GRIMM — “The Grimm Identity” Episode 501 — Pictured: (l-r) Reggie Lee as Sgt. Wu, David Giuntoli as Nick Burkhardt, Silas Weir Mitchell as Monroe, Russell Hornsby as Hank Griffin — (Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)
Grimm (NBC, Fridays, 9/8C) got pretty dark in season four and it doesn’t look like things are going to change any time soon.
The season four finale ended with Nick discovering his mother’s head in a box moments before his fiancée, Juliette, tried to kill him – thwarted at the last moment by fellow Grimm, Teresa Rubel (Trubel) saving his life… by killing her. When a horde of masked invaders drugs Nick and kidnaps Trouble, it sets Nick off in a way that has everyone he knows thinking he’s gone way off the deep end – which is an achievement when you consider the weirdness that’s a part of the Grimm’s everyday life.
The Grimm Identity opens with a quick recap of the momentous events that ended season four and cuts into a black and white sequence that includes, among other things, Juliette’s funeral – it’s a sequence that implies that everything that’s good in Nick’s life has been bleached out.
When Nick comes to, Trubel is gone; Juliette’s body is gone, and even his mother’s head is gone – without a trace. Because FBI Agent Chavez (Elizabeth Rodriguez) had taken Trubel before, he leaps to the conclusion that she is behind all this and storms off to find her after ranting like a crazy man to Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell), Rosalie (Bree Turner) and Hank (Russell Hornsby).
After confronting Chavez – in her office; in front of witnesses – Captain Renard, who has had to field a very angry phone call from Chavez, orders him to take some time off and not do anything stupid. So, well, of course…
GRIMM — “The Grimm Identity” Episode 501 — Pictured: (l-r) Claire Coffee as Adalind, David Giuntoli as Nick Burkhardt — (Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)
Meanwhile, just to add to the sudden hot mess his life has become, Adalind (Claire Coffee) goes into labor. So, there’s that, too.
Written by series creators Jim Kouf and David Greenwalt, The Grimm Identity sets up what appears likely to be a full season arc. When Trubel was first dragooned by Chavez last season, she was told that the FBI agent – who was also Wesen – was part of a secret organization that was gearing up for something big. That something big makes its debut in the fifth season premiere – and it looks to be the nastiest big bad so far. To say that things go sideways could be a serious case of understatement.
Against the beginnings of the big season-long mythology arc, Kouf and Greenwalt set the beginning of a new life – Nick and Adalind’s son. The events in that arc add some necessary grounding to the story – especially in light of all the weirdness going on elsewhere.
Eric Laneuville, a veteran of a half-dozen Grimm episodes, understands the unique mix of action, mythology and reality that makes the show work and his direction is sharp and focused. With everything that’s going on both sides of Nick’s life, he never allows one side to overwhelm the other.
Consider The Grimm Identity the prologue to an epic season – an intriguing and freaky opening salvo.
Final Grade: A-