4.9 Wesenrein In the last episode back in December, we were treated to no fewer than three cliffhangers. If you’ll remember, Wu landed in jail after freaking out following yet another encounter with Wesen that he couldn’t explain; Monroe had been attacked by the Wesen hate group, Wesenrein, and Juliette was shocked (but who can tell?) when she looked in the mirror and saw a Hexenbiest gurning back at her. In Friends terms, this episode should be known as “The One Where Wu Finds Out”. There were only so many strange deaths that Wu could roll his eyes at and then file away in the ‘Portland is Weird’ file, right? Two things to note, neither Nick nor Hank apologises for letting Wu think he was going crazy, and his subsequent spell in a mental institution. Perhaps Wu is overwhelmed by the news that the creatures only thought to inhabit fairy tales and folklore are actually real, because he reacts not with anger but a bewildered acceptance. He is further nonplussed when he discovers Captain Renard – who spends most of the episode confidently handing out orders while looking suave – also knows about the Wesen, and Nick’s vocation. Renard: “You don’t want to go there.” Wu: “Okay.” Maybe the rage will hit him after the shock wears off. Or maybe the writers will just let that one fly. But for now, Wu has been recruited to help find Monroe, who we discover has been abducted by the Wesenrein, a cross between a thinly-veiled neo-Nazi group (right down to the almost-swastika on a red flag) and a satanic cult, intent on keeping Wesen blood pure. This is where the episode gets much darker, as we see Monroe chained up by men in masks, and can only imagine his fate. Well imagine that is, until we see what happens to a fellow prisoner at the hands of the Wesenrein – burned through a stake. The hunt for Monroe also prompts a relapse of Nick’s PTZD – the ‘greying out’ that we saw predominantly last season. Will the show’s writers develop this further or will it be one of those intermittent plot devices, like the mystical keys? Juliette, meanwhile, is struggling with the fact she’s a Hexenbiest solo (it’s hardly been the right time to inform everyone of her new identity.) It did cause her to experience quite the savage dream sequence where she rips out poor Rosalee’s throat, as if she wasn’t having enough of a bad day with Monroe missing. Juliette may soon have a chance to recreate that dream in her real life as we find out that Prince Viktor and Adalind are heading back to Portland in their hunt for baby Diana. As I’ve mentioned before, it would be great to bring Elizabeth Renard and Kelly Burkhardt back from their search for the child, and have the mother of royal rumbles. It’s actually great to see Wu as part of the team now that they’re bringing him in on the hunt for Monroe. The next episode will be a race against time to save our favourite Blutbad, and I for one can’t wait. Read Christine’s review of the previous episode, Chupacabra, here.
