As a proponent of heavily serialized drama, character development is one of the major things that I look for when deciding whether or not to stick with a new show. Even though you have to give some a little more time than others, there has to be some sense that the people on screen are characters that are going somewhere and have their own sets of hopes, fears, and aspirations that give them some coloring. Though watching a crime be solved will always be intriguing to me, mostly because my degree is in criminology, there has to be more to the characters in a procedurally-based show than complex legal lingo and generic cop platitudes that make them look less like people from the real world (as opposed to The Real World) and more like the means to an end that are only there to bring you 42 minutes of justice.
When I took on the role of writing about Grimm, I was a tad nervous. I’m not a huge watcher of procedurals and very rarely watch cop dramas in my free time, so I simply hoped that the show would toss in enough serial elements to keep me interested to go along with the expected legal wranglings of Portland, Oregon. After a sluggish start in terms of character beats, it looks like Grimm is on its way to being able to please fans of the serial and procedural elements of TV, if “Let Your Hair Down” is any indication. Grimm may not stack up character moments like its genre show peers, but when it does decide to give you a peek behind the curtain, it’s usually a whole lot of fun, as evidenced by last night’s episode that gave just about everybody a moment or two to just be themselves.
Most notably, “Let Your Hair Down” was another Monroe-heavy episode that added more density to the show’s heartiest character by revealing his complete love of anything and everything Christmas and a little bit of what he learned in the scouts as a baby blutbad. However, quirky traits/history aside, the episode gave Monroe some much needed (positive) interaction with somebody other than Nick. Thus far in Grimm‘s run, Monroe’s played the part of oracle and enforcer, both the muscle and the brains behind Nick’s immersion into the Grimm world, but we’ve very rarely seen him just be a friend or have a chat with somebody else. Last week’s episode aside, of course. He had kind of been Grimm‘s fire extinguisher, existing in an isolated glass case and take out in case of emergency, so an episode like “Let Your Hair Down” highlights the fact that he’s got a human side and a need for contact that hasn’t quite been met yet.
If the show is planning on using him as much as I think they are, this type of episode is necessary in the grand scheme of things, as Monroe’s struggle to balance his two sides is one of the more intriguing parts of Grimm and made all the more poignant when we see how caught in the middle he actually is. The door was left open for Holly to return as a possible Monroe mentee and I kind of hope she’s brought back, if only to give our favorite sidekick some non-Nick interaction.
Monroe wasn’t the only supporting Grimm-ster to gain from “Let Your Hair Down”, as Renard, Wu, and Hank all got to show off, in a sense. Now that we know that Renard is a Grimm like Nick, all of his official police duties and press conferences like we saw are given that much more depth and eeriness. Wu and Hank’ s budding bro-ship makes sense within the context of the show and works well for both characters; since Nick is off by himself/with Monroe a lot, having Hank sit around and do nothing would be a waste of a character, so teaming him up with Wu gives him something to do and brings some new dimension to the police department scenes. While keeping Hank in the fold as opposed to sending him almost strictly on side missions, it brings previously peripheral Wu closer to the show’s orbit and makes him less of a uniform and more of a person. We still don’t really know who Wu is, aside from being a hard-working, sarcastic drinker, but we’re much closer now than we were even a few episodes ago and that’s pretty much all you can ask for.
As much good as “Let Your Hair Down” had, with its copious time in the gorgeous forest, I’m a little exhausted of all the kid/teen cases the show has thrown at us. Of the first batch of episodes, only a couple haven’t dealt with children or teenagers being dangerous or in peril, which is playing that card a bit too much for me. I don’t mind episodes concerning crimes committed against children, but when you’re seven episodes in and more than half feel too similar, it’s time to expand your reach a bit. I know that the show is based on fairy tales, which are about and aimed at children, but Grimm has done well so far about changing up enough elements from the source material to appear modern and I feel like they could adapt several stories into adult tales. It just feels like tired writing to continue going to the “child in danger” well and while there are enough elements in “Let Your Hair Down” to keep the episode fresh, including Monroe’s connection to Holly, the episode could have been stronger with a different type of case to work from.
The fall finale of Grimm was a pretty fun way to admire how aesthetically beautiful the show can be while giving several characters screen time to advance their agendas. The chess pieces are moving slowly around Portland, but all that matters is that they’re indeed moving and that the show they’re moving in has made leaps toward finding itself in recent weeks. Grimm has still not made the cross from good to pretty good (and even great), but the more we get to know the people behind the monsters, the more I think it has the firepower to do so.
Thoughts, Quotes, & Observations:
-“We’re not cops. We own a doggy wash!”
