Grimm

So a funny thing happened on the way to the Grimm premiere. Before watching it, I had a liter of wine. What? That big bottle was about to go bad and I couldn't be WASTEFUL. So when I sat down to watch the show with some friends (at least I wasn't drinking alone)...I kind of feel asleep in the middle of it. And I honestly don't remember that much of what I saw. I suppose that means I wouldn't be the best person to write a review. But never fear! Guest-blogger Kristin was on hand to pick up my slack, and you can check out her most excellent review right now. --Maggie Cats

Cute homicide detective turns supernatural hunter…really, where do you go wrong with a premise like that? Add in the fact that some beautiful women are actually ugly demon chicks in disguise and Big Bad Wolves can reform, and I think we might have something entertaining on our hands!

Grimm is putting a new twist on the well-known stories from the Brothers Grimm. In this telling, homicide detective Nick Burckhardt (played by David Giuntoli) learns that he is a descendent of a group of hunters known as “Grimms,” who fight to keep humanity safe from the supernatural creatures of the world. Upon learning of his destiny, he has to protect every living soul from the sinister storybook characters that have infiltrated the real world. Personally, I think this is a pretty tall order, but I guess someone has to do it.

In the first episode, Nick Burckhardt is kicking along in his regular life pretty well. He seems reasonably good at his job, he has a girlfriend he wants to propose to, and things seem pretty normal. Enter weirdness.

It starts out with poor Nick seeing some pretty weird stuff...a gorgeous woman on the street whose face morphs into weird demon like features, a suspect at the police station who doesn't look exactly human, etc. Then in rolls Aunt Marie, the woman who raised Nick after his parents died, complete with her Airstream trailer. Turns out, she is sick and dying, presumably from cancer given the bald head. Although she could also just be badass and rocking a bald head, one never knows.

She quickly tells Nick that some weird shit is about to go down and then they get attacked by some creepy demon dude with a scythe. Demon guy is identified as a “Reaper of the Grimms,” conveniently inscribed on his killer scythe (Grimm Reaper, Reaper of the Grimms…ok, I buy it). Luckily before Aunt Marie (Kate Burton) falls into a coma, she tells Nick to check out her trailer to find out all about what the heck is happening to him. Apparently aforementioned trailer holds all the answers. He checks it out and the answers are less than forthcoming.

Later Nick runs into a reformed Big Bad Wolf (technical name of Blublot??), played by Silas Weir Mitchell. Over a couple of beers (yes, Big Bad Wolves drink beer too…who knew?) Big Bad Wolf sheds a little more light on what the heck is going on.

Eventually, Nick gets his grove back, at least somewhat, and decides that he can use his new supernatural knowledge to solve crimes, in this episode a missing person case. Of course, he gets a little help from his friends, his homicide detective partner and his new Big Bad Wolf buddy.
Like always, some critics liked it and some didn’t. The common complaint: some people didn’t seem to love the blending of cop shop procedural stuff and the supernatural perps. Personally, I didn’t mind it. I think it will be interesting to see how Nick attempts to work around the detective rules and regs while using his supernatural knowledge to solve crimes. I also liked the idea that the Grimm storybook tales are actually way more cautionary than one could have ever expected. I am looking forward to seeing all the different characters from the books take their places as good, bad, or indifferent during the course of the show. Plus, there are weapons and fighting, which is always cool!!

Overall, I think this was a decent first outing and I am looking forward to the next episode. From what I can tell, Nick is going to have two partners from here on out, his homicide detective partner for the cop stuff and his Big Bad Wolf partner to help him with the supernatural side of things. From the previews, it looks like we can expect some funny moments in both of these partnerships…and really, who doesn’t like a little funny with their supernatural. I think it will be fun to see where this goes.


Grimm airs on NBC on Fridays at 9 pm.