Midnight Texas, Season 2, Episode 3: To Witch Hell and Back

Star Trek Discovery: Season 1, Episode 14: The War Without, The War Within

Michael brought Georgiou to the Discovery and she gets to meet Saru

Remember when Lorca was alive and the show tried to pretend Georgiou was the good one so we could support one fascist over another fascist? Well Lorca’s dead now. No more pretence - she calls Saru a slave and tells him how much she likes eating his kind.

Saru is not amused. Georgiou is dumped in “guest” quarters while he confronts Michael about the lie she told (she told him there were no Kelpians in Terraverse) but she points out, reasonably, she was trying to spare him pain. Saru, who is always very reasonable, accepts that and also accepts the impossibly difficult, painful yet successful mission she just managed to pull off.

He also brings her up to speed on the state of Tyler - and apparently L’rell’s brain fiddling has turned him into a full Tyler rather than a full Loq. Which I guess is a little surprising but then consider just how much Voq would want to be running around in a human body with his cover well and truly blown? He wants Michael to visit Tyler, but unless he makes it an order (which it definitely isn’t), Michael opts out of seeing the man she loved who then tried to strangle her.

Tyler can access Voq’s memories but they don’t feel like his own -he’s basically all human now: though he does describe how utterly awful the whole species transformation thing was. Saru is quick to assure Tyler that all of his actions while Voq were not his own - he isn’t facing trial or punishment not is he to be confined to the brig. He is getting a tracking bracelet because Saru isn’t a fool - but is generally treated with compassion.

Stamets doesn’t share said compassion and wants Tyler to feel all the guilt forever. Which is good because I think I would explode if this show took its Kill the Gays moment and then has Stamets forgive Culber’s killer, especially given everyone else pretty much forgetting him

The rest of the crew may be leery but Tilly isn’t, eating with the isolated Tyler in the mess because she’s just made of heart and niceness and is the epitome of what the Federation is: and quickly encourages everyone else to accept him back into the fold.

While they’re getting themselves together, the ship is boarded. By Admiral Cornwell and Sarek - who quickly establishes they’re legit by Mind-melding Saru

Ok is this a thing? Because I seemed to recall Mind Melds weren’t exactly that common? Sarek seems to have replaced the handshake with the random unwanted mind-meld.

Time for everyone to recap everyone else on mirror worlds, the war, Georgiou, Lorca and oooooh sooo much. Cornwell is clearly megapissed Lorca was evil and she didn’t notice and accepts her own Lorca is probably very very dead. Georgiou is 8 levels of complicated and they’re dealing with that by making her a guest (prisoner), swearing everyone to secrecy and pretending she isn’t there until someone can actually deal with it. Michael insists she’s technically escaping political persecution so due asylum, Georgiou won’t have that because she’s a Terran while Cornwell is more We Have Other Priorities, stick a pin in it.

The war is a trainwreck. The Federation are losing very very badly, thousands upon thousands are dead, most of the Federation fleet and sharing the cloaking code doesn’t really do much to turn the tide when they’ve already lost so much. The Klingons are not united - with the death of both T’Kuvma and Kol there’s no-one to organise them. So now you have 24 houses now exactly fighting with tactics but each competing with the other to basically destroy as much of the federation as possible to show off how dangerous they are. It’s not a war, it’s a dick measuring contest with casualties

They decide to go to Star Base 1 and hide out for a time - only to find that it has fallen to the Klingons. Cornwell falls apart at the staggering loss and Saru is the one who effortlessly steps in to both get them to safety and to, very politely, remind the Admiral she’s supposed to be leading them and can she get her shit together now.

Time for people to try other options. Cornwell turns to L’rell, relying on them having a connection of mutual respect after their capture - which they do. L’rell isn’t super happy about the war either; sure she still parrots the Federation’s assimilation and homogenisation goal but she doesn’t like the idea of the Klingon Empire being 24 warring houses, again. That’s exactly what T’kuvma opposed. But she has no help to offer - the Klingons will keep attacking until they win, it’s what Klingons do

Star Trek, Season 1, Episode 13: What's Past is Prologue

Lorca is continuing his revolution against Georgiou, releasing all his minions who have been locked up and tortured forever. Personally I think someone who has been suffering constant torture for a year or so may be less function than these people because they all come out the agony boxes raring to go

This is also why you need to KILL YOUR ENEMIES GUYS! Evil empires, stop leaving your enemies around to plan epic revenge. It’s a bad idea, just kill them

And if you are going to imprison them, maybe not on your royal throne ship within stabbing distance of the Emperor?

They also have Terran Landry which doesn’t make up for discarding her so quickly but it’s something I guess

Lorca’s first stop is to Stamets because he knows lots of shiny things. He also sold Lorca out but he’s nicely slimy so is quite willing to change his allegiance at the drop of a hat and can I say yet again how the Terran empire could not be functional. Lorca also explains how he ended up in Prime universe in the first place: transporter malfunction. And if we know anything about Star Trek the only thing more likely to malfunction in freaky ways than a transporter is the holodeck. Health and Safety regs are just lacking in the Federation.

Stamets knows where Georgiou keeps her deadly bioweapons so that thins out a lot of her followers

Georgiou isn’t bothered because she’s evil and what’s some dead minions? She plans to go hunt Lorca down while Michael presumes to advise the Emperor. Hot tip, fascist emperors aren’t big on unsolicited advice and she has Michael thrown in the brigg. Since Michael is Michael, she evades the guards and goes into hiding instead.

Meanwhile Lorca calls to remind us he’s a) obsessed with Michael and b) he’s even more fascist than the Emperor just in case anyone was thinking that Emperor Lorca would be better than Emperor Georgiou. He really goes for a record level of evil here

Georgiou and her forces confront Lorca and it goes pretty badly for her - she has to transport out while her people are slaughtered, leaving Lorca free to take over the ship, declare himself awesome and make another plea to Michael to join him in his fascist future. She’s not buying it. Not needing him any more, Lorca also kills Terran Stamets since he can’t be trusted which, to be honest, is fair

Michael has managed to contact the Discovery and they compare notes: she tells them all about Lorca the evil, and they warn her that evil Stamets has exploited the Magic Mushrooms which is killing them all and because of that will destroy all life everywhere. Because Magic Mushrooms are important. Saru is bemused at how anyone can be so short sighted as the Terrans

Midnight Texas, Season One, Episode Seven: Angel Heart

The first season has essentially been about the residents of Midnight dealing with their secrets, past or whatever is haunting them. So far, Olivia, Manfred, Bobo and Creek have all had issues that the community in some form or other have helped them  deal with. This week, it's Joe's turn.

