Grimm Round Table: It's About Time
Kathleen Wiedel
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It was a bittersweet story for Team Grimm – Monroe lost an uncle, but the team gained a priceless collection of Grimm lore, weapons, and to their even greater shock, three more Keys.
Join Round Table panelists Doug Wolfe, Allison Nichols, Robin Harry, and Kathleen Wiedel as they discuss Grimm Season 5 Episode 10 and such matters as the question that is Eve, the way Monroe's uncle fit into the story, the Grimm cache, and more!
Be sure to add your voice to the conversation by posting your thoughts in the comments section below!
What do you think of Eve and the various characters' reactions towards her since her introduction?
Doug: Have to admit – their uniform responses to her (and hers to them) are reinforcing the idea that she really is Eve, and that she has nothing to do with Juliette anymore. I don’t see her as a continually startled partner to Nick anymore – just more of an awesome weapon for Hadrian’s Wall. The writers’ persistence in establishing that fact seems to have paid off.
Allison: Doug said it really well, the consistency is fantastic. It's clear that Eve has all of Juliette's memories, but it's like she read about them in a book. There's no personal connection there. I loved Monroe's reaction towards Eve. I think he has had my favorite reaction so far.
Robin: I admit that I'm kind of where the characters are with Eve, as in I'm still not completely convinced or comprehending of her total disconnect with her life as Juliette. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, for something to spark something in her emotionally and cause some havoc. I love how the other characters react to her, especially Monroe, and I wonder what will happen when she and Adalind cross paths.
Kathleen: I agree with Robin; there really is a sense of ominous anticipation about Eve. She seems content to play the tool/weapon/instrument of torture for Hadrian's Wall for the moment, but I can't help but feeling that either Hadrian's Wall isn't what it seems to be or she's playing a long and patient game of revenge. The other characters are absolutely right to be wary.
Did you like Monroe's uncle Felix and the way he connected with the main storyline?
Doug: I thought it was a great vehicle for bringing Nick and his new (old) books and weaponry back into the picture. Interesting that Felix didn’t just give Nick the stash, which was consistent with his character. The man could no more just give them to him anymore than he could burn them. He was a connoisseur of books, with all that entails – including the need to place a monetary value on rare items.
Allison: I absolutely loved it. We got to meet another member of Monroe's family, Uncle Felix provided Nick a way to replace what he lost in the trailer, and there was a Black Claw connection. It all tied together nicely, and I loved getting to know Felix.
Robin: Uncle Felix was the most interesting character we've met in a while, and his introduction did a great job of making the Black Claw war more personal for Team Grimm. He was a great vehicle for what was easily the most solid integration of all of Grimm's flailing storylines.
Kathleen: The integration of Felix into the story could have seemed shoehorned, but it was written in such a way as to be natural and organic. It was really nice to meet another member of Monroe's family, especially given how similar the two of them were. Too bad Felix had to die. But this was a brilliant way to restore all that lost knowledge and perhaps introduce some new things, as well.
Share your thoughts on Team Grimm acquiring the Grimm cache.
Doug: So cool that Nick has his trailer back. I get the sense he’s going to need that information and gear for his coming fight with the Black Claw. I’m especially glad the Grimm genealogy book didn’t fall into the Black Claw’s hands. Hopefully we’ll get to learn more about Grimm lore through the revelations of these books.
Allison: I'm with Doug, I was so happy that Nick had Grimm books again. I always loved the trailer scenes and reading accounts from past Grimms. This bit of history is one of the things that I love about the show, so I'm glad we found a cool way to restore the trailer.
Robin: I thought it was quite poetic that the trunk turned out to be even more valuable than Felix realized; instead of $100K, they actually cost his life. It makes the acquisition of the cache even more poignant; not only did Monroe have to lose a family member in order for them to get the whole stash, Felix's death made it so they didn't owe Hadrian's Wall for it all. Also, because of the price they paid, it all belongs to the whole team now, not just Nick.
