tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271373189216022547.post1145558797379156008..comments2023-11-21T12:51:59.908-08:00Comments on Murderboarding Inc.: A Democratic Drawbridge Grimm S2E13 Face OffAnna Hammetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10095633218958433882noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271373189216022547.post-76083397538780034892013-03-18T10:08:27.170-07:002013-03-18T10:08:27.170-07:00And the rest!
1. I would love the group to develop...And the rest!<br />1. I would love the group to develop some proper bonds, all of them opening up and sharing information and leaning on each other for support/supporting each other. I doubt we'll ever get Renard doing that with anyone to any great extent, but as much as is possible, I would love to see that with all of them. We don't get very many healthy group dynamics on shows like this (see previous rant about miscommunications and lack of communications and lazy writers defaulting to that to drive conflict), and I would love to see one develop here.<br /><br />2. Did you see the webisode series that featured Bud the Eisbieber? Not much action furthering but some character bonding, it was cute. I would love some more character arcs for everyone, but I'm not sure how many more episodes this show has, since it hasn't gotten renewed yet. I suppose that's what fanfic is for.<br /><br />3. We seem to be getting that? Although given the balance of metaplot to MotW last Friday I don't know a) how good the MotWs are going to be and b) whether or not the MotW is going to end up just being a shill for the metaplot.Kitty Chandlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05524808952260453841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271373189216022547.post-56665582339657168802013-03-18T10:08:11.789-07:002013-03-18T10:08:11.789-07:00I'm not sure where you're getting that Mon...I'm not sure where you're getting that Monroe forced himself into Nick's life; Nick forced himself on Monroe first by making him a suspect because he saw Monroe woge and assumed monster, monster attack, then by dragging him into helping him on Wesen investigations ("What am I, your personal Grimmopedia?" 1x03 or 1x04, I don't have access to my eps at the moment). The only way in which Monroe did anything forceful was when Nick caught him marking his territory at his house and Monroe responded with a show of force against what he probably saw as an intruding threat. With Rosalee it's a bit murkier, because it's Monroe who first thinks of calling her about Hank's problem with the zaubertrank, even though it's Nick who insists. <br /><br />I could wish you were wrong about the compartmentalizing, but he's definitely trying to keep his Grimm work separate from his cop work, prioritizing his cop work and not hunting down anyone if he's not given a murder case or something the Wesen don't want to go to the police with (e.g. the Eisbiebers). I'm not sure how much of his keeping the Hexenincidents apart is that or how much is simply not having and not making the time to lay it all out, but certainly compartmentalizing as a habit would disincline him to do so.<br /><br />The problem is, Nick's character was initially showcased with an analytical nature. Remember back in the very, very beginning, in the first two episodes where one of the first things we saw him do was size up a person and rattle off a series of traits, much like we do here? He's never done that since. Ever. He's even capable of following chains of logic in police fashion to a conclusion, see all the police-work MotW segments for the most recent episode Natural Born Wesen. But for whatever reason, he's incapable of making certain leaps of logic, such as "my friend Hank knows about Wesen now + talking with my friend Hank helps me figure out cases = I should talk to my friend Hank about this current Wesen problem I'm having and maybe he can help me figure it out." And that bugs me. I feel as though they're deliberately taking away his ability to communicate, to rely on his friends, and to make basic leaps of logic, solely for the sake of furthering conflict and stalling the plot. Which is lazy writing. There are more than enough other complications that could arise, they have other aspects of other cases they could be working such as, oh, Wu could snag Hank about another lead on the Catherine Schade murder. Hank could be suffering physical side effects from the beating he took and thus not be physically available at the precinct. There could be more tension with Juliette, there's any number of ways in any number of situations they could be delaying the reveals, and they haven't been. Lazy writing.