“Eye for an Eye,

Tooth for a tooth

Hand for a hand

Foot for a foot”

Good old Ron Hurd is having a bang up time at his local VFW when a less than stable woman, one who’s taken to cutting symbols into her arm, pays him a visit. When at first he feigns ignorance, she says “you know me real well” and that’s where the shock rolls in. He wants nothing to do with her and gets out of dodge but when he gets home, lil miss thing is waiting for him. His original surprise and, yes, shame, is replaced by unabashed anger and he’s talking to some about her being there before deciding her threats of “never going away” is enough and he gets his gun, ready to silence her for good. When he gets back outside, she’s already gone, disappeared into the night.  But that doesn’t mean she’s gone and when he locks up for the night, he hears the telltale signs of an intruder. He cases the house and it’s not long before he’s attacked and gets a scorpion tale shoved through his chest.

 

Investigating death by large hole in the chest

Nick and Hank are on the scene the next morning, examining the evidence. Hank notices a medal box, a sign that the victim was in the military. They speak to Troy Dodge, who worked with Hurd in Iraq at the Artemis Defense contractor. After chatting with the detectives, he calls the mystery man, who tells Dodge that Hurd called him the night before. “Watch your back,” he warns a visibly agitated Dodge.

At Monroe’s, he and Rosalee are preparing for her biggest confrontation yet; going home to see her mother and sister, Dietta. It’s been more than seven years since she’s even communicated with her family and she’s already preparing for the hurricane that is “the martyr” in Dietta.

Nick’s able to get a bit more information on Hurd about his time in the military and come across the name Jim McCabe, of McCabe Securities. As they make their way to his offices, the mystery woman visits Troy Dodge and his wife. If her conversations with Hurd weren’t enough, her confrontation with Troy serves as proof the two men (maybe more) did something most reprehensible to her.

Before visiting McCabe, Hank and Nick stop by the VFW where Candy, the bartender, recaps what she remembers about the previous night. Based on her info, they find a bloody napkin in the garbage and use it when they finally speak to McCabe. His cooperation is superficial and the former solider hides anything that could tie him to the victims and the mystery woman though Nick sees a picture from Iraq that has him, Hurd, Dodge, and a fourth man (Robert Hammond) buddied up. The heat picks up when Hank comes across information on Hammond’s murder in Phoenix, and Renard gets the paperwork on Hammond’s murder, one that MO matches up with Hurd.

Troy has a face to face with McCabe where he tells his former partner he can no longer keep things a secret. “Jim, we were wrong; this is the only way.” With his peace said, Troy leaves but based on McCabe’s frosty demeanor, the securities contractor isn’t going to let things go that easily.

A bit on the fringes of the episode is Adalind’s power slowly returning to her as she hides out in Vienna. Dispensing with any attempts at subtly keeping track of Adalind, Meisner stares at her across from the bar when he sees her telekinetic abilities (as well as some belly pains) start to manifest. He reports back to Renard on this—prior to the Captain speaking with his detectives on the Hammond case—who knows business is about to pick up as far as Adalind is concerned and he warns Meisner to be ready to make a move, “because they will, too.”

After less than jovial introductions, Monroe and Rosalee sit down to dinner with her family and awkward turns into downright hostile when Dietta sheds all pretense and rails into her sister for missing their father’s funeral. Rosalee breaks down and admits to being in jail at the time. The admission silences her family and the guilt drives Rosalee out into the night where Monroe follows, offering her the morale support she needed. As they make their way back inside, Rosalee’s mom steps out on the porch and mother and daughter reunite. Monroe watches from a distance before a scary Dietta sneaks up on him and threatens the Blutbod with serious retribution if he breaks Rosalee’s heart.

True to his word, Troy writes out a confession, one his understandably pissed off wife reads and rips up. She storms out of the room and Troy hears her gurgled cry. He runs in to check on her and gets a scorpion tail to the chest for his trouble, joining his wife in death.

Looking more into the Hurd and Hammond connection, Nick and Hank connect on video conference to Hurd’s CO, Colonel Adam Desai, who talks about the PMC’s as “dogs without a leash.” His endorsement of Hurd is less than positive and tells them about the rape charges against Hurd and the others, filed by his Specialist, one Frankie Rodriguez.

Manticore vs manticore

Unfortunately, none of the rapists were able to be prosecuted and the Colonel believes the others are getting what they deserve when he signs off, ready for some more chemo treatment.  But the good Colonel’s not in DC like the boys think; he’s holed up in a Portland motel, no doubt having a hand in the case. The guys do more digging on Frankie and, they find out she was in Phoenix at the time of Hammond’s death. When they hear about the Dodges and the tox screening that ID’s scorpion neurotoxin in the vics and Troy’s confession letter, Nick believes Frankie is the Manticore taking revenge on her rapists. They pick Frankie up just as she confronts McCabe and, when Nick realizes she’s a steinadler and only told her CO about what happened, they know where to look.

She calls the Colonel and he apologizes for not being able to do more. They track him to the VFW where he confronts McCabe, who’s also a manticore and the one that killed Troy and his wife. The two fight and the detectives arrive just as Desai offers himself up for McCabe to kill, ‘Gran Torino’ style, knowing his murder will be enough to send McCabe to jail like he deserves.

Nick gives Frankie Troy’s confession letter and she tells the detectives, it’s all she wanted. She walks away, head held high as she’s able to get the closure she’s always wanted.

Grimm News

  • Closure: it’s the one thing that, at some point in our lives, we all require. Whether it’s answers for a dead relationship or someone’s inexplicable actions, it can offer us peace for a tumultuous past. Both Frankie and Rosalee have lived the last several years of their life with a storm of unsettled issues they’ve kept inside. Rosalee finds absolution and forgiveness by her family while Troy’s admission to his guilt in such a heinous act will allow Frankie to move forward. While closure does not change what’s happened to the two of them, it will give them both the peace they and foundation to move forward.
  • Though the Adalind storyline was only briefly shown, things are starting to heat up as the baby continues to develop and her hexenbiest powers are slowly making their way back. As they say in wrestling, business is most definitely about to pick up.