‘Grimm’ Review: ‘The Last Fight’

Seamlessly picking up from last week’s chaotic closing scenes, “The Last Fight” opens with Nick recovering from whatever that migraine inducing reenactment of Freaky Friday was last week. Wu and Juliette are very concerned about him, but of course none of them really know what’s going down. They drag a reluctant Nick to the hospital to make sure he’s alright. Nick is loaded with stubbornness and sass this week, which is almost a superpower, but not quite. At the doctor, déjà vu sets in a bit. Last season’s third episode also saw Nick visiting the doctor, except he was running half naked on a treadmill recovering from being a zombie. This go-round is much less exciting. The doc can’t find anything wrong with Nick specifically, but refers him to an ophthalmologist after Juliette explains the part about Nick hearing without seeing. I mean, Nick wasn’t technically blind, but I doubt explaining he saw rats in a castle prison cell would get him very far. In between doctor visits, we visit an insomniac Nick and Juliette at their place. He’s getting his artist on—good to know that particular talent isn’t part of the Grimm power package—and sketching what he saw during his episode last episode. There’s a little moment where Nick’s frustrations over being powerless let David Giuntoli bring some extra spark to his performance. I’m glad we’re getting his inner conflict and not just his support system deciding what he should do.

Speaking of support systems, Juliette asks Nick about Wu’s interest in Trubel. Juliette thinks they should just cut the tangle out and tell Wu what’s going on, but Nick reinforces his frustrations over not being a Grimm. They need to be careful with pushing that too much, but right now, I find it very believable. After what I’m assuming was a restless night’s sleep, Nick heads to that ophthalmologist with Juliette. This scene is surprisingly fun because they’re blending science with Grimm mythology. You know those cones in our retina that allow us to see colors? Some women actually have a fourth type and they can see more colors. Why does this matter? Well, Nick also seems to have extra cones. We can pretty easily realize there’s a scientific explanation with Nick’s powers as an erstwhile Grimm. When the doctor asks him if he sees anything strange, I found myself saying to the TV “not anymore, he doesn’t.” Beyond this Grimm science lesson, the doctor explains there’s some swelling that could be causing the headaches—and also inhibiting light to access those extra cones.

While Nick is recovering on his end, Adalind manages to make a new friend in the prison. No, I’m not talking about a rat. Before she makes friends though, she tries to find a way out on her own. We get a delightful angry Hexenbiest woge scene, but her powers backfire and she’s left with just another headache. Fortunately for her, there’s a creepy dude with a scraggly beard named Hofmann who guides her out of her lonely cell into his. This guy is all riddles, secret passages, and free food. Yes, I said free food. Adalind eats some of his supply, as one typically does when a bearded wackadoo offers you a bite to eat. He also offers to help find her baby. The unlikely pair then makes an escape.

I guess putting Trubel’s face on a milk carton was a bit premature on my part, because her kidnapping at the hands of shady FBI Agent Chavez is relatively brief. After woging in front of Trubel, Chavez gets the confirmation she was seeking. She has a bunch of questions about Nick and even more offers regarding some mysterious organization that could benefit from Trubel’s powers. Chavez makes a lot of claims, but offers no names. Is she actually talking about the Royals, the Resistance, or something altogether new and different? I just don’t know.  Chavez tells Trubel to keep quiet about her proposition and lets her go. Surprisingly, Trubel doesn’t utter a peep to Nick and company about what goes down when she gets back home. Of course, they don’t bring up Wu’s suspicions about her either, but that’s neither here nor there. Trubel’s kidnapping doesn’t even figure into the rest of the episode. I have to say here, the resolution isn’t as exciting as the cliffhanger suggested it could be. However, you can also clearly see they’re seeding plots with this one. Who knows where this could go?

