“O, from this time forth,
My thoughts be bloody
Or be nothing worth.”

There are few things more debilitating than finding your mother’s head waiting for you in a box. Nick Burkhart received that most distinguished honor in all its horror at the end of last week’s ‘Grimm.’ This week’s season finale picks up with a grief stricken Nick staring down at Kelly Burkhart’s lifeless face. If not for Trubel and Hank, Nick would have joined his mother as Rispoli and his Verrat goons close in on the three Wesen fighters. The three do escape and Nick, finally in control of his faculties, has Trubel lead him to the Hundjager she’d beheaded earlier that night. When Hanks asks Nick if he wants to call the situation into the Portland PD, his response is simple, direct and promising all sorts of pain. “No. We’re doing things my way.”

While Nick’s dealing with the aftermath of his mother’s death, the traitorous Juliette accompanies Kenneth and baby Diana to meet King Frederick. The mastermind behind the Royals is ecstatic over finally meeting his grandbaby and thanks Juliette for her role in Kenneth’s success. Speaking of Kenneth, he leaves them when Rispoli informs them of Nick’s escape. This departure gives the King time with Diana as well as doing his best to sweet talk Juliette into becoming an ally to his cause.

Back to Nick’s plight, a whole lot of scrambling goes on with the Grimm cluing everyone in on his mother’s death, Diana’s capture, and his plan to ferret Kenneth out and into his hands. It culminates in Adalind playing her part—namely placing the Hundjager’s head in the closet of the penthouse and screaming her head off (metaphorically speaking). The plan works as they get the necessary info on Kenneth as well as an arrest warrant, one that’s not even warm when the man in question arrives back at the hotel only to be taken into custody and spirited away in the back of Wu’s squad car.

Nick comes face-to-face with his mother’s killer and, as they say, revenge is a dish…you know the rest

By now, Nick has put the pieces together and realized that Juliette was integral in Diana’s abduction and his mother’s death. After Wu drops Kenneth off in an abandoned factory, Nick steps out of the shadows, ready for a bit of payback. He asks Kenneth about Juliette’s involvement and the Royal attempts to knock the Grimm off his game with taunts but the effort is fruitless. Before he knows it, Kenneth is on the receiving end of a beatific and brutal beat down, one whose ending was written well before Nick whispers “For my mother” to the stunned Kenneth and plunging the gauntleted dirk into the Royal’s artery.

Kenneth may be out of the way but Diana’s still in the hands of the King. Nick and the threesome of Hank, Monroe, and Trubel head out to the compound Wu discovers when tracking Juliette’s phone. Though told not to, the sergeant meets up with the quartet as they pull up to the property. The plan is simple: kill quickly and quietly until they reach baby Diana. If they run into Juliette, “kill her.”

The ensuing battle is nothing spectacular. Verrat are killed, including Rispoli, who takes a Humpty Dumpty-like tumble but the King gets to his escape copter with Diana in tow. Dejected at their apparent failure, the group returns to Bud to deliver the bad news. Hank eventually fills Renard in on the night’s events and a bit of a surprise as well. Earlier, Renard had mentioned the department wouldn’t stop until they found someone for the Jack the Ripper murders. Adding to that the description of Union Jack—very tall and speaking with an English accent—Renard knows they need something. Hank offers his two cents, taking the captain to Kenneth’s body. Even in death, the Royal is giving it all to the cause, albeit not in the most ideal of circumstances.

All is not lost, however. Satisfied in his victory, King Frederick looks forward to a return to the Mother Country with his granddaughter in tow. Very much like Kenneth, things don’t work out too well for him as one of the helicopter pilots ushers him from the chopper sans parachute. When the mystery man removes his helmet, we see the last person we expected: Meisner, one of the key cogs in the resistance. “Down with the King,” he murmurs to a beaming Diana.

If things would have ended there, it would have been fine but ‘Grimm’ decides to go one farther this time around. When Nick gets home, he’s greeted by a somewhat sorrowful Juliette.

Sleep, Juliette, sleep

Nick grabs her around the neck, ready to throttle the life from this woman whom he once loved. “Just kill me,” she begs him. “Do it.” But something inside the Grimm stays his hand and he pushes her away. Instead of walking away, Juliette goes on the offensive, pummeling a docile Nick who refuses to fight her. She’s ready to deliver the killing blow when Trubel arrives and puts two bolts in the Hexenbiest’s chest. Nick holds his former love’s dying form in his arms while, outside, Agent Chavez rolls up with a team of black clad figures and orders them into the house. “Get her,” is all she says before it all fades to black.

Let Slip the Dogs of War

  • I can honestly say, I did not see that coming. Yes, Juliette’s actions led to Kelly Burkhart’s death and, with that, I knew things were done between her and Nick. I’d naively assumed Season Five would be a redemption story for the veterinarian turned Hexenbiest but alas, it wasn’t to be. I’m both surprised (pleasantly) and disappointed by the development. In a way, this was the only viable outcome for Juliette after such a heinous act but there were several other avenues they could have explored regarding her transformation. The bitterness Juliette allowed to overtake her was understandable but allowing it to cannibalize her original character was a mistake, in my opinion. The show had a wonderful opportunity to explore the dynamics of a Grimm/Hexenbiest relationship but fumbled it away. Or did they? I mean, Adalind is carrying baby Burkhart now…
  • It was such a treat to get Theresa Rubel back in the fold these last two episodes but one has to wonder, what’s she been up to? First there was the clandestine call she took while riding along with Bud. Then Agent Chavez appears out of the blue at the Burkhart resident, shouting a simple command of “get her” to the coterie of black-clad agents. If you’ll recall in ‘Last Fight,’ Chavez had mentioned a “special group” of people interested in what Trubel could do. She promised to be in touch with the Grimm. Has Trubel been in contact with her this entire time or is she just now showing herself? Based on their short phone conversation, my guess is on it being the former. The only question now is how much of this thread will be explored in Season Five?
  • Though it appears Renard’s in the clear, does anyone truly believe his brush with the other side is over just like that? The writers may want to steer clear of rehashing another possession storyline but what if Renard had become the gateway and spirits could, while maybe not possess him, escape into our world through him? So it may not go there but the ominous nature of the other side will rear its ugly head again.
  • Finally, suffer not the children! Baby Diana is back in the hands of Meisner and the Resistance. Will she be carted away to safety or now that King Frederick is dead, will they bring her back to Adalind? Of course, there will be the power vacuum left by the King’s death, one I assume will be filled by Viktor. But even if Diana is taken away for a bit, there’s the other bun in the oven that looks to cause even more trouble. Adalind and Nick are expecting; talk about an interesting and potentially fun and/or fireworksy exploration. Either way it goes, there will be nearly half a year between our speculation and reality.