Cat and Mouse (Grimm)

Plot

The episode opens with the quote: "'Perhaps some accident has befallen him,' said the king, and the next day he sent out two more huntsmen who were to search for him." Ian Harmon, pursued by Edgar Waltz of the Verrat, is shot but escapes, leaving a bag that Waltz takes. Waltz asks Renard for help but is refused. Nick and Hank investigate the shooting; Rosalee is visited by the wounded Ian.

Waltz murders a bartender and frames Ian. Nick sees Waltz morph into a Hundjäger. Rosalee and Monroe ask Nick to help Ian; Nick initially tries to arrest him but is convinced of his innocence. In his trailer, Nick learns the Verrat kill Wesen without trial.

Waltz proposes a "Freidenreden" (peace talks) to negotiate Ian's delivery. Nick gets Waltz to admit to the murder and gives evidence to Hank and Renard. Rosalee acts as bait, but Waltz takes her hostage. Nick and Monroe distract Waltz; Ian then kills Waltz, claiming more will come.

Nick arrests Ian but later releases him, giving him documents and money and telling him to leave Portland. The police discover Waltz's body in the woods.

Reception

The episode was viewed by 4.56 million people, earning a 1.4/4 in the 18-49 rating demographics on the Nielsen ratings scale. It ranked first in its timeslot and tied for first for the night in the 18-49 demographics with Dateline NBC. This represented a 9% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which had been watched by 4.96 million with a 1.6/5 in the 18-49 demographics. "Cat and Mouse" received positive reviews.

Les Chappell of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B+" grade, noting that as the season neared its end, the show had shown marked improvement and was taking more chances with storytelling. Nick McHatton from TV Fanatic awarded a 4.5 star rating out of 5, stating that the episode expanded the looming danger and peeled back layers of the Wesen world, exposing overarching mythology and illuminating why Nick is not an average Grimm. Shilo Adams from TV Overmind wrote that while the episode lacked major action sequences, it became one of the more exciting installments due to progress in the storyline, a great guest performance, and a twisty game of cat and mouse.

Adams felt the episode felt more cinematic than normal and could propel the show from good to great in the upcoming second season.