Rewatch: 1x11 - Tarantella - Printable Version

Rewatch: 1x11 - Tarantella - Printable Version

+- Grimm Forum (https://grimmforum.com/forum)
+-- Forum: Grimm Universe (https://grimmforum.com/forum/Forum-Grimm-Universe)
+--- Forum: Episode Discussions (https://grimmforum.com/forum/Forum-Episode-Discussions)
+---- Forum: Season 1 (https://grimmforum.com/forum/Forum-Season-1)
+---- Thread: Rewatch: 1x11 - Tarantella (/Thread-Rewatch-1x11-Tarantella)

Rewatch: 1x11 - Tarantella - GrimmForum - 07-12-2013

Tarantella

Episode: 1x11
Air Date: February 10, 2012
Synopsis: While tracking down a creature with a taste for heartbreaking, Nick discovers that he and Juliette may be in danger as word of his reputation as a Grimm spreads.

Resources
Episode Summary (Grimm-Fan.com)
Screen Captures (Grimm-Fan.com)

RE: Rewatch: 1x11 - Tarantella - Lou - 07-12-2013

Head Count -2
Wogs 5
Apples – 1
Bridges – 1

The word Tarantella sounds like Tarantula, a big hairy spider. From my own experience, I know that the Tarantella is an Old Italian Folk dance. It requires 4 couples (8 people) and may have been an ancestor of the American Square Dance.

As you know, I have been trying to keep track of things like Head Counts (and not very well). But although the head count may be something I plot at the end so we can spot any trends, I am spotting some possible trends that I am going to start paying attention to. The first one is that the show seems to be getting less scary and more creepy. Wolves are scary. Bears are scary. Rats and spiders are just creepy. The other thing I am going to start paying attention to is the Gore and Violence Indices. ☺ For instance, both this episode and the Pilot have the same head count. In the first episode, the Co-ed runner gets killed and eaten off screen. (by the way, was her attack the scariest thing on Grimm ever). And the postman gets shot in the back. However in this episode, the gore factor is way higher. Both victims have acid vomited down their throats and then have their digested insides sucked out of them. I’m just basing my impressions on the last couple of episodes but I think the creepy and the gore value is going up with each episode.

So the opening line is from an old Japanese story. So apparently the writers have become comfortable in using quotes from all kinds of literature besides Grimm Fairy Tales. And I’ve gathered that this story had little to do with the original. I sort of feel like the writers are cheating and not playing by the rules, but they made up the rules, and I guess as long as they keep coming up with good stories I shouldn’t complain. They even tie the Weson-Of-The-Week with the Japanese story when Nick finds in one of his Aunt Maries books a Japanese scroll from a Japanese Grimm describing the Spinatod.

I didn’t know that spiders had the ability to grow back their legs (or I forgot that little fact). So it was interesting to me that the writers worked that into the story. But except for the ick factor, I’m not sure how it helped the story. Plus, in the past I could almost see (in my mind’s eye) Nick and Hank figuring out how to write the police report. But this extra finger is going to be a problem.

Over time I have learned to pay attention to the names in these episodes. So I got a kick when Nick and Hank went to visit Charlotte. Of course, Charlotte, is the name of the world’s most famous spider. And just a little detail that the people at the Grimm Podcast pointed out: All of Charlottes wardrobe is knitted or crocheted.

I’m sure everyone noticed that when Lena gets captured it is because she gets trapped in a net. You would kind of think that a spinertod wouldn’t have any problems getting out of a net. Right, it’s just like a web.

How much forethought do you think the writers had when they choose Bud and his friends to be Eisbiber? I’m betting that it was all worked out in advance. I hadn’t noticed this when I watched this the first time - probably too interested in watching Nick’s odd behavior. But on this second viewing, when Nick goes to the Eisbiber’s house, all the walls are covered with Beaver fan stuff. I couldn’t stop laughing. You think the writers are pandering a little to the locals? I imagine we’ll never see a duck weson – Donald and Daffy have pretty much ruined that phenotype. Then later while listening to the Grimm podcast, the hosts brought it up. They are from the Midwest and actually doubted that there were any teams anywhere called the beavers. So I got a laugh out of that too. But really, it can’t be much worse to be a beaver instead of a duck.

