It's Almost Time to Bid Farewell to NBC's 'Grimm'

We knew it had to happen eventually but feel it's worth mentioning and yes, celebrating, as it goes into its final couple of episodes this week and next.

This dark fantasy procedural was a landmark show in bringing fairy tales and folklore back to the mainstream public and has been doing so for six seasons* (though props should also go to Supernatural, who have been maintaining their following and are currently in their twelfth season, albeit it to a less mainstream audience).

Original poster for season 1

NBC's Grimm began the dark fairy tale-meets-procedural with a 'monster of the week' type approach, in October of 2011. There was effort right from the pilot to show fairy tales in a different light and use the tropes in different ways, with a lot of folklore mixed in. That eventually evolved into its own show, hastily evolving past the teething troubles where it had a tendency to have damsels in distress to being more empowering for everyone, surprising more than a few executives and critics, earning it the title of 'the little show that could'.

One of the most fun aspects for folklore and fairy tale folk has been the use of quotes from tales and classic texts which, when followed (and the source figured out), provide huge clues as to the themes and underlying details included in that week's episode. More than a few lesser known tales were mined for quotes as well as some quite obscure ones, which was wonderfully refreshing to see too.

Some episodes have been more successful than others but when the show began to truly build its own mythology, and 'Scooby gang', working in tales and folklore along the way, that the series built a strong and loyal following. (Click HERE for a list of characters, including Wesen types, that have been introduced throughout the series to date - scroll down for the creature list and their episodes.) The show is currently in it's sixth, and last, season and though it can be recognized as being the same show, the season arcs have changed the feel of the show quite substantially so episodic stories aren't used as often, so much as exploring how a piece of folklore (or creature) might be at home in this universe where people are often more than they seem.

Humans live and work alongside 'Wesen', or people who are part human and part creature (often from myth or tales). The lead character, Nick Burkhardt, is both a police detective and, as he discovers in the first few episodes, a 'Grimm', a human of supernatural abilities who are traditionally 'reapers of Wesen' (read, hunters and exterminators). Our Grimm, however, seeks to find common ground between Wesen and humans and the series follows his journey as he does this (and investigates weird, and largely Wesen crimes), with varying amounts of success. His 'Scooby gang' expands along the way with at least half of them being Wesen and the viewer, along with Nick, discovers the history, traditions and 'real' folklore along the way. The more the seasons went on, the bigger and more involved this world got, along with ambitions, conspiracies and much more, all having a lot of fun with history, urban legends, fairy tales and lore along the way. More creatures are discovered with cultural traditions and rituals (all with interesting names that drive etymologists crazy in their inaccurate use of German and Latin!) showing the viewers how similar to humans all of them are.

The show's themes and statements on inclusivity, as well as the need for cultural understanding and respect have been timely throughout the years, addressing equality (and the current remaining lack of it in surprising places), no matter the nationality or socio-economic status, as well asking the same for interracial marriages, their offspring, orientation and preferences. It's been one of the aspects that's endeared fans to the show, with the unwavering stance on acceptance and the need to build bridges when we have the power to do so, even if it's personally difficult.

Not at all coincidentally, many of these same things are what attract us to fairy tales: in reading a wide variety of tales from around the world you begin to see they show both the sameness of humans across the world, while at the same time celebrating their unique cultural identities. It's not difficult to see why fairy tales fit with these themes so well.


Though faithful fans have been running campaigns to get the show picked up on another network or by Netflix or Amazon to give it a new and longer life, the writers, knowing the show would be finishing, wrote this final season with a view to finish the stories. Interestingly, the episodes, rather than focusing on an apocalyptic scenario (though that potential is there), the emphasis seems to have been more on the 'intimate' aspects of the show for most of the season; the characters relationships to each other, to the town and to Wesen integration as part of normal society. The writing has been solid and satisfying, while not too flashy, making it look more stable than ever, as ratings would attest to. While you want a show to finish on solid ground and go out looking good, it's also bittersweet. Fairy tales aren't as obviously an inspiration in this last season (though they're in there if you know where to look), but specific folklore from around the world most definitely is. The stories, however, are told in a way that make them more about Portland and its citizens, as well as the personal journeys of the beloved Scoobies, and, in a move that's created a sophisticated departure from the original, and sometimes dismissible, 'monster-of-the-week' shows, it's only making viewers love Grimm more.

               

Some pretty neat fan art... 

