Grimm - Season 6
Sasha Roiz as Sean Renard, confronted by reporters (including KGW's Brenda Braxton) in the Season 6, Episode 3 outing, "Oh Captain, My Captain."
(Allyson Riggs/NBC)
"Grimm" may be ending with Season 6, but the Portland-set series is going out in style, if Friday's Episode 3, "Oh Captain, My Captain," was a hint of what else is come. David Giuntoli, who stars as Nick, made his directing debut with a fast-moving episode that deftly mixed suspense and humor, with scenes bordering on slapstick comedy followed by knock-down, drag-out fight scenes.
Thomas Ian Griffith's script also gave members of the "Grimm" cast moments to shine, while the plot elements raced by. And it ended with a surprise. Who could ask for anything more? Well, another season, maybe. But since we're not getting that, here's a breakdown of highlights from "Oh Captain, My Captain." (And here's the usual spoiler alert; if you haven't yet watched the episode, and want to be surprised, you know what to do.)
Nick becomes Renard: The plot twist that found Nick undergoing a spell to transform him into Renard (Sasha Roiz) was entertaining, and gave Roiz an opportunity to have some fun, as both the deadly Portland Police captain and Nick-as-Renard. It also gave Giuntoli enough time off camera to handle directing duties. It all paid off handsomely, especially in the scene just after Nick transforms into Renard, and Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell), Rosalee (Bree Turner) and Eve (Bitsie Tulloch) are giving him directions on how to "a little more Renard-y."
Adalind may have a future in improv: As Adalind, Claire Coffee was very funny, first doing a slapstick routine with Monroe, when Monroe was at the mansion Adalind and Renard are sharing (who's paying the mortage on that place, anyway?) and Monroe was trying to hustle out of there with bits of Renard's hair, for the transformation spell. When Renard expectedly comes home, Adalind shoves Monroe into the closet to hide, and talks Renard into taking a shower so Monroe can skedaddle out of there.
Then, when Adalind learns she needs to keep Renard home so he can watch the "Live at 7" news on KGW, she vamps desperately, trying to convince Renard he needs to stay home so the can have a discussion about their daughter Diana's education. But the mood turns from "I Love Lucy" to something darker when Renard sees the news broadcast, and is horrified to see Nick-as-Renard on live TV, claiming that he is resigning from his newly elected position as mayor of Portland, and exonerating Nick, explaining that while there was a supposed manhunt on for Nick, it was really all part of an elaborate undercover investigation and Nick was innocent all along. We may be thrilled to learn that Renard won't be mayor of Portland, but he's furious.
Renard has really gone to the dark side: If we thought there might still be some goodness left in him, this episode makes it clear that Renard has fallen victim to his own love of power and ruthless determination to do whatever it takes to stay in power. When his former mayoral campaign manager shows up at the precinct, demanding blackmail money to keep his mouth shut about Renard and the now-dead Rachel, Renard doesn't try to negotiate. Instead, he makes a deal with another of those evil Wesen Portland police to kill the campaign manager, in exchange for which the Wesen cop will be promoted to take over Renard's job once he moves on up to the mayorship.
Renard vs. Renard: Once Renard learns that Nick is the one who's been making media appearances bowing out of the mayorship and so on, it's time for a Renard vs. Renard showdown. The real Renard and Nick-as-Renard meet on the roof of Nick's loft for a brawl, that ends with them making a deal: Nick-as-Renard won't reveal what he knows, if Renard returns to the Portland police, re-hires Nick, and re-hires Hank (Russell Hornsby) and Wu (Reggie Lee.) Renard reluctantly agrees to what sounds like the most uncomfortable workplace environment imaginable, warning Nick-as-Renard: "If I ever see another me again, this deal is dead -- and so are you."
Diana and her powers: We keep hearing just how powerful the daughter of Renard and Adalind is, and in this episode, Diana is able to snap Nick out of his Renard transformation, when nobody else could figure it out. But as Renard menacingly reminds Nick, Diana loves her daddy. How is she going to react to discovering Nick was hiding in the body of her daddy, and worse yet, that Adalind rushes to Nick and hugs him once he's returned to his real self?
Wait, that's Meisner!: We know Renard has been haunted by his killing Meisner (Damien Puckler) -- though arguably he was putting Meisner out of his misery as Bonaparte was slowly killing him. And at the end of this episode, as Renard goes home to that mansion he's now conveniently living in, he hears a voice, turns, and there's Meisner, who says: "I tried to tell you, you chose the wrong side, Sean." Is Meisner a very healthy looking ghost?
Lines of the Week
"You love Adalind" -- Eve/Juliette to Nick.
"Why are you asking? Nick says.
"I'm not. I can feel it" -- Eve/Juliette clears this up for us -- but she keeps giving Nick meaningful glances.
"If you think Portland is big enough for two Sean Renards, think again" -- Nick-as-Renard to the real Renard
"I better have a talk with myself" -- Renard to Nick-as-Renard, agreeing to come and have a face-to-face meeting with Nick-as-Renard.
-- Kristi Turnquist