Director: Felix Alcala
Writer: Jose Molina
Guest Star: Sebastian Roche
Picture Credit: Grimm Wiki

Perhaps some accident has befallen him,’ said the king, and the next day he sent out two more huntsman who were to search for him: The Tale of Iron Hans

Nick is in the trailer busy adding his own additions to the Grimm diaries he’s inherited. This entry is about his run in with Claire and her Klaustrich husband, Tim. Nick is enjoying himself doing it, but what caught my eye in that scene is that he seems to have spent all night working on the diaries. He has a light stubble and his hair is mussed and pre- the proposal!fail he would always have made sure to go home to Juliet.

In Washington, however, a Wesen walking during the night suddenly hides behind a pillar and morphs out into his Wesen self. Someone is following him and seconds later when he’s disappeared into the night, another Wesen appears sniffing the air. He walks past the column the first Wesen first hid behind and I think what must be the CIA symbol is etched into it.

In St Louis, the Wesen on the run is talking to someone about bus schedules to Portland when he hears something outside the door and seemingly is prepared to go out the window to escape. When his Wesen tracker bursts in, however, he attacks him and kills him before he disappears out the window for real this time. But before he does, he seems a mark in his would-be-killer’s hand, something like a brand. The next morning, another tracker comes to the door, and he calls the number our Wesen-on-the-run left written on the notepad by the phone and we hear a greeting from the bus company. It’s enough for him to meet our Wesen-on-the-run in Portland and to try and kill him in front of what looks like a respectably busy bus depot, despite the time of night. The Wesen-on-the-run manages to escape, but not without getting shot and losing his backpack, the only thing we’ve seen him carry since he appeared.

Renard comes home to find the would-be Wesen assassin waiting for him and introducing another language Renard speaks – German. Anyone get the Nazi-ish, blonde and perfect vibe from the assassin in this scene? Renard isn’t put out by having a gun pulled on him in his home, and when the scene in fact becomes an introduction, and Renard pulls his own gun on the assassin, we get the vibe he’s been through one of these before. The assassin holds up his hands in surrender, enough for Renard to note the mark in his palm – like the other assassin, two-interlocking diamonds – not that he cares that the assassin is working for the Verrat as evidenced by the marking, he’s seems to just hate having his home invaded.

Formal introductions aside, the assassin introduces himself as Edgar, and he is in Portland hunting one of the few leaders of the resistance still left alive – Ian. Renard wants to know what Ian has done in Portland to come here while he is being hunted, but Edgar doesn’t know, nor does he care. He tells Renard that the Verrat believe that the resistance might have a base in Portland to harbor fugitives and make them disappear – and I wonder here, if Nick’s behaviour thus far is perpetuating this story among the Wesen community.

What occurs next is most unexpected, and the first, I think, time Renard is faced with a power he can’t – yet – control. Edgar reminds him of the High Command; of their displeasure should Renard refuse to help him. He delivers a warning of some sort in Latin – “If you seek peace, prepare for war” – hardly something that sits with the way Renard has been acting this season. Is he seeking peace? Despite the manipulation and trickery he has resorted to in order to get the key Nick has? He has though done his utmost to protect Nick from his cousin and his family, going so far as to kill his cousin last week.

The next morning a very clear-headed Hank is at the house to pick Nick up for work as Juliet’s car is in the shop and she’s using Nick’s. The subject of Adalind comes up, and he tells Juliet he’s glad that relationship is over and that he woke up in her bedroom to find two other people there. There’s a neat side-step of why those two people – Monroe and Rosalie were in fact in the room when he woke up – and everything seems to be normal between Nick and Hank and Nick and Juliet. Nick appears and Hank tells him about a shooting at the bus depot and the blood found there.

At the store, when Rosalie enters, Ian appears and covers her mouth to stop her screaming. And then gets his foot stomped and an elbow in his side as Rosalie makes her escape…alright, Rosalie and Juliet HAVE to meet and HAVE to rescue Nick and Monroe at some point, because these two very capable women kick butt like crazy.

Ian finally calls her name and she stops with the fleeing and recognizes Ian. She wants to get him to a hospital, but he doesn’t want to because he’ll be as good as dead if he does. He wants to see Freddie and she tells him that he’s dead. Which leaves the question – was Freddie the Resistance’s base in Portland after all?

Ian tells her that Freddie was supposed to have papers for him for a new identity, and he wants to leave, but Rosalie insists on helping him.

