The Bottle Imp (Grimm)

The episode was viewed by 5.01 million people, earning a 1.6/5 in the 18-49 rating demographics on the Nielson ratings scale.[1] This was a 6% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 5.29 million viewers with a 1.6/5.[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 7.69 million viewers with a 2.8 ratings share in the 18-49 demographics.[3]

"The Bottle Imp" received positive reviews. The A.V. Club's Kevin McFarland gave the episode a "B−" grade and wrote, "Judging by overall plot structure, 'The Bottle Imp' isn't just a formulaic episode of Grimm, but a relentlessly predictable hour that offers very little to viewers looking for something more than a show that can easily fade into the background while the rest of the country watches baseball."[4]

Emily Rome of EW wrote, "Oh, Grimm, how cruel you are! Or maybe I should be saying the sandman is a very, very cruel creature. In any case, Nick's dream of Juliette remembering him and giving him a big smooch is just about the last kind of dream Nick would want to be tricked into believing is real."[5]

Nick McHatton from TV Fanatic, gave a 4.5 star rating out of 5, stating: "One of Grimm's best assets is the ability to show someone’s true colors. What is just below the exterior of a character? 'The Bottle Imp' did just that, and in a way that made both the procedural story and the continuing character arcs richer."[6]

Shilo Adams from TV Overmind, wrote: "In the world of Grimm, you never know what people are capable of. The show has continually hit on the idea that what we present to the public are merely facades, what we want them to see rather than who we actually are. We're all hiding something that we'd rather not share with anyone that we know, let alone the strangers that we encounter on a daily basis. Unfortunately for some, they have to hide an entire identity for fear of the reaction that other people would have to who they truly are."[7]

Josie Campbell from TV.com wrote, "I think much of this is due to the semi-serialized, semi-episodic nature of the show. More than just a mythology-episodes-versus-monster-of-the-week series, Grimm straddles the line between television where what happened the week before doesn't matter, and an epic, over-arching story where everything matters. The show has been able to be both this season by throwing dashes of greater mythology into every episode, so here's hoping 'The Bottle Imp' is a bump in an otherwise smoother Season 2 road."[8]