pfeifferpack2003-1

25 May 2012

Nice mix

Going to try to avoid spoilers in this review.The writers have melded formula cop material with horror in a viableway. Add in a mix of humor, sprinkled carefully, and you have themakings of another Angel or Buffy. Beautiful locations that add to thegeneral mood, rounded out with a good cast argurs well for this to be asuccessful entry.The premiere gave all the basic information to follow the premise of afamily line that can see the supernatural and have been dealing withthe evil around us for centuries yet is letting the viewer "learn"along with the main character (the latest in the line to discover his"gift"). The supporting cast, human and otherwise, are strongcharacters as well. Nick (the latest "Grimm") already has a job as acop with good instincts and his new talents, so far, have enhancedrather than disturbed his career.Given the quality of writing and acting shown in this entry the showshould draw viewers looking for something a bit different yet stillwithin a comfort zone.

korgaard59

25 May 2012

Time will tell.

This thing has started out well enough. The hero is attractive, has adark mission he does not yet completely understand, and seems to bewell on his way to collecting a quirky cadre of sidekicks to help himwith his calling.... Hey, does Joss Whedon know that someone has rippedoff the first seasons of "BTVS" and "Angel"? Even if he does know, heprobably is not overly concerned because he must also be aware of thepotential traps inherent in approaching an horror series from such adirection. The problem is formula.Both Buffy and Angel started with similar "beast of the week" formatsthat involved our protagonists' struggles in discovering and combatingthe numerous creepies inhabiting their dramatic universe. Whedon didthis in fine style, mixing action and scariness with tongue usuallyheld at least semi-firmly in cheek. A few seasons into it, however,fatigue seems to have set in. The beasts begin to exhaust themselves.Enter the over-arching storyline. Now critics LOVE these continuingstory lines, seeing them as a way to add more dramatic depth to bothstory and characters through a series' run. While this can certainlyhappen, it can also allow writers to ease up on plot development,substituting with repetitive and usually meaningless character clashes.This is not only traditional, but also works quite well in daytimesoaps, where nobody really expects or even wants much to happenplot-wise before the traditional big wedding at the end of the season.In a sci-fi/horror/fantasy series, however, it can be a dramaticdisaster. Even "BTVS", which I believe can lay claim to some of thebest writing ever done for television, faltered due to an over relianceupon continuing story lines. Promised apocalypses fell flat becausewriters failed to add enough real dramatic content to the story lineswhich promised them as their climax.The challenge for "Grimm", then, will be to provide something that atleast FEELS fresh. "Beast of the week". "Angel", "BTVS", and theshort-lived "Special Unit 2" have already done that very well. Longstory arch? It's been done and presents certain writing traps. Timewill tell.

juliasarnold

24 May 2012

Fun

Spoiler alert! I find this very entertaining. I am actually a Grimm by blood. Myhusband and I laugh like crazy when we watch this. My great grandmotherwas a Grimm descended from a brother of the "Brothers Grimm". (it was abig family) In fact, my ancestor and another of his brothers created abook bindery in Madison, Wisconsin when they came to the states. Itstill stands today. To top it off, I went to college in Portland! This story line seems very much in the same vein as Laurell K.Hamilton. The parallels are great in "Leave it to Beavers" Seriously, afriend will help you move, a true friend will help you move bodies. Ihope to enjoy this for many seasons.The music is cool too.

billygardener19

24 May 2012

Grimm is an outstanding show

"Grimm" has turned out to be my favorite show....period. The acting issuperb, and the actors seem to be ideal for the parts. The Grimm,himself, has the perfect look, and the whole thing is very believable.The writers have to be the cleverest on television. There's so muchwritten into the plot and dialog that almost needs a second viewingjust to catch everything. I get more satisfied every week as I watchthe conclusion. This latest one, about "beavers" meeting in their lodgewas brilliant. There are great imaginations behind this show, and Ihope it stays around for a long time it is just that good. We needsomething of quality like this to offset the misery of unreality TV.

Luke Gornick

22 May 2012

Grimm

Grimm is a new show from a channel I do not usually watch, and I haveto say it was better than I expected. The acting is very good, and thecharacters have a lot of depth. I am writing this review after watchingthe first ten episodes of season one, so I hope it stays this good.Grimm puts a great twist on a bunch of fairy tales, all the while notmaking the stories unbelievable. However, do not watch this show if youdon't have a strong stomach, as some scenes are horribly gruesome anddisgusting. My personal favorite character Monroe adds a sense of comicrelief to the show without being stupid or overly silly. So overall agood show, could be better. But if you like the general aspect of theseries, I suggest you start watching it. It is worth your time, butnothing too special.