At the bus depot, Wu runs down through everything they know from the evidence – a 9mm bullet casing – thus far, including a possible witness – who happens to be the bus driver of the bus Ian came in on. He had left his hat on the bus, and the driver was trying to catch up to him to return it when he witnessed the shooting. The driver notes he was carrying a rucksack he doesn’t usually see these days and he gives the guys the ticket Ian used to board and the pseudonym that came with it.

At the store, Rosalie lets Monroe in – and how much do I love: 1) she calls Monroe for help before anyone else and 2) Rosalie’s determined delivery as she explains to Monroe that she needs his help to remove a bullet and that Ian Harmon, is one of the leaders of the Resistance, the Lauffeur. Ian is a journalist, a well-known one from Monroe’s reaction. Monroe is also surprised that the Resistance is in Portland because that’s too “old country” for Portland. Monroe also realizes that if an injured leader of the Lauffer is in Portland, the Verrat must be too.

Rosalie goes onto explain that she’d seen her father remove bullets growing up – he has a bag full of medical instruments she pulls out – she simply doesn’t want to do it alone. I do commend Grimm about the way they’ve written Rosalie – she is a recovering drug addict, perhaps a little less experienced in making cures for love potions of death than she is in pulling bullets out of people, but she’s capable, and there is a determination about her in his scene that’s palpable, she just didn’t want to do something like this alone.

Seriously, this show NEEDS Rosalie and Juliet together in an episode!

At the station, the guys are examining the cameras from the bus depot and ID Ian from the video by the rucksack the driver mentioned. However, Nick can’t find records of Ian’s pseudonym anywhere and Hank reveals that bullet casing they found has been ID-ed as made by a German company from 1902. It’s unique enough for Nick to start thinking that they’re looking at a hit gone wrong. No one, Wu reports, has reported to hospitals with bullet wounds.

At a bar, Edgar is disturbed from enjoying his beer by two very angry men fighting in a corner. The bartender breaks up the fight by threatening the two with a machete and shifting into his Wesen form. He apologises to Edgar for the disturbance and gives him a free beer on the house. Edgar asks the bartender for some advice in trying to get new papers and the bartender gives him a card. Edgar forgets a passport on the bar however and the bartender opens it, Ian shifts from the deferential bar patron asking for help to asking contemptuously how a Lausenschlange – snake creature – is allowed to serve food before he kills the bartender. Edgar is a Hundjager – a Wesen creature that from the name has more to do with being a dog despite looking like boar.

While operating over Ian, Rosalie admits that she and Ian were involved for 18 months a long time ago, something that Monroe doesn’t like hearing. He wants to call Nick for help – a first thus far on the show, but about time. Ian calls for Rosalie in the aftermath of the operation and they shift into their Wesen form – Fuchsbau – form. Whatever they once shared, it’s obvious Rosalie still cares for Ian, something else Monroe doesn’t like seeing.

At the bar, Nick finds bullet casing like the one at the bus depot and Hank finds Ian’s passport behind the counter, with the body of the bartender. They assume that Ian robbed the bar and killed the bartender. One of the cops outside radio in with a possible witness, and Nick goes out and finds…Edgar. He plays the part of a helpful passerby now, telling Nick about the man he saw running out of the bar and shifting into his Hundjager form when he sees Ian’s passport picture as if he is afraid of him and positively IDs Ian. Nick asks for his contact details should they need him to confirm Ian’s ID later.

At the store, Ian is doing better. Rosalie gives him some tea, and he tells them he hopes they’ve warned their friend, Nick, that being around Ian is dangerous. Monroe is hovering and hem-ing and haw-ing as he tries to explain Nick can handle himself, without revealing he’s a Grimm, until Rosalie lets that one out of the bag. Monroe tries his best to convince Ian that Nick will help him and that he isn’t like other Grimms, but it’s on Rosalie’s say-so that Ian agrees to meet Nick.

Nick and Hank are reporting to Renard about their case, and Ian as their main suspect. On his way out, Monroe calls and asks him to get down to the spice shop, which Nick agrees while in his office, Renard is looking at photos of the crime scene at the bar when he gets a call from Edgar. Edgar is checking in on the progress of the investigation and the trap he’s set for Ian, but is more interested about why Renard didn’t tell him that Nick was a Grimm and Edgar talks about Nick as if he would be on his side on this hunt. Renard tells him, however, that Nick doesn’t know about him.

