GRIMM — “The Return” Episode 507 — Pictured: (l-r) David Giuntoli as Nick Burkhardt, Claire Coffee as Adalind Schade — (Photo by: Scott Green/NBC)

For an actress whose character was originally to appear on one episode, then evolve into a recurring role, Claire Coffee (Adalind) is riding high these days as a Grimm series star.

Now in its fifth season, the series’ action-packed finale saw Adalind relinquish her Hexenbiest powers – however temporarily – to test a formula that might help Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) become fully “human” again. And Coffee, for one, couldn’t be happier as she joins NBC for a press conference to tease Season Five.

A Shocker She Didn’t See Coming

Grimm’s fifth season premiere, which premiered October 30, had Adalind giving birth to Nick’s son, who she named Kelly (after Nick’s newly-deceased mother). This unexpected turn of events from last season shocked even Coffee, “When I initially told them (the producers) I was pregnant, they said, ‘Obviously we’re not going to do another baby storyline. But, don’t worry. We can use a body double. It will be all fine.’ Then, halfway through the season, they said, ‘Actually, we are going to have you be pregnant, and it’s going to be Nick’s baby. And I think my jaw hit the floor.”

A Time to Look the Other Way

So, how will this baby affect Nick (David Giuntoli) and Adalind’s relationship? Will they fall in love? Do they hate each other? Coffee believes it’s a time of crossroads for both characters as they bond with the new baby, concentrating on keeping him happy and healthy. She explains, “I think it’s easy to let bygones be bygones when you have a baby that really does need you 24 hours a day. This gets them pretty sidetracked, at least for a while.” Coffee confesses, though, that the pair “has had that very aggressive and contentious chemistry from the beginning, since she was the first Wesen he saw, and she’s been a thorn in his side (ever since). They are an expression of that saying that there’s a thin line between love and hate.”

Trying to Get a Foot in the Door

At conference time, Coffee is shooting Episode 11, which airs on February 19, 2016. In teasing about what’s to come, she says, “It’s a pretty twisty, turning season with a lot of surprises. Of course, there’s this vested uprising afoot. And Adalind is spending a great deal of time with Nick, Hank, Monroe, and Rosalee, which I love because I get to shoot with the rest of the cast more frequently. They definitely aren’t so excited to have Adalind in the fold at first. Nobody is trusting her completely. She’s really trying to get Rosalee to trust her, though, and they’re forming a friendship that will grow throughout the season. Things seem to be a little bit on the back burner as people are giving Adalind the benefit of the doubt, and Adalind is relying on Nick for protection so this child won’t get taken away as well. Adalind’s main concern is keeping Kelly safe, and she’s really trying to figure out a way that she can be a ‘normal’ person. She wants to be a good person and try to figure out ways to do that and be a good mom. Also, her relationship with Nick is also something that is ever-changing for the first half of the season. So, it gets complicated.” Additionally, Adalind does not have Diana back, and Diana is aging rapidly, so there’s the question of what kind of relationship they will have once Diana is returned to her.

A Reason to Tune in

These days, Coffee is thrilled to be a part of Grimm, which recently shot its 100^th episode (airs March 4). “We’re all just so grateful and in disbelief and so proud of the show and so happy to be up in Portland. And we are hugely indebted to the fans of the show.” As for its longevity, Coffee comments, “I think there’s a little bit of something for everyone, and the character arcs are so complex. And the monsters – I think scary is scary in any language. Our visual effects artists have done an incredible job of creating these very intricately disgusting creatures. That’s a good reason alone to watch the show, just to see what the next monster is going to look like.”

Grimm airs on Friday nights at 9 on NBC.