Grimm Season 5 Finale – “The Beginning of the End Parts One and Two” Recap. Things Will Never Be the Same.

Season 5 Finale, Episodes 21-22

Air Date: Friday, May 20, 2016 at 9/8c on NBC

Rating: ★★★★★

***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD***

“It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees.” – Grimm

To sum up the two-hour season five finale of Grimm, all I can say is it’s quite an emotional roller coaster. There’s action, mystery, intrigue, diabolical deeds, and heartbreak. Even so, I’m slightly disappointed in “The Beginning of the End, Part One and Part Two.” I am confused as to where the writers are trying to lead us. First, it was the Royals, now it’s Black Claw.

The way Black Claw uses Hank against Nick is devious.

I’m perplexed as to what we’re supposed to take away from all that’s happened in season five. What is buried beneath all the rubble of what the Grimm writers have put us through this season? I’m not saying this finale doesn’t have exciting moments filled with intense drama, especially the final scenes, but I need more than just a good dramatic fight scene. I need clarification of what the heck is going on in the minds of these writers. Am I the only one who thinks this way?

Now, I can sit here and draw comparisons to Black Claw’s uncanny resemblance to extremist groups like White Supremacy and Nazis, but I’ll skip the boring analysis and tell you what the hell happens when Black Claw tries to mess with Nick (David Giuntoli), his family, and friends – Wesen start dropping dead, that’s what.

Det. Baribeau takes Hank to a Black Claw hideout awaiting further instructions from Bonaparte.

In Part One, we are given a glimpse of what the world will look like if Wesen truly take over. The Portland P.D.’s North precinct is ruled by Wesen and to put it mildly, they do not like Nick one iota. Not just because he’s a Grimm, but because he’s a Grimm who doesn’t want to join Black Claw.

Hank (Russell Hornsby) is framed for the murder of two unknown men – the same two men who followed Nick in last week’s “Bad Night” and met their untimely demise. But you know immediately something is amiss when North Precinct Detectives Baribeau (George Ketsios) and Masters (Karishma Ahluwalia) are investigating the so-called crime scene at Hank’s house. They take Hank into custody but when Nick goes to the North Precinct to find him, things don’t go quite as he expects. The way the cops goad Nick—by woging and taunting him with “…show me what you got”—is maddening, to say the least. Nick is so used to Wesen being afraid of him because he’s a Grimm, to have a whole room full of Wesen act like they aren’t scared, is a new experience; the key word being ‘act.’

Diana really needs some good parenting.

Diana (Hannah R. Lloyd) tries to play matchmaker with her parents, Sean (Sasha Roiz) and Adalind (Claire Coffee). Following Sean’s landslide victory in the mayoral race, he and Adalind put Diana to bed but she has other ideas. Using dolls that belong in a Tim Burton film, Diana attempts to put her “mommy” and “daddy” to bed. Diana does a lot more than matchmaking, though, in this season finale. She finally does something she’s wanted to do for a while now and that’s getting rid of Rachel (Anne Leighton). As I mentioned in my review of “Bad Night,” Diana kept giving Rachel the stink-eye every time she looked at Sean. Diana desperately wants her parents together and views Rachel as a possible threat. Diana’s powers are much greater than anyone anticipated. Seeing how she manipulates Rachel’s red sheets to essentially mummify her is terrifying. The fact that Diana takes her mother to Rachel’s bedroom to show her what she’s done like some kind of show-and-tell day is even more disturbing. Diana’s got telepathic powers on lock! Does Diana expect a pat on the back for killing Rachel? As Sean says, Diana needs to learn “not to kill people.”

Bonaparte is one ugly Zauberbiest.

Admittedly, Bonaparte (guest star Shaun Toub) comes across as a scary guy but we see how truly menacing he is when he not so subtly informs Adalind how ugly things are going to get if she doesn’t play ball. I think she gets it, especially after he demonstrates his impressive abilities. Bonaparte is a powerful Zauberbeist but rest assured, he’ll soon meet his match. Bonaparte is determined to have Adalind and Sean marry, whether they like it or not. As he places a ring on Adalind’s finger, he warns her, “Do not take this ring off because it will be extremely painful…for your children.”

I got a bad feeling. Nick takes Trubel and HW’s most powerful asset – Eve. Not good.

Parts One and Two of the Grimm season five finale blend seamlessly together, with a definite change in tone from Part One to Part Two, particularly both before and after Hadrian’s Wall (HW) is taken down. Before HW is decimated, things for our Scooby Gang – Nick, Hank, Wu (Reggie Lee), Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell), and Rosalee (Bree Turner) – look grim, no pun intended. Black Claw is watching their every move, even staking out in front of Monroe and Rosalee’s house. With Eve (Bitsie Tulloch) and Trubel’s (Jaqueline Toboni) help, Nick goes to the Black Claw safe house, where Hank is being held, to rescue him but it’s all a ploy. Taking Hank was a set up to lure Eve away from HW so another group of Black Claw members can wipe it out, killing Meisner (Damien Puckler) in the process.

