Last week's episode 'The Hour of Death" finally moved forward the Juliette/Renard storyline in a way that should impact this week's episode, so we're excited that 'Grimm' is finally addressing what appears to be the season's overarching storyline. We're expecting more about it in tonight's episode "To Protect and Serve Man."

The episode opens with the quote "The beast was simply the Call of the Wild personified... which some natures hear to their own destruction." We follow a cop car headed to a domestic disturbance, and we see that it's Hank in a flashback as we hear shots fired. Hank breaks down the door and finds two bodies, one with a pulse. He sees someone running, and goes in pursuit, finally catching a man named Craig, who says that the people in the house were animals and wanted to eat him. Cut to seven years later, and Hank is distracted and tells Nick about how Craig got a death sentence, so he wants Nick to investigate now that the understands the whole Grimm thing as Craig is scheduled to be executed at 9PM the next day. Okay, this is a familiar device, but we haven't seen it 'Grimm'-style before, so it's not a bad open.

Back at the office, Nick checks out Craig's story and the people Craig shot sound like Wesen. They check with Hank's old partner. who proves a dead end, while Juliette has tea with an old friend and hints that she met someone else, and says she can't stop thinking about him and it's driving her crazy. Nick and Hank go to talk to Craig's girlfriend Monique, who says that Craig was suffering from PTSD after Iraq, and that the press hurt him even though she thinks he's fine. Then they talk to his defense attorney, who's also a dead end, but the lawyer shows them some of Craig's drawings. Back at the camper, Nick identifies the drawings as a match to a Wendigo, which are revealed to be efficient predators. The camper also suggests that Jeffery Dahmer was a Wendigo. They go to talk to Craig (played by guest star Jason Gedrick), and on the way in Nick sees a handful of the prisoners turn into Wesen. Nick wants to hear Craig's side of the story, and though Craig is initially reticent, he eventually tells them his side of the events. Hank and Nick then get a plan: to dig up the Wendigo's yard. But they find that the Wendigo's house has become a food co-op (oh, Portland).

Renard enters his office late, and goes to his phone, where he calls Juliette. After some awkward pauses and a flashback they say kissing was a huge mistake, but Renard says it's part of a bigger problem. Juliette suggests they never see each other again, but Renard says that won't work. There's a creepy beat until Juliette agrees, and Renard mentions Monroe's shop until he gets interrupted by Wu. Back in the co-op they realize they can't dig and would need sonar, so they head to the Captain's office, only to be introduced to the district attorney. The DA wants a good reason to check on Craig's story this late in the game, which the boys can't provide. Renard also wants something positive, and says that if they're wrong it's going to be bad for them. But Hank says he won't let it go, and neither will Nick, and it's good moment for them. Finally they realize they could check someplace else, like where the living Wendigo, John Kreski, lives. Unfortunately, he's not got a posted addresss. Cut to John, who's doing some cooking, and it's a foot soup that needs more hot sauce.

Juliette researches obsession online as Nick comes home. It's late so he's curious why she's still awake, and she asks about her waking up in the hospital. She only remembers strange dreams, and he blames the cat scratch, and he tries to explain why she was at Monroe's and why she was crying in the rain, but he feels he can't explain at the moment because of the Grimm stuff, but his deflection makes her annoyed. Craig has a flashback to the shooting the Wendigos, while Nick finds that there are more missing persons near where Kreski lives. They finally find John at his work, and Nick sees Kreski change, but they don't have enough to free Craig. Finally we get to Monroe, and he gets a call from Rosalee. She says she might be back in a week or two (huzzah!), but Monroe can't talk because Renard walks in. Renard wants privacy for a consultation tomorrow and he'll pay whatever it costs, while Monroe says it's going to take a while to figure it out and he has no idea how long it will take. Nick and Hank drive up to Kreski's house, where they use the warrant out on him for skipping jury duty as probable cause. When they find a refridgerator that's been moved a lot, they find a hole in the floor, and a crawlspace.

At the jail Craig is told it's time, while in the crawlspace Hank finds hollow ground, and that's a bingo - dead bodies. Just then Kreski pulls up and sees their car. They want to call forensics and the DA, but as they emerge John Kreski attacks and traps Nick in with the bodies, leaving Hank to fend for himself. Hank fights him off and shoots the Wendigo, just as Craig is taken into the room where he'll be executed, and sees his girlfriend is there to witness. The DA is practicing her speech for after the execution while Hank goes after the Wendigo, and Nick calls the DA. Hank follows the blood trail as Craig's execution looms and when Nick finally gets through he tells the DA to stop the execution but is interrupted by a Wendigo attack!

Nick defends himself okay (he is a Grimm) and when Kreski notices Nick's a Grimm he jumps out the window, which leads to Hank shooting Kreski dead. Hank says there's no time left, and they're putting needles in Craig's arm as... as... one needle goes down, and then the phone rings. They stop the execution. At the co-op they dig up the ground and find bones, and when confronted with the DA, Nick and Hank present the case to her as a gift, knowing politically she could be the next mayor. Hank then goes to the prison to talk to Craig, and Craig thanks him for looking out for him while Hank tells Craig that he's not crazy. Monroe prepares for Renard when his door opens and Juliette and Renard walks in. The two kiss as Monroe sees Juliette and both have an "oh crap" moment right before the episode ends.

The last "sneak preview" of this episode suggested that Adalind would be returning for this one, but it looks like that's being saved for the next episode, which is billed as the fall finale. That would be the twelfth episode of the season, which may mean these twelve serve as its own mini-season - as often shows shoot thirteen episodes and then the "back nine" - but as Grimm was picked up for a full season order, it's very likely that the Renard/Nick/Juliette triangle will continue into 2013. What are you going to do? 'Grimm' has been consistent for the most part when it comes to overarching plots: usually they get about five minutes an episode as the rest is dedicated to the case of the week. It works here, but it would be nice to see things a little more resolved with the next episode,  and it would be nice to see more Monroe. That said, this was a good episode, and after the first season - which often left Hank with little to do - Nick and Hank work together so much better now that they're partners in fighting crime, and in fighting bad Wesen. If Russell Hornsby seemed like a third wheel last season, the character has finally become interesting and great to watch. But what did you think? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

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