The worse loose end in the show is Lena’s daughter. Nick knows she is a spinertod (she wogs right in the car at the end). But shouldn’t he do something about that. Maybe take her to visit Charlotte?

A couple of more mysteries are added to the mix with this show. Well, nothing new but we are still left wondering how much Renard knows about this kind of stuff. And with the information that there are Japanese Grimm, it just begs the question: are there any other kind of Grimms that are not related to Nick?

RE: Rewatch: 1x11 - Tarantella - Gretel Hanselsister - 07-12-2013

Tarantella- it’s the first episode since we rewatch I’ve voted with „dislike“. I do like every scene with Monroe („You’re the monster under the bed“ – „My grandma stuffed it with whoever was around“) and the scene in John Oblingers house - but the main story is not my cup of tea, so to speak.

What I like about fantasy movies or series ist the discovering of a „maybe-world“, to think about how this world works and how the story could go on, and with the spinnetod I find nothing but dead ends. What kind of biology creates such ridiculous creatures? Obviously there are parallels to the black widow spider. They go through skinning processes and they can regenerate body parts when they are young, after the mating it happens (but it’s not that often) that the female eats the male spider, they have about 100 young afterwards. Most of these spiders get not older than one year.

Why has a spinnetod this enormous need of calories? She’s got only one child. Her finger healed really fast but what’s a finger compared to a grown up fuchsbau‘s life? Why the skinning process? She doesn’t grow anymore, does she?

Spinnetods are attracted to shiny objects. Why should they? Oh, of course, so the police can find Sally. Nick can see it in the mirror of his car: little Sally will be just as deadly as her mother. He immidiately does –nothing. A-ha. No, I don’t like this story.

OK, welcome to Gretels German corner Smile

Wildschwein – wild pig, boar
Tiergift – Animal poison
Spinnetod – Spider-death, a bit awkward as usual, Spinnentod would be more natural

We are at episode 11 and finally we have a word for all these creatures. „Wesen“.
„Wesen“ is my favourite Grimm-German word by far. I’m not sure if it’s possible to translate it 1:1, but I’ll try to give you the idea.
1) Wesen -creature
Usually we use Wesen for something not clearly defined, it’s common to use it for aliens from space „Ein Wesen von einem anderen Stern“ [a creature from another star] or for some creature you can’t describe precicely „Ein Wesen der Nacht“ [a night creature] „ein Fabelwesen“ [a mythical/legendary creature]
We do have the word creature, too, we write it „Kreatur“, but there’s „creation“ in the word, you express that someone created it. Wesen is more vague, undefined, it has a suspicious undertone.
2) Wesen -character
For humans we normally use the word character, too, but if you talk of an animals character, you speak of Wesen. „Der Hund hat ein freundliches Wesen“ [the dog has got a friendly character]. You can use it for humans, too, but than it’s often animalic „aufbrausendes Wesen“ [choleric character].
3) Wesen – as part of words
„wesentlich“ [basic, considerably, essential, fundamental, important, material, significant…]
„verwesen“ [to decay, rot, decompose] de-compose is maybe a very close translation
„Anwesenheit“ [presence, attendance] and the opposite
„Abwesenheit“ [absence, but also moony, vacantly]
„sein Unwesen treiben“ [to be up to one’s mischief]

My opinion: absolutely perfect for Grimm creatures.
A little comment about pronounciation: the way they speak it in the series I would write it Wessen, and I’ve seen it with the double s written by fans many times, because that’s how it sounds. In German you would take the first „e“ slow and stressed, the s voiced like in „loser“.

