Photo Credit: The CW - Jay Ryan (L) as Vincent Keller, Kristin Kreuk (R) as Catherine Chandler.
OVERALL GRADE = A (97%)
After watching “The Getaway” not once, not twice, but three times - I can confidently say that “The Getaway” not only is the strongest episode of the season - it’s one of the best episodes of the series period. And here’s why. It finally tackles the inevitable: that “normal” is lost. And it’s something that both Vincent and Catherine have consistently and tirelessly fought to keep, but knew that it was only a matter of time before it was taken away from them. What’s even more crushing is that all the hard work and risks that were taken to earn the trust of both Graydal and DHS just went down the toilet. Their hopes are lost, their dreams are lost, and they have no one to turn to but themselves. And while this unfortunate reality is heartbreaking, we did get to see how each of the characters handled this sudden change of events - some poorly, others did the best they could. But aside from that, I think that this is one of the few episodes where each character had their “moment.” Usually the show is written to focus on one or two characters’ arcs, but here - it seemed like everyone had a significant development within the story (except for Heather & Kyle) - giving the cast the opportunity to showcase their individual talent as well as their ability to craft their own arcs within the ensemble. And the result is a well-told dramatic and retrospective story that weaves in deeper themes about the importance of truth and the inevitability of consequences.
We've all been wondering why Vincent and Catherine hadn't run away yet. It's as if they were waiting for something to push them out the door. Enter Grace Rose. Although extremely pushy and meddlesome, we have to be grateful for Grace's character because she was the one that finally forced Vincent and Catherine to take action. She caused this entire episode to happen. She propels the story forward by threatening everyone with their worst nightmare: exposure. Not only that, Grace challenges Tess as captain and ultimately leads Graydal to discover Vincent’s secret. And although this all seems bad, our perspective of her shifts from being the problem to becoming a possible solution to the problem. On a similar note, I do appreciate the constant presence of the media in this season. It brings a sense of reality to the issues the characters are facing because we understand it. We live in that world everyday and we witness the power of the media too. Desperate for some sort of exit from this mess, Vincent and Catherine decide to trust Grace and tell their story. If she's going to tell a story, at least she can write the right one - one that will exonerate Vincent. So they tell the ‘beast-free” story to Grace but of course a bunch of holes are left in the story. And Grace has a point. Nothing about Vincent and Catherine’s story makes sense if you leave the beast stuff out of it. The interesting conflict is that the only way out is exposure - the very thing they’ve been avoiding this entire season. Desperate for her help, they decide to tell her the real truth. But of course, like with anyone who gets involved with these two, Grace was met with the short end of the stick - getting caught in the middle of an attack and . . . she dies. Vincent and Catherine not only mourn the loss of an innocent life, but also the loss of their one last hope for an escape. It’s not unusual for something like this to happen but this ends up bothering Tess more than anyone else.
Tess has always been stuck in this moral dilemma of hers that she's never quite fully resolved. And this is the heart of her inner conflict: What is my purpose? And am I doing the right thing? Coming from a family of cops, she's always been trained to see things as either "black" or "white," leaving no room for anything in between, which has helped toughen her up. On the other hand, Cat doesn't have that history or mental drive behind her. Instead, Cat comes from a place of understanding and compassion - wanting to bring justice in a world that seemed unjust. It's a pretty noble place to come from and it's what has defined Catherine as a cop and as a person. Although Tess has always supported Cat, I feel that Tess has always felt a tiny bit jealous of Cat. And why not? Cat has it all - she has a purpose in life, a love to fight for, and of course, recently became a DHS agent (although that's probably out the door now). Tess doesn't have that. Moreover, ever since getting involved with Catherine's adventures, Tess has been dragged into this ambiguous space in between - one that she's never been comfortable with. While it's hard for Tess to cross those lines, Catherine is ok with that - not saying that it's been easy - because she knows it’s the right thing to do.
