Summary

• The Grimm Variations offer a fresh twist on classic fairy tales, exploring darker themes and modern settings.
• The anime presents a chilling take on Little Red Riding Hood, transforming her into a vigilante seeking revenge against predators.
• Season two could see Red teaming up with Madame to take down the wolf cult, empowering women in a feminist uprising.

The following contains spoilers for The Grimm Variations, now streaming on Netflix. It also contains a mention of sexual assault.

When it comes to Netflix The Grimm Variations, one of the most refreshing things about this anime anthology is how different the stories are. Some are grounded, as seen in Cinderella's maniacal murderer sabotaging her family. Others are a bit more sophisticated and technological.

The second episode, “Little Red Riding Hood,” has this Black mirror Feel it. He uses interesting tools to subvert the concept of the wolf and Little Red Riding Hood from the Brothers Grimm source material. In the process, he leans into the idea of the wolf in sheep's clothing, drastically altering what has happened in the tradition.

Who is the big bad wolf in the Grimm variations?

The new wolf has a demented human touch

This episode features a gentle young man, Grey, entertaining a young woman in a palace. He makes her wear a red dress and seduces her. He takes her to his room, but before they sleep together, he restrains her. It seems like kinks and fetishes, but it quickly becomes violent. He admits he's a "wolf," a predator and sexual deviant. The woman tries to escape, but he begins biting her, mutilating her, and eventually murdering her. He takes his title literally. He's a cannibal who loves human flesh—it's a better feeling than sex.

The dark twist is that this isn't Little Red Riding Hood. It's a young woman using the eye drops; a tool that allows people to be the best versions of themselves in an AI reality. Gray has broken the technology, revealing his true form in the real world. He doesn't see it as something beautiful, so he feels comfortable meting out what he considers punishment for lying. It's a very superficial and cosmetic way of thinking. He knows the facade is all elegance and no substance. But whether in the real world or in virtual reality, he just wants to feed on women.

He's basically the epitome of toxic masculinity. Unfortunately, he's part of a gentlemen's club that does this. They have certain rules, which Brown sets. But Gray wants more. Gray also hopes to break a rule, venture outside the club, and commit murder where he has no jurisdiction or protection. This leaves fans guessing who the real person on the hunt is, making it seem like a Blade corridor anime where viewers aren't sure who is a replicant. Here, it's unclear who is digital or real.

It remixes the tradition in a big way. The first story had the wolf hiding, pretending to be Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother, in the old woman's house. He then ate the girl after having eaten the grandmother. The French version had a woodcutter cutting open the wolf, freeing Red and his grandmother, and placing stones in its belly. This caused the wolf to die. The Grimm version had the wolf falling into a well and drowning due to the stones inside. In this dramatic anime, it seems Gray has all his wolf angles ironed out so he can have a happy, hungry ending.

Who are Little Red Riding Hood and Grandma from the Grimm Variations?

Little Red Riding Hood and Grandma defend female victims

Red is called Scarlet here. She wears a hood and is someone the predator targets in the real world. He asks Granny, better known as "Madame," to resolve his bloodlust. Madame is a manipulator; a fixer who can arrange such murders. She warns him that he could be excommunicated. But he goes along with it because he thinks he has power and influence. It's the mark of a true narcissist in season 1. The Grimm VariationsMadame prepares everything. Gray saves Scarlet from a thief and drinks with her. He plans to drug and then assault her.

Surprisingly, he passes out. He wakes up restrained as one of the victims of the Mountain range movies. Scarlet admits she's in charge. She always has been. She made amends with the thief, pretending to appear weak. Now, she has the villain of her story. She kills Gray in a graphic scene. This sequence is full of blood and gore, shaping Scarlet as a vigilante. All this time, she's been manipulating and branding the wolf, seeking to punish him for his crimes. It gives Red a bolder, more aggressive feel. Someone who won't fall prey to this demon.

Red returns to Madame after death. She smiles sadistically, claiming she'll hunt her own targets. Madame acknowledges this, knowing she has a wolf in her midst. In this case, it's a nice lady pretending to be shy, luring assassins and giving them a test of her misogynistic medicine. The tables have truly turned. The final scene of Red accepting her fate is quite ominous. She proceeded to cut Gray into pieces. But that doesn't mean Red's story has to end there. It could involve Madame and her relic shop as well.

Grimm Variations Season 2 May Have Little Red Riding Hood Killing More Wolves

Little Red Riding Hood and Grandma have a cult to overthrow

Brown is still out there. He calls Madame to ask about Grey, but she doesn't snitch. She lets him know that even though she knows about his apprentice, the man has wandered off the cult's radar. Anything that happens is his fault. This creates a potential rift. Red could infiltrate the club to eliminate more wolves. Or they could try to twist the story and set traps for her. They would love to torture her, not just for the sake of revenge for their fellow elite, but because a rebel like her is what men love: resistance.

A second season of the anime could find Madame assisting her, providing her own weapons and technology. It's implied that both have deep hidden issues with the cult. These men may harm women close to them. Furthermore, Red could use more women and train them to be assassins like her. These men have clearly killed many victims over the years, so what better way to counterattack than with a feminist army that hates the idea of digitally enhancing themselves for men's pleasure.

This would overturn that damsel in distress narrative, which is what Netflix did with Millie Bobby Brown. MaidenThis approach puts power, agency, and control back in the hands of women. Brown was ecstatic about how they took that power and made all women feel powerless. Netflix could continue to tweak this creative strategy with the anime sequel, making all the wolves pay in their mansion with all its dungeons of sex and abuse. It would be part of the "Time's Up!" and "#MeToo" era—a global issue, to be honest.

This is a welcome breath of fresh air for the fairy tale. Hollywood already remixed the story in a 2011 film, little Red Riding Hood, starring Amanda Seyfried as Valerie, a young woman who had to face werewolves, witches, and a family curse. It was criticized by critics and fans for feeling too generic; a mix of cheesy tropes and folklore. But in The Grimm Variations, there's much more depth and nuance. This makes Red a symbol of opposition to rapists and abusers. She doesn't even have to be a hero. She can be an anti-hero, corrupted by rage.

Madame warned her about this as well, urging her not to become the monster she seeks to hunt. Season two may dissect their tension and bond, if Red continues to disobey and if Madame can bring her back from the darkness before she loses her soul. Since Madame is also about business, who knows, she may even betray Red if she thinks she can forge a fruitful and bountiful alliance with the wolves. Ultimately, there's much to unravel, an intriguing story to explore, and a future full of potential as this new Red Riding Hood attempts to purify her world by burning down the patriarchy.

All six episodes of The Grimm Variations are streaming on Netflix.