"In the morning, glad, I see
my foe outstretched beneath the tree."
There are now officially only four more episodes in this series and the writers are still holding onto the meta is though the viewers owe them money. Yes, this is my weekly complaint about Grimm. Are they planning on just dragging it all out and then rushing meta to a close in the last two episodes? Now is not the time for bloody Wesen of the week. Now is not the time to play up on a love triangle between Eve (Kelly's killer) Adalind (the rapist) and Nick, who for some reason thinks that there are only two women in Portland to date.
Let's deal with the meta first, since there was so little of it. The Scoobies gather to discuss what happened with the monster in the mirror. When Diana steps forward to add her two cents to the conversation, Adalind originally tries to shut her down. I have to say that I was irritated by this. Diana has proven repeatedly that she has more insight than the rest of the scoobies. They only listen when Diana explains that what happened is a vision of what is going to happen in the other place. Hmmm. So what they're seeing in the mirror is another dimension. The crew decide that perhaps the best path forward is to ensure that from here on in, no one is to look into a mirror alone.
Monroe is quick to put his foot in his mouth and wonder if the mirror monster is after Nick and Juliet because of their close connection.
Adalind is clearly not good with the reminder that Juliet and Nick were a couple before she raped Nick and had his baby.
Rosealee and Monroe agree that Eve is going to stay with them until they figure out what is going on. Back at the Spice Shop, Eve, Rosealee and Monroe are shocked to find that instead of the mirror being covered in Eve's dried blood, the blood is still dripping wet. Ummm super super gross. They decide to put the mirror away for now but Eve is now convinced that the only way to deal with this is by going to the other place. Well, that's a huge leap if you ask me.
Nick is getting ready for the day and he calls Adalind into the bathroom to be his mirror buddy because it's time for him to shave. They start to wonder if the monster in the mirror fled because Nick is a Grimm and if he really has immunity to its powers. The uncertainty is enough for Adalind to claim that she likes stubble on Nick and he is quick to agree that it's a good look as well. Well so much for shaving.
We only got a little bit of Renard this week and none of it was shirtless. BOO BOO BOO BOO. Okay, my complaint have been registered. Renard has a skype call with Dasha to discuss Diana's drawing. Dasha is full of questions regarding Diana's mother and how much power Diana inherited from her parents. Renard admits that Diana is half Hexenbiest and that she has more power than either of her parents. Dasha cannot figure out why these ancient symbols would exist in a tunnel in Portland of all places and encourages Renard to find out as much as he possibly can about the tunnel. To highlight her concern, Dasha explains that until this moment, she wasn't afraid of anything.
Okay, the case of the week, is essentially about nature fighting back. I think that it's particularly well timed what with the denials regarding climate change and the Trump administration attempting to defund the EPA. It's clearly meant to be a morality tale about the destruction of our environment.
Tree People, is about the symbiotic relationship between a Kinoshimobe and a Jubokko. The Kinoshimobe guards an area of approximately five square miles. It captures humans who are guilty of an environmental crime like poaching or dumping toxic materials. The Kinoshimobe ensnares the victims with its vines and then drags it back to the Jubbokko which then absorbs the human being. Jubbokkos survive on blood, thus making the pairing of Jubbokkos and Kinoshimobes perfect. Somehow during the digestion process, the faces of those whom the Jubbokko has consumed, end up appearing on the outter bark. It should serve as a warning to all of those who encounter one to act wisely.
The cops begin their investigation when a poacher pays for his crime by dying in the woods. Wu is quick to discover that several people have gone missing in the area and all of them are guilty of environmental crimes. The scoobies decide to head into the woods and do a little non toxic dumping to see if they can attract the Kinosimbobe. They wait for hours and the sunsets but the Kinosimbobe does not make an appearance. Frustrated, Monroe gets on the phone with Rosealee and she agrees to bring something a little bit stronger. On her way through the woods, Rosealee hits a rock of some sort which causes her car to start leaking oil. It's the accidental oil leak which finally attracts the attention of the Kinosimbobe. It seems that the Kinosimbobe doesn't care whether the pollution is purposeful or an accident.
Rosealee is forced to go running. Rosealee meets up with the other scoobies just as she's about to be ensnared, forcing them to use labrys to free her. Nick tries his best to reason with the Kinosimbobe, pointing out that he is a Grimm and that the killing has to stop. It's never clear whether or not the Kinosimbobe understands Nick, or is simply in IDGAF mode, but it steps up its attack, attempting to ensnare all of the scoobies. Nick is forced to use the labry to attack the Kinosimbobe in the chest. The Kinosimbobe staggers collapses to the ground bleeding its think green chlorophyll in front of the Jubokko. The Jubokko's trunk splits open and then vines appear and drag the Kinosimbobe inside. Moments later, the Kinosimbobe's face appears on the trunk of the Jubokko. The scoobies declare the case closed, after all, it's not like a tree can be arrested for murder. When they drive off however, the Kinosimbobe's face on the bark of the Jubokko opens its eyes. Clearly, the Kinosimbobe has lived on and will continue to fight the destruction of the environment.
Back at the Spice Shop, Nick fills out a new entry for the Jubokko and the Kinosimbobe, with the Scoobies chipping in their thoughts. Once again, it's Monroe who brings the awkward by wondering if the Jubokko brought the Kinosimbobe into its bark in order to protect it. Monroe wonders if it's possible that the Kinosimbobe survived after all? This thought is enough for Wu to decide that he's going to sleep with a machete. Considering the degree to which we all pollute the planet, this might not be such a bad idea.
That night, as Monroe and Rosealee lie in bed together, Monroe suggests that given her pregnancy, Rosealee should stay away from the more dangerous missions. Rosealee adds that she will have to cut back as well after the kids are born. They don't settle down for the night easily because this is when they notices that the knots on their pine ceiling kind of look like a face. A hesitant Monroe turns off the light and they both agree that first thing tomorrow they are ordering two coats of paint for the ceiling.
As aforementioned, Tree People was extremely light on the meta. Yes, it's a custom for Grimm to draw out the meta in any given season and then dump it all in the end. I don't think that this makes for the best kind of storytelling, even if it did get them six seasons. We really didn't learn much beyond the fact that at some point, Eve is going to have to travel to whatever dimension is represented in the mirror. Given that the mirror monster tried to kill her, I guess it's safe to assume that this is going to be a dangerous trip. I really cannot get to worked up about this because I'm not really invested in Eve surviving as a character, given all the shit she has done.
Renard is still very much on the outside looking in because of his antics with Black Claw. This means that he has to figure out what is going on with sigils by what he can pry out of Diana. I cannot wait for him to get back into the loop and into the good graces of Nick and the scoobies. With so few episodes left, Renard being on the outside looking in, is not at all cool.
Tree people as I said earlier is clearly a morality tale and I found myself happy at the possibility of the Kinosimbobe's survival. Stories like this are important, especially now, while we have politicians denying that global warming is real and people being resistant to invest in clean energy. It's a story that warmed by environmentalist heart. I'm usually not good with a moral tale being drilled into a story in this fashion, so I will admit that because of my own personal belief in protecting the environment, I highly approve in this case. Someone has to act to protect the earth.
