Photo Credit: The CW - Kristin Kreuk (L) and Jay Ryan (R) as Catherine Chandler and Vincent Keller.
OVERALL GRADE = B (84%)
Although the “heart” puns were enjoyable, the true “heart” of the story laid with Vincent and Catherine’s relationship – obviously. I could care less about the old man with the heart transplant although I understand how it functioned as a device in the story. As per usual, Beauty and the Beast always manages to have cases of the week that similarily correlate with VinCat’s current issues. It was simply there to add meat to the story and to emphasize the “heart of the matter” theme. I also felt that this episode functioned as a sidebar to last week’s high-paced episode. It gave us a sort of break until we return to Bob & Carol and the greater threat looming above their heads. Overall, the episode allowed us to take a moment - step back - and look at the details in VinCat’s relationship, putting it into perspective for us. It was a reflective episode – making us look back at their relationship from the very beginning and understanding where they differ in opinion. As Vincent clearly stated, they simply disagreed on certain things – never labeled as a “fight.” It almost felt as a finale of sorts where we’re having flashbacks and reflective moments and we look back and think,” Ah, yes,” or “Oh no!” I think it was interesting how BATB decided to tell the story through time-jumps. In fact, I believe it was the first time BATB has used a time-based structure to drive the plot forward. And I think the reason why it was used other than to enjoy the interesting transitions, was again, to put their relationship into perspective, while at the same time, putting us into the marriage counselor’s shoes – who got a confused mess out of all of this. Who the fuck would understand Vincent and Catherine’s complicated relationship?? Besides the mushy moments we got from the counseling session, we also got some spot-on comedy from our favorite couple! On another point, props to the music department for placing “Heartbeat” by JJAMZ!! It’s a great song that I always thought was perfect for Vincent and Catherine and they played it when they were in the car all giddy after counseling. I guess, the music department and I have good taste in music.
I’m not going to spend too much time discussing the plot because a) I didn’t care and b) I wasn’t paying attention, so instead I’m going to talk about the main element that held this episode fairly together: Ryan and Kreuk’s chemistry. Each week, they explore different aspects of Vincent and Catherine’s relationship and bring new sides to their characters. And you know what else? They look GOOD together whether they’re fighting crime, being romantic, being happy, and also . . . when they argue! There’s a new type of chemistry that’s blooming due to the arguments and constant bickering between Vincent and Catherine. I enjoy their bickering because it’s kind of funny and we do end up getting some comedy out of it. Most people would argue that too much of this season is spent on VinCat arguing with not much romance going on. In the end, we did get a bit of intimacy from them – until they hid under the covers. But, I think their disagreements will slowly start to smooth out throughout the season and it’s going to be a natural process for them. There’s a lot of decisions that need to be made and hence, a lot of disagreements. But it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It makes them grow as a couple and the fact they went to marriage counseling before getting married – means something. Ryan and Kreuk definitely shine together on the small screen and their ability to play the romance at different levels and changing circumstances, speaks to the strength of their individual talents and collaboration. There was a moment when the counselor asks them, “You really do love each other, don’t you?” And the look that they give each other is priceless. Vincent responds, “More than anything.” They emitted a relationship that was beyond just love – it was mature and epic. It was just a moment between the two, but it was enough to get my ears burning. Damn, their chemistry!! Not to mention, their body language and how it kept shifting between communicating an alliance and then the next moment, a separation. When they were getting emotionally closer, they would hold hands and lean closer to each other. And when they were getting distant, they would pull away and sit at opposite ends of the couch. I felt that they really didn’t need a counselor to help them in their relationship although the counselor did make certain points that resonated with the characters and with us. Their relationship is certainly “unique.” And of course, the counselor’s advice did ultimately help VinCat find out that the old man’s wife was the one who had stolen the transplant heart and wanted her husband to die. All in all, hats off to Ryan and Kreuk for bringing a mature and adult-like chemistry to the relationship, adding dimension and depth to our beloved VinCat.