From pretty much the first episode, I've been complaining about the limited role that Chuy has been given.  In order to save Creek in Blinded by the Light, Joe revealed to the community that he is an angel.  This revelation as it turns out is not without consequences.  Joe is a fallen angel and it turns out that his mentor Bowie, isn't pleased with Joe's relationship. 

Bowie swaggers into town with a red leather trench coat (gotta say I love this look) and begins her search for Joe. The first person she meets is the reverend and when he won't answer her questions, she is quick to knock him unconscious. Joe is at loss as to what to do because Bowie is far older than he is and consequently much stronger.  It's Chuy who suggests that they need to turn to the friends that they've made in Midnight and ask for help.

Manfred is on his way to the meet up when he sees Bowie walking towards him and so he quickly turns around and heads into the van to get help from Xylda. It turns out that not only is Bowie a kick ass angel, she can read minds. In order to stop Bowie from being able to read where Joe is hiding from his brain, Manfred has Xylda enter his body. It's creepy and funny at the same time. Does anyone really want to share their body with a relative?

Manfred finally makes it to Olivia's and meets up with the gang.  It's now time for Joe to finally tell everyone the whole truth about who he is and his past. Joe reveals that he is an angel and that Bowie was his mentor.  Joe says that Bowie wasn't pleased that he fell in love with Chuy. It's Creek who wonders whether the is issue is that both Joe and Chuy are men.  It turns out that the issue is that Chuy is half a demon. It seems that Chuy's demon father raped his mother and his mother taught him to suppress his demon side.  Joe and Chuy met when Chuy was given a beat down by a group of men who stole everything from him. Joe was impressed that Chuy didn't fight back because he believed that if they stole from it was probably based in need.  Chuy and Joe have actually been a couple for quite some time. The crew is shocked to learn about Chuy and not impressed that though Joe and Chuy have lived in Midnight for quite some time, this is the first time they are finding out who Joe and Chuy actually are.  Creek in particular is not impressed and wonders if everyone is keeping dark secrets. 

Bowie is getting frustrated in her search for Joe and so she heads to the diner where of course Creek is working.  Bowie fixates on Creek when she recognises Creek from what she was able to pick up in Manfred's mind.  The people in the diner are naturally defensive of Creek, given what she has gone through recently but Bowie has absolutely zero empathy.  It seems that just like Joe, Bowie is now fallen.  Bowie uses what she has learned about Creek's family to hurt her terribly. Bowie uses Creek's phone to call Manfred and demand that Joe turn himself in.

The truth coming out about Joe and Chuy gives rise to a conversation between Lemuel and Olivia.  Lemuel and Olivia see themselves as a mixed couple, not because of race but because he is a vampire and she is human. It's clear that Lemuel always assumed that when the time came, he would just turn Olivia but she has other plans. Olivia knows that their relationship has an expiration date because she will continue to age while Lemuel stays the same and she will only be able to work for so long.  When the time comes, Olivia plans on leaving Midnight and Lemuel behind her because she doesn't want to be turned. Olivia wants them to enjoy what they have now for as long as they can.  Lemuel nods his head in agreement but is clearly not pleased with Olivia's assertion.

Midnight Texas, Season One, Episode Six: Blinded by the Light

From the moment Creek's father and brother started to police her sexuality, it really pissed me off. Some of it was even played for laughs. It didn't help that rather than drawing a line in the sand, Creek snuck around town with Manfred. Along with the policing of Creek, Midnight also seems to have a problem with women disappearing.  Yes, the writers have taken care to imbue the female characters with some strength but it's clear that quite a bit of misogyny has managed to seep into the show. 

Blinded by the Light starts with a group of youth running around Midnight and basically causing all the trouble that they can until they are scared away by Lemuel. I think a vampire confronting me would be enough for me to flee.  At any rate, Aaron is ditched by her so-called friends and so begins the long walk out of Midnight. Unfortunately, Aaron she is run off the road by a truck and attacked. 

The next morning, the Rev cleans up the mess created by the kids. At home, Fiji awakes to a demon sexually assaulting her. At first, Fiji believes that it was all a bad dream but when she checks her thighs, she sees scaring.  Creek and Manfred are in bed together when he sees a ghost in his window.  Manfred reaches for some medication claiming to have a headache, as he explains to Creek that seeing ghosts and spirits can make him feel sick. Later, at the diner, Manfred takes even more pills.  The reverend joins Manfred to talk about the fact that his wereself is hungry. Manfred admits to seeing more and more spirits. 

Creek meets with Connor, who claims to be tired because their father has put more work on him now that Creek has been fired for daring to hook up with Manfred.  Connor is not pleased by the new burden.  Creek notices a huge bruise on Connor's arm and is suspicious that this is their father's doing but Connor refuses to get into it. 

Manfred and the Reverend's day gets a whole lot worse when one of the vandals from the night before shows up with a photo of Aaron. When the kid leaves, the Reverend says that it's a problem that there's another missing girl.  Aaron's disappearance is enough for the Midnighters to get together to search for her. Fiji wonders if the missing young women are the result of something supernatural. Manfred admits that he's been seeing ghosts everywhere. The reverend adds that he's been seeing dead animals and bugs everywhere. Joe is desperate to keep the Midnighters from talking about what's really going on and so suggests that they fixate on finding the missing girl.  They decide to split up and search the town.

Fiji is with the Reverend and she tells him about having difficulty sleeping because she hears a voice calling her and something touching her. Fiji is worried that it won't stop until whatever it is takes her. Fiji says that either a demon is after her, or she's going "crazy". The Reverend assures Fiji that she's not going crazy but doesn't tell her the truth about the veil. 

Creek tells Manfred about seeing the bruise on Connor's arm and suggests that her father might just be taking out his anger at her on Connor.  Connor and Creek then come across Tiffany, who you might remember is the young woman who traveled with the vampires to allow them to easy access to blood. Creek and Manfred are joined by Olivia and Bobo. Bobo is certain that Tiffany is another Aubrey because he didn't kill Aubrey and neither did Lowry. They debate calling the cops but come to the conclusion that Tiffany had dropped out of society some time ago and so no one will be looking for her.  Manfred tries to reach out to Tiffany but her spirit has already crossed over to the other side. Bobo is determined to find whoever did this and for the Midnighters deal with the murderers themselves.