Once most of last week’s dangling threads are unraveled a little bit more, the show introduces us to the Wesen of the Week. Though really, there are multiple Wesen stirring up things this episode. Our biggest source of trouble is Stan Kingston, an aggressive boxing promoter with a resting bitch face that puts most Real Housewives to shame. He hires a bunch of dudes to come in and beat on Clay Pittman, the young man he’s promoting. Why would he do that? Well, Clay’s a Heftigauroch. These Wesen resemble bulls and are incredible fighters, but have no desire to fight. They have to get their aggression built up to make it happen, hence the beating. After trainer Abe Tucker leaves, Stan’s group starts beating Clay with sticks and gets their asses handed to them. Clay then demolishes his opponent in the ring, while one of those guys—a retired boxer named Bobby Moore—complains to Stan about how Clay broke his jaw and the money he was being paid isn’t enough. Let’s all enter into a chorus of “uh oh!” Later that night, Stan and Abe argue over booking Clay for another fight when that guy with the broken jaw gives Stan a call about wanting more money. Who doesn’t love extortion? The people being extorted don’t like it? Oh. Even later, we get to see just how much people don’t like being extorted when an aggressive unseen figure yanks Bobby out of his car and kills him. Looks like Nick and Hank have a murder to solve!

While our case of the week unravels and Nick continues to deal with the fallout from Adalind’s curse, we finally get the chance to catch up with the rest of our Scooby Gang. At Monrosalee’s place, the newlywed Wesen are chatting with Hank about looking for a cure to Nick’s condition. They explain the resistance they’ve faced from Juliette and how, though they understand it, they want to push forward by talking to Renard. This episode is an especially strong one for Bree Turner and Silas Weir Mitchell. Although they’re strictly side story this week, they give this back-and-forth immediacy to Rosalee and Monroe that works so much better than last week’s visit with the characters. While they debate their situation, Bud pops by for a visit. The wonderfully antsy Eisbiber is worried about Trubel being a Grimm. They dispel his fears quickly, but also drop the bombshell on him that Nick’s powers are no more. Bud, always a little skittish, freaks out. Monroe tells him to keep a lid on the news and Bud rushes home to “not tell anybody.”  Fingers crossed that goes as planned, right?

At the scene of the crime, Nick and Wu have an awkward reunion before they commence with the shop talk. The dead guy, who Wu had arrested in the past, is found with holes in his chest bigger than bullet holes. Before Nick leaves, Wu asserts that they need to talk and Nick essentially blows him off. It’s an awkward sandwich and a dead man is the filling. At Bobby’s home, Nick and Hank interview his sister a bit and find out he was really beat up after working over at Kingston Boxing. They head over there and meet the whole gang of characters: Stan, Clay, and Abe. They don’t get much in the way of truth out of any of them, but once they leave, Clay begins to worry that it’s his fault. Outside, Nick and Hank are skeptical, when they see Clay over by a dumpster pounding the hell out of it. He’s in full woge, but neither man can see. In Hank’s words “that’s not normal.” I agree. Who punches a dumpster after being questioned about a murder? Get it together, Clay.

Back at the precinct, Hank tears over Stan’s unsurprising criminal record, while Nick looks into Clay’s background. The discussion quickly shifts to Wesen in sports and very quickly Nick realizes that the three gentlemen they met earlier are all probably Wesen.  Hey, he might not be a Grimm, but Nick Burkhardt is damn sure a detective. He’s also really reluctant to bring Trubel into the situation when Hank suggests it. I get his reluctance, but for multiple reasons, it’s silly to exclude her from the case.  Still, Giuntoli delivers a searing “no” look that could burn a hole in the wall after prolonged exposure. One of the best parts here is Nick’s complaint that they can’t really expect to bring Trubel in on every case that might involve a Wesen. It’s almost meta-commentary on the structure of the show going forward due to Nick’s lack of powers. This instills some faith in me that we won’t be dealing with a Wesen blind hero forever, even if the wait feels like a long one.

