Photo Credit: The CW - Kristin Kreuk as Catherine Chandler.
OVERALL GRADE = A (91%)
One of the great things about storytelling is character development. And this week’s episode delivered just that – our characters were placed in situations and contexts they weren’t familiar with – in effect, creating dramatic conflicts/clashes between the characters that we hadn’t seen before. Therefore, enabling us to explore some territory we hadn’t treaded before, leading to some dramatic character moments and development. And while it was a uniquely refreshing and entertaining episode to watch . . . to quote Vincent directly - “We’re still in the same place we were when we got back from our honeymoon.” Especially with this being the final season, I’m not comfortable with the idea that these story developments lead to nowhere when it comes to the arc of the season. But maybe that’ll change soon. In the meantime, let’s dive into this week’s episode.
While there were plenty of exciting fight sequences this week (especially for Cat), the more interesting story for me was the conflict between Tess and Catherine – which ultimately lead to a huge character moment – Catherine leaving the NYPD and officially becoming a DHS agent. And while Catherine has always been forced to conceal and manipulate information from Tess in order to do the “right thing” – this time it was different. Tess felt betrayed in more ways than one – not just as a friend but as captain. Not only was Catherine overriding Tess’ power as captain, Tess was also losing one of her best detectives. Despite this, Tess was able to help Cat when she was in trouble – displaying their true friendship and loyalty to each other. It reminds us that it doesn’t matter who they work for or who they work with, in the end they will always remain who they’ve always been to each other - partners. It was a touching moment to see Catherine and Tess reminisce their times as partners and it was just as heartbreaking to see Catherine turn in her badge. In some ways, it felt like the ending of an era while it also felt like the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.
Tess not only felt betrayed by Catherine – she also felt betrayed by JT. Finding out about JT’s decision to reject tenure from the landlord, highlighted some trouble spots in their relationship. And while JT argues that he did not lie to her, withholding or keeping information from her – is just the same. It displays a lack of trust in their relationship and an unclear path for JT’s future. More importantly, does that future include Tess? And this uncertainty is what makes Tess believe that JT perhaps does not want to move forward in their relationship just yet. The way things are left between them is uncertain. But we can look forward to JT finding his calling and finding his way back to Tess. Exploring the maturity of the relationship is a worthy direction.
Besides seeing Catherine kick ass, the cage match revealed important aspects of Catherine’s character and her relationship with Vincent. First of all, it was a nice switch to see Catherine being put in the “hot seat,” so to speak, instead of Vincent who is regularly being put to the test. It’s easy to have Vincent as the center of attention, but this time all eyes were on Catherine. Having Catherine in the cage, enabled her to be in Vincent’s shoes for once - placed in an “arena” of sorts, tested for her skill to survive, treated as a pawn in a gambling game – essentially, like an animal. Not only is Catherine’s skill being put the test, her relationship with Vincent is also being tested. As a married couple, it was nice to see Vincent support his wife and encourage her to do her best. But when they are forced to go separate ways – Vincent to the hospital and Catherine to the fight club – all they had to do was trust in one another. Once again, Catherine demonstrated that she is certainly capable of defending herself and Vincent didn’t have to come in and rescue her.
It was disappointing to find that the ‘blood sport’ buyer had nothing to do with the beast bounty. It was even more disappointing to find that he was a total wimp. After building this guy up to be a menacing gambler, it was a total letdown to see him whimper in fear when Vincent appears. Not such a bad guy after all. Oh well, maybe next time guys.
Speaking of, a character that fell to a moment of weakness was Heather. She caved into Kyle’s stupid charm and has now started a secretive relationship with him. Now, it’s Heather who’ll be hiding her boyfriend from her sister. It’s frustrating because it’s a naïve decision on Heather’s part. She tells him, “Just – don’t ask any questions ok?” Fool! You know he’s going to ask questions! Everybody does when it comes to Vincent! And although I want Heather to be happy, NO GOOD WILL COME OF THIS. And while I originally did not have any suspicion of Kyle’s intentions, I now am becoming more and more suspicious. You know why? Vincent doesn’t like him!! And when Vincent doesn’t like someone – it’s for a good reason! Trust the beast instincts!
Overall, an entertaining episode with some great character development but again – nowhere close to solving the mystery. Next week seems exciting! Is Catherine pregnant? And if so, will she tell Vincent? Stay tuned!