The Reverend is washing the graffiti from the tombstones when he is confronted by the cops.  The cops bring up the fact that they still don't know who killed Aubrey, even though they suspect Lowry. The cops then reveal that Aaron's mother is a judge and that there will be a full investigation within 24 hours if she doesn't turn up. This raises the stakes quite a bit. When the cops leave, Joe approaches the Reverend to say that thus far, he has not seen any sign of the girl. The Reverend however has bigger things on his mind and so he tells Joe that Fiji thinks that she's losing her sanity and that Manfred is self medicating. The Reverend is adamant that the citizens of Midnight deserve to know that they are not going crazy. Joe believes that the others are going to know eventually and that nothing he says is going to stop it.  Joe is adamant that he is protecting his family and that this is an impossible choice. Joe is certain that if it gets out that there's a fallen angel in Midnight, the demons will come looking for him. Joe believes that all he can do for now is to help look for the missing girl.

Midnight Texas, Season One, Episode Five: Unearthed

I'm just going to admit it, Midnight Texas has really started to grow on me, despite my reservations due to the fact that it's based on a series by Charlaine Harris.  Midnight Texas knows that it's cheese but still tries to infuse each episode with some drama.  It alternates between the serious and the camp quite well. So far, each episode has been about delving into backstories as a form of characterisation. In Unearthed, Bobo and Manfred are forced to deal with their pasts.

It begins for Manfred when a rock is thrown at his door. Manfred steps on his front porch to find a Manfred in box, containing a note to be at a certain location at a specific time. That's right, after all of his running, Hightower has finally found him. Xylda's advice is that Manfred simply skip the meeting. Running is what Manfred has always done but that was before he entered into a relationship with Creek. Manfred suggests to Creek that the two of them run and hide but Creek isn't about to leave her father and her brother.  Unwilling to leave Creek behind, Manfred decides that it's time to face Hightower at last.  Creek encourages Manfred to seek out the help of his neighbours but Manfred is determined to go it alone.  Creek heads to the pawnshop and sells a bunch of antiques to Bobo for 15K to pay off his debt.  Bobo picks up on the fact that Manfred is in trouble and suggests that Manfred take a gun with him. 

Bobo doesn't offer to help Manfred because he has his own problems to deal with. Earlier in the day, the biker gang drove through town and set his pawn shop on fire.  Fortunately, the town acted quickly to save the building, in the process saving Olivia and Lem's life.  It turns out however that the fire was simply a distraction so that the biker gang could kidnap Fiji.  It's Mr. Snuggles who delivers the bad news.  Fiji is taken to a building site, drugged and hidden underground. Bobo quickly gets together the ransom to free Fiji but before he can deliver it, Lem arrives at the pawnshop wanting to know what the hell is going on.  Bobo is a little resistant but when Lem points out that whatever the problem is almost got he and Olivia killed, Bobo decides to reveal his past. 

It turns out that Bobo is the son of well to do white supremacists.  When he was 17, his father took him along for a ride and he sat in the car while his father set a church on fire.  From that night on, Bobo decided that he wanted nothing to do with his family and so he stole their cache of guns, gold, and cash and left.  He's been hiding in Midnight ever since and has become something of an urban legend. Bobo figures out that the leaders of the Sons of Satan must have figured out who he really is.  Given the danger, Lemuel decides to tag along, despite Bobo being told that he has to go alone.

Manfred arrives at the location Hightower picked at the appointed time and runs into Olivia.  While Manfred was busy selling his family treasures to Bobo, Creek enlisted Olivia's help. Manfred's so incompetent that he still has the safety on his gun.  Manfred tries to send Olivia away but Olivia feels that she owes him for saving Lem from vampires. When Manfred and Olivia meet up with Hightower, he uses telekinesis to take Olivia and Manfred's guns away, forcing them to take cover. Once the guns are empty, Manfred tries to confront Hightower but it seems that Hightower is in no mood to make peace because he figures that Manfred owes him a lot more than money. It turns out that Manfred agreed to marry Hightower's daughter Violent in return for 100K but and Xyla stole the money and left Violet alone at the alter. A few days later, Violet committed suicide. Hightower wants vengeance  for the loss of his daughter which he blames on Manfred and he uses his powers to toss broken glass at Olivia and Manfred, forcing them both to flea.

Bobo drives to the meet with the Sons of Satan and Lemuel is hiding under the vehicle. Bobo hands over the cache of weapons and cash and is beaten for his trouble. Now that Lowry finally has his hands on Bobo, he's not about to let Bobo go. What's interesting is that Lowry repeatedly accuses Bobo of killing his wife, even though Bobo denies having anything to do with it.  Bobo is taken to see Fiji and Lowry delights in talking about Bobo's white supremacist past and his part in the church bombing, before leaving Bobo and Fiji locked together.

Midnight Texas, Season One, Episode Four: Sexy Beast

This week's monster is a man eating succubus. We've been warned that the end might be nigh by the resident angel Joe and proof of that is the fact that more than ever, supernatural creatures are being drawn to the area. So, there the succubus is sitting by the side of the road when she's picked up by Ted, a dudebro who might as well have asshole tattoos on his forehead.  We're conditioned not to have any sympathy for dudebro because it seems that he's stolen and sold his father's Rolex. Predictably, when the dudbro is coerced into pulling over, he becomes snack food for the succubus. 

Creek and Manfred are getting all domestic though Creek is still very much adamant that their relationship needs to stay on the downlow because her father is certain that Manfred will break her heart. I'm getting kind of tired of the policing of Creek's sexuality at this point and it seems that it won't end anytime soon.  Manfred says that he's not a bad guy and that he might be entitled to catch a break after saving them all from vampires.  Yeah, I'm team Manfred on this one. When Creek leaves, Manfred checks his phone only to find some ominous messages from Hightower. Yes, Manfred is on the run but only because he's being held responsible for his grandmother's debt. At any rate, Hightower reaching out to Manfred is enough for Manfred to decide that he needs to make some cash.

Ted's sister Patsy shows up to hire Manfred, to see if she can find out where Ted is and if Ted has the Rolex.  Manfred starts to turn Patsy down but when she offers 5K, Manfred takes the job. Manfred does his thing and he sees Ted's spirit, who talks about being snacked on "like a taco" by a hot blonde woman.   Manfred decides to investigate and when he finds the succubus, she is cleaning up in a truckstop bathroom after killing yet another man. When the succubus makes her play for Manfred, he's quick to take his leave, declaring that he's just not into her.

Back in Midnight, Fiji is getting ready for a dinner date that she's planned with Bobo.  Fiji asks Olivia to join her but Olivia declines because she has a job to do. Olivia points out that this is the perfect opportunity for Fiji to get with Bobo and recommends that Fiji step away from the peasant gear for the night. Later, as Fiji is setting the stage for her romantic dinner, she gets a call from Bobo saying that he'll be over as soon as he changes out of work gear. Of course, Bobo isn't getting ready for a hot date but trying to meet up with bikers now that he knows that they've killed the sheriff. 

