Grimm season 4 episode 20 review: You Don’t Know Jack

This review contains spoilers.

4.20 You Don’t Know Jack

The last couple of weeks we’ve been left wondering when Grimm will finally decide to shift up a gear before the season’s finale in a couple of weeks.

It turns out it is this episode.

The writers have hit the pedal with some force, with You Don’t Know Jack taking a surprisingly sinister turn, as well as delivering some proper shocks. (Despite some macabre moments, Grimm has always offered the audience a sense of cosiness, efficiently dispatching any threat to the gang in no more than a couple of episodes. It’s as edgy as one of Monroe’s woolly cardigans.)

However this episode provided a couple of genuine ‘what the hell?’ moments that could signal big changes for the course of the show. Conversely, it was also one of the funniest episodes in a while, with Adalind taking the lion’s share of pithy one-liners.

In what must be the ultimate abuse of power by Renard, the gang have Adalind’s mother exhumed in order to brew a potion to suppress the Hexenbiest in Juliette. It accompanies Adalind swapping her usual arched bitchiness for almost self-deprecating humour – something we’ve never seen before.

Further, Adalind volunteers to test the serum, despite the fact it would negate her powers.

Afterwards, Rosalie asks Adalind how she’s feeling, to which she replies: “Like I drank my mother.”

As fans of the show we love the mischief that accompanies Adalind’s villainous schemes, but the new, cowed Adalind offers a sense of vulnerability that goes a long way to making her more likeable. She willingly makes herself more vulnerable at a time when Juliette’s rage is only making her stronger.

In a complete turnaround for the show, Adalind is now more human than Juliette.

For his part, Nick promises her that no-one will take the new baby. He is in a world of turmoil after discovering Juliette had burned down the Airstream (were the long-ago mentioned keys burned in the fire, do we think?). This is also reflected in the shock and dismay felt by Hank, Wu and Monroe as they try to salvage books and weapons from the trailer.

Juliette also signals her new allegiance to Kenneth with an attempt to lure Kelly back to Portland with a hoax email. With plans to get a load of heavies on side, it’s apparent an attack is in the pipeline for the last two episodes of the season.

Elsewhere there is a serial killer roaming Portland who is killing Wesen prostitutes in the style of Jack the Ripper. Shot in the first person, we don’t get to see who the killer is, although he is clearly voiced by Dick van Dyke doing panto (what is it about terrible British accents on this show?).

Monroe’s reaction to news there’s a serial killer in town? “Well that would be a nice change of pace.”

But in the first of two major shocks this episode, advisor and all-round Hexenbiest guru Henrietta has her throat slashed in a surprise attack by the creature. 

As we’ve never seen his face, he could be anyone. For example, Renard keeps blacking out and attacking people, and had just visited Henrietta, pre-attack. Perhaps that’s just too grisly for Grimm though…

Both Adalind and Juliette make conscious choices this episode, but in Juliette’s case it is clear she can never return to her previous life. This is evident after the second shock is delivered, and Juliette smashes Rosalie into a wall. She then takes out Hank before forcing Nick to turn his gun on his best friend Monroe.

The show ends with a black screen and a gunshot. We don’t know if Monroe has been shot, or if someone else has stepped in last minute and fired the shot… We do know that Grimm has now woken up and is delivering little electric shocks to see if we’re all awake too.

Read Christine’s review of the previous episode, Iron Hans, here.

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