On to the individual characters and where they split in opinion: for 75% of the episode I was completely siding with Vincent. Catherine came off as annoying, obsessive, manipulative, persistent, and just down-right not making sense at all. Throughout the whole episode, she tried to manipulate Tess, Vincent, and the old-man into doing what she wanted to do. I seriously wanted to put a tranquilizer in her and shut her up. But alas, she is a detective – a good one at that who we hate to admit, was right on a certain level. I do like the feisty kick-ass Cat that we get out of this especially in the not-so-much-date night. She is very pushy! But she looks good. And poor Vincent was tricked into another case! I do feel that Catherine constantly throws herself into casework as a way to relieve herself of her emotional tension. She’s always done that and Vincent picks up on that. Yet, he goes along with her and always seems like the bigger person. And I do like that Vincent defends Catherine when the wife tries to get Vincent to “control his woman.” Vincent admits that Catherine is a bit crazy but she was right. And she had a right to be a bit aggressive because she is a cop – she is a detective with good instincts. Moreover Vincent, respects her. I also like when Vincent tells Catherine to “kick her ass” and Catherine gleefully grins like when you tell a five-year old that he can have one cookie – just one! I just do hope that we move past the whole argument about “You’re avoiding working on cases!” and “I can’t ignore the bigger threat!” Vincent did bring up a good point in that all they do is work on cases – and I hope that that is not the case. We end with a paranoid Cat who tells Vincent to close the window, worried that Bob & Carol are still out there hunting them. So she’s always going to be on alert, but we can trust that Vincent will always bring her back to reason and support her whenever she needs it. This is our classic Catherine we know and love but it’s nice to know that Vincent is there to create a balance.
One character that I missed this episode was Heather! It felt particularly empty without her although we still did get comedy. I hope that next episode we get back to wedding planning!
I felt bad for JT this episode. No one has really been listening to him or caring about his issues and everyone has been using him to work on their own problems. I especially like the phone conversation between JT, Tess, Vincent, and Catherine. Things got hectic and really funny! JT’s dealing with his own powers and no one is there for him. Secretly, he had been working on an antidote for himself, which ends up saving the old man. But unfortunately, doesn’t work on him. And we really see JT being broken and alone. Surprisingly of all people, Catherine is the one who picks up on JT’s needs. She’s the one that realizes that JT needs help and ultimately advises Tess to go talk to him ASAP.
Once again, Tess is saved from being bitten in the ass by solving a beast-related case. But she warns Catherine that their working relationship has changed and that she can’t cover for her anymore. She wants to move on to other important things, being captain and all. And I sense that there will be a shift in Tess’s and Catherine’s friendship, causing Catherine and Vincent to run solo for some time. Eventually, I feel Tess will have to help out more because JT is a part of what’s going on, thematically and she stated – that HE is the most important thing to her. So if that’s true, we’ll see her loyalty shift and her priorities realign to what matters most: helping her friends and rescue her boyfriend.
All in all, a nice smooth episode with not a lot of action, but in a sense prepping us for an action-packed episode for next week! I hope to see more of Bob & Carol, more of Vincent as beast, more matrix action, more of Heather, and more wedding planning!! May the epic hecticness ensue!!
Although the “heart” puns were enjoyable, the true “heart” of the story laid with Vincent and Catherine’s relationship – obviously. I could care less about the old man with the heart transplant although I understand how it functioned as a device in the story. As per usual, Beauty and the Beast always manages to have cases of the week that similarily correlate with VinCat’s current issues. It was simply there to add meat to the story and to emphasize the “heart of the matter” theme. I also felt that this episode functioned as a sidebar to last week’s high-paced episode. It gave us a sort of break until we return to Bob & Carol and the greater threat looming above their heads. Overall, the episode allowed us to take a moment - step back - and look at the details in VinCat’s relationship, putting it into perspective for us. It was a reflective episode – making us look back at their relationship from the very beginning and understanding where they differ in opinion. As Vincent clearly stated, they simply disagreed on certain things – never labeled as a “fight.” It almost felt as a finale of sorts where we’re having flashbacks and reflective moments and we look back and think,” Ah, yes,” or “Oh no!” I think it was interesting how BATB decided to tell the story through time-jumps. In fact, I believe it was the first time BATB has used a time-based structure to drive the plot forward. And I think the reason why it was used other than to enjoy the interesting transitions, was again, to put their relationship into perspective, while at the same time, putting us into the marriage counselor’s shoes – who got a confused mess out of all of this. Who the fuck would understand Vincent and Catherine’s complicated relationship?? Besides the mushy moments we got from the counseling session, we also got some spot-on comedy from our favorite couple! On another point, props to the music department for placing “Heartbeat” by JJAMZ!! It’s a great song that I always thought was perfect for Vincent and Catherine and they played it when they were in the car all giddy after counseling. I guess, the music department and I have good taste in music.