Olivia's job is to kill a man who has robbed people of their 401Ks. The mark tries to plead that it was only money but he doesn't get any sympathy from Olivia on this. Olivia points out that families can be ruined by having their life savings stolen.  Olivia does the deed and leaves the building but pauses when she notices a man who was watching her when she was in the building is now sitting outside in his car.  For Olivia, this is too much of a coincidence and so she drugs him and carts him back to Midnight for a little casual waterboarding. It doesn't take long for the man to admit that he was hired by her father who supposedly just wants to keep track of Olivia and ensure that she's okay. Olivia becomes emotional and asks Lemuel to feed from her.  Lemuel is happy to oblige but he's concerned that Olivia is so upset.  After Lemuel feeds, Olivia is back to her normal self and doesn't want to discuss it.

Mr. Snuggly (oh how I love that talking cat) is facing reality faster than Fiji.  Mr.Snuggly makes his bid to have Fiji feed him some Sheppard's pie because it's become clear that Bobo isn't going to show up. Fiji holds onto hope until Joe calls and finally cancels. 

It's time for a meeting of the Midnight supernatural club.  Manfred describes what the succubus looks like to Joe, who does a sketch.  They're able to identify the succubus and Joe claims that succubi are attracted to men who've harmed women. So you know damn well that this gets Creek's attention because all the men in her family are suspicious of Manfred. At any rate, this is when Creek's little brother Connor shows up. It seems that Connor has been following Manfred all over town to see what he's up to.  Yeah, that's creepy as all get out and I don't care that Connor is only 17.  Creek is quick to send Connor on his way. 

Midnight Texas, Season One, Episode Three: Lemuel, Unchained

In a clear act of rebellion against her father, Creek and Manfred finally get it on. Creek makes it clear to Manfred that they don't have a real relationship and that her father cannot find out about the two of them. We've seen that while Midnight might be a safe place for supernaturals that it's not necessarily a safe space for humans but despite that Manfred has no problem letting Creek walk home alone. Quite unsurprisingly, Creek is accosted on her way home by a group of vampires who've just arrived in town.

It's Lemuel to the rescue.  It turns out that the new vampires are lead by Lemuel's creator Zachariah. Lemuel is quick to vouch for Zachariah and his crew, especially when Zachariah declares himself to be a much changed vampire. Midnight Texas has a fairly large cast and we're still getting to know who these characters are and what their supernatural abilities are. Lemuel Unchained is a chance to explore Lemuel's backstory.

It turns out that Lemuel was a slave.  In the flashback, we are treated to Lemuel being tied to the whipping post and scourged.  I'm not going to argue that the whipping of slaves wasn't commonplace but this feels gratuitous, particularly because Lemuel doesn't seem to suffer any ill effect and begins to plot his escape. I've really had enough of black torture porn in the media, especially when there's no context other than entertainment value. Lemuel manages to escape to the desert and meets up with Zachariah. At this point, all Lemuel wants is freedom and he's willing to pay any cost to have it.  Zachariah turns Lemuel into a vampire and together they return to the site of Lemuel's captivity and feast on the slave owners. Lemuel slakes his hate with the blood of those who owned him. 

In the present, the residents of Midnight don't necessarily feel secure, even though Lemuel has vouched for Zachariah.  It's time to gather at the church, a place it seems that the residents don't really utilise much. In a bit more info dumping, we learn that nothing we know about vampires applies. This means that vampires don't need an invitation to enter a home, and that garlic and holy water are useless.  Vampires however can be killed with a stake through the heart, or being exposed to daylight and that silver bullets hurt. Okay, now we know the ground rules. 

At the bar, Lemuel is in full blown reunion mode with Zachariah.  What could vampires possibly reminisce about beyond blood and violence? Olivia, is not pleased with the goings on, particularly when a female vampire gets a little to close for comfort to Lemuel.  Determined to lay her claim on Lemuel, Olivia lays a kiss on him. Maybe Olivia and Lemuel are closer than they appear. Olivia may not want to be turned, but she's not above jealousy. 

After getting a lesson in Vampire 101, Manfred tries to get a hold of Creek. Unfortunately, when Creek's father sees whose calling, he declines the call. Manfred decides to leave the sanctuary of the church to ensure Creek's safety. 

Creek is at home sharpening stakes when her brother walks in.  Creek immediately tries to hide them but is forced to reveal that vampires are in town and that the stakes are just a precaution.  On his way to see Creek, Manfred stops off at a hardware store only to find the proprietor dead. Unsurprisingly, the vampire who fed on the store owner is still hungry and decides that Manfred is his next snack. Manfred is able to kill the vampire with a pencil and a sharp kick. Okay, I call bullshit on the idea that a pencil could be used to penetrate a human body so deeply without breaking and falling to pieces.  

Joe goes into confession mode with Emilio regarding his true identity. We learn that Joe is a fallen angel and is now content to live his life with the man that he loves.  Is anyone else dying to know exactly why it is that Joe has fallen? It better not be because he's gay. Joe tells Emilio about the danger facing Midnight because he plans on leaving town with Chuy and feels that someone should know about the true threat the town is facing.

Midnight Texas, Season One, Episode Two: Bad Moon Rising

As far as I am concerned, the jury is still very much out on Midnight Texas. It's fun trying to figure out what kind of supernatural the residents of Midnight are and how it all fits together to form a community but given that this inspired from the work of Charlaine Harris, my skepticism is going to continue until I see good reason to let it go. 

Okay, Bobo has been arrested for the murder of his ex girlfriend Aubrey.  As an audience we know that Bobo is innocent but the cops don't.  There's a healthy fear among the supernatuals that the cops investigating the goings on in Midnight is not a good thing because for their community to be safe what they need is anonymity. At the end of the pilot, Manfred agreed to help the residents to free BoBo but to do that, he's going to have to confront whatever is glowing under the floorboards of his new home and get rid of the ghosts who have taken up residence. 

Deputy Gomez decides to throw Bobo into a cell with members of the Sons of Lucifer.  It seems that this was planned by the leader of the motorcycle gang. Bobo tries to explain that he didn't kill Aubrey but the bikers don't want to hear it and instead go on the attack.  It seems that Bobo has had some training somewhere because he is able to fight off all of the bikers, leaving all of them in need of some kind of medical care. I cannot help but wonder if some of Bobo's ability to defend himself is the result of the supernatural?

