David Giuntoli loves being a Grimm.  Period.  He absolutely loves it.  And by now, the third season into the series, he has settled into his character, saying, “I feel like I live inside the character now.  I just get it.  I know where he’s coming from.  It’s the beauty of having a television show that’s running.  You don’t even have to try any more.  You just kind of know how he would react to a certain situation.  You probably can’t get that in movies, even theatre sometimes.”

Two-Hour Fall Finale

Giuntoli, of course, plays Detective Nick Burkhardt on NBC’s Grimm.  He took part in a special press conference call on Monday to talk about Friday’s two-hour fall finale, which is actually two episodes – “Cold Blooded” and “12 Days of Krampus.”  MyTakeonTV was there. 

And what we can tell you is get ready to be afraid.  Be very afraid.  Santa Claus is coming to Grimm – and it’s not going to be pretty.

A Grimmly Christmas

Who would even think of putting a spooky spin on Christmas?  Referencing the continually darkening creatures Nick confronts on a weekly basis, Giuntoli said, “There’s an actual legend of Krampus out there, and we’ve had German people asking us to do Krampus over and over again.  We finally tipped our hat to the fine people of Bavaria, and we’re bringing this legend to life.  We ruin Christmas for everybody, and it’s gory, and it’s wonderful.

“In this season, I’m dealing with some over-the-top, resilient, ruthless Wesen.  And Krampus in this finale is pretty wild.  When I walked onto set, and I saw the actor dressed, I actually had like a visceral reaction to him.  I was kind of frightened in a way.  But that’s not the craziest thing I ever saw on set.  That was a body in a car being eaten alive from the inside by live rats. Rats were pouring out the mouth of this dummy.  It was awful.  Russell Hornsby (Hank) ran away like a scared little boy.”

Changes in Nick

The creatures Nick has had to deal with have grown stronger over the years for sure.  But, so has Nick.

Giuntoli said, “I think the thing that kind of throws a curve ball into what the audience is expecting is good for the show.  The show grows, as does the character Nick, and you discover that some of these other phenomena that take place in the world haven’t yet been added to the book of fairy tales.  But, they are being added by Nick now.  So we are taking other myths and folklore and otherwise just kind of stories that have been told and putting the little Grimm spin behind them now.  I like it.”

One interesting change that recently developed over the course of the series for Nick is his ability to experience super hearing.  There’s also his ability to appear “dead” at times.  Giuntoli said, “At this point, he does not control his hearing at all, so he certainly can use it to his advantage.  But this dead thing, I don’t think he knows where it comes from yet.  It’s certainly not something that he can kind of pull out of his bag of tricks at his own whim.  So, at this point, it either helps him, or it hurts him.  Every time Nick gets harmed, he’s left with this kind of useful side effect.  We’re going to definitely be seeing more of that after the Christmas break.”

A Dark World

He continued, “I think the longer Nick does this job, the more he is going to become more and more into the world of Wesen.  He’s not afraid of people anymore.  He’s not afraid of Wesen anymore.  What does scare him to this day is what happens to his loved ones if he doesn’t stop the Wesesn, so that’s where the struggle comes in.  The stakes are raised in a different way now.  He’s not afraid of the creatures, but he knows it’s on him to take care of this case or this next case – like no one else can figure this thing out, because they can’t see anything that Nick can see.  And Nick is willing to go kind of rogue more often.  I think being dark is a good thing for the character.

“Still, the most difficult part emotionally of the whole show for Nick, I think, was finding out he was a Grimm.  That’s the most difficult thing for the character to deal with.  This whole other world is out there.  It’s something that we play on a lot in the series.  Whenever anybody else finds out about the world of Grimm who’s not ready, it’s very delicate.  Mental institutions are lined with people who weren’t ready to see something, and they did.  We’re filming an episode right now (episode 14, to be aired later in the season) where somebody else does something for the first time.  There are responsibilities and dangers that come with knowing about this world, especially to those who are not Wesen or Grimm.  And that’s going to be explored in this season.  I love those big dinner scenes where we’re looking at gory bloody pictures and drinking red wine and kind of discussing a case from all these different points of views.  Fuschsbau.  Wesen.  Juliet.  Grimm.  It think it’s fun.”

“There is also a reason Nick doesn’t tell everybody that he’s a Grimm.  It’s not safe for him if more standard, normal human beings know about it.”

Stay Tuned…

Be on the lookout in this Friday’s finale for Nick’s new “toy” at the trailer, which has become Giuntoli’s favorite weapon to date.

And his favorite Wesen?  “It’s got to be Blutbad.  They’re like, you know, Labradors.  They’re so loyal, to a fault.  I’ve forged this bond with Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell).  It’s fantastic.  And then I would say the Damonfeuer, because they’re just so fun to look at.”

Viewers can look forward to more surprises as 2014 arrives.  Expect some tension to develop between Monroe and Nick, and expect the emergence of a “greater villain,” yet to be seen.

For a different – and scary – slant on Christmas – and Santa like you’ve never seen, tune in to Grimm this Friday the 13^th on NBC.  Following Christmas break, Grimm returns to the airwaves on January 3.

Cheryl has been a freelance TV/film writer for more than 10 years. Simultaneously, she has worked in PR for Bon Jovi Productions in NYC, PolyGram Records (also in NYC), and Rogers & Cowan Public Relations. Cheryl has published articles at suite101.com, “Sci-Fi Entertainment” magazine, and “Soap Opera Weekly.” She was also a credited researcher for English author Denis Meikle’s JOHNNY DEPP: A KIND OF ILLUSION. Cheryl enjoys writing for the entertainment industry and meeting new people. She is also an animal lover.