After four years of this mess, Tess wants nothing more than to leave this 'life' behind - a 'life' that includes JT who is 100% committed to helping Vincent. And JT has a good reason to - he's seen it all with Vincent. And here, we see what type of friend JT is. Unfortunately for Tess, she doesn't like the future she sees with JT because she knows it will always involve Vincent. And in so doing, inadvertently reveals the true reason why she broke up with JT. It was never about JT, it was about the future with JT and the realization that with JT, she was always going to be stuck in this world. And in so doing, causes some of Tess' insecurities start to bubble up. Should I be captain? Do I deserve to be captain?
Tess decides to solve this moral dilemma by trying to go back to who she was before this whole mess. And that means going back to dating hot, high-ranked men in her field. Basically, another Joe. Interestingly enough, it's these type of men that bring out a more feminine side of Tess while JT brings out a softer side of Tess. It's in the subtle details of Nina's performance - the twirling of her hair, giggling into the phone, shyly blushing when she meets eyes with him, etc. Troubled in her dilemma, Tess seeks advice from someone who isn't 'Team Beastie' and here’s where Joe’s twin comes in. Now, I get why Tess takes his advice to heart but at the same time, he doesn't know all of the details to judge her actions. He speaks the mind of a cop which is what Tess feels should be right but can’t help feeling torn. But don’t worry, Catherine comes along to ruin her date and snap her out of “la la land.”
Catherine has never pressured Tess to turn her back against the law because she understands how hard it is for Tess - especially as captain. It wouldn’t be fair to her to ruin her career. But yes, Catherine does plead Tess many a time to help her - as she did during her date. It proves to show that Cat will always need Tess and that Tess will help her out somehow. And usually Cat is pretty good at cleaning up after her own messes, but this time she just LEFT without saying anything. And this bothers Tess even more - the fact that Catherine wasn’t there to help Tess when she needed her. And it’s even worse that JT basically is on Cat’s side. However, despite their differences, they've managed to maintain a great partnership and friendship. And it's their friendship that will ultimately bring them back together, as it seems like they will clash in the next episode. Tess has always wanted out, but to see her actually walk away will be interesting to watch.
Running away into the woods is something we’ve seen before and it’s how Vincent and Catherine met. So, it’s not an unfamiliar situation but this time - it’s different. For one, after leading a somewhat successful “normal” life, to have to go back to square one - is devastating for both. But more importantly, they don’t have a place to go back to this time because the life they had before - is gone. And the conversation in the cabin delineates this issue beautifully with great performances both by Ryan and Kreuk. Catherine is the first to bring this reality to heart with Vincent. And it makes sense for Vincent to still believe that they still can earn back their lives because it’s all that Vincent has ever fought for. This life? It used to be their fantasy, their impossible dream. And to realize that they can’t ever get that back hits Vincent harder than ever before. But Catherine’s words ring true to Vincent’s ears. Do you really think the hospital will take you back? I can’t go back to DHS. Tess couldn’t hire me back even if she wanted to. It hurts Catherine to say it, but it’s true. And although it may appear that Vincent is mad at Catherine - he’s not - he’s frustrated with the reality they’re confronting. And Vincent reassures Catherine of his feelings when she asks him if he wants to be alone and he responds, “Alone? No. I’ve been alone a lot recently and I don’t like it.” That won a smile from Catherine and it’s a sweet moment between the two.
Running out of options and hope, Vincent decides to turn himself in. And for the first time in a while, I truly felt worried for Vincent. That moment where Catherine says goodbye to Vincent in the car - not knowing what may happen to him - is reminiscent of all the other times Vincent was taken away from her. And all Catherine can do is watch helplessly.
The road from now on is truly open to anything. And it’ll be interesting to see where they go from here. Although heartbreaking, I do like that the writers took the risk of changing the story direction and I like that it ends on a cliffhanger - for too long we’ve ended on nice romantic moments. “The Getaway” provided us with some of the best ensemble performances of the cast and it finally presented the inevitable fate of Vincent and Catherine - something that we’ve been waiting for since season one. In the meantime, enjoy your week off and I’ll see you next week!