The supernatural residents of Midnight gather and Manfred admits that he needs help to deal with whatever is going on in his new home.  Joe and Fiji agree to help out. Joe volunteers when Manfred mentions that he is concerned that at least some of the infestation could be demonic. Once inside the apartment, Manfred allows Aubrey to take over his body so that he can see what happened on the night she died.  We learn that Aubrey was hit from behind and therefore didn't see much beyond the fact that her attacker was wearing a jacket from the local white supremacist biker gang and that it took her three days to die.  With this new information, it's decided that Joe and Manfred will go and see the sheriff while Fiji gets to work on an exorcism to free Manfred's home of ghosts and whatever evil is underneath the floorboards. 

Deputy Gomez returns after taking the Sons of Lucifer for medical treatment to find that Sheriff Livingstone is not pleased with her.  Gomez is suspended from active duty immediately which pisses her off. Gomez tries to justify her actions by bringing up what happened to their patrol car but Livingstone simply doesn't want to hear it. 

Joe and Manfred arrive at the station and Manfred tells Sheriff Livingstone what he knows about Aubrey's death.  Because Aubrey didn't see much, Manfred doesn't have a lot of details that Livingstone can verify.  When Livingstone expresses doubt, Manfred points out that it was him who told the cops where to find the gun.  Despite his doubts, Livingstone orders the lake where the gun was found dredged for further evidence. 

It's a full moon which means that the Reverend has to be locked up to avoid him hurting anyone. It's Olivia who does the duty, promising to see him the next morning, even as the Reverend reveals that he has a bad feeling that something just isn't right. It turns out that the Reverend's hunch was right because Gomez, determined to get to the bottom of exactly what is so weird about Midnight, ends up freeing the Reverend, who is now a tiger. Gomez ends up paying for her action by being killed by the now weretiger Reverend. 

A weretiger roaming around Midnight is absolutely not a good thing.  When Manfred realises what is going on, he rushes to find Creek to warn her and is scratched by the tiger for his trouble. The two manage to make it to Manfred's trailer but the weretiger isn't about to give up on his meal.  Fortunately for Creek and Manfred, this is when Olivia and Lemuel arrive, causing the weretiger to give up on his meal for now.  Free of the threat, Manfred returns home to find out how Fiji is dealing with the exorcism. 

Fiji has managed to send all of the ghosts packing but the evil spirit under the floorboards is still there.  The demon under the floorboards has taken a liking to Fiji and not only refuses to let her go, it gets all rapey. It even goes as far to call Fiji by name which of course is ultra creepy. The situation has escalated beyond Manfred's ability to deal with. Manfred heads out to his trailer and grabs the skull of one of his ancestors.  Manfred then rushes back to his place and banishes the spirit of whatever demon had taken up residence under his floorboard. This results in the skull being reduced to ashes.

Midnight Texas, Season One, Episode One: Pilot

This series is based on the Charlaine Harris novels by the same name.  Given that this story originates with Harris, I'm going to admit that I went into it with a certain set of doubts, despite her success with True Blood. Let's be honest, Charlaine Harris is no lover of women and doesn't write marginalised characters very well at all. 

The first person we meet is Manfred, who is a psychic.  One of his sessions goes a little bit further than he planned and a ghost ends up taking over his body. Fortunately, Manfred is able to fight off the ghost but it still leaves his client freaked the hell out.  Proving that a bad day can get even worse, Manfred gets a call from a man who is threatening him. Fortunately for Manfred, because he sees ghosts, he is able to take the advise of his dead grandmother which is to move to Midnight Texas because he will be safe there. 

On the outside, Midnight Texas looks to be a sleepy small town where nothing ever happens, except that it is filled with supernatural beings. This means that Manfred blends in quite well. Midnight Texas has angels, werewolves, witches, an ill tempered talking cat and vampires; together these creatures have formed a community of sorts.  The supernatural beings are actually a lot more welcoming than the local motorcycle gang the Sons of Lucifer. 

Manfred moved to Midnight with the hope of leading an unremarkable life and not attracting any notice but that all changes when Aubrey's body washes up dead, ruining a local fall gathering. While the town is filled with supernatural creatures, Manfred is the only one who can see an interact with Aubrey and so she reaches out to him, bloated body and all.  Having recently had a bad interaction with a ghost, Manfred decides to take some precautions before agreeing to help Aubrey and this includes making a circle and gathering up some holy water.  Using a ouija board, Manfred communicates with Aubrey and she gives him a location. The conversation however is cut short when Manfred realises that by opening the door to Aubrey, he also allowed several other spirits to make themselves known, including something red and ominous underneath his floor.  

Manfred's weird behaviour brings him to the attention of the police and so to stop them from looking into him, Manfred reveals the location that Aubrey gave him. The cops are suspect of Manfred's tip but when they drag the lake and pull up the gun which killed Aubrey, they decide that he is now necessary to the investigation and cannot leave town.  Unfortunately, the retrieval of the gun leads to BoBo, Manfred's landlord, owner of the local antique/pawnshop, and Aubrey's ex boyfriend. 

Grimm, Season Six, Episode Thirteen: The End

"Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me"

It's official, Grimm is no more and now all I need to do is pretend that the entirety of season six didn't happen because I think it will be remembered as the worst season of Grimm.  I absolutely don't forgive the writers for how they ended this series. Yeah, I know that fairytales are supposed to have a happy ending but there are also supposed to be rules when you create an alternate universe. What the writers did was simply throw shit against a wall repeatedly and make shit up to fake their way through this final horrendous episode and season.  

You may well recall that at the end of Zerstörer Shrugged, I was pretty damn pissed because both Hank and Wu died. Given that Hank and Wu were the only two reoccurring characters of colour, seeing them dead on the ground made me so damn pissed. Well, as I'd hoped, Nick pulled out his magical stick except this time, for some unknown reason, the damn stick didn't work.  Why it didn't work, we were never told. It simply stopped working.  See what I mean about the writers just faking shit.  

While Nick was busy with the Zerstörer, the scoobies come up with a plan to mix Grimm blood with Hexenbiest blood and the blood of a Wesen, in order to create an uber spell to kill the Zerstörer.  Given that guns seem to have no effect on the beast, I think they're all a bit over confidant that this will do the trick.   It's Truble who suggests that they need to rely on the tactics of their ancestors and cut off the damn Zerstörer's head.

Eve has stayed behind to give Nick the heads up. They have a brief chat about the fact that she isn't a hexenbiest anymore and Eve is once again adamant that she's going to come through this just fine.  This might as well have been famous last words because the Zerstörer  shows up and shoves a knife into her gut before disappearing. Once again the Judas stick doesn't work and Eve stays dead. And why doesn't it work? Because the writers decided to suddenly take away the uber magical powers of the stick for the purposes of angst. 

