Rosalee tells a different kind of Grimm's fairy tale.
I think I had a mother once.
Nick and Hank investigate the death of a woman who went missing a years earlier when her body is found in the woods after escaping some form of imprisonment. At the root of her disappearance are four Wesen kids who wanted a mother after fleeing a foster system not intended for people like them. Now they're looking for a replacement mother, and when they meet Rosalee, an act of kindness puts her in the crosshairs.
As Adalind settles into her new life with Nick and baby Kelly, an old friend makes an interesting offer.
This episode provides examples of:
- Call-Back:
- When they're packing up to move, Nick tells Adalind "You were my first," (Wesen that he saw), referencing the Pilot. Adalind tells him it was memorable for her as well; she'd never seen a Grimm before.
- Rosalee finds the bullet hole from where Juliette almost made Nick shoot Monroe and says she misses the old, pre-Hexenbiest Juliette.
- Children Are Innocent: Averted, certainly in Monroe's opinion (and that's before Rosalee is abducted).Monroe: I tell you, two things I know about kids. One: they're the future and should be cherished. Two: they're lying little bastards.
Rosalee: What if we decide to have a couple, huh? You gonna feel that way about them?
Monroe: Oh, no, I was just talking about kids in general. You know, not our kids. - Cliffhanger: The episode ends with Meisner walking down a corridor of metal doors in an Elaborate Underground Base, opening the door at the end to reveal Trubel.Meisner: Let's go. It's time.
- Double Meaning: When Rosales tells the tale of the Wolf and the Grimm, this exchange happens. To the kids, it's part of the story. But earlier, she had warned that people would look for her. The kids didn't listen to "Mother" when she warned about Nick.Lily: Did he listen to his mother?Rosalee: No. And that's always a mistake.
- End of an Age: Nick moves out of his house with Adalind and Kelly, leaving it behind forever. This marks a shift in tone for the show, and the end of Nick attempting to maintain a normal life.
- Fairy Tale: In-universe example. After four seasons of hearing that Wesen kids grew up hearing scary stories about evil Grimms, we finally get to hear (most of) one as Rosalee tells her kidnappers a bedtime story. It's about a Blutbad boy who doesn't heed his parents' warnings not to woge in public, does so in front of a Grimm and gets killed. His parents want revenge, and set a trap for the Grimm. We don't hear the rest, but presumably it doesn't end well for the parents because Rosalee tells Monroe later that it's one where everyone dies. Which makes sense, as the moral of such stories is presumably, "stay away from Grimms."
- Family of Choice: The children clearly care about each other like a family, having all run away from a foster system that wasn't equipped for them. In a darker variation of the trope, they also choose themselves new mothers through abduction.
- Foreshadowing:
- Nick shows Adalind the opening to tunnels under the city, dating from Prohibition. That will be important in later episodes.
- Adalind goes shopping with Kelly and runs into an old colleague who tells her she could easily get her old job back, and for a higher salary. Later in the season, she follows his advice.
- Guile Hero: The story Rosalee tells her kidnappers is chosen to figure out how much they know about themselves and the Wesen world, while also ensuring they'll be scared of Nick when he finds her. They fall asleep as she tells the story, so she woges, bites through her bonds and runs away.
- Internal Reveal: Meisner visits Renard in his office to tell him Diana is with the Resistance and that Viktor is now king thanks to a deal he made.
- Lesser of Two Evils: The children being taken back into the system they ran away from, but as criminals this time. Rosalee is concerned that they'll grow up with even more reasons to hate society, but it's not as if they can be released to continue abducting women.
- Lonely Together: Adalind asks Nick to (platonically) share her bed because she doesn't want to sleep alone. He accepts, implicitly for the same reason.Adalind: Sorry. New place, couldn't sleep. [...] Nick... I don't want to be alone right now. I know this is... well, whatever it is, but... maybe just for tonight, you could sleep in our room? [Beat] I'm sorry. This is too weird.
Nick: I think we're beyond weird at this point. [Joins her] - Meaningful Name: The Wesen name Apgadnieks means "guardian," and Peter acts not only as leader to the children, but is very protective of them.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Rosalee is sympathetic to the homeless child who tries to steal medicine for his sick sister and lets him take it, which leads the children to decide she'll be perfect as their new mother and kidnap her.
- Past Victim Showcase: After the Victim of the Week dies trying to escape, Big John cuts a lock of her hair and puts it in a box with other mementoes of the gang's "mothers".
- Powerful and Helpless: Monroe is on the phone with Rosalee when she's abducted and hears the whole thing, but is across town and can't do anything to help her.
- Properly Paranoid: Nick and Adalind's new home. It's hidden in the top floor of an abandoned paint factory with a keypad and key for entry. None of Nick's old furniture is there because he "[didn't] want the removal guys to know where we are," (the furniture went into storage instead, apart from the baby stuff which they brought themselves). Nick's tour focuses on escape routes and security features as if it's a safe house rather than a home, and Adalind looks increasingly uncertain as he goes on. However, she doesn't complain as it's clear his decisions come from grief, trauma and a desire to keep them safe.Adalind: [Quietly] Home sweet home.
- Secret Underground Passage: Nick and Adalind's new apartment has one, apparently dating back to Prohibition.
- Shout-Out: To Peter Pan. The title is obvious, but there's also the children's names: Peter (Peter Pan), Big John (John Darling), Miguel (Michael Darling) and Lily (Tiger Lily). Warden Hooke (Captain James Hook), and Wendy Henley (Wendy Darling) are also examples. The opening quote is also from the book.
- Spotting the Thread: When looking through security footage from a bank down the street from the Spice Shop, the gang don't see the abduction, leading Monroe to decide they're wasting their time. However, Nick spots the truck from the Victim of the Week's abduction two years earlier, leading him to realise the cases are linked.
- Trauma Button: Rosalee's abduction is obviously especially horrifying for Monroe, all things considered. Fortunately, she's recovered quickly and safely.