22 May 2012

...If you like shows that have the main character chasing after monsters that were written about in old folklore just to save someone they dont even know... Give it a shot!

I'm not the best at giving reviews, I am only sixteen, so bare with me.I found the pilot interesting, to say the least. It did a wonderful jobat introducing the main characters and the main gist to how everyepisode will go. I think this idea the creators came up with has a lotof potential. I enjoyed watching this and hope it will be continued onfor more than just that, a pilot. I can seriously picture myselfsitting down every night to watch this. I have yet to find a seriesthat I can follow with for more than a few episodes, and I do believe Ican sit down and watch this through out the entire series. I'ddefinitely give it a shot it I were you; depending on if you like showsthat have the main character chasing after monsters that were writtenabout in old folklore just to save someone they don't even know. Ican't wait for more episodes. Definitely worth ten stars!

wandijoe75

21 May 2012

Grimm I Love it!

OMG I LOVE this show it is so much fun to watch nothing boring aboutit. It makes you think ahead I'm debating over in my mind about hisgirlfriend I think she has a few secrets too! I love his friend andthink he is pretty funny. There is so much to this show and so muchthey can do with the story line. It's a blast to watch. Just like theMedium was. I miss that show a lot. Grimm is just pure fun andinteresting to watch. Give it a shot you won't be sorry. I find itmight be a little scary for some kids under age 9 they might not getwhat is going on.They will probably be scared of people changing intomonsters and not get why. Parents need to know what their child canhandle watching as this show could cause some kids bad dreams. Thenthere are some kids that nothing scare them so I'm just F.Y.I.ingparents out there. Grimm is a fun show but not for all kids to watch.

breeness56

20 May 2012

Cant wait till Episode 2

This Pilot was one of the better pilots I have seen in a long time. Ifeel I will love this show. I also thought it did a great job to thrillus and humor us. It was well directed. It was well written. Itintroduced us to the characters that needed to be introduced right now.It didn't kill anyone off that didn't need to be killed off. I justlove Tim Bagley. It moved at a good pace. It had sarcasm and banterbetween the characters and I love that he met a sidekick. :) It wasdark and twisted and loved to spook us at the right moments. You needpopcorn and the lights off for this show to get a truly suspensefulexperience. Thank you for my new favorite show!!

blissfulxlife

19 May 2012

Love this show!

So far, so good! With the pilot episode, I was pretty much instantlyhooked. It was one of the best pilots for a show that I've seen in awhile. It truly gave you an in-depth look at what the show will beabout and so far, it's quite entertaining. As the episode progressed,it had me wanting more and more. If it keeps this up, It'll be trulysad if it's ever taken off the air. Love the characters and greatchoice of main characters, the acting is good, love the set and theoverall plot is very different which makes it well worth the watch.Need I say more? If you're reading this, you should try to give it awatch. I can't wait for more!

jswartz-222-13797

18 May 2012

Big fan of the show

I love this show and hope it gets renewed. Much better concept than"Once Upon A Time, in my estimation. I love the character of Monroe andthink that he brings a lot to the series. Silas Wier Mitchell reallynails the part- half drama, half humor. Love him. I hope it stays onFriday nights, too. There's too much competition on Thursdays. It's abreath of fresh air among all of the copy cat type shows. Also likeDavid Giuntoli a lot as the reluctant hero. it's nice to see Portlandfeatured, too, a good change of pace from all the L.A.based shows.Theymake the most of the special effects, too. I don't know what theirbudget is, but they do a lot with what they've got.

Anthony Pittore III

16 May 2012

Rip-off alert 2011

Seriously, this couldn't be much more of a ripoff of Dylan Dog (whichhas been in publication for, what, 25 years?). Really, the onlydistinct difference is that the main character is a current cop insteadof a former cop turned into private investigator. It's nothing morethan basically a prequel, in that case, especially seeing as the maincharacter in 'Grimm' isn't going to last long on the force with theamount of police protocol he pisses on illegally. Couldn't they have at least cast a different lead to maybe separate thetwo works a bit? The guy in this just basically looks like a lessattractive version of Dylan Dog. I really hope the show doesn't last long if they don't start makingstrides to separate it from what they're stealing from. Also, if your visual effects are beaten by that of 'Buffy,' you havesome serious work to do. Stray from the CGI & use makeup if your CGI isgoing to look this pathetic. -AP3-

phil-johnston3

16 May 2012

Decent idea, poorly executed.