Nick is quickly running out of allies and so he heads to the cabin in the hopes of finishing the spell and stopping the Zerstörer at last.  Just as the scoobies are finishing the spell, Diana waltzes in to announces that the Zerstörer is on his way and has been tracking Nick using you guessed it, the stick. Diana, being the ever helpful child actually opens the door for the Zerstörer. Did no one have the stranger danger conversation with her?

Renard goes into full on Dad mode and decides to attack the Zerstörer to defend his daughter.  Renard tells the Zerstörer  that he's willing to die to keep his daughter safe and that is precisely what he does next. NOOO! Not Renard.  So if you're keep track, that leaves Adalind (who I don't care about), Rosealee, Monroe and Truble.  Seeing that shit is getting real, Adalind calls out for Truble to grab the baby and run.  Unfortunately, the Zerstörer promptly locks Truble in the cabin, cutting off any possible escape.  Adalind goes Hexenbiest and uses her power to attempt to chuck an axe at the Zerstörer but he kills her.  Given that Adalind is a rapist, I cannot get too worked up about this, but I will admit to getting into my feelings a little bit when her last words to Nick were for him to make sure that her children are safe. Rosealee picks up the staff when the  Zerstörer  drops it and he promptly turns it into a snake which bites into Rosealee's neck. Monroe woges and tries to free Rosealee but the snake turns on him next. Nick rushes over to Monroe and Rosealee, who is already dead. Nick takes Monroe's hands and begs him not to go but Monroe dies. Nick lets out a howl of pain at Monroe's passing and this is the most vocal he's been at the loss of one of his loved ones, highlighting just how much his relationship with Monroe has come to mean to him.

Grimm, Season Six, Episode Twelve: Zerstörer Shrugged

"You shall break them with a rod."

Zerstörer Shrugged is the penultimate episode of this series and to say I'm pissed doesn't even begin to cover it. Dear writers of Grimm, you need to fix this next episode. I will not accept an ending to Grimm which brings about the death of the only two reoccurring characters of colour in the entire six year run of this show. I WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS. I will also not accept that the Zerstörer is this horribly scary devil dude, when so much of what happened is clearly the writers trying to squeeze in relevance in the later stages, rather than spending this entire season building a believable story around the Zerstörer.

When we left Nick and Eve, they were stuck in the other world about to do battle with the Zerstörer. Eve goes all ghastly uber hexenbiest but isn't really able to put up much of a defense.  It's Nick who realises that the Zerstörer is toying with them and instead of actually killing them which he could do easily, he's trying to trap them. Things don't look good for these two.

With Diana now firmly asleep, it's time to try and figure out how to get Nick and Eve the hell out of the other world. Adalind and Renard argue about who is going to open a portal.  If Renard's informant is on point, and Diana is indeed the Shaphat, Monroe suggest that Diana can actually open up a portal using the stick. To back him up, Monroe pulls out his family Wesen bible.  Renard at first has no patience for any kind of biblical talk until Monroe explains that the bible does describe an area like where Nick and and Eve might actually be. It buoys Monroe's case that the bible includes an illustration of the Zerstörer. 

At the Spice Shop, Hank, Wu and Rosealee are looking for myths across cultures for any references which could be useful. They come across an ancient German text which Rosealee uses google translate to decipher.  They learn that the text says,"evil darkness trapped" and "Grimm pull child wife" followed by "follow and flee." 

It's then that the scoobies realise that it's March 24th, the day the cloth warned them about. I know that there's been a lot of shit going on but did no one think to mark the days off on a calendar? Are we supposed to believe that the scoobies are really that forgetful when they've done nothing but spend time researching this damn prophecy all season? Now they begin to wonder if maybe just maybe, the Zerstörer stalked Eve, so that she'd going looking for him, forcing Nick to follow, thus causing the opening of a portal allowing him to escape. Did you follow that because it's convoluted as fuck? Look, I know that this shit was foretold but the assumptions that had to be made for this plan to work are downright astronomical.

Grimm Women and Power

Grimm has now been running for six seasons and like any show that has been running for that length we can see some disturbing patterns developing - patterns beyond the standard Oh Hell No which we have been calling out for a long time.

One of those patterns that has clearly developed is how women are treated on Grimm - especially women with power.

Or not - because for much of the early seasons of Grimm we simply didn’t have strong women. Nick lived in a very male world and the only women who really dinged the radar were Adalind (a villain) and Juliette (ignorant and so uninvolved in the story). It was a recurring issue for far too long in Grimm before Rosalie was finally introduced alongside the eventual semi-inclusion of Kelly and Truble to add some occasional female power

But the “occasional” here is relevant. Kelly and Truble were both reduced to guest roles, not allowed to cast too great a shadow on the men of the plot - and Kelly was eventually killed off. To add to the insult of this, there was no real come back of this. Juliette - or Eve - was even accepted back by the gang despite this murder: bad enough this awesome, strong female character was so poorly used but to the have her death so casually handwaved?

Truble didn’t die - but my they put her on the bus with regularity. I wonder sometimes if there’s one writer they keep in a cupboard who eventually breaks out, yelling “no more damsels!” and then we get 3 episodes of Truble before they’re restrained

Rosalie is better - but even then there’s some gender coding in deciding that she would be the physically weaker, more cunning, Fuchsbau to Monroe’s dangerous Blutbaden. Rosalie is definitely one of the more powerful characters on this show in terms of intelligence and cunning but it would have been interesting to see her be cunning and intelligent - and dangerous.

But that brings us to the dangerous women of this show who have actually managed to hang around. Adalind and Juliette/Eve

Every thinking writer knows that simply setting up a woman to become a damsel in need of continual saving is not a marker of good writing anymore. Women are demanding more nuanced characterisation and less female victimhood. Grimm’s way of meeting these demands is to create powerful female characters; however, it comes with the caveat that strength equals  evil which, while moving aside from position women as eternal victims, reifies a sexist trope that a strong woman cannot possibly be good and is inherently dangerous to men. It’s a way of disciplining women into submission by the simple virtue of strength/power being equated to evil and a lack of attractiveness. Yes, we see you Grimm.

Adalind was introduced in the very first episode as an antagonist.  It became clear very quickly that Adalind was not someone to be played with.  Over the years, Adalind, whose hatred of Grimms was absolutely epic, made no secret of her desire to rain down misery upon Nick’s life. As a Hexenbiest, one of the more powerful Wesen, Adalind absolutely had the chops to back up any threat that she made and when her power couldn’t directly cause a problem the spells in her arsenal absolutely could, as evidenced by her poisoning of Juliette.

