‘Grimm’ Review: “Stories We Tell Our Young”

Last week's 'Grimm' was goofy but very enjoyable, but this week's new episode "Stories We Tell Our Young" looks to play up the show's creepier side. Hopefully it hits the spot.

The episode opens with the quote "We don't believe, we only fear." Renard gets his passport ready as he calls in Nick and Hank to tell them he's going on a "vacation" to deal with the aftermath of his brother's death. At a nearby church a young boy named Daniel is ushered in to talk to with monsignor Paul. As Daniel's parents wait outside, they worry if it's going to work. It being an exorcism, which causes Daniel to transform and grow incredibly strong. So strong he sends the priest and a seminary student flying.

Nick and Hank pull up to the church to find out that Paul is dead and the boy is missing. They're also told that it was an exorcism. Nick finds the kid hiding in the room, and brings in his parents. At a hospital, Daniel is sedated, while Nick hears from Daniel's parents about what's been going on. Daniel's been having wild mood swings, and Nick wonders if it's a Wesen thing, but he can't tell if the parents are Wesen or not.

Renard lands in Vienna and gets the lowdown on what's happening with the Royals. Nick goes to Rosalee to find out about how genealogy works in Wesens. Basically, if there both are, the kids is guaranteed to be one, where if it's just one there's a fifty-fifty shot. Back in Vienna, Renard is hidden away in a basement, waiting to hear about the Royal meeting. Back the hospital, the seminary student tell Nick and Hank what happened, and says he saw the face of a demon, and without a Wesen parent, Nick thinks it could be possession. Daniel is in a hospital bed when a nurse tries to take blood, but that causes him to transform. Nick and Hank see it, and decide to quarantine the boy.They go back to the spice shop and Monroe thinks it's a Grausen, a Wesen mutation that creates psychopaths, something that the Wesen council takes care of by making them disappear. Nick wants some time, but Rosalee feels they have to tell the council or they'll get in trouble.

Two European Wesen councilmen meet and plan to take care of the Grausen. Nick goes over what he has from his books with Juliette, who postulates that it's a disease and they plot to talk to the parents together. In Vienna, Renard's basement hiding place is raided, but Renard kills the attackers. Back at the hospital, Nick and Juliette question the parents, and find out that the family went to Egypt and got sick while there. So Juliette postulates that it's a parasite. At Monroe's, a councilman shows up to find out where the boy is. Rosalee tells him, so Monroe calls Nick.  The councilman goes to the hospital and...

Nick and Juliette show up at the hospital to find out that Daniel was released. Daniel's parents don't know how to deal with this, but when Nick, Hank and Juliette show up, Juliette convinces them she might be able to find a cure. Outside the councilman waits and then sneaks in, but Daniel wakes up and attacks him. Nick goes chasing after both, and is able to subdue the councilman, who then Hank trains a gun on. Daniel runs off to an abandoned cabin.

Nick, Juliette and Daniel's father find Daniel, who might be suffering from hypothermia, but Juliette and Nick think the cold might kill the disease. They then see stuff coming out of Daniel's ears and nose, which they think is the parasite dying. Back in Vienna, Adalind meets the prince, who isn't revealed, while Renard escapes through the sewers. Nick gives the hospital report to the councilman and lets him go in the hopes of changing the way the council deals with Grausen. The councilman takes it back, and they note that Nick is unlike any Grimm they've ever dealt with before. In the camper, Nick updates his book while Juliette helps him with the technical terms.

This week's 'Grimm' had its best moments between the couples. Juliette is proving useful now, and her interactions with Nick have never been better, while Monroe and Rosalee had two great scenes, in talking about possibly having kids and in Rosalee acting as a turncoat. We got to see their natures. All in all, this may have been the best Juliette's been on the show as she proved to be useful in smart ways. David Giuntoli is the star of the show by the nature of the beast, but the 'Grimm' would be wise to rotate its solid bench of supporting players as it did tonight. Maybe Hank and Monroe got the short shrift, but it was nice to see someone else get the spotlight.

As an episode, it was fine, it was just clever enough, though it's apparent the show isn't all that interested in going 'X-Files' dark (at least not really), it's more a fantasy procedural, and that's entertaining enough. The Vienna stuff didn't add up to much -- maybe that will get some place good by the end of the season, but right now it's feels like a placeholder. Whatever. Next week offers a two-parter that closes out the year for 'Grimm,' so at this point it's worth noting that though it may not have had a truly great episode this year (so far), season three is proving the strongest yet in terms of the cast.