Grimm Season 6 Episode 5 Review: The Seven Year Itch
Kathleen Wiedel
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It's probably fair to say that there is a significant portion of the fan base that finds Wesen-of-the-Week stories... well, boring. Especially when thrown up against exciting and dramatic long-term arcs.
Alas, Grimm Season 6 Episode 5 does little to discourage the sentiment.
With the series rapidly drawing to a close, is it really the best use of time to have our beloved Team Grimm go after Cicada Guy?
It was way, way more entertaining to watch as Meisner the Ghost mess with Renard in increasingly blatant ways.
Death certainly gave him an upgrade in the sense of humor department, though it seemed to be getting nastier by the moment.
Meisner: I like your new place, Sean! But I’m not following you. I’m *haunting* you. There *is* a difference.
Renard: Well, it’s annoying in either case!
One of the biggest questions of this whole plotline with Meisner the Ghost was whether Meisner is a figment of Renard's imagination or something else entirely (like, you know, an actual ghost.)
This was, I think, answered quite early on in this episode when Meisner revealed to Renard that he (Meisner) was present at Diana's birth – something Renard did not know but we the viewers knew to be true.
We still don't know what his exact nature is, but, quite frankly, I find it a far more interesting story than Cicada Guy.
A mind is a terrible thing to lose...
Meisner
I do question the necessity of Renard getting naked to enter the spirit vacuum (*snicker*). Yes, fanservice is nice (and Sasha Roiz is definitely not hard on the eyes), but did it really add anything to the story for him to strip?
On the other hand, it does recall some of the ridiculous shenanigans Adalind endured when getting her 'biest back.
Though maybe Mr. Not-Really-Just-a-Pawn-Shop-Owner just wanted to enjoy the view?
Meanwhile, Cicada Guy's story was just sort of there. I couldn't find the enthusiasm to get invested in it, despite a few good quips from the heroes. Take this particular gem, delivered courtesy of the ever-witty Sgt. Wu:
Nick: Check to see if there are any reports of a naked man in the park sometime last night.
Wu: Uh… this is Portland. I might have to narrow that down.
I also found it rather perplexing that William Stillman (AKA Cicada Guy) decided that humans made a better take-home meal than, say, a cow. You know, something with significantly more meat and tasty goodness than a person.
Also, guilt-free dining with no murder involved! Though after all his time underground, maybe Stillman had lost a few brain cells. He did leave his first victim naked in the middle of the park, instead of, say, taking him for an additional snack.
His pickup of the overweight woman at the bar came across weirdly offensive, too, despite the hilariously abrupt end to his centuries-long existence after she literally ripped his head off.
That, by the way, was one of the most horrendous CG special effects failures I have ever seen on Grimm; it was really funny for the wrong reasons.
The C-story featured Eve's troubles. In my review of Grimm Season 6 Episode 4, I questioned why she was lurking in the tunnels. This episode gave us a sort-of answer.
While Diana proved useful (in a non-murderous way! Complete with genuinely creepy eye-glow lighting!), I can't help but wish the Magic Stick story would move along faster instead of crawling at a snail's pace.
Yay. Now Eve's made weird drawings in the tunnel. And Diana's been drawing the same symbols. Wee.
After the excitement of the first three or so episodes this season, with the anxiety and action of Renard trying to hunt down the heroes, it's like things have just stopped dead.
Some final thoughts, fellow Grimmsters:
- Yay! It's triplets for Monrosalee! But will they leave Portland to stay out of Nick's disaster radius?
- Diana apparently has fond memories of Meisner; as was mentioned in this episode, he was present both for her birth and cheerfully throwing her grandfather out of a helicopter.
- Diana's dolls (were those the ones she used for her thaumaturgy?) were seriously creepy.
- Renard is probably going to wish he had actually asked Adalind about hauntings. He's going to be really sad if Meisner goes all La Llorona on his sorry backside.
- Adalind attempted to apologize to Eve for everything that had happened. Yeah... So many things to say on that, not enough space in the universe to express them.
If you missed this episode, no worries! Catch up any time when you watch Grimm online. And tune in Friday, February 10, 2017 at 8/7c on NBC for Grimm Season 6 Episode 6, "Breakfast in Bed."
So, what did you think of "The Seven Year Itch"? Was the story of William Stillman interesting or boring? What's going on with Eve? And what new torments does Meisner have in store? Let us know in the comment section below!
