Grimm season 4 episode 2 review: Octopus Head

This review contain spoilers.

4.2 Octopus Head

This week’s episode picks up where we left it last week, with doctors seemingly unable to revive Sean Renard after his apparently fatal shooting by Steward. But this is Grimm, and where conventional human medicine fails, Hexenbiest magic can work wonders.

Enter the mysterious woman seen briefly last episode who, freeze-framing the doctors working on Renard, administers a powerful spell with a two-headed snake that appears to transfer her own life force into Renard’s body, jump-starting the Captain back to consciousness.

Which is how we’re introduced to Elizabeth Lascelles, Renard’s mother.

The first question that’s springs to mind is, ‘How on earth can they get away with casting Louise Lombard – who is a full three years older than Sasha Roiz – as Renard’s mother?’ But it seems the writers were anticipating our puzzlement, when, later introducing Elizabeth to Nick and Hank, Sean reveals “She’s had some work done.” (One suspects it’s the Hexenbiest type of ’work’ than a traditional nip and tuck however, judging by her naturally youthful appearance.)

Regardless, Elizabeth looks to be a great addition to the show, for however long she remains in Portland – and potentially a great foil for Nick’s own mum, Kelly, who is herself one tough mother. She could also be an ally for Nick and his band of Wesen crime fighters, as surely Elizabeth will seek revenge on the royal family for the attack on her son?

Another strong female character (hooray!) is the FBI’s Special Agent Chavez, who seemingly has a vested interest in why Trubel killed Steward. As a Steinadler, she also appears to be part of a group that’s made it their business to investigate potential Grimm activity in Portland – and once she’s crossed Nick off her list, next up is Trubel… which can only mean, well, trouble.

Nick himself still isn’t sharing his feelings about no longer being a Grimm, so it’s difficult to tell what he’s thinking. But Juliette this episode makes it clear that she prefers Nick without his powers, and asks Monroe and Rosalie to hold off hunting for a ‘cure’. So, in one fell swoop Juliette’s back to being disliked by almost every fan of the show. And she was doing so much better!

Elsewhere, Adalind arrives in Vienna, expecting to be reunited with baby Diana as per her agreement with Prince Viktor, and instead find herself thrown into a rat-infested cell at the castle, with only a mysterious, and creepy-sounding, neighbour for company.

In a fresh twist though, Adalind and Nick appear to share more than recent memories of some afternoon delight, with the pair swapping visions of one another’s locations. If developed properly, this could add an interesting dimension to the combative couple’s relationship.

Also of note is Wu’s growing suspicions, which are heightened when he discovers Trubel was a murder suspect not so long ago. Wu decides to confront Nick, and despite the distraction of Nick’s vision, it’s unlikely that Nick can keep holding out on Wu, and will be forced to reveal the truth to him sooner rather than later. I, for one, hope Wu loses it with Nick for letting him believe he was going crazy following his experience with the Aswang.

There was a continuation of last week’s Wesen storyline about the Octo-man, but it really felt secondary to the developing plot lines among the main characters – although it strengthened Trubel’s new position as the only crime fighting Grimm in town.

I look forward to the next episode, particularly after this instalment ended on a cliff-hanger that I think will prompt some a number of truths to be revealed next week.

Read Christine’s review of the previous episode, Thanks For The Memories, here.

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