Natural Born Wesen

The episode was viewed by 4.91 million people, earning a 1.4/5 in the 18-49 rating demographics on the Nielson ratings scale, ranking second on its timeslot and fifth for the night in the 18-49 demographics, behind 20/20, Blue Bloods, Last Man Standing, and a rerunShark Tank.[1] This was an slight increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 4.90 million viewers with a 1.5/5.[2] This means that 1.4 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 5 percent of all households watching television at that time watched it. With DVR factoring in, the episode was watched by 7.44 million viewers with a 2.5 ratings share in the 18-49 demographics.[3]

"Natural Born Wesen" received positive reviews. The A.V. Club's Kevin McFarland gave the episode a "B" grade and wrote, "The best thing about 'Natural Born Wesen' is that it echoes last season's 'Cat And Mouse' which similarly expanded the Wesen world in compelling fashion. But this episode isn't as good as that one, since it skimps on the explanations and necessary confrontations that arise from the information that Monroe and Rosalee reveal."[4]

Nick McHatton from TV Fanatic, gave a 4.0 star rating out of 5, stating: "One of Grimm's greatest storytelling abilities is having the advantage of literally showing what is directly underneath the surface of its characters, using it to quickly give the audience a characterization; this technique has been used with Rosalee, but she's continually breaking out of her meek shell now. This might be due to Nick, like Monroe, but some of it is due to her taking up her family's business and finding her place in the Wesen world."[5]

Shilo Adams from TV Overmind, wrote: "At the spice shop, Juliette and Renard aren't sure what's going on regarding Nick, the cat that started this whole mess, and their attraction to one another. Monroe attempts to explain the 'emotional nuclear meltdown' that they just went through, but it doesn't seem to get through the either of them, partially because they were more focused on Nick waking up from the drink that he consumed at the end of last week's episode."[6]

Josie Campbell from TV.com wrote, "While the first two episodes after Grimm's long break were both enjoyable, the show needs to finally address the nuts and bolts of the world it's presented to us. We need to see what the Wesen get out of living with humans, or explain why living on their own in hidden all-Wesen communities doesn't work. We need to meet more Wesen who don't flaunt the law [sic], and we need to see that humans in Portland break the law, too—otherwise we're dealing with a world where only Wesen are criminals, and if that's the case we're back to the question of why they're even attempting to fit in."[7]