Grimm – “Hibernaculum” Recap. Colder Than a Witch’s You Know What.

Season 4, Episode 17

Air Date: Friday, April 10, 2015, 8/7c on NBC

Rating: ★★★★★

“Ah! It was colder than ice; it penetrated to his very heart.” – Grimm

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Time is of the essence in “Hibernaculum” with strange new Wesen arriving in Portland who freeze their victims, and Hexenbiests gone wild. This week’s installment of Grimm takes us on one helluva ride where reality is becoming blurred and the past has a way of creeping up on some of our beloved characters. From Monroe (Silas Wier Mitchell) reliving the nightmare he endured in “Wesenrein” and “Tribunal,” to Captain Sean Renard (Sasha Roiz) remembering every detail of being shot and having visions of an evil from beyond, things get a bit frightening in “Hibernaculum.”

Focus on the … focus on… what the hell am I focusing on?

The thing on everyone’s minds, well, almost everyone, is Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) and Sean hooking up. Did it really happen? Her side of the bed doesn’t look too disheveled and while Sean is wounded, I highly doubt he wouldn’t give it his all in the bedroom. But aside from sleeping with the girlfriend of his top detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli), Sean has something else occupying his thoughts. His wounds are bleeding again and he’s not healing as quickly as he has in the past. While standing in front of a now broken mirror, courtesy of his rage, Sean sees a white light, but instead of angels hovering above, blood red hands with blackened claws come out, reaching toward him. Startled, as he should be, Sean steps back to avoid being taken and then suddenly grabs his bare chest in agony, collapsing to the floor. I know I should focus on his physical pain but I can’t get the vision of Sean’s naked torso out of my mind. I blame Roiz and writer Michael Golamco for blatantly distracting me with this story line. How dare you parade around shirtless like that? In back-to-back episodes no less! I think I’m having heart palpitations. I digress.

Are any of the royals Wesen? And Kenneth is a tall drink of water…too bad Adalind is already knocked up.

Is there a time jump I don’t know about or do Hexenbiests have a vastly different gestation period than humans? Adalind (Claire Coffee) is in dire need of a new maternity wardrobe given how much her baby bump protrudes in the slinky black dress she’s wearing. With Juliette gunning for her, Adalind needs to be extra careful. The gargoyle statue Juliette tries to drop on Adalind’s head nearly met its mark. What will happen when Juliette finds out who the baby’s father is? Now that is going to be an epic reveal. I wonder if that will be part of the season finale. I don’t know if Kenneth (guest star Nico Evers-Swindell), the new royal in town, will be able to protect Adalind from a Hexenbiest as powerful as Juliette. He may have given Sean a good beating but he’s no match for a woman scorned.

Speaking of powers, Juliette seems to be changing in more ways than one. She finally pays a visit to Monroe and Rosalee (Bree Turner) at The Spice Shop, but isn’t sure what to do or say. “I’m losing myself; I need help.” This statement alone is quite compelling. Juliette admitting this signifies something quite profound but if she can’t reverse her Hexenbiest status, will she lose her humanity completely? She’s already quite snippy with Nick, who happens to be at The Spice Shop seeking Monroe and Rosalee’s assistance on the strange freezing case they’re working on. With Hank (Russell Hornsby) in tow, and considering he knows about Juliette’s condition, it’s not unreasonable for Juliette to have the reaction she does. Of course, Monroe and Rosalee are clueless until Juliette shows them exactly what Nick is talking about. Juliette woging into a Hexenbiest scares the box right out of Monroe hands. And like any good friend would do, Rosalee tries her best to comfort Juliette, “There’s gotta be something…”

This must have been an extremely painful way to go…frost bitten inside and out?

Back to the case of the week – an elderly woman living alone is found frozen solid in her living room. Knute (Jamison Peil), her attacker, is actually a Wesen known as a “Varma Tyv.” He was freezing to death and needed to find heat but not just from a heater or fire; he needs body heat. As Monroe explains what Varma Tyv are to Nick, “If I’m not mistaken, it’s is Norwegian for somebody who takes heat.” Rosalee adds, “Varma Tyv…naturally cold-blooded; winter is when they’re the most dangerous; they can’t generate their own body heat…A Varma Tyv’s physiology can only process human body heat; other sources of heat have no effect on them.” As Nick and Hank process this information, they learn Varma Tyv usually hibernate in winter in a “hibernaculum…sort of like an animal heat orgy.” A room full of heat sucking, snake-like creatures all huddled up together for warmth is not something I ever want to stumble upon by accident, let alone go in search of, but that’s exactly what Nick, Hank, Monroe, and Sgt. Wu (Reggie Lee) do. While Varma Tyv aren’t known to be violent, more and more of them are killing people for body heat. This puts Nick, Hank, and Wu in a precarious position – arrest the sleeping horde of Varma Tyv they find or let them continue hibernating.

Observations

Monroe and Rosalee have a poignant moment when he tells her he had visions of his time with the monstrous Wesenrein. I don’t think this is the end of Monroe’s nightmares.

I believe Wu found himself a bit speechless when he encountered this many Wesen in one room.

I love Wu. Now that he’s knowledgeable about Wesen and such, he’s become a valuable asset to the team. Besides, I simply love the way Lee delivers his lines with a coy assurance when investigating cases. After finding the elderly woman in her living room, the ever observant Wu says, “So, I’m thinking this is not the usual home invasion suspect we’re looking for?”

Juliette can’t see past her own rage. She’s laying blame on everyone. She tells Nick, Hank, Monroe, and Rosalee, “You all had a hand in this…there’s enough blame to go around.” Will somebody please call Henrietta (Garcelle Beauvais) to help Juliette understand and deal with her powers?

Overall

“Hibernaculum” provides us with an intriguing new Wesen but more importantly, it progresses the story lines for several characters. The question is – where are we headed? Will Juliette become an uber Hexenbiest that cannot be stopped? Will Sean’s mother Elizabeth (Louise Lombard) come back to Portland to help her son once more? Will Nick’s mother Kelly (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) return with baby Diana? For that matter, is Diana still a baby? Will Adalind give birth before the end of the season? So many questions…I can’t wait to find out what happens next!

What did you think of “Hibernaculum?” Leave me a comment below or tweet me at @judybopp. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Tune in to Grimm, Fridays at 8/7c, only on NBC.

For more on the show, go to the official site.

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

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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.