Sunday, December 8, 2013

Grimm, Season 3, Episode 6: The Stories We Tell Our Young



“We don’t believe, we only fear.”

Well that’s an ominous beginning.

Renard packs – including his passport – and tells Hank and Nick that he’s going away for mysterious reasons that may or may not be connected to his brother’s death (though he and his spies seem more interested in Adalind’s pregnancy recently) and to ignore any communication they get from him – it won’t be really from him. He would contact them through Rosalie, yes it’s all very dangerous but no, they can’t help.

Now to the case of the week – a mother and father bring their young son to see a priest, late at night, in order for him to help the boy, Daniel (who is apparently having problems given his talk about the doctors). They leave him alone with the priest and his assistant locks the doors. The parents are worried and desperate outside

The help, appears to be an exorcism. Mid exorcism the boy starts struggling and woges when the assistant ties him down. While the parents bang on the door to be let in, the boy unleashes some impressive super strength, knocking the priests aside and unconscious.

Nick and Hank are called in – the Monsignor is dead and Matthew, his assistant, was knocked unconscious. Daniel, the boy, is missing (probably out of the window). In the room, Nick’s super senses prick and he finds Daniel hiding in a cupboard. They reunite him with his parents and hide the priest’s body from him – and bag up the rope he was tied with (still with the wrenched off metal bar attached). The boy’s taken to hospital and sedated due to stress and shock.

They interview Daniel’s father who tells them that Daniel has episodes, mood swings and he doesn’t even remember when he has them and nothing medical helped. Nick asks if Daniel is adopted, apparently not – but his dad does see him change – his face alter. Hank puts this as a simple case of a Wesen child, but Nick doesn’t get it – for the kid to be Wesen the mother, father or both need to be Wesen too. And ominous music plays as we see freaky black veins creep over Daniel’s sleeping face.

Nick and Hank go to check their knowledge of Wesen biology with Rosalie and Monroe, which they explain with lots of unexplained German terms (basically human and Wesen has a 50% chance of being Wesen – but surely half-wesen, given Renard? He isn’t  a full Zauberbiest) Two Wesen of different kinds produces… some other random Germanic Wesen term. This has been singularly unhelpful.

They’re interrupted by the news that Matthew, the assistant, has woken up and they go interview him. He begins by making excuses for why they’re putting a child through an exorcism. Hank’s not impressed that they tied the boy down and Matthew describes the “face of a demon” he saw. Hank and Nick begin to even suspect demonic possession – if the boy were Wesen then one of the parents would also be Wesen and wouldn’t be putting their child through exorcisms.


A nurse tries to take blood from Daniel and he woges –or just changes – and she runs screaming right to Nick and Hank. They both arrive and see his face, wait – and he turns back. Nick tries to warn a very sceptical doctor – don’t do anything (blood or tests) that may be seen as threatening.

They go to Rosalie and Monroe – and they come up with Grausens. They’re near legendary – a Wesen spirit that would invade non-wesen children. Or possibly, to modern thinking, it’s a mutation. Regardless, they disappear – the responsibility of the Wesen Council (which we hear very little about, they enforce Wesen law and in the 16th century made a pact with both the Royals and the Grimms). Apparently Grausen grow up to become vicious psychopaths and the Wesen are blamed for them, hence the Council’s intervention. If it’s a Grausen, Rosalie and Monroe have to inform the Council – causing the kid’s death. Or risking their own deaths if they don’t.

Hank and Nick leave with the info, leaving Rosalie and Monroe to argue about what they should do; because not telling them will piss the council off. Not telling them then working with a Grimm behind their back? Very bad. She has to tell them

And we switch to an official looking gentleman, De Groot, we’ve seen before – giving his orders to a subordinate, Alexander about doing what “has to happen” to the 9 year old Grausen.

