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A Blutbad In Sheep’s Clothing. Review: Grimm, S2 “The Good Shepherd”

Review: Grimm, S2, Ep. 205 – “The Good Shepherd”

Air Date: Friday, September 28, 2012 9/8c on NBC.

Rating: ★★★★★

“Dressed in the skin, the Wolf strolled into the pasture with the Sheep. Soon a little Lamb was following him about and was quickly led away to slaughter.’” —Grimm

After three weeks, Grimm finally returns and while it’s a predictable case, there are some unexpected surprises that I was very happy to see.

The good Reverend Calvin (Jonathan Scarfe) isn’t really that great after all.

“The Good Shepherd” title closely follows the beguiling quote that precedes each episode. Reverend Lance Calvin (Jonathan Scarfe) is a Blutbad and his loyal parishioners, a flock of “Seelengut,” are sheep-like Wesen. Like every evangelist scandal of taking money from the trusting and faithful for personal gain, this case was a bit too calculable. Although, the twist they spin in with Harmony (Rachael Perrell), the young pregnant parishioner, adds a bit of cattiness to spice things up. I guess Lance’s assistant Megan (Kristina Anapau) thought she was his one true love. If she looks familiar, she had a hot fling with a certain Sheriff in a little southern town called Bon Temps. (True Blood)

One of the flock, Matthew (Alan Barnett) shakes Monroe’s (Silas Weir Mitchell) hand welcoming him to their parish.

The interesting part of this case occurs when Nick (David Giuntoli) and Hank (Russell Hornsby) enlist the help of another Blutbad to help them get more answers. Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) happily goes undercover but he gets a little more than he bargained for. I love Mitchell in this role. His impeccable penchant for dialect and accents, especially with his German background, lends so much authenticity to the storylines borrowed from the famous Grimm Brothers fairytales. And Mitchell’s acting and use of facial motions and body language also add to the convincing portrayal of a once carnivorous Blutbad gone vegan.

Observations:

Maybe because I know Nick loves her so much, but Juliette could have left a note or something before going out with the girls.

Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) still can’t remember Nick but she must have lost her manners as well when she goes out with the gals. It’s not to say she had to leave a note, but given the circumstances, I think it would have been courteous to at least send Nick a text to let him know she was going to be out for the evening. Just saying.

***

Does anyone else find it odd how well Hank is adjusting to all this Grimm stuff? I know he’s had some experiences that have been validated by this revelation but still, he seems too complacent with these supposedly supernatural goings on.

***

Do all Grimms possess an innate artistic skill necessary to sketch pictures of the Wesens they encounter?

The mysterious Nuckelavee, Hargrund (Jessen Noviello), sent by one of the Royal Families, gets bold by attacking Nick as he leaves his late Aunt’s trailer containing all his Grimm-ly things. What Hargrund  doesn’t anticipate is Nick being so agile and skilled for a newbie Grimm. Is it wrong to want more fight scenes? I feel there is a shocking lack of action but it could be the effects of being Grimm-less for three weeks and jonesing for some Grimm on (bad) Wesen action.

***

The unexpected surprise—we know Cpt. Sean Renard’s (Sasha Roiz) “pure of heart” potion-laden kiss woke Juliette from her coma, but I find it very curious that he has a flashback to said kiss. I’m dying to find out what will happen when/if he sees Juliette again. If you’ve seen the previews for next week’s episode, it appears Juliette gets her memory back…but how? I keep wondering if whether a kiss from Nick will jog her memory. Or will another kiss from Sean do the trick? I guess we’ll find out next week.

***

“The Good Shepherd,” while entertaining on certain levels, didn’t quite enthrall me after a three-week absence. The four star rating I’ve given the episode comes from the acting and juicy flashback Sean has about kissing Juliette. As usual, Giuntoli does a fantastic job of walking the fine line between being a Grimm and a cop, all while trying to deal with the debacle of his beloved Juliette’s memory loss.

I’m ready for the story to move forward, especially where it concerns Nick’s mother Kelly (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) and where she’s gone with the coveted Zakynthos coins. I also want to know more about Sean’s familial ties of the royal kind in Europe and whether we’ll see his brother, Eric (James Frain), in Portland soon; and finally, the romantic side of me wants see how a Blutbad (Monroe) and a Fuchsbau (Rosalee (Bree Turner) can have a relationship. I guess since they are both in the canine family—a wolf and a fox—it could work.

 

Tune in to Grimm, Fridays at 9/8c on NBC.

For more on the show, go to http://www.nbc.com/grimm/.

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Photos © 2012 NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.