Oddly enough, Grimm works best when it's an allegory for real life issues such as domestic disturbances. Some of the creepiest episodes have been the ones that use the fairy tale motif to amp up the uncomfortable nature of family violence and abductions, which I know sounds sick and twisted but it's true. For example, "The Bottle Imp" started off as a story about a Wesen that's prone to violence that took his daughter and left his wife battered and bruised. At first, Nick and Hank thought they were on the trail of a kidnapper/murderer but were surprised to find out that the real culprit was the young girl.
The reason why the twist worked was because the show did a decent enough job selling the father as an abusive psychopath who couldn't control his temper. Admittedly, I shouldn't have fallen for this trick but I rarely watch shows like SVU or Criminal Minds, so I'm not as familiar with these kinds of beats. The big reveal landed for me and saved what up to that point was a somewhat lackluster episode.
I wasn't loving "The Bottle Imp" as much as previous Grimm episodes because the action dragged a little at the start, and it started to muddle things up by having this connection between Juliette and Renard because of the kiss that saved her life. I'm sure this will lead somewhere interesting, but at first sight it stuck out. Also, as much as I like Hank being in on the Grimm world, I thought that it was too soon for Nick to show him the trailer, but that's a minor gripe.
Even Monroe couldn't help this episode out as he watched over Rosalee's shop while she was visiting family. The whole subplot about him accidentally dosing one of her clients was too slapsticky and a waste of such a great character.
So, while "The Bottle Imp" had its share of problems, an effective swerve that successfully used the evil child trope was just enough to favorably sway my opinion about the hour.
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