The "Grimm" Halloween special episode, "La Llorona," was all about a "Weeping Woman" ghost (Angela Alvarado) who steals three children each Halloween. She then takes them to a lake and drowns them to repay her three children whom she drowned while she was alive. It's a nice twist on an old legend, but the episode had a few holes. Nonetheless, it was a fun bag of tricks and treats for a Halloween special.
Trick: Juliette is the only Spanish-speaker available to the police department
The Portland police are in trouble. All the people involved with the new crime wave of abducted children speak Spanish, and they don't seem to have a single person in the department who speaks Spanish. That must be tough. At least it's an effective plot device for including Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) in the story.
Treat: Monroe's holiday extravagance is on full display
Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) has just about the most awesome Halloween decorations ever. It's his favorite holiday, after all. In fact, he likes it even more than Christmas, which is saying something. The decorations are so spectacular, they qualify as a guest star in the episode.
Trick: Who's got Hank's back?
As Hank (Russell Hornsby) and Nick (David Giuntoli) work to learn more about the creature of the week, Hank begins to worry about what he sees in the books in Aunt Marie's trailer. He wonders how Nick can sleep with all of these creatures roaming the Earth. Nick replies that it's because Hank has his back. Hank wonders who's got his own back. That's a good question. Hank must feel, judging from Nick's response, that he's expendable. He's just the sidekick, helping to protect Nick. But nobody is around to protect him, and he's only human!
Treat: A new, mysterious bright blue Wesen is introduced
A woman who was a detective in New Mexico, Valentina (Kate del Castillo), visits because she is obsessed with La Llorona. When she speaks about all the children who have been abducted by the woman, she reveals her Wesen self to Nick. She is a bright blue creature Nick has never seen before. She also adds an interesting component to the story, making it a new team of three against evil while Monroe is celebrating his favorite holday.
Trick: La Llorona is not Wesen
Nick and Hank learn that Nick's ancestors couldn't figure out La Llorona either. She is not Wesen. Is she a ghost? If so, she is a very powerful one with a physical shape. She can appear on camera, and can be touched and fought with physically. She also has the ability to live in the water and put a spell on children.
Treat: Monroe teaches some little brats a lesson (Wesen style)
It wouldn't be Halloween without some bratty little kids. Three of the children who come to Monroe's house for trick-or-treating are particularly unruly when they bully some of the other children. When Monroe tries to put a stop to it, the kids break Monroe's large living room window. One of them (Bryce Walters) records the whole incident on his phone.
Monroe catches the little monsters watching the video and steals the device. He informs them that the phone will be returned once the kids pay for his window. When they claim not to be afraid of him, it's the perfect opportunity to show his wolf face to put the fear of death in them. Yeah, take that, you little punks!
More from this contributor:
'Grimm' episode 'The Other Side' recap: Renard gets creepy
'Grimm' episode 'The Bottle Imp' recap: Making the wrong choices
'Grimm' episode 'Over My Dead Body' recap: Did Monroe just die? OMG!
