Grimm Episodes 307 and 308
“Cold Blooded” and “Twelve Days of Krampus”
Part 1 Written By: Thomas Ian Griffith
Part 1 Directed By: Terrence O’Hara
Part 2 Written By: Dan E. Fesman
Part 2 Directed By: Tawnia McKiernan
Original Airdate: 13 December 2013
In This Episode…
We’ve actually got two episodes here, squished together as a two-hour special.
In “Cold Blooded”
The guys investigate a crime scene which, at first look, appears to be a robbery gone bad. But the guy who came home and interrupted the thief has his arm ripped out of the socket. The M.E. later says that, while there were a number of injuries that could have been fatal, the cause of death was a broken neck, as if he had been shaken so hard his neck snapped and his arm dislodged.
A second victim surfaces. Jimmy, a city worker, was being lowered into a sewer to check for signs of a blockage. The safety rope he is attached to suddenly unwinds, and his crew brings him up. Well most of him: Jimmy has been mauled, and his leg has been ripped off. The deputy M.E. only ever saw this among animals. Wu suggests it was an alligator. His uncle used to tell him stories of alligators living in the sewers. Hank, Nick, and Wu (hesitantly - he is claustrophobic) head down into the sewers themselves. They find a backpack and lots of little worthless tchotchkes like a gym card and a medic ID bracelet. All of these things belonged to other burglary victims - ones who didn’t lose their lives.
A consult with Monroe leads Nick to believe they are dealing with a gelumcaedus - an alligator wesen. According to his books, a vambrace is the best defense. Luckily Nick has one in his trailer. Nick and Hank realize that there have been clusters of burglaries centered around sewer outfalls. The guys go back in, off-duty, and check the outfalls. They find a treasure trove and a bed - the beastie has been living here. He attacks, and Nick easily placates him with his vambrace. The gelumcaedus realizes that Nick is a Grimm. They take him into the station.
Gricoric refuses to answer questions. His rap sheet shows he is from Florida, and the crimes overlapped. Nick calls Hank - they are looking for others. Nick alerts Hank, but Hank doesn’t get to do much with this information. One of Grigoric’s brothers is waiting for him, knocks him out, and takes him hostage. Nick gets a call from Hank’s phone. His captor tells Nick to bring Grigoric to the outfall. Afraid for Hank, Nick agrees. As instructed, he leaves his gun in the car before entering the sewer - but he still has his vambrace on. They make the exchange of hostages, but Andre has decided that they are going to kill Hank and Nick. A third brother appears, the fighting begins, and it ends with Grigoric as the last wesen standing and he is arrested for the burglaries and murders.
In “Twelve Days of Krampus”
A couple kids steal Christmas gifts from a car and retreat to a space under the bridge to go through their loot. They are visited by a very angry Santa, with a demony face and huge horns. One of the kids he whips then puts into his Christmas sack; the other he chases into a car and crushes it. He leaves a chunk of coal on the ground. When the cops come to investigate, the kid in the car, Derek, is not dead - just terrified. At the hospital, he sees a guy dressed as Santa and has a meltdown. Nick and Hank question the Santa, but he is just a plumber who dresses up every year for the kids. Derek’s dad is okay with his son being arrested for stealing. He is a troublemaker and thinks it would do him some good. Derek admits his cohort is Quinn, but Santa took him away in his sack.
Another kid snatches some Christmas presents from a woman walking down the street. Apparently in Portland, there is an epidemic of hooligan street kids snatching Christmas presents. Anyway, this kid takes his loot to a parking garage. He is followed by the same demonic Santa who flogs him, then puts him in a sack and leaves a chunk of coal. But this time, there is a witness: a man who was coming into the garage to get his car. When he gives his statement to the police, he just assumes Santa is wearing a mask.
Hank and Nick go down to the shopping district and start interviewing Santas. A surly ex-con gives them lip, reveals himself to be wesen, and sees Nick is a Grimm. He runs, the guys give chase, and it ends with them battering the Santa in front of a small crowd of horrified onlookers - every single one of whom are recording the smack down. Naturally, it is time to check in with Monroe, who is terrified - it sounds like the legend of the Krampus. And if it is, they only have until midnight tonight before Krampus kills them. He would take the kids to the tallest tree on the tallest hill, so that is where they go. Bud comes along, too - he is good friends with Quinn’s dad, who is worried sick about his missing son. When they find the kids, hung up in the tree, Bud stays with them while Hank, Nick, and Monroe battle Krampus. Between the three of them, they have no trouble knocking Krampus out. But then they have to decide what to do with him. Krampus’ face is not going human. They can’t bring him into the station like this. Monroe wants Nick to kill him - after all, that is his job as the Grimm. Nick is hesitant after his zombie bar brawl, and Monroe and Hank try to peer pressure him into it. Hank finally volunteers to do it himself, but suddenly the clock strikes midnight and Krampus morphs into a middle-aged man.
Back at the station, the would-be Krampus has no idea what is going on. This happens every year, he blacks out for most of December, always wakes up on the 23rd, sometimes covered in blood, always in a Santa suit. Nick suggests that, since he has no idea he is a wesen and has no memory of his actions, that they turn him over to the wesen council; let them deal with it.
Meanwhile, in Vienna…
Renard has a meeting with the resistance, debating what to do about the royal families. No one trusts anyone. Renard’s two cents is that they must stop the royal families before they rule the world. His blood gives him access to those they need, and he understands wesens in a way no one else can. Plus, he has a Grimm. The meeting breaks up and I still have no idea what is going on. I assume they are going to try to instate Sean Renard and prince.
Adalind has an audience with the prince, Victor, who is Eric’s second cousin on his mother’s side. (He only considers Sean a “half-cousin.”) He wants Adalind to stay on as his attorney. Her first task is to put together a list of everyone in Portland who may have had a hand in Eric’s death. Back in her room, Adalind finds a note and a rose from Renard. He alerts her that she is being filmed in her room. Smile at the note as if he wrote something charming, change your clothes, and meet me. She follows his instructions, but has a hard time wiping the fear off her face.
Dig It or Bury It?
I don’t like that they “combined” these two episodes into a single, two-hour special. Just play them as two separate episodes. There is nothing that would tie them together otherwise.
“Gators in the sewer” was fun, but I feel like they could have given a little more back story on the urban legend. And I was really disappointed there were no mutant turtles who had an affinity for the ninja arts….
Krampus was fun too. I like the idea of a wesen that doesn’t know he is wesen.
Big Bad…
Gelumcaedus. These rare wesens are some of the oldest in existence. they were guards for Caligula, and when Rome fell, they escaped to the sewers… and just stayed there. They are the wesen versions of alligators.
Krampus. Krampus was the other half of the traditional St. Nick. He would go to naughty children, beat them with sticks, and stick them in his sack. He then hangs the kids from the tallest tree in the forest, like Christmas ornaments, and eats them at midnight on the winter solstice. in Grimm, Krampus is a a one-of-a-kind wesen who only changes for a few weeks each year, and has no idea he is doing it.
Prophecies?
In the new year, we meet Rosalee’s mom, Juliette fights a wesen, and Adalind has the baby.