Photo Credit: The CW - Kristin Kreuk (L) and Jay Ryan (R) as Catherine Chandler and Vincent Keller.
OVERALL GRADE = A (94%)
When you mix your ingredients right, you get a fabulous dish. And we definitely got served this week. This particular episode not only gave us what we had been waiting and wanting for SO LONG but it also marked the potential of a show like Beauty and the Beast : a show that has been fighting so hard to define themselves. Were they a remake of the Linda Hamilton series? Was it a cop show? Was it too modern? After watching the episode twice, I can safely say, “THIS is Beauty and the Beast.” This episode was by far one of the best episodes we’ve seen from all season in every department : story, acting, cinematography, action, etc. The reason?? It was a perfectly balanced show that was thoroughly entertaining to watch all throughout, with all elements working to keep me in suspense until the very end and even then – I wanted more! There was comedy, romance, lots of action, drama, and of course – the mystery. Put ‘em all in a pot and you get a recipe for a really good show!!
Obviously, the episode started out with a bit of romance for all the fans out there although it did not quite end as expected. It doesn’t bother me much that we don’t get to see as much of Vincent and Catherine being intimate because we do get a lot of comedy between them. And it’s like the show’s producers and writers have found a structure for their show and characters. They’ve found the characters, the chemistry between the characters, and have written storylines that showcase great material. And for the past two seasons focusing on character development, I feel that we all know our characters well. So now, it’s more about establishing the relationship between these characters that seemingly at first, weren’t even aware of each other’s existence. And for the first time in the series, where all our characters are integrated into the storyline, we are discovering a new group chemistry – what each of them bring to the conversation and how they interact with one another. Season three definitely gives us a chance to see this and we’re enjoying it.
Vincent and Catherine have always been the main thrust of the show. Ryan and Kreuk always bring an energy to the scene and has been the primary reason why a huge fan base has developed for the show. Vincent and Heather create a comedic scene – ALWAYS. Catherine and her sister have some comedy too, but it’s more of a sisterly type of banter where we get to see the familial aspect of Catherine. And then Tess and JT bring a relationship that is cute – not epic. Yet, we also love the comedy that sparks in between them with Tess’s sarcasm and JT’s snarkiness. Each pairing brings something different to the table and brings a dynamicity to the story and show. As a whole, it creates more depth and a different perspective to the show, giving the fans more meat to chew on.
On to the story line, Vincent and Catherine are feeling overwhelmed by their day jobs, the superhuman case they’re working on, plus the wedding. And right at the beginning, we see Vincent and Catherine struggling to have any alone time at all. What I admire about their relationship, is that they both try to make some time for “us” even though they both don’t end so well. When Catherine attempted for some “us” time, Vincent fell asleep. When Vincent attempted for some “us” time, Catherine almost got killed. Not unusual for our couple. Yet, you would think with them living together, things would be easier. But I do like the details that the art department gave us. For example, I like the fact that Vincent still writes handwritten notes to Catherine and it’s even more romantic that he wrote on his own doctor’s note from the hospital. It adds so much to where they are now. I also like how enthusiastic Vincent is about the wedding and how he’s not procrastinating unlike Catherine. One thing that I do notice continually from week to week is the repetitiveness of certain words in the writing. Last season it was “pentagon of justice” and “humanity.” This season it’s still “humanity” but this week Catherine said the words “lighten our load” like four times throughout the episode!! C’mon writers. I also didn’t like how easily Catherine risked Vincent’s job. She had no consideration! Obviously, she gets what she wants. Tess can speak to that. And Vincent had a right to be angry at Catherine when they were caught.
I like the idea of Bob & Carol because they create an interesting challenge for Vincent and Catherine. Bob & Carol are married, they work on supernatural cases, and they work well together. Only difference is that both Bob & Carol are super humans – which means Vincent and Catherine are dealing with a whole different animal. Although impossible to beat, Catherine challenges Bob & Carol by saying ,”This is when we are at our best.” BAM! And the reason why it’s an interesting opponent is because it’s like Vincent and Catherine fighting a future version of themselves. Obviously, Bob & Carol are older, wiser, and have more experience. It was also refreshing to not have the “villain of the week” arc. And I like that they pose a threat to our heroes and that we didn’t exactly uncover their mystery. We still don’t know what they want, why they want to kill Catherine, and who they work for. So, I’m looking forward to seeing more of them. The plot twist was surprising but it was a little expected because I felt something was off with Bob & Carol. What makes it surprising is because they seemed to be the last persons to be involved in all the shootings. Remember the saying ,”Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”
That leads me to the climax of the episode where Vincent and Catherine and Bob and Carol meet for dinner at the boathouse. I like how we get relieved from the dramatic tension with the temporary domestic comedy – Vincent opening the door with a huge welcoming grin on his face, knife in his pocket. The humor comes from the idea of these both seemingly normal couples hiding a much bigger secret and their intentions – malicious – at least on Bob & Carol’s end. And what we get from it is a very Mr. and Mrs. Smith feel. Especially with the fight scene that BLEW ME OUT OF THE WATER – literally. It was refreshing to see Vincent and Catherine kick ass and jump out from the exploding boathouse. BAD ASS. MATRIX SLOW MOTION!! This is the VinCat we want them to be!! I have to say, this was one of the best action sequences I’ve seen! The crew is picking up their game! I also like the idea that Vincent doesn’t beast out – only until the very last minute.
