Grimm: Heartbreaker Review

“How the silly frog does talk! He can be no companion to the human being.”

Imagine keeping a deadly secret that you have no control over. This is the case for both Juliette and Bella Turner, the amphibian Wesen, at the center “Heartbreaker.” Juliette’s condition is only a secret from Rosalee, Monroe and Sergeant Wu. Captain Renard, Nick, Hank, Adalind, and of course Henrietta are aware that she’s Hexanbiest. 

It breaks Nick’s heart that there are no immediate reversals that wouldn’t impact him as a Grimm. The magic books and talismans in the trailer don’t contain any answers. Juliette’s rage is palpable, and with her growing power, everyone best steer clear of her before she inflicts pain upon their persons.

Elisabeth, Renard’s mother, is batting zero for two. Both of her magical spells have unwanted side effects. Renard is experiencing nightmares, with bloody flashbacks to his shooting and death. Someone or something on the other side doesn’t agree with his reincarnation. His current altered state leaves him weakened and defenseless if he exerts himself too much. I wonder if his mother will return and fix whatever ails him and Juliette.

Several episodes later, I don’t understand why he hasn’t phoned her. Perhaps this is by design, and the writers have a big reveal in store closer to the season finale. Two mothers are desperately needed by their sons, yet both are off the grid. Kelly’s still in hiding with Adalind’s baby, and by all accounts, Elisabeth’s searching for them because she wants to spend quality time with her granddaughter. 

Back to tonight’s frog princess. She’s from a generation of beautiful women who can’t be intimate with suitors because it would kill them. That’s a difficult burden to bear. The grisly fix to their affliction is to be branded across the face, rendering themselves unattractive to a majority of romantic partners.

The writers played with the old adage, “look, but don’t touch,” but most men in hot pursuit of women believe they must touch and claim a woman as their own. Had the men tonight kept their hands at their sides and respected Bella’s physical space, they’d have both lived. There was an added twist of putting the onus of their death within their control. Bella’s transformation was triggered by male pheromones. 

“Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it!” This plays out in both storylines. Nick wanted to be a Grimm again, fully accepting that there might be consequences, but surely not expecting them. Renard wasn’t conscious to make a decision on being reincarnated. The fallout of his condition rests firmly at his mother’s feet. 

Adalind is pregnant again, but this time the father is her sworn enemy. How will it play out if she has a successful pregnancy? Will the second child replace the first in terms of value to the royals because of the father?

Bella starts off on a new path away from her family. She’s sure to blend in with the Goth and leather population in Portland, who are more likely to see her inside versus external beauty thanks to Rosalee and Monroe. 

Juliette will have a more difficult road to travel as she tries to figure out her new life as the most powerful Hexanbiest in town, and maybe on earth. Will she replace Henrietta in the creepy mansion on the hill? What are the odds of her eventually becoming Nick’s ally against the royals and local bad guys?

Elisabeth isn’t evil. She was born a Hexanbiest, and has dealt with it her entire life. Juliette didn’t have a choice in the matter, and is rightfully bitter. If there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, perhaps it will appear later in the season or early in the next. She’ll need maturity and calm if Adalind gives birth.

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