Just in time for the Grimm Finale, I had an opportunity to chat with Claire Coffee (Adalind Schade) and to get the scoop from her point of view on what’s been happening with Adalind.

First Love

First of all, I wondered where Adalind’s heart is. She’s changed so much since the birth of her baby, Diana. I wanted to know if Coffee thought there had been a true change. “Well,” she told me, “as we saw in the last few weeks, now being a mother, she has a kind of renewed sense of humanity. I think she loves something for the first time in her life probably, which makes it that much more devastating to her when she loses her child.”

Key to Motivation

Adalind believes her baby to be with the Prince when she’s really with Nick’s mother (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). Coffee said, “I think Adalind is entirely motivated now to find her baby, so anything that she does is in order to get Diana back. Come hell or high water, she’s getting that baby back, no matter who she has to destroy in the process.”

Adalind Against the World

Viewers have seen over the last few episodes that, not only has Adalind gotten her powers back, but Diana has some unexpected powers of her own. “It seems like Adalind’s powers are stronger, and she’s learning how to use them. There are a couple of great spells and classic witch powers that come into play toward the end of the season. And, Diana’s powers are only beginning to show themselves. They are world-dominating powers, it seems. Also, when Adalind got pregnant, she was just going to sell her baby in order to get her own powers back. The fact that Diana even has powers is a surprise.

“I think Adalind believes she’s using her powers for good, because she’s trying to get her baby back, but there’s always two sides of the coin. For her, it’s like Adalind against the world. Nick (David Giuntoli) and Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) are keeping this enormous secret from her – that they have this child.”

Making it Real

Coffee still enjoys being surprised at what David Greenwalt and Jim Kouf, the writers, come up with for Adalind and wouldn’t change a thing about her.

Since there’s no such thing as a Hexenbiest, I asked Coffee how she played the character. She laughed, “I certainly wasn’t researching legal briefs, even though she is a lawyer. I just kind of react with what’s motivating the character. What are her concerns? And I try to be on her side and not judge what’s going on. I get to a place where I can understand the circumstances and see how I can relate to it with my imagination.”

A Bit of a Comedienne

Though she does not consider herself a writer, Coffee dabbles in comedy. “I love comedy and performing comedy. There are folks who have spent their entire lives writing comedy like I’ve spent my life acting. Writing will always be something I do for fun, when I get bored or have extra time on my hands. I definitely feel more confident in my acting skills, but I am a homebody, so I do love the writer’s work.

“I’m just proud that I have a career. I can pay my health insurance and my rent. It’s really been fantastic. It’s the first time I’ve had a consistent amount of work and a character that I can really dig my teeth into. So, I’m proud of the work that I’m doing and able to do, because it’s so consistent.”

Hiatus Time

Coffee will be spending at least part of her hiatus on the road with her musician husband Chris Thile, who plays mandolin for Nickel Creek, but is also frontman for The Punch Brothers. “He tours all year, so hiatus is a great time for me to actually get to spend time with him. I can meet him on some of his performance dates. It’s a good time to be together. Thile is currently touring with Nickel Creek.

The Season Three Finale of Grimm, “Blonde Ambition,” airs Friday at 9:00 on NBC.