Grimm - Season 1

GRIMM – Season 1  

‘Grimm’ follows the life of homicide detective Nicholas Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) as he investigates crimes in and around Portland, Oregon.  However, Nick is not your normal run-of-the-mill detective, he is a Grimm descended from an ancient line of guardians.  As a Grimm, Nick is charged with maintaining balance in the world, between the humans and mythological creatures known as ‘Wesen’.

Throughout the first season Nick not only has to solve crimes and face off against dangerous Wesen but simultaneously keep his Grimm identity hidden from his homicide partner Hank Griffin (Russell Hornsby) and his girlfriend Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch).  The latter becomes increasingly difficult as his Grimm life threatens to spill into his personal one.

The show follows a standard ‘crime of the week’ format with each episode dealing with a crime (usually Wesen related) that Nick must solve.  He is aided heavily in this by his Wesen friend Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) who is well versed in Wesen lore and knowledge of the supernatural, making Nick and he strike up an unlikely friendship.

Grimm boasts a good array of acting talent right across its main and supporting cast but it is the magnetic Silas Weir Mitchell who steals the show.  Mitchell is in inspired form and provides some much needed comic relief to offset the serious nature of the show.  Grimm also benefits from some spectacular special effects that would not look out of place in Hollywood!  In addition the direction is also very good, whether it is creating a sense of suspense or a fast moving action sequence.

However, Grimm suffers from being too serialized with story arcs being spread over too many episodes.  So although the show feels fresh and inventive to begin with, towards the last 6 episodes the novelty has worn off as there are too many stand-alone episodes that feel the same as they do not move the main story along.

As the title suggests the show is heavily influenced by the German folktales written by the Brothers Grimm, with many Wesen sharing a similarity with creatures described in the stories.  This makes Grimm become far more than just another police procedural rather it would be described as a blend of cop drama and dark fantasy.  Though the writing falls short this is made up by great production acting and directing, all of which remain high throughout the season.

Ultimately this is an entertaining and ‘different’ cop drama, which provides a welcome alternative to the now stale ‘CSI’ and ‘Law & Order’ dramas.  Though this season could have been better there is enough here to convince that this show could go somewhere.  In addition Season 2 promises to be much more story driven with more emphasis on developing characters as well as increasing the detail and depth of its story arcs.  So though it is not an outstanding show for now, it is still a good one and well worth buying.

7/10

IMDB Link: Grimm