... created in the style of Ivan Bilibin
by alex_jd_black

Many of this season's episodes can actually be seen to be a metaphor for the show itself as it finishes, which will make for interesting re-viewings once the whole story has been told, while the tag line for these last couple of weeks is that the show is "going back to the beginning". It was at the beginning that the use of fairy tales was the most obvious (some would say heavy handed), so we're interested to see how they bookend Grimm with its developed mythology and popular characters. We presume that 'end' aspect will become more evident in the second last episode (airing this evening), as all cast and crew have confirmed that the finale of this series is clearly an 'end', and one they're reportedly happy with.



Grimm certainly isn't for everyone. The horror/gore aspect is sometimes a challenge for sensitive folk and there is very little of the fairytale-typical fantasy and happily-ever-after vibe, that keeps viewers watching other shows, but there is humor, wonderful characters (especially in the Scooby circle - shout outs to #monrosalee, #drewwu, #hexenschade, #dianahoneybadger and #meisner), fun locations (the trailer, the spice shop, monroe's house, the cabin in the woods, the Portland forests) romance, tons of fairy tale 'Easter eggs', wonderful one-liners, mystery and overall a lot of fun playing with tropes, history and folklore, not to mention every now and then it hits you with something very important. We're going to miss checking in to see what's been developing in the Grimm universe and we'll make it a point to be watching as it says goodnight.

PS Here's some adorably-wonderful advice to baby Kelly, (Nick and Adalind's half-Grimm-half-Wesen son) on the need to step up as the show closes.

Recommended reading - we wrote a detailed review HERE

* For comparison, Buffy the Vampire Slayer ran seven season, with a break after the sixth when it finished, then was renewed on another network, giving it one unexpected last season to wrap the multiple story lines. ABC's Once Upon A Time, which began around the same time as Grimm, and is also in its sixth season, has rumors about this being the last one as well, though that is unconfirmed.

NBC's "Grimm" Tackles "Iron Hans"

Grimm has been doing some interesting things with fairy tales this season. While I haven't been entirely on board with the occasional defaulting to the "wesen of the week" formula, and it was all I could do not to throw something at the screen when we took a left-nose dive into soap-land with -yet another- baby (seriously - if there must be a baby - can't we have the one that we're already attached to?), BUT they've been doing some very interesting explorations of the fairy tale referenced for the episode. It isn't just in the 'mystery of the week/wesen of the week' aspect (which have been variable) but with regard to the main characters' evolutions and challenges - that's where the use of fairy tales in the show has gotten quite noteworthy.

This week (aired April 24th, 2015) it was Iron Hans - which was also the title of the episode. We started, however, with a quote by Jack London from Call of the Wild:

The main story line was a little predictable, but if you tuned into the theme and watched what was going on with the other characters, things got a WHOLE lot more interesting.

For those of you not familiar with Iron Hans, it's one of those stories I feel is truly important if you are working with little boys*, or boys in general, or men. This isn't "no girls allowed" territory so much as addressing the importance of boys and men learning to deal with their wild sides (aka testosterone etc) and all that comes with it. Women have their stories (which men can learn from of course, but they're still primarily women's stories) and this is a man's story. And it's an important one.

Why? Because it's a story that emphasizes what's needed to become the best man you can be - by understanding and embracing 'both' sides of a male's nature and a man having mastery over himself - his whole self.

In case you're not familiar with the fairy tale, here's a quick synopsis of Grimms' Iron Hans:

Iron Hans by Xun Wang

Iron Hans is a tale type listed under "Wild man as helper" (AT-type 502) and sort of has two parts: One is about the Wild Man himself, with skin as hard and dark as iron, who makes the forest a very dangerous place at the beginning of the story, with many great hunters disappearing never to be seen again. Eventually, though, the Wild Man is captured, caged and put on display as a curiosity.

That's the first part of the first story - the rest is revealed as part of the second.

The other part  - considered the main part - is about a young prince, who, years after the Wild Man, also known as Iron Hans (or Iron John) is captured, sets him free. The Prince, destined for punishment for this deed, is then pitied by the Wild Man and kindly taken into the forest.

It turns out Iron John is powerful and guards secrets he trains the boy to also look after. But the boy, playing one day, does what he shouldn't, his hair turns to gold as a result (making his misstep obvious) and the Prince is sent away, though Iron Hans tells the boy he can call on him should he ever really need it.

The Prince, covering his hair, masquerades as a gardner for a king then in a time of war, sees an opportunity, calls on Iron Hans to be provided with armor & other warrior requirements, goes into battle and is successful. The Prince then returns all he borrowed to Iron Hans before going back to his former post, by which time the king is looking for the valiant knight so he can give his daughter's hand in marriage as a reward. (Don't worry - the princess isn't as passive in this whole thing as this summary would lead you to believe.) Eventually the Prince is found out, returned to his station, married and reunited with his parents. As for the Wild Man, he attends the wedding as well, but as his newly revealed, real self - a man who was under enchantment until someone worthy and pure of heart set him free.

