Wow. "Last Grimm Standing" was one crazy episode.

There were moments big and small, and they all amounted to something more than what Grimm usually doles out every week. This is the sweet spot where procedurals hit their high points, when the case is interesting and it feeds into the progression of the serial elements.

The progression this week was mostly due to a few of Renard’s layers peeling back. The man clearly has his fingers in a few pies, and is used to calling the shots. Leo the Lowen took advantage of some of Renard’s leniency with his Battledome. As the wealth it afforded him corrupted him, Leo strayed from his instructions to stick with only people Renard approved.

So, what does this say about Renard?

I’m not entirely sure. Renard is still a pretty big mystery, and I’m beginning to think the goals of Grimms and Reapers might not be so far off. I’ve speculated prior that the two might be allies, and I still believe this could be the case. But a few differences arise for me: Reapers want things to stay status quo; Reapers look to be on the upper rungs of creature society, if not, perhaps, royalty (or Leo was being sarcastic with his royalty comment); they have influential allies (the priest), Hell, maybe even religious ties.

Those distinctions are pushing me towards a different theme. Nick “is upsetting the balance of things” and Renard is responsible for keeping it. Could Grimms be more of the vigilante origin (that would certainly explain why Nick is unique since he has “a badge and a conscience") while Reapers have a time-honed way of dealing with problems? That could explain why Renard has been hesitant to do anything to Nick.

However it turns out, Renard now has something he didn’t have before: a trail. His actions are beginning to ripple out past him, his cards are being shown, and Nick has the ability to see who people really are.

Will any of Renard’s actions this week come back to haunt him? Maybe. My guess is it’ll probably all start with that murderous priest who completely ravaged Leo at the end of the episode.

There were two other small, but major things that happened in “Standing:” Eddie and Nick grew closer together while Juliette and Nick drifted further apart. Naturally, I, too, would grow closer to the closet person I could rely on in a fight to the death, but it goes deeper than that. Eddie is the only person in Nick’s life that he can reach out to. He’s the only one who accepts and doesn’t care that Nick is a Grimm. He’s the only one who is willing to continually stick his neck out for Nick in a way that Hank can’t. I’m glad that Nick could finally return the favor and was willing to put his life on the line to save him in a room surrounded by enemies.

On the other hand, Juliette’s expectations and dreams with Nick were squashed a little bit tonight. We know she’s been pretty good and forgiving when Nick’s job forces them to break plans, but not so much here, and I can understand why. She certainly didn’t have to say much (kudos to Bitsie for saying so much with so little), but you could tell Juliette wondered how Nick could focus on his job so much on their anniversary night, especially when there’s an engagement ring in his sock drawer.

To be fair, it’s a poor deal for both sides. Nick clearly wants to propose to Juliette, we’ve know he wants to since the premiere, but this newfound life of his makes him worry for her safety.

All in all, I'm always happiest when Grimm decides to go past it's procedural core and explore it's characters and mythology, and "Last Grimm Standing" certainly didn't disappoint.

Other thoughts:

• This week in Grimm Grossness: Eating human flesh, with tattoos no less! Because chopped up bodies aren’t gross enough on their own!
• If it’s all right with you NBC, it would be really great if Grimm could go more than a few weeks without interruptions.
• Is Nick’s single-handed ownage of his opponent thanks to his Grimm abilities or his training as a cop?

What did you think of the episode? Do you have any theories or comments about the Grimm world? Let us know in the comments!