Watch ‘Grimm’ If You Haven’t Already!

Article contributed by Annie McCann

A Kehrseite-Schlich-Kennen’s Grimmsight

(Kehrseite-Schlich-Kennen: A non-Grimm, non-Wesen who knows all about the Grimm world.)

There once was a man who lived a life so strange, it had to be true. Only he could see what no one else can—the darkness inside, the real monster within, and he’s the one who must stop them. This is his calling. This is his duty. This is the life of a Grimm.

Created by Stephen Carpenter, Jim Kouf, and David Greenwalt, this amazing TV series first aired in October 2011 and ran for 6 seasons. Grimm is my favourite TV show of all time and I pitch this as ‘The Brothers Grimm’ meets ‘Criminal Minds’: an occult detective fiction, horror, and supernatural series that brings the legendary fairy-tales of the Brothers Grimm that I grew up with to present day Portland, Oregon.

Homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt of the Portland Police Department learns he is descended from a long line of guardians or warriors known as Grimms. As a Grimm, he has the responsibility of keeping a balance between humanity and “Wesen” (pronounced Vessen) which are mythological creatures better known as monsters we would read about in stories. Wesen is German for being or creature and in this series, they are alive and kicking but have been kept secret from our world for centuries. Nick’s unique ability to see the Wesen for what they are, even when they do not want to be seen, makes him a Grimm and quite dangerous to their community.

So, you’re probably thinking… Horror, Homicide, Supernatural… how on earth could this be an absolute favourite? Personally, this series became an obsession from the pilot episode through to the end as it is incredibly addictive and something I was able to watch together with my Mum. That kind of magic doesn’t normally happen in my house! Each episode begins with a passage from one of The Brothers Grimm tales which makes you guess which tale the episode is retelling. The way the legends are woven into present day stories is very clever – for example, the pilot episode is a retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood” and starts with a university student who goes out jogging wearing a red hoodie but mysteriously disappears while another episode is a Hansel and Gretel retelling of two homeless teens and one of their friends becomes the centre of a homicide investigation.

Whilst each episode relates to Nick’s cases and are most often Wesen related, the series develops into other plot lines. We learn about the 7 royal families each wanting to restore the old world order and the Resistance working with Grimms to push back and keep the balance of the current world order. Then there’s the 7 missing keys that many have searched far and wide and would kill for which legend says lead to a buried treasure the Grimms buried in the 12^th century following the sacking of Constantinople along with a a major plot towards the end which I wont disclose for fear of spoilers. The integration of history, The Brothers Grimm tales, legend, and mystery kept me on the edge of my seat.

Throughout the series, Nick is on a constant learning curve which is what makes his character a flawed hero. As he is new at this, he is someone who needs to break the rules just to find his feet. Someone who has to decide between his badge or being a Grimm and his relationships break tradition. What I enjoy is how he deals with his unlikely friendship with a Wesen, Monroe, that breaks centuries of tradition. Then there’s how he deals with his relationship with Juliette and his work friends, Detective Hank Griffin and Sgt Wu, and how everyone connects in this series are a prime example that relationships don’t always have to make sense.

Nick’s need to resort to old leather bound antiquarian books to understand Wesen was another favourite part of the show. These amazing books you see in the series are his Aunt Marie’s books of Lore that have been handed down from Grimm to Grimm throughout the generations which illustrate and profile Wesen. The drawings are intricate and the writing so old and authentic.

Grimm is incredibly diverse from the multicultural cast to the diverse stories that represent other legends and cultures. Whilst the primary focus is The Brothers Grimm tales, other episodes are based on different sources, including fables and legends that are not published by the Brothers Grimm. Some of my favourites include Le Lerona – a creepy Latin/Spanish tale of the weeping woman who steals children, Japanese Irugami, the Awang from The Philippines, and a clever episode that I would pitch as ‘Ready Player One’ meets ‘Alice in Wonderland’, when a killer leaves a series of puzzles for his victims and the police to learn his name whilst he targets employees of a creative games company one by one.

It is such a great series and it saddens me that it only went for 6 seasons as I could have seen it easily continue for at least another 2 seasons. Both Mum and I had the pleasure of meeting two cast members of Grimm at Comic Con, Sydney: David Giuntoli (Nick Burkhardt) and Bitsie Tulloch (Juliette Silverton). They are so down to earth, funny, and just nice to talk to. To this day I watch Grimm re-runs on DVD and I have also tapped into the Grimm graphic novels and the novelisations so the Grimmage continues. Rumour has it, there is a spin-off series currently in the works so keep an eye out!!!

Do you love Grimm? Or will you be checking the series out? Tell us in the comments below!