<br /><br />All that said, yeah, Juliette and Rosalee, especially now, getting together possibly so Rosalee can tell Juliette some more about what was done to her both to screw up her mind and to fix her, that would be an awesome scene, and I want it now.Kitty Chandlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05524808952260453841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271373189216022547.post-55262154772556039852013-03-18T10:07:15.452-07:002013-03-18T10:07:15.452-07:00"...so much as the fact that Renard's man..."...so much as the fact that Renard's managed to keep his Hexenface under wraps around Nick for so long."<br /><br />The Reapers were after Marie for reasons unknown because Hulda never said anything before dying, and Earless never said anything but that he wanted to kill Nick in revenge for killing Hulda. The only thing the Verrat said was something about "more complicated" and "control your Grimm." Renard was always after the key, but it wasn't until Cousin Menton showed up that we learned anyone else knew about it or was after it. But yes. Nick is an idiot for not doing that before and I'm a little surprised because we saw him have it on his neck previously, when Aunt Marie was dying. <br /><br />"...Does he mean last time as in last time he trusted her, not last time they had sexin's? WHAT DOES IT MEEEAAAN."<br /><br />I suspect he means, the last time he trusted her with anything, let alone something as intimate and personal as sex. <br /><br />"...how much does he believe the Royals know about his activities?"<br /><br />It's the first time they've explicitly stated it. We've had implications ever since the canary showed up onscreen, but yes, this is the first time they've explicitly had in-character lines tying Renard's cell to the Resistance. And as far as that last statement, I think it's more that he's both a) planning for the worst and b) assuming that his position with them is not so favorable that they'll put up with his rebellion and shenanigans if he's no longer useful to them. Exhibit A: Cousin Menton and his lackey Wolsey.<br />Kitty Chandlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05524808952260453841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271373189216022547.post-8451728374404707612013-03-18T08:49:08.690-07:002013-03-18T08:49:08.690-07:00Oh fuck you Blogger why you eat my comment. LET...Oh fuck you Blogger why you eat my comment. LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN, now with recreating from scratch:<br /><br />Have I mentioned how much I love Sasha Roiz's acting ability? Because I doooooo. /fangirl<br /><br />Plus any biological weirdness from a) having been Hexen once b) carrying a half-Hexen's baby c) all of the above d) unknown unknowns. In conclusion DATA DATA DATA I CANNOT MAKE BRICKS WITHOUT CLAY, aka you've heard this rant before. ;)<br /><br />And yes. Between last week and this week, Renard in the Scooby Gang is officially the Best Thing Ever. I'm sad they took this long to get us here, but really happy about the payoff so far. Anna Hammetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10095633218958433882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271373189216022547.post-13263369086081922892013-03-18T08:39:18.815-07:002013-03-18T08:39:18.815-07:00Well. Yes. >.> I will say it's nice to h...Well. Yes. >.> I will say it's nice to have the writers aware of some female gaze, despite the paucity of female writers on staff. (Thanks, Akela!)Anna Hammetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10095633218958433882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271373189216022547.post-52922073822328756372013-03-13T07:01:11.951-07:002013-03-13T07:01:11.951-07:00I wish there were a "like" button on the...I wish there were a "like" button on these things because your last point: yes.Miwomehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16709427652545868711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271373189216022547.post-13701209737842272712013-03-12T21:22:39.570-07:002013-03-12T21:22:39.570-07:00Three things.
