“He sang a sweet
song in tones so full and soft that no human ear could resist them, nor fathom
their origin”.
We start 6 months ago with domestic abuse that escalates
to murder – the controlling man angry that his wife hasn’t worn what he wants
throws her from a high balcony, seen by both the maid and the bodyguard. In
this case, the murderer and victim are wesen – the man a Lowen, the woman a
Mauzhertz
At Monroe’s Nick has been thinking on what Monroe told
him about Juliette and her ultimatum and agrees Monroe should take her to the
trailer. Monroe wonders why Nick doesn’t do it – but Monroe’s on better terms
at the moment and if she does remember, Juliette may think he’s lost it – and better
Monroe than Nick. Monroe points out there’s no reason why Juliette couldn’t
think they’d both lost it – Nick resorts to begging And Monroe agrees.
Switch to a court room where Donald is on trial for
murdering his wife of 6 months, Catherine. His defence lawyer, Kelog, works
some kind of mojo on the jury and court room. And one of the people on the jury
is Rosalie.
Monroe takes Juliette to the Grimm Trailer, and she’s
rather soppy about the whole thing. When she arrives, memory starts to chime.
She remembers Aunt Marie being attacked, remembers Nick looking through Aunt Marie’s
books – then looks around and sees just how many weird things Aunt Marie had. Juliette
starts asking questions - why Aunt Marie
had the stuff she does and what are the drawings of in the book? Monroe tries
to encourage her to leave – but she’s too curious – and she has another ghost
vision. This of Nick explaining to her that all the drawings are made by his
ancestors about Wesen. Nick Ghost becomes
several ghosts, each telling her about different shinies in the place and
reminding me how very very very badly Nick introduced Juliette to the supernatural
in the first place. Juliette runs from the trailer, confused and overwhelmed,
and goes home
Monroe goes home to find Rosalie letheragic and ill. She’s
also confused about Jury duty, feeling one way about the case and then having a
complete turn around – and now having a massive headache. Monroe offers to lock
up the shop for her so she can go to bed early.
He returns home to have more room mate bouncing with Nick (“I didn’t know you could cook,” “I can’t this is take out”) who has just received an email from his mother, basically checking in (foreshadowing for her return? Oh I hope so). And Monroe tells him about Juliette and the trailer and how they can’t pushy her memory – because it all coming back at once was so overwhelming for Juliette.
If it’s places that are triggering her memory, surely her staying in the house where she and Nick lived is a bad idea? Perhaps proving me right, that night Juliette has full dreams of her memories of Nick in the trailer – but also of a Latina woman who warned her when she saw the scratches on Juliette’s hand.
Back to the court room and the maid testifies about
seeing Donald throwing Catherine off the balcony. Having given Rosalie a lift
to the court room, Monroe is now in the audience. The lawyer Kelog, with the
yellow compulsion waves moves in and makes her adjust her testimony, changing
it so she remembers Donald trying to stop Catherine jumping rather than him
forcing her over.
Suspicious, Monroe follows Kelog to the bathroom – where the lawyer eats a brightly coloured live frog and woges into a goat – a Ziegevolk
To the meta plot! Renard tells Hank and Nick about the
man he killed last week, Henri Leseuer who apparently has ties to al Qaida and
was delivering explosives to someone. Or
at least that’s the cover story the humans know, since everyone’s in on the big
secret, Renard can tell the truth (and I can’t describe how much I love that
and them all working together). He’s actually Maltese, has a false name and is
working for the Verrat. And some clarity on what the Verrat is – a protective
squadron created by the Royals in 1945, made up of Wesen. And the bomb was
probably for Renard or his contact – but he doesn’t want them to investigate,
he’s just telling them because they need to be in the loop (extra glee). After
Renard leaves Nick says he believes him – but doesn’t know if he trusts him.
Monroe calls Hank and Nick to the courthouse to tell them
about jury tampering because he saw a toad which involves explaining Ziegevolk
to Hank. They go into the court room and Wu is giving evidence as the first
officer at the scene. He says that Donald showed no remorse. The lawyer steps
forwards to work his magic to force another hallucination with highly leading
testimony. Wu changes his testimony and Hank and Nick are convinced.
Rosalie returns to the spice shop to find the three
waiting for them; they tell her about the goaty lawyer and they plot how to
stop him. And it has to be for good – because he’s a high profile lawyer who
probably makes a habit of using his powers on his cases.
