd told me ..." speech!

 

*Whatever that weirdness was at the top of the episode after the first ad break. We come back and the group at the spice shop are essentially recapping what just happened. I don't enjoy it in my reality shows, I really don't need it in my scripted shows as well. Plus, everyone sounded spazzy, which yeah, finding Templar treasure is super cool, but Our Heroes sounded like high schoolers, imo.

 

Did Like:

*Nick and Monroe being a team; it has felt too long since they were a team, even with the periodic pairing off of these two friends. I love the whole team, but Nick and Monroe was special.  It was nice to get that back.

*Monroe and Rosalee's good-bye. Simple and so many feels.

*Hank and Wu getting a chance to show they were good cops without Nick and Renard trusting his men and immediately scanning for danger. Our Sean isn't being super sharp lately, but damn if he doesn't catch on quick.

*The possibility that there is a third party trying to screw up the mayor's race. We have Black Paw trying to (supposedly) hit Sean, but what if Dixon was the target and the picture that we were shown was a bad/good clue? What if the shot actually came from another killer, only human? The general populace of Portland believes this to be a human candidate; are humans incapable of calling for political rivals to be killed? It wasn't shown in this episode that Marwan was the one who shot Dixon, so I am hoping things are getting interesting. (Probably for naught, but still.)

*Teresa may be deciding against continued employment by Hadrian's Wall. She understands there's fires globally, but she would prefer to help the folks she knows first.

*We still don't know what the church guys' deal is. If they are protecting something that is supposed to be some ancient treasure, why shouldn't they be hypervigilant and a bit on the kill-y side. I think there are better ways to figure out what's up, but the Nick & Monroe's Schwartzwald Adventure is putting Our Heroes in situations they haven't had to really face before. It could be fun. Even with the faked papers for "Freddie" and "Felix". *g*

 

I'm back for Episode 100, but  depending on the story, I may be out. If those in charge think I'll sit through the Nick/Adalind thing, they are fooling themselves.

 

 

No plan, no being careful around the locals (except for using fake names), just wandering around and babbling.

 

I thought they had the location possibilities hammered out before they left. So, yeah, neither acted like grown-ass men who have dealt with this sort of stuff before. Also, what did Monroe and Rosalee do with the time between getting home for Monroe to pack and when Nick came to pick him up. Not even packing and pre-trip nookie should preclude a bit of nailing down where to search. I can't see Rosalee sending her man off to traipse around the Black Forest with a Grimm to hopefully find the spot a Grimm treasure has been buried for 6-700 years.

Edited March 5, 2016 by Actionmage

[officetemp]

Oooh ick.   Really Nick???   You know she tried to kill your aunt, yet sex with her is okay because "she's the mother of my child."   That does not mean you have to have sex with her.   Heck, it doesn't even mean you have to shack up together.   Nope, all it means is you should treat her with respect and co-parent the best you can.   

And Adalind's overwrought "No don't go, you might not come back" was just horrible.   We know Adalind is needy because her mother treated her a commodity rather than a daughter, but still this is way toooooo needy.   Just ick.

I kept hoping that Nick would be overcome with revulsion during that "morning after" scene and have to sprint for the bathroom to puke his guts out.  Or, better yet, just lean over the side of the bed and heave onto the floor.  No such luck.

 

This series is officially FUBAR as far as I'm concerned.  I'm curious to see what happens with the keys but even that's getting to be tedious.  What a waste of a good original premise for a series!

 

Oh, yeah, I guess I'm hoping that whatever it is that's lurking behind that impenetrable door at Nick's fortress will bust out while he's in Germany and maybe carry Adalind away and secure the door again.

Edited March 5, 2016 by officetemp

[SimoneS]

I made the mistake of turning to Grimm and saw Nick in bed with Adalind. Ick. I would have stuck hot knives into my eyes, but I was too busy throwing up in my mouth. Wanna bet she gets pregnant again with her magical uterus? 

[officetemp]

Wanna bet she gets pregnant again with her magical uterus? 

Yeah, the same thought occurred to me, too, since it seems she only has to have sex once with someone to get pregnant by that particular partner, though I guess she avoided it with Hank?  Maybe it could become a running joke in the series where she just keeps producing another baby every few months.

Edited March 5, 2016 by officetemp

[Cigale]

Monroe's sign of the Cross was hysterical. Bravo, Silas Weir Mitchell!

[Snarkette]

Wanna bet she gets pregnant again with her magical uterus?

 

Apparently I was not the only one screaming at my TV "YOU BETTER BE USING PROTECTION THIS TIME!"

[placate]

Was I the only one who hoped the sniper took out Renard? I mean, I think he's the only one left from his royal family, unless the mayor is a super important royal too. I just want Sasha Roiz to get a better role. Ah well, I can always watch him in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

[Darklazr]

Was I the only one who hoped the sniper took out Renard? I mean, I think he's the only one left from his royal family, unless the mayor is a super important royal too. I just want Sasha Roiz to get a better role. Ah well, I can always watch him in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

 

Renard stated that Viktor was King and Meisner said,"For the moment", so I am sure there are other cousins out there connected to the Captain.

