Not so imaginary, and really not a friend.
A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth.
Nick and Hank are called to the scene of a crime where the suspect swears she was driven to madness by a very persistent talking wolf.
Meanwhile, Nick and Juliette wonder if getting his Grimm powers back is worth giving up a normal life.
Elsewhere, Bud hopes Trubel can help take care of a Wesen-related issue and the threats against Monroe and Rosalee's inter-Wesen marriage heat up.
In Austria, Adalind continues her perilous trek in the hopes of retrieving her daughter.
This episode provides examples of:
- Armor-Piercing Question: When he's called by a panicked Joshua who's unable to go home due to Verrat hunting him, Nick advises him to get somewhere safe. Joshua asks where that might be, to which Nick has no answer as it obviously occurs to him that he can't protect Joshua.
- Brought Down to Normal: Nick has been a former Grimm for a few episodes now, but with a potential solution available this episode explores what it really means for Nick not to be a Grimm anymore. Needing Trubel to come along on cases, random Wesen wanting to "teach him a lesson" now he's not super strong and being of limited use to people in trouble are all problems, but Nick finally confesses the clincher to Monroe: he liked being a Grimm, and is pissed that it's been taken away. Juliette finally gets on board when a Wolfsangel is burned on Monroe and Rosalee's lawn.
- Dirty Coward: Shaw the Klaustriech, who plans to attack Nick now he's no longer a Grimm, but backtracks in a hurry when he realises there's still a Grimm in town, who's pretty protective of Nick. Clearly, targets who can fight back aren't his thing.
- Easily-Overheard Conversation: Bud stops by to talk to Trubel, pretending it's about one of his kids and a bully until Nick is out of the way and he comes clean; a Klaustriech called Shaw has heard that Nick's not a Grimm anymore and wants to "teach him a lesson," presumably fatally. He and Trubel head out to track the guy down, and the camera pans around to show Juliette sitting around a bend on the stairs looking troubled, having clearly heard the whole thing.
- Foreshadowing: Monroe finds three identical suits in the attic, and is almost caught by "Gabriel" coming home with another in a dry-cleaning bag. This foreshadows that there are four identical Luison.
- Gaslighting:
- The Luison Gabriel is doing this to his wife, with the help of his three identical brothers. She's the sole heir to an import company worth fifty million, so they're hoping to gain control by putting her out of the way.
- Adalind is undergoing a magical version, trying to escape a hallucinatory castle while being distracted by misdirects claiming to know where her baby is.
- Improvised Weapon: Josh Porter escapes the Hunjager searching his house by throwing the urn containing his father's ashes. A strangely fitting use for a Grimm's mortal remains.
- Maligned Mixed Marriage: Monroe and Rosalee are being actively targeted by a hate group who burn a Wolfsangel on their lawn.
- Shout-Out: The opening quote is from "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" from Aesop's Fables.
- State The Simple Solution: How to prove that Ava Diaz' husband was gaslighting her and is therefore responsible for the death she caused without mentioning Wesen? Just find a mask that looks close enough to his and his brothers' woges and pretend you found it in the house. That and the existence of three previously unknown brothers seem to do the trick.
- Running Gag: Ava Diaz' hospital room number is 405, referencing the episode number.
- Underestimating Badassery: Shaw's reaction to Trubel wanting a word with him about his plans for Nick is to scoff that "Burkhardt's sending a little girl to solve his problems." He soon learns different when he's pressed up against his truck with a machete to his throat, basically wetting himself a he realises the "little girl" is also a Grimm.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Nick and Juliette are less than thrilled with the solution to Nick being Brought Down to Normal; Juliette takes a potion to look like Adalind and sleeps with Nick (basically mirroring the way Nick lost his powers). In addition to it being creepy, they're not even sure they want Nick to be a Grimm again. Various solutions are suggested, such as "pretend it's a costume" or "a dark room."