Edgar arrives at the camera store the bartender directed him to for new papers. He makes small talk over the cameras and some photos, before he begins to threaten the camera store owner and his family. The camera store owner, Reginald caves and asks him what he wants. Edgar shows him a photo of Ian.

At the store, Monroe is pacing, outside waiting for Nick and when Nick arrives, Edgar’s trap springs exactly as he thought it would – Nick pulls a gun on Ian, thinking he’s the gunman he’s been chasing after all morning, but Rosalie and Monroe explain Ian couldn’t have shot the bartender because he has been with them all morning, and Ian realizes what Edgar’s plan is – the bartender and the passport were the reasons to search for Ian.

Nick holsters his gun and Ian begins to explain about the Verrat and that they now occupy positions of power everywhere now not just in Europe. Nick it seems has been doing his homework; because he doesn’t need the Verrat explained to him, he already knows what they are. Ian explains that the Arab Spring, the turmoil in the Middle East, the economic crisis in Europe, are all tied together by the Verrat. Monroe explains that Ian’s resistance group is the only thing standing in the Verrat’s way. Ian goes on to explain that agents of the Verrat, working for the Seven Houses have infiltrated all levels of government – which is about where Nick gets a wee bit lost.

Ian explains that the Seven Houses are the seven Royal Families and have been trying for centuries to get more control in the world. Rosalie explains her family, as far back as her grandfather all worked for the Resistance, including Freddie.

Then Ian drops another bombshell on Nick – Grimms changed the balance of power in the world when they joined the Royal Families. Nick pretty much at this stage has no idea what he’s talking about, and Ian points out, no idea how valuable he is to the Royal Families.

…which, as Renard is doing his best to keep Nick safe from the rest of his family, would a Grimm’s support change any balance of power that he might be after within said Royal Family?

At this stage, Nick has had enough of the Wesen history lesson and Monroe explains that they need papers to get Ian out of the country. However, at this stage, all Nick is willing to do is find Edgar, but does ask Rosalie if she knows where Ian can get papers – Reginald, the camera store owner’s name comes up, but Nick doesn’t want to know anything more about people selling illegal papers.

Rosalie goes there later, with a driver’s license of Ian’s under his pseudonym. Reginald sees the picture and doesn’t want to help her, but Rosalie persists and when he looks at the pictures of his family on the wall behind her, in that moment we know he’s going to call Edgar.
At the trailer Nick is looking through old reels from 1936 where a Grimm recorded the execution of Spanish farmers. The Wesen who were murdered were only guilty of marrying outside their own breed. The Grimm who shot the footage – Eduardo Grimm – goes on to speak of the Hundjager and their vicious natures and Nick is completely enraptured in the reel until his phone rings.

It’s Edgar setting up a meeting under the terms of a Freidenreden. Something Nick has no idea about, and promptly calls Monroe for help. However, Monroe isn’t sure what that is, but Ian is – it’s a truce during a meeting. Participants will meet without weapons and leave of their own accord. Ian is sure Edgar will honor it, but the minute Nick walks away anything goes. Once Nick hangs up, Ian tells Monroe the store isn’t safe for him anymore.

At the meeting place, the bus depot, Nick sees Edgar and realizes who it was that killed the bartender – his witness essentially. Edgar wants his help to find Ian within 24 hours or he will start killing people – it is as simple as that for him. During the meeting, Reginald calls and tells him Rosalie is there for Ian’s passport and when Edgar hangs up he warns Nick off from following him as he will shoot the first person he sees if he does.

At the station, Nick and Hank let Renard in on Edgar being their true suspect and Ian being his victim and during their report, Wu comes in with a location on the phone Edgar used to call Nick – Reginald’s store.

At the camera store Rosalie picks up the passport and leaves, with Edgar following her and Nick, Hank and Renard AND uniforms missing them by moments. Inside they find Reginald dead, and the phone they were tracking with the body.

Rosalie is gathering money for Ian at the front of the store when Edgar walks in, this time with an American accent. She asks him to leave, but he insists on some help, and she is soft-hearted enough to ask him to wait for a minute. She turns back around to finish putting the passport together with the money for Ian and finds a card from Reginald apologizing for turning her in to Edgar. In that instance she realizes who Edgar is and takes her phone out of her bag just before he taps her on her shoulder, gun in hand and in Hundjager form.