RE: Rewatch: 1x11 - Tarantella - HellJacket - 07-12-2013

Hey Lou, I like your posts, so I'm going to give a counter-response to some of your comments.

(07-12-2013, 07:49 PM)Lou Wrote: But although the head count may be something I plot at the end so we can spot any trends, I am spotting some possible trends that I am going to start paying attention to. The first one is that the show seems to be getting less scary and more creepy. Wolves are scary. Bears are scary. Rats and spiders are just creepy.

I need to call shenanigans about the above highlighted statement. Seeing a bear in the woods is scary, but there was nothing scary about Bears will Be Bears. Nor was there anything scary about the bluebeard, nor the reinigen, nor the potheads nor little girl blutbad, etc (I'm not even going to comment on Of Mouse and Man). Do you see a pattern here? The only antagonists from the first ten episodes that were even remotely scary were the blutbad from the pilot, the ogre, and the bees (because bees are always effin scary). And the blutbad was more creepy than scary (since I"m not an eight-year old girl who likes wearing bright red). I'd say Amy Acker's spinnetod is far scarier than anything we've encountered so far. In fact, I'd only say the really scary protagonists from season 1 were the spinnetod, the siegbarste, and Kimura. While some of the other villains have been cool, very few have really been scary. And most of the villains before this episode have been a cross between really cheezy and really lame (a bunch of high school kids and a soccer mom, oh my).

(07-12-2013, 07:49 PM)Lou Wrote: However in this episode, the gore factor is way higher. Both victims have acid vomited down their throats and then have their digested insides sucked out of them.

I would chalk this up to Tarantella's episode count being 11. FYI, when a studio picks a pilot, they rarely give a full season order initially. Usually, it's 13 episodes. However, the decision to convert a show's order from 13 episodes to 22 episodes comes around episode 6 or 7. So, by the time special effects were being done for episode 11, Grimm likely had a full season order by that point, which means the producers were no longer working with a shoe-string budget (unlike some of the previous episodes). More money means better special effects which means more gore (sometimes, you can have effects on more than just gore).

(07-12-2013, 07:49 PM)Lou Wrote: I sort of feel like the writers are cheating and not playing by the rules, but they made up the rules, and I guess as long as they keep coming up with good stories I shouldn’t complain.

Considering that the opening quote for "Of Mouse and Man" was not even from Steinbeck's book of a similar name, but a comment he made at the Oscars, consider this an improvement over the past few episodes.

(07-12-2013, 07:49 PM)Lou Wrote: I didn’t know that spiders had the ability to grow back their legs (or I forgot that little fact). So it was interesting to me that the writers worked that into the story. But except for the ick factor, I’m not sure how it helped the story. Plus, in the past I could almost see (in my mind’s eye) Nick and Hank figuring out how to write the police report. But this extra finger is going to be a problem.

You are clearly not an investigator. What do police or attorneys (or scientists) do when some fact makes no sense? Ignore it. Considering how the missing finger had no ultimate bearing on the case, and they had plenty of evidence to convict Amy Acker's character, they could just "conveniently" omit the missing finger. It's not like the spinnetod will admit why she was carrying around someone's finger (or why the finger's print conveniently matches one of her hers).

(07-12-2013, 07:49 PM)Lou Wrote: I’m sure everyone noticed that when Lena gets captured it is because she gets trapped in a net. You would kind of think that a spinertod wouldn’t have any problems getting out of a net. Right, it’s just like a web.

It's called irony. Writers love it. Fans are obsessed with complaining how something doesn't qualify as it.

(07-12-2013, 07:49 PM)Lou Wrote: How much forethought do you think the writers had when they choose Bud and his friends to be Eisbiber? I’m betting that it was all worked out in advance. I hadn’t noticed this when I watched this the first time - probably too interested in watching Nick’s odd behavior. But on this second viewing, when Nick goes to the Eisbiber’s house, all the walls are covered with Beaver fan stuff. I couldn’t stop laughing. You think the writers are pandering a little to the locals? I imagine we’ll never see a duck weson – Donald and Daffy have pretty much ruined that phenotype.

