Grimm musings: Big Feet
So. “Big Feet.” Oh, my heart. Where to begin?
I think it’s only fair I start with Hank, and how hard this episode made me love him, considering how tough I’ve been on the guy all year. Hank clicked for me as a character in this episode. Not only was what happened him just monumental, dramatically, but I felt like it made me *get* him. It rounded him out, made him three-dimensional in a way that hasn’t really happened, and oddly enough, it made me okay with the cluelessness we’ve seen from his so far. To paraphrase Mary Poppins, there are people in the world who through no fault of their own can’t see past the ends of their own noses. I think Hank was one of them. Detective or not, I think he’s one of those “if I can’t touch it, it doesn’t exist” guys. It sounds harsh to say he lacked any imagination at all, but that might be exactly what his deal was. He literally had to be knocked over by something beyond his understanding to even entertain the possibility that there was a world beyond the one he operated in.
And while on the subject of that scene, I have to rave again about how amazing Grimm’s cinematography is. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a TV show that had such striking visuals. That shot of Hank in the woods, right after the encounter with Monroe, was possibly my favorite moment of the whole ep, and that’s saying something. He looks so small, and that forest is so big. I love that the forest is really a silent character on Grimm; it has differing faces and moods, and that may never have been more pronounced than in this scene. It’s like it’s looking back at Hank. And there’s this sense that Hank is comprehending how massive the world beyond him is, for the first time. It’s a beautiful, powerful, goosebump-inducing shot.
The next highlight of this episode, for me, was the scene in Monroe’s house when Larry dies. All of the Nick and Monroe scenes in this ep were great, but this one was rattling. For one, I wasn’t expecting Larry to die; I really thought this was going to be a “hide him and get him help” case, and I was totally caught off guard by it. And on top of that, it was a *horrible* death.
David Giuntoli and Silas Weir Mitchell just turned my heart inside out here. Nick was so horrified and shaken, watching Larry essentially rip himself open, and Monroe’s shock in the wake of Larry’s death was palpable. And these two are faced, for the third time, with the dilemma of disposing of a body - but the difference in circumstance, and in tone, is striking. Before, they were doing away with the bad guys. This time, it’s a friend, and the act feels like a violation. It’s terrible and disrespectful, and Nick knows that; he doesn’t want to do this, but he will. I love the loyalty to Monroe here, and the comprehension that doing what he has to to protect Monroe is hurting him at the same time.
I didn’t think the creature effects in this episode were particularly great, and most of the action sequences were, in my opinion, kinda cheesy. But plot- and theme-wise, this was one of Grimm’s best. Brinkerhoff was a well-written villain; he was dangerous in the way of those who are completely convinced of the purity of their final intentions. With his talk about security being worth the cost of choice, he struck me as someone who might be a kindred spirit to Renard. Monroe’s contempt and fury for his philosophy was unsurprising but satisfying; I liked that Monroe took it upon to himself to confront him.
I also liked this plot as the opportunity to let Juliette and Hank get enough of a glimpse into that other world to force the issue, to make them unable to dismiss it. And I thought it was very interesting to see their respective reactions. Hank’s really dangling over a precipice here; he took this like a blow to the head. Juliette, who has, all along, been portrayed as naturally inquisitive, as someone who wants to understand and solve, is also reeling from the possibilities of what she’s learned, but is processing it, dealing with it. To be fair, she wasn’t accidently tackled by an anthropomorphic wolf, but I’m still thinking that in keeping with their personalities, Juliette might be a little more able to cope with the idea of Wesen than Hank. Now, the Nick killing things part might not sit so well…(Quick side note here - I loved her being called “Doc Silverton” in this ep.)
I felt for Nick in that final scene with Hank, too. Hank’s on the verge of losing it, and Nick is just overwhelmed. He doesn’t know what to say, doesn’t know what will make things better or worse, and he chokes on the moment. Now, with Juliette, on the other hand, I think he couldn’t have asked for a better opening.
So, so excited for tonight. And I’m not sad that the summer break for this show is going to be unusually short.
Bring on the finale!