Subtlety is overrated.
There is no mercy in you. You cut off the heads of men and women and these you wear as a garland around your neck.
The justification for Nick to become a Grimm again is made much clearer in the wake of the most recent attack against Monroe and Rosalee.
Nick and Hank are called to a stretch of highway that acts as a staging area for a horrifying Wesen ritual.
In Vienna, Viktor meets with a completely broken Adalind, now ready to be of assistance in finding and retrieving the baby. Meanwhile, Trubel is surprised by the sudden arrival of an old friend.
This episode provides examples of:
- Amazon Brigade: With Nick's powers not yet back, he and Hank need Monroe's help dealing with the Phansigars. Monroe is reluctant to leave Rosalee alone with the Wesenrein hounding them. Cue Juliette and Trubel calmly arriving at the shop with weapons to protect her.
- Beethoven Was an Alien Spy: The entry on Phansigars was written by Rudyard Kipling, who evidently was a Grimm, and possibly one of Nick's ancestors.Nick: Apparently his sword was as mighty as his pen.
- Buried Alive: The fate of the Phansigars' victims. Almost happens to Monroe and Hank.
- Call-Back: As Nick regains his Grimm powers.
- While digging for clues near an old crime scene, Nick very clearly hears the tiny sound Deputy Farris' shovel makes against metal in the soil, and tells her to keep digging. This indicates the superhearing he gained in "Mr. Sandman" is returning.
- Writhing in agony as his powers finally return, Nick briefly resembles his zombie self.
- Friendship Moment: After Juliette turns back into herself, Trubel gives her a Bear Hug and tells her she's glad she's herself again.
- Hindu Mythology: The Phansigar are members of the Thuggee cult, worshipping Kali.
- He's Back!: Nick regains his Grimm powers just in time to save Hank and Monroe from being Buried Alive.Nick: [To the Phansigar] You're done.
- Human Sacrifice: The Monsters Of The Week are Phansigars, who every three years sacrifice a young couple to the goddess Kali.
- Internal Reveal: Viktor and Adalind discuss the events of "Synchronicity". Viktor learns that Kelly Burkhart was involved, and deduces that she likely has the child.
- Morton's Fork: After he and Juliette-as-Adalind have sex, Juliette asks how it was. Nick decides there's no good outcome to answering that.Nick: If I say it was good, you'll never let me forget it. If I say it wasn't good, you'll never let me forget it.
- Multipurpose Tongue: The Phansigars incapacitate their kidnapping victims by strangling them with their tongues.
- Pop The Tyres: Trubel pulls this on Chavez' agent watching the house so he can't follow her. As she cycles away, he angrily woges, revealing himself as a Pflichttreue.
- Shout-Out:
- The Phansigars are linked to the Thuggee cult, referencing Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
- Seeing the crime scene, Hank asks "What the hell is this?" to which Wu replies, "The stuff nightmares are made of," referencing The Maltese Falcon.
- Tempting Fate: Averted: after doing the ritual, Nick avoids getting excited over every little thing that could mean his powers are coming back.
- That One Case: The missing couple on that highway strongly resembles a case Nick investigated six years earlier, and never solved because he wasn't a Grimm yet. This time, he's able to bring the killers to justice.
- Worf Had the Flu: At the scrapyard where the Thugee ritual is taking place, Nick is put out of action by sudden, crippling pain, forcing Hank and Monroe to prevent the ritual without him. They in turn are trapped in pits, leaving a restored Nick to Curb Stomp the Phansigars.