Another thing we were very happy with was the destruction of the boathouse – FINALLY! And like Catherine said,”Well, there goes your safety net.” It’s significant because we’re moving on from the past and Vincent can only look forward to the future he has with Catherine. He’s in it and there’s no way out.
I felt bad for Heather because no one cared about her wedding. Vincent doesn’t care about the wedding contracts and Catherine doesn’t care about the choices she needs to make. But we see that this isn’t just classic Heather being annoying – this is Heather coping with the loss of her wedding. And she realizes how she’s been using Vincent and Catherine as a way to deal with her being dumped. Gladly, Heather understood and Vincent and Catherine will have more time to plan!
JT and Tess both have significant changes in this episode: JT obviously a physical, biological one while Tess has more of a career change. I thought JT was annoying in the beginning when he was trying to figure out if he had any superpowers. I’m siding with Tess because I’m usually one to brush off things too. But it makes sense for Tess because she just doesn’t want to be involved in this supernatural stuff anymore! Either way, it was still funny how she teased him at the end, “Oh, maybe you have healing powers or something.” And then BAM. JT does has healing powers. At least it’s a good thing – and not something that will turn him into a supervillain. Now with Tess as captain, I’m afraid things are going to complicate for Catherine in the precinct. One because she’s going to get a new partner and two, because Tess now has a huger risk covering for Cat’s ass. Will that create a problem in their friendship??
All in all, I’m glad the episode didn’t end with a classic VinCat moment where they both go over what they learned – instead we’re left with a cliffhanger. Why do Bob & Carol want Catherine?? We know this isn’t over, especially now that they know Vincent is a beast. It was an exciting episode and if the episodes keep getting better and better, well I’m all game!! Jay Ryan told us that this was his favorite episode to shoot and we can agree with him!!!
When you mix your ingredients right, you get a fabulous dish. And we definitely got served this week. This particular episode not only gave us what we had been waiting and wanting for SO LONG but it also marked the potential of a show like Beauty and the Beast : a show that has been fighting so hard to define themselves. Were they a remake of the Linda Hamilton series? Was it a cop show? Was it too modern? After watching the episode twice, I can safely say, “THIS is Beauty and the Beast.” This episode was by far one of the best episodes we’ve seen from all season in every department : story, acting, cinematography, action, etc. The reason?? It was a perfectly balanced show that was thoroughly entertaining to watch all throughout, with all elements working to keep me in suspense until the very end and even then – I wanted more! There was comedy, romance, lots of action, drama, and of course – the mystery. Put ‘em all in a pot and you get a recipe for a really good show!!
Obviously, the episode started out with a bit of romance for all the fans out there although it did not quite end as expected. It doesn’t bother me much that we don’t get to see as much of Vincent and Catherine being intimate because we do get a lot of comedy between them. And it’s like the show’s producers and writers have found a structure for their show and characters. They’ve found the characters, the chemistry between the characters, and have written storylines that showcase great material. And for the past two seasons focusing on character development, I feel that we all know our characters well. So now, it’s more about establishing the relationship between these characters that seemingly at first, weren’t even aware of each other’s existence. And for the first time in the series, where all our characters are integrated into the storyline, we are discovering a new group chemistry – what each of them bring to the conversation and how they interact with one another. Season three definitely gives us a chance to see this and we’re enjoying it.
Vincent and Catherine have always been the main thrust of the show. Ryan and Kreuk always bring an energy to the scene and has been the primary reason why a huge fan base has developed for the show. Vincent and Heather create a comedic scene – ALWAYS. Catherine and her sister have some comedy too, but it’s more of a sisterly type of banter where we get to see the familial aspect of Catherine. And then Tess and JT bring a relationship that is cute – not epic. Yet, we also love the comedy that sparks in between them with Tess’s sarcasm and JT’s snarkiness. Each pairing brings something different to the table and brings a dynamicity to the story and show. As a whole, it creates more depth and a different perspective to the show, giving the fans more meat to chew on.