It’s telling that despite Adalind’s animosity towards Nick a lot of her spells actually directly attacked Juliette, thereby hurting Nick by proxy. Adalind, for example, used a cat to put Juliette into a coma and she also crafted a spell to give Juliette the hots for Renard (also, who needs a spell for that?). This, of course, furthered the narrative around Juliette as damsel in distress for the majority of this series, even as it affirmed Adalind’s oh so evil persona. Adalind’s final bad act ended up in rape by deception which resulted in the pregnancy redemption. The Adalind at the end of this series is the exact opposite of the Adalind who we met in the beginning. Gee what could have induced such a drastic change?

All of these tropes are really emphasised when we look at Nick, Adalind and Juliette because it really brings home which women are allowed to be powerful.

Grimm, Season Six, Episode Eleven: Where the Wild Things Were

"Hell is empty and all the devils are here."

With only two episodes left, it's clear the writers have decided to stop messing around and move the meta to warp speed. This is the episode that we've been waiting all season to see.  How are Diana and the sigils and the stick connected? What does the bone creature want with Eve?  What are the sigils counting down to? These are some of the questions answered in this episode. And then what did the writers do? Well they ended the whole bloody mess on a cliffhanger leaving me screaming at the television in frustration. 

As we saw at the end of Blood Magic, Eve entered the mirror determined to kill the creature that has been trying to draw her in.  Eve being Eve, didn't even think about leaving a note behind for the scoobies. Monroe and Rosealee figure out that Eve is missing when they arrive home and find the mirror uncovered and the spell book opened to a page on blood magic.

Nick returns home to find Adalind waiting for him.  Adalind decides that it's time to come clean about Diana's abilities.  Adalind tells Nick about Diana killing both Rachel Wood and Bonaparte. How the hell does Nick barely blink an eye at this?  Because of the things that Diana can do and can see, Adalind suggests that they bring Renard into the loop.  The scoobies may not find Renard to be trustworthy but Adalind is certain that they can trust Renard to act in the best interests of his daughter.  The conversation is cut short when Nick gets a call about the missing Eve.

Nick, Adalind and the kids head over to Monroe and Rosealee's.  Adalind woges for the first time in front of Diana, after warning her daughter that her face would change. Adalind skims through the book and finds the spell that Eve used to cross into the other dimension.  Adalind prepares to head into the mirror to rescue Eve and Rosealee is quick to remind Adalind that she has two children to think of. After all, Eve chose to go into this new dimension without telling anyone what she was doing.  Adalind's blood will only allow her to go through the mirror, so Nick uses the magic stick to open the dimension to join Eve.  When he gets to the other side, Nick finds himself in an alternate version of the Black Forest and completely cut off from the other dimension. Has anyone noticed that they didn't even bother to do any kind of research before leaping into the mirror? They don't even have a way to bring Nick back.  Unfortunately for Nick, the stick may have opened the dimension but it didn't follow through with him.

Nick makes his way cautiously through the forest but it's not long before he's attacked by a Blutbad.  Nick tries to communicate with the Blutbad to no avail. When Nick runs out of options, he pulls out his gun and shoots the Blutbad dead. It's the sound of the gunshot that gets Eve's attention and the two finally meet up. Nick is not at all impressed that Eve decided to go on this little adventure on her own and suggests that Eve is trying to prove something. Eve however is adamant that she's not trying to prove anything. Someone needs to tell me why the hell Eve decided to crawl through the mirror other than her desire to fight the skeleton creature. For whatever reason they decide to follow a path that Eve found earlier.  

It's not long before the Blutbad's comrades find him and after sniffing his body, decide to go on a hunt for some man meat. As Nick and Eve walk through this world with no idea where they are going, or how to get the hell home, Eve reveals that thus far she's seen: Hundjägers, Klaustreich, two Schakals, a Coyotl. It's quite the motley collection of Wesen. Nick points out that the Blutbad that he killed didn't return to a human form when he died.  Could this be a world ruled by woged Wesen? Some sort of Wesen home world?  Things become even more complicated when they realise that Eve is starting to Woge against her will. To Nick, this is enough to suggest that they need to get the hell out of there post haste but Eve is determined to stay until they kill the skull creature. 

With Eve and Nick now in a new dimension and Diana saying that they are in a dangerous place, things are looking grim.  Adalind suggests that it's time to bring Renard into the loop. Monroe isn't certain about this because Renard hasn't exactly been team scooby recently but Adalind points out that Renard has connections and can be counted on to act in defense of his daughter. 

Grimm, Season Six, Episode Ten: Blood Magic

"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.

Grimm, Season Six, Episode Nine: Tree People

"In the morning, glad, I see

my foe outstretched beneath the tree."

There are now officially only four more episodes in this series and the writers are still holding onto the meta is though the viewers owe them money.  Yes, this is my weekly complaint about Grimm.  Are they planning on just dragging it all out and then rushing meta to a close in the last two episodes? Now is not the time for bloody Wesen of the week.  Now is not the time to play up on a love triangle between Eve (Kelly's killer) Adalind (the rapist) and Nick, who for some reason thinks that there are only two women in Portland to date.

Let's deal with the meta first, since there was so little of it. The Scoobies gather to discuss what happened with the monster in the mirror.  When Diana steps forward to add her two cents to the conversation, Adalind originally tries to shut her down.  I have to say that I was irritated by this. Diana has proven repeatedly that she has more insight than the rest of the scoobies.  They only listen when Diana explains that what happened is a vision of what is going to happen in the other place.  Hmmm. So what they're seeing in the mirror is another dimension. The crew decide that perhaps the best path forward is to ensure that from here on in, no one is to look into a mirror alone.  

Monroe is quick to put his foot in his mouth and wonder if the mirror monster is after Nick and Juliet because of their close connection. 

Adalind is clearly not good with the reminder that Juliet and Nick were a couple before she raped Nick and had his baby. 

Rosealee and Monroe agree that Eve is going to stay with them until they figure out what is going on.  Back at the Spice Shop, Eve, Rosealee and Monroe are shocked to find that instead of the mirror being covered in Eve's dried blood, the blood is still dripping wet. Ummm super super gross. They decide to put the mirror away for now but Eve is now convinced that the only way to deal with this is by going to the other place.  Well, that's a huge leap if you ask me. 

Emerald City, Season One, Episode Ten: No Place Like Home

No Place Like Home marks the season finale of Emerald City.  At this point, there's no word as to whether or not a second season will occur; however, the ratings have declined to such a degree that No Place Like Home may well be the series finale.  Having become a fan of Emerald City, and its beautiful cinematography, I really hope that it appears in the fall line up. 