 

Sasha Roiz seems very happy with his job on Grimm and I don't see him leaving any time soon, and it is really hard out there to land primetime acting gigs!

[Frozendiva]

I thought that the sniper would have been trying for Renard. Why the unknown mayoral candidate (we really don't know anything about him)?  I could understand a Governor but a mere mayor? Will he raise taxes or not approve expansion of Portland's LRT system? At least Renard did keep his wits about him.

 

Nick and Adalind? Um, nope. I liked the more fanged Adalind - didn't come across as needy. Monroe and Rosalee seem to have a much more healthier relationship.

 

The Black Forest church people? It is the 21st century and I would think that through the magic of the Internet and the Wesen equivalent of the 'vine', that talk of a Good Grimm would have made its way all the way to back-country Germany. Not like the villagers out of Beauty and the Beast plus Gaston hiking to the magic castle complete with pitchforks and torches to rid the town of the Beast and to make way for Gaston to bully his way to get to the girl.

 

Surely also that the Black Forest area might be protected by the German government as a federal park area? It was convenient that the sinkhole appeared - realistically they'd need a backhoe or other sort of digger contraption to dig up the site. Which would be noticed.

 

Why couldn't Nick and Monroe do the digging during daylight hours? If the church site has been there all those hundreds of years, it would be likely to still be there in the AM.

[Darklazr]

TIIC should have paired DG with CC from the very start, because these two have tons of chemistry.  However, ick to Nick banging his rapist.  What the hell is this, General Hospital's Luke and Laura?!

 

My sexy pants Renard needs to keep his zipper zipped, because that PR woman is the one IMO that just had Dixon shot.

 

Woah. I totally grinned from ear to ear as Nick and Monroe took off on their adventure!  Eeek!

 

Hank and Wu in police mode and Renard catching on that something was about to go down was awesome.

 

WTF, Nick?  It's okay to tell Adalind about the keys, but NOT Renard?  Renard has shown zero interest in the keys since s2 and he sure in hell has been way more supportive as your commanding officer.  What a jerk.  On a serious note, I think Renard is/was furious that Nick knew how to contact his mother and Diana could have been returned before Viktor and Adalind returned to Portland....just a thought on why Renard and Nick seem so off kilter in s5.

 

 

 

I thought that the sniper would have been trying for Renard. Why the unknown mayoral candidate (we really don't know anything about him)?  I could understand a Governor but a mere mayor? Will he raise taxes or not approve expansion of Portland's LRT system? At least Renard did keep his wits about him.

 

Nick and Adalind? Um, nope. I liked the more fanged Adalind - didn't come across as needy. Monroe and Rosalee seem to have a much more healthier relationship.

 

The Black Forest church people? It is the 21st century and I would think that through the magic of the Internet and the Wesen equivalent of the 'vine', that talk of a Good Grimm would have made its way all the way to back-country Germany. Not like the villagers out of Beauty and the Beast plus Gaston hiking to the magic castle complete with pitchforks and torches to rid the town of the Beast and to make way for Gaston to bully his way to get to the girl.

 

Surely also that the Black Forest area might be protected by the German government as a federal park area? It was convenient that the sinkhole appeared - realistically they'd need a backhoe or other sort of digger contraption to dig up the site. Which would be noticed.

 

Why couldn't Nick and Monroe do the digging during daylight hours? If the church site has been there all those hundreds of years, it would be likely to still be there in the AM.

 

Reasons...lots of reasons...the writers had lots of......reasons!

 

I think someone (PR woman??) wants Renard to run for Mayor and the best way to do that is to kill his friend Dixon.  Once Renard is Mayor of Portland it won't be long before BC makes him do their dirty deeds....

Edited March 5, 2016 by Darklazr

[merylinkid]

Great now I have the song "Dirty Deeds" stuck in my head.

[Frozendiva]

Why would Black Claw have any interest in a city's operations? Infrastructure, transit, building developments, bylaws, more money for snow removal? A hockey arena for a new NHL team? Development of a new power plant? The usual mayor's rubber chicken lunches and dinners? Dealing with Wesen community groups? Maybe more is happening in Portland.

 

Darklazr, night digging is probably more covert and interesting. No need for someone to notice digging in some forest. Or why an area that hasn't been touched in years, all of a sudden gets a sinkhole when a couple of rocks are moved.

[catrox14]

Yeaaaaahhhhh....

 

so I'm just gonna go ahead and assume that Nick's brain has been dead since he was zombiefied. That's the only way any I can swallow any of this garbage with Adalind.

 

UNLESS Nick is running his own long con and has a plan....HAHAHAHAHAH yeah...nope...it's  zombie!brain!Nick.

[neuromom]

I'm glad they specified that the cop that was assaulted was a rookie, because I was yelling at my screen because his officer safety skills were lousy. Glad they didn't kill him though. I felt sorry for what I assume was the college kid that was killed.

I'm just speechless about Nick and Adalind. I can't even discuss it. It's nauseating.

