“She’ll sting you one day. Oh, ever so gently, so you’ll hardly even feel lit. ‘Til you fall dead.” – Queen Bee (1955)

As a rule, I generally reserve my judgment on new shows until after the third episode. And it’s about that time for Grimm so here it is: I like it. I like it a lot. It’s campy, but dramatic and suspenseful. It’s got heart and is impressively solid, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t notice the pretty. Because it has that too. In spades. AND it’s funny. I chose the title for this recap because this quote (by Hank) illustrates what I love about this show. It’s a cop drama but it’s filled with so much humor. Plus, the actors play off each other really, really well, and fairy tales aside, that makes this show so much more enjoyable. The fairy tale element initially drew me to the show, but now the actors and the characters, which they’re developing ever so gently, are what make me come back week after week. Favorite new show of the season, hands down.

That said, I don’t think Friday’s episode was as strong as the first two. I think the reason is that it was harder to figure out on which fairy tale it was based. Look, this is a cop procedural with a fairy tale infusion, so it’s logical that I’d want to be able to know which fairy tale they’re twisting up nicely. As far as I can tell, it must be “The Queen Bee,” which paints the Queen as helpful, which we found out she was (on Nick’s side, as are all the Mellifers, to deliver a message that “he” is coming.). And if you go by that story, that makes Nick the “third brother”, whom everyone writes off, and that’s kind of an interesting take (though if we’re going to be literal, who are the other two?). Also? The quote at the beginning is from a Joan Crawford movie from 1955. I’ve never seen it, and while I have no clue how it might relate, I could take a guess. That throws me off a bit, because episodes 1 and 2 had quotes from the stories. Maybe I’m just a snob.

Anyway, this episode was cleverly titled “Beeware,” and already I have the heebies. At the beginning, a woman is killed on a trolley during the lamest flasbhmob ever by being injected with a certifiable SHITTON of bee venom and she dies of anaphylactic shock. While examining the scene, Nick says they don’t know that it wasn’t an accident, and Sgt. Wu is all, “Must’ve been a Killer Bee, huh?” HEE! Oh, Wu, please never stop making your quips.

At the medical examiner, we get a lot of medical talk about the toxin. The ME puts on latex gloves, and you know, I really love when people make the latex gloves snap when they put them on. Like, is that on the box somewhere? STEP 1: Remove gloves from box. STEP 2: Put the gloves on. STEP 3: Make a snapping noise with the wrist of the glove. STEP 4: Congratulations. You’re a doctor! (Yes, I was very tempted to just type out the lyrics to “Dick in a Box.”)

Anyway, she says that to make a puncture wound as big as is on that lady’s neck it’d have to be “a bee the size of Lebron James.” I’m imagining that looks something like this:

And the EpiPen is the size of Shaq.

Nick and Hank go to investigate the victim’s apartment, when Hank says, “Harper’s Bee man just buzzed me.” Nick smirks at Hank, kind of incredulously and Hank is all, “Yeah, I went there.” GOD, I fucking love these two. Look, as a fairly regular Law & Order watcher over the years (though SVU is the only one I can really stand. Mmmm, Stabler), I’ve come to fucking loathe the goddamn cop puns. They’re just as bad as real life news anchor puns, which I hate with a fiery passion. On L&O, the ones between Briscoe and Green were The Worst™. Like, we’re talking rolling my eyes so hard I’m afraid they’re going to pop out of my head bad. But Hank’s was kind of great. I think because he actually manned up and admitted that it was bad. Points for Grimm!

They go visit the bee man, and one lands on Nick’s hand and OMG. OMG can’t breathe. Okay, I was trying to avoid it, but now would probably be a good time to mention that bees scare the SHIT out of me. Bees are one of my top three fears: Bees, Bears, Dying Alone. Oh, and volcanoes. Okay, top four. But seriously, if bees are anywhere near me, be it at a picnic, or a park, or sitting outside the cafeteria at work on the patio FILLED with coworkers, no one devolves into a screeching little girl faster than I do. I have a feeling I’m going to regret recapping this episode.

Back at the station, the flashmob has shown up after the police put the info about the murder on the news. They end up talking to this one guy who acts awfully fishy when Nick asks to see the tweet that invited him to the flashmob. Two things: 1) His phone makes the same noise mine does when I get a tweet! 2) It’s funny that they’re talking about tweets and technology. Last Thursday, SB was kind enough to give me the invitation to a press conference call OCTV had been invited to with David Giuntoli (Nick) and Russell Hornsby (Hank), and there was some talk of this show’s use of technology (like leaking its own pilot weeks before it actually aired and using Twitter during the show). I wanted to ask about fan interaction and how it affects how the actors work and how they feel about what they do, but we ran out of time. But I love how this show is really embracing the technology of the time, both in the real world and in the world of the show. And it’s in a way that makes it still feel current. Unlike when it’s used on, say, Law & Order, where all the detectives are suddenly old fogies who are all “this new fangled thing called Twitter.” “The kids these days!” “Where am I?!” “I think I soiled myself.”

