There’s an identity thief headed to Grimm. Jim Kouf, producer and writer for the NBC fantasy/crime drama told journalists about the new character at a San Diego Comic-Con roundtable session on Saturday afternoon. Kouf compared the human brain to a computer, and described the thief as someone who is wiping “the hard drive.”
“He’s leaving a blank space behind when he’s taking out your identity,” says Kouf. “You’re left without knowing who you are.” He describes the aftermath as something akin to dementia for the victim. That’s what they like to do in Grimm—mix folklore and mythology with real life situations that make the fiction/reality divide a little less pronounced.
“We kind of make up our own mythology,” says Kouf. “We try to base everything with real history and real science.” Now gearing up for a fourth season, Grimm has taken world mythologies and put them in a context that makes sense to fans of procedural shows. They have a lot more coming in the near future, including a story inspired by the golem. The show’s writers mention a plot that will tie into schizophrenia, asking what it would mean if the voices people heard were real.
“We try to explain reality in our way,” says Kouf. “If your show doesn’t have a solid grounding, then your fantasy gets away from you.”
Earlier in the afternoon, during the Grimm fan panel, the team announced that Trubel, a younger Grimm who has been learning the ways of her kind, will be sticking around next season. “Trubel isn’t going anywhere because we need her,” Bitsie Tulloch (Juliette Silverton) said during the press roundtable. Perhaps Trubel will need to pick up the slack now that Nick Burkhardt has been stripped of his own powers. David Giuntoli, who plays the lead Grimm in the series, says that the loss of Nick’s special abilities will effect the character deeply. “I think he’s feeling lost right now,” he says. “I think he’s wondering if he’s a good police officer without these things.”
Meanwhile, on Saturday, fans also learned that Captain Sean Renard’s mother will enter the picture. “I think it’s going to have tremendous effect,” says Sasha Roiz, who plays Renard, of the development. The captain has a very complicated family history. Beyond that, his story ended with a dangerous cliffhanger last season, so the exact circumstances surrounding the appearance of Renard’s mother are unknown. “You’re going to see a man fighting for his life,” says Roiz of his character’s situation. “I can’t comment on whether he’s going to survive or not.”
There are lots of story lines carrying over from last season’s finale. One relationship has been cemented. Another is left strained. One character is on the hunt for her child. Another is left in life-threatening condition.
“The reality is that there were so many cliffhangers going on in the finale so the season premiere will be a continuation of the finale,” says Tulloch. “The story lines will be dealt with in some way or another.”