Episode Title: "The Good Shepherd"
Writer: Dan E. Fesman
Director: Steven DePaul
Previously on "Grimm":
Story:
At a bar, Bud (Danny Bruno) tells Nick (David Giuntoli) about his conversation with Juliette and how she didn't know Nick is a Grimm. As the two men talk, they're watched from across the bar by the Nuckelavee that the Royal Family sent over to get the key. When Nick senses he's being watched, he turns to look but the man is gone.
That night, a man leaves his office at a mulching company when he's attacked by a mysterious figure who then uses a backhoe to drop him into a wood chipper. The next day, a local reverend named Lance Calvin (Jonathan Scarfe) comes into the precinct to report a large theft from his church's bank account. He believes Norman Brewster, a parishioner who handles the congregation's finances is responsible. The detectives learn that the money has been wired to Curacao.
When Nick and Hank (Russell Hornsby) drop by mulching company where Brewster worked, they find his dead body in the wood chipper. They then start to focus on Reverend Calvin, who it turns out lead another church in Arkansas where money went missing and the accountant took the blame.
Nick and Hank talk to the reverend openly about the fact that he's a Blutbad leading a congregation of sheep-like Seelengut. Calvin explains that what happened in Arkansas is merely a coincidence and that he was at the rectory on the night of Brewster's murder. Nick asks Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) to go undercover at the church to find out if Calvin is really a reformed Blutbad.
Monroe shows up at the church, immediately frightening the parishioners. However, Calvin comes them down and talks to Monroe about his urges. He offers him a room in the rectory and Monroe takes him up on it in order to learn more. Meanwhile, Captain Renard (Sasha Roiz) gets a call from an informant with the identity of the Nuckelavee.
Monroe tells Nick that Calvin seems legit, however he did see him cozying up to his assistant Megan (Kristina Anapau). When the detectives learn that Calvin is using a fake social security number they decide to question Megan. The detectives show her a picture of the congregation in Arkansas where she was once a member. Megan explains that she left her husband for Calvin. Looking to get even, her husband stole the church's money and disappeared.
At home that night, Megan tells Calvin about the detectives questioning her. She says they should leave town, but Calvin says they're not finished yet, as he plans to frame Monroe for Brewster's murder. Elsewhere, Nick is attacked by the Nuckelavee while doing research in the trailer. He uses a hammer to kill the man and finds a drawing of the key inside his jacket pocket.
The next day at a church fundraiser, Megan talks with a young pregnant girl who is visibly upset. She tells Megan her boyfriend left her because she is pregnant with Calvin's baby. Feeling betrayed by Calvin, Megan rushes outside to let everyone know the Reverend stole the money. Meanwhile, Nick learns that Calvin and Megan made several trips to Curacao.
In his office, Calvin gives Monroe a letter opener as a token of thanks. Just then, a group of parishioners burst in and Calvin accuses Monroe of trying to kill him. However, the group accuses Calvin of killing Brewster, transform into Seelengut and swarm the reverend. Assuming Monroe is his accomplice, they chase him through the church. Nick and Hank arrive just in time to rescue their friend. Meanwhile, on a tropical island, Megan and Harmony celebrate their successful plot to run off with the money.
Breakdown:
"Grimm" is back in its Friday night home, but it feels like a much different (and better show) than it did the last time the NBC's "cops and monsters" drama kicked off the weekend. With Hank now "in the loop," Nick's dealings with Wesen on the job go a lot smoother. And interestingly enough, Hank's awareness of the creature world makes the show feel a lot less hokey. And I say that after watching two detectives rescue a wolfman from a church full of angry sheep people.
Absurd as it may sound, the premise of "The Good Shepherd" was one of the more clever cases this season. And getting the always entertaining Monroe in on the action always helps. We've met a lot of Wesen over the course of the first season. but Monroe and skittish refrigerator repairman, Bud are the only two recurring creature characters that show the colorful and often comical personalities that exist in the Wesen world.
While Monroe went undercover at Reverend Calvin's church, Capt. Renard kept tabs on the Nuckelavee the Royal Family sent over to find the key. Lurking in shadows and snaking around Nick and Juliette's house got him killed, which seemed to please Renard, who continues to remain a mystery himself. Now that Hank's in on the creature world, hopefully Renard's identity will soon come to light.
As the for the specifics of the case itself, the only issue I had was with Megan and Harmony's plot against Calvin. Was it hatched after Harmony told Megan about carrying "The Good Shepherd's" baby? Otherwise, the scene between the two women in the church wouldn't make much sense.
Regarding the larger story, Juliette still can't remember Nick, though it looks like she'll get back to her old self in the next episode. If that's the case, what was the point of her amnesia to begin with, aside from a few awkward interactions with the stranger she's living with? Hopefully, this storyline amounts to more than an impetus for revenge on Nick's part. Though I'd love to see a showdown between the Grimm and Adalind's nasty black cat.
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