Season 4, Episode 9

Air Date: Friday, January 16, 2015, 9/8c on NBC

Rating: ★★★★★

“He had them brought before the court; and a judgment was handed down.” – Grimm

SPOILERS AHEAD

Grimm comes back from winter break with a vengeance! “Wesenrein” is dark, gritty, bloody, and unapologetic. It’s also engrossing, evoking emotions I don’t normally feel while watching Grimm. I was ready to hurt someone and I’m still feeling antsy after all is said and done. “Wesenrein” picks up with Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) screaming as she stares at her transformation. We also continue with the story line of Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) being kidnapped right in front of his house.

Wu finally learns the truth but I don’t think he’s fully absorbed the gravity of it all.

Before we get into Monroe’s kidnapping, let’s clear the air with Sgt. Wu (Reggie Lee). Wu is finally brought into the fold by Nick (David Giuntoli) and Hank (Russell Hornsby), but it’s going to take a bit longer for him to digest what he’s told. Wouldn’t you be skeptical if you found out monsters and creatures from your childhood are real? I appreciate writer Thomas Ian Griffith giving this story arc a realistic point of view. I would have had issues had Wu been too accepting. Instead, Griffith makes Wu question what he’s sees and hears. A perplexed Wu asks Nick and Hank “…shouldn’t we be out there killing them?” Easy, Wu; as Nick explains, “Not all Wesen are bad.”

But bringing Wu into the fray means Captain Renard (Sasha Roiz) must also divulge his knowledge about all this Grimm and Wesen business. I’m not sure Wu is ready to handle knowing his captain is Wesen. What is curious is Renard employing a mysterious acquaintance, Sam Damerov (Kenajuan Bentley), who just happens to be a Lausenschlange (a snake like creature), to help look into the Wesenrein counsel—led by “the Grandmaster,” Charlie Riken (Brandon Quinn), a recently released inmate—that is convening in Portland.

As “Wesenrein” continues, Rosalee (Bree Turner) realizes something is terribly wrong when she goes to look for her new husband only to find an injured Officer Acker (guest star Will Rothhaar) and a missing Monroe. Things begin to wind down a very dark path and if you doubted Rosalee’s love for Monroe, think again. Rosalee is ready to kill to get Monroe back.

Jonah is a bit of a prick – he’s not thrilled with taking orders from his big brother, the Grandmaster.

Monroe awakens briefly in the back of a moving van only to be kicked in the face when Jonah (Nick Krause), one of the younger members of the Wesenrein, makes a nasty comment. Haters gonna hate; can’t do much to stop those that think they know what’s right and wrong. The Wesenrein are akin to both the KKK and Nazi extremists if they had a hate-child. This branch of Wesenrein is full of Blutbaden who think the inter-Wesen marriage of Monroe and Rosalee, a Blutbaden and a Fuchsbau, is sacrilegious. The Wesenrein dishes out judgment and punishment in the most brutal and medieval of ways. Even the symbol of the “wolfsangel” is reminiscent of the detested Nazi swastika. I must give a nod to Krause for his portrayal of Jonah, a sadistic little prick if I ever saw one. I remember Krause from his portrayal of a surfer dude in the film The Descendants so to see him being this harsh, cruel member of the Wesenrein is jarring. I’m sure being the younger brother to the Grandmaster isn’t easy.

Rosalee isn’t safe in her own home but she may not be safer at Nick and Juliette’s either.

While Nick and Hank enlist Wu’s help to find Monroe, Rosalee is safe with Juliette – or is she? Juliette is now a Hexenbiest who has no control of her powers. With tensions running high for both a confused Juliette and an enraged, worried Rosalee, things go from bad to worse when Rosalee questions Nick’s loyalty and duties as a Grimm. Juliette begins having her headaches again. Rosalee scoffs, “I’m so sick of hearing about your headaches.” Juliette transforms into a Hexenbiest and unleashes her frustrations on an unsuspecting Rosalee. The cat fight ends when Juliette rips out Rosalee’s throat. WHAT!?

Thankfully, it’s all a horrible nightmare. Rosalee is fine but Juliette is understandably shaken by her horrific dream. Is this a sign that Juliette wants to hurt Rosalee or just a terrible byproduct of all the things going on in Juliette’s life? Either way, I was picking up my jaw off the floor when Rosalee’s bloody trachea drops from Juliette’s hand.

Monroe learns from his cellmate that the Wesenrein mean business.

Monroe’s captors are not kind, and that’s putting it mildly. Chanting “impuro,” meaning a Wesen heretic, Monroe realizes things don’t look good for him. He uses his wits to outsmart the immature Jonah but Monroe’s brief escape is marred by what he sees deep in the forest. His cellmate has been staked and burned alive, and Monroe knows this is what lies ahead for him.

Nick and Hank work round the clock to find clues to where Monroe is leading them — to Shaw (Don MacEllis), the guy who wanted to hurt Nick after learning Nick had lost his Grimm powers. Shaw gets a very rude awakening in the interrogation room when he realizes Nick is once again a Grimm. But Shaw is more afraid of the Grandmaster of the Wesenrein and would rather die by the hands of a Grimm than give up any information. Seeing what the Wesenrein did to Monroe’s cellmate, I can’t blame Shaw; however, Shaw meets his own sticky end regardless of his loyalties.

Time is of the essence and in searching Shaw’s house, Nick and Hank realize Officer Acker has secrets of his own. As if all of this isn’t enough, back in Vienna, Prince Viktor (Alexis Denisof) informs Adalind (Claire Coffee) they will be returning to Portland, much to her chagrin. With the Wesenrein being a handful all their own, Nick doesn’t need the royals popping up in Portland trying to find his mother or Adalind’s baby.

Overall

“Wesenrein” renews my adoration for Grimm. I’ve been a fan from the beginning, and though there were some weird bumps along the way in how the story lines played out, things are getting very interesting again. I’m still curious about how the writers will tie in the royals, the baby, and those mysterious keys; however, I’m more interested in the current arc with the despicable Wesenrein. Is this what the resistance is fighting for – to stop the old ways of thinking when it comes to Wesen rule? And what about Monroe? Will Nick and Hank be able to find him before it’s too late?

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

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

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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.