NBC's fantasy Grimm is just now diving into its own bigger mythology in the show's second season, starting Aug. 13. David Giuntoli plays Portland cop Nick Burkhardt, the latest in a long line of Grimms who fight monsters of myth and legend — trolls, witches, satyrs — and one of the few humans who can see their true natures in the real world.

"I personally get a charge from seeing people in full prosthetics in these creature forms, because it helps do the scene for you," Giuntoli says. "There is a lot of imagining in our show, and when there is a person dressed as an ogre, you don't have to imagine that anymore. You can actually respond, and it really brings it to life."

Grimm has a lot of fun in store for its second season. But the casting new from earlier that made me cheer? Mark Pellegrino, who is popping up in the third episode this season playing an old friend of Hank’s (Russell Hornsby) and goes to him for help after his daughter goes missing. Oh, and he’s a coyotl. And when I last spoke with executive producers Jim Kouf and David Greenwalt, they teased that this “big Hank” episode will also touch on a larger theme. “He’s a guy who tried to break from his past and his past has come back to haunt him,” Kouf says. Greenwalt adds: “It’s a violent, gang-like past and he doesn’t want to raise his kid that way.” While he’s only slated for one episode, Kouf says the character’s closeness with Hank definitely leaves the door open for a return. And though we might have to wait a while to see that happen, one thing we won’t have to wait for? Resolution to the season-ending cliffhangers! The pair shared that major cliffhangers will be dealt with in “the first couple of episodes,” which will result in Nick feeling “stretched to the limit.” “He’s overworked; he’s beat-up; he’s underpaid. He’s got the woman he loves in the hospital. He’s doing everything he can on all fronts,” says Greenwalt. Kouf jokes: “He doesn’t sleep much. We’re going to have one episode where Nick just sleeps the whole time.” Meanwhile, did you see the awesome first look at Grimm‘s first baddie? If not, click here. If you’ve already seen it, allow me to continue sharing: I was close to sharing another picture from the first episode with you, but the problem? It was deemed too bloody! Executive producer Jim Kouf explains: “It was a massacre. [The monster] is not a nice guy. But he does have to eat. He’s not that different from you and me.” (Click to the next page to see my chat with them from Comic-Con!)