Love Sick (Grimm)

"Love Sick" is the 17th episode of the supernatural drama television series Grimm of season 1, which premiered on April 13, 2012, on NBC. The episode was written by Catherine Butterfield, and was directed by David Solomon.

Plot

Opening quote: "Forgive me for the evil I have done you; my mother drove me to it; it was done against my will."

Nick (David Giuntoli) continues his research about the key his aunt gave him. He then goes with Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) on a double date with Hank (Russell Hornsby), where Nick discovers to his shock that Hank's date is Adalind Schade (Claire Coffee), the person who tried to kill Aunt Marie.

Meanwhile, Captain Renard (Sasha Roiz) is approached by a bodyguard, Thomas Woolsey (Marti Matulis), who was told to escort him with his cousin, Anton Krug (Basil Harris). Anton states that they need the key or the "family" will be forced to find Nick and retrieve it. Renard refuses and kills them both and then meeting with Catherine Schade (Jessica Tuck), Adalind's mother. In the restaurant, Nick confronts Adalind outside but Hank interrupts him to inform him of the murder of Krug and Woolsey. As they investigate, Nick notices Wu (Reggie Lee) eating a chapstick.

In the station, Wu passes out while Renard steals a phone that could incriminate him in the murders and changes the SIM card to finally return it. Nick soon discovers from Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) and Rosalee (Bree Turner) that Hank is under a love potion spell and that depending on his state, the difficult will be in finding a cure. They also administer an antidote for Wu's condition.

Rosalee discovers a potion but it's too late. Hank had sex with Adalind and the cure will not work. Adalind then calls Nick, stating that if he doesn't give her the key, Hank will die. However, Nick discovers that his blood will kill the Hexenbiest spirit on Adalind and cure Hank. Nick attacks Adalind in the woods and then kisses her so she can drink his blood. The spirit leaves Adalind, turning her back to normal. Meanwhile, Hank wakes up when the spirit dies.

Adalind returns to Catherine's house where she and Renard dismiss her as she's a normal person so she leaves. The episode ends as Nick continues researching about the key.

Reception

Viewers

The episode was viewed by 4.96 million people, earning a 1.6/5 in the 18–49 rating demographics on the Nielson ratings scale, ranking first on its timeslot and third for the night in the 18–49 demographics, behind 20/20, and Undercover Boss.^[1] This was an 11% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 4.45 from an 1.3/4 in the 18–49 demographics.^[2] This means that 1.6 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 5 percent of all households watching television at that time watched it.

Critical reviews

"Love Sick" received positive reviews. The A.V. Club's Kevin McFarland gave the episode a "A-" grade and wrote, "'Love Sick' put together almost everything I've desperately wanted from an episode of Grimm this entire season. It's the culmination of a serialized plot without the episodic plot that typified almost every previous hour of the show. I have to say I didn't expect the Adalind plot to wrap up this fast, but if that's necessary to get to the larger conflict behind what Nick already knows, I'm all for it. Other than 'Organ Grinder,' the 'Hansel and Gretel' episode, this is the best that Grimm has to offer. It won't win over new converts, since anyone watching without prior knowledge of the show would be completely lost, but it's a strong, compelling story with moments of humor, ingenuity, and suspense."^[3]

Nick McHatton from TV Fanatic, gave a 4.9 star rating out of 5, stating: "Grimm keeps up its frantic pace in 'Love Sick' as it moves towards the season finale, and not since 'Last Grimm Standing' has the show been this exciting."^[4]

Shilo Adams from TV Overmind wrote, "Grimm produced a pretty solid episode in 'Love Sick', giving us just a tiny taste of the goings-on in the Wesen world. While we've been with Nick learning about his abilities, word has been going around about the last remaining Burkhardt and the threat that he poses to the creatures. The fact that high ranking royalty like Renard are coming for Nick and the key makes the final five episodes of season one that much more tense; Renard has to maneuver without letting Nick know he's onto him and Nick has to protect both himself and the key from the entire Wesen world that's in on the whereabouts of the key. Nick Burkhardt thought he had lived out of the scope of the creatures of the night, but it looks like the light has been shining on him this whole time."^[5]

References