Considering how the writers have tried to consistently give the show a local flavor, I think they had always planned on having a beaver wessen introduced, but probably didn't realize how they'd introduce them until they did the script for Danse Macabre. However, it's very possible they figured out the Eisbiber even later and simply interjected Bud's plot into random episodes in the first half of the season.

(07-12-2013, 07:49 PM)Lou Wrote: Then later while listening to the Grimm podcast, the hosts brought it up. They are from the Midwest and actually doubted that there were any teams anywhere called the beavers. So I got a laugh out of that too. But really, it can’t be much worse to be a beaver instead of a duck.

LOL, umm, no. You have clearly never been to an Oregon State away game. The kinds of jokes a home team can make about the "Beaver" mascot are far worse (or funnier if you're HellJacket) than the ones you can make about ducks. I'll leave it to fellow posters' imagination to figure out why this is the case.

(07-12-2013, 07:49 PM)Lou Wrote: The worse loose end in the show is Lena’s daughter. Nick knows she is a spinertod (she wogs right in the car at the end). But shouldn’t he do something about that. Maybe take her to visit Charlotte?

I personally think this "loose end" is fine. There's nothing Nick can legally do about the young spinnetod. As a grimm (or as a police officer), Nick has no duty to proactively address wessen issues. That's what got grimm such a bad reputation in the first place (because really, the only viable "solution" is to cut off the girl's head, which is NOT an acceptable solution).

Additionally, I don't believe she'll have her first feeding for a few more years, so it's a moot point for the time being.

RE: Rewatch: 1x11 - Tarantella - speakeasy - 07-13-2013

Not one of my favorites because of the subject matter. Spider phobic here. Liquifying vomit, ish. Makes your stomach roil watching it. Everything about spiders are calculated to make the skin crawl in my book; all those legs, their horrifying method of digesting dinner before they eat it, regenerating body parts (who knew), and their hideous appearance in general. And this one could jump. At least our homicide cops got a fingerprint from the murder scene and their first clue to the identity of the killer.

Until reading Lou's remark about the Japanese story, I saw no connection to the fact that the first victim's artwork collection was all Japanese, so that's a nice fit. But he was clearly a Fushbau (spelling) who we have been told can sometimes be less than honest, so I wouldn't want him for my stockbroker. And the exhibit at the gallery put my in mind of how some wesen might see the world; sort of an infra-red appearance to things.

Some good buddy exchanges between Monroe and Nick - Monroe to Nick when his cell rings "No, no, I got it. Death calls." Monroe gets all the snappy dialogue in this episode, and its the one redeeming quality of an otherwise very unpleasant story content for me.

There was a scene in Lena's bathroom where the camera casts a shadow of the window on the wall. The framework pattern on the window looks very much like a spider web. Soft-boiled Easter egg?

And oh, great, the beat goes on when Sally woges in the backseat of the patrol car. Sigh.

RE: Rewatch: 1x11 - Tarantella - Lou - 07-13-2013

(07-12-2013, 10:28 PM)HellJacket Wrote: Hey Lou, I like your posts, so I'm going to give a counter-response to some of your comments.

Thanks, HJ,
I like the way you analyzed my analysis.

I really liked your take on my scary vs creepy idea. Gotta admit it was just something that had recently occured to me and I was more or less "thinking" out loud. I even admit its something i just started to pay attention to. Your take on it is much more thourough than mine. So for now I'm going to admit that there are a lot less scary episodes or creatures than I first thought. However, I'm still going to pay attention to this and see if i can spot a trend.

As far as the increased gore factor goes, your explanation (of the SFX budget) makes a lot of sense. I was thinking it might be a fine tuning of of the writers trying to appeal to their audience. Although I don't mind a certain level of gore, i find an increase of it to be sort of curious - wouldn't it turn off some of the female audience? Or perhaps its to make sure they keep the middle school boys keep watching. are the boys a captive audience - what else do they have to do on a Friday night?