(You can find the full text at the trusty SurLaLune site HERE and a nice audio retelling of the Grimm's tale (via YouTube) HERE.)

Now that you have an overview, it should come as no surprise that the 'wesen of the week' side of things dealt with wesen boys being initiated into manifesting their 'true' (wesen) natures - and going on a hunt. Not a hugely new concept - I've known of adventure treks and survival camps that "make men out of boys" my whole life, but this had the wesen twist, of course. The point of this being that these little modern wesens are required to "disconnect" from their devices, go camping without too many comforts and, ultimately hunt. But unlike their ancestors it was rabbits - not people. And therein lies the conflict because someone IS hunting people... yadda yadda.

So you get the idea - wild natures, having to come to terms with that, accept not reject, yet mastery of instincts not slaves of ones urges etc etc

On the main character's arcs, though, the theme is far more interesting. You have Monroe, a reformed Blutbad (think Big Bad Wolf) who has to face his past in which he gave into his nature and hunted - for real, and how far he's come and how that's all come together to be a good thing now - and he gets to explain this to these young boys, in the wild.

Considering the role of prey versus predator and the roles in the show of hunting predators (that Monroe is now part of), it mixes it all up quite nicely.

Meanwhile...

SPOILERS AHEAD:

... Nick's girlfriend, Juliette, is not only accepting her new 'state' as a Hexenbiest, she's loving it and she's loving the power and being bad. And that's a whole bunch of bad news. When we see Juliette last, it's via the light of the flames of Aunt Marie's trailer as it - and the most precious Grimm resources and history on the planet - go up in smoke. As far as mythology for the show goes, that's about as unforgivable as you can get. Even being unfaithful to Nick doesn't come close to that betrayal - and she's putting much of humanity in danger as a result too. It's seriously bad stuff. Because she's completely giving in to her 'wild' side, she's losing her humanity as a result.

SPOILERS OVER.

It's the exact opposite of what the Prince learns with the Wild Man with the iron skin.

There's more but I'm not intending to go into the show in detail, just to point out a very interesting use of the fairy tale - from both a male point of view and a female one.

And if you're connecting parts of Iron Hans with other fairy tales you know (and there are a few!) then you can see reflections of other themes at play in this episode and this story arc as well. (If you do a mind map and take the various motifs you can see the connections very clearly.) I could also totally segue into a discussion on the Green Man similarities as well as Cernunnos and other forest man but that's a different discussion that would take more coffee than I've had today, but once your mind starts wandering in those directions, you find yourself coming back around to the importance of man being connected to nature as well as 'men's nature'.

If you're following Grimm, there's a fun review and recap of the episode HERE which I recommend, and it talks about some of the other aspects of the episode in detail too, which, now that you know the fairy tale a little better, you can consider in the light of the Iron Hans theme.

And a little trivia: this isn't the first time Iron Hans has been referenced in NBCs Grimm. In the first season, the opening quote from an episode called Cat and Mouse, was also from the fairy tale. (The part at the beginning where all the great hunters were disappearing into the forest never to be seen again, perplexing, and frightening everyone.)

* Having a son of my own, that I am trying to guide to become the best man he can be, it's a great touchstone story to help me in parenting decisions. [There's a great book I need to pull out and read again, now my son is a little older, called Iron John: A Book About Men by Robert Bly. Although some of the issues discussed might be dated (eg the impact of Vietnam etc) overall I remember it being an excellent consideration of true manhood.] From the preface of Bly's Iron John:

"We are living at an important and fruitful moment now, for it is clear to men that the images of adult manhood given by the popular culture are worn out; a man can no longer depend on them. By the time a man is thirty-five he knows that the images of the right man, the tough man, the true man which he received in high school do not work in life. Such a man is open to new visions of what a man is or could be... In this book I am talking about male initiation... this book does not seek to turn men against women, nor to return men to the domineering mode that has led to repression of women and their values for centuries. The thought in this book does not represent a challenge to the women's movement. The two movements are related to each other, but each moves on a separate timetable."

NBC's "Grimm" Nominated for Saturn Award: 'Best Network Television Series'

Saturn Award: "Honoring Genre Entertainment and Everything With An Edge" also known as The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films Awards.

Congratulations Grimm crew!

