Grimm: Highway of Tears review

This Grimm review contains spoilers.

“There is no mercy in you. You cut off the heads of men and women and these you wear as a garland around your neck.”

Several weeks into the season, Rosalee and Monroe’s marriage continues as an underlying subplot to remind everyone what is at stake if Nick is unable to recover his abilities. We all need supernatural friends in our corner when things and people go bump in the night or when large metal objects are set ablaze in our front yard as a warning sign of disapproval.

Wesens are not immune to prejudices and racism in the name of purity. The council frowns upon mixed marriages as surely as a hardened redneck in Alabama or Tennessee. Rosalee and Monroe, different species of Wesen, had the gall to marry. Team Grimm will have none of that. True love is worth the risk. Hank is particularly incensed because it reminds him of a burning cross in the Deep South.

Is it worth mentioning that the couple in tonight’s episode-within-the-episode, “Highway of Tears”, is interracial? It extends the theme of what some still believe is wrong. People of different ethnic backgrounds ought not to date, and without question, should not marry.

The other subplot involving Victor and Adalind is Vienna is too far removed from the main action in Portland, and has yet to rise above a fireside chat in tailored clothes. I am waiting for them to rejoin the others, or pursue Nick’s mother, who is protecting the magical baby. Until either of these storylines unfolds, the Austrian castle scenes feel like empty calories.

Gathered in Nick’s living room, the team, plus Elizabeth, start the process of reversing the damage of Adalind’s previous power-stripping spell.

Nick’s character is such an Eagle Scout. I wish the actor were able to add more dimensions and texture to his weekly performances. He is too squeaky clean, too black and white. I never doubt what he might say or do, but a few surprises in future chapters would be appreciated.

The writing and acting has sometimes pushed the limits and expectations, but not often enough given the premise of the show. Viewers are willing to suspend disbelief if only the writers would take us to the edge of a cliff. It might be a big ask to consistently raise the bar on network television. A number of shows use flashback or filler scenes to bridge the gaps over the course of a season. I accept that each episode will not be worth of an Emmy. I have always wanted to be frightened or on the edge of my seat while watching Grimm, but have only been entertained. A child or teen might squirm or squeal watching Grimm, not an adult. An adult might notice the holes in an episode, the attack on logic, whereas a younger mind might be caught up in the forward momentum and accept things as presented.

Hank and Monroe must be up a creek without a paddle, or tossed into a hole,  to increase the drama on whether the spell actually worked. Will Nick regain his powers in time to save his friends from the reptilian Wesen?

Maybe I will change my expectations and watch future episodes as my pimply former teen self.

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