Oh Captain, My Captain (Grimm)

In July 2016, it was announced that the third episode of the season would be called "Oh Captain, My Captain" and was to be written by Thomas Ian Griffith and directed by series regular David Giuntoli.[1] The episode marks David Giuntoli's directional debut in the series. The episode was the first episode of the season to be filmed but it was the third to be released so as to give time for Giuntoli to prepare.[2] As Giuntoli was directing the episode, he didn't appear in most of the episode but his character appeared throughout a personification. He commented that "Everybody was nervous about me directing because I'm a goofball on the set and don't have a long attention span. But I was ready. I did a ton of homework. I didn't want to let anybody down. It was the best time I've ever had professionally — without doubt and without exception. If you had put me in an MRI machine, you would have seen my entire brain light up!" On the last day of shooting, the cast and crew threw a party for Giuntoli, giving him also a clapper board with his name written on it.[3]

The episode was viewed by 4.29 million people, earning a 0.8/3 in the 18-49 rating demographics on the Nielson ratings scale, ranking second on its timeslot and fourth for the night in the 18-49 demographics, behind 20/20, a rerun of Shark Tank, Dr. Ken, Hawaii Five-0, Blue Bloods, and Last Man Standing.[4] This was a massive slight increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 4.24 million viewers with a 0.8/3.[5] This means that 0.8 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 3 percent of all households watching television at that time watched it. With DVR factoring in, the finale was watched by 6.21 million viewers and had a 1.4 ratings share in the 18-49 demographics.[6]

"Oh Captain, My Captain" received enormous praise. Les Chappell from The A.V. Club gave the episode a "A" rating and wrote, "'Oh Captain, My Captain' is an episode that clears up the vast majority of those concerns, because all of that's present. It's easily the best episode of season six and a contender for one of the show's top ten, finding a way to both get our characters out of the hole they're in and break up the bleakness with some body-swap levity. It's an encouraging step for the show's final act, one that proves even after 112 episodes it still has a way to surprise us."[7]

Kathleen Wiedel from TV Fanatic, gave a 4.4 star rating out of 5, stating: "Oh, the sweet taste of revenge. Nick finally got some long-delayed payback, and Renard got no less than he deserved in Grimm Season 6 Episode 3. Dear me, but revenge is a dish best served cold. And boy was it satisfying to see Renard's schemes brought to nothing by one brief impersonation!"[8]

Lindi Smith from EW gave the episode an "A" rating and wrote, "Okay, I cannot emphasize enough how much pure enjoyment 'Oh Captain, My Captain' provides. Not only did it move the plot along — Nick's no longer a fugitive, the action can refocus on police matters, Adalind's free of Renard's clutches — but it offered some pitch-perfect light moments, too. Let's hope this momentum continues as the show returns to its monster-of-the-week roots."[9]

TV.com, wrote, "Overall, 'My Captain' wasn't a romp or a huge comedy episode. But it seemed a tad more light-hearted than the last two weeks. Not as much as, say, 'The Grimm Who Stole Christmas.' And even with Jeremiah Rogers getting brutally murdered. So long, M. Ben Rogers! But there were some elements of farce going on. The bit with Monroe panicking and hiding in Renard's closet, and Adalind's over-the-top attempts to keep Renard there, seemed a bit like a French bedroom farce."[10]

Christine Horton of Den of Geek wrote, "Who doesn't love a bit of body swap fun and games? Presumably that's what the writers were thinking when they penned Captain, My Captain, where they neatly find a way to get Nick out of the corner they have painted him into."[11]