Grimm Season 4 episode 21 recap: “Headache

GRIMM -- "Headache" Episode 421 -- Pictured: (l-r) Jacqueline Toboni as Trubel, David Giuntoli as Nick Burkhardt, Russell Hornsby as Hank Griffin -- (Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)

This is the second to last Grimm episode of the season, which is shaping up to be rather bonkers. Jack the Ripper is loose in Portland, Juliette has gone from Hexenbitch to full on collaborator with Kenneth and the Royal Goon Squad, who has lured Kelly, Nick’s Mom, back to town.

The show opens where we left off last week, with Nick in the unfortunate position of having his drawn pistol controlled by Juliette. Everyone in the shop takes cover except for Monroe, who seems immobile with fear as Nick draws a bead on him. Hank dives for Monroe as Nick pulls the trigger, just missing him. Juliette is exhilarated, pleased with herself for the fun of terrorizing people she once loved. She thanks the team for testing the Hexenbiest potion on Adalind, making her desire for revenge that much easier to accomplish. She exits. The group is now done with Juliette. Nick gets on the phone to warn Renard that Juliette is loose and fully powered up, but it’s Saucy Jack who answers, informing the detective that “we had a rough night.”

Fearing the worst, Nick and Hank rush to Renard’s, arriving at the same time as Wu. They approach the house, guns drawn, prepared to batter the door down, but it’s unlocked. Nick and Hank go in the front, Wu joins them, coming in from a side door that was suspiciously left open. Renard is in the house alone. Hank confirms that the last call on Renard’s phone was from Nick, but Renard claims to have no memory of the call, the last thing he remember was visiting Henrietta.

Nick, Hank, Wu and Renard, bust down the door at Henrietta’s only to find her dead body on the floor, making things a bit complicated for Renard. The detectives hang out while the forensics team does it’s work, as day turns to dusk. Hank and Nick are off to the side, where Hank makes the insightful observation that Jack used the term “We” when he answered Nick’s call, which leads them to the conclusion that Jack isn’t working alone. Renard is pretty sure the killer is after him, but Nick and Hank suspect something worse. Nick orders surveillance on the Captain’s house.

Nick’s across the street neighbors receive a visit from the Royal Goon Squad. They are quickly dispatched (ruthlessly slaughtered is more accurate) so that Kenneth and the boys can keep an eye out for Nick and His mom and the royal baby, Diana. With the neighbors taken care of, Juliette and Kenneth casually stroll into Nick’s house. She gives Kenneth the tour so he can plan for Kelly’s arrival. Upstairs, in the bedroom she and Nick once shared, Juliette puts the moves on Kenneth.

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GRIMM — “Headache” Episode 421 — Pictured: (l-r) Nico Evers-Swindell as Prince Kenneth, Bitsie Tulloch as Juliette Silverton — (Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)

Meanwhile, The boys have secured Renard’s house, at least they made a show of it. Renard confesses to Hank and Nick about his visions, blackouts, bleeding wounds and the fact that’s why he went to Henrietta’s for help. All this confirms what the detectives already suspect: that Renard and The Ripper could be one in the same.

Nick returns home, hoping for a little peace and quiet, after a long couple of days even for him. Unfortunately, upstairs, he finds that his bed has been “slept” in. Gross. Rather that strip the sheets and burn them, he has a moment of clarity. He calls Hank when he realizes there is one person who might know what’s going on with Renard: Adalind.

Speaking of Renard, he seems to be having bad dreams yet again. He wakes up and splashes water on his face. He convulses in pain as his wounds open up yet again, and Jack emerges all sneering with his thick accent. Renard tries to fight him off and passes out.