Kathleen: I wonder what Felix would have done if he'd known about the hidden keys? Anyway, like you guys, I'm thrilled to have the twenty new (old) books added to their trove of Grimm knowledge. Maybe one of them will actually think about digitizing that information so they don't need to worry about getting grubby fingerprints over seven hundred-plus-year-old tomes!
Surprise! Team Grimm now has three more of the ancient Keys first introduced in the very first episode. Discuss!
Doug: Man, the excitement in this episode kept building, didn’t it? I’m really glad they’ve got them now, though I think they’re going to find that not having the last two before heading to the Black Forest is going to trip them up.
Allison: I am glad that we are back on the Key mission. It seems like forever since we dealt with the keys last, so honestly I didn't really remember what they were a map to. I'm hoping that we can wrap up this Key mystery, and then move on to something new and exciting – not that the keys aren't exciting, it's just that we've had this mystery looming over our heads since the pilot.
Robin: IT'S. ABOUT. FREAKING. TIME. The intensity of this episode and the discovery of THREE Keys almost made it worth the inordinate amount of time it's taken to get back to this arc! Given everything that's going on now, I'm more intrigued than ever about what their significance will be. Don't let me down now, Grimm!
Kathleen: This was one of those plotlines that I never expected them to actually return to, but I'm happy they did. Though my sister keeps asking me why they don't just destroy the Keys to prevent anyone else (read: Black Claw) getting their hands on this mysterious, dangerous, powerful whatever-it-is the maps lead to.
What do you think will happen when Team Grimm heads to the Black Forest?
Doug: Now that the Black Claw knows Monroe’s name, they’re going to be watching him closely. And when they go to the Black Forest, the Black Claw will be following them. I’m expecting a major fight scene to come out of this. Things will look dire for Team Grimm and…..that’ll be the cliffhanger until next season. I hope I’m wrong, but...
Allison: I feel like there has to be some kind of secret Wesen/Grimm group or something that is protecting whatever the keys are hiding. I'm expecting us to run into some obstacles along the way, and hopefully, some interesting history.
Robin: I have no idea, and that's the best thing about it. Now that we're revisiting an arc with a history that we don't quite understand, pretty much anything can happen. Also, they'll be on unfamiliar ground, which makes the tension and uncertainty even greater. Like Doug, I expect that heads will (literally) roll, and that whatever they discover will be something that will change the face of this war.
Kathleen: Oooh, big fights, chaos, mayhem, and anarchy! I hope that the hidden treasure, whatever it is, is something they do not expect. And I do fully expect Black Claw to hound Team Grimm every step of the way...
*Bonus: Share a favorite (or simply notable) scene or quote.
Doug: It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Nick and Monroe acting as the close friends they started out to be in Grimm Season 1. So that rooftop scene between the two was welcome, and key. I enjoyed the camaraderie between the two, and the honesty of Monroe’s outlook on Adalind, Kelly and Juliette/Eve.
Allison: I just loved everyone going through the Grimm books and trunk. Everyone was geeking out, and I love that we got to have that time to just marvel over everything that Team Grimm has now acquired. It was fun and exciting to watch, and then Monroe found the keys, and the sense of awe just grew, as did my excitement.
Robin: This was the best episode of Grimm in a loooong time, and Monroe owned the whole thing. His chat with Nick, his emotion at his uncle's death, his reaction to Eve's nonchalant mention of the trailer fire, his decimation of the Black Claw cronies, his curiosity and focus when discovering the keys. Man, am I ever grateful for Silas Weir Mitchell.
Kathleen: Since no one else mentioned it, I feel the need to highlight Renard's bit with the would-be mayor and his team. That story might feel slow as molasses, but Renard got one of the absolutely best lines of the episode. Mmm... bacon...
You don't wrestle a pig. You take him to slaughter, and make bacon.
Renard
Grimm returns on March 4, 2016 at 9/8c with Grimm Season 5 Episode 11, "Key Move." Be sure to check back after it airs for our review!