This is a huge achievement, especially for a fairy tale based (and to some extent driven) series that's in it's fourth season. The competition is pretty serious so it's great to see something that's bringing myth, legend and fairy tales into people's homes each week to be recognized.

Best Network Television Series:
The Blacklist
The Following
Grimm
Hannibal
Person of Interest
Sleepy Hollow

You can see Sleepy Hollow is in there too. Myths, legends and folklore is still pretty popular mainstream (and geek-stream).

You can see the full nominations and read more about what  Saturn Award is HERE.

"The Mythology of Grimm" by Nathan Robert Brown

Spotted (and snagged) in Barnes & Noble last week was the relatively new release The Mythology of Grimm. (Actually, for the first time in a VERY long time, the fairy tale and folklore section was both full and had a good selection of newer books I hadn't seen in the wild before.)

The book is not authorized/endorsed by anyone affiliated with the NBC TV series Grimm but is written by someone who has published several works with regard to mythology and pop culture.

The book is much more than a fan discussion of the TV show elements. It begins with a condensed but clear historical overview of popular fairy tales collectors and their work. As you would expect, the Grimm brothers and their work on Household Tales feature prominently, but also Perrault, Joseph Jacobs and the Aarne-Thompson-Uther tale classification system and other well known names (to readers here anyway) are mentioned as well.

It then heads into a discussion of the weaponry used in Grimm, which is what you'd expect from a fan-aimed book but in the show a weapon is usually creature/Wesen-specific and directly related to the mythology surrounding the creature or tale the overall story is drawing from. in this way, it's a good overview of the types of challenges and creatures within the stories.

The rest of the book goes into (essentially) tale types used and retells the Grimm version of the most popular incarnations. For example, Little Red Cap is retold with a brief introduction to the tale's context/history but with commentary and a good sense of humor).

Here are the chapter titles discussing the tales (I'll put an explanation next to the title in brackets, in case you're not familiar with the show and the titles reference isn't obvious):

The Illustrated Grimms Fairy Tales - Pop Up Book
by V L A D I M I R stankovic

• Red Hoodies and Cross-dressing Blutbaden
• Bears, Blondes, and Butchery
• Dancing to the Piper's Tune
• Ultimate Showdown - Blutbaden vs. Bauerschwein (Three Little Pigs)
• Sexy Goats and Eager Beavers (The god Pan and Bluebeard)
• Wild Chicks with Long Hair (Wild children & Rapunzel)
• Giants, Ogres, and Giant Ogres
• Bread Crumbs and People Eaters
• Coins of Blessing, Coins of Curse
• And Now... Dragons! Or Dåmonfeuers (The Four Skillful Brothers)
• Cabbages andCookies, Donkeys and Love Spells (Donkey Cabbages)
• Chicks in Comas
• Weird Little Guys with Funny Names
• Foxy Fuchsbau (The Fox and the Cat)
• Wesen of the NewWorld (multiple legends/folktales/lore)
• Greco-Roman Wesen (Greek myths - Minotaur & The Slave and the Lion & Pompeii

After the retellings, the author discusses how each tale was referenced in the TV show with well considered research details that won't overwhelm a non-academic. I think he's done a good job at drawing people into the tales this way.

But it doesn't stop there. The chapter on Red Hoodies and Cross-Dressing Blutbaden, looks at legends that echo the motifs, violent crimes and mental illnesses that could be seen to be related to the tale and much more. Each chapter discusses real world related scenarios, personalities, legends and more, giving the idea that perhaps these tales aren't quite as fanciful as they first appear.

Each chapter also has "sidebars" (though they're often at the top of bottom of the page) of related trivia (titled Tasty Morsels) and definitions of less-common words (eg "nosegay"), a breakdown of what a German word used in the show means and more (these are titled Grimm Words). I'm a big fan of side bars and these aren't just for show. They definitely are designed to intrigue and keep the reader going back to the text (in other words, they do their job well).

I haven't read much of the book yet but it's only due to time. For me this will be a quick read (if I can get more than ten minutes in a row to concentrate!) and while readers looking for a light read will go more slowly, it should still easily keep their interest throughout. The reviews I've seen are in the very good to excellent range, which is great to see, especially as all the reviews I've read are by people who don't really read fairy tales or even had any idea there was a whole field of fairy tale scholarship.

So far, I'm impressed with the book (especially since I expected it to be more along the lines of fan writing and not really be "scholar-light") and am really glad to see it sitting with other pop culture studies such as those of Supernatural and True Blood. These shows have all inspired people to study myth, folklore and fairy tale in depth and I couldn't be happier to see that happening.