On to the story line, Vincent and Catherine are feeling overwhelmed by their day jobs, the superhuman case they’re working on, plus the wedding. And right at the beginning, we see Vincent and Catherine struggling to have any alone time at all. What I admire about their relationship, is that they both try to make some time for “us” even though they both don’t end so well. When Catherine attempted for some “us” time, Vincent fell asleep. When Vincent attempted for some “us” time, Catherine almost got killed. Not unusual for our couple. Yet, you would think with them living together, things would be easier. But I do like the details that the art department gave us. For example, I like the fact that Vincent still writes handwritten notes to Catherine and it’s even more romantic that he wrote on his own doctor’s note from the hospital. It adds so much to where they are now. I also like how enthusiastic Vincent is about the wedding and how he’s not procrastinating unlike Catherine. One thing that I do notice continually from week to week is the repetitiveness of certain words in the writing. Last season it was “pentagon of justice” and “humanity.” This season it’s still “humanity” but this week Catherine said the words “lighten our load” like four times throughout the episode!! C’mon writers. I also didn’t like how easily Catherine risked Vincent’s job. She had no consideration! Obviously, she gets what she wants. Tess can speak to that. And Vincent had a right to be angry at Catherine when they were caught.
I like the idea of Bob & Carol because they create an interesting challenge for Vincent and Catherine. Bob & Carol are married, they work on supernatural cases, and they work well together. Only difference is that both Bob & Carol are super humans – which means Vincent and Catherine are dealing with a whole different animal. Although impossible to beat, Catherine challenges Bob & Carol by saying ,”This is when we are at our best.” BAM! And the reason why it’s an interesting opponent is because it’s like Vincent and Catherine fighting a future version of themselves. Obviously, Bob & Carol are older, wiser, and have more experience. It was also refreshing to not have the “villain of the week” arc. And I like that they pose a threat to our heroes and that we didn’t exactly uncover their mystery. We still don’t know what they want, why they want to kill Catherine, and who they work for. So, I’m looking forward to seeing more of them. The plot twist was surprising but it was a little expected because I felt something was off with Bob & Carol. What makes it surprising is because they seemed to be the last persons to be involved in all the shootings. Remember the saying ,”Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”
That leads me to the climax of the episode where Vincent and Catherine and Bob and Carol meet for dinner at the boathouse. I like how we get relieved from the dramatic tension with the temporary domestic comedy – Vincent opening the door with a huge welcoming grin on his face, knife in his pocket. The humor comes from the idea of these both seemingly normal couples hiding a much bigger secret and their intentions – malicious – at least on Bob & Carol’s end. And what we get from it is a very Mr. and Mrs. Smith feel. Especially with the fight scene that BLEW ME OUT OF THE WATER – literally. It was refreshing to see Vincent and Catherine kick ass and jump out from the exploding boathouse. BAD ASS. MATRIX SLOW MOTION!! This is the VinCat we want them to be!! I have to say, this was one of the best action sequences I’ve seen! The crew is picking up their game! I also like the idea that Vincent doesn’t beast out – only until the very last minute.
Another thing we were very happy with was the destruction of the boathouse – FINALLY! And like Catherine said,”Well, there goes your safety net.” It’s significant because we’re moving on from the past and Vincent can only look forward to the future he has with Catherine. He’s in it and there’s no way out.
I felt bad for Heather because no one cared about her wedding. Vincent doesn’t care about the wedding contracts and Catherine doesn’t care about the choices she needs to make. But we see that this isn’t just classic Heather being annoying – this is Heather coping with the loss of her wedding. And she realizes how she’s been using Vincent and Catherine as a way to deal with her being dumped. Gladly, Heather understood and Vincent and Catherine will have more time to plan!
JT and Tess both have significant changes in this episode: JT obviously a physical, biological one while Tess has more of a career change. I thought JT was annoying in the beginning when he was trying to figure out if he had any superpowers. I’m siding with Tess because I’m usually one to brush off things too. But it makes sense for Tess because she just doesn’t want to be involved in this supernatural stuff anymore! Either way, it was still funny how she teased him at the end, “Oh, maybe you have healing powers or something.” And then BAM. JT does has healing powers. At least it’s a good thing – and not something that will turn him into a supervillain. Now with Tess as captain, I’m afraid things are going to complicate for Catherine in the precinct. One because she’s going to get a new partner and two, because Tess now has a huger risk covering for Cat’s ass. Will that create a problem in their friendship??
All in all, I’m glad the episode didn’t end with a classic VinCat moment where they both go over what they learned – instead we’re left with a cliffhanger. Why do Bob & Carol want Catherine?? We know this isn’t over, especially now that they know Vincent is a beast. It was an exciting episode and if the episodes keep getting better and better, well I’m all game!! Jay Ryan told us that this was his favorite episode to shoot and we can agree with him!!!