(07-12-2013, 07:49 PM)Lou Wrote: I sort of feel like the writers are cheating and not playing by the rules, but they made up the rules, and I guess as long as they keep coming up with good stories I shouldn’t complain.

(07-12-2013, 10:28 PM)HellJacket Wrote: Considering that the opening quote for "Of Mouse and Man" was not even from Steinbeck's book of a similar name, but a comment he made at the Oscars, consider this an improvement over the past few episodes.

HA! I thought that was actually from the book. Maybe the writers did, too. Surely there must be lines like that in the book. Anyway, Japanese Folk stories and 2nd century Romans, seem to be getting pretty far a field from the original concept of using Grimm's fairy tales. but like I said as long as they keep coming up with good stories i won't complain. I do like the whole concept imaginative re-tellings.

(07-12-2013, 07:49 PM)Lou Wrote: I didn’t know that spiders had the ability to grow back their legs (or I forgot that little fact). So it was interesting to me that the writers worked that into the story. But except for the ick factor, I’m not sure how it helped the story. Plus, in the past I could almost see (in my mind’s eye) Nick and Hank figuring out how to write the police report. But this extra finger is going to be a problem.

(07-12-2013, 10:28 PM)HellJacket Wrote: You are clearly not an investigator. What do police or attorneys (or scientists) do when some fact makes no sense? Ignore it. Considering how the missing finger had no ultimate bearing on the case, and they had plenty of evidence to convict Amy Acker's character, they could just "conveniently" omit the missing finger. It's not like the spinnetod will admit why she was carrying around someone's finger (or why the finger's print conveniently matches one of her hers).

That's a great point you made there. But I still half-expect Mulder and Scully to show up and ask about that finger.

(07-12-2013, 07:49 PM)Lou Wrote: I’m sure everyone noticed that when Lena gets captured it is because she gets trapped in a net. You would kind of think that a spinertod wouldn’t have any problems getting out of a net. Right, it’s just like a web.

(07-12-2013, 10:28 PM)HellJacket Wrote: It's called irony. Writers love it. Fans are obsessed with complaining how something doesn't qualify as it.

OH! Irony! Dilbert and I have never been good with irony. See attachment.

(07-12-2013, 07:49 PM)Lou Wrote: The worse loose end in the show is Lena’s daughter. Nick knows she is a spinertod (she wogs right in the car at the end). But shouldn’t he do something about that. Maybe take her to visit Charlotte?

(07-12-2013, 10:28 PM)HellJacket Wrote: I personally think this "loose end" is fine. There's nothing Nick can legally do about the young spinnetod. As a grimm (or as a police officer), Nick has no duty to proactively address wessen issues. That's what got grimm such a bad reputation in the first place (because really, the only viable "solution" is to cut off the girl's head, which is NOT an acceptable solution).

Additionally, I don't believe she'll have her first feeding for a few more years, so it's a moot point for the time being.

Again, you have made a great point there. And although there may not be a police or grimm thing to do about it. Morally, i think Nick is obligated to do something. Like i said, maybe a trip to visit Charlotte. on a non-philosophical level. Doing something now is better than arresting her in 5 years for a murder. Actually, maybe he will just put that down on his to do list: 4 years from now, visit and warn Lena's daughter.

RE: Rewatch: 1x11 - Tarantella - HellJacket - 07-13-2013

(07-13-2013, 10:56 AM)Lou Wrote: That's a great point you made there. But I still half-expect Mulder and Scully to show up and ask about that finger.

They'll get their chance in the premiere of season 2.

RE: Rewatch: 1x11 - Tarantella - Sable677 - 07-29-2013

I like this episode although it is not one of my favorites. I liked Nick handling the out of control Grimm situation with Bud. I also enjoyed the Nick and Monroe scenes as always. I wonder how they ended up explaining the finger thing and how Lena grew old overnight in their report.

