"Nothing, they say, is more certain
than death, and nothing more
uncertain than the time of dying"
I am convinced this week the writers decided to distract us from the fact that they are pouring out the meta slower than molasses by getting us all up in our feelings and ugly crying. This episode needed a Kleenex warning because it was impossible to watch and remain dry eyed unless of course you are some cruel unfeeling monster.
Since there was so little of it let's deal with the meta first. It's been decided that Eve is going to stay with Monroe and Rosealee. In preparation for Eve, the two start covering up all of the mirrors in the house. It's Monroe who once again points out the risks that they are taking by being so involved in what is going on; they are absolutely risking their family. It seems like a good idea to cover up the mirror but what happens if Eve catches her reflection in the toaster or some other shiny object? It highlights just how little they know about what is going on despite all of the research they've done as well as the risks which Monroe and Rosalee have undertaken in order to help out Nick. Even with everything they are risking, they decide to go ahead, with Rosealee promising to kick some major ass if someone comes after her little family.
Eve is convinced that the best way to deal with their problem is to meet it head on. Eve thinks it's better to enter the mirror and hunt the creature down, than to allow the creature to come through the mirror and attack her. Eve heads over to Nick's to ask Adalind if her mother talked about any mirror spells with her. Adalind doesn't know any spell about mirrors but fortunately for Eve, Adalind has kept all of her mother's spell books. Eve decides to start her research.
Renard, who really hasn't had much of a role this season, is deeply concerned about the markings on the tunnel wall and the potential of Diana's involvement. Renard decides to confront Adalind and her initial response is to deny that anything is going on. Renard then suggests that he'll just come over and they can talk to Diana together. Rather than trying to talk Diana into lying to her father, Adalind comes clean but refuses to give Renard any information and suggests that he talk to Nick to get answers. When Renard does confront Nick, Nick remains pretty noncommittal at first. Renard points out that they are potentially putting his daughter in danger and that this is something that he cannot support. Nick finally relents and agrees to share information with Renard, if Renard tells him what he's learned.
Even though Nick warns Eve not to go anywhere without him, Eve decides to use one of the spells she found in Adalind's book. Eve slices her palm open and then wipes the blood in a horizontal stripe across the mirror. At first it seems to have no effect, so a frustrated Eve turns to check the spell to see where she made a mistake. It doesn't take long for a portal to appear in the mirror and armed only with a knife, Eve steps into the other dimension. With any luck she'll get stuck there and we won't see her again and yes, I know that's wishful thinking.
Okay, onto the Wesen of the week storyline. It begins when a young woman is walking to her car and is viciously attacked and killed. There are very few clues and the cops are certain that she didn't die in a botched robbery. It turns out that there have been similar incidents like this in the last few months but they don't get enough from CCTV to be able to positively identify a perpetrator.
In a nursing home, a woman is being escorted to her room so that she can retire for the night. She talks about running wild through the forest and how much she misses those days. Suddenly, the woman woges and attacks the nurse practitioner who is escorting her. In self defense, the practitioner strangles the old woman. As another nurse walks in, the elderly woman's woge comes to and end and the nurse practitioner is found choking her. The woman is confused about what happened and the practitioner is equally horrified having seen her woge.
After a few false starts the cops finally decide to talk to Monroe and Rosalie and they learn that elderly Wesen sometimes pose a threat to their communities. When a Wesen becomes senile they could woge publicly, thus exposing the exsistence of Wesen, or coming to the attention of a Grim, or as we have seen, commit violent crimes. It's become tradition for famillies to call in a Gevatter Tod to euthanise their loved ones. It turns out that both Rosalie and Monroe have promised each other that when the time comes, they will call. It's a vow to each other that they view as sacred. Rosalie calls the Gevatter Tod to her home and says that that her husband needs help. When the Gevatter Tod arrives, Monroe and Roalise introduce him to Nick, Hank and Wu. Nick is concerned that no one be sent to jails for the murders that the senile Wesen are committing and the Gevatter Tod is obviously only concerned with what happens to the Wesen.
The Gevatter Tod gets a call from one of Rosealee's customers indicating that her husband needs help. When everyone arrives at the woman's home, they find her on the ground and her husband gone. The cops run off to search for the elderly man and when they find him, he's confused and afraid. The cops return the terrified elderly man back to his home. Nick makes it clear that no one will be arrested for the murders the confused man committed and encourages the Gevatter Tod to do what he needs to do. Husband and wife say goodbye to each other and while Monroe and Rosealee stand as witnesses, the Gevatter Tod gently helps the elderly gentleman die. It's a solemn heart breaking moment.
Over the years we have been introduced to different customs and a variety of lore concerning the Wesen but this is the first time we've seen what happens to their elderly. Elderly senile Wesen are vulnerable and inability to fully control their abilities makes them liabilities. I cannot imagine the pain of watching someone you love slip away and then having it compounded by ensuring that they were granted a swift and painless death. Yes, I cried just a bit.
The other side of this equation of course is the lack of tolerance for elderly people. Yes, the senile man killed several people; however, his life was pain free and his body still functioned. It really is question of whether or not society has the right to decide that someone needs to die when it takes work to support their various needs. This is really complicated. We wouldn't for instance support a human in this situation being euthanized. Grimm further didn't address the issue of whether or not the Wesen had explored other options to deal with their elderly. I highly suspect that in this case, there aren't any wrong or right decisions.
The other side of this equation of course is the lack of tolerance for elderly people. Yes, the senile man killed several people; however, his life was pain free and his body still functioned. It really is question of whether or not society has the right to decide that someone needs to die when it takes work to support their various needs. This is really complicated. We wouldn't for instance support a human in this situation being euthanized. Grimm further didn't address the issue of whether or not the Wesen had explored other options to deal with their elderly. I highly suspect that in this case, there aren't any wrong or right decisions.
