"The Other Side" sets its procedural story up as one large metaphor for the upcoming drama that is about to unfold.

I just wish the killer kid story hadn’t been used back-to-back.

Thankfully, Pierce being the culprit isn’t the main takeaway from the story – it’s his genetics. Pierce is half Lowen-half Genio Innocuo, and, because of that, if he can’t keep his emotions in check his violent side comes out. It’s a light twist to what Renard is going through.

The potion Adalind’s mother gave Renard brought out, or brought about, feelings of infatuation with Juliette when he kissed her awake. His obsessions are growing, and according to Monroe, it’s only going to get worse and worse. The infatuation is already beginning to influence his choices. Like Pierce, Renard’s compulsive obsession with Juliette seems to be driving him subconsciously, and those actions are beginning to affect his life directly.

Renard slips up as he nearly runs over a man walking home. But instead of apologizing and going on his way, Renard perhaps makes one of the biggest mistakes of the night: he punches him. While it might not seem like the biggest blunder, the scene with Renard back at the station is telling, as we’re continually being focused at his ring, and it certainly looks big enough to leave a distinguishable mark.

The second part of Renard’s no good, terrible adventure is his run-in with Monroe at the spice shop. Nick’s biggest ally is now Renard’s best hope of squashing his obsessions, but to stir up a cure he needs far more information than Renard wants to give up. It sets up an interesting back and forth because Team Nick is not aware of Renard... and Renard is not aware of Rosalee and Monroe’s involvement with Nick’s Grimm-hood. Which side gets to find out first?

Renard is beginning to unravel, and hopefully it won’t be long before his own plans are brought out in the open; however, his half-status as a royal is still his biggest trump card because we don’t know if he’s with Nick or against him. He could be out for total vengeance against his family alone (although not likely because the coins showed him wanting great power), but whatever his plans are they do involve Nick. As big as the world of Grimm feels like, it seems that all plot threads are beginning to come around and focus on just a few: Nick and Renard. Their collective influences overlap on so many of the same people.

Aside from Renard’s horrible misadventure, the other area of significance is Adalind cozying up with Renard’s brother, Eric. Eric brings about more information on Renard: he’s a human/hexenbeast hybrid.  That’s right, a hexenbeast just like Adalind. Renard's mother fearing for his safety brought him to Portland.

Other thoughts:

• There’s a new intern (squintern?) in town! The one and only Michael Grant Terry. He seems to have taken a liking to Nick and his cases. I’m sure it won’t be too long until he comes across Nick’s unique ways of solving cases.
• I can’t quite figure out what Juliette is feeling with Renard. She has some kind of draw to him, and she, like him, is trying to ignore it.
• Reverse viagra doesn't sound very pleasant.
• Nick totally kicked Pierce's butt. I don't think I've ever witnessed so much getting broken in one fight sequence. I can't decide if it was cheesy or awesome.
• When is Mama Burkhardt coming back?
• Did the potion Renard take begin to bring his hexenbeast half out more?