After watching “The Getaway” not once, not twice, but three times - I can confidently say that “The Getaway” not only is the strongest episode of the season - it’s one of the best episodes of the series period. And here’s why. It finally tackles the inevitable: that “normal” is lost. And it’s something that both Vincent and Catherine have consistently and tirelessly fought to keep, but knew that it was only a matter of time before it was taken away from them. What’s even more crushing is that all the hard work and risks that were taken to earn the trust of both Graydal and DHS just went down the toilet. Their hopes are lost, their dreams are lost, and they have no one to turn to but themselves. And while this unfortunate reality is heartbreaking, we did get to see how each of the characters handled this sudden change of events - some poorly, others did the best they could. But aside from that, I think that this is one of the few episodes where each character had their “moment.” Usually the show is written to focus on one or two characters’ arcs, but here - it seemed like everyone had a significant development within the story (except for Heather & Kyle) - giving the cast the opportunity to showcase their individual talent as well as their ability to craft their own arcs within the ensemble. And the result is a well-told dramatic and retrospective story that weaves in deeper themes about the importance of truth and the inevitability of consequences.
We've all been wondering why Vincent and Catherine hadn't run away yet. It's as if they were waiting for something to push them out the door. Enter Grace Rose. Although extremely pushy and meddlesome, we have to be grateful for Grace's character because she was the one that finally forced Vincent and Catherine to take action. She caused this entire episode to happen. She propels the story forward by threatening everyone with their worst nightmare: exposure. Not only that, Grace challenges Tess as captain and ultimately leads Graydal to discover Vincent’s secret. And although this all seems bad, our perspective of her shifts from being the problem to becoming a possible solution to the problem. On a similar note, I do appreciate the constant presence of the media in this season. It brings a sense of reality to the issues the characters are facing because we understand it. We live in that world everyday and we witness the power of the media too. Desperate for some sort of exit from this mess, Vincent and Catherine decide to trust Grace and tell their story. If she's going to tell a story, at least she can write the right one - one that will exonerate Vincent. So they tell the ‘beast-free” story to Grace but of course a bunch of holes are left in the story. And Grace has a point. Nothing about Vincent and Catherine’s story makes sense if you leave the beast stuff out of it. The interesting conflict is that the only way out is exposure - the very thing they’ve been avoiding this entire season. Desperate for her help, they decide to tell her the real truth. But of course, like with anyone who gets involved with these two, Grace was met with the short end of the stick - getting caught in the middle of an attack and . . . she dies. Vincent and Catherine not only mourn the loss of an innocent life, but also the loss of their one last hope for an escape. It’s not unusual for something like this to happen but this ends up bothering Tess more than anyone else.
Tess has always been stuck in this moral dilemma of hers that she's never quite fully resolved. And this is the heart of her inner conflict: What is my purpose? And am I doing the right thing? Coming from a family of cops, she's always been trained to see things as either "black" or "white," leaving no room for anything in between, which has helped toughen her up. On the other hand, Cat doesn't have that history or mental drive behind her. Instead, Cat comes from a place of understanding and compassion - wanting to bring justice in a world that seemed unjust. It's a pretty noble place to come from and it's what has defined Catherine as a cop and as a person. Although Tess has always supported Cat, I feel that Tess has always felt a tiny bit jealous of Cat. And why not? Cat has it all - she has a purpose in life, a love to fight for, and of course, recently became a DHS agent (although that's probably out the door now). Tess doesn't have that. Moreover, ever since getting involved with Catherine's adventures, Tess has been dragged into this ambiguous space in between - one that she's never been comfortable with. While it's hard for Tess to cross those lines, Catherine is ok with that - not saying that it's been easy - because she knows it’s the right thing to do.
