Sunday, November 6, 2011

NEW!: Grimm 1:2 - Bears Will Be Bears

Overall Rating: 6.5

This is pretty standard fare, but there is hope for more - especially with Eddie Monroe.



Plot Synopsis:

Nick plunges further into the ugly world of Grimms, Grimm Reapers, and monsters galore - this week, the bears from Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  The reapers come after Marie two additional times, the first time resulting in poor Eddie - posted on guard duty by the unfortunately trusting Nick - going all blud bot on their butts and ripping a human's limb right off.  The second attack resulting in Marie's death (though not by the hand her would-be killer directly).  The strain of his new existence begins to put a wedge between Nick and his fiance and the bears in question turn out to be a cult of hunt-worshiping bear-like creatures who come of age by capturing the innocent and then giving them a head start, ending in ritual murder at sunset.

The Skinny:

They have to introduce as many players in this world of Grimm Fairy Tale monsters as they can...wolves and bears and other monstrous creatures in human form (and worse I'm sure) before some of the running plots can take shape (should they even exist), so I'm not ragging on this show too harshly to start...but this is definitely a run of the mill mystery and hunt, made par only by Eddie's role in the story.  Namely, I hope they do a heck of a lot more to bring out Eddie's inner-conflict.  There's a demon/monster inside of him that gives him enormous strength and makes him into a wild killer.  He wants to do good, but helping Nick will force him to confront his inner wolf...and if this episode is any indication...he will wind up doing some very nasty things before it's over.

They're working, as well, on a theme that, good though the Grimms' intentions might be, they threaten the well-meaning monsters of the world too and the anger in the "bad guy" community might have some justified sources.  My reaction to that will depend heavily on how they carry it forward, so I won't comment too much yet.  On the whole, the human characters, thus far, are cookie cutters.  Juliette could get a lot more interesting if she finds out about Nick and chooses to stay with him and help him fight, but for now...meh.  And Nick's partner Hank is, so far, just a down to earth guy and not much more.  Time is needed to evaluate their characters before jumping to any conclusions.

Writing: 7.0

Eddie's character is well-written, but otherwise, this story just kind of sits there.

Acting: 6.0

Unfortunately, David Giuntoli (Nick) isn't really striking me as that talented an actor and neither is Russell Hornsby...so...we're not exactly lighting up my excitement here early on.

Message: 6.5

Small bonus for calling into question the value of "cultural heritage" when the culture being passed down is inherently evil.

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