The Good Shepherd (Grimm)
A Blutbad pastor preys on a sheep-like congregation.
The 27th episode of Grimm overall, "The Good Shepherd" is also the fifth of season two. It aired on NBC on September 28, 2012, marking the show's return to its regular Friday time slot. Dan E. Fesman wrote it, and Steven DePaul directed.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Grimm
- Season
- 2
- Episode
- 5
- Air date
- 28 September 2012
- Production
- 205
- Runtime
- 42 minutes
- Writer
- Dan E. Fesman
- Director
- Steven DePaul
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The episode begins with a quote about a wolf disguised in sheepskin leading a lamb to slaughter. Bud tells Nick it is best to stay away from Juliette because of her memory loss, while the Nuckelavee observes them. A Blutbad attacks an accountant and feeds him into a wood chipper. At a church, Nick notices the congregation are sheep-like Seelenguter and the pastor is a wolf-like Blutbad.
Monroe goes undercover at the church. Renard learns the Nuckelavee is David Esquibel. Pastor Calvin and his secretary Megan plot to kill Monroe, frame him, and flee to the Caribbean. Nick and Hank discover a pattern of crimes at churches Calvin previously led.
Megan finds out Calvin cheated on her and impregnated a parishioner; she exposes him as a thief and murderer, and the parishioners kill Calvin. They then target Monroe because he is also a Blutbad, but Nick and Hank rescue him. Esquibel attacks Nick at his aunt’s trailer; Nick kills him and finds he was searching for a key. The episode concludes with Megan and the pregnant woman enjoying the Caribbean, carrying out the plan she originally made with Calvin.
Reception
The Nielsen numbers for "The Good Shepherd" showed 5.32 million live viewers, earning a 1.6/4 rating in the 18-49 demographic. This was a 2% drop from the prior episode, which had 4.62 million viewers and a 1.5/4. The 1.6/4 means 1.6% of all TV households watched it live, while 4% of households with TVs on at that time tuned in. Including DVR playback, total viewership rose to 8.24 million, with a 2.9 share in the 18-49 bracket.
Critical reception was mixed. Kevin McFarland of The A.V. Club gave it a C, arguing the opening epigraph from "The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" gave away the plot too early. He felt the episode took the fable too literally, with a Blutbad reverend leading a congregation of sheep-like Wesen, and called the whole thing "a bit too clever from the get-go." Emily Rome of EW noted the episode offered lessons on herd mentality and how con artists mimic religious speech, and she was glad the megachurch pastor's act turned out to be fake because it felt inauthentic.
Nick McHatton of TV Fanatic rated it 4 out of 5 stars, saying that after a few weeks off, the show returned to its Friday slot but stumbled by focusing on a procedural story instead of a serial one. Still, he found a few moments "worth the price of admission."
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