Grimm – “Mishipeshu” Recap. He’s Got Spirit...Animal.

Season 4, Episode 18

Air Date: Friday, April 17, 2015, 8/7c on NBC

Rating: ★★★★★

“The Spirit you seek in the water is only a reflection of yourself.” – Grimm

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Not all fairy tales have happy endings and Grimm is taking the road less traveled in the so-called love story of its main couple, Nick (David Giuntoli) and Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch). Relishing in the darker side of things, the ominous tone the writers and producers are taking with Grimm fascinates me. The only downside of going a bit darker is the pacing. While the intriguing Native American aspect of “Mishipeshu,” this week’s episode, intrigues me, I want the writers to focus more on the saga of the newly turned Hexenbiest Juliette and her journey into the temptations of being a powerful witch.

Channeling Your Spirit Animal

L-R: Nick, Deputy Sheriff Farris, and Hank seek answers at the local Native American reservation.

Lawrence Kilburn (Will Hawkes), a local high school custodian, is mauled while waxing the floors of the now empty classrooms. The circumstances surrounding his mysterious death have Nick and Hank (Russell Hornsby) scratching their heads. Needless to say, they assume it’s Wesen related (what crime in Portland isn’t these days?). With the help of Deputy Sheriff Janelle Farris (guest star Toni Trucks), a familiar local law enforcement face, Nick and Hank discover Kilburn’s death may be revenge for a previous hate crime against a local “Native American boy,” Simon George (guest star Booboo Stewart).

When Simon was only five years old, he witnessed his father being brutally beaten and killed by three men. Since then, Simon has been reluctant to talk about the incident. As he grew up, the racial slurs and bullying at high school because of his Native American heritage caused him to drop out. He sought refuge with the local tribe and went on a “power quest” to help him connect with his Native American roots. But Simon gets more than he bargained for when he channels his “animal spirit,” a creature known as a “Mishipeshu.” Tribal elder Hector (guest star Gregory Cruz) describes it as a “horned, water-serpent-panther.” While this creature originates from a tribe hailing from Lake Superior, it’s related to Simon’s deceased mother’s side of the family, not Simon’s father. Perhaps the Mishipeshu is there to help Simon avenge his father’s senseless death.

Hank’s Power Quest

Is it just me or did Hank channel Simon’s spirit quickly?

In order for Nick, Hank, and Deputy Sheriff Farris to learn more about the Mishipeshu and Simon, they must enter the “dream world.” The curious thing is Hector telling Nick before downing the liquid, “you’re different; this could be dangerous for you.” As Hector begins to chant, it’s Hank who succumbs first, channeling Simon’s memories from when he was a five-year-old boy (Kagan Seymour). Hank witnesses, through Simon’s eyes, the three men beating Simon’s father to death. This is the connection Nick, Hank, and Sheriff Farris have been seeking between Kilburn and Declan (Errol Sack), another man killed in the same manner Kilburn was. The third man, Maxwell McClay (Eric Lee Huffman), is still alive and in danger but he’s not really the kind of guy anyone wants to protect from harm.

From the previews, it looks like Hank turns into a Wesen in “Mishipeshu,” but he doesn’t…thank the stars. We don’t need that happening to anyone else in Nick’s group of friends. So please, keep the rest of the humans, human, ok? Instead, Hank is possessed by the Mishipeshu’s spirit due to Simon’s injury and goes to Maxwell’s house to finish what was started. Even though Maxwell survives, he doesn’t make it out alive. The Mishipeshu finds another host to finish the job. I wonder how Deputy Farris feels about being possessed like that. Side note – will she become a love interest for Hank? The poor guy deserves someone special, don’t you think?

Observations

Dinner at Monroe (Silas Wier Mitchell) and Rosalee’s (Bree Turner) doesn’t go quite as planned. Nick isn’t able to sit still knowing Juliette is out there. Rosalee is determined to help Juliette and she and Monroe call on Captain Sean Renard (Sasha Roiz) to give him the witch’s hat and Hexenbiest spell book his mother Elizabeth (Louise Lombard) used to reverse Adalind’s (Claire Coffee) spell. Whether it will help remains to be seen.

Sean is not having a good time. While he has obviously recovered from his vision in “Hibernaculum,” he’s behaving strangely. Sean has no recollection of punching a guy and taking his wallet until he pulls the guy’s wallet from his own coat pocket. What is going on with Sean? Is this a side effect from sleeping with Juliette? As an aside, why would anyone ever carry that much money in their wallet? It’s ridiculous. You’re begging to be mugged.

Juliette lets loose after having a few drinks at a local bar. Her jail cell confession is quite revealing. After being arrested for assaulting Rick (Nick Ferrucci), some poor sap who buys her drinks, Juliette admits to Nick she likes the power that comes with being a Hexenbiest and understands why Nick was hard pressed to give it all up. The way Juliette is changing strains credulity just a tad. She was so anxious to find a way to become human again, and then, seemingly overnight, she’s ok with being a Hexenbiest. This plot point doesn’t seem plausible; it feels like an episode dealing with her transformation is missing. Even worse, Juliette’s actions are becoming more erratic. I hope the writers rein it in a bit. Please don’t make Juliette unlikeable to the point where your fans don’t care about her ever becoming human again.

In previous recaps, I have questioned whether there are any ‘normal’ killings in Portland and I think Sgt. Wu (Reggie Lee) and the writers must have heard me. When Wu asks Sean what percentage of crime is Wesen related, Sean responds, “Well, one way or another, most crime, in most places, is Wesen related.” Cryptic much? It’s a very alluring concept; perhaps we’ll see some more out-of-state crimes being investigated by outside agencies, with help from Nick and Hank, of course, in season five.

The casting department is amazing when finding people to play criminals on Grimm. The three guys, Kilburn, Declan, and Maxwell are all nefarious looking dudes aren’t they?

Overall

“Mishipeshu” is an interesting episode but does very little to further the main story lines. While I am thrilled Hornsby gets to be a little more hands-on in this episode, I fear he’s falling into the same trap with Hank as Tulloch did with Juliette. Hank is Nick’s partner and is in the know about Grimms and Wesen, but other than that, he’s not really able to do much. I just don’t want Hank to become a Wesen to get more screen time. Hornsby is too good to be given menial scenes.

What did you think of “Mishipeshu?” 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.

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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.