After more than three months, season two of Grimm returned on NBC with an episode that was supposed to change everything. To do that, they had to recall everything that happened before, maybe a bit too much. It did end with a long-overdue conversation, the end of the Love Spell From Hell, and someone smiling.  More after the jump

It was great to see a new episode, “Face Off,” Friday night, where Nick (David Guintoli) finally figures out who Renard (Sasha Roiz) is, and why he and Juliet (Bitsie Tolluch) have been lusting after each other against their will. Still, this could have been handled better.

The script, written by co-creators Jim Kouf and David Greenwalt, spent a lot of time explaining the love spell Juliet and Renard had been under. It was mostly Monroe (Silar Weir Mitchell)  and Nick finally linking a lot of details. Nick also had a tough time wondering why Juliet had been acting this way for weeks. It forced him to bunk up with Monroe for a while.

Meanwhile, Renard breaks into Marie’s Grimm Trailer to find the Key that all the Royal Families, especially his brother Eric, wants in order to rule the world. He’s not successful, but we find out something unexpected… Renard is on the side of the Resistance. Is this because he wants a better world, or just to make sure his brother Eric doesn’t become all-powerful? It may also be because Renard’s a half-breed: half Royal, half Hexenbeast.  That makes him less than nothing in Royal eyes.

Then Renard and Juliet meet at Nick’s house and their lust overcomes them again. This time, he’s breaking furniture while she’s trying to shoot him. This convinced me that the show has got to cure them fast. This season Juliet has been stuck in a daze, wondering why she’s acting this way. The only contribution she’s made was in the Halloween episode, where she revealed she was born in Europe and knows Spanish.  Her skills as a veterinarian should have been used to help her get used to the presence of Wesen, and be part of Team Grimm. When Hank found out, it stunned him, but not for long.

Rosalie (Bree Turner), Monroe’s Fuchsbau girlfriend, finally returns after a long visit to her aunt’s house. This plot line was to accommodate Turner’s maternity leave. Once she’s back, the action picks up, and they find a cure for the love spell. It’s unpleasant and complicated, of course.

Adalind (Claire Coffee) had been in jail, suspected of killing her mother. Now she’s free, and scared. Then Renard finds her, and says he’s found the trailer. They go to the forest instead, and they share some Wesen love that exposes the Hexenbeast in him. This encounter will lead to something.

He later finds Nick’s Key in his desk, and finds out it’s part of a map to the Ultimate Power. Instead of keeping it, he calls Nick. He says they have to talk.

Where they meet is the best part of this episode: it’s the house from the first episode where Nick found his first Wesen, the one that was kidnapping girls in the forest. Renard and Nick attack each other, and it’s a brutal fight. Nick is confused about why his captain would do all these things, including trying to kill Aunt Marie. Renard does something surprising: he gives back the Key, because he knows it’s part of something big. He suggests that since they have the same enemies, Adalind especially, they might as well fight together, if not be friends.

Finally, Nick drinks the purification smoothie Renard drank to wake up Juliet, and collapses in pain. Juliet is shocked. Is this the end for Nick?  Of course it isn’t, but if Nick is the hero, the episode should have ended with him recovering, then telling Renard, “Your turn.”

Meanwhile, someone’s pregnancy test has come up positive. It’s Adalind’s.

The show could have done a better job getting people up to speed with the overall story, especially the Key. Season Two had been bogged down by the Love Spell from Hell. Now that it’s been resolved, it has to move forward by having Juliet know about the Grimm world, and Renard explaining what he hopes to do. As for Adalind’s condition, there’s been speculation that she hopes giving birth to a child with Hexenbeast DNA from Renard may restore her. Also Renard’s family hasn’t come to Portland lately, especially Eric. If they want the Key, they should go get it, even if they act as if being in America is beneath them.

While the mid-season premiere attracted nearly five million viewers, slightly less than the season two premiere last August, it was third in its time slot. It was hurt by its weak lead-in, Fashion Star. A one-hour recap before the episode would have been much better. It worked for Once Upon a Time, Nashville and even Game of Thrones. Aside from the show’s Twitter feed and articles on the internet, there wasn’t much promotion for Grimm’s return.

Now that the show is back, we’ll see if this season does become more intense and interesting in the second half.  Bringing back Nick’s mom, and maybe a few other Grimms, should help.