Before 2011, my German vocabulary consisted of “brautwurst,” “sauerkraut,” and “Nein!” That has expanded significantly and not a day goes by without discussing “hexenbeists,” blutbads,”reinegen,” and “landjäger.” Okay that last one is still a food but you get the point. I thank Grimm for making me worldly … and making a hell of an entertaining show, that’s why I’m looking forward to its return on Friday!

Similar to Sleepy Hollow, Grimm is a procedural police drama where Nick (a Grimm), Monroe (a “werewolf” aka “blutbad”) and Hank (a normal guy whose only superpower is collecting wives) solve crimes involving Portland, OR’s significant creature (“Wesen”) community. Got all that … or are you völlig verwirrt? Going with the “Keep Portland Weird” mantra, most of the population seems to be Wesen and they’re always getting themselves into trouble.

There is so much to love about Grimm from the weird creatures to the sprawling Victorian houses that everyone in Portland seems to own to Monroe and his shawl-collar sweaters which are so sexy (but which my husband refuses to wear). The show is actually shot in Portland, which seems to be covered in lush forests and is always gray, the perfect atmosphere for a show that can be pretty creepy at times. I also think Voodoo Donut pays most of the show’s budget through advertising.

The show has been successful in avoiding the monster of the week formula and there’s a rich mythology that evolves each season. When we first met Nick he manifested, rejected, stumbled with, and then embraced his Grimm-force. In subsequent seasons, the show dreamed up increasingly wild and fantastical storylines.

And after a bit of an odd first half of this season (Nick wasn’t a Grimm anymore), the show moved forward and shed some baggage, sending another Grimm, Trubel, off on her merry way and turning its focus back to its main characters. Nick’s Grimm powers have been restored and the Scooby gang is closer than ever: Wesen couple Rosalee (“fuchsbau”… fox-like creature, obviously) and Monroe are married, Adalind has teamed up with Big Bad Viktor to find her long lost baby and the “normals” of the group continue to be integral to the team.

In the mid-season finale, the whole group (minus Nick’s girlfriend, Juliette) had to prepare a potion on the spot to save the life of a diseased Wesen. It was a scene that brought the chemistry of the characters (and the actors) to life as they worked together to save the day.

There are more Grimms out there (even if Trubel was annoying) and the Royals provide interesting nemeses to Nick and company, even if you can practically see Viktor twirling his moustache over a damsel tied to a railroad track whenever he opens his mouth. This year, there’s also a group who oppose mixed marriage between Wesen and have targeted Rosalee and Monroe in a series of hate crimes. Lastly, old normal characters have revealed themselves as Wesen. That should usher in some excellent personal drama for Nick when the show returns.

In a nutshell, if you’re a fan of fairy tales, fantasy, police drama, or cute guys in shawl-collar sweaters — watch Grimm!

Dorothy S.

Dorothy Sasso is a fancy lady, but can handle herself in the zombie apocalypse. Dorothy is the proud mother of a beautiful, smart little girl with her husband Geoff, a high-powered attorney (Geoff wrote this bio) and two fluffy kitties - Loki (Hodor in cat form) and Draco (possibly Satan). Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, Dorothy was a history teacher at private schools. In her spare time Dorothy likes to explore her city's restaurant scene, watch good TV, work out, write, read any and all books from fantasy to nonfiction to graphic novels to books about pretentious British people in doomed romances who drink lots of tea. Her perfect day would involve going for a nice walk with her husband and daughter, having a dinner of tapas and fine wine, and going to bed early with her Kindle.