Grimm musings : "Three Coins in a Fuchsbau"
It occurs to me that I haven't laid down my thoughts about the last handful of episodes, and i need to go back and rectify that at some point, because there's some been amazing television in that batch of eps, but for now, I'll start with the last first, which is also the ep I'm probably the *least* satisfied with out of these last few weeks' showings.
My primary gripe with TCiaF -- which was certainly not a bad hour of TV -- is that what could have been a really good spotlight episode for both Hank *and* Renard didn't further either character's storyline, and both of them need just that. We had a device by which we could have really peeled back some layers on both of these characters, but neither Hank nor Renard revealed anything new about themselves while under the influence of the coins. Gollum-Hank was an overagressive hardass not real concerned with playing nice in the course of getting his job done. We knew that already. Gollum-Renard is haughty, power-hungry, and concerned with keeping the peace via a boot on the neck of chaos. We knew *that* already. I would have liked to see this ep reveal something new about both of these characters, and I would also have liked this case to be the means by which some new awareness blooms: namely, Hank finally getting a clue that there's something uber-freaky going on in his town, and Nick gleaning to the fact that his boss is more than he seems. (I'm personally more than ready to find out what Renard *is*, but I'd settle for Nick realizing all is not normal there.)
What this ep did achieve regarding these two characters is further muddying the waters where Renard is concerned, and making me hang the imaginary bullseye that I had on Juliette for the first few eps of the season on Hank. If Renard is a Wesen, why didn't his control slip while he was tweaking on cursed Greek gold? If he's a Grimm, why couldn't he resist their thrall? Frankly, Renard responded to them like he was nothing more than an ordinary human. And Hank's obliviousness is reaching epic proportions. I don't understand why he isn't reacting more to these moments where Nick deflects, or drops Monroe's name, or goes off on his own. This ep made me seriously begin to consider that Hank's days might be numbered, that he might be the show's statement on how ignorance is *not* bliss. Right now, I don't get the impression that Hank is remotely suspicious there's something else going on with Nick. Are they trying to establish him as seeing Nick as such an open book that it would never occur to him his partner would hide something? It's very odd to me that Hank is still so utterly in the dark. The only other thing I can think of is that long-term, they have no intention of writing Hank as finding out about Nick's other life anytime in the foreseeable future, and the other world that exists alongside the human one, and so they're cooking his story at an extremely low heat. (I would be fine with that; I think dramatically, the person who should be let in on Nick's Grimm doings is unquestionably Juliette.)
I would have liked the portion of the story about Nick's parents to get more attention. They dropped some interesting breadcrumbs: Marie being in love with and engaged to a Wesen; Nick's mother ID'd as the Grimm of their family. I don't find the coins all that intriguing a storyline in their own right, so I'd like to find out there's a lot more to the Burkhardts' murder and what was happening behind the scenes there than just a mass-coveting of the One Ring. But I suspect there *is* a lot more at work there than Colt (or is it Holt? I thought I was hearing "Colt," but I've seen both, and now I'm not sure) revealed. Given the person he turned out to be, it's hard to know how much of his story to trust -- or, for that matter, how long ago he was first corrupted. Marchesa wasn't impressive enough a villain to have the truth of their death end with him; I have to think the trail leads back to someone else, beyond him.
Random kibbles and bits:
Monroe was featured sparingly in this one, but remains the yummy peanut butter center of this truffle. "Whoa, look out; they ate a baby. That's rude." Honest to God, I laughed for five minutes straight. Monroe speaking German was delightful.
The Hitler footage was nifty. (again -- things I never imagined myself saying.)
Can anybody else see Nick's choice of hiding place for the coins going very wrong, considering the one Wesen we now know for a fact is in that trailer with at least some regularity?
I loved the shadow effect when Colt made his entrance. Very cool. This show does some great stuff visually; it's a feast for the eyes.
For that matter, I hope to see Colt again. Very charismatic actor, and it seems like a character that could be fit into the story in some very interesting ways. I'm questioning if he himself had something to do with Nick's parents dying.
I am absolutely incapable of finding Renard sexy. SR is a very good-looking guy, but I can't get there. (The silk jammies didn't help -- I'm not a silk jammies girl. There is no man, no matter how attractive, who can make a full set of silk jammies sexy.)The character is too remote and untouchable, and doesn't let enough emotion show.
I love the coroner. (Harper?) I was very glad she didn't die.
