‘Grimm’ Season Finale Review: “Goodnight, Sweet Grimm”

'Grimm' closes out its rather enjoyable second season tonight, and in doing so finally resolves one of the big plot points of the season 2 (Juliette's amnesia and her knowledge of Nick's status as a Grimm), while also setting up the stakes for Season 3 in the most action-packed episode of the year.

The episode opens with the quote "And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest." We see Baron Samedi (Reg E. Cathey) continue his conversation with Prince Eric (James Frain) from the last episode. The Baron says it will all be ready tomorrow night, and Eric asks for a demonstration of the Baron's power on one of his underlings. Nick and Juliette meet for another dinner, but both are too nervous to eat. She says she now knows why he couldn't tell her everything, and he says he was afraid to explain it to her. She says that she loves him, and he says he never stopped loving her. Then they make out, while the Baron prepares his zombies, who he unleashes on Portland.

In Austria Frau Pech makes a potion, while back in Portland Rosalee and Monroe have dinner together. They hope things are going well with Nick, partly so they can have Monroe's place to themselves. Rosalee suggests they clean up their dishes in the morning, and well... Captain Sean Renard gets a mysterious phone call from Europe where he's sent pictures from his Royal double agent. The pictures are of blank death certificates and passports. At the Portland airport one of the zombies attacks, while Adalind gets dinner in Austria. Frau Pech is standing outside, having given Adalind the drug from earlier through room service. Frau Pech then takes a spinal fluid sample. In Portland the zombies are going crazy as Nick and Juliette have morning cuddles and Nick says that last night was the best night of his life. He then gets a call from Renard, and so he comes into work as more zombie menace the city.

Nick goes to see Renard, who tells Nick that his brother Eric is in town, that his brother is dangerous, and gives Nick a list of Eric's possible accomplices. Eric then calls to set up a dinner meeting with Renard. Wu comes in to tell them about the mass of violent assaults and property damage that's been caused by the Baron's zombies. Nick goes to one of the crime scenes to investigate, and there Wu is bitten by a zombie. Nick is charged by Lily O'Hara from last week, but he ducks and she goes out a window -- but she doesn't stop rampaging after she lands. She's tackled by cops, but as Nick is set to leave he's attacked by another zombie. Nick makes quick work of the zombie version of Al the tow truck driver, though. Just then Hank shows up. Nick wants to stop whatever the zombie thing is, so they take Al to the spice shop.

At the spice shop, Nick, Hank, and Monroe examine Al and Rosalee realizes she has some books on the possible cause. There are four stages of the poison, and the treatment (which involves stimulating the central nervous system) involves giving them a shot, but it only works in the fourth stage. The shot works reasonably fast, but Rosalee needs time to make it. Nick and Hank leave Al handcuffed in the shop while Rosalee works on the cure. Back at the precinct, Nick and Hank can see there's at least twenty people infected, while Monroe and Rosalee are still working on the cure when Al wakes up and starts kicking things. Monroe punches Al out, and Rosalee gives him the shot. Nick and Hank talk to the man who runs the towing company, and then listen to a recording of the Baron asking for a tow truck. Back in Austria, Frau Pech mixes a new potion and drinks it, which makes her younger and Adalind older. Pech then strips and looks exactly like Adalind. Pech answers Adalind's phone and it's Stefania, who tells her they know how to deal with Pech, and she sees that Adalind is now transformed into her old self.

Back at the precinct, Nick and Hank track down the car the Baron was using, and find that it was impounded. Renard goes to the dinner with his brother, and refuses a pat-down. Eric suggests they need to form a good working relationship. They talk about Nick, and how good he is at being a Grimm, and Adalind. Sean is granted more time to find the key, and is told he's wanted back in the family. At the Baron's car, Nick, Hank and Wu find a bunch of voodoo equipment in the trunk, and Nick says he feels played by the Baron. Eric leaves town, and Sean follows.

Al wakes up, and doesn't remember anything. He's also back to human form. Nick knocks on Juliette's door and comes in. She asks about his day, and after he explains what's going on, she says he should move back in. Monroe then calls and tells him that Al remembers nothing and that he should come to the shop. Juliette asks to come along. Back in Austria, Pech (in Adalind form) comes to visit Stefania and is told that Pech is very clever, and they need to cut out Pech's beating heart. Stefania then also explains her plan to get rid of Pech when her son chokes Pech and they go to pull out her heart. The real Adalind wakes up and is back to normal. She sees Pech's clothes on the floor and knows what's happened.

Nick and Juliette show up at the spice shop, and Al suggests that as a zombie he could have been at a shipyard. Nick thinks that it's the container yard that was across from the abandoned car. Nick, Monroe and Rosalee plot to make more of the cure when Juliette says she wants to help. Nick suggests that the Baron might want to start a revolution, and it might be connected to Eric's visit. He then asks Rosalee to hide his key, and they get to making antidotes. Rosalee hides the key with some cash and some passports. At the container yard, the Baron is waiting for the group. The Baron unleashes some of his zombies as Nick and Monroe knock them out while the ladies inject the victims. But there's even more zombies, and Nick feels that it's a trap. Nick tries to draw some zombies off when he sees the Baron on top of a container. Nick climbs it, and the Baron runs off. There's a foot chase and a fight (the Baron's cane holds a sword), when Nick enters a container that holds a passport for Nick with the name of one of the people Renard thought was Eric's accomplices. He's then poisoned by the Baron. Monroe, Juliette and Rosalee get into the car but it's surrounded by zombies. Eric enters the container with Nick and closes the coffin on him. The season ends with the words "To be continued... Oh come on, you knew this was coming."

That closing credit is why 'Grimm' is fun to tune into every week. There's something sort of loosey-goosey but involving about the show, and though it might be a groaner that it's this big a cliffhanger, there are also enough pieces in place to see how this could all be resolved in an episode or two in the fall. But it could also be fun to see Nick as an American zombie in Europe.

This was a good episode because so many pieces came into place, and the show moved as quick as it ever has trying to cover all the bases. This speed worked well for the show, as the entire cast got some time in (though Russell Hornsby's broken leg may have changed how this season ended, as he's only in a handful of scenes), but no one felt sandwiched in. That's been a problem with some of the episodes that focus on Nick and whomever he's fighting wesens with that week, but here everything felt organic. Even Sgt. Wu.

'Grimm' learned a lot over the last season on how to build an overarching plot over twenty-two episodes, and how much of the show should be about the mythology and the continuing soap opera, and how much should be devoted to monsters of the week. Now that everyone involved has had a year to adjust to the possibility of Juliette not just being Nick's girlfriend, but a possible resource, it will be interesting to see what they decide to do with her in Season 3. And it's nice to see Monroe and Rosalee take their relationship to the next level as they're one of the sweetest couples on television (I, for one, wouldn't mind a marriage episode in the next year). Looking back, there's been some dead-ends (whatever happened to Nick's super-hearing abilities?), and some lesser episodes, but -- for the most part -- the show understands its charms, and what sort of vibe its going for. It's in a good place for a third season, and I'll definitely be checking back in when the show returns in the fall.