One of the great things about storytelling is character development. And this week’s episode delivered just that – our characters were placed in situations and contexts they weren’t familiar with – in effect, creating dramatic conflicts/clashes between the characters that we hadn’t seen before. Therefore, enabling us to explore some territory we hadn’t treaded before, leading to some dramatic character moments and development. And while it was a uniquely refreshing and entertaining episode to watch . . . to quote Vincent directly - “We’re still in the same place we were when we got back from our honeymoon.” Especially with this being the final season, I’m not comfortable with the idea that these story developments lead to nowhere when it comes to the arc of the season. But maybe that’ll change soon. In the meantime, let’s dive into this week’s episode.
While there were plenty of exciting fight sequences this week (especially for Cat), the more interesting story for me was the conflict between Tess and Catherine – which ultimately lead to a huge character moment – Catherine leaving the NYPD and officially becoming a DHS agent. And while Catherine has always been forced to conceal and manipulate information from Tess in order to do the “right thing” – this time it was different. Tess felt betrayed in more ways than one – not just as a friend but as captain. Not only was Catherine overriding Tess’ power as captain, Tess was also losing one of her best detectives. Despite this, Tess was able to help Cat when she was in trouble – displaying their true friendship and loyalty to each other. It reminds us that it doesn’t matter who they work for or who they work with, in the end they will always remain who they’ve always been to each other - partners. It was a touching moment to see Catherine and Tess reminisce their times as partners and it was just as heartbreaking to see Catherine turn in her badge. In some ways, it felt like the ending of an era while it also felt like the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.
Tess not only felt betrayed by Catherine – she also felt betrayed by JT. Finding out about JT’s decision to reject tenure from the landlord, highlighted some trouble spots in their relationship. And while JT argues that he did not lie to her, withholding or keeping information from her – is just the same. It displays a lack of trust in their relationship and an unclear path for JT’s future. More importantly, does that future include Tess? And this uncertainty is what makes Tess believe that JT perhaps does not want to move forward in their relationship just yet. The way things are left between them is uncertain. But we can look forward to JT finding his calling and finding his way back to Tess. Exploring the maturity of the relationship is a worthy direction.
Besides seeing Catherine kick ass, the cage match revealed important aspects of Catherine’s character and her relationship with Vincent. First of all, it was a nice switch to see Catherine being put in the “hot seat,” so to speak, instead of Vincent who is regularly being put to the test. It’s easy to have Vincent as the center of attention, but this time all eyes were on Catherine. Having Catherine in the cage, enabled her to be in Vincent’s shoes for once - placed in an “arena” of sorts, tested for her skill to survive, treated as a pawn in a gambling game – essentially, like an animal. Not only is Catherine’s skill being put the test, her relationship with Vincent is also being tested. As a married couple, it was nice to see Vincent support his wife and encourage her to do her best. But when they are forced to go separate ways – Vincent to the hospital and Catherine to the fight club – all they had to do was trust in one another. Once again, Catherine demonstrated that she is certainly capable of defending herself and Vincent didn’t have to come in and rescue her.
It was disappointing to find that the ‘blood sport’ buyer had nothing to do with the beast bounty. It was even more disappointing to find that he was a total wimp. After building this guy up to be a menacing gambler, it was a total letdown to see him whimper in fear when Vincent appears. Not such a bad guy after all. Oh well, maybe next time guys.
Speaking of, a character that fell to a moment of weakness was Heather. She caved into Kyle’s stupid charm and has now started a secretive relationship with him. Now, it’s Heather who’ll be hiding her boyfriend from her sister. It’s frustrating because it’s a naïve decision on Heather’s part. She tells him, “Just – don’t ask any questions ok?” Fool! You know he’s going to ask questions! Everybody does when it comes to Vincent! And although I want Heather to be happy, NO GOOD WILL COME OF THIS. And while I originally did not have any suspicion of Kyle’s intentions, I now am becoming more and more suspicious. You know why? Vincent doesn’t like him!! And when Vincent doesn’t like someone – it’s for a good reason! Trust the beast instincts!
Overall, an entertaining episode with some great character development but again – nowhere close to solving the mystery. Next week seems exciting! Is Catherine pregnant? And if so, will she tell Vincent? Stay tuned!