RE: Rewatch: 1x11 - Tarantella - Zansy - 05-01-2018

* Yeah well, too bad, jerk. My sympathy for rapists is so very limited. (And hey, if someone needs to die, I'll take bad guys over innocents any day.)
* Uh. Nick, they’re egging your house, not throwing bricks. Why would you go out there with a gun?!
* Well hey. At least when Monroe explains Wesen, Fuchsbau’s nextt to Blutbad. Tongue

* “Dude, join the misunderstood. Try telling people I don’t eat meat.”
* I love that Monroe and Rosalee both grew up with their parents telling them stories about the Grimm who’ll come and cut their head off if they aren’t good. And their kids are either not going to hear those at all. Or hear them and go “but uncle Nick and auntie Trubel...”
*Why are they talking about all this loudly in public? - And why don’t the dogs react to Monroe at all if he says that Blutbaden and pets don’t mix except for the occasional snack?
* Seriously Monroe? You didn’t exactly encourage him to tell Juliette anything. So why are you surprised he didn’t yet?
* “I guess Grimms aren’t that brave after all.” (You are the one who told him that most Kehrseite go crazy when they face Wesen and/or they think you’re crazy. How’s he supposed to explain that he’s a Grimm without explaining what a Wesen is?)
* Seriously, Monroe. Don’t shout “have a nice day” while Nick’s getting a work call. Big Grin

* “In my experience, the woman runs the relationship.” Good to know, Hank. Good to know.
* “I’ll follow the venom.”
*All things considered, Nick seems to be calling Monroe a lot less about things like actually going through the books for hours in S1.
* Can he treat those books with a little more care? I mean I get he inherited them and they’re his to do with as he pleases. But seriously? Please don’t throw them around like that.
* Why did the Japanese Grimm (or akin to Grimm? “Shared my abilities”) just give up that description scroll? Didn’t Hasegawa need that for his own collection? It is nice they finally offer us a hint that Grimms are actually collectors of tales, not the ones who wrote them. But you’d think that they’d compare notes and copy the other person’s to improve their own collection in this canon? They need to know what they’re up against. And so do their descendants.
*Oh look, it’s almost Eve’s collection of wigs.
*”Well if you can’t hold your liquor, you shouldn’t be drinking.” Droll, Nick. Really.
* I enjoy watching Monroe make beet sausages. I’d be happy to do that for longer.
* “I catch one? Wash it down the drain and watch it squirm.” You know for a vegetarian-vegan (vegetarian in this one), Monroe... that’s an odd attitude. And yeah I get it, you don’t want to be tempted to eat Kehrseite again. But for someone who can rip someone’s throat out without getting tempted to do that... ah well... at least you leave them alone outside, I guess.
* “There’s a whole bunch of different kind of spiders. Some molt. Some eat their young. Which I consider the height of bad parenting.” (I’m sure the triplets will appreciate that, Monroe.)
* So she’s eating the people and takes the jewelry home to give to her husband?
* So a Klosterhaus is where old Wesen go.
* A nice reminder that Monroe has had friends in other Wesen species before he ever met Nick.
* Poor Charlotte. I mean other Wesen going Wieder simply deny themselves some fun. Charlotte actually suffers for her decision. And badly.
*”We’re attracted to shiny objects. I don’t know why. But we are.” - “You’re not wearing any.” - “As you can see... I’ve chosen a life where I won’t give in to temptation.”
* “I’m gonna stay home tonight. Play a little cello.”
* “I’m alive. Because she loves me.”
* “Water scares me a little.”
* Sally is another of the candidates where I wonder if she would consider joining Black Claw. I mean on the one hand it can’t be in a Spinnetod’s interest to warn people that they exist. But on the other... with what happened to her mom?

[Image: tumblr_p828moTKn91xryu9qo1_1280.jpg]

[Image: tumblr_p828moTKn91xryu9qo1_1280.jpg]

I really like Charlotte's smile. And I do very much admire her. Heart