Grimm: Last Fight Review

“Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires.” 

Viewers are routinely asked and expected to suspend disbelief when watching television shows and movies. Grimm‘s premise is no exception: modern-day heroes, monsters and bogeymen living among us in cul-de-sacs and inner cities. It might be better sometimes to be oblivious to parallel worlds and double lives that is the basis of the show. Where else could a Wesen FBI agent oversee an alleged select group of crime fighters who kidnaps potential recruits?

Creatively, this is a good way to allow Trubel to shine, and not be relegated to the role of sidekick this season. This possible subplot would allow the character more opportunities to hone her skills. Do we trust that Agent Chavez is telling the truth? Trubel needs to have a healthy dose of doubt and second-guessing. I vote that she tells Nick or at least Hank that she was kidnapped and interrogated despite Chavez’s warnings to the contrary. Her silence could be costly later in the season.

Middleweight boxer Clay Pittman and his awful stage mother represent the episode’s title, “Last Fight.” Everything we accept about Grimm establishes that Clay couldn’t be Wesen without his mother’s knowledge. At first glance, we see a meek guy who doesn’t want to step into the ring. It takes a hazing ritual to incite and enrage him, and his winning record remains intact. The underbelly of the amateur boxing world as seen through the lens of Grimm is a good move. Showing their inner beasts and greed otherwise invisible to the human eye. 

LisaGay Hamilton is stellar as a Wesen mother from hell who’s addicted to money, fame and applause. She’s not the first, nor will she be the last stage mother who tries to live vicariously through her child. Her pride as her son knocks out yet another ill-matched opponent is later balanced with fear and disappointment. The opposite of her character is Captain Renard’s mother, Elizabeth. For now, she’s selfless, pitching in to help solve the riddle that’s a powerless Nick. Stripped of what makes him unique, Nick is a middle-age Hardy Boy.

How long will it be before Nick regains his abilities? If Rosalee, Monroe and Elizabeth have anything to say about it, it shouldn’t be too long. I like the addition of Renard’s mother to the cast as a Hexenbiest. She has a more confident and powerful presence than all the others combined. 

Travel with me back to the dungeon in Vienna. In the season premiere, Victor observed Adalind on the surveillance equipment as he sat having dinner. Episode three, the CCTV and Victor are both mysteriously absent, which makes it easy for the Golum-like Hoffman to help her escape through a secret passageway. There’s suspension of disbelief, and then there’s lazy writing. What type of villain doesn’t block an easy escape if he’s intent on keeping prisoners? Victor, his henchmen,  and the palace guards are conveniently missing and unaware of the unfolding escape. Let’s discuss how Adalind returns to Portland in the episode four preview. She escaped with nothing but the clothes on her back, but yet she was able to travel, presumably by plane, back to Portland and reappear in the spice shop.

Finding our way back to episode three, Wu is gearing up for his last fight with his sanity, and is ready to confront Nick. It’s odd that Juliette wants Nick to confide in Wu, but not too keen on Nick regaining his ability, which he needs to do soon to balance scales if Trubel will be otherwise engaged. 

What’s the difference between coincidences and contrivances? Coincidences feel organic, while contrivances are forced. The masked men outside of the spice shop at episode’s end is contrived. Why not have them corner Rosalee, Monroe and Elizabeth in Adalind’s storage locker?

I follow this guide when reviewing shows: A plot is a narrative of events, the emphasis falling on causality. “The king died and then the queen died” is a story. “The king died and then the queen died of grief” is a plot. The time-sequence is preserved, but the sense of causality overshadows it. If it is a plot, we ask “why?”

In the coming weeks, I’ll be asking “why” if and when things don’t make sense.

Clay had his fill of his abusive, manipulative mother and professional boxing. His last fight broke him down emotionally and mentally, resulting in an extreme self-inflicted punishment before walking away. This is believable and makes sense when asked “why.”

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