My one complaint is that the books focuses on the first season of Grimm and the show has referenced many, many lesser known tales since (and some popular ones too, but it's the lesser ones that are fascinating to me). But I wouldn't want it to be any bigger. It's already a little hefty and any larger would be daunting so instead of really complaining I'll just request that a second book is written and released so all the tales and folklore and legends are covered/revealed to the fans (and spawns more folklorists!).

Note: For easy reference two glossaries are included at the end: "Wesenology" and Grimm Terminology.

Here's the blurb:

NBC’s hit television series Grimm pits modern detective Nick Burkhardt of the Portland Police against a cast of terrifying villains—lifted directly from the pages of classic fairytales. In the world of the show, the classic stories are actually a document of real events, and Nick himself is descended from a long line of guardians, or Grimms, charged with defending humanity from the mythological creatures of the world. From The Big Bad Wolf to Sleeping Beauty, The Mythology of Grimm explores the history and folkloric traditions that come into play during Nick’s incredible battles and investigations—tapping into elements of mythology that have captured our imaginations for centuries.

Grimm's Season 3 Finale Quotes "The Robber Bridegroom"

Note: Apologies for a late post today. It would appear our neighborhood internet was fried in the heat but we are back online now, just in time to turn back into a pumpkin.

So NBC's Grimm just used a quote from The Robber Bridegroom (actually, it's from the song within the story) in their season finale last night (Friday, May 16, 2014) and they did a great job of making the themes of this fairy tale echo through the multiple story lines, including, of course, the long-anticipated wedding, though, thankfully, not in too obvious a manner.

If you know the tale, you'll appreciate the way the twists happen in Grimm's season 3 finale. It's wonderfully layered (right down to one of the characters being a female fox-like creature, echoing, of course, the related tale of Mr. Fox*) and it makes for a terrible mess for the characters, of course. (No spoilers - you will have to watch it yourself.)

Season 3 Episode 22 (finale) "Blond Ambition". The quote is from The Robber Bridegroom.

The writers for Grimm are clearly people who do their research into the old tales (they said this when the show was launching and over time I've come to believe that it wasn't just a marketing point but actually true). Although they're not trying to retell any one story anymore (thankfully, though it was deemed necessary at the beginning of the series to be more obvious about the use of fairy tales to draw in an audience), they've gotten great at weaving in the fairy tale (and occasionally mythic) inspirations for the twists in their writing, which are usually shown in the opening quotes (see below for a good example of the episode prior to the finale, the themes of which carried over into the last one as well).

Season 3 Episode 21 "The Inheritance". The quote is from The Water of Life.

As someone who adores seeing the lesser known fairy tales used and referred to, being able to recognize a lot of the opening quotes as the show begins makes for a highly enjoyable viewing. (And I live in hope that, that also means the cast and crew of Grimm are becoming aware of these tales too.)

I can't wait to see what "obscure" fairy tales they weave into the writing in Season 4!

*A variant of the Bluebeard & The Robber Bridegroom tales, collected by Joseph Jacobs for English Fairy Tales.

Welcome to the Debut of OUABlog Fairy Tale Forums (Don't worry the OUAT one is coming...) Let's Chat!

Since I had such a good response (especially via email) to the idea of a chat room/forum for TV series and more that...

Ta da!

Welcome to the launch of Once Upon A Blog Forums for fairy tale folk.

First up is a fan and viewer forum for NBC's GRIMM, fairy tale community edition, but I'll be adding a forum for each of the major active series or movie sensations of the season as we go along. (In the list so far: OUAT, Maleficent movie, Cinderella movie, Into The Woods movie... Ever After High?? General Forum for Fairy Tale Films?? Suggestions welcome.)

There's a bunch of topics set-up to get you going and all are welcome to join in. Active and lively discussion is encouraged! I only ask that you use common sense and courtesy in posting (additional guidelines are posted below the forum box but they're about the same as every other forum you've seen - no surprises).

Here's the link >>>> OUABlog GRIMM Forum and you should see a GRIMM Forum tab at the top of the page, under the header, that you can access any time.

And here's what it looks like in it's brand new baby forum... with some extra text and arrows to show you around.

To answer your question, yes I will be participating in discussions fairly regularly. I have a lot I'd love to discuss that I don't feel is appropriate to be creating whole posts on, so please, come, join in, chat with me and let me know your thoughts! We have a lot to talk about. *claps hands - can't wait!*

See you on the forums!

'Grimm' Just Got Renewed for Season 4 (Rated WIN!)