1.) Oh man I loved Renard lying abo...Three things.<br /><br />1.) Oh man I loved Renard lying about finding the key. Because not only did his eyes dart, but he twitched his right hand—the hand that was in the coat pocket where we saw him stash the key—making the entire lower right side of his coat flap as he lied. So not only did he whip out the blinking neon "I'm lying" sign, but he also pretty much told her exactly where it was. Sasha Roiz does an excellent job of blending Renard's stoic "I can lie about all the things" face with his bodily tells.<br /><br />2.) Pregnancy test…the last I heard, it takes three weeks for pregnancy hormones to show up. But that was on a sitcom in the 90s. Today's home tests…(*Googles*)…can show a positive result as early as 11-18 days after sex. So yeah, "who's your daddy" really depends on when that scene in Vienna happened. Though depending upon Adalind's scheme, she may or may not particularly want anyone to know for sure which brother is the father.<br /><br />3.) Renard in Scooby Gang yes please can has? I ADORED that initial scene at the quadruple homicide where Nick was all like "I know" and Renard was all like "Does he know or is he just being weird again?" And it just got better from there. I felt like their chemistry as actors really clicked into place now that this new dynamic of knowing has been added to their relationship…and when I say "clicked," I mean "ka-CHUNKED" like pins in a bank vault. They're not just acting in the same room together anymore; now they're CONNECTING and fueling each other's performances. I feel like both characters just got so much richer, stronger, more energetic, and more fun to watch…both individually and together.Ellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17725013257536616571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271373189216022547.post-76448774102446236372013-03-10T05:48:46.207-07:002013-03-10T05:48:46.207-07:00Okay, end of my long-ass rambly comment that goes ...Okay, end of my long-ass rambly comment that goes on forever, SORRY:<br /><br />I'm hoping that this ep represents a turning point and we'll see going forward:<br /><br />1. The expansion of the Scooby gang (continued integration of Hank, the inclusion of Juliette and, probably to a lesser extent, Renard) as well as the deepening of those relationships through Nick opening up more about information as well as his emotional reactions to events as they're occurring. Again, I may be projecting, but I feel that his closed-mouth tendencies stem from an obsession with self-reliance that are ultimately about protecting himself from appearing--or feeling--weak by acknowledging stress and unhappiness.<br />2. Secondary characters getting episodes or small arcs wherein they get to drive the action more. Monroe has had this, as has Rosalee somewhat when her brother died and when Ian came through town; I really, really want it for Hank, Juliette, and eventually Wu. (All three have had plotlines that centered on them, but they were victims in those cases.)<br />3. A return to some procedural episodes that draw more directly on the fairy tales. I'm all for metaplot, but I want a balance of it with the original premise and source material, which I've been missing lately.<br /><br />LONG COMMENT IS LONGMiwomehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16709427652545868711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271373189216022547.post-36531144878926002122013-03-10T05:42:20.863-07:002013-03-10T05:42:20.863-07:00PART DEUX:
As for Nick not sharing information: I ...PART DEUX:<br />As for Nick not sharing information: I agree that lack of information is a lazy and unsatisfying way to drive plot, and I hope that the other characters will drive him toward breaking that habit more in the future. But I actually find his chronic inability to do so a plausible character choice. He seems to have a deep, often self-destructive (or at least failing at self-care) sense of utter self-reliance, or going it alone; his instinct is not to ask for help, but to try to handle things on his own. Monroe initially forces himself into Nick's life, and after Nick goes through an initial phrase of constantly pumping him for information, he usually only goes to him on something relevant to a case. He treats him like a friend-cum-CI, basically, and the same goes for Rosalee. He tends to investigate independently and call Hank in when he feels he's got a handle on the situation. Etc. (Note: I may be reading in the self-reliance to the point of getting in his own way thing a bit, as it's something I am 100% guilty of.) <br /><br />He also seems to compartmentalize individual incidents from all others, possibly because he's trying so hard to compartmentalize Grimming from police work, also likely because he's basically white-knuckling it and has been for a long time at this point. No sooner does one problem conclude than another pops up. So in his mind, the episode where his mother killed Catherine is a separate entity from the current Renard/Juliette problem, both of which are separate from Adalind's treatment of Hank. He doesn't seem to have ever sat down and tried to fit it all together (although I agree that it's stretching plausibility to think that he couldn't figure out that Renard was a Royal from the information in front of him in the back half of this ep). <br /><br />I'm not saying this is a good thing, not at all. But Nick's character has never been defined by his thoughtfulness or analytical nature. He has great intuition (which parallels his Grimm ability to see woges), a good heart, excellent people skills, and the willingness to put his head down and just slog through all the boring, fact-finding police work, but