Nick and Hank catch Bud at home, sleeping in his chair with a baseball bat on his lap. Their phone call nearly kills the poor fella with fear. While Nick goes to check on Adalind, Bud confesses to Hank that the stress is getting to him. Nick tells Adalind about their confrontation with Juliette, news she doesn’t receive particularly well. Adalind does confirm that Nick is right about Renard. All his symptoms add up to the likelihood that, between the moment of his death and his Mother resurrecting him, A portal opened up and Renard has a spiritual hitchhiker.

The following morning, hank is just about to enjoy a cup of coffee at Monroe’s, as they go over their plans for fixing Renard with a potion meant to induce a deathlike state to fool old Jack and Renard. Before Hank can get his coffee, Nick gets a call and they have to hurry back to the station.

A mysterious visitor is paying a visit to the burned out trailer. All we can see are a jaunty pair of combat boots kicking the debris around.

At the station, Nick and Hank review surveillance footage of the area where the last working girl was killed. It takes a minute, but Nick finally comes across footage of Renard, near the scene at the right (or wrong) time. Renard asks to speak to the detectives privately. He goes on about losing his mind, and hearing a voice inside his head. This leads Nick to ask about the footage but Renard doesn’t remember, believing he was at home at the time. Nick tells Renard that it’s he’s been possessed, and that Renard is going to have to surrender his weapon. Renard agrees to be placed under house arrest as long as someone who knows the sitch does it – Hello Wu. They give Wu the assignment, and leave. Renard flips into Jack mode for a sec, saying “this should be a jolly good romp” (such a fun loving guy!) while giving Wu the side eye.

Juliette gets dropped at Nick’s house in preparation for the evening’s festivities (aka springing the trap on Kelly Burkhardt.)

Wu, meanwhile is in position in front of Renard’s as the sun sets.

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GRIMM — “Headache” Episode 421 — Pictured: Reggie Lee as Sgt. Wu — (Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)

Rosalee and Monroe are putting the finishing touches on the Dead Faint potion. There is some concern that what Renard knows, Jack also knows, so the team is going to have to emphatically convince Jack/Renard that the death is real, so the killer will exit.

Renard is once again losing it. His wounds bleed as Jack comes forward, writing something on the mirror in Renard’s blood. Renard seems to come to reading the note on the mirror. He runs outside shouting that the killer is inside, so Wu goes to help the Captain but Jack takes over and he K.O.s Wu after a brief scuffle.

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GRIMM — “Headache” Episode 421 — Pictured: Sasha Roiz as Captain Sean Renard — (Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)

From their vantage point across from Nick’s, Kenneth and company are alerted to a hooded figure prowling around the porch. They make the call to Juliette wondering if they should spring the trap, but before anything can happen, the hooded prowler walks away. Kenneth tells Juliette it was “just some kid.” A brief moment of recognition passes on Juliette’s face, but she doesn’t seem to say anything.

Jack is driving Wu’s car and having a jolly old time of it, while Wu is trying to talk Jack down from the back seat.

Nick and Hank arrive at Renard’s too late, but they do find Wu’s pistol on the ground. They call a trace in on Wu’s squad car. Inside the house, the detectives find the bloody message on Renard’s mirror: Welcome Back Jack.

Wu is freaked out now, Renard shows no signs of coming back anytime soon, and Jack appears to be having a grand time of it. Jack pulls the squad car up to a corner where there’s a couple of working girls, where Jack takes a minute to taunt Wu before exiting the car to make his move, leaving Wu to watch helplessly. Jack picks up the one girl on the corner, a blonde who isn’t creeped out at all by Jack’s obvious leer.

Nick and Hank get word from the PD that they have the location of Wu’s car.

Meanwhile, the prowler, who should be familiar by now, has her head down as she walks down the sidewalk. She’s being tailed by one of Kenneth’s goons. He follows her around a corner but his quarry has vanished. He checks under a nearby car and when he doesn’t find anything he Woges, hoping to use his heightened perceptions. He’s decapitated almost as soon as he Woges, and the familiar boots casually kick the head aside. The figure bends down to check the palm of the man, revealing the Royal’s brand on his palm. The camera pans up to reveal what we already know: Trubel is back in town, and not a moment too soon.

