Recap of the Grimm Pilot episode
Because I wrote it all up for wowomom and it it seems a shame not to share it with anyone else who might be interested, too.
(I have so totally spelled most of these names wrong, but hopefully you'll still kind of know what I'm talking about. Also, doing this all from memory, so some of the details might be a little bit off, but you still should get the basic idea.)
Key Plot Device - The Brothers Grimm were in reality almost super-human fighters trained to protect the humans from all the vicious fantasy creatures that they write about in their stories, creatures that call themselves Wesen. For example, Big Bad Wolf is a bastardization of Blutbaden (what Nick's Wesen friend, Eddie Monroe, is) - humanish with wolf-like features. With that in mind, there are also other humanish creatures, only with dragon-like features, or swine-like, or snake-like, or mouse-like - and so on and so forth.
For regular old humans like us, these creatures appear human except in times of extreme emotion. For a Grimm, they can see beneath the human mask to the animal that lies beneath pretty much whenever they want, and often times when they don't.
Most of the Wesen are pretty harmless as the creatures they are morphed with aren't really vicious by nature (like Rosealee, who is a Fuchsbau - a fox to Monroe's wolf). There are also a whole lot of not so nice ones, too - Blutbaden, for example, tend to attack first and ask questions later, and they have a history of snacking on small children (Little Red Riding Hood anyone?). Only reason Monroe and Nick haven't killed each other is because Monroe is reformed - he's a vegetarian now, and has years of therapy and Pilates and cello playing under his belt to try and control his animal side.
Unfortunately, the Grimm have been pretty indiscriminate when it comes to the innocent Wesen and the not so innocent ones, basically killing any fairy tale creature they run across whether or not they've got any human blood on their hands (or fangs, or claws, whatever). The Grimm have become so blood thirsty that they are the Wesen version of the boogyman, the creatures of the night all Wesen are brought up to fear. What the Witches and Evil Stepmothers and Big Bad Wolves in fairy tales are to human children? Yeah, that's kind of what the Grimm have become to the Wesen.
So, human and Wesen, living side-by-side unknowingly. The Grimm don't like Wessen; the Wessen *really* don't like the Grimm. The two sides have been pretty much trying to obliterate each other for centuries.
Nick's parents supposedly died in a car crash when he was a kid (later we find out they were killed by Wesen with a bone to pick), and he was raised by his Aunt Marie. Marie was a Grimm, but with the blind hope that Nick wouldn't have to suffer through the same violent life she's had as a Grimm, she doesn't tell him anything about this other world he might end up a part of and doesn't give him any of the training he would've had otherwise. He doesn't find out he's a Grimm until a particularly gruesome homicide he ends up getting assigned in the first episode. After that, without any explanation, he starts seeing people around him do the creepy face transformation thing. He pretty much thinks he's going crazy until his Aunt Marie shows up out of the blue after years out on the road (hunting Wesen, though Nick doesn't know that as of yet) and tells him the unhappy family secret. He still thinks he's nuts and doesn't believe her.
Aunt Marie is also dying of cancer and she knows the end is near. She ends up in the hospital, where a creepy face transforming guy tries to kill her. Aunt Marie, however, is one of the most Bad-ass of all the Bad-ass Grimm, and she basically gets up from her death bed to wipe the floor with him. Suddenly everything she told Nick doesn't seem so far fetched.
No matter how bad ass she is, though, Aunt Marie can't fight cancer, so after another attempt or two (one by young, blond, and beautiful Adalind, who is a Hexenbeast - or creepy zombie demon looking Wesen) on her life, she dies before she can tell Nick everything. She does, however, leave him her trailer full of centuries worth of legends, history, weapons, and journals describing the Wesen to try and guide him.
So Nick is the only Grimm left standing, only he doesn't know what the fuck he his doing and worse, now that he's come into his talents, the Wesen will be able to see what he is just as easily as he sees them, so he's basically got a big old bullseye printed on his back. All he has is his wits, his skills and training as a cop, and luckily, the begrudging help of a reformed Blutbaden (Monroe) to help him muddle through.
That pretty much covers the important, long-reaching plot devices of the first episode and sets the tone for the series. As for how the Royal Family and Renard and the Reapers and all that fit together, though, your guess is as good as mine. I get that Nick managing to develop a Bad-ass Grimm reputation of his own and, perish the thought, actually working *with* the Wesen instead of just killing them has managed to piss some Very Powerful People off, but that's about it.