Despite being hesitant, Nick and Hank bring Trubel in on the case. They tell her she needs to check out the boxing gym in town to figure out who might be a Wesen. Nick plays Daddy Grimm perfectly. He warns Trubel to stay out of, well, trouble and gives her a brand new phone. She’s told to call in case anything bad happens. Meanwhile, he and Hank head over to meet Delores, Clay’s mom. She seems sweet enough, but you can see just how invested she is on her son’s success as a boxer with all the photos and whatnot decorating their home. She praises Stan and Abe and explains how Clay’s father is MIA. While there, Wu calls to say they found Bobby’s car and cell phone. A quick scan of recent calls shows that he had been in contact with Stan the night before. While they leave for the gym, the scene shifts to Trubel training. She spots Clay and, in a somewhat unexpected twist, they flirt a bit with each other. She manages to get some quality info before an angry Stan decides to block their budding romance. He tries to make Trubel leave, but she refuses. One thing leads to another and she finds herself reenacting Million Dollar Baby against a horse-like Wesen boxer named Hurricane.  Nick and Hank show up right before the fight begins and have to watch the young Grimm dodge blows from the Nuckelavee. Clay also watches. Trubel gets roughed up quite a bit—Nick wants to pull her out of the ring—but the lone Grimm in town fights dirty and takes her out. Stan loves what he sees and promises to start training her right away, but Nick and Hank quickly cut in and start asking more questions. Things get a little twisty here. Clay feels guilty about Bobby’s death and wants to quit boxing. Stan takes advantage of the misplaced guilt to get him to stay. All of this stirs up conflict with Stan and Abe. During their argument, the two men woge, revealing that Abe is another Heftigauroch and Stan is something we later find out is a warthog-like Schinderdiv. Trubel sees them both and quickly slips out with Nick and Hank. They head to the trailer, where they figure out exactly what she’s seen.

Before they get there though, Abe is killed. It’s the same unseen assailant and same grisly demise. During their research at the trailer, they get the call that Abe’s dead. It’s staged to look like a suicide, but rather poorly. At the boxing gym, some more dudes show up to beat on Clay and get him going, but Nick and Hank show up too and send them away. Nick drops the Wesen bomb, though his inability to see means Stan doesn’t believe him. However, Trubel soon shows up too, well aware of just how ugly Stan is. Pretty soon we have a three-on-one fight that isn’t shaping up in favor of numbers. Trubel is tossed aside and Nick is nearly killed before she can recover. However, she does and jumps on the Schinderdiv’s back. They fight a little bit more, but it ends when she breaks his neck. Whoops! It’s a big moment, because Nick’s near death makes him realize just how much he needs his powers back. Trubel heads inside where she finds that Clay’s mom is just as bad as everyone else. She beats him to get him angry and even tries to get him to kill Trubel. He doesn’t however. Instead he breaks his own arm. He never wants to box again.

While the Wesen of the Week dominates the narrative, we do get to check in on Renard at the hospital with Monrosalee. Who would have thought a man pronounced dead just a few episodes ago could look so darn good today? After Renard fills in his mother regarding the whereabouts of her granddaughter, she is introduced to Monroe and Rosalee. The mother/son dynamic in this scene is so much fun, but the dynamic between Elizabeth and Monrosalee is just as much fun. The three of them find the storage unit where Adalind’s mothers stuff is kept and where she worked the magic that made her go from looking like Claire Coffee to Bitsie Tulloch. Elizabeth says she can smell Adalind’s life, which Monroe at first doesn’t pick up on. Mitchell’s delivery of the line “Oh, that smell!” had me cackling for longer than I’d like to admit. The trio quickly finds the pot Adalind prepared her cursed brew, but Elizabeth carefully keeps Rosalee from touching it. Instead, she reaches in and breaks off a piece of the green stuff inside—it looks like sugar candy almost—and eats it. We get this really cool Elizabeth-Adalind-Juliette-Elizabeth again shape shifting scene after that is probably the most entertaining bit of effects this week.

Elizabeth tells them to look for a book that won’t open, which they soon find. Of course, to open the book, you need Hexenbiest blood, which freaks Monroe out a bit. Rosalee remains pretty quiet. I like how different their responses are to the situation. They find the spell and, to Monroe’s chagrin, Rosalee offers the spice shop as a space to perform the ritual to fix it. At the spice shop, they start preparing the spell, but unbeknownst to the three inside, a pair of massed guys are in a van outside preparing to do… something. Now what is that something? If the structure of this season tells me anything, we’ll find out almost immediately next week. As far as this week’s episode goes, the cliffhanger isn’t as loaded as everything that went down in “Octopus Head,” but that’s because the entire episode was packed with story.