by Faith-Ashleigh Wong

When you think ogre do you think of that lovable green beast called Shrek?  This week Nick almost comes face to face with death when he is confronted by a Siegbarste, an ogre-like creature.  This violent Wesen could not be anything further from Shrek.

What seemed at first to be your run-of-the-mill breaking and entering crime goes horribly violent and before you know it, Nick and Hank are investigating a string of brutal murders.  When the perpetrator leaves a clue behind, a triple homicide from a few years ago comes back to haunt Hank and he realizes that this is not just any random act of violence. 

Stark, the man who got convicted is out for revenge and the detectives soon connect the dots and realize that Hank is next on the hit list.  Medical records indicate Stark has a rare genetic disorder which gives him extraordinary strength, abnormally dense bones and dead nerves.  I smell an ogre. 

Nick gets his first real taste of the dangers of being a Grimm and getting tangled with the Wesen community when Stark comes to visit and treats Nick as his personal punching bag.  His chances of survival was really not looking good – thankfully Juliet doesn't scare easily (I suppose that comes with the territory of going out with a cop) and she saves the day.  I liked that it would not have been possible if Nick hadn't dutifully put on the pot of water to boil – shows they make a great team!

I really enjoyed this episode because of the movie-like feel to it.  The narrative arc was perfectly paced with just the right amount of action, tension and story.  Music and score have played an integral part in this series and in this particular episode I loved how it really helped accentuate and bring that "nail-biting effect" to the fight sequences.   

More than anything, I loved how character-focused this episode was.  Nick and Hank clearly have been working together for a while from their ease with each other and natural camaraderie as detectives but in this episode we get to see that outside of work, they are also friends. 

It's been quite well established by now that Captain Renard is on the wrong side of the Wesen community.  So I have to say it was a bit unnerving to see an almost caring side to him when he insisted Hank goes into protective custody for his safety.  I suppose it makes sense since his beef seems to be with Nick and not Hank. 

Each week we have been getting glimpses of him playing double agent and I can't wait for it all to be revealed which I'm sure it will be in due course.  I'm very curious about his character, specifically who he is in the Wesen community, what his intentions are and what do they have to do with Nick. 

For me, this was another great Monroe episode.  When he finds out that Nick has been beaten up, the look on his face is genuine concern.  As much as he always seems annoyed at being bothered by Nick, it's becoming clear that he has grown fond of Nick and does like getting in on the cop action.

His guilt and trepidation at entering Aunt Marie's trailer to retrieve the poison that will kill Stark soon gets replaced by fascination.  Luckily he doesn't get too distracted and he manages to save Hank thanks to his good marksmanship.  However it looks like his detective incognito days may be numbered as Captain Renard looks determined to find out who pulled that trigger.