I am so very, very happy with this news, and yes, it's official. NBC's Grimm has been going from strength to strength. The fan base is strong and growing (more fan art - yay!), the cast is solid, the banter has been awesome and the story lines have had some delicious layering, especially since they've taken the focus off trying to "retell" a whole fairy tale or legend in a single swing, er, episode. In fact, as of March 18, 2014 "“Grimm” is the #1 scripted series of the night on ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX in adults 18-49."(Source)

Due to a ridiculously long and ongoing bout of insomnia (lucky me!) I have been re-watching Grimm from the beginning in back-to-back episodes. Although I've enjoyed it from the start, I'm definitely enjoying it more now. The writing is better than I remember and the arc of female characters moving from victim to empowerment gets stronger episode by episode. While the initial promos were very "females are victims (and look pretty dead)" it's clear the writers immediately moved to depart from that mentality with the very first episode. While the lead, Nick, in particular, does take a while to find his feet, as soon as he "gets his Grimm on" and the Scooby-gang potential (ie ensemble efforts against the 'big bad' of which Nick is just the leader) starts building, things quickly get better and more complex. The more the writers took only a few key motifs from a tale and worked with those, the better those episodes got too, especially when they worked into the overall long term arcs building. It's the episodes that focus too heavily on completing a familiar tale in a recognizable form that tend to be the weakest.

That seems to be key, actually. Rather than trying to retell a whole fairy tale in a modern setting, Grimm works much better when the episodes only contain 'tale motifs' (or Aarne-Thompson tale-type touchstones), within an original and unique story, rather than whole familiar fairy tales. I thought The Little Mermaid themed episode did a great job of this. Despite it being clear what tale they were drawing from, it didn't stick to every story beat and make it frustratingly predictable. Instead it added a lot to the seasons themes and character development, rather than sticking out like a sore-thumb one-off episode. And has anyone noticed the Baba Yaga references in the B-story of Adelind trying to regain her witch powers? *happy dance* It brings to mind the premise of Seanan McGuire's Indexing, which does much of the same regarding the real world cases, even though the point of view in Indexing is from a very fairy-tale-savvy/immersed team...

Aside: I hope to write more on Indexing at another time as it really deserves it's own post - and a whole lot more fans. What Ms. McGuire has done with this is fantastic, and exactly the sort of thing fairy tale need to bring back the more obscure tales and variants to popular attention. For now: I recently read the (recently released) paper edition in a few sittings - overall the awesome is high, though it seemed to finish a little too hurriedly. I want more, much more, with more exploration, detail and more tale variants... aka, please let Ms. McGuire and her publishers know that we'd REALLY love to see "season 2" of her serial fairy tale! Also, this is begging to be made into a multimedia radio-like play... Seriously fun that includes nice and juicy TT [tale type] research and tidbits scattered throughout for avid fairy tale students.

But back to Grimm news.

I'm glad to see Grimm have continued with the opening quotes from texts and tales as well, though I would love to hear more from the creators and writers on how they choose what they do. (The first Grimm magazine issue had a wonderful double-page spread on those which I will try to remember to scan for you if I can't find an online version.) Those snippets, if you're paying attention and try to figure out their origin before watching the episode, make it even better and you never quite know when the text is referring to just that episode or to themes and key issues in one of the series arcs - or both.

Although some people's impression of Grimm is rather, well, grim, particularly due to the creatures, I find it very much has a fairy tale feel, albeit the darker version. I've been collecting images that reflect my impression of the show in a Pinterest board for a while, to try and show how varied it actually is, and how it has that all important fairy tale hope and "triumph against the odds" feel running through it as well. You can find that board HERE.

I can't believe season 3 is wrapping so soon. But yay season 4! Though you know they're going to have one of those cliff-hanger-y type endings again, don't you?

Oh, and by the way, did you know Grimm ALSO HAVE MULTIPLE WEB SERIES?! (the link takes you to one, but they're all on the official YouTube Grimm channel) *fistpump*
So they're only 7 or 8 minutes each, I don't care. More Grimm equals more happy. :)

Note for sensitive viewers: This is still a monster show and they've gotten particularly good with some of the scary stuff, (Aswang anybody? *shudder*) so do be prepared. I do detect a Buffy-air about it all - complete with some of that serious pathos of the darker and very powerful episodes contrasted with laugh out loud funny moments, or, alternatively, touching moments - but that's a good thing - real world scare with snarky repartee (or truly moving moments) equals win (and that shouldn't be surprising with David Greenwalt being one of the Producers). If you're sensitive to that kind of thing though, please take note. Some of the scenes may not be so easy to forget in the middle of the night. Viewer discretion is, indeed, advised.

