Review: Grimm, S2, Ep. 202—“The Kiss”
Air Date: Monday, August 20, 2012 10/9c on NBC.
Rating:
“If a man of pure heart were to fall in love with her, that would bring her back to life.”
The cryptic clues to Cpt. Sean Renard’s (Sasha Roiz) identity throughout “The Kiss” had me salivating. I knew he was something…else, and as Catherine (Jessica Tuck) mentions, he’s “barely human.” But what he is isn’t exactly quite clear. And as the episode unfolds, more is revealed and that makes me very happy.
It’s becoming more difficult for Nick to keep up pretenses, especially from his partner Hank.
Nick (David Giuntoli) and his mother Kelly (guest star Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) are still dealing with the Mauvais Dentes (Mike Dopud) in the abandoned hangar and things go from bad to bloody, fast. But when Nick is called to investigate a homicide, he has to go right back to the hangar where his mother slayed the Mauvais Dentes to try and cover his tracks. Hank (Russell Hornsby) knows something is up and with fresh wounds on Nick’s face, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for Nick to keep secrets.
There is so much going on in “The Kiss.” Some are quite intriguing while others are a bit comical; then there’s the peculiar stuff but I’ll get back to that in a moment. The writers are doing an amazing job of giving us a few crumbs to satiate our appetites—like giving us a glimpse of Sean’s other side when he ingests a strange white potion Catherine concocted for him. This potion, which I thought was supposed to directly revive Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch), is quite strange. It revives Juliette, but indirectly. The way the antidote is administered is, you guessed it, with a kiss.
Sasha Roiz as Captain Sean Renard–and prince?
Peculiar thing number 1—Catherine, right before she and Kelly get into a knock-down drag out momma-on-momma fight, tells Kelly, “there’s a prince…here in Portland” and apparently, he’s the only one who can save Juliette. Catherine mentions the prince is “handsome, charming, and a bastard, and I mean that literally.” I’m gonna take a wild guess that Sean is the prince. I’m just curious how Sean’s been able to keep his true identity hidden so well from Nick. Most of the time, various beasts lose control over their abilities to conceal themselves because of the variety of intense emotions they go through. Sean must have conditioned himself for years to have such control. But, I find it amusing that the thought of drinking the thick white substance brings out the beastly side of him. I guess all of us, creatures or not, need a little sugar to help the medicine go down.
Pictured: (l-r) Silas Weir Mitchell as Monroe, Bree Turner as Rosalee Calvert
Rosalee (Bree Turner) and Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) are charged with escorting Kelly back to Nick’s house while he works. The car ride is visibly…cramped. The conversation, however, is enlightening. You hear the wonderful things both Rosalee and Monroe say about Nick; they trust him as much as he trusts them – wholeheartedly. However, Kelly finds it very odd. And peculiar thing number 2—Rosalee hugging Kelly. Out of the blue; no warning; just goes in for the hug. I still have my doubts about Kelly and they become even more suspicious before the end.
Observations:
Sean reacts violently to the white substance he drinks and the strange puffs of smoke emanating from his mouth as he’s writhing on the floor make me wonder about the potion’s purpose—to make him “pure of heart.” How black was his heart to produce such black puffs of smoke?
The phone call Sean makes to his brother Eric (guest star James Frain) informing him that the Mauvais Dentes is dead seems odd to me. He calls to tell him the assassin is dead and then questions if Eric had anything to do with it. Why? Sean knows Nick killed the Mauvais Dentes. Is Eric unaware that Sean has two Grimms in Portland?
What is Kelly up to now that Nick as unwittingly given her the coins? Is Nick in danger?
Peculiar thing number 3—Kelly stealing a car after Nick drops her off at the train station. I don’t know what she’s up to and now that she has those coins, I’m not sure if Nick is safe anymore. It’s been 18 years since she’s worn the mom hat. Could her maternal instincts be overshadowed by her Grimm instincts? Mastrantonio has been a fabulous addition to the cast this season. I loved her in The Abyss. I hope this isn’t the last that we’ve seen of her. While I am not fond of her character as a mother, as a Grimm, she’s pretty badass.
Sean’s modest kiss does revive Juliette but even with Nick placing the drops in her eyes earlier that day, I didn’t think she’d wake up remembering who Nick is. Now the plot thickens. How much of her memory is gone? Will that kiss from Sean make Juliette feel differently towards him now?
***
I am so excited for this season and can’t wait for each new episode. And may I just say thank you to the writer who wrote the scene with Sean ripping his shirt off. Occasional gratuitous pectoral shots of Roiz are totally fine with me. Now, let’s find out what Sean truly is; I’m ready for a Renard family reunion.
Tune in to Grimm, *Mondays at 10/9c on NBC. *(Note: the show will return to its previous Friday timeslot at 10/9c on Friday, Sept. 14.)
For more on the show, go to http://www.nbc.com/grimm/.
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Photos © 2012 NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Judy Manning
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