You should never judge a book by it's cover and the same should be saidof a new show's pilot episode. The budget is usually pretty limited andthe creative team are still tweaking their ideas. That said, Grimm wasstill nothing special. It feels like an awkward mish-mash of the bestparts of Angel, Supernatural and every buddy cop movie ever. The leadcharacter, Nick, is a cop who is about to propose to his girlfriend.His terminally ill aunt shows up out of the blue on the day of amysterious murder in the woods and tells him that he's a Grimm and theaudience is left to assume that a Grimm is someone who fights monsters.No real explanation, just a trailer full of dusty old books and amysterious key. That's the premise of the show. Cop by day, monsterfighter by night. On paper it probably seemed like a good idea and in aworld which has found itself obsessed with the supernatural on thecoattails of the Twilight phenomenon and you can see why the studiopicked the show up.But the pilot of Grimm never finds it footing. The script feels cobbledtogether, never really deciding whether it wants to be tongue in cheekor take itself seriously and be genuinely scary and as a result itachieves neither. David Giuntoli appears to subscribe to the recenttrend of frowning instead of acting, but he wasn't given much to workwith in terms of character development. The other players don't reallyseem to matter and it's a testament to lazy scripting. Instead ofinteresting and dynamic characters for our hero to bounce his linesoff, we're given empty shells that are defined by theircharacteristics, not their character. Black cop who's name we don'tremember, cancer patient aunt who tells Nick he's a hero and cuteredheaded girlfriend all make appearances but don't really add much tothe experience.All in all, Grimm was a bit of a disappointment. When we weren't havingtedious product placement jammed down our throats we were enduring thetotally unenthusiastic performances of dry dialogue. If the genreappeals to you, go pick up a DVD of the first season of Supernaturalwhich managed to be witty and scary at the same time. Or even better,head back into the 90's and look into Buffy or Angel, because Grimm isreally nothing special.

CharWoman

15 May 2012

Stylish balance of humor, horror, and imagination

***Possible very minor spoilers herein***Six episodes in now, Grimm seems to have really found its stride. Itwas a little awkward now and then in the first couple of episodes onlywhile it was busy establishing the premise, but the writing is solid,the recurring characters are enjoyable in their own right, and the maintheme--a born "monster-hunter" hearing his calling in a world recentlyrevealed to be full of said monsters--has deftly avoided the obviousand played Good™ v. Evil™ model and instead been imagined as a muchmore organic and nuanced ecosystem in which the conflicts are notalways as they first seem and the Grimm himself is arguably in the samecategory as the supernatural species he so often pursues for theircrimes. Nick is introduced as a police officer who has learned that he's amongthe last of a long line of Grimms, and the imminent death of hisnearest relative has caused his Grimmyness to manifest mainly as theability to recognize the not-quite-humans around him--but only whenthey lose their cool for a moment and display their supernaturalstreaks, something ordinary humans can't see. (Creepily, some of themseem to never lose control, so Nick doesn't always know what he'sdealing with.) This and the ancestral knowledge conveyed to him(centuries of family research, a collection of specialized weaponry,and insider help from a reformed Blutbad) seem to be the sum of Nick'sGrimm-gifts, although perhaps a natural combat instinct and desire forjustice also form part of the genetic package. He's a natural cop and atough customer, but he's also not invincible, which I appreciate.Despite the extensive documentation and conventional knowledge aboutthe various supernatural creatures in this ecology, we realize there'sstill plenty to learn and, even better, that choice has a much biggerpart to play than it might if worse writers were on the case. Thepremise lends itself to analogies of dealing with the hand we're dealtand either struggling to make the best of ourselves without losing whowe are or indulging ourselves in the worst of our natures. We also havethemes of how to survive and even thrive in a world we might not beperfectly suited for but on which we depend, if we are to enjoy thebenefits of civilization. Suffice to say each episode might make youthink, although it goes down like candy, not broccoli.The Pacific NW location is well-chosen and beautifully shot and set up,with joy in the use of color and occasional winks to fairy tale imagerywithout being picturesque. It's easy enough to follow but they don'tspell everything out in big grade-school letters, so there's thestimulation of piecing some things together for yourself. Each episodeincorporates thoughtful homages to the stories of old but inventssomething new and interesting in each one, with many great Eek! momentsincluded and reasonable though not excessive amounts of blood and gore.The fantasy is grounded on an underpinning of plausible weekly crimeprocedurals. And it's sophisticated and often sexy without being anexcuse for soft porn. Nothing seems gratuitous. All, so far, has beenin excellent balance. Skillful casting--the acting has been uniformly good and the choicesfor both recurring and guest roles have been pleasing. The guest actorsare well-used and often include some of my favorites (Patrick Fischler,Tim Bagley). Although Nick's character could be drawn a little morethoroughly, he works well as a sort of glass through which we see hisworld and we feel like we're discovering it along with him. Nick andhis partner Hank have good cop chemistry, and the plots seem to workeven though Hank is not yet in on the secret. Monroe (although createdperhaps for convenience's sake) has been the most fun of all. Nick'sfiancé Juliette is not quite fleshed out yet but I suspect the writershave special plans for her as the story continues to unfold at itspleasingly natural pace. The dialogue is smooth and funny without beingtoo 'clever' or overly defusing the darker goings-on. If you liked the X-Files, you might enjoy Grimm. It's worth checkingout, and I hope they let it continue on the path it has found and notturn it into something suitable for being made into a video game.