I sometimes forget Sasha's size. He really is an imposing figure on the stage. And yes, he did catch on quick that something wasn't right.

My teen caught that they were driving around Germany in the vehicle with the steering wheel on the right. Isn't it on the left side in Europe?

[placate]

My teen caught that they were driving around Germany in the vehicle with the steering wheel on the right. Isn't it on the left side in Europe?

I'm pretty sure that's a British thing, that and Britain's former colonies.

[possibilities]

I kept thinking that banging Nick was Adalind's long con-- that it would get her powers back and all the schmoop was just her way of trying to get him to do it. Then I thought maybe when Nick had the flashback afterwards, it was going to snap him out of his dissociation and he would finally stop with the BS. Or SOMETHING about Grimm-Biest sex would have SOME kind of supernatural effects. It used to. Back in the day.... Even if you remove the rape element, this story is so BORING. I mean, their dialogue and facial expressions are so cringeworthy, it's not even convincingly twisted, it's just generic gloop... I kept seeing thought bubbles appearing over DG's and CC's heads, saying things like: "I want to kill myself" and "I hope this drek doesn't ruin my career."

 

Nick should have worn sunglasses so the church mouse couldn't see his Grimmness in his eyes. He used to do that in Portland.

 

But his superhearing didn't hear the crew coming up the mountain, and Monroe's blutbad heightened sense of smell didn't smell them coming either. So I guess they might have forgotten they're actually a Grimm and a Blut, and not just goofy tourists embarking on a geocaching game. If I could tell the priest was lying, why couldn't they?

[GaT]

I made the mistake of turning to Grimm and saw Nick in bed with Adalind. Ick. I would have stuck hot knives into my eyes, but I was too busy throwing up in my mouth. Wanna bet she gets pregnant again with her magical uterus? 

I swear, if she gets pregnant again I'm gonna cut a bitch. I've had enough of Adelind & her magical pregnancies. What I do think is going to happen is "Eve" will become Juliette again. so they can fight it out over Nick.

 

So they made the magical 100th episode, so syndication is taken care of. I bet this is the last season.

[thuganomics85]

Ha!  Wow, I mean talk about doubling, no tripling down.  Not only do Nick and Adalind kiss again, they go ahead and have sex.  And not only that, they have Adalind flat-out say she "loves" Nick, and Nick isn't exactly saying he isn't.  This is just insane, especially since the show even acknowledges how crazy this is by having Nick flashback to to time she threatened poor Hank, and they brawled it out.  And yet, all he says is basically "She's a different person, now."  And he and Monroe continue to acknowledge what she did to him, but instead of treating it like rape, they just act like it was a wacky drunk night or something.  Again, I really am not even mad anymore, because this is just so, so strange.  I almost have to admire how deluded everyone involved in this is.

 

I do hope he wore protection at least, although I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't, so they can find a way to be ready in case Claire Coffee does get pregnant again.  I'm pretty sure she gets pregnant in even number seasons, and season six is next, assuming it gets renewed...

 

Besides that, I did enjoy Nick and Monroe teaming up again and going on a road-trip, Rosalee being supportive, helping out, and trusting that her husband knows what he is doing (as oppose to Adalind all "Nooooooo!  Don't go!  I don't want you to die, because I'm apparently helpless without you, Nick!"), and this leading to Hank and Wu teaming up to find the mysterious sniper.  And it does seem like the Black Claw is somehow connected to whatever is going on with this dumb mayor plot.  Not sure why the candidate is a target.  I did notice Renard's new beau was being very shady, so I totally think she is a part of all of this.  I just wished I cared more.

 

I wonder if they actually filmed Nick and Monroe's stuff in Germany.  Because that could explain why the episode seemed flashback happy, because they blew their budget on the location, and were like "Fuck it!  Dig up some footage and call it a day!"

 

Eve, Meisner, and Trubel just hung around their computers like they've suddenly started starting in a fairy tale/fantasy version of NCIS, CSI, or any number of procedural shows.

 

100th episode next week, but I'm just waiting for the Nick/Adalind wedding episode, which I'm totally prepared to happen at this point.

[icewolf]

Holy crap! Best episode since the Monroe got kidnapped by the hate group from season 4.

I was getting some serious season one goodness vibes with Nick and Monroe teaming up to go on an adventure in a forest, the main plot being about the keys, and S1 flashback of the best version of Adalind, and even the flashback from S2 with Nick's mom.

Remember how much more colorful the look of the entire show was like something out of a fairy tale? When Monroe was the only one in on the Grimm secret and Nick's wacky Wesen partner? Remember when Juliette was the clueless girlfriend, Adalind the tormentor with no babies, Renard the shady boss? Damn... I really need to rewatch Season 1 before the upcoming season (series?) finale.

The stuff with the shooter was pretty average, but Renard might finally be going somewhere with that plot.

Ehhh at Nick sleeping with Adalind, the writers clearly want us to know Nick has forgiven her, so I decided to not care about it anymore since he doesn't.

The 100th episode is next week!