A decent ep, but one that didn't really fulfill much, for me. It wasn't an origin story, it wasn't a revelation story...it felt more like incomplete, if interesting, exposition that left me with more questions than answers.
My primary gripe with TCiaF -- which was certainly not a bad hour of TV -- is that what could have been a really good spotlight episode for both Hank *and* Renard didn't further either character's storyline, and both of them need just that. We had a device by which we could have really peeled back some layers on both of these characters, but neither Hank nor Renard revealed anything new about themselves while under the influence of the coins. Gollum-Hank was an overagressive hardass not real concerned with playing nice in the course of getting his job done. We knew that already. Gollum-Renard is haughty, power-hungry, and concerned with keeping the peace via a boot on the neck of chaos. We knew *that* already. I would have liked to see this ep reveal something new about both of these characters, and I would also have liked this case to be the means by which some new awareness blooms: namely, Hank finally getting a clue that there's something uber-freaky going on in his town, and Nick gleaning to the fact that his boss is more than he seems. (I'm personally more than ready to find out what Renard *is*, but I'd settle for Nick realizing all is not normal there.)
What this ep did achieve regarding these two characters is further muddying the waters where Renard is concerned, and making me hang the imaginary bullseye that I had on Juliette for the first few eps of the season on Hank. If Renard is a Wesen, why didn't his control slip while he was tweaking on cursed Greek gold? If he's a Grimm, why couldn't he resist their thrall? Frankly, Renard responded to them like he was nothing more than an ordinary human. And Hank's obliviousness is reaching epic proportions. I don't understand why he isn't reacting more to these moments where Nick deflects, or drops Monroe's name, or goes off on his own. This ep made me seriously begin to consider that Hank's days might be numbered, that he might be the show's statement on how ignorance is *not* bliss. Right now, I don't get the impression that Hank is remotely suspicious there's something else going on with Nick. Are they trying to establish him as seeing Nick as such an open book that it would never occur to him his partner would hide something? It's very odd to me that Hank is still so utterly in the dark. The only other thing I can think of is that long-term, they have no intention of writing Hank as finding out about Nick's other life anytime in the foreseeable future, and the other world that exists alongside the human one, and so they're cooking his story at an extremely low heat. (I would be fine with that; I think dramatically, the person who should be let in on Nick's Grimm doings is unquestionably Juliette.)
I would have liked the portion of the story about Nick's parents to get more attention. They dropped some interesting breadcrumbs: Marie being in love with and engaged to a Wesen; Nick's mother ID'd as the Grimm of their family. I don't find the coins all that intriguing a storyline in their own right, so I'd like to find out there's a lot more to the Burkhardts' murder and what was happening behind the scenes there than just a mass-coveting of the One Ring. But I suspect there *is* a lot more at work there than Colt (or is it Holt? I thought I was hearing "Colt," but I've seen both, and now I'm not sure) revealed. Given the person he turned out to be, it's hard to know how much of his story to trust -- or, for that matter, how long ago he was first corrupted. Marchesa wasn't impressive enough a villain to have the truth of their death end with him; I have to think the trail leads back to someone else, beyond him.
Random kibbles and bits:
Monroe was featured sparingly in this one, but remains the yummy peanut butter center of this truffle. "Whoa, look out; they ate a baby. That's rude." Honest to God, I laughed for five minutes straight. Monroe speaking German was delightful.
The Hitler footage was nifty. (again -- things I never imagined myself saying.)
Can anybody else see Nick's choice of hiding place for the coins going very wrong, considering the one Wesen we now know for a fact is in that trailer with at least some regularity?
I loved the shadow effect when Colt made his entrance. Very cool. This show does some great stuff visually; it's a feast for the eyes.
For that matter, I hope to see Colt again. Very charismatic actor, and it seems like a character that could be fit into the story in some very interesting ways. I'm questioning if he himself had something to do with Nick's parents dying.
I am absolutely incapable of finding Renard sexy. SR is a very good-looking guy, but I can't get there. (The silk jammies didn't help -- I'm not a silk jammies girl. There is no man, no matter how attractive, who can make a full set of silk jammies sexy.)The character is too remote and untouchable, and doesn't let enough emotion show.
I love the coroner. (Harper?) I was very glad she didn't die.
A decent ep, but one that didn't really fulfill much, for me. It wasn't an origin story, it wasn't a revelation story...it felt more like incomplete, if interesting, exposition that left me with more questions than answers.