Trial by Fire brings back old foes and moves several storylines forward, some in leaps, some in steps, but things are getting more and more interesting in Portland.


I’ll start with the case of the week.  Great effects for the Phoenix-like Wesen, and it was an organic way to return Season 1’s arson investigator turned killer, Peter Orson, to the mix and allow for some healing/growth for Monroe.  I love it when a show remembers its past and uses it to progress a character, or characters, forward.  This was a chance for Monroe to confront his own Wesen hatred and come out on the high side, with a little help from his beautiful and wise bride, Rosalee. 

It was Rosalee who first embraced, literally, Nick’s mother and suggested that friendship between a Grimm and Wesen didn’t have to make sense; a suggestion Kelly warmed a bit to.  Here, Rosalee rightly puts Monroe in his place as she reminds him that everything isn’t always about Wesen feuds; Nick needed help finding out who killed two innocent kids, and Orson was the man/Wesen for the job.  To Monroe’s credit, he came back after cooling off and helped the team.  I love the scene between him and Orson as they both admit that they won’t forgive the actions of the past, but that they recognize that they don’t have to be controlled by age-old battles.

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Wu was instrumental in research this week, but wasn’t involved in the ultimate showdown; that honor went to Rosalee, Monroe, Hank, and Nick, with Orson helping in luring the suspect out.  Wu still wins for scene steal of the week as he suggests that spontaneous combustion won’t work and that perhaps the suspect had a bomb strapped to him – yeah, that will work better on the report.  Hank and Nick, with dry deliveries, are quick to agree.  Oh, Wu, never stop being you, please.

Viktor is in town and wasting no time in getting down to business.  Good thing too, it’s halfway through the season.  Renard’s investigator is a double agent.  That’s going to cause some trouble.  Good.  Renard gets angry when he’s been bested, and I like angry Renard.  Still have no idea what those hallucinations were from a few weeks ago, just as I have no idea what was up with Nick seeing through Adalind’s eyes and her through his – and that appears completely dropped, and an interview I read sometime back indicates that it will no longer be addressed (the Nick/Adalind part that is) which is a shame.  I figure we’ll get back to Renard eventually, but I wish things like that and Nick’s zombie state didn’t get dropped so often.  We have seen Nick sort of zombie-like a few times this season, but there does not appear to be any buildup to anything there, which seems like a wasted opportunity.

What isn’t a wasted opportunity, so far, is Juliette turned hexenbiest.  That fight with Adalind was excellent!  Adalind’s expression as she turned back showed just how shocked she was, and frightened.  Good.  Then we followed her out to her car and saw her pound out her frustrations as she realized things were not going to be as simple as she thought.  Oh, Adalind, wait until you find out Nick is a Grimm again.

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It’s not fun having to wait five weeks to see the fallout of Juliette revealing her hexenbiest side to Nick, but I’m glad this episode showed it happening.  While Grimm is taking a hefty break right now, when it returns – at 8: 00 p.m. by the way – it will run out its final nine episodes of this season without a break.  That, my fellow fans, will be worth the wait.  I rarely believe promos as they can be edited to show us false leads, so I’m betting Nick is really just looking to solve Juliette’s new situation rather than running away from her.  As for Adalind and her new bundle of joy, well, I’m betting that that is going to be more of a soap opera-ish drama, unfortunately, but, I’ll be thrilled if I’m wrong.  I really, really, really hope she isn’t pregnant with Nick’s child.  That will just be all kinds of wrong.  I’ll have to wait and see.

Final thoughts:

I love the Spice Shop set.  I’d love to just spend a couple of hours in there looking at all the items in jars and boxes and books.  They used it well with Hank climbing a ladder that moves on tracks and Orson and Nick similarly following Rosalee’s knowing directions to retrieve ingredients.  The set is fabulous. 

Not only is Nick adding to his family’s legacy by writing in the books and drawing in Wesen, but now he’s added to the arsenal.  Love it!

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My favorite scene this episode, well, there were many to choose from:  Wu suggesting a bomb rather than spontaneous combustion, Rosalee giving Monroe what for, Monroe and Orson finding a tentative truce, but my absolute favorite is Orson in Renard’s office trying to dance around Wesen not realizing that everyone in the room is in on Nick being a Grimm and the world of Wesen.  Good for Hank for just outright saying it:  “You’re a Bauerschwein and Nick’s a Grimm.”  “Is everybody in the precinct in on this?”  “NO!”  BWAH!  Grimm has been hitting its humorous stride magnificently all season:  not too soft, not too hard, but just right!

Until March 20th, we’ll just have to enjoy our Wednesday night mini-marathons.  Season 2 is just beginning, and we’ll see the rest of it before new episodes return.  While Juliette’s season-long amnesia is not enjoyable, Hank being let in on the secret and Nick finding out Renard is part of the Royals and the two men having an epic mid-season fight are just some of the good parts of Season 2, which all culminates in Nick being turned into a zombie.  Happy Wednesday night viewing!

Until after March 20th, thanks for reading, Elle2

(Photos courtesy of NBC.com)

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