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It is Grimm’s version of Meet the Parents – in three parts.  We’ll have to wait until the Olympics are over for the third part, but the first two have been eventful, to say the least.  While most of the focus has been on Rosalee’s and Monroe’s parents and their meetings, let us not forget that Juliette has also met, sort of, Nick’s mom – and on spoilery news…Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio will be returning for “multiple episodes this spring”  according to TVLine.  Hooray!!!

I apologize for missing last week’s review and giving another combined effort this week.  I didn’t forget; I just have a new puppy and she takes up a lot of time and energy.  She’s worth it though!   Hopefully, when Grimm returns at the end of February, I’ll have a better routine down and will be able to stay on track.

Now, with the preliminaries and the apologies out of the way, here we go.

First up, The Good Soldier:

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I liked this episode.  The case of the week was interesting and I really like how sunny, happy, consistently solid Rosalee is shown to have had quite the dark side, quite the sorrowful side.  It’s real and it makes me like her even more.  We delve a bit into Rosalee’s back story, see her struggle with her family, see Monroe be an absolute rock for her and then, in a touching and beautiful moment, see her reconcile with her family.  Thankfully, once the full story was out, forgiveness was immediately given.  It’s also a nice contrast to the more angry family reunion we get the next week with Monroe’s parents.  That one is still very up in the air, so we’ll have to see how that resolves.

If I recall from Season 1, when we first met Rosalee, her brother, Freddie, wasn’t such a good guy either.  I seem to remember him having a bit of a dark past; perhaps that is why only Rosalee came to Portland after his death and then took over the business, two black sheep sticking together.  Still, it is a bit glaring that his mother wouldn’t come, so I will file that under the dangling thread category.  I’ve seen far worse transgressions with a storyline in my television viewing career, so it’s not a huge deal, but it raises questions. 

As for the case of the week, I like how the premise was played with from the beginning, that it was Frankie doing the killing and then revealed that all she wanted was for them to confess, for someone to acknowledge the terrible wrong that was done to her.  A bit refreshing actually that the victim didn’t want revenge, only acknowledgement. 

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I was tipped to a possible second Manticore when Nick, Juliette, and Hank were researching possible Wesen and came across the entry reciting an encounter.  From then on I was wondering who it could be.  Admittedly, I was a bit distracted – new puppy and all – but also with how many men there were Frankie was stalking, so I didn’t immediately latch onto Colonel Desai as a possible second Manticore until he poured himself a drink rather than head off to chemo.  Even then I thought Frankie and Desai were working together, right up until she allowed herself to be taken into custody quite easily.  Then I realized we were being given a nice switch up.  And, as a good soldier, Frankie was barely fazed by Nick revealing himself to her as a Grimm as she revealed herself to be a Steinadler.  She is and was a good and brave soldier.  

We got two Manticores facing off at the VFW and ending with Desai being a true hero, sacrificing himself to right a wrong as best he could.  He understood the limitations:  Can’t arrest Jim for raping Frankie, but murder – well, that’s a pretty good victory, all things considered.  I think Frankie will be much better knowing that there was always someone in her corner. 

Next up:  The Wild Hunt:

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Grimm does like to change things up.  The Good Soldier was about righting a wrong, with a great side dish of Rosalee and her dark secrets finding support from always light-hearted Monroe, as well as love and forgiveness from her mom and sister.  Then, in the following episode, it’s about a rampaging psychopath with an intense dislike for authority – and who has set his murderous sights squarely on Portland’s Grimm, as well as we meet Monroe’s parents, who are intensely Wesen-centric – as in, Blutbads and  Fuchsbau shall not mix.  It made Monroe meeting Rosalee’s family look like a walk in the park.

The Wild Hunt made it clear from the beginning, if you have a weak stomach, look away now.  It was pretty gross.  I think sometimes the special effects and makeup teams simply like to out-do each other in the game of “who can be more disgusting.”  However, it is also perfectly in keeping for a show about the supernatural.  While we have to wait five weeks – five whole, complete weeks! – for the resolution, we can be pretty sure that Nick won’t get killed, either by Monroe’s parents (his immediate peril) or the psychopath who is currently rampaging his way about gathering scalps from those in authority.  I’m not trying to spoil anything…I’m just sayin’.  😉

The Wild Hunt also opened up more fully the storyline of Nick’s mom.  I’m so glad that we’re going to see her again; it’s been a season and a half.  I’m also hoping that her return will reactivate some storylines that have been percolating very, very quietly:  the Royals quest for the key, the coins, plus give us the third side of “meet the parents” as Juliette – now fully informed of Grimms and Wesen – can begin to relate to Kelly Burkhardt.  It will be interesting to see what mom thinks of her son’s continued alliance with Wesens, as well as a now-revealed Royal – that should shake things up a bit more – and what mom thinks of Nick having his girlfriend involved in his life.  Since she was married, she shouldn’t have too much judgment for him; after all, it seems that her husband knew who she was.

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I did find the Monroe’s parents meeting of Rosalee a bit heavy-handed, perhaps because I just didn’t quite believe Monroe would ‘throw’ Rosalee out there – yeah, ‘to the wolves kinda comes to mind, sorry – so completely.  After all we’ve seen of Monroe, all his love, tenderness, and protection of Rosalee, I guess I find it a bit out of character that he would lead her out of the kitchen and into the waiting embrace of his parents without once prefacing things with:  Mom, Dad, here is my fiancé Rosalee.  She’s a Fuchsbau and I adore her.  Then again, Monroe is pretty out of touch sometimes with things, so perhaps it isn’t that much of a stretch.  He more than makes up for it as he gives Rosalee the room she needs as she leaves and then turns on his parents and in no uncertain terms makes it clear his intense disapproval of what they’ve said and done.  Too bad at just that moment, when things couldn’t get worse, seemingly, they do:  enter Nick. 

I hadn’t been watching the clock, so caught up in the momentum of the psychopath focusing in on Nick, Juliette in contact with mom, Adalind’s baby coming months early – is nine months the standard for Wesen too? –, and now Monroe’s parents display of – well, awful, that I was unprepared for the TO BE CONTINUED that flashed across my screen…and then I burst out laughing.  Oh, Grimm, you’ve done it again!  You told us before that you were sorry right before the continuation, another time you told us something akin to:  you knew it was coming, and this time you give us an Oh %$^#@ leading into TO BE CONTINUED.  Thankfully, I have a good sense of humor – and I prowl ahead on futoncritic to know that such a hiatus is on its way.

So, we have five weeks to agonize – or not, provided you really like the Olympics.  I do not, so it’s doubtful I’ll be watching much of them.  But, I have a puppy to play with – and an adult dog to also play with and a kitty to snuggle with, so I’ll be quite busy.

Until the last day in February, thanks for reading.  Elle2

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