Nick and Juliette find several references to Grausen in the Grim archives but Nick’s ancestor came to the conclusion that while he thought being a Grausen was a disease, it was also not within the Grimm’s remit and he informed the Wesen Council. Juliette examines it from a disease stand point (being a medical professional) and thinks, when considering what the doctors told Nick, that yes it’s highly likely. Nick needs to find out what happened when the symptoms first started – if it is a disease it’s clearly one rarely encountered after all.

They go to the hospital and Juliette asks the irate and distraught parents about when Daniel got the disease – apparently they travelled all over Egypt where Daniel caught something resembling the flu. His dad doesn’t see why any of this is relevant – really? Your son has had a strange medical condition for the last 2 years that has resisted all treatment and no-one has asked you these questions before? Juliette draws upon past experiences to diagnose a parasite.

Alexander, the Wesen Council representative, wakes Rosalie and Monroe in the middle of the night to demand to know where the Grausen is. Rosalie tells him – and Monroe tells Nick. Nick tells him not to get involved because it will jeopardise both of them.

Alexander heads to the hospital and Nick, Hank and Juliette arrive soon after – but the boy is missing, the doctor tells them they released the child to his parents. Nick asks why and the doctor (who is kind of awesome) tells him they don’t keep people in hospital who have nothing they can treat. Alexander is in the cupboard, listening to everything they say.

The three go to Daniel’s house (his parents are freaking out wondering what to do next) and Juliette offers them her possible diagnosis and solution. But Alexander also reaches the house, sneaks into Daniel’s room and woges into a big white cat-Wesen – and Daniel goes Grausen and smacks him. the noise attracts Nick and Hank – Daniel is gone and Nick sees Alexander leap out the window.

Daniel runs, ambushed by Alexander but he manages to duck away as Nick tackles the wesen. They fight and Nick wins – and Hank arrives to hold a gun on Alexander while Nick goes looking for Daniel. Daniel has ran off in the middle of a storm, he’s wet and it’s extremely cold. His dad leads them to a fort he may be hiding in while Juliette warns of hypothermia

They find him and he’s extremely cold and the Grausen parasite rises… then fades. Nick realises the parasite probably needs the body to be a certain temperature to survive. Juliette warns them of the risk and they let Daniel’s father make the choice. He delays – and the parasite crawls out of his ears and nose and dissolves to dust. They hurry him to the house and treat him for hypothermia

At the police station Nick gives Alexander their medical report on Daniel and explains what Grausen are. Alexander still wants to see the boy but Nick invokes the treaty between the Grimms and the Council that means Alexander has to trust him. But he does let Alexander go to take the report to the Council.

He takes it to De Groot and they’re both very intrigued by Nick as well. Both the boy and Nick will be monitored. And Nick updates the Grimm files, helped by Juliette with the medical knowledge



Renard arrives in Vienna and is picked up by Meisner. Apparently there’s a reunion due to happen. Meisner updates Renard on family politics, including someone called Tabisha taking over the entire south and is shifting the politics a lot. Meisner takes him to an unpleasant, dank basement to stay to maintain a low profile and Renard reminisces of staying in places like that when he and his mother were on the run from his family. Meisner shows him his hidden escape route.

Someone calls Adalind and summons her to the House. It’s not a request. Arriving there she is greeted by the family’s new prince.

During the night, Renard’s safe house is raided by Verrat. Renard and Meisner kill the Hundjagers and Renard questions the quality of Meisner’s safe house. They escape through the secret tunnel to the sewers.



The Wesen council is definitely something I want to see explored more – especially how it relates to the Royals (whatever they actually are) and whether the Grimms have a governing body (as has been implied by the making of agreements between the three). And if the Grimms have made deals and worked with the Council of Wesen, how does that relate to Nick’s ancestors who felt free to kill any Wesen, even the most harmless, on sight to the point of near extinction?


I have to say I am loving Juliette this season. After so long of me loathing her character as a pointless addition, she’s not really stepping up as a full team member.

(oh the ominous title referred to the number of people who were calling a parasite demonic possession out of fear rather than actual analysis)