I won’t hide it – until very recently, I had serious concerns that Grimm was in the process of jumping the shark.
That’s not to say it was becoming a terrible show or anything – with a stable of solid writers, a consistently satisfactory lead, and some regularly excellent supporting actors, I’m not sure a full-on abandon ship for Grimm could ever truly happen. All the same, after a crowd-pleasing but less than rewarding zombie story arch and a good-not-great season opener and followup, I found myself wondering if I’d have to accept nonstop brawls and misplaced camp as the best that Grimm has to offer going forward.
That’s how I felt, but then “A Dish Best Served Cold” happened.
This week’s romp into the wonderful world of Wesen was an engaging one, and it managed this via a return to a “case of the week” format and by tackling a handful of important and nagging character and plot questions head-on.
One such question is how exactly becoming a zombie, surviving a plane crash, and having gone on a blind murderous rampage will affect Nick going forward, and though we’re still not entirely sure how it will impact him long-term, we at least have a better idea. In the episode’s opening scene, Nick is shown running on a treadmill under doctor supervision, tube-in-mouth and hooked up to a heart rate monitor. Much to the doctor’s dismay, no matter how fast he turns up the speed dial Nick’s heart rate sits at an inexplicably low 29 or 30.
I’m not sure whether this was supposed to elicit concern from the viewer or what, but to me it had an almost opposite effect. “Sweet, Nick is getting super powers!” It’s actually pretty clever on the writers’ part, souping Nick up with supernatural abilities for the second time now (well, besides the general fact that he can see people who secretly turn into hideous monsters), and it skyrockets his ass-kicking potential as a bona fide, modern Grimm-cop to new heights.
The plot this week juggled a few different threads, but the main attraction was Monroe and Rosalee. After taking his beloved Fuchsbau out for a romantic dinner at the somewhat-yuppy new restaurant Raven and Rose, Monroe works up the courage to ask her to move in with him (in typical, adorable Monroe fashion, I might add).
Notably, Monroe’s reformed vegetarian ways prevent him from indulging in a free appetizer making its way around the restaurant, and his meatless habit ends up saving his life. As it turns out, the restaurant is run by a Bauerschwein with a grudge, and he’s taken to killing Blutbaden in an act of revenge in the age-old feud between the two Wesen species. Of course, once a couple of Blutbaden literally “climb trees and explode” as a result (as Monroe so amusingly put it), it’s up to Nick, Hank, and the gang to get to the bottom of it.