07-20-2013, 12:21 PM
This is one of my favorite episodes, and in terms of Grimm's ultimate television style, probably the most important episode. Before this episode, the producers of this show were trying to do a Fairy Tale meets Criminal Minds procedural. However, this is where they say "fark it", we suck at writing police procedural crime mysteries, so let's change the entire tone of the show (though, Last Grimm Standing had much of this tone also, but wasn't a complete break). Beginning with this episode, Grimm is now the Indiana Jones and the Supernatural Antique Roadshow . I believe that the following conversation, while possibly apocryphal, may be fairly accurate of what actually happened.
David Greenwalt: This show just isn't going to work at its current pace. We can't keep making stuff up on the fly. We also are pretty bad at ripping off Criminal Minds. We haven't even figured out how wessen recognize that Nick is a Grimm yet. Once the audience catches on, we're doomed.
David Greenwalt: Grimm will be a one and done season unless we change how we're going. I just know it. Sure, we'll get a bunch of hardcore fans like Firefly and Jericho did who will hold sad pathetic conventions devoted to Grimm and decry the untimely death of a great show but that won't get us a paycheck. We might have to go back to waiting tables. Dammit, Jim. I'm a producer, not a waiter.
Jim Kouf: Hey, remember that National Treasure movie I worked on a while back. That was a big hit, and the plot was all over the place. I wrote the screenplay, and even I have no clue what was going on half the time. We gotta do the same thing.
David Greenwalt: We gotta hire Nicholas Cage?
Jim Kouf: No! David, but let's keep that idea on hand if we make it to season 4. I'm talking about the story. We gotta do something to fool the audience into thinking we know what we're doing.
David Greenwalt: But Jimmy, how do we do that?
Jim Kouf: I got it. People like shiny old crap. We can use that knowledge to keep the suckers, umm, I mean, our fans, returning week after week hoping for an update on the shiny old crap. Remember that key we gave Aunt Marie? Let's have it unlock a huge crusader treasure.
David Greenwalt: But Jim, we can't afford that. Do you think NBC is going to pay for that? They sent us to the Friday Night Death Slot so we would hurry up and get cancelled, and no longer have to pay us.
Jim Kouf: You're right, David. We need to do something now to keep the "fans" tuning in. We can mention the huge crusader treasure at beginning of next season to keep them coming back, but we need a solution now.
*light bulb go off above Jim and David's heads*
Jim and David speak at the same time: Indiana Jones!!!!
David Greenwalt: Those movies have lots of fans and neither Spielberg or Lucas could keep the story straight half the time. Hell, all we need to do is mention something cool like the Holy Grail or the Ark, and people will keep coming back for more.
Jim Kouf: No, we can't do something that's well-known, unless you want the History Channel doing a bad documentary about the "Treasures of Grimm." Remember, where is the real money for TV shows made? Merchandising. Merchandising. Merchandising. We gotta come up with something new.
David Greenwalt: How about a ring?
Jim Kouf: No, too Tolkien.
David Greenwalt: Well, what kind of totally useless stuff do you find at antique shops?
Jim Kouf: COINS! I got it, it'll be Three Coins of something something. We can figure out what the "something" refers to later.
*lightbulb goes off*
Jim Kouf: Dude, we gotta have damn Nazis. What were the best Indiana Jones movies? Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. Do you why they were the best? Because the audience had damn Nazis to hate.
David Greenwalt: Oh, you're right. And when you're right, you're right. And you - you're always right.
Jim Kouf: *imagining Hitler becoming a wessen* Send in the Nazis.
*And we got Three Coins in a Fuchsbau*
/had more fun writing this, than most will have reading it
David Greenwalt: This show just isn't going to work at its current pace. We can't keep making stuff up on the fly. We also are pretty bad at ripping off Criminal Minds. We haven't even figured out how wessen recognize that Nick is a Grimm yet. Once the audience catches on, we're doomed.
David Greenwalt: Grimm will be a one and done season unless we change how we're going. I just know it. Sure, we'll get a bunch of hardcore fans like Firefly and Jericho did who will hold sad pathetic conventions devoted to Grimm and decry the untimely death of a great show but that won't get us a paycheck. We might have to go back to waiting tables. Dammit, Jim. I'm a producer, not a waiter.
Jim Kouf: Hey, remember that National Treasure movie I worked on a while back. That was a big hit, and the plot was all over the place. I wrote the screenplay, and even I have no clue what was going on half the time. We gotta do the same thing.
David Greenwalt: We gotta hire Nicholas Cage?
Jim Kouf: No! David, but let's keep that idea on hand if we make it to season 4. I'm talking about the story. We gotta do something to fool the audience into thinking we know what we're doing.
David Greenwalt: But Jimmy, how do we do that?
Jim Kouf: I got it. People like shiny old crap. We can use that knowledge to keep the suckers, umm, I mean, our fans, returning week after week hoping for an update on the shiny old crap. Remember that key we gave Aunt Marie? Let's have it unlock a huge crusader treasure.
David Greenwalt: But Jim, we can't afford that. Do you think NBC is going to pay for that? They sent us to the Friday Night Death Slot so we would hurry up and get cancelled, and no longer have to pay us.
Jim Kouf: You're right, David. We need to do something now to keep the "fans" tuning in. We can mention the huge crusader treasure at beginning of next season to keep them coming back, but we need a solution now.
*light bulb go off above Jim and David's heads*
Jim and David speak at the same time: Indiana Jones!!!!
David Greenwalt: Those movies have lots of fans and neither Spielberg or Lucas could keep the story straight half the time. Hell, all we need to do is mention something cool like the Holy Grail or the Ark, and people will keep coming back for more.
Jim Kouf: No, we can't do something that's well-known, unless you want the History Channel doing a bad documentary about the "Treasures of Grimm." Remember, where is the real money for TV shows made? Merchandising. Merchandising. Merchandising. We gotta come up with something new.
David Greenwalt: How about a ring?
Jim Kouf: No, too Tolkien.
David Greenwalt: Well, what kind of totally useless stuff do you find at antique shops?
Jim Kouf: COINS! I got it, it'll be Three Coins of something something. We can figure out what the "something" refers to later.
*lightbulb goes off*
Jim Kouf: Dude, we gotta have damn Nazis. What were the best Indiana Jones movies? Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. Do you why they were the best? Because the audience had damn Nazis to hate.
David Greenwalt: Oh, you're right. And when you're right, you're right. And you - you're always right.
Jim Kouf: *imagining Hitler becoming a wessen* Send in the Nazis.
*And we got Three Coins in a Fuchsbau*
/had more fun writing this, than most will have reading it