Edited March 5, 2016 by icewolf

[chrisvee]

Doubtful that Adalind and Nick stay together; she'll likely get her powers back. But perhaps she'll be able to overcome the hexie. Either way I can live with this story. It's like a ham-fisted version of Buffy/Spike; just wish they had gone this route earlier before they did so much damage to Adalind.

What I can't take is Juliette/Eve, this military subplot, and how they've made Meisner boring and ruined Trubel. I fast forward through all of those scenes. They don't fit.

[ottilie]

I like the facial recognition software that HW uses because it is partly realistic - they use something like this at large events like the superbowl. It's somewhat awkward that Trubel keeps getting sent around the world and missing out on what's happening in Portland. They should remind everyone the reason why their headquarters happen to be in a facility in St Johns neighborhood of Portland is because Agent Chavez set it up and she was based here. She is an eagle so she is in touch with eagles involved with black claw leadership. They killed her off too soon. I hope they let Trubel ride a motorcycle again.

 

The sniper plot was pretty good. Portlanders have to be used to political violence given the overall high murder rate, with several murders per week. Since the lead black claw guy is a pretty snow leopard, does that mean that survivor of the council massacre who is also a snow leopard will come back?

    In germany, their dialog with the priest is clueless but probably not any worse than dumb tourists. Nobody would express disappointment and leave when they learn a church is only 500 years old. The hole that they fell into was a sudden transition to Raider's of the Lost ark. Once they triggered it to open, how could the pit ever reset itself - the next hikers are bound to find it. The church wesen are too overconfident with ability to kill a grimm. The key are supposed to lead to hidden wealth, so I wonder if they actually will present the church wesen as also knowing about this wealth, yet hanging around guarding it and not gossiping to outsiders for hundreds of years. Will the keys be required to open a box?

Edited March 5, 2016 by ottilie

[Clanstarling]

No plan, no being careful around the locals (except for using fake names), just wandering around and babbling.  

When Monroe said he was traveling under his uncle's name, I shook my head. Sure, use the name of someone that is not only known by Black Claw, but known to be dead.

 

My sexy pants Renard needs to keep his zipper zipped, because that PR woman is the one IMO that just had Dixon shot.

Agreed. The "phone call" she took was a signal to the shooter.

 

Why would Black Claw have any interest in a city's operations? Infrastructure, transit, building developments, bylaws, more money for snow removal? A hockey arena for a new NHL team? Development of a new power plant? The usual mayor's rubber chicken lunches and dinners? Dealing with Wesen community groups? Maybe more is happening in Portland.

Given that it's a Black Claw assassin, I'd assume something more Wesen related. I don't recall if we know if the candidate was wesen, but either way, I think Wesenality has something to do with it.

 

My teen caught that they were driving around Germany in the vehicle with the steering wheel on the right. Isn't it on the left side in Europe?

Yep, Germans drive on the left. I didn't notice the steering wheel - I was busy looking out the windows trying to decide if they were actually there. But my impression was that Nick was driving and Monroe had the map or something in his hands.

 

I wonder if they actually filmed Nick and Monroe's stuff in Germany.  Because that could explain why the episode seemed flashback happy, because they blew their budget on the location, and were like "Fuck it!  Dig up some footage and call it a day!"

I think they did some filming, but I don't think the actors were there. The only external shot that located them in Germany (when I initially thought they were there) showed a partially clear cut hill in the background. It's been a long time since I've been to Germany, so they may clear cut now, but I don't recall ever seeing that, and I spent a lot of time on the road there, watching the scenery pass by from the back of my father's car. However, here in Oregon - it's part of the routine scenery. I thought a little CGI was used to get the buildings into the scene.

 

The shots from the car, for instance, looked very much like faked shots in most shows when the characters travel in a car. The buildings and scenery were not crisp and clear as they should have been on that sunny of a day. (one of the reasons I love Oregon is that it reminds me so much of Germany)

 

Did anyone else notice that Eve, supposedly an emotionless character, manifested a fair bit of emotion when discussing how a number of people might be killed or harmed if the Black Claw assassin wasn't caught? I thought it was funny that they couldn't even get "wooden" right.

Edited March 5, 2016 by clanstarling

[FormerMod-a1]

The HW wall stuff feels so separate from everything else, even when it does involve NIck and Monroe, which it didn't this time.  But their super high-tech fansy schmancy underground, no windows lair just seems so out of place.  Maybe they should spin off into their own show, and take Eve and Truble with them.  

[iMonrey]

It never ceases to amaze me how consistently tone deaf the writers and producers of this show are WRT the fans. Nobody wants this Nick and Adalind thing - nobody. It's as though they are deliberately trying to destroy this show. I used to like this show so much that if it had been cancelled a few years ago I would have been heartbroken. Now? Not so much. I just can't understand what the hell they're thinking. I don't care how much "chemistry" Claire Coffee has with David Guintoli. Their characters' histories make them inherently inconceivable as a romantic couple. 

 

What's more, I don't understand the point of Nick having a post-coital flashback of Adalind trying to kill Aunt Marie if it's not going to result in a realization that what he's doing is nuts. Gee, she tried to kill Aunt Marie, she tried to kill Hank, she tried to kill Juliet, she tried to kill Wu (indirectly, but still). Oh, but . . . they have chemistry. Give me a freaking break with this chemistry crap. It's not some magical formula the trumps logic and reason. 

