Premiere Particulars: Grimm

Does anybody watch this show? I kind of feel like I’m all alone on my own little Grimm island sometimes. It’s funny though—when I finished season one of this show, my response was fairly lukewarm (see my review here). I liked it, but I didn’t know if I really cared to keep up with it. But I’d heard season two was better, so I gave it a shot. Now, I am firmly hooked. Have you been considering giving NBC’s Grimm a shot? Well, let’s talk about the particulars of the season four premiere, and you can decide if it’s worth it.

What I liked:

• The intense situation with Capt. Renard (Sasha Roiz). No spoilers, but it opens and closes with him, and…let’s just say he could be having a better day.
• The crazy-looking Wesen. For the uninitiated, “Wesen” is the term for the creatures leading man Nick (David Giuntoli) is able to see. The show introduces a lot of interesting Wesen, but this one is definitely unique.
• Trubel (Jacqueline Toboni). I didn’t know how I was going to feel about this girl when she was introduced at the end of season three, but I really like her, and she fits in pretty well. And given Nick’s current situation, she’s actually pretty essential right now. So Trubel, you keep doing your thing, girl.
• Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Rosalee (Bree Turner). These guys…these guys I love. Monroe and Rosalee may very well be my favorite TV couple right now. They’re just perfect. Anyway, despite just having a very big day, these two drop everything to help Nick during a crisis. It is very sweet, and they are clearly the best friends Nick could possibly have.
• The mystery blonde the end of the episode. I was expecting it to be Adalind (Claire Coffee), but surprise! Not so. I have a feeling she’s going to be pretty important this season…

What I didn’t like:

• The flashes to Austria and/or the new Wesen sidestory. Don’t get me wrong—the stuff in Austria can sometimes be interesting, and the Wesen in this episode is definitely cool. But when these things are pulling us away from the story that’s really important, it’s pretty frustrating.
• The fact that freaking everyone turns out to be a Wesen. Like, a new detective pops up, and as soon as I saw her I was like, “Well, there’s another one.” Sure enough, she’s Wesen. Sometimes less is more, y’know?
• This show just doesn’t seem to know what to do with Nick’s girlfriend, Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch). She’s not my favorite character to begin with, but when all she gets to do is clean up messes, whine about her strained relationship, and be passive-aggressive with Nick, I like her even less.
• I want Wu (Reggie Lee) in on the secret! Nick has let a lot of people into his world of weird, but poor Wu is still an odd man out, and he’s actually had some serious problems because of that. Just tell the guy already!
• Nick went through a drastic change at the end of season three, and while it could prove to be interesting, I could also see it getting old. I won’t say more because spoilers, but if you watch the show you probably know what I mean.

The Potential: While this didn’t seem like the strongest premiere for Grimm, I’d say there are enough pieces in play that this season has plenty of potential. I think the show has been building each season, becoming better and better. If it follows suit this year, things could get very interesting…

My Grade: B