Magic At Home & The Return Of Your Regularly Scheduled Fairy Tale Programs (And Daily News)

Once Upon A Time  Fan Art by Carllton

I've had the most lovely and unexpected week! Not only did I have my "Wonder Kinder" home with me all week but my best friend - who I hadn't seen in nearly a decade - flew in from Australia  at the last minute to spend Thanksgiving and a few days with us!! Sometimes the best magic is very close to home.

I'm thankful for my family and a very special friend, for whom much time passing between visits means only strengthening our friendship. (I know there's a tale like that somewhere but I'm too tired to hunt it down right this second.)

Now that we are all returning to our regularly scheduled juggling, not only are the fairy tale series shows back on again (yay!) but I should be able to get back to daily fairy tale news reporting (barring any monsoons of madness).

See you tomorrow!

(NBC) Grimm Cookies - Design for Shirt Woot design contest by InfinityWave

Book Release: "Aunt Marie's Book of (Grimm) Lore"

It's on the dark side, no doubt about it, but Aunt Marie's Book of Lore is something dark fairy tale fans have been wanting to get their hands on ever since the series premiered. It was just released today (November 12th), and Amazon is having a decent "new listing" sale on them right now at almost 40% off the list price.

It's likely it will be a short print run and quickly become a collector's item (for people who like those sorts of things), but the main thing for fairy tale folk here is the mix of "olde worlde" illustrated legends and folklore regarding different creatures - and not just that but the tales they were involved in too. Some of this is extrapolated from actual fairy tale and folklore, other creatures have been inserted into tales to give them a "creature twist". Either way, it's pretty fascinating stuff and overlaps with myth and legend a lot too.

You probably won't want to keep it on a shelf accessible to young kids but it will be a great addition to your dark tales volumes and legends of all things that go bump in the night.

Here's the blurb:

THE REAL BOOK OF MONSTERS, WEAPONS, AND POTIONS AS SEEN IN THE SHOW!

As his Aunt Marie was dying, Portland homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt discovered he was descended from a long line of Grimms. As well as inheriting the “gift” of Grimm abilities from his aunt of being able to see the creatures’ true forms, she also handed him a collection of useful notes and artifacts, which his family had accumulated down the centuries. Among them was the Book of Lore. A collection of observations about Wesen species, this book records specific Grimm encounters with them, from Volcanalis on the slopes of Vesuvius, Italy, in 79 A.D. to Hexenbiester and Klaustreich in Portland, USA, in 2012. With details of how to identify, fight and – for the more dangerous and powerful – kill them, the information contained here may well mean the difference between life and death for Grimms and Kehrseite-Schlich-Kennen alike. 

This in-universe book explores the monsters, weapons, and potions in "Grimm" with detailed pictures and descriptions. The book is Aunt Marie's recording of the supernatural creatures she and her fellow Grimms have to defeat. 

Inspired by the darker side of the classic Grimm Brothers' fairy tales...

The illustrations look authentic to those shown in the show and vary in style from medieval manuscript pages to roughs notes and drawings. My only wish is that they'd not have photos from the show on the front cover. And that it was a hardcover with battle-scarred and aged pages...We want the "real" book!

But in lieu of that, this should make a nice substitute.

*Source & image previews via Dread Central, additional via SpoilerTV

Grimm Season 3 Premieres TONIGHT (Finally!)

While it seems late compared to other shows it would seem expectation for Grimm is the highest it's ever been.

(They knew the wait would be a long one didn't they?!)

So tonight's the night folks! Set your DVR...

And, while Grimm fans are checking their watches (do people even have those anymore?) every half-hour or so to see the time drag closer as slowly as a one-legged zombie shuffle, they can take advantage of the FREE e-book download HERE and browse the following features (at least, you they if they have an i-Thingy of some kind. Kindle, GooglePlay and other differently platformed folk like myself will have to wait a little bit for a non-i-version to be released):

Download this interactive, multi-touch book, and let the NBC hit drama series Grimm come alive!• Learn about homicide detective Nick Burkhardt and the rest of the characters on Grimm.• Watch Season 1 and Season 2 recaps.• Browse through the journal passed down by Nick's family for generations of Grimms.• Get a 360-degree look inside Rosalee�s Exotic Tea & Spice Shop.• Navigate through the Creature Gallery and see the creepy transformations.• View and maneuver 3-D models used to design the mythical creatures.• See behind-the-scenes photos from the filming of Seasons 1 and 2.• Create your favorite creature, save it and/or submit it to NBC - we just might post it online or in a future edition of this book.• Test your Grimm trivia knowledge, get each episode and so much more! 

