"To Serve and Protect Man" is a great title for the episode because it got me thinking about the purposeful professions of Nick and Hank. Early criticism of the show focused on Nick's profession and arguments for why Greenwalt and Kouf should've made him a private detective or a vigilante-type. (Us bloggers/reviewers know every goddamn way to fix a show, don't we?). The case-of-the-week story put the professions into focus again, but not in an overt way to show how well the professions work for the story and for the characters. Lost in the overanalyzation of the procedural aspect of the show is how the procedural aspect enhances the characters through the professions inherent to the procedural format. Hank and Nick have a tremendous opportunity to truly serve and protect men from the violent Wesens of the world who are as undetectable as toxic odorless gas.
Hank and Nick's roles reverse. Nick's reduced to Hank's sidekick. Hank takes charge, aggressively pursuing leads to help save the life of a man he doomed because he just didn't know about cannibalistic creatures in Portland. The ability to see the Volga side of normal, every-day looking citizens changes everything. Hank's flashback to the arrest could've been a dream. The flashback cuts to present day Hank already committed to solving the case. The changed faces gave him nightmares to end season 1. He sat in a chair, with a rifle aimed at the door, losing his goddamn mind with each sound, each shadow, and each imagined sound or shadow. The changed faces could've turned into dreams, a way for his subconscious to process the incredible and bring forth clarity and truth.
The cool part about the story is watching Hank and Nick figure out a way to convince the district attorney of Craig's innocence without using the Wesen evidence. Other cases involved Nick sneaking around as the cops focused on their clues, solving it and then creating a lie to explain how such and such was captured and how such and such's victim was saved at the last minute. Of course, the case quickly becomes the duo sneaking around in search of Wesen clues because they're unable to get anywhere following the rules of their job. Search warrants slow work down when a deadline for Craig's execution exists. The clock doesn't stop counting down. An innocent man needs to be spared from death. For all their brainstorming sessions in the office, they settle on the same plan to do their secret work, figuring they'll find a body and nail the living brother that way. No fuss, no muss. The plan works. The living brother has piles of bones under his house as well as under his former properties. Hank saves the life of the man he doomed.
Grimm introduced the District Attorney, Andrea, tonight. She's a no-nonsense character, unwilling to entertain insane ideas about a guilty man bound for execution's innocence. She fears the Portland Police Department's involvement in the execution will affect her campaign to become mayor of Portland. Renard's an effective character in the role of authority. The Andrea character isn't promising in her introduction, though perhaps she'll become an ally of Hank and Nick's. The last time David Greenwalt wrote for a show with a mayor character was the third season of Buffy. Mayor Wilkins is one of the best villains in TV. Grimm sometimes gets too comfortable in its procedural structure, so here's hoping the D.A. is different from other D.A. characters, past and present, on television. If anything, she'll be a romantic option for Nick. They shared quite the look when Hank told her to take the credit for solving the case that saved a man's life literally seconds before lethal injection.
Renard's obsessively occupied with Juliette. Juliette, too, thinks constantly about him. Nick is absolutely unaware of it. Juliette tries to fill in the blanks in her mind. Nick brings her back to their conversation outside the trailer in the rain in the season finale. She remembers the rain and the crying but nothing about Nick. Nick won't tell her, because she won't believe him, and it'll stop whatever progress they've made since she awoke from the coma. Juliette's really attracted to Renard. Renard takes her to the spice shop for a cure for their mutual obsession. They passionately kiss just as Monroe emerges from the back, stunned to see Nick's Juliette break free of another man's kiss.
The Fall Finale is next week. Grimm's aired 11 or 22 episodes because of their August premiere. The previews suggest a most badass episode. I'm hoping all of the pieces set-up in the 11 episodes pay off in a dramatic, exciting and breath-taking episode. Grimm is amazing when it wants to be.
Other Thoughts:
-Rosalee's going to return to Portland soon. Her aunt is better. Bree Turner was noticeably not pregnant. Oh, I am excited for more Rosalee/Monroe fun.
-Nick was a dumbass for telling Juliette he knows why she was crying but declining to tell her why. Juliette's attraction to Renard isn't surprising. Nick's a stranger who won't tell her everything, and Renard's the dashing police captain that saved her life with a kiss, just like in Disney fairy tale adaptations. Sasha Roiz and Betsie Tulloch had real chemistry during their kiss in the final scene.
-Dan E. Fesman wrote the episode. Omar Madha directed it.
THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK
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