Combining the supernatural world and fantasy with cop procedurals, NBC’s Grimm draws its inspiration from the classic “Grimm Fairy Tales” we all grew up with. Premiering two weeks ago on October 28, 2011, the storyline focuses on Portland Homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) who discovers he’s descended from an elite line of criminal profilers known as Grimms, and like his ancestors, he’s charged with the responsibility of keeping balance between humanity and mythological creatures.
By the end of the pilot, Nick has been drawn into this Grimm world where he has formed an alliance with a reformed werewolf (Silas Weir Mitchell) while he tries to hide his newly found calling from his fiancée, Juliette Silverton, (Bitsie Tulloch), and his cop partner, Hank Griffin (Russell Hornsby). The surprising reveal at the end of the pilot is that Nick’s boss, Captain Renard (Sasha Roiz) is working for the other side.
Airing tonight, November 11, 2011 is the third episode of the series, “Beeware,” in which a social media craze disguises a string of bizarre murders. Nick and Hank investigate a case where an innocent flash mob results in a gruesome homicide. During the course of the investigation, the two partners are assigned to protect a dark character from Nick’s recent past, which results in Nick learning more about his unique family history.
Bitsie Tulloch and Sasha Ruiz Talk at Comic Con 2011
When I talked to Bitsie in the press room at Comic Con 2011, I asked if her character was going to be one of those who are kept perpetually in the dark. “I think they’re going to play with the idea that I don’t know for a few episodes, but I will be helpful eventually,” she revealed. She won’t be able to see what Nick sees, but she’ll be able to help him.
In the same press one-on-one interviews, Sasha Ruiz described his character, Capt. Renard, as: “the chief of the police force and he’s the supervisor for Hank’s character. And he is, ah, someone who you discover very quickly that he’s not at all who he seems to be.” That was certainly borne out by the last scene in the pilot, so it’s no wonder that Ruiz added, “He’s gonna be in this enormous conflict with David.”
When asked if he going to be the kind of police captain who’s supportive or one who is constantly reining his men in, Ruiz said, “Supportive but manipulative.” This is because Renard’s “got some very interesting aspirations. So he’s gonna make sure you see them come to fruition.” And those aspirations are going to conflict with our lead’s aspirations, he revealed.
Reggie Lee and Silas Weir Mitchell
Reggie Lee plays Sgt. Wu. Lee described his character as working in the police force with Nick. “I am a little bit above him and we kind of work together in trying to—providing information and what not. So we eventually have some kind of relationship and I develop some kind of addiction that’s he’s gonna help fight.” Back in July, Lee wouldn’t say anything more about his character, but he did promise a “sarcastic wit.”
Possibly the most interesting character will prove to be Monroe, the reformed Blutbad, which is “a variation on the big bad wolf” according to Silas Weir Mitchell, who plays him. “I’m a vegetarian clock maker who has a struggle to keep his demons at bay. I’m reformed. And I’m trying to keep that stuff... down.”
But although he is a reformed demon, Monroe still lives in both worlds. That makes him a great asset for Nick to solicit help from.
“The world really is the world we live in,” Mitchell insisted in the press room. “The story isn’t taking place in some other world. It’s about real crimes committed by real people. And Nick, David Giuntoli’s character, can see these people for what they really are—which is demons. When you talk about the bad people in the world, when you talk about murderers, rapists and thieves, you know, the Bernie Madoff’s and the Charles Manson’s—these people are demonic. And they live in the world. It’s just that Nick—he can see them for the demons they really are. And all that is framed in the package of fairy tales being broken up, skewed.”
According to Bitsie Tulloch, Monroe isn’t necessarily always going to be one of the good guys. “One of the great things about Grimm is you can’t really fit into, can’t be pigeon-holed in your specific genre… or it’s a thriller, or its fantasy or its magic.”
The struggle week after week on Grimm will take place on both a physical as well as a psychological plane, according to Mitchell. In order to witness this unfold, tune in every Friday night to NBC at 9 pm ET/PT.
Crystal Taylor - I'm a writer of TV one-hour scripts, screenplays, novels, short stories, articles, and poetry. I'm most proud of a story (episode outline) ...