I’m not going to spend too much time discussing the plot because a) I didn’t care and b) I wasn’t paying attention, so instead I’m going to talk about the main element that held this episode fairly together: Ryan and Kreuk’s chemistry. Each week, they explore different aspects of Vincent and Catherine’s relationship and bring new sides to their characters. And you know what else? They look GOOD together whether they’re fighting crime, being romantic, being happy, and also . . . when they argue! There’s a new type of chemistry that’s blooming due to the arguments and constant bickering between Vincent and Catherine. I enjoy their bickering because it’s kind of funny and we do end up getting some comedy out of it. Most people would argue that too much of this season is spent on VinCat arguing with not much romance going on. In the end, we did get a bit of intimacy from them – until they hid under the covers. But, I think their disagreements will slowly start to smooth out throughout the season and it’s going to be a natural process for them. There’s a lot of decisions that need to be made and hence, a lot of disagreements. But it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It makes them grow as a couple and the fact they went to marriage counseling before getting married – means something. Ryan and Kreuk definitely shine together on the small screen and their ability to play the romance at different levels and changing circumstances, speaks to the strength of their individual talents and collaboration. There was a moment when the counselor asks them, “You really do love each other, don’t you?” And the look that they give each other is priceless. Vincent responds, “More than anything.” They emitted a relationship that was beyond just love – it was mature and epic. It was just a moment between the two, but it was enough to get my ears burning. Damn, their chemistry!! Not to mention, their body language and how it kept shifting between communicating an alliance and then the next moment, a separation. When they were getting emotionally closer, they would hold hands and lean closer to each other. And when they were getting distant, they would pull away and sit at opposite ends of the couch. I felt that they really didn’t need a counselor to help them in their relationship although the counselor did make certain points that resonated with the characters and with us. Their relationship is certainly “unique.” And of course, the counselor’s advice did ultimately help VinCat find out that the old man’s wife was the one who had stolen the transplant heart and wanted her husband to die. All in all, hats off to Ryan and Kreuk for bringing a mature and adult-like chemistry to the relationship, adding dimension and depth to our beloved VinCat.
On to the individual characters and where they split in opinion: for 75% of the episode I was completely siding with Vincent. Catherine came off as annoying, obsessive, manipulative, persistent, and just down-right not making sense at all. Throughout the whole episode, she tried to manipulate Tess, Vincent, and the old-man into doing what she wanted to do. I seriously wanted to put a tranquilizer in her and shut her up. But alas, she is a detective – a good one at that who we hate to admit, was right on a certain level. I do like the feisty kick-ass Cat that we get out of this especially in the not-so-much-date night. She is very pushy! But she looks good. And poor Vincent was tricked into another case! I do feel that Catherine constantly throws herself into casework as a way to relieve herself of her emotional tension. She’s always done that and Vincent picks up on that. Yet, he goes along with her and always seems like the bigger person. And I do like that Vincent defends Catherine when the wife tries to get Vincent to “control his woman.” Vincent admits that Catherine is a bit crazy but she was right. And she had a right to be a bit aggressive because she is a cop – she is a detective with good instincts. Moreover Vincent, respects her. I also like when Vincent tells Catherine to “kick her ass” and Catherine gleefully grins like when you tell a five-year old that he can have one cookie – just one! I just do hope that we move past the whole argument about “You’re avoiding working on cases!” and “I can’t ignore the bigger threat!” Vincent did bring up a good point in that all they do is work on cases – and I hope that that is not the case. We end with a paranoid Cat who tells Vincent to close the window, worried that Bob & Carol are still out there hunting them. So she’s always going to be on alert, but we can trust that Vincent will always bring her back to reason and support her whenever she needs it. This is our classic Catherine we know and love but it’s nice to know that Vincent is there to create a balance.
One character that I missed this episode was Heather! It felt particularly empty without her although we still did get comedy. I hope that next episode we get back to wedding planning!
I felt bad for JT this episode. No one has really been listening to him or caring about his issues and everyone has been using him to work on their own problems. I especially like the phone conversation between JT, Tess, Vincent, and Catherine. Things got hectic and really funny! JT’s dealing with his own powers and no one is there for him. Secretly, he had been working on an antidote for himself, which ends up saving the old man. But unfortunately, doesn’t work on him. And we really see JT being broken and alone. Surprisingly of all people, Catherine is the one who picks up on JT’s needs. She’s the one that realizes that JT needs help and ultimately advises Tess to go talk to him ASAP.
Once again, Tess is saved from being bitten in the ass by solving a beast-related case. But she warns Catherine that their working relationship has changed and that she can’t cover for her anymore. She wants to move on to other important things, being captain and all. And I sense that there will be a shift in Tess’s and Catherine’s friendship, causing Catherine and Vincent to run solo for some time. Eventually, I feel Tess will have to help out more because JT is a part of what’s going on, thematically and she stated – that HE is the most important thing to her. So if that’s true, we’ll see her loyalty shift and her priorities realign to what matters most: helping her friends and rescue her boyfriend.
All in all, a nice smooth episode with not a lot of action, but in a sense prepping us for an action-packed episode for next week! I hope to see more of Bob & Carol, more of Vincent as beast, more matrix action, more of Heather, and more wedding planning!! May the epic hecticness ensue!!