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Grimm 2.08 "The Other Side" TV REVIEW

THE ONE WHERE Nick and Hank work a murder case at a school that shows how dangerous extracurricular activities can be. Meanwhile Captain Renard finds himself increasingly smitten with Juliette and turns to an unsuspecting Monroe for help, and Adalind heads to Europe to meet a familiar face.

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VERDICT For the second week in a row we have a lacklustre crime of the week, with the same not-so-surprise twist (seriously, maybe Portland PD should just make it police policy to assume it’s the kid rather than the implicated parent to save time). To add insult to injury, the gang of crossbreed turtle/lion wesen teenagers come across like the bland serial killer fodder in some below-average slasher flick, so it’s hard to care whether they make it out alive at the end of the episode. The concept of hybrid animal wesen is an interesting one, though, and makes some for some intriguing Wuzzle-esque possibilities for new threats to Nick and Co.

Meanwhile, the Juliette amnesia story continues at its snail-like pace. Captain Renard is a man with a dangerous crush, while Juliette is a woman who remembers kissing him, but clearly isn’t sure what the context was. This makes for an interesting dynamic while the after-effects of Adalind’s mother’s potion make for a discombobulated and genuinely creepy Renard, although it’s disappointing Monroe is relegated to pretty much a cameo as potion maker. It’s interesting to see Sasha Roiz’s usually-together Renard begin to spiral out of control, but frankly the whole section could have been amalgamated into last week’s episode without losing anything other than some interminable Nick/Juliette small talk. Also, as a side point, what kind of police officer (much less a Grimm) keeps a spare key to his house in a plant pot? And does Renard’s maternal hexenbiest tendencies mean he too is wesen? If so, why can’t Nick tell?

Just when you think it’s another so-so episode, we have a reminder of the potential of Grimm . Eric and Adalind, bond over shared disappointments and life experiences and form a bonkers yet dangerous alliance, with the potential to knock Grimm out of its case-of-the-week rut and give us some more of the brilliant folklore that underpins it all.

BEST BIT Eric and Adalind’s tête à tête . The always-excellent James Frain and Claire Coffee enjoy the verbal jousting/flirting and brighten up an otherwise samey episode. There’s even a reference to the zither, surely a nod to Rosalee and Monroe’s date of a few weeks ago.

BEST LINE
Adalind: “You like sunsets, long walks on the beach, and doing whatever it takes to restore your family to the power it once knew, even if it takes torture, murder, or worse.”
Eric: “What could be worse than torture or murder?”
Adalind: “Betrayal.”
Eric: “Right you are.”

Narin Bahar

Grimm season two starts in the UK on Watch, 9pm 22 October

• Read our other Grimm Season 2 reviews
• Grimm Game: Hunt Them Down
• Grimm Season One REVIEW