he's not the guy with a huge murderboard up on his wall trying to put the pattern together. Look how badly he falls apart whenever he has to try to actively conceal his Grimm activities from his cop life, as when they've investigated various cases in which he or his mother are the perpetrators. He's not good at looking at the situation and formulating a strategy. On this show, that quality belongs to Renard and maybe, I'm hoping, to Hank (it would be another aspect in which he and Nick make excellent partners). I'm absolutely DYING for Hank to come to Nick and make him see that a) he has strategic reasons to trust Renard, at least cautiously, at least for now, and work with him, and b) that he really needs to explain everything to Juliette. (Or SOMEONE does.) He can put himself forward as an example of how revealing the truth can be positive, and keeping someone in the dark is not actually protective of them when they're this close to the action. <br /><br />Even though it would be problematic in terms of the way they treat the female characters (and I absolutely agree with you about that), I would like to see Rosalee comforting Juliette at some point. I want them to be friends, partly because I would like ANY of the female characters on this show to have ANY positive relationships with other women (though I suppose we've seen Juliette has close and supportive female friends). I would accept Monroe being the one to do this instead, as long as he's feeling free to be honest with her at that moment. Miwomehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16709427652545868711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271373189216022547.post-7641676393160181492013-03-10T05:12:26.857-07:002013-03-10T05:12:26.857-07:00I believe it was established in the pilot that &qu...I believe it was established in the pilot that "they" (meaning certainly the Reapers, and likely by extension the Royals and the Verrat) knew that Marie had either the key or at least something important: when she gave it to Nick, she told him that "they" wanted it and to guard it with his life (really, Nick, in a drawer that you DON'T EVEN LOCK?). Also, I doubt Nick's surprise at Renard's woge had anything to do with Renard's being a Royal so much as the fact that Renard's managed to keep his Hexenface under wraps around Nick for so long.<br /><br />Also, I find it veeeery interesting that when Adalind first initiated the sex, Renard said something like "because this went <i>so</i> well last time." (Maybe this is the same as Adalind's reference to "old times" in the deleted scene?) WHAT IS LAST TIME? Did they previously have a sexual relationship that he broke off prior to the start of the series? That both fits her infatuation with him and yet doesn't, because the vibe I got from that was very much unrequited, not...disrequited, so to speak. Could he be referring to her mother? Does he mean last time as in last time he trusted her, not last time they had sexin's? WHAT DOES IT MEEEAAAN.<br /><br />Also also, have I missed something or is this the first time we've really understood that Renard's game was connected to the Lauffeur? We've known that he had some sort of conspiracy going, but I don't think it was ever clear what it was or that he had any allies outside of his own group of informants and contractors (in the sense of people who contribute skills, like the lock owl guy). As you said, we still don't know what his actual goal is--it still might be some sort of personal power advancement among the Royal ranks, but with the promise to the Lauffeur of loosening Royal control on the Wesen/in some other way(s) furthering their interests, in order to gain their support. What I also don't understand is his statement that if the Royals get the key, he and Nick are <i>both</i> dead: how much does he believe the Royals know about his activities?<br /><br />I am more inclined to go with your second explanation about how they got Juliette to the shop. At least she was already primed with the idea that something or someone at that shop can help her, and she has someone she trusts in Monroe. I also think that this would have been the wrong time to try to explain everything to her (also, if they do that offscreen I will be VERY DISPLEASED); she's miserable, she's tapped out, she probably doesn't have the energy or even the interest to try to wrap her head around all this right now. Plus, seeing what's just happened to Nick, which is not something you could mistake for a normal physical reaction (bright, unnatural red, I assume black smoke to follow) may make her more ready to believe the unbelievable. Better to take care of the potion problem and then let her calm down a little before dropping the rest of everything on her. I completely agree that it was great to see her concern for Nick, and it reminded me of how much I liked their relationship when it functioned better; it felt so, so much more right than any scene we've ever seen between her and Renard (which, obviously, and we're intended to feel that way, but if I had no investment in Juliette/Nick I'd probably be eyerolling instead). I found her and Renard's newfound ability to be in a room together and act like normal adults in control of themselves less impressive and more inexplicable. It bothered me a lot, actually. Miwomehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16709427652545868711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271373189216022547.post-84948717951248850092013-03-09T17:32:07.305-08:002013-03-09T17:32:07.305-08:00All the deleted scenes are of Renard having post-s...All the deleted scenes are of Renard having post-sex'd snuggles because fanservice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com