Grimm Round Table: Down the Garden Path

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Both Team Grimm and Black Claw made key moves (see what I did there?) in Grimm Season 5 Episode 11, with Nick and Monroe headed to the Black Forest while an assassin took out the would-be mayor of Portland.

Join TV Fanatic Round Table panelists Allison Nichols, Doug Wolfe, Robin Harry, and Kathleen Wiedel as the discuss the murder of Andrew Dixon, the fate of his assassin, buried treasure, and more from "Key Move."

Be sure to add your own thoughts to the conversation in the comments section below.

Why did Black Claw assassinate Andrew Dixon?

Allison: No idea. I figured they were going after Renard since they had a picture of him. Honestly, I find the Andrew Dixon/Renard storyline ridiculously boring, so I don't really care why Andrew was assassinated.

Doug: I'm stumped. I really thought Dixon was part of the Black Claw, and Renard was being led down the garden path to becoming a member of the terrorist group. Now I have no idea what's going on.

Robin: Well, colour me surprised, I didn't see that coming. I was absolutely positive that Dixon was Black Claw and that they were plotting against Renard. My new theory is that what's-her-face is with Black Claw and set them up, and that Black Claw is targeting political uprisings in cities that have powerful Grimms. I honestly don't know. Good job Grimm, you've stumped me.

Kathleen: Renard is almost certainly the key here. The campaign manager has spend quite awhile cozying up to him, complimenting him on his leadership ability and savvy. Could the next step be to push Renard (who is Wesen) into taking Dixon's place and ensuring he is elected Mayor of Portland? Of course, this theory rests on Black Claw not knowing Renard's relationship with Team Grimm or connection to Hadrian's Wall.

Who do you think will catch Marwand the assassin first, Hank and Wu or Eve? Which side should?

Allison: I'm thinking Eve. She's got a lot more resources. As far as who should, I think HW and Eve because they know all the right questions to ask. They've been hunting Black Claw for awhile, whereas Hank and Wu are just now joining in on the fight.

Doug: I want Eve to catch him. There was a telling conversation in the operations room between Eve, Trubel and Meisner, where they wrongly theorized Marwand was there because Black Claw knew about Eve. I want to see them explore the Eve legend more. We saw her kill a Wesen in a restaurant merely by the power of her mind. What more can she do? (I have to admit: Eve is starting to grow on me the more I watch. Eve the operative is far more compelling than Juliette the whiner.)

Robin: Like everyone's said, it would truly be pointless if Hank and Wu caught him first. It definitely needs to be Eve and HW. They have the resources and the capabilities to get answers from him.

Kathleen: I think Eve is going to catch him, but the more I see her and Hadrian's Wall, the more nervous they make me. Maybe HW thinks that Team Grimm is missing the big picture, the global view, but I think they are missing the trees for the forest, too. They are definitely an "ends justify the means" bunch, and I don't know if Team Grimm really wants to go there.

Do you think Adalind's fears regarding the buried Grimm Crusader treasure are justified?

Allison: Definitely. The keys have been around for awhile, and multiple groups have shown that they will do whatever it takes to get a key. If Nick and Monroe come back with whatever the map leads to, then they will be up against even more deadly foes.

Doug: I’m with Allison. There's a reason it was buried, and a reason the ancient Grimms kept it such a closely-guarded secret. If it was just a weapon, the Grimms back then wouldn't have taken it out of service. There's a darkness about this "treasure"... and Adalind's is right to fear for Nick's safety.

Robin: Ehhhh... I'm not sure. Certainly her concerns are justified, but it takes a lot to bring down a Grimm, especially Nick Burkhardt, who has survived against all odds. If there was one person I wouldn't worry about, it would be Nick.

Kathleen: On the one hand, I think you're absolutely right, Robin. Nick definitely has plot armor, especially given that he's the main character in this series! Setting that aside, however, I am more of the opinion that they should have smashed the keys or thrown them into a smelter or something. Legendary items have a tendency to be bad news, whether or not they are actually weapons, per se.

Share your thoughts on Nick and Adalind's step forward in their relationship.

Allison: Nope. No. Make it stop. This happened too soon, and it's awkward to think about. I'm not feeling it.

Doug: Agreed. It’s moving forward way too fast, too early. Really? Adalind says she loves him? Already? Where's the romance? And can anyone expect Nick to reciprocate that feeling, after all the crap she's put him through? I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop, which should occur the moment Adalind's Wesen power re-appears.

Robin: I do agree that it's happening too fast, BUT I will say I do like that they're treating it as awkward as it is. They're not ignoring it or skirting around it; everyone on the show feels as icky about it as we all do watching it.

Kathleen: Portland apparently exists in an alternate reality where attempted murder, impersonation, human trafficking, reckless endangerment, and assault are all completely okay if you just say you're sorry about them.

I have never been happy with a potential romance between Nick and Adalind, which is too bad because the actors definitely have chemistry on-screen. But, in reference to this specific question, I completely agree with the rest of you that this has progressed way, way, too quickly.

Any final guesses/suspicions/wild speculations about what Nick and Monroe are going to find after they dust themselves off in the next episode?

Allison: The only things I can think of are maybe it's some super powerful weapon that can be used to defeat either Grimms or Wesens, or it's a really old Grimm book that holds the secrets of the universe or something.

Doug: I really have no idea. Whatever it is, it's important, especially given the ominous actions of the Wesen priest and his cohorts.

Robin: The Pandorica!! (Sorry, that's gonna be my default answer). I really don't know. What I would like to know is how it's guarded when nobody but the Grimms kinda sorta know where it is. Does Black Claw just happen to have a bunch of minions scattered throughout the Black Forest waiting for a Grimm to show up?

Kathleen: I don't think those guys were necessarily Black Claw; possibly, their predecessors back in the day were charged with protecting whatever-it-is and keeping it secret. It's also important to note that legends change over time.

It's possible either they or even Team Grimm was misinformed about the nature of the treasure due to the fog of history. As to what it actually is? Let's go with a fragment of the True Cross, just for fun. Wasn't that one of the speculations Renard offered up, way-back-when?

*Bonus: Share a favorite (or simply notable) scene or quote.

Allison: I really loved everyone trying to figure out what exactly they are looking for on the map. "Why couldn't they have done X marks the spot?”

Doug: When Nick blurted out "I slept with Adalind," I thought for sure Monroe was going to respond with a comic "Wh-wh-wh-what???" As it was, he struggled to come up with a response for Nick. That scene was hilarious. More importantly, it highlighted the conflict Nick has over the whole deal, especially with his response to Monroe's question about whether he loved her.

Robin: I love Monroe's utter geekiness in the forest. My gosh, he was so adorable! I was a little annoyed with Nick for snapping at him to stop. I mean, I get that Monroe was being a little morbid, but his enthusiasm was great!

Kathleen: Renard's subplot has been, generously speaking, slow burn, but the last couple of episodes have provided a few juicy lines, like this cold-blooded witticism:

Renard: He dug his own grave. I just provided the shovel.
Rachel Wood: And the dirt.
Renard: A little of that, too.

Grimm returns on Friday, March 11, 2016 at 9/8c on NBC with Grimm Season 5 Episode 12, "Into the Schwarzwald." Be sure to check out our review after the episode airs!

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Grimm Season 5 Episode 11 Quotes

Adalind: What if what they buried is something evil, something they never wanted found, and it was buried for good reason?
Nick: Well, then they wouldn't have made a map, they would have just destroyed it.
Adalind: What if it couldn't be destroyed?

Maybe X does mark the spot!

Hank