 

IMO, it's worse than the whole Luke and Laura thing (for those familiar with the infamous General Hospital couple). Luke didn't try to kill a whole bunch of Laura's friends and family in addition to raping her. There's a little bit of wiggle room when you're dealing with one single sexual encounter (in some people's minds, anyway), but at some point a character's misdeeds ad up to a point where they are simply not viable as romantic partners with the victim of all their crimes. And this is about as glaring a case of that as I can think of.

[ShadowFacts]

Monroe is the best, had the best lines -- 'churches always give me the creeps',' maybe there are more commandments than we know about.'  He and Nick were pretty amateurish, though, after seeing the sacristan woge, they should have been way more careful in questioning the priest and heading right for the x marks the spot.

 

Nick and Adalind are beyond nauseating.  I am totally losing any remaining respect for Nick . I am hoping Monroe's line about let's hope she doesn't change, or she stays this way, however he said it, is an anvil.  But that would make Nick seem even more stupid I suppose.  This is a loser of a storyline no matter what.

[ottilie]

"I think they did some filming, but I don't think the actors were there. The only external shot that located them in Germany (when I initially thought they were there) showed a partially clear cut hill in the background. It's been a long time since I've been to Germany, so they may clear cut now, but I don't recall ever seeing that, and I spent a lot of time on the road there, watching the scenery pass by from the back of my father's car."

 

Okay - my mother came from germany and my cousin Tom is actually a forester in Wurzburg (he was inspired to go into that by visiting the Cascades and Olympic mtns by Seattle as an exchange student with my parents), although this doesn't provide me with any insight into if they never clearcut or not. Generally though, in germany they carefully selectively harvest trees and control what is replanted. Also - here is a major difference between Oregon forests and many german forests - there is a lot less underbrush there. But the TV show showed lots of underbrush. So my diagnosis is that they filmed this nighttime forest scene in Oregon somewhere, and used the darkness to make it appear less local with conspicuous douglas firs and hemlocks.

   But, I think they actually filmed them driving in the car in the real village in germany, because how else would they have filmed the actors entering the real church. I bet the range of shots (like you don't ever see them walking around the village) is more limited because it would be elaborate to recruit extras and get permits to do an actual town scene, or a forest scene. But Universal did spring for plane tickets to send actors and a cameraperson to Germany.

 

"I don't care how much "chemistry" Claire Coffee has with David Guintoli. Their characters' histories make them inherently inconceivable as a romantic couple."

   I think their upcoming plot requires them to be together for a couple episodes before a new conflict arises. It might involve the tunnel

Edited March 5, 2016 by ottilie

[orza]

Yeah, they were really in Wolfach, at least for all the exterior scenes. Here is the St.Laurentius church in Wolfach https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfach#/media/File:St_laurentius_wolfach.JPG  There are lots of images of Wolfach online that match exactly with the shots of them driving around. They used a different church for the interior scenes.

 

The footage of them driving is real, too. The out of focus background is just how they shot it. When Nick is talking Monroe is also out of focus and when Monroe is talking Nick is out of focus. It would be cheaper to fly the two actors over to Germany for a few days and contract out the actual filming to a Stuttgart television production company than to simulate the car scenes with CGI. Someone would still have to drive around town to get all the the background footage to insert intot the car scenes.

 

This episode was shot in late autumn. What might look like clear cut patches is really stands of deciduous trees that have lost there leaves.That can be seen by enlarging online images to see more detail.

Edited March 5, 2016 by orza

[merylinkid]

 

Monroe is the best, had the best lines

oh yeah.   When he was explaining the history of the Reformation, geeking out on something else, etc. it was great.   He is such a lovable nerd.    He really comes alive when he can expound on useless trivia.   Guess he did more than pilates when he reformed.

[Xenavar]

It never ceases to amaze me how consistently tone deaf the writers and producers of this show are WRT the fans. Nobody wants this Nick and Adalind thing - nobody. It's as though they are deliberately trying to destroy this show. I used to like this show so much that if it had been cancelled a few years ago I would have been heartbroken. Now? Not so much. I just can't understand what the hell they're thinking. I don't care how much "chemistry" Claire Coffee has with David Guintoli. Their characters' histories make them inherently inconceivable as a romantic couple. 

 

Nobody? My girlfriend and I like her. Speak for yourself fine but you're not speaking for everyone and the loudest are not always right.

P.S. Nice sex scene, done for the right reasons. Been waiting for that one a long time.

Edited March 5, 2016 by Xenavar

[neuromom]

When Monroe said something about the treasure perhaps being something that was considered important hundreds of years ago, but not today - I had to laugh. My son even remembered me talking about this back in S1 or S2 when I speculated that this treasure was some "secret weapon"...like gunpowder. Something that would be amazing during the Crusades but woukdnt have the same importance to us in the 21st century.

Or, perhaps it's just the world's first IPhone prototype....

