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A Twisted Spin on The Tortoise and the Hare. Review: Grimm, S2 “The Other Side”

Review: Grimm, S2, Ep. 208 – “The Other Side”

Air Date: Friday, October 19, 2012 9/8c on NBC.

Rating: ★★★★★

“I thought of making myself a beautiful wooden marionette. It must be wonderful, one that can dance, fence, and turn somersaults.” —Grimm

Who else was thinking of Pinocchio with the opening quote? If the words ‘one that can’ were actually ‘one who will be able to,’ this quote would have to be credited to the author of the beloved children’s story, Carlo Collodi. And if you were hoping for Wesen with an affinity for wood or descendants of beavers, you’ll be disappointed. The title was a bit misleading, as well. “The Other Side” could mean a plethora of things, but you’ll make yourself nuts trying to match it up with the opening quote. I must say, there were only a few scenes and story arcs in “The Other Side” that kept me interested and they had nothing to do with the academic decathlon participants being brutally murdered. I know, me not interested in bloody unsolved homicides — shocking.

Observations:

Sean seems more than smitten with Juliette. I am very anxious for his obsessive behavior to cross the line with Nick.

While giving his acceptance speech at the Landmark Awards, Cpt. Sean Renard (Sasha Roiz) loses his concentration when he locks eyes with Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch). But her slight reaction doesn’t go unnoticed. She’s just as curious about Sean as he is about her, although I think his…infatuation, if you will, is more pronounced than hers. Were you brimming with anticipation when Sean walks up the stairs to Juliette’s bedroom and slowly walks over the bathroom threshold and watches her while she showers? Very palpable, wouldn’t you say? Although I’m dying for this story arc to get juicier, I love the tension of the drawn-out story. Ahh, the anticipation; curse the writers for toying with my emotions.

***

Surprise, surprise. Adalind (Claire Coffee) is in Europe meeting with Sean’s half-brother Eric (guest star James Frain). Frain is such a wonderful actor so I am trusting that the writers have some major plot point in mind when they have Eric divulge some family secrets to Adalind. Please don’t waste this man’s talents with a subpar story arc. Adalind knows exactly what she’s doing when she mentions her familiarity with Sean to Eric: “The circumstances of our dischord were quite…grim.” Clever play on words, Adalind.

***

Nick and Hank need to kick it into high gear – ASAP!

Nick (David Giuntoli) and Hank (Russell Hornsby) are becoming, dare I say it, boring. Now that Hank knows about Nick’s unique ability, I feel like they’ve become rather complacent. Writers, we need to spice things up a bit, please. Nick is a Grimm—descending from an ancient lineage of pioneers and explorers. Why can’t some of that ancestry play more into the Wesen story arcs of Nick’s time? We learn, via Nick, about his ancestors discovering new Wesen and such; maybe Nick needs to discover something too? Although, when Nick attacks a vicious Wesen, Hank only sees a young boy. I thought Hank was going to kick Nick’s ass which was kind of exciting.

***

Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Sean meet! I was surprised to see Sean enter the spice shop to ask for something to help stop his “obsessive” behavior.

Monroe: “And how long have you had these…feelings?”

Sean: “Ever since I kissed her.” (What!? He’s been fighting these urges for that long?)

This is going to be a very fascinating story line. Once Monroe and a still absent Rosalee (Bree Turner) put two and two together (and you know they will), things should get very perplexing, indeed. Since the patrons of the spice shop are usually Wesen, once Monroe figures out that Sean is Nick’s captain, I’m pretty sure he’ll go running to Nick with this information.

***

Logan Miller as Pierce – a boy pressured by his mother to excel at everything.

I love Grimm but as of late, it’s been a bit weak on the stories. This week’s tale of woe involves an overzealous mother trying to make her son be the best he can be…literally. Genetic mutation to produce the perfect child seems like a familiar plot but when it’s gene splicing with two very different species of Wesen—one a docile turtle-like creature, the other a monstrous beast—that’s like having a Hyena mate with a goldfish. A kind of sick and twisted spin on the fable The Tortoise and the Hare. And while the CGI effects are great, they can’t make up for a feeble plot. I’d like to see more Wesen stories that have a connection to Nick’s family or the royal families in Europe. While I understand the need for Nick and Hank to be members of the Portland PD for the realism of the show, this is also a fantasy series that needs more enchanting fantasies.

 

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

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

If you missed our interviews with some of the cast at Comic-Con, check it out here.

Like Grimm on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/NBCGrimm.

Follow Grimm on Twitter @NBCGrimm.

Follow these cast members on Twitter: @russellhornsby, @mistergiuntoli, @BitsieTulloch, @sasharoiz, and @MrReggieLee.

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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.