Grimm 1.15 “Island of Dreams” Review

Also, you mean to tell me there’s an episode called “Island of Dreams” and we only get to see it in the last five minutes of the show? And it looked like the tent scene from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, only with supernatural drug use instead of gay sex? I know the nature of a show like Grimm is that it’s all about putting the pieces together, not standing back and admiring your work, but I couldn’t help but feel a little short changed here. The show brings us to these vivid, intense locations and images, but we never get much of a chance to enjoy them, because the bad guy is always caught within a matter of minutes. Grimm has shown itself willing to fiddle with its formula, notably in tonight’s crime-free intro, and I’d like to see them not make the final showdown be so anti-climactic. Let there be a search or an extended chase – something to balance out the bang-bang aspect of apprehending the criminal that they’ve kind of leaned on thus far. I could be more okay with the show making arrest after arrest if the arrests occurred in different ways, particularly since a lot of them come in supernaturally-themed places that could add an extra umph to any elongated criminal takedown.

“Island of Dreams” was okay, but it wasn’t quite the episode I hoped for coming off of yet another hiatus. It felt more transitional, the chess pieces tentatively being moved around and setting up a big go-to move later on. The events depicted here, from Rosalee’s flirtation with Monroe to Adalind’s cookies of doom and Wu’s decidedly different mental state, could be major players going forward, but for now, it was an episode that underwhelmed me a bit as a whole. A lot of it was done before and in an episode that featured a lot of callbacks, the original material had to be on point. Unfortunately this time, it was on point – a dull, dull point.

Thoughts, Quotes, & Observations:
-I expected the pie the repairman brought over to have some kind of effect on Nick and Juliette. Maybe not for a few episodes?
-The guy that Freddy bit stitching up his leg wound was horrific.
-Cool shots, bro: Rosalee hiding in the shop when the guys got there and Hank staring ahead through a row of doorways.
-Was I the only one that thought the food turned Wu into a Wesen when they saw his face?
-Welcome back, everybody. The final hiatus of the season just concluded, so prepare yourself for eight consecutive episodes of Grimm. Also, since we last saw one another, there’s been a second season renewal, so yay for that.
-Entertainment Weekly talked to Grimm executive producers David Greenwalt and Jim Kouf about the final episodes of season one.
-Which Revenge actor will be heading to Portland soon?
-A Jericho alum is scheduled to drop by, as well.
-And a Broadway veteran, too.
-There’s another take on Grimm fairy tales opening soon: Brothers Grimm and a Showgirl.
-Here’s an overview of Grimm thus far, if you’ve forgotten anything or want to convert a non-fan.
-Next week on Grimm: Romance is in the air, with Monroe and Hank exploring the possibility of new relationships. Nick, on the other hand, has his weekend with Juliette interrupted by his neighbors.