And if you already have the eBook, then what are you waiting for?!? Download the free revised edition now and get ready for Season 3 of Grimm!Note: This revised edition is also coming soon for Kindle Fire, Nook, Google Play, and Kobo but with limited features. Stay tuned!

I forgot to mention, too that the SECOND official Grimm magazine is now available for purchase as well. 

In the 1st one (which I admittedly bought late at a cheap resale price, just so I could keep up to date in case there was anything included on fairy tales from the cast and crew), I was pleasantly surprised to see a listing, origin and explanation of all the opening fairy tale quotes for each episode (jackpot!), as well as more discussion on fairy tales and favorite tales than I expected. 

I'm definitely curious about the second one now.

And I think today's season premiere means we've (finally) begun all the regularly scheduled fairy tale shows for the season. Hurrah!

Wordstock 2013's Grimm Readers

NBC Grimm stars Silas Weir Mitchell & Bitsie Tulloch read fairy tales at Wordstock 2013

A little report on the fairy tales chosen by NBC's Grimm stars for their dramatic readings during Wordstock this past weekend in Portland, OR:

Bitsie Tulloch (who plays the main character's love interest and is recently new-to-the-Grimm-factor alive and well in her world) chose the Twelve Dancing Princesses, while Silas Weir Mitchell (the reformed big bad wolf, part of the Grimm "Scooby gang" and fan favorite) chose The Boy Who Went Forth To Learn Fear.

I wish more had been reported (read: I wish someone had put it up on YouTube already They did! They did! See below for the video!!) but Oregon Live was generous with other details so I can't really complain. Here are some extracts from the article that will interest fairy tale folk:

The story of the youth who went forth to know what fear was by Adreas Krapf

Mitchell introduced his Grimm tale as "The Story of a Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear," and he read with conversational ease the saga of a young man who goes out into the world determined to feel fear. "If only I could shudder," the boy repeats. "If only I could shudder."  

Despite encountering assorted frights -- including some ghoulish bowling, and two deadly black cats, whose cry of, "Au, meow! How cold we are!" Mitchell delivered with high-pitched, feline relish -- the young man still can't shudder. 

He can't, that is, until he marries the daughter of the king, whose chambermaid comes to the rescue. She goes out to the brook, and collects a bucket of cold water filled with wriggling minnows. While the young man sleeps, his wife pulls back the covers and pours the water and minnows on him. The young man wakes, and at last declares, "Yes, now I know how to shudder." 

Finally published 60 years after it was created, Sheila Robinson's The Twelve Dancing Princesses

For her turn, Tulloch read "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," the famous Grimm tale about a veteran soldier who solves the mystery of how the 12 princesses manage to sneak out of the castle every night and dance until their shoes are worn through. 

Tulloch -- whose "Grimm" character, Juliette Silverton, has endured her boyfriend's strange behavior and an amnesia-inducing spell -- said "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" was one of her favorites. Smiling, she said that, in comparison to Mitchell's choice, hers was "a little bit girlier." She read in the smooth, reassuring voice of a parent sharing a much-loved story with her child. 

After the stories, Mitchell and Tulloch were asked why they selected the stories they did.

...Mitchell thanked the audience for sticking with his story, despite its length, and referenced the work of C.S. Jung -- a pioneer in the study of human psychology -- in alluding to the story's theme of something compensatory going on in the boy's psyche. When you feel you lack something, you feel like you've got to go get it, Mitchell said, even though "What he wants is something not great" -- that is, he wants to learn how to be afraid. 

The Boy Who Went Forth To Learn What Fear Was by Lin Ran

As to the ending, in which the young man finally learns to shudder at the hands of his wife, Mitchell said it also speaks to the idea that "We can't be whole unless we have someone...that we can relate to." It's the "other," he said, that makes the boy whole. 

Mitchell then added that was "one of a thousand possible interpretations of the story." 

Tulloch had a personal connection to her story. She wanted to read it from the book she had with her, she said, "Because my sister gave this to me when 'Grimm' was picked up for series two years ago." 

Coming from a military family, she added, she responded to the character of the wounded war veteran being the one to solve the mystery of the princesses' midnight dancing. She also liked that when given the choice of which princess to marry, the soldier acknowledges he's not young anymore, and so decides to marry the eldest princess. 

Twelve Dancing Princesses by Errol Le Cain

You can read the whole article HERE. 

And now you can see a video too! (See? It pays for me to double check what's going up early the next morning... :)

Enjoy:

How fun would that have been to see in person? I'm secretly hoping someone recorded these performances (properly) and that they'll be included as a DVD extra at some point, because this is a keeper.