Wu is now losing his mind in the backseat, while Saucy Jack is off putting the moves on his next victim. Nick and Hank arrive and free the apoplectic Wu, but they can’t see the Captain anywhere, that is, until Nick fires up his super Grimm senses and hears Jack in the distance getting fresh with his prey. Nick, Hank and Wu, grab Jack/Renard moments before Jack can slash the throat of his latest victim. They chase the girl off and cuff Renard who has no memory of the whole scene.

The cops bring Renard back to the Spice Shop where Rosalee and Monroe are standing by with the nasty looking potion. They quaintly tell him that the potion is going to help bring his memory back, uncuff him so he can drink it, then politely inform him that he should lie down. They have their guns ready just in case.

Kenneth and Company watch from across the street as a black SUV pulls up. Juliette gets a call. It’s Nick’s mom. Juliette tells her to come inside. Kelly takes Daina with her to the house and goes in. Juliette hears Kelly call to her then immediately hears the sounds of a pretty fierce struggle. Juliette walks carefully out of the bedroom upstairs until she can hear the Goons take Kelly away, leaving the house quiet. She creeps down the stairs to find Diana sitting alone on the floor, no sign of Kelly. Juliette scoops the kid up, grateful that she’s alive, when Kenneth strolls in, face splattered with blood. “We got her,” he says triumphantly, and, seeing Diana, says, “We’ve got her too.” Juliette looks a bit stricken at this point, revealing that there might be a bit of the human in her after all.

Back at the Spice Shop, Renard is feeling the effects of the Dead Faint and is soon out cold. Rosalee approaches gingerly to check his pulse and is satisfied as it gets slower and slower. That is, until Renard/Jack lurches up and grabs Rosalee by the throat. All the cops have their guns drawn but don’t want to accidentally shoot Rosalee, who, wisely, Woges to bite Jack on the arm causing him to lose his grip. As she dives out of the way, the cops open fire on ol’ Jack who goes down in a hail of what turns out to be rubber bullets. But the subterfuge worked, and a puff of black vapor rises from Renard’s mouth. Rosalee injects the antidote to the potion into Renard’s neck. He comes to.

They help Renard to his feet, hopeful that Jack is gone, but Renard isn’t sure the potion worked because he still can’t remember anything. Suddenly he’s wracked with pain and opens his shirt to check for bleeding, sure that the whole scheme was a failure, but the wounds, rather than bleed, fade and disappear. Jack is gone. No sooner to they win that battle than there’s a knock at the door. They let Trubel in who gives them the bad news that something big and bad went down at Nick’s place, and that she’s just killed a Hundjager.

Kenneth and Juliette are in the back of his car with Diana. He’s elated that their plan seems to have gone so well, but there is a definite look of doubt on Juliette’s face.

Nick, the cops and Trubel return to Nick’s to see just what is going on. Whatever it was is over, except there’s a conspicuous box in the dining room that seems to be leaking blood. Nick reluctantly opens it suspecting, like we all are, what ‘s inside. Sure enough, it’s Kelly’s severed head. Nick recoils in horror and fury, bellowing a heap of “NOO!”s as he crumples to the floor.

GRIMM -- "Headache" Episode 421 -- Pictured: (l-r) Jacqueline Toboni as Trubel, David Giuntoli as Nick Burkhardt, Russell Hornsby as Hank Griffin -- (Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)
GRIMM — “Headache” Episode 421 — Pictured: (l-r) Jacqueline Toboni as Trubel, David Giuntoli as Nick Burkhardt, Russell Hornsby as Hank Griffin — (Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)

Nuff Said.

Next week looks to be insane, so I hope you’ll join me then. Cheers!

The Grimm Season 4 finale premieres Friday, May 15 at 8pm ET on NBC.

Photo by: Scott Green/NBC