Written by Rob Wright
Directed by Rashaad Ernesto Green
Airs Fridays at 9pm EST on NBC
This week, on Grimm: Nick and Hank hunt a manticore and Rosalee goes home
Grimm is back to its usual breakdown of serial and standalone this week, as Nick and Hank investigate their case of the week while Adalind gets up to some mischief abroad and Rosalee and Monroe take their turn filling the romantic subplot quota. The procedural scenes benefit from some notable guest stars, including genre and TV-fan favorites Emily Rios (Breaking Bad, The Bridge) and Kirk Acevedo (Fringe, The Walking Dead), and it’s surprising how refreshing it is to see Nick and Hank work a case that at least initially appears odd, rather than specifically Wesen-related. The Wesen of the week, manticores and a steinadler, are interesting and creative and in a rarity, writer Rob Wright and director Rashaad Ernesto Green manage to surprise viewers with the solution to the case. Grimm only occasionally manages to do this, often revealing Wesen perpetrators early on so the audience can spend time with them as they elude capture, and it’s nice to have a mystery element added in here.
Adalind’s journey remains disappointingly separate from our heroes in Portland, but her growing abilities at least hint toward her eventual return stateside. Taking a break from her storyline last week was nice; hopefully her storyline will start building momentum and come to a head much sooner than currently expected (and feared), in the final episodes of the season. After her big episode last week, Juliette all but gets the week off, though she does pop up for gruesome story time in the trailer, with focus on Team Grimm shifting instead to the recently underserved Monroe and Rosalee.
After last week’s bombshell that Rosalee has a darker past than most expected, including a drug habit, it’s nice to spend a significant chunk of the episode with her here, meeting her family and finding out a lot more of her family dynamic. The notion of responsible Rosalee being the black sheep of the family is intriguing- it’s a credit to Bree Turner’s performance that a reveal this jarring on paper feels completely natural in context. We’ve now met Nick and Rosalee’s families and heard quite a bit about Monroe’s parents, as well as Capt. Renard’s mother. Who’s next- Juliette or Hank?
Cuing back in on Monroe and his dorkiness, particularly in regard to timepieces, is great this week and while he’s a fantastic support for Rosalee, he also notably does not criticize her family or make excuses for her. He loves and respects Rosalee and accordingly, he’s honest with her. Of course she wouldn’t drop in after seven years to a completely happy, supportive mother and sister. This is yet another example of the thoughtful touches Grimm cares to make time for in its main couples’ relationships. With Juliette being included more and more this season, and Adalind given a recurring storyline, Monroe and Rosalee have gotten significantly less screen time this year and it’s nice to see that tempered a bit with this episode. “The Good Soldier” is an entertaining installment that marks a return to the serial and standalone balance Grimm struck very well early in the season. Here’s hoping the second half of the season is as consistent as much of the first half has been.
What did you think of this episode? What did you think of Rosalee’s family drama? Were you surprised to see manticores added to the Wesen mythology? Whose family do you want to meet next? Post your thoughts below!
Kate Kulzick