Grimm – Dyin’ on a Prayer Review
"Oh Gollum, Gollum, Gollum! I made you out of clay. "
What an episode right Grimm fans? A non-Wesen related monster emerges out of clay and family dysfunction is the cause. In this week's episode, the gang is near the end of finding the cure to reverse Nick's curse. But the last and key element involves Juliette and if anyone recalls, she wasn't very interested in Nick getting his powers back. Next episode will unwind that drama but currently the curse has been determined and a way to reverse it has been made. This episode tackled a more social concern: mixed marriages and domestic abuse. But fell short in the thought process behind the Gollum's rise and where has Viktor gone?
I will admit that last week I assumed the men outside of the spice shop had to do with Nick but it was a much more serious case. A Wesen hate crime has never been seen before in Grimm. Monroe's parents expressed their feelings about this mixed marriage, but that was generations of tradition. This is very different because there is a group of people who believe Wesen should stick to their own kind. Hmmm... Where have we seen this before? While repressed in our own society, this is art imitating life. The brick with a message through the window has been mimicked by life but that is where it ended. There are so many hate acts that could still be explored and hopefully they will explore it during this season.
I wonder if that same group had a problem with Wesen marrying a human. In this episode, a Siegbarste marries a human and becomes a stepfather to her son but his uncontrollable drinking plus anger has caused them to split. Domestic abuse, of course, is an issue more opened in society than the disapproval of mixed marriages. Here we are introduced to these characters after the wife divorced the abusive husband. We really don't need to read between the lines since there are plenty of real life cases to fill in the blanks. Although, that isn't always the case in real life since the heartbreaking reality isn't always a happy one. This episode could be an advocate of life imitating art.
Nick and Hank are covering the murder of a Siegbarste who had abused his ex-wife and stepson. The prime suspect: a Gollum made out of clay. Did the clay Gollum remind anyone else of a deformed version of Fantastic Four's Thing? This is one of the few monsters that aren’t related with Wesen and it was brought up by a prayer. If only a real life prayer could be that strong but the incantation probably had something to do with it. The back story about this Gollum is alluring. Listening to Ben Fisher explain it was like watching the 1999 movie The Mummy. In the sense, that both the Gollum and the Mummy had a conjuring birth. It is explained in Ben's historical knowledge that the Gollum was made to protect but what was the thought process behind associating the Gollum with protecting his nephew? Folklore is a traditional legend and it is not like everyone living in this new age world would quickly run to summon a creature from a legend. A better reason for why Ben would bring to life this creature is if a past ancestor summoned it and the story was passed on through the generations. With a direct link such as that, then it would be believable why Ben's first thought was the Gollum.
Another great factor was Viktor's castle. This castle has truly proven to be enchanting but Viktor has been absent during Adalind's journey. Since Adalind's escape to now, the owner of the castle has been astray. It is hard to believe that he doesn't know where Adalind is, since he spent his dinners watching her through a security camera. It wouldn't make sense for the writers to mislead the viewer, especially since Viktor is gone. Unless my prediction is right and this old man is Viktor in disguise. But back to the castle for a quick compliment. Faces popping out of the walls who speaking in different languages, while tapping into one's emotions and crying a rain of water is a pretty fun castle to live in. The computer digitalized faces is an old trick and a more impressive trick would be actual actors coming out of the walls. Almost like the bodies coming out of Davy Jones boat in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Though, beggars can't be choosers and this is the special effects handed to us.
How will Adalind escape the drowning waters in the next episode? The last scene of Adalind was her engulfed in water. We are one episode away from Nick becoming a Grimm again and only that episode would shed light on the risk to Juliette. Also, hopefully the next episodes will continue to tackle the hate on mixed marriages.
Final Thoughts
• The Gollum looks like the Thing.
• Life imitates art and vice versa in this episode.
• Will someone tell Wu what's up already.
• Viktor's castle is filled with enchanting traps.
Pros
- Mixed marriages
- and domestic abuse spotlight
- Nick is almost a Grimm again
- Trubel comes clean
Cons
- Gollum
- Viktor's disappearance
- Wu