[anarchyangel84]

Dirty deeds with a Hexenbiest

Ok so she's technically not a Hexenbiest anymore- but she will always be just as ugly to me. I was hoping that them having sex would somehow give her powers back. Wouldn't it have been great if he looked at her & she woged? I used to think Nick was so attractive. Now he's not & I think it's because of this whole Adalind thing. It's good to know that he values his friends & family so little. Sorry Aunt Marie, I know she tried to kill you but she's the mother of my child. Ridiculous. When Nick was talking about it to Monroe in the car, they were talking about whether or not this time was different. Hell yes it was! Both of them consented this time!

Did Nick & Monroe leave their brains back in Portland?

Nick & Monroe saw that guy in the church woge. They didn't think that there would be more Wesen around & that they probably wouldn't like Americans- especially a Grimm- digging around their home? They didn't think that Priest may have been a Wesen & may have had a reason to lie? Geez! I kind of liked that storyline but like everything & everyone else on this show, they screwed it up!

[Darklazr]

When Monroe said he was traveling under his uncle's name, I shook my head. Sure, use the name of someone that is not only known by Black Claw, but known to be dead.

 

Agreed. The "phone call" she took was a signal to the shooter.

 

Given that it's a Black Claw assassin, I'd assume something more Wesen related. I don't recall if we know if the candidate was wesen, but either way, I think Wesenality has something to do with it.

 

Yep, Germans drive on the left. I didn't notice the steering wheel - I was busy looking out the windows trying to decide if they were actually there. But my impression was that Nick was driving and Monroe had the map or something in his hands.

 

I think they did some filming, but I don't think the actors were there. The only external shot that located them in Germany (when I initially thought they were there) showed a partially clear cut hill in the background. It's been a long time since I've been to Germany, so they may clear cut now, but I don't recall ever seeing that, and I spent a lot of time on the road there, watching the scenery pass by from the back of my father's car. However, here in Oregon - it's part of the routine scenery. I thought a little CGI was used to get the buildings into the scene.

 

The shots from the car, for instance, looked very much like faked shots in most shows when the characters travel in a car. The buildings and scenery were not crisp and clear as they should have been on that sunny of a day. (one of the reasons I love Oregon is that it reminds me so much of Germany)

 

Did anyone else notice that Eve, supposedly an emotionless character, manifested a fair bit of emotion when discussing how a number of people might be killed or harmed if the Black Claw assassin wasn't caught? I thought it was funny that they couldn't even get "wooden" right.

 

Yes, the special snowflake is back!  Grrrrrr.

[dirtydi]

I was bored by this episode, until the end.  Just no to Nick and Adalind.  I rolled my eyes so much, I still have a headache. 

[meep.meep]

Yeah, they were really in Wolfach, at least for all the exterior scenes. Here is the St.Laurentius church in Wolfach https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfach#/media/File:St_laurentius_wolfach.JPG  There are lots of images of Wolfach online that match exactly with the shots of them driving around. They used a different church for the interior.

.....

This episode was shot in late autumn. What might look like clear cut patches is really stands of deciduous trees that have lost there leaves.That can be seen by enlarging online images to see more detail.

I lived in the area as a child. The church interior looked identical to one we went to, Protestant not Catholic. Good to know they spent some bucks and went to the old country.

[neuromom]

You know what cracked me up? Renard the man who got his phone surgically attached to his ear a couple of seasons ago, had his phone OFF for the important, call. This is a police captain, mind you. While the PR lady totally had hers on and took a call. Agreed that it was a signal. She set up the hit.

 

I figured if Ottermommy watched this episode, she'll be posting from an institution, as this episode would have sent her sailing over the edge

I also noticed she has been conspicuously absent on this, "the morning after"...she's probably pulling her thoughts together!

Even though I enjoyed some aspects to this episode, it did seem rather "soapy" to me. Then I remembered, this ep was written by Thonas Ian Griffin , who was a soap actor back in the day. And if I recall correctly, this wasn't the first Grimm ep,that he wrote as "soapy"

[Darklazr]

I also noticed she has been conspicuously absent on this, "the morning after"...she's probably pulling her thoughts together!

Even though I enjoyed some aspects to this episode, it did seem rather "soapy" to me. Then I remembered, this ep was written by Thonas Ian Griffin , who was a soap actor back in the day. And if I recall correctly, this wasn't the first Grimm ep,that he wrote as "soapy"

Ottermommy said she was done with Grimm in the Spoiler thread.

[anarchyangel84]

It never ceases to amaze me how consistently tone deaf the writers and producers of this show are WRT the fans. Nobody wants this Nick and Adalind thing - nobody. It's as though they are deliberately trying to destroy this show. I used to like this show so much that if it had been cancelled a few years ago I would have been heartbroken. Now? Not so much. I just can't understand what the hell they're thinking. I don't care how much "chemistry" Claire Coffee has with David Guintoli. Their characters' histories make them inherently inconceivable as a romantic couple. 

