Grimm characters - Sebastien, Wu, and why we care

Aside from the torture issue we covered yesterday, I have appreciated the storyline with the Royals. Based on message boards, I know it's not popular with everyone, but I find I care about it, because I care about the characters.

A lot of that is centered on Sebastien, as portrayed by Christian Lagadec. Several episodes ago, I realized that I am always worried about them. I pondered that, because we really know very little about him. We don't know why he keeps Renard informed, when it is very dangerous for him, and frankly, Renard does not seem to be that supportive.

However, Sebastien stays there, even though he seems to be the least qualified. Renard has Hexenbiest lineage and police training, and is a crack shot. Meisner is a skilled fighter. On the other side, they have money and Hundjäger.

I suppose it could be my natural sympathy for the underdog coming through, but also, I think Lagadec acts nervous, and that comes through. It's not anything really flashy, but the actor understands the character's vulnerability, and that infuses the performance, making everything more relatable and more real.

This is something "Grimm" has always done well. They create good characters, but trust the actors to add their own touches, and the cast delivers. This has been especially true with the March 7th episode, where the writers found a creature from actor Reggie Lee's upbringing and gave us an episode letting us get to know his character, Wu, better.

http://tv.yahoo.com/blogs/tv-news/-grimm--culls-from-reggie-lee-s-real-life-childhood-in-the-philippines-to-give-sgt--wu-a-backstory-195938895.html

And it was great! There was emotion, but also humor, and while the episode is self-contained, what happened in it will continue to matter.

These are not the top-billed characters, but they matter. They build the world, and enrich it, and it lends importance to all of the developments.

Generally when the main cast is in peril, you know that things are going to work out somehow. I love Nick, and David Giuntoli does a great job, so I do care about what happens. He is not just going to be written off. Even if he were to decide to leave the show, which would be awful, there would probably be some advance warning.

Sebastien could totally die. There have been a couple of times when I was pretty sure he would.

(And yes, that would be a fictional death, but if we were going to get hung up on that, there would be no point in watching television at all.)

So there is real risk there, and yet there is real relief when he survives another day. Reggie Lee does other acting jobs, and does not appear in some episodes, but it is good to see him, and to learn things about Wu. Wu matters.

Some of this is just that on a basic level "Grimm" is a well-done show: good writing, good acting, and good continuity. I also think some of it is that in the mindset behind the show, individuals matter.

That can be hard to maintain for any police procedural, even without the supernatural element, because there is always a body count. Lately I find that there are some works that I can't enjoy, because at their roots they have too much contempt for humanity, and regardless of the many good reasons for that I can't get there.

I like that "Grimm", with literal monsters, finds a way to enjoy them, and we will build on that more tomorrow.