After HW falls, Nick gets himself into some hot water when he decides he’s had enough and walks into Sean’s office at the South Precinct. Nick’s not there talk, though; he’s there to kick some ass. Seeing Nick and Sean go mano-y-mano is something many Grimm fans have been anticipating, especially this season. After Sean essentially steals Adalind and baby Kelly from Nick, how could we not expect some kind of major confrontation? But Nick only puts himself in danger by getting arrested, making it easier for Black Claw to get to him.

R.I.P. Meisner.

As we get further into Part Two, with HW and Meisner gone, it’s up to Hank, Wu, Monroe, Rosalee, Trubel, and Eve to rescue Nick. While Monroe and Rosalee go back to The Spice Shop to hide all the Grimm books, Hank, Wu, Trubel, and Eve (collectively, the cavalry) go to the North Precinct to save Nick before it’s too late. Using his Zauberbiest powers to manipulate Nick’s thoughts, Bonaparte questions him about the coveted Grimm ancestry book. He gives Nick a choice – the book for baby Kelly. Before anything else can happen, the cavalry arrives. Pandemonium ensues as gunshots ring out from every direction and Black Claw Wesen drop like sacks of bricks. While all the fireworks are going on, Bonaparte slips away but not before Eve gets to him. The showdown – Hexenbiest vs. Zauberbiest – begins and things get contentious as Bonaparte throws shards of glass in Eve’s direction. Able to dodge most, one large piece hit’s Eve’s abdomen, leaving her mortally wounded.

Wu and Hank take everyone, save Nick, through the tunnels to escape Black Claw.

In a last ditch effort to escape from Black Claw, Nick instructs everyone to rendezvous back at his place thinking it’s safe. But Bonaparte gets Nick’s address from Adalind by using brute force. Nick uses the magic stick to save Eve but something goes terribly wrong. The wound heals itself but then Eve woges and goes into convulsions. Writhing in agony on the floor, all I can think about is the part where the cloth says “perilous.” When Eve finally stops seizing, it’s apparent something isn’t quite right. Nick moves her to the bed but there isn’t time. With Black Claw surrounding Nick’s house, everyone goes into the tunnel, save Nick. He stays behind, sacrificing himself to save his friends.

As Nick takes down as many Black Claw members as he can, he can’t stop them all. As gunshots ring out and we see Nick go down, things seem bleak. But fret not; Nick has the magic stick in his coat pocket and stands up to take down one more Black Claw member before Bonaparte and Sean show up. Just when you think Bonaparte is going to end Nick’s life, you think, ‘it’s ok, Nick will be fine because he has the magic stick in his pocket.’ Well, Nick doesn’t need the healing powers of the stick. Remember when I said Bonaparte would meet his match? Diana saves the day by using her voodoo doll to coerce her daddy into picking up a sword and stabbing Bonaparte in the back, literally.

Overall

Trubel and Eve stay behind to make sure Black Claw doesn’t come through, but is Eve able to stop anyone? Has she lost her powers?

While there are some exciting moments throughout “The Beginning of the End Part One and Part Two,” overall it does little to provide answers about Black Claw’s future plans, nor does it make a lot of sense. The magic stick serves its purpose, I see that, but in healing Eve’s wounds, it seems as though it also heals Juliette (Tulloch) from being a Hexenbiest. Is Juliette really back to normal? Is the stick that powerful? With Bonaparte dead, what other Black Claw leaders are going to come crawling out of the woodwork to take his place? And even though Sean kills Bonaparte, he doesn’t do it of his own volition. Sean and Nick are alone in the room – will we see these two duel again or is Sean finally glad to be free from Bonaparte’s tight grip?

Rosalee’s pregnancy may be untimely but it definitely gives Monroe a boost!

I’m pissed about Meisner dying. The Grimm writers turned him into a martyr of sorts. He became a beloved leader and role model for Trubel. I would have loved to know how he helped Juliette become Eve. If you recall the flashbacks, it almost looked like she was between worlds – between life and death – so how the hell was Meisner able to get in there and help her transition? I am glad he wasn’t Wesen; he proved not all humans are bad.

As I mentioned, I did find hope in this finale and it comes in the form of Rosalee’s pregnancy. A new Wesen will be brought into this chaotic world to two loving, open-minded parents, but what will the world look like when the little guy or gal pops out? I guess we’ll have to wait until season six to find out. Something tells me it could very well be the final season of Grimm.

What did you think of the season 5 finale? I’d love to hear from other Grimmsters. Leave me a comment below or tweet me at @judybopp. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Grimm will return for season six in the fall.

To keep up on the show, go to the official site.

Like Grimm on Facebook.

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

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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.