 

What's more, I don't understand the point of Nick having a post-coital flashback of Adalind trying to kill Aunt Marie if it's not going to result in a realization that what he's doing is nuts. Gee, she tried to kill Aunt Marie, she tried to kill Hank, she tried to kill Juliet, she tried to kill Wu (indirectly, but still). Oh, but . . . they have chemistry. Give me a freaking break with this chemistry crap. It's not some magical formula the trumps logic and reason. 

 

Maybe they're only paying attention to the fans on Twitter. I mentioned this a little before, but I tweeted about how stupid it is that they're putting Nick & Adalind together & I got attacked. Apparently some people love the idea & see Adalind as the victim because Nick & co. took Diana. I was called names & told that I don't have a brain. I actually had to block someone because they wouldn't leave it alone!

Nick let Eve have it for what Juliette did. Juliette never would've done those things if she wasn't a Hexenbiest. She wouldn't have been a Hexenbiest if Adalind wouldn't have taken Nicks Grimmness. Then there's Aunt Marie, Hank, Wu, & Juliette's little coma situation (where she then forgot Nick & got dangerously obsessed with Renard). But like you said- they have chemistry!

[Darklazr]

I guess Nick and Monroe have fake credit cards in order to rent their car?

 

Yes, DG and CC have chemistry, but the writers are the ones that did not take advantage of making these two the root for Nick and Juliette versus Nick and special snowflake.  I suspect we will see Nick and special snowflake getting their HEA, because Nick forgave and slept with Adalind after her many crimes!

 

Yes, the PR woman was in on the hit and I think she slept with sexy pants Renard (first!), so she can use that as leverage along with the dirt on the Mayoral opponent to keep him in line.  Lawd.  Renard and Nick are a bunch of idiots and need to keep their pants, zipped!

[Clanstarling]

Okay - my mother came from germany and my cousin Tom is actually a forester in Wurzburg (he was inspired to go into that by visiting the Cascades and Olympic mtns by Seattle as an exchange student with my parents), although this doesn't provide me with any insight into if they never clearcut or not. Generally though, in germany they carefully selectively harvest trees and control what is replanted. Also - here is a major difference between Oregon forests and many german forests - there is a lot less underbrush there. But the TV show showed lots of underbrush. So my diagnosis is that they filmed this nighttime forest scene in Oregon somewhere, and used the darkness to make it appear less local with conspicuous douglas firs and hemlocks.

 

   But, I think they actually filmed them driving in the car in the real village in germany, because how else would they have filmed the actors entering the real church. I bet the range of shots (like you don't ever see them walking around the village) is more limited because it would be elaborate to recruit extras and get permits to do an actual town scene, or a forest scene. But Universal did spring for plane tickets to send actors and a cameraperson to Germany.

Thank you for all of that info! I grew up in Germany, but did not spend much time in the Schwarzwald, so I wasn't sure about clear cutting. I did notice the underbrush, and figured that was definitely shot in Oregon - the forests I walked through in Germany never had much underbrush. Loved that scene (visually) as it reminded me so much of season 1.

 

I thought they might have used a green screen to make it look like Nick and Monroe were walking into the church (never doubted the buildings and church were actual shots. The reason that occurred to me is that at work we recently took a group department shot in front of a green screen - and in the finished product we're all looking up in fear at the Death Star - so it's a pretty easy thing to do, even outside of the industry.

 

Orza, we have deciduous trees on our hills in Oregon too - and clear cut looks quite different than leafless trees - even from a distance.  I did see the swath of leafless trees in one shot in the link you provided, and it wasn't quite what I thought I saw. It does seem too much effort to do go through the trouble of using an Oregon vista and superimposing the town's buildings just to get that shot. So I accept that I was wrong in my tentative opinion.

Edited March 5, 2016 by clanstarling

[TVSpectator]

So. I just got a chance to catch up on this episode and I am pretty much over the Nick and Adalind relationship. Personally, I am  just going to skip any scenes with them together and hope for the best. 

 

As with the rest, overall I kind of liked it. Not as much as last's week episode but it was still decent to watch (when you remove the whole Nick and Adalind scene). 

 

I just have one question, we know that Monroe's Uncle Felix is dead but why is he using his uncle's name when traveling. Won't that name registered as a name belonging to a deceased individual and won't that get the attention of Black Claw as well? 

Edited March 5, 2016 by TVSpectator

[Aeryn13]

 

My teen caught that they were driving around Germany in the vehicle with the steering wheel on the right. Isn't it on the left side in Europe?

 

Yes, the steering wheel is on the left side and we drive on the right side of the road. It`s inversed in the United Kingdom. Correctly navigating the street is just so much easier if the driver is sitting closest to the middle line which only happens if you apply the opposites principle.

 

I was just happy the actors doing the German dialogue sounded passable. I mean, no way anyone would think they are native speakers, they struggled through some pronounciations way too much but a better effort than most shows make. 

 

After the set-up they did in the last few episodes, Nick and Adalind hooking up wasn`t unexpected. What was weird was him remembering "bad Adalind" the morning after. We have seen lots of cozy scenes and super-nice Adalind recently but not Nick struggling with their complicated history in any way. So, that was out of left field for me. They should have set up both things if they want to go there. But it`s probably only because Adalind will get her powers back and this was supposed to set up Nick`s worry what happens then. Yeesh. So predictable.