ctomvelu1

15 May 2012

Maybe

It's tough to do a new horror/fantasy show with Fox's "Supernatural"still on the air, even if "Supernatural" itself has grown stale afterseveral seasons. "Supernatural" is the equivalent of "Law and Order,"the crime/courtroom drama against which all similar shows must bejudged. Or take the original "Star Trek." The only show that has evermeasured up to that groundbreaking sci-fi effort was "Firefly." But Idigress. "Grimm" attempts to be a bit of "The X-Files" and more than abit of "Supernatural." It also employs a gimmick that I haven't seenused since a couple of those syndicated Canadian jobs years ago, wherelaw enforcement types were actually benign vampires or resurrected fromthe grave to fight crime. In the case of "Grimm," the leading man -- adetective, of course -- has the ability to see demons and otherpreternatural/supernatural creatures. "Grimm" isn't all that bad. Theplots are derived from old German fairy tales (hence the show's title),and there's a bit of violence and nastiness in every episode. Theleading man (David Giuntoli) and his partner (David Hornsby), however,are generic and utterly bland. They are no Sam and Dean. The least theshow's producers could have done was hire someone like the actor whoplays an FBI agent on "Warehouse 13," who clearly was hired for hisphysical resemblance to the ruggedly handsome David "Angel" Boreanaz.Every time I see Giuntoli on screen, all I can think of is this kidneeds a haircut and about 10 more years on him. He looks like hebelongs n high school. A quirky civilian who helps the cops, and who isa sort of werewolf, is far more interesting. Thank God for the actor,Silas Mitchell, who plays him. Mitchell reminds me of Eric Balfour, whoplays a similarly quirky civilian who helps the similarly generic,bland law enforcement officials on SyFy's HAVEN. I don't see "Grimm"lasting more than a season or two. See what you think. It is moderatelyentertaining for what it is.

ericsaxon25

14 May 2012

A Great Show In A Time Of Great Shows

I'm glad that the networks are finally competing for an audience again.A lot of TV series keep rehashing the same old stories and people areturning away to Cable TV for original shows.I think "Grimm" is NBC's way of saying, "Hey there now, we're notgiving up." Love the show, love the stories, was waiting for the nextepisode during Thanksgiving Weekend and now I'm waiting the week afterand I have yet to see the next episode. I don't know why NBC is tryingto kill this show by making its audience go somewhere else forentertainment.Either way, the show is great, the stories are hella weird and thisshow is out there, along with American Horror Stories, the only twoshows I'm currently watching on TV.

Andrew Biz

13 May 2012

Waiting for my gals Snow White and Goldilocks to make anappearance!

—– 'Grimm' shares the same premise as 'Once' – fairy tales are not justfantasies your learn as a child but real stories about a supernaturalworld blended into our own.'Grimm,' is the darker and more dramatic of the two, while 'Once' playson the twisted Disney take on the stories. The show's hero is Oregonhomicide detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) who is new to theforce and fears he could be suffering from a mental breakdown. Nickstarts to see creepy hallucinations of random people whose faces morphinto demons, goblins, wolves and worse. At least I think they were somesort of demon.Nick's aunt (Kate Burton), whom he loves like a mother, arrives forwhat seems like a normal visit. Instead, she's come to tell him he'sabout to inherit the family curse. The good news is that Nick isn'tcrazy; the bad news is now he has the ability to see evil in true form.Nick is a descendant of the Grimms, who are demon slayers fated tobattle with werewolves, demons and witches, oh my! Now it makes sensewhy the producers of 'Buffy' and 'Angel' would get involved with a showlike this. So far, the choreographed fights and demon make-up arereminiscent of 'Buffy.' Nick's aunt ends up in the hospital afterbattling a demon, who tries to kill her and Nick with a scythe bearingthe inscription 'Reapers of the Grimms.' "We have the ability to seewhat no one else can," Nick's aunt says. "When they lose control theycan't hide, and we see them for what they really are." The nurse in thehospital later says to Nick, "What kind of work was your aunt in? Shehas knife scars all over her body." Nick's response, "She's alibrarian." Well, time to wake up Nick and face the demons of theworld! (Also sounds similar to Buffy?) Nick pairs up with reformedBlutbad (in our words, a wolf) named Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell, thebest character in the pilot) and the two venture off to find the badguy of the moment.Russell Hornsby is cast as Nick's partner Hank, who hasn't been givenmuch to do yet save some slight comic relief. Bitsie Tulloch plays hissoon to be fiancée Juliette, who hopefully will be given more than juststaring out the window looking worried.Grimm's first episode played with the tale of 'Red Riding Hood' and hadcertain scenes that made you cringe and gasp. As the show progresses, Ihope we see more underlying Grimm tales like 'Goldilocks,' 'Hansel andGretel' and 'Snow White' come out to play.

