Television Review: Grimm, Season 6

Programme: Grimm, Series 6

Company: GK Productions

Date: 2017

Plot: All 13 episodes from the sixth season of the US supernatural drama following Portland homicide detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli), who discovers that he’s descended from a line of Grimms, hunters who fight supernatural forces.

 Able to perceive the unearthly beings around him that nobody else can see, Nick finds himself having to keep the balance between humanity and the mythological creatures of the Grimm world. In this season, Nick is forced to lay low while Renard (Sasha Roiz) tries to hunt him down and the team make a terrible discovery after a body is found in a park.

Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5

After four years of watching Grimm, I’ve reached the end of the road. While the first season might have taken a few episodes to grab my attention, I can’t deny I have enjoyed the entire show. Some episodes are stronger than others, some seasons better than previous ones, but it remained solid and engaging throughout: not an easy task considering how many shows ruin themselves rather than stopping when the time is right.

Season 6 is half the length of previous seasons. After commenting how strong season 5 was, I didn’t think this one had the same power. Relationships were more settled – Nick/Adalind are a couple, Eve is a member of the gang rather than an unknown agent and Sean is back on the wrong side – and it has a more settled, content feeling than before.

There was an underlying story arc – understanding the stick and the symbols present on the mysterious cloth – but it wasn’t as prominent as in previous seasons. The tension also wasn’t as high (probably because of those settled relationships) and although the complicated relationship between Nick and Sean made for compelling viewing, it wasn’t to the same extent as their fight beforehand.

But, despite the softer pacing and tension, this was a strong season. I liked how settled the characters are now. Hank and Wu are more of a double-act this time than previously as Nick tries to juggle being first a fugitive, then a father, in a world that doesn’t let him find peace. While I missed the Nick/Hank scenes, there were still enough to keep me happy.

Changing alliances are a continual theme: Adalind is forced by Sean’s side for the first half of the season, unable to risk her children. But Sean himself isn’t as black and white: he starts to realise his previous choices weren’t the best ones. After the development of his character in earlier seasons, I wanted him to be back on the side of good to stop it undermining the development we had previously witnessed.

The ending, in a way, disappointed me. Don’t get me wrong: it was gripping and I couldn’t watch it fast enough. But (no spoilers here) considering what had happened by twenty minutes into the episode and what it meant for Nick, I kind of guessed how it was going to be resolved. While I was right, I also still enjoyed it – it wasn’t done in a cringe-worthy way. Same with showing the final scene being in the future: it becomes a neat way to wrap everything up and conclude the show by giving a glimpse into the types of lives the characters ultimately had.

This season did have a powerful episode for me, however, where I was in floods of tears. Despite the magical nature of the show, when they introduce very real illnesses – such as dementia – it makes very powerful viewing.

I’d recommend this series to anyone wanting something a little fantastical to watch, and will definitely be one I return to.

Amazon

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