So, this dude with the phone turns out to be a bee creature, which we learn are called Mellifers. One of the dudes waiting to be interrogated is also a Mellifer. Did we just find the culprits? I don’t know but Nick? You are looking mighty FINE in that deep red shirt. MMM! Nick and Hank follow the dude to a paper mill, which amuses me because y’all know bees chew shit like paper to make their hives, right? It’s the details, people! And this show has ‘em!

They spy the two guys talking to a woman, and she is TOTES the Queen Bee. Mark my words. But then Oh GOD BEES EVERYWHERE SWARMING NICK AND HANK! OH GOD OH GOD THOMAS J! HE CAN’T SEE WITHOUT HIS GLASSES! OH GOD *breathes* *breathes*

Back at Nick’s house, Juliette tends to Hank’s wounds before Nick goes off to AM’s tardis trailer to do more research in her book. I really hope they use Juliette more. She really hasn’t done much besides be a cue to the viewers that Nick is in a loving, sexual relationship. I really like her, and I like her interactions with Nick. She seems like very much his equal and companion. I hope they find a way to use her more.

So Nick goes and researches, and we find out that the bee people have weird syringes on their arms, and their only natural enemy is the Hexenbiest. Because of course they are. But now Nick doesn’t know what to do, so it’s time to call Eddie! Yay! He fills in the gaps for Nick that the Mellifers are basically gossips (like social media! HAHA!). Eddie uses his nose to sniff out the Queen Bee, some chick name Melissa Wincroft. Now, another note if I may: the NBC Grimm website has a fun little AM’s notebook type thing where you can read about the creatures. The page on Mellifers says the Queen Bee is called a Mellischwuler. And seriously, people. SERIOUSLY, you guys have GOT to check your German. While that isn’t a real word (though it’s fun to think it’s a play on the name Melissa), the word “Schwuler” is… not a very nice word. Clearly someone Googled how to say “Queen” in German, but their weirdo German NEEDS TO BE CHECKED. Oh, show. I really hope most viewers don’t look as deeply into these things as I do, even though now all my readers know. Still.

The next day, there’s another flashmob murder, and they take into custody the woman they think might be next: the Hexenbiest! Needless to say, Nick is not happy about having to protect her, given that she tried to kill AM and all. While the detectives aren’t looking, she talks to Renard, and he assures her he’ll keep her safe. I don’t trust them, y’all. I don’t trust them any further than I can throw them (and with my bad knee, I shouldn’t be throwing anybody).

They talk to the Mellifer again, and he sends the message to Melissa to go in for the attack on Adalind/Hexenbiest. Wu makes another quip about being Asian so OF COURSE he can find out who the blocked contact is on the dude’s phone. (I’m serious, Wu.) They send a decoy Adalind to her apartment, but little good that does because the bees find them anyway. And Adalind disappears!

On their search, Nick finds her AND the Queen Bee fighting. And Nick just stands there watching. Really, dude? When the Queen Bee comes toward him, she tells him they’re there as a warning, that they’re on Nick’s side. They have to kill the Hexenbiests. But he can’t separate himself from the morals of the real world – if he lets the QB kill Adalind, he’s letting an innocent woman die, no matter what he sees her to be. So he shoots the QB. As she’s dying, she says, “he’s coming for you. Beware. He’s close.” Now, that wasn’t ominous at all.

In the end, Nick is terribly bothered by this. They don’t say, but I’m pretty sure it’s the whole separation of Grimm and State. Nick doesn’t think he made a difference. Juliette reminds him that he saved Hank and Adalind though. Somehow I don’t think that comforts him. Before they go to sleep, he goes to close the window, when a bee lands on his hand and stings him! Booyah! Never trust the bees, Nick. Never trust the bees. Or the Hexenbiests. I have a bad feeling about his letting her live…

So, what did you guys think? After three episodes are you still sold on Grimm? Do you think letting Adalind leave will help or hurt him? Have you been interacting at all with the cast/crew and have they been interacting back? Leave me some comments below and we’ll convo about the show. Do it or else I call you a made up word in German.