Back with Juliette, she calls the woman and she comes to see her; Juliette explains that her memories are returning and she doesn’t know what is real or not. Juliette is told that she’s standing between 2 worlds – darkness and light and it’s only just beginning. Well, that was utterly cryptic and totally pointless.
In research mode after a few dead ends Rosalie finds a
book on how Ziegevolk use their powers – a gland in their brain that regulates pheromone
production in sweat and goes into overdrive when they eat their froggies. They
can make a solution that will turn it off – but one of the ingredients they
need is Kelog’s sweat. First they have to find him.
Ziegvolk’s are sexual predators and Kelog is at a bar,
using his pheromones to lure in a woman. As he and she begin to walk, they’re
interrupted by a growling, angry Blutbad – Monroe. Kelog runs and Monroe
chases. Hank and Nick reassure the woman he was wife, ensuring she doesn’t go
to the police (because she thinks she already has) . He runs screaming to help
to – Bud, the Eisbiber! Bud, it’s been a long time! They both woge and Kelog
says he’s been chased by a Blutbad, Bud drives off with Kelog as a passenger. On
the way, Bud gives Kelog a handkerchief to wipe his sweat and then takes it
back – after much awkward babbling as to why.
He delivers the handkerchief and Rosalie adds it to her potion. Next stage is to get the potion into Kelog’s toad before he eats it. So Hank and Nick go to see him the next day, purportedly about him being attacked the night before, reported by the woman he was with. While Rosalie hands the dose to Monroe. But Monroe only has 1 dose – and Kelog has 2 toads. For extra fun, it escapes from him and Monroe has to chase the toad down while Hank and Nick delay and distract Kelog.
Now there remains only to hope that he picks the right toad.
Meanwhile in Vienna, Adalind has to explain to Renard’s
brother Eric that she doesn’t have the key. She gave Renard the threat Eric
told her too – that Eric would tell the Grimm everything – but Renard couldn’t
get the key in the time provided. So Eric is going to tell Nick a few things –
but he wants to meet Renard personally, which sounds ominous. He also notices
that Adalind has a “glow” and I don’t think he buys her cutesy explanation.
Back in Portland, the jury at the court reaches a
verdict. Guilty. Everyone chatters and Donald is not a happy Lowen.
Celebrations and champagne at the spice shop. Until
Monroe goes out to find he has a customer – Kelog. Monroe tries to get rid of
him but Rosalie comes out and Kelog instantly recognises her – and accuses her
of poisoning him. Kelog woges and attacks her – and Monroe goes Blutbad and
sends him flying into a wall. He starts to throttle Kelog until Nick pulls him
off the lawyer. Monroe tells Nick that he attacked Rosalie, so Nick just saved
his life. Nick arrests the guy for assault as he realises everyone was in it
against him.
Kelog is taken to prison – where he gets to spend some
time close to Donald the Lowen who is not a happy Wesen.
At home Juliette continues to get vision memories – but the
plus side is she can hallucinate half naked Nick. The problem is, my predicted
problem is coming true, she’s getting inundated with several ghost Nicks
replaying all the memories they shared.
Ok – so flaw? His power doesn’t work on the Jury during
the closing argument. Fine, but the witness and the police have already both
changed their testimony. Why does he even need his magic at that stage in the
proceedings? The only explanation is a line Hank makes later on that Kelog can’t
step in front of a jury without antagonising them. So they relied on jury
finding someone guilty because they didn’t like his lawyer? This was also one
Wesen I wish they hadn’t brought back because we see them using their chemicals
to control women for sex and it’s not called out for the rape it is.
I love that Renard is sharing info. I love that he’s
working with Nick and Hank. What I don’t love is we get a full episode of
Monster of the week then in the middle of it Renard breezes in, drops 5 minutes
of meta and then drifts of and we return to our regularly scheduled filler.
If random Mystical Latina Lady is going to be a fixture,
she really needs a name Grimm, seriously. And a character beyond being Mystical
Latina Lady.
Monroe and Rosalie – while I love their relationship developing
and that Rosalie is the one he’s willing to throw out his hard won restraint to
protect, I also find this far less touching than him giving her the clock last
episode. He’s a Blutbad, violence and fighting come naturally, but that was a
personal gesture that was true to him. I also hate the whole idea that a man
proves his love by being the big strong protector for his delicate little woman
–it’s an old trope – and more than a trope, it’s a societal standard and rigid
gender role. Touching though it may be here, it’s still sad to see a
relationship that was very much NOT defined on Monroe’s physical capabilities
having his strength be an affirming moment.