The soldiers are in a tizzy because the witches are making their way to Oz. The flying monkey returns and Eammon looks at the footage that it captured.  As Eammon makes his way out, all of the monkeys suddenly start to move on their own and fly into the sky to spell out the word Ozma.  The soldiers are worried because there's nothing they can do to defend the city against the witches and as we know, The Wizard is off in Ev getting his weapons to fight Glinda.

Tip marches into the city with West by his side.  Tip is quick to notice how the people cower away from him, causing West to snark about Tip expecting a parade of roses.  Tip is all too aware that he must quickly decide what kind of ruler he is going to be.  When confronted with a soldier, West's first inclination is to kill him but Tip stays her hand. Unfortunately, the soldier responds with an attack and this time West kills him.  Tip and West make their way into the courtyard and are greeted by Eammon, dressed as the lion. Eammon kneels in front of Tip and surrenders his sword. Eammon holds up the crown and West snatches pointing out that Eammon has already made his choice and that Ozma must make his now. 

What a powerful moment for Tip, who shivers in front of the man who killed his father and his mother.  Tip asks why Eammon killed his parents and is told by Eammon that he was afraid and that he killed them to save himself.  Tip then asks why he was spared and Eammon explains that he has a daughter the same age as Tip and that when he looked at Tip as a baby, he saw his daughter looking back at him.  Tip orders Eammon's family to be brought to him.  Eammon screams out that his family has nothing to do with this, desperate to protect them. When Eammon's family is assembled, Tip approaches each of them and states that Eammon cannot protect them and then she strips each of them in turn of their memory of Eammon.  Eammon is horrified to find that his wife and children believe him to be a stranger now.  He is quite literally dead to them. Tip then orders Eammon banished from Emerald City and that he is to walk the land friendless with the weight of his actions upon him.  As Eammon leaves, the people of the city hiss at him much like a pissed off cat. 

When we last saw Dorothy, she had arrived in time to save the Wizard from the firing squad with a stone giant in tow.  Dorothy very much wants to stop the war to save Sylvie and the other witches; however, the Wizard believes that the only way to stop the war is to kill Glinda and the witches because he believes them to be the Beast Forever.  The Wizard renews his offer to send Dorothy home, if she uses the Giant to kill Glinda.  An upset Dorothy marches out.

Grimm, Season Six, Episode Eight:The Son Also Rises

"No man chooses evil because it is evil;

he only mistakes it for happiness."

It's clear to me that Grimm is going to drag out every last moment of this finale series before giving us a hopefully satisfying conclusion.  I guess that it was too much to ask that after six years of doling out the meta slower than molasses that the writers would change their style now. 

The Son Also Rises, begins with an official meeting of the scoobies at the spice shop. They are still trying to figure out the glyphs Eve drew on the walls of the tunnel. The only thing they know right now is that something is coming but they have no idea what. It's been a long day and Nick wants to return home but Eve, having experienced first hand how awkward it is to share a space with your ex and their new partner declines to accompany Nick.  Rosealee and Monroe offer to allow Eve to crash at their place but she decides to crash at the spice shop because Rosealee and Monroe need their space right now. 

Finally, alone, Eve turns introspective and tries to get a handle on who she is now. Eve picks up the mirror and the face appears again and so she breaks the mirror. Eve then turns to grab a boom to sweep up the mess but the mirror reassembles itself.  When Eve looks into the mirror a second time (why would you even do that), a hand  comes through the mirror and begins choking her.  Eve struggles but manages to woge and then bites the hand.  The hand retaliates by throwing her into a bookcase, knocking her unconscious.  Monroe and Rosalee find Eve the next day, lying on the ground unconscious next to the mirror. 

Nick is with Hank and Wu, investing the murder of Dr. Deidre Hampton, when he gets the call about Eve. Nick tells the guys that Juliette is hurt and that he has to leave. That's right, he said Juliette.  Damn it Grimm, stop with the love triangles. When Nick arrives at the hospital, Monroe and Rosalee give him the details of Eve's injury and Nick finally has the good sense to tell them about the monster he saw in the mirror. I particularly liked Monroe reading Nick the riot act a little bit about his failure to share information.  

Monroe and Rosealee head home and the first thing they do is lock up the damn mirror, though they determine that the issue is probably Eve and not the mirror. Monroe is completely cute about not letting Rosealee touch the mirror.  At the hospital, Nick settles down to begin his bedside vigil. 

Now that Nick has gone off to sit at Eve's bedside, Wu and Hank must investigate the case on their own. They decide to see Sanji, the last person that Deidre spoke to on the phone. Sanji gives Wu and Hank, some song and dance about what he and Deidre spoke about but given that the call only lasted 30 seconds, the cops smell the b.s. in the air.  When Hank and Wu discover that the fingerprints at the crime scene are from someone who's already dead, they become even more suspicious. 

It turns out that Sanji works with degenerative tissue, Deidre with stem cells and together, they work with Victor Shelly and Julian Levy.  That's right, the writers decided to do a Grimm version of Frankenstein.  This is confirmed when Grimm's monster sees a missing poster with his face on it, partially woges and then freaks the hell out calling himself a monster. We all know that in the original, the monster wanted revenge against its creator, so it's no surprise that this monster does as well. 

That night, Monroe has a dream about be awoken by Rosealee, who is now in labour.  Of course, it's far to early but Rosealee points out that there's nothing normal about them.  Monroe gives a sigh of relief after the first baby until Rosealee reminds him that she's having triplets.  When Rosealee has given birth to three babies, Monroe thinks it's all over except Rosealee tells him that there's more.  Rosealee keeps giving birth to babies and Monroe starts to beg her to stop. In the end, Rosealee wakes Monroe from his dream saying that he was screaming in his sleep. It seems that Monroe, despite keeping it all together for Rosealee, is scared out of his mind about becoming a father to multiple babies at once. 

In this version of Frankenstein, Hank and Wu discover that a mortuary has been selling bodies that it was supposed to cremate.  It seems that the mortician figured that since the deceased had no family to speak of and were criminals that no one would care what happened to their bodies.  Yes, I am officially creeped the fuck out by that. Harold explains that a man paid one thousand dollars for each body and that he claimed the income on his taxes. Is that supposed to absolve this creepy ass dude? When the Hank agree to let him go, the creepy mortician assures Hank that he learned a lesson. 

Feeling the pressure after Deidre's death, Sanji gets busy shredding his files. As he works Sanki and Dr. Levy discuss what to do with a video of their nefarious activities. When Dr. Levy leaves to clean up his own pile of evidence, Sanji is attacked from behind by the monster we saw earlier.