-“That is one broken neck.”
-“I don’t think Big Foot would fit into the sleeping bag.”
-“Hold on to your…whatever you hold on to.”
-“You should see me in my Santa suit.”
-“$50 says you’re full of tree sap.”
-“It also works as a fine diuretic.”
-“I was being attacked. I didn’t stop to consult my animal guide.”
-This was yet another strong opening scene for Grimm, no? Say what you want about the rest of the show, but they always start things off with a bang.
-Did anybody catch whether the guy bragging about being in a Grimm’s house and surviving was the refrigerator repairman from a couple episodes back? I’m 95% sure that’s who it was and if it is him, nice job on bringing him back, writers.
-How did you feel about the open-ish ending with Holly’s eyes glowing in the police station? I’m glad they tweaked things and it was suitably creepy, but I hope it goes somewhere.
-The whole “if she goes for my throat, shoot her” thing was too cool and kept Monroe’s supernatural-y self in the forefront.
-We’re now around a quarter of the way through Grimm‘s first season, with the show resuming on January 13th. Hit the comments (or my e-mail) and let me know what you’ve thought so far. How has the show compared to your expectations? Do you think they should amp up the serialization? What’s been your favorite episode thus far?
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It was the refridgerator repairman. He wanted to show off to his friends he survived. Now, I don’t mind the episodes featuring kids. But I am enjoying seeing Monroe and Hank getting more screen time. I do see your point thigh about “kid in danger” it can get old. But Grimm is a much better show than “Once Upon A Time” without a doubt!
I forgot to add that my favorite episode was last week's with Hap–"Three Bad Wolves." I wish he didn't die though! Great review!
I loved it. I like Nick/Monroe interactions and I am glad they got "out" and could be themselves for a change. There were those little moments doing it worth it – Nick completely trusting Monroe when Monroe started changing, Monroe showing a softer side with a lost kid. Everybody had something to do and it is as it should be. But I really think Nick should go solo as a detective to be able to be a Grimm full-time (most of his cases are Grimm related anyway) with Monroe as a partner, and keep Hank and Wu around as police partners. It would work much better that way
Yeah I think they should tap into more serialization. Once Upon A Time may be more cheesy than Grimm but at least there more mythology. I enjoy Grimm Darker tone a lot more. This show also need a lot more character continuity. That's a problem with most crime procedural where very little events have any relevance going forward.
Grimm has intrigued me enough to watch it regularly (and there aren't a lot of shows that do that). However, I think they are in danger of making Nick superfluous. His role as a Grimm has really been all but ignored; he is not growing into it at all. Monroe is by far the most interesting character, and when your supporting character starts to overshadow your lead, that's a problem, from a storytelling perspective. I also don't think Nick acts enough like a homicide cop, either. His role is turning into the catalyst to bring Monroe into the story. The writers need to focus on developing Nick, as a cop, as a man, and as a Grimm, or their premise will run out of steam–which would be a shame.
I like the show but I don't get why Nick and the black cop are barely ever together on screen or doing something together. Also right now I don't care about Nicks faincee too much. On another note: the trailer really is just standing in the middle of nowhere without anybody noticing. I kinda failed to notice Renard being a Grimm? When did that info happen?
The darker intense episodes seem to fit the storylines better. Somewhere down the line Hank is gonna have to be made aware of what Nick and Monroe are. How he learns and adjusts is probably worth half a season of episodes. That in itself could be fun. And I do agree that Holly should definitely return, she is and asset that should be used again and again.
I agree, Nick definitely has to be the driving force, not the supporting sidekick. I was under the impression Grimms were enforcers,regulators,those who clean up. Time for Nick to put his aunts books to use.
I felt like this episode left a lot of unanswered questions….. such as, "what happened to the man left in the drug dealer's brothers basement", and what is going to the relationship of holly and monroe…. I just wasn't sold on this one… hopefully they bring back the man left in the basement or at least explain what happened.
I completely agree with razorqueen above. Nick is becoming obsolete and Monroe is starting to become the main character. Monroe is by far more interesting and if the show is really about the Grimms then they need to develop Nick’s character and show him being more of a Grimm. Someone else mentioned that the show needs more mythology which I agree with. The brothers Grimm wrote quite a few fairy tales so the writers should have plenty to choose from.
I agree the victim pool has been kid heavy, but it's also been very Female heavy. With the exception of the couple-victim, I think ALL have been exclusively women. And I count the couple-victim because there was still a femail victim. I'm not trying to make Grimm into a feminite statement, but…Come on!