 

I do think little Kelly is adorable though.

Edited March 5, 2016 by Aeryn13

[orza]

Thank you for all of that info! I grew up in Germany, but did not spend much time in the Schwarzwald, so I wasn't sure about clear cutting. I did notice the underbrush, and figured that was definitely shot in Oregon - the forests I walked through in Germany never had much underbrush. Loved that scene (visually) as it reminded me so much of season 1.

 

I thought they might have used a green screen to make it look like Nick and Monroe were walking into the church (never doubted the buildings and church were actual shots. The reason that occurred to me is that at work we recently took a group department shot in front of a green screen - and in the finished product we're all looking up in fear at the Death Star - so it's a pretty easy thing to do, even outside of the industry.

 

Orza, we have deciduous trees on our hills in Oregon too - and clear cut looks quite different than leafless trees - even from a distance.  I did see the swath of leafless trees in one shot in the link you provided, and it wasn't quite what I thought I saw. It does seem too much effort to do go through the trouble of using an Oregon vista and superimposing the town's buildings just to get that shot. So I accept that I was wrong in my tentative opinion.

 

All of these images show the landscape around Wolfach at different times of the year. It's the same landscape we see in the episode. The only thing that might have been done with CGI was the interior of the church. They might filmed the interior of a church in the area to use as the background for green screen work,  Or they also flew Wolf Muser over to Germany for that one scene.

 

I was just happy the actors doing the German dialogue sounded passable. I mean, no way anyone would think they are native speakers, they struggled through some pronounciations way too much but a better effort than most shows make. 

Wolf Muser (the priest) is a native speaker from Esslingen. While he works mostly in American television, I didn't hear anything wrong with his German.

[Clanstarling]

All of these images show the landscape around Wolfach at different times of the year. It's the same landscape we see in the episode. The only thing that might have been done with CGI was the interior of the church. They might filmed the interior of a church in the area to use as the background for green screen work,  Or they also flew Wolf Muser over to Germany for that one scene.

 

Wolf Muser (the priest) is a native speaker from Esslingen. While he works mostly in American television, I didn't hear anything wrong with his German.

Thank you. Some of these shots do indeed show clear cut areas which are probably what I saw (though given the better angles, probably cut to provide for animal grazing, rather than selling off trees for wood)  Beautiful scenery - and even if it isn't "my" Germany (which is Bavaria), it makes me a smidge homesick.

Edited March 5, 2016 by clanstarling

[Aeryn13]

 

Wolf Muser (the priest) is a native speaker from Esslingen. While he works mostly in American television, I didn't hear anything wrong with his German.

 

I checked the episode again and it was his delivery of one or two sentences when he was talking to his little hunting posse that I marked him as a non-native speaker. He had some fluid German lines right before but in that scene he overpronounced a couple words like "aufzuspüren" in that careful "sounding out the words" way like the other actors were doing. 

[DancingD]

Me! I like Adalind when she isn't a Hexen beast. She's got the right amount of snark, and the actress delivers it well. Better than always trying to make Wu happen.

 

I mostly watch Grimm for the Portland settings, but do enjoy the touches of humor.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I am going to sound like an old lady, but at the beginning when they were trying to figure out the keys and the map, I kept thinking why don't you guys make a copy of one or the other on a transparency and then overlay it so you don't have to keep going back and forth?

 

I was cracking up when Rosalee said she knew someone who could get Nick and Monroe fake passports with different names. Shouldn't Hadrian's Wall be able to do that for them?

 

When Nick said he was going to tell Adalind the truth about going to Germany, I though dude, that's a terrible idea! How can he trust her now?

 

But then it just got worse - the "I love you" and "You might not come back so I need to tell you in case you don't come back" and then the sex scene was like crappy fanfic.  And that crappy half-assed moment of "Gee, who ever would have guessed we'd end up like this after the way we met?" UGH. Then it got even worse when we had to contrast the difference between Nick/Adalind's "be careful" and Monroe/Rosalee's farewell.

[catrox14]

I like Adalind when she was just the enemy or a frienemy. But Adalind being in an actual relationship with Nick....is bullshit. It makes Nick look like an idiot. I hate what they've done to Nick :(

[TwistedandBored]

I kept thinking that banging Nick was Adalind's long con-- that it would get her powers back and all the schmoop was just her way of trying to get him to do it. 

 

I would have loved it if they did this but instead they took away all the things I love about Adalind and turned her into a bland character. I loved her snarky attitude and total dislike toward everyone. I saw the promo and she might soon get her powers. I hope this is the case. 

 

However, I kinda of see through the show's BS by giving us Adalind and Nick, they are totally creating an opportunity to put Nick and "eve" together. They are not even subtle about it. Right after the morning after, they cut to Eve at Grimm headquarters. I just hope we get Meisner and Adalind while these two get their HEA. 

Edited March 6, 2016 by TwistedandBored