Grimm season 2 episode 6 review: Over My Dead Body
After last week’s misstep, Grimm is back to its best with an exciting Monroe-centric episode…
This review contains spoilers.
2.6 Over My Dead Body
Ever since she rode off into the sunset in The Three Bad Wolves, we’ve been anticipating the return of Monroe’s ex-partner in Blutbad crime, Angelina, and this week’s eventful episode not only welcomed her back, but left her six feet under.
Following last week’s low-peril, low-interest instalment, Grimm was back to its A-game with Over My Dead Body, a well-plotted episode that benefitted from putting Monroe front and centre.
Some parallel wooing went on in the early stages – Angelina line-danced with a bar creep, Monroe and Rosalee geeked out over virtuoso Austrian zitherists, Nick and Juliette continued their dreary game of catch-up, and Captain Renard enjoyed a flirty dinner with a Daryl Hannah lookalike – until the cogs proper began turning and a price ended up on the head of everybody’s favourite Blutbad horologist.
Angelina (essentially a wolfy version of leather-wearing, motorbike-riding redhead Justine from Angel) wasn’t back to tempt Monroe into partaking in more pleasures of the flesh (both the usual and the ‘tearing chunks out of with your wolf teeth’ kind), but as his paid assassin. Luckily for Monroe, she wasn’t about to dispatch her former love, but ended up sacrificing herself for him in a final redemptive act.
Bringing back Angelina was a sage move from the makers of Grimm, as her reappearance made a satisfying impact on the regular cast and brought the show’s more interesting conflicts (a Wesen going against his own kind to help a Grimm; Nick and now Hank having to forgo police probity to solve supernatural cases) back to the fore. There was a pleasing sense of connectedness to it all too, albeit a predictable one, as it emerged that Renard’s mystery date was behind the hit on Monroe.
Renard’s latest glamorous blonde has notched along the Royals plot nicely, with a tantalising reference to his returning to his “rightful place”, and his shoddy treatment at the hands of the Family (think the Volturi of Grimm). Blondie’s entanglement with Japanese group The Dragon’s Tongue – from whom Kelly Burkhardt is presumably attempting to conceal the magic coins as we speak – was almost as intriguing as Monroe’s denim shirt/bow-tie/waistcoat date night combo.
The Hank/Monroe scenes made for a particularly satisfying watch. Hank’s initiation into Grimm’s supernatural loopiness has been convincingly handled, taking the character from rocking-in-the-dark craziness, to befuddled fear, and now a fascinated acceptance and willingness to work against his cop-grain for the greater good.
Another enjoyable odd-couple pairing came about with the union of Nick and Angelina, the latter of who proved that it’s much easier to play Sherlock when you’re the one who committed a crime. David Giuntoli was uncharacteristically good throughout in fact, romantic with Juliette, guilt-ridden over Monroe, and a little bit kickass when it came to the staff fight at the end. Nick looks to be finally growing into his role, and let’s hope he gets a chance to keep doing so in a third season should one be commissioned.
There were weak links too of course. Juliette is still in her own bubble, playing the lead in a much duller show about a good-looking couple rekindling their affection at glacial speed. Similarly, Rosalee’s incuriosity about Angelina and thudding ‘My mum’s ill’ exit were clunkers in an otherwise well-plotted episode. Accepting that it was necessary to wave actress Bree Turner off on maternity leave, surely something less last-minute and unconvincing could have been dreamt up to send her on her way.
Overall though, the episode had far more wins than losses. Instead of an expendable, inconsequential case with a ‘comedy’ ending like last week’s, the gang were emotionally invested in events that had actual ramifications on the overarching story arc. The action moved apace, the peril and emotion were there, and finally, the return of Angelina reminded us that she’s not the only fatal femme out wandering the world of Grimm, surely the time is nigh for a reappearance from Adalind or Kelly…
Read Frances’ review of last week’s episode, The Good Shepherd, here.
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