One Night Stand (Grimm)

The episode was viewed by 5.81 million people, earning a 1.6/5 in the 18-49 rating demographics on the Nielson ratings scale, ranking third on its timeslot and fourth for the night in the 18-49 demographics, behind Hawaii Five-0, Shark Tank, and Undercover Boss.[1] This was a 19% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 4.88 million viewers with a 1.3/4.[2] This means that 1.6 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 8.49 million viewers with a 2.6 ratings share in the 18-49 demographics.[3]

"One Night Stand" received positive reviews. The A.V. Club's Kevin McFarland gave the episode a "B" grade and wrote, "Though Grimm stumbles in broad strokes, occasionally it manages to win me over with a surprising attention to detail. The featured Wesen tonight is the Naiad, based on the water nymph of Greek myth—though the epigraph comes from Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Little Mermaid.' In Grimm's version of this creature, the males are sterile, and the women must mate in the water with other men in order to further the species of half-human Wesen. In essence, the men must care for children they cannot sire themselves. Putting aside the emasculating rage that inspires in the episode's villains, it took me a full 45 minutes to notice that the three Naiad daughters in the episode looked nothing alike: Sarah, a blonde, Anna a redhead, and Elly, a deaf brunette. That depth of backstory without calling direct attention is impressive, and touches like that make 'One Night Stand' an enjoyable episode in spite of some repetitive flaws."[4]

Nick McHatton from TV Fanatic, gave a 4.2 star rating out of 5, stating: "There are some episodes of Grimm that tell so much procedural story it sometimes grows boring rather than compelling. Grimm Season 3 Episode 4 focused on a captivating tale with some very exciting serial elements layered throughout."[5]

MaryAnn Sleasman from TV.com, wrote, "The third season of any TV series can often end up being the sweet spot; by that point, a show usually knows what it is, and what it wants to be. It's comfortable, but it's not old, tired, or overdone. There's still a lot to be explored. There are still new ideas to put to paper. Grimm is growing increasingly secure with embracing complicated and difficult ideas that go beyond a TV show. Real communities all over the world struggle with issues of identity, with balancing the needs and wants of a community versus the needs and wants of individuals. Assimilation can be a dirty word, but so can isolation."[6]