He wastes no time in asking where Ian is and asks her to call him to tell him what’s going on. She calls Monroe and tells him to get Ian to safety, but an unimpressed Monroe takes the phone and tells Monroe that if he does not deliver Ian he will kill Rosalie. On the way to the store, with Ian next to him, Monroe calls Nick and explains what’s going on. It’s pretty clear he’ll do anything to save Rosalie.

At the store, Rosalie is not afraid of standing up to Edgar, with her snark-filled reply to his explaining of his actions and his role in the Wesen society. Outside, Monroe pulls up and orders Ian to stay in the car, at least until they find out if Rosalie is alive or not because Ian will die the minute Edgar sees him. Monroe’s eyes flash red, an indication his emotions are getting the better of him. Ian warns him not to let them because Edgar will use that to his advantage. It’s enough of a delay for Nick to pull up just in time with a plan to get them well, some more time.

Nick walks in surprising Edgar and claiming to have Ian, and Monroe walks in claiming to have Ian as well. Edgar, confused, orders Rosalie to get on the floor, and while Nick and Monroe distract him, it’s enough to confuse Edgar and distract him from Rosalie enough for her to get her hands on some powder behind the counter and when Monroe changes into Blutbad form, Edgar is surprised enough to give Rosalie a change to fling some powder in his face, and for Monroe to disarm him.

No one notices Ian picking up Edgar’s gun in the confusion, not until he is holding it over Edgar. Ian knows that the Verrat will send others like Edgar after him, even if he is dead and Nick is powerless to stop him from killing Edgar. According to Ian, it’s the only way to keep Monroe and Rosalie safe. After he kills him, he says sometimes it’s hard to know what the right thing is, but Nick counters that sometimes it’s not – it’s a very black and white cop thing to say, but Nick hasn’t been that Black and white and clear cut in a long time – just last week he was willing to kill Adalind in order to save Hank.

Nick takes Ian into custody and walks him out to the car in handcuffs. Rosalie begs him not to arrest Ian but Nick is firm to all appearances until he tells Monroe out of earshot of Rosalie to make sure they get rid of Edgar’s body – it’s enough for Monroe to know that Nick isn’t going to arrest Ian, and true enough, Nick takes Ian to the bus depot and lets him go in order to protect Monroe and Rosalie. Later Edgar’s body is found in the park, with Renard coming out to see it. He asks after Ian but there is no evidence that Ian did it, though Nick points out if someone was trying to kill him, he just might kill them to save himself. Renard points out that Ian isn’t safe and someone else might find him first. Nick flashes to what Ian said – that their world is on the brink of war and realizes Renard may be right.

Well now – wow. Where did this episode come from? I’ve been busting for some more background on Grimms and this episode gave that in spades, and perhaps exposed Renard’s motivations just a little bit more – or rather, gave an explanation for Renard’s actions, without really saying – still – if he’s good, bad or just misunderstood – and it’s done with such finesse I can’t help buy enjoy the questions it brings up about him and Grimm history. Renard if anything has been made a gloriously complicated character this season, despite the minimal screentime the character gets every episode.

So a Grimm history lesson of sorts – we now know that in Europe, at least, the Grimms joined the ranks of the Seven Royal Families and tipped the balance of power in their favor in the Wesen world since that happened. In a world where Grimms are the “police” of sorts and stories of them are things of nightmares for Wesen, what better way to control Wesens than by joining forces with Grimms? But what made the Grimms agree to such a joining? Who made the decision to join the Seven Families?

Whatever the answers are, Nick comes out firmly on the side of his friends in this one and not the Families, effectively tipping the balance the other way. And in the war that’s coming, according to Ian, I’m guessing Nick is going to continue to be a huge target for the Families. Portland might not be the old country, but the old country and its rules are coming to Nick.

I am curious though – Nick is one Grimm and not THE Grimm as far as I can tell. Not all Grimms are going to follow suit, so where does that leave him. I hope we meet another Grimm soon – I’m guessing season 2 if anything.

I have to admit, I might have squeaked when I saw Sebastian Roche as Edgar because he is simply fantastic in Supernatural as Balthazar.

And Bree Turner – every week Rosalie is a joy to watch as she interacts between Monroe and Nick. She is determined and quietly, but no less emotional, in comparison to the emotion Monroe wears on his sleeve. Inspired addition, IMO and it seems she’s going to be a regular next season, so wohoo!