Cweige30

13 May 2012

Grimm.. would roll over in his grave

Can't say it's a horrible show, but it definitely lacks the storywriting and stability to be a great one. The premise and concept were agreat idea, just not realized and actually brought to the screen. Theshow follows too many other plot flaws and character cutouts that havebeen the ruin of numerous shows. I have found myself to become boredwith the show already and it's only the first season. The buddy copidea is played out way to much in every other show on network TV, the"I have a power and I can't tell no one, and they'll never find out orhave a clue, even my wife and partner who I spend every minute with" or(Superman Syndrome) as we call it, is as old and played out as the Sawfranchise. The fact that now the lead has found out he is a Grimm andevery case the department takes now is a supernatural or Grimm relatedcase also really disrupts the ability to enjoy the show. The show wouldwork completely better and have a longer run if everyone knew he was aGrimm, knew his abilities and they took normal cases alongside thesupernatural ones they take now. I cannot see this show continuing inthe same cookie cutter fashion successfully for numerous seasons unlesssome serious storyboard and character development changes are made.

jnanasakti

12 May 2012

Good, but Fatal Flaw in the Plot

Would have gotten an 8 or 9 out of 10 if there wasn't a FATAL FLAW INTHE PLOT: How's Capt Renard, Grimm's Boss, one of the bad Mythological Creatures?It's too close of a relationship to Grimm (Nick Burckhardt). You can't focus on the Mythological Creatures because of a nowconvoluted story line. There's more than enough material with Grimm,the Creatures, Griffin and Monroe. Adding Renard as an additionalantagonist makes it too easy. Same flaw with 'No Ordinary Family' andthe character of Dr. Dayton King...too close...conflict from too manydirections.Less is more.

Erynn_191

11 May 2012

Mediocre in every possible way

Throwing the fantasy element into the crime drama is not a newdevelopment; it's been done before, and done better: The Dresden Files,the Canadian show 'lost girl', or the movie 'hoodwinked' to name a few.In this show we see mediocre fantasy and mediocre police-work. In theshort time it runs, there were at least 2 parts where a real policemanwould be running the risk of loosing his badge, if not being outrightarrested. It was shoddy. There was little to no actual deduction as towho did the crime, no explanation as to why past 'fairy talemonster'... and that might cut it if they weren't trying to give thefairy tale monsters personalities, but they are. That means they needmotive. They are given none. Maybe the series will improve after it'spilot, but all I'm seeing here is shallow pointlessness. Past the lackof actual mystery in the crime mystery, it also lacks any kind of plotor connection to the main character. We're supposed to think he'ssomething special, but so far all he's done is demonstrate thedirector-given psychic powers by which he makes his deductions.Finally, it utterly lacks any form of suspense, logical reasoningbehind anyone's actions or even any sense of magic/fairy tale leftmyself and my husband feeling apathetic and disinterested. Check outABC's 'Once upon a time' if you're interested in the new modernfairy-tales; because this isn't worth your time.

michelangelooo

10 May 2012

Pretty Grimm

No, really, I liked it, good start, and actually made me startle once.I just would like to know where it's being filmed, for darn sure ain'tL.A. It's one of my pet peeves, telling you it's inKentucky(Justified)when it's actually being shot on the back lot inBurbank, or even Dexter which only gets their overview shots in Miami.Enough of the rant. I like the premise of the story and tie-in with the21st century and how the "monsters" all know the Grimms without even anintroduction. Nick seems so square cut, and the Aunt is a characterwith the whole Aitstream/library, and the bald head. They actuallycould've used 2 hours for the pilot to flesh things out a bit better,along with adding some depth to the fiancé thing.