Whet your appetite? Check out the Grimm Wiki for more information on the first season and a way more detailed summary of the Pilot episode here. ;)
(I have so totally spelled most of these names wrong, but hopefully you'll still kind of know what I'm talking about. Also, doing this all from memory, so some of the details might be a little bit off, but you still should get the basic idea.)
Key Plot Device - The Brothers Grimm were in reality almost super-human fighters trained to protect the humans from all the vicious fantasy creatures that they write about in their stories, creatures that call themselves Wesen. For example, Big Bad Wolf is a bastardization of Blutbaden (what Nick's Wesen friend, Eddie Monroe, is) - humanish with wolf-like features. With that in mind, there are also other humanish creatures, only with dragon-like features, or swine-like, or snake-like, or mouse-like - and so on and so forth.
For regular old humans like us, these creatures appear human except in times of extreme emotion. For a Grimm, they can see beneath the human mask to the animal that lies beneath pretty much whenever they want, and often times when they don't.
Most of the Wesen are pretty harmless as the creatures they are morphed with aren't really vicious by nature (like Rosealee, who is a Fuchsbau - a fox to Monroe's wolf). There are also a whole lot of not so nice ones, too - Blutbaden, for example, tend to attack first and ask questions later, and they have a history of snacking on small children (Little Red Riding Hood anyone?). Only reason Monroe and Nick haven't killed each other is because Monroe is reformed - he's a vegetarian now, and has years of therapy and Pilates and cello playing under his belt to try and control his animal side.
Unfortunately, the Grimm have been pretty indiscriminate when it comes to the innocent Wesen and the not so innocent ones, basically killing any fairy tale creature they run across whether or not they've got any human blood on their hands (or fangs, or claws, whatever). The Grimm have become so blood thirsty that they are the Wesen version of the boogyman, the creatures of the night all Wesen are brought up to fear. What the Witches and Evil Stepmothers and Big Bad Wolves in fairy tales are to human children? Yeah, that's kind of what the Grimm have become to the Wesen.
So, human and Wesen, living side-by-side unknowingly. The Grimm don't like Wessen; the Wessen *really* don't like the Grimm. The two sides have been pretty much trying to obliterate each other for centuries.
Nick's parents supposedly died in a car crash when he was a kid (later we find out they were killed by Wesen with a bone to pick), and he was raised by his Aunt Marie. Marie was a Grimm, but with the blind hope that Nick wouldn't have to suffer through the same violent life she's had as a Grimm, she doesn't tell him anything about this other world he might end up a part of and doesn't give him any of the training he would've had otherwise. He doesn't find out he's a Grimm until a particularly gruesome homicide he ends up getting assigned in the first episode. After that, without any explanation, he starts seeing people around him do the creepy face transformation thing. He pretty much thinks he's going crazy until his Aunt Marie shows up out of the blue after years out on the road (hunting Wesen, though Nick doesn't know that as of yet) and tells him the unhappy family secret. He still thinks he's nuts and doesn't believe her.
Aunt Marie is also dying of cancer and she knows the end is near. She ends up in the hospital, where a creepy face transforming guy tries to kill her. Aunt Marie, however, is one of the most Bad-ass of all the Bad-ass Grimm, and she basically gets up from her death bed to wipe the floor with him. Suddenly everything she told Nick doesn't seem so far fetched.
No matter how bad ass she is, though, Aunt Marie can't fight cancer, so after another attempt or two (one by young, blond, and beautiful Adalind, who is a Hexenbeast - or creepy zombie demon looking Wesen) on her life, she dies before she can tell Nick everything. She does, however, leave him her trailer full of centuries worth of legends, history, weapons, and journals describing the Wesen to try and guide him.
So Nick is the only Grimm left standing, only he doesn't know what the fuck he his doing and worse, now that he's come into his talents, the Wesen will be able to see what he is just as easily as he sees them, so he's basically got a big old bullseye printed on his back. All he has is his wits, his skills and training as a cop, and luckily, the begrudging help of a reformed Blutbaden (Monroe) to help him muddle through.
That pretty much covers the important, long-reaching plot devices of the first episode and sets the tone for the series. As for how the Royal Family and Renard and the Reapers and all that fit together, though, your guess is as good as mine. I get that Nick managing to develop a Bad-ass Grimm reputation of his own and, perish the thought, actually working *with* the Wesen instead of just killing them has managed to piss some Very Powerful People off, but that's about it.
Whet your appetite? Check out the Grimm Wiki for more information on the first season and a way more detailed summary of the Pilot episode here. ;)