Episode Title: 'Leave It to Beavers'
Writer: Nevin Densham
Director: Holly Dale
Story:
Out in the woods, Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) helps Nick (David Giuntoli) practice his Grimm skills with some weapons from the trailer. That night, construction company owner, Robert Gosszahn (Traber Burns) meets with a man named Sal (David Zayas), who demands Grosszahn pay the money he owes. When he refuses, Sal drowns the man in a vat of cement.
A construction worker witnesses the murder and calls 911, though he hangs up before identifying himself. Sal spots the man but he manages to get away. Later on, a man checks his basement after hearing noises and finds the construction worker, named Arnold hiding out. Arnold tells his friend he saw something terrible.
At the crime scene, Nick asks for an ID on the 911 caller, who is identified as Arnold Rosarot. Nick and Hank (Russell Hornsby) head to Arnold's trailer but he's not there. However, Nick spots a picture on the wall of Arnold with Bud, the Eisbiber repairman.
Back at home, Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) tells Nick she wants to invite Monroe over for dinner as a show of appreciation for saving her life. Nick tries to shoot down the idea but when Juliette insists, he agrees to ask Monroe. When Nick tells Monroe, they decide to come up with a variation on the truth for when Juliette inevitably asks how they met.
Nick and Hank meet with Grosszahn's secretary who tells the detectives that her boss had trouble with the planning commission. They head over to talk with the head of the commission, none other than Sal Burtrell. Sal tells them he was playing poker the night before and one of his employees vouches for him. Nick sees Sal turn into a Wesen when he loses his cool. After the detectives leave, Sal tells his men that Nick is a Grimm and must be dealt with.
Nick asks Bud (Danny Bruno) about Arnold but he says he hasn't seen him in some time. Nick then shows Bud a drawing of Sal's Wesen form and Bud tells him he's a Hasslich, a creature who "have a thing for bridges." No one works on them without the Hasslichen getting a cut explains Bud. Seeing as Arnold was working on a bridge, Bud agrees to look for him.
Monroe joins Juliette and Nick for a dinner that quickly becomes awkward when the two men can't keep their story straight. Meanwhile, Bud asks his friend, John (Kyle Vahan) about hiding Arnold. When he admits to harboring his friend, Bud goes to the basement to talk to Arnold. He and John tell Arnold about Nick and how working with him could change their predicament with the Hasslichen but Arnold is too scared. Bud suggests they take the matter to their lodge for a vote.
Sal tells his men they need to kill Nick, which means enlisting the help of a Reaper. Over in Germany, two men in a bar speaking French discuss a trip to Portland. One of the men asks about Captain Renard, but his companion assures him that Renard is looking for one Reaper, not two.
Sal gets a call from the Frenchman, who has already arrived, asking to meet. Meanwhile, Nick attends the Eisbiber lodge meeting. After Nick's speech about rebelling against the Hasslichen, the group is divided on whether Arnold should come forward but ultimately votes against it.
Sal meets with the Reapers, who immediately bind and gag him, demanding he deliver the Grimm. Nick calls in the midst of their heated exchange and Sal arranges a meeting. Back at the station, Bud arrives with John and Arnold, after having a change of heart.
Nick and Hank arrest Sal at the club he frequents, while the Reapers watch from afar. Arnold IDs Sal in a line-up and Nick commends him for his bravery. He advises Arnold to lay low and offers to drives him to the lodge. John and Bud follow in a separate car and soon realize they're being tailed. They warn Nick who tells them to run inside. When the Reapers arrive, an intense battle ensues. One of the creatures accidentally cuts off the other's head with his scythe and Nick kills the remaining Reaper with his crossbow.
Monroe arrives on the scene after getting a call from Nick, who thinks it's time to send the Reapers a message. When Nick arrives home, Juliette brings him to the living room which is filled with gifts from the Eisbibers.
A few days later, the man who sent the Reaper over gets a package containing their heads with a note from Nick reading "Next time, send your best."
Breakdown:
Of all the creatures in the Grimm-verse, the timid, cowardly Eisbiber might be my favorite. And Bud and his whiskered buddies got plenty of screentime this week, lightening things up while giving us another Wesen history lesson.
"Leave it to Beavers" did what I'm hoping more episodes of "Grimm" will do: present a case that actually matters in the show's mythology. Nick has encountered plenty of Wesen baddies, but Sal is the only one I can think of willing "to go nuclear" on the Grimm.
And hey, it's Batista from "Dexter," David Zayas as Sal. Perhaps we'll see more of Sal, looking for revenge on Nick, via a Hasslichen prison gang.
After calling up some distant relatives in Germany to do some Reaping in Portland, Sal found out his Uncle Mamoose wasn't as a big as deal as he thought. As one would expect based on their name, Reapers are quite nasty but in the end, no match for Nick. Rosalee's old flame and resistance leader, Ian Harmon warned Nick of the coming war. And after "the message" Nick sent to Germany, that war might just take place in Portland.
Which begs the question, when is Nick going to realize the jig is up? He and Monroe barely survived dinner with Juliette, after a confusing and rather funny exchange about a cabin, a pair of boots and vegan salmon. There's also the matter of explaining Nick's use of a studded club and a crossbow to Hank. But after all the insanity he's been through, unquestioning, I don't think Hank will raise an eyebrow over some medieval weapons.
And it was pretty cool watching Nick work on his "Grimm skills" with Monroe. I'd still like to know what exactly those skills are and why Nick isn't interested in learning more about his late parents but I guess there's next season for that. Otherwise, "Leave It to Beavers" is an improvement over those episodes of "Grimm," devoid of mythology, a relevant case and a sense of humor. In fact, this episode had all three.
