In the morning, glad, I see my foe outstretched beneath the tree
At the loft, Nick and Eve tell the others about the black skull creature that attacked Eve from the bathroom mirror. Adalind suggests that it's attached to Eve. When Nick says that he saw it in a dream, Diana comes in and says that it wasn't a dream. She says that it's not real yet and it's going to happen in the other place, through the hole in the mirror. Rosalee tells Eve that she's staying with them until they figure it out.
Two men, Ralph Rodderman and Del, go out into the woods to drink and night-hunt. They spot a deer and pull over, then take a shot. The deer runs off and the two men go after it. As Ralph stops to grab some more beer, Dev spots blood and goes after the deer. He finds it dead nearby and prepares to skin it, but hears something moving in the woods. A wind picks up and vines wrap around Del's ankles and drag him off.
A drunken Ralph hears Dev yelling and goes to investigate. He finds Del's rifle and the dead deer on the ground, and Dev nearby. Dev is wrapped up and as Ralph tries to pull him free, a vine thrusts through his chest, killing him. The vines then drag Mel's corpse to a nearby tree with a human-like face. Ralph fires a shot but it has no effect, and he runs back to the truck and drives off. As he looks back, Ralph crashes into at tree.
The next morning at the loft, Nick calls Adalind to stand guard as he shaves using the mirror. He explains that the thing left the last time because it saw him and Nick figures that it's because he's a Grimm. Nick decides to go without shaving, just as Wu calls and says that they have a case. The sheriff picked up Ralph and assumed he's a DUI, but Ralph is saying that his friend was killed.
When Nick and Hank arrive at the scene, Wu figures that Ralph was intoxicated. There's no sign of rifles but plenty of ammo in the cab. Ralph comes over and says that they have to do something, and tells them what happened. He insists that he's not crazy, and Hank says that they'll find Del. They take Ralph to where Dev was killed. His rifle is lying where he dropped it, and he describes the monster that he saw. There's no sign of Del's body, and they decide to bring dogs out to try and pick up the body's scent.
Monroe, Rosalee, and Eve arrive at the spice shop and examine the hand mirror where Eve saw the skull creature. Eve explains that it broke and she saw it reassemble itself, and the glass fills with blood. Monroe hastily puts it away, and Eve says that there's one way to figure out what is on the other side of the glass: by going there.
At the station, Nick reviews Del's record. Hank has confirmed that both rifles were fired but one bullet is unaccounted for. They wonder if Dev was a Wesen and woged. Wu tells them that three people have vanished in the area in the last five years. Each missing person left a parked vehicle nearby and has never turned up.
Nick and Hank talk to Ralph in the interrogation room. He claims that they weren't drinking and he didn't shoot Dev, but admits that Dev got in his way when he tried to shoot the monster. Wu calls the detectives out and says that the lab found large amounts of chlorophyll on Ralph's shirt, in concentrations that don't exist in nature.
As the partners go to the spice shop to check the books, Renard goes by into his office. Dasha calls to tell Renard that some of the symbols are ancient and some are unknown to her. Renard admits that Diana is a Hexenbiest and has his powers and more. Dasha wonders what kind of tunnel would have the combination of symbols, and suggests that Renard find out.
At the spice shop, the detectives describe the case to Monroe and Rosalee. Hank finds a reference to a Kinishimobe, and the bodies are never found. Monroe suggests that it's an environmental protector and never woges, and Rosalee points out that it's defending its home. Wu calls Nick and says that he has something he wants the detectives to see.
A waste disposal worker, Patty Vetvark, drives out to the forest to dump her toxic chemicals. She sets up a chair to wait.
At the station, Wu says that there have been ten disappearances in the same area in the last 20 years. Every one has a record of crimes against nature. Hank figures that Ralph was spared because he didn't shoot the deer, and Nick says that they'll go out the next day.
In the forest, the Kinishimobe comes after Patty. Vines wrap around her body, killer her, and the Kinishimobe drags her away to a large tree. It then kneels as Patty is pulled into it.
The next day, Nick, Hank, and Wu go back to the forest to look for Dev's body. They split up and Wu finds Patty's truck and the blood-covered lawn chair. The toxic waste is still seeping into the ground, and Wu calls Nick and Hank to tell them what he's found. Nick has found a large dark tree, but heads over to meet the others. Wu takes a photo of the truck's plate,
Back at the plate, the trio runs the plate and discovers that it belongs to Patty. She has a record of illegally dumping toxic wastes and been fined but never gone to jail. Nick lists off where each one went missing and Nick tracks each location on a map. Once they have a perimeter, they go back there and check the center of the area. The black tree is at the center, and there's fresh blood near its base. Hank spots the pattern of a man's face in the bark, screaming. They find other faces in the bark, also screaming.
After taking photos, the trio goes back to the spice shop. Rosalee explains that it's a Jubokko: a tree that survives on human blood. Wu confirms that each of the faces matches a missing person, including. Nick suggests that the Kinishimobe and the Jubokko are working together. Nick suggests that they fake something to make it look like they're harming the forest. Rosalee finds a book with a substance that is harmless but smells awful. She and Monroe go to work, and Nick figures that they'll need something sharp. He gets a battle axe from the chest of Grimm weapons.
Once the potion is ready, the group heads out to the tree. They pour out the substance around the Jubokko, and then wait for the Kinishimobe to arrive. The sun goes down and the creature doesn't show up. Monroe calls Rosalee to have her suggest something that they can use to spike up the potion. She suggests turpentine and says that she'll bring it. While they wait, Monroe points out that the Kinishimobe is just protecting its environment. The others aren't impressed.
As Rosalee drives into the forest, she hits a rock. She's unaware that the car is leaking oil. The car engine gives out and Rosalee spots the oil trail. She calls Monroe, who says that he's coming there. The Kinishimobe comes after her, and Monroe hears her screams on the phone. She runs off as the men run to her. Nick hears her with his enhanced senses and leads the way.
The men find Rosalee and they take her back to their car. As they reach the Jubokko, vines grab Rosalee and try to drag her away. The others hack at the vines, severing them, and the Kinishimobe emerges from the forest. Nick tries to get through to it, explaining that he's a Grimm. It reaches for him and Nick chops off its hands. More vines grab all of them, and Nick manages to drive his axe into the Kinishimobe's chest. The vines release the others, and the Kinishimobe "dies." The Jubokko grabs it with vines and pulls the creature into itself, and a new face appears on the bark. They figure that they've done all they can do and head back. In the Jubokko, the Kinishimobe blinks and looks at them.
Later, Nick makes an entry in his journal about what happened with some help from the others. Monroe suggests that the Jubokko took the Kinishimobe to protect it from themselves. Monroe and Rosalee go home and they agree that they'll have to cut back on adventuring once the children are born. They look up at the ceiling and see a vaguely facial-like pattern in the pine. The couple agrees that they should paint the ceiling.
Written by Gadfly on Mar 4, 2017