Episode Title: “One Night Stand”
Writer: Sean Calder
Director: Steven DePaul
Previously on “Grimm:”
Episode 3.03 “A Dish Best Served Cold”
Nobody’s normal in Portland. That’s the message Nick (David Giuntoli) has for poor Jake, the young man seduced by a mermaid-like wesen known as Naiad, only to witness his friend’s drowning.
The opening scene plays like a teen horror movie as we see two couples having a good time at a lake. Things take a turn when Sarah spots her deaf sister, Elly spying in the bushes. Elly tells Sarah she loves Jake and begs her to leave him alone. Sarah responds by telling Ellie she’s “not like them” and orders her to leave. Is Sarah talking about Ellie’s hearing impairment or something else…?
It’s an intriguing opening, but unfortunately it’s a little misleading. After her confrontation with Elly, Sarah invites Jake into the water with her. Moments later, Jake’s friend, who’s also in the water with Sarah’s other sister, Anna, is pulled under. Before he can attempt to save his friend, Jake, too, is dragged below the surface. Anna and Sarah flee and Elly, who’s still nearby, rushes into the water and saves Jake.
The next day, Nick and Hank (Russell Hornsby) question Jake about the incident at the lake. It turns out he and his friend just met Sarah and Anna that day, while out fishing. As for Elly, I guess it was love at first sight when she saw Jake. In fact, Elly was so taken with Jake that she stole his cellphone, which the detectives use to locate the sisters at a nearby marina. There, Nick realizes he’s dealing with Wesen, as the girl’s father Abel wogels when Nick takes the girls away for questioning. The detectives also have a confrontation with two young men, who aren’t happy to see the cops.
Like some of the other Wesen Nick and Hank have dealt with, the Naiad girls present a problem and it’s not just that they’re suspected of murder. As Nick, Hank and Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) learn while researching in the trailer, Naiads can’t be out of water for too long or they’ll die. If the girls don’t start talking soon, the detectives could have a lot of explaining to do.
Knowing his daughters don’t have much time to live, Abel shows up at the police station and gives a false confession. It turns out to be just what the detectives need. Nick tells the girls Abel confessed to the murder and they’re free to go but Sarah refuses to let her innocent father die in jail. She agrees to talk to Nick, even after Anna warns her that he’s a Grimm. Meanwhile, Elly pays Jake a surprise visit and she takes advantage of the pool in his backyard to show him what she really is. But before he can process what he’s just seen, Jake is attacked by the two men from the marina who then kidnap Elly.
Back at the station, Sarah tells Nick what really happened at the lake the day Jake’s friend was drowned. Naiad men are sterile, she explains and therefore the women must mate with outsiders or they’ll die out. However, once a man has mated with a Naiad, he’s outlived his usefulness. At least that’s how some Naiad men see it, particularly the two from the marina.
Now aware of who killed Jake’s friend, the detectives race to the marina after getting a call from Jake about Elly’s kidnapping. They arrive in time to save her and arrest the two men. As for Jake, he’s left to come to his own conclusions about the “mutant mermaid thing” he saw.
While Nick and Hank are tracking down murderous mermen, Renard (Sasha Roiz) gets more cryptic messages from Sebastian (Christian Lagadec) about what’s going down in Vienna with Adalind, Frau Pech and the Royal baby. Unfortunately, this story line has slowed to a crawl as watching Renard read text messages doesn’t make for the most exciting television. Neither does watching Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) read Nick’s email aloud. On a positive note, it looks like Nick’s mom, Kelly might be back on the scene, based on the email about “spending the money” (the three coins?) he gets signed “M.”
Also of note, Nick’s still looking a little peaked, especially after he saves Elly from drowning. Hank mentions how impossibly long Nick was underwater and that he kinda looks like death. but Nick isn’t concerned. According to the doctor, he’s in great shape. The mystery of Nick’s condition has yet to be explained, but that’s not surprising, as “Grimm” tends to draw these things out an episode or so too long. At least Monroe and Rosalee (Bree Turner) are making progress with moving in together. A wesen couple living together should certainly have some pretty interesting “creature comforts.”