After four years of this mess, Tess wants nothing more than to leave this 'life' behind - a 'life' that includes JT who is 100% committed to helping Vincent. And JT has a good reason to - he's seen it all with Vincent. And here, we see what type of friend JT is. Unfortunately for Tess, she doesn't like the future she sees with JT because she knows it will always involve Vincent. And in so doing, inadvertently reveals the true reason why she broke up with JT. It was never about JT, it was about the future with JT and the realization that with JT, she was always going to be stuck in this world. And in so doing, causes some of Tess' insecurities start to bubble up. Should I be captain? Do I deserve to be captain?
Tess decides to solve this moral dilemma by trying to go back to who she was before this whole mess. And that means going back to dating hot, high-ranked men in her field. Basically, another Joe. Interestingly enough, it's these type of men that bring out a more feminine side of Tess while JT brings out a softer side of Tess. It's in the subtle details of Nina's performance - the twirling of her hair, giggling into the phone, shyly blushing when she meets eyes with him, etc. Troubled in her dilemma, Tess seeks advice from someone who isn't 'Team Beastie' and here’s where Joe’s twin comes in. Now, I get why Tess takes his advice to heart but at the same time, he doesn't know all of the details to judge her actions. He speaks the mind of a cop which is what Tess feels should be right but can’t help feeling torn. But don’t worry, Catherine comes along to ruin her date and snap her out of “la la land.”
Catherine has never pressured Tess to turn her back against the law because she understands how hard it is for Tess - especially as captain. It wouldn’t be fair to her to ruin her career. But yes, Catherine does plead Tess many a time to help her - as she did during her date. It proves to show that Cat will always need Tess and that Tess will help her out somehow. And usually Cat is pretty good at cleaning up after her own messes, but this time she just LEFT without saying anything. And this bothers Tess even more - the fact that Catherine wasn’t there to help Tess when she needed her. And it’s even worse that JT basically is on Cat’s side. However, despite their differences, they've managed to maintain a great partnership and friendship. And it's their friendship that will ultimately bring them back together, as it seems like they will clash in the next episode. Tess has always wanted out, but to see her actually walk away will be interesting to watch.
Running away into the woods is something we’ve seen before and it’s how Vincent and Catherine met. So, it’s not an unfamiliar situation but this time - it’s different. For one, after leading a somewhat successful “normal” life, to have to go back to square one - is devastating for both. But more importantly, they don’t have a place to go back to this time because the life they had before - is gone. And the conversation in the cabin delineates this issue beautifully with great performances both by Ryan and Kreuk. Catherine is the first to bring this reality to heart with Vincent. And it makes sense for Vincent to still believe that they still can earn back their lives because it’s all that Vincent has ever fought for. This life? It used to be their fantasy, their impossible dream. And to realize that they can’t ever get that back hits Vincent harder than ever before. But Catherine’s words ring true to Vincent’s ears. Do you really think the hospital will take you back? I can’t go back to DHS. Tess couldn’t hire me back even if she wanted to. It hurts Catherine to say it, but it’s true. And although it may appear that Vincent is mad at Catherine - he’s not - he’s frustrated with the reality they’re confronting. And Vincent reassures Catherine of his feelings when she asks him if he wants to be alone and he responds, “Alone? No. I’ve been alone a lot recently and I don’t like it.” That won a smile from Catherine and it’s a sweet moment between the two.
Running out of options and hope, Vincent decides to turn himself in. And for the first time in a while, I truly felt worried for Vincent. That moment where Catherine says goodbye to Vincent in the car - not knowing what may happen to him - is reminiscent of all the other times Vincent was taken away from her. And all Catherine can do is watch helplessly.
The road from now on is truly open to anything. And it’ll be interesting to see where they go from here. Although heartbreaking, I do like that the writers took the risk of changing the story direction and I like that it ends on a cliffhanger - for too long we’ve ended on nice romantic moments. “The Getaway” provided us with some of the best ensemble performances of the cast and it finally presented the inevitable fate of Vincent and Catherine - something that we’ve been waiting for since season one. In the meantime, enjoy your week off and I’ll see you next week!