Grimm "Natural Born Wesen" Review: Keep to the Code
This week’s episode continued Grimm’s rollicking post-hiatus pace as Team
Grimm (now including Hank and, reluctantly, Renard) pulled together to cure
Juliette and track down Wesen bank robbers!
We picked up where last week's return episode left off, with our gang in the midst of curing Adalind’s spell. As Nick gasped on the floor, the Wesen were able to convince Juliette that his ailment was the result of a chemical imbalance (no magic here!). As per usual, she swallowed the story rather than asking how they knew such a thing, or why people who run a spice and tea shop are suddenly medical experts.
The next day Monroe made a deposit at a bank just as three Wesen burst in to rob the joint, fully visible as Wesen to the humans. We learned from Monroe that Wesen live by a code and that rule numero uno is never reveal themselves to humans. Also, the penalty for breaking it is lethal.
Nick clearly read my review from last week as he decided to keep the Grimm Key on him at all times. He also had a heart-to-heart with Renard that went something like
RENARD: Yeah, so, Adalind’s spell, huh? Haha! No hard feelings bro?
NICK: (Stares icy daggers into Renard’s skull)
Nick and Hank were called in to investigate the bank robbery and we were treated to a great three-way dynamic between them and Monroe as the Blutbad went “undercover” at a Wesen dive bar. The trio discovered the identities of the robbers and we learned that at least two of them likened themselves to Wesen Harvey Milk, with a mission of coaxing the community out of the Wesen closet. We also discovered that Rosalee’s family had ties to the ominous Wesen Council after she made a call to report the code-breakers. After Robbers One and Two murdered Robber Three, Nick and Hank were able to arrest the Wesen criminals—only to see them assassinated by the Council.
Meanwhile, Juliette had an acid trip, and it lasted the entire episode.
There was a lot to love in this episode: sullen, sarcastic Nick! Nick and Monroe as roommates! Nick, Hank, and Monroe acting like a team! A Wesen-of-the-week story that actually tied into the show’s greater mythology! Another glimpse into the political workings of the Wesen world!
However, that last item brings up a question I've been pondering for a while now: Why are the Wesen determined to live among humans? They expend so much energy hiding from humans, the consequences are so dire if they’re caught, and as we’ve seen over and over again, so many of them are bad at it. It just doesn’t seem worth it.
While the first two episodes after Grimm's long break were both enjoyable, the show needs to finally address the nuts and bolts of the world it's presented to us. We need to see what the Wesen get out of living with humans, or explain why living on their own in hidden all-Wesen communities doesn’t work. We need to meet more Wesen who don't flaunt the law, and we need to see that humans in Portland break the law, too—otherwise we’re dealing with a world where only Wesen are criminals, and if that’s the case we’re back to the question of why they’re even attempting to fit in.
We had a taste of the inner workings of Wesen politics in Season 1, but with Season 2 halfway done it’s time for Grimm to give us a Wesen world we can really sink our teeth into.
1. Are Juliette’s hallucinations the result of the counter-spell restoring her memory?
2. Why did Hank and Nick get called in to work a bank robbery? Aren’t they homicide detectives? Also, doesn’t the FBI handle bank robberies?
3. If the Council takes care of Wesen who break Wesen rules, what do the Royals do?
4. Now that we know about he Wesen Code, who else wants to learn more about Wesen history? Raise your hands in the comments!
5. Why do the Wesen want to live among humans?
6. Will Nick get over his problems with the Captain?
7. Is Renard as trustworthy as he’s making himself out to be?
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