With one episode left for the season finale, I can’t help but wish that matters were different. I only say this because I have been truly enjoying these last couple of episodes and I’m sad that it’s all going to be over so soon. Looking back through the season, there have been several arcs that have come and gone. But this last arc (we’ll call this the ‘Liam’ arc) that we’ve been seeing develop since 3x08 (Shotgun Wedding) is truly the most interesting and exciting one this season has had to offer. A short one at that. But despite the short development of the ‘Liam’ arc and a problem that I have with Liam himself (I’ll get to that later), the show still offered one of its best episodes yet and made it a very exciting hour of television.
It’s safe to argue that this season has mostly been about Catherine – her issues, her worries, and her fights. Sure, Vincent was involved in each of those aspects but ultimately THEIR destiny revolves around Catherine’s family, especially– her ancestors. If that isn’t enough to convince you, think of all the appearances that we’ve seen from Catherine’s family this season. What’s more is that through Catherine’s family, Catherine’s character was able to grow tremendously, enabling her to break through some of the barriers she put between her past and herself. First, we begin with Vanessa Chandler: literally the “mother” of all of Catherine’s issues with her past. And with Catherine’s mother present again (in memory and in spirit), it forced Catherine to face her dark past to fully understand her mother’s actions in hopes to forgive her mother and move on with her mission. Jumping on that same wagon was Catherine’s aunts whom helped push the arc with Catherine and her mother. Secondly, Bob Reynolds. He hasn’t had much of a presence like last season, but he still manages to provide Catherine with the help she needs. And he continues to do so – until his last breath (we’ll also get to that later). Lastly, Rebecca Reynolds. The fact that her ancestor dealt with the same situation she is going through is still a factor that is mind-bottling and powerful. Granted, the ancestor storyline was introduced last season but this season it carries much more weight. The reason being is because it is the very factor that drives the plotlines forward. The whole concept about “destiny” only rings true because of Catherine’s relation to Rebecca. Destiny has been the theme for this season and with the points made above, it’s hard to deny the fact that Catherine’ family is the core of that concept. In retrospect, the show dealt with Vincent’s problems last season and this season – it’s Catherine turn. It’s hard to overlook the fact that Catherine has been the “active character” this season – meddling in cases, getting in trouble, and literally embodying “the hero’s call to action.” It’s also the reason why I’ve been looking at Catherine’s character more critically, trying to understand her motivations and her thinking behind everything.
With that point established, we can appreciate Catherine much more for who she is and everything she’s contributed to the season. She is truly a colorful spectrum providing us with many sides to her character. And thanks to Kristin’s portrayal of Catherine, we can enjoy it all the more. Speaking of, I love how Catherine has developed a “softer edge” lately. She has softened emotionally but she hasn’t lost her bite, which I think is integral to her character. Also, I don’t know if I can attribute this to the lighting, the cinematography, or costume/make-up but Catherine has been looking a lot more feminine; angelic in some ways – especially in her talks with Vincent. So, if you haven’t figured it out already, I really enjoyed Catherine this episode. Besides the reasons I’ve mentioned above, I like that the writers gave Catherine something new to deal with – death. Yes, she’s had many close encounters with death, but we’ve never really seen her “scared” of dying. Especially now learning that Vincent may live forever (weird idea in itself), Catherine now worries that it may complicate their relationship further along the road. Picture Vincent with an old Catherine. Benjamin Button anybody?? I don’t think it’ll come to that because we’re not certain that Vincent has the same properties that Liam has. Still, Catherine has nightmares about dying, she’s reading books about having relationships with younger men, and she’s writing her will. Thinking a little ahead of herself, but that’s our Catherine. The fact that Catherine is beginning to worry about this now, makes me think that she may be the character that comes close to dying in the season finale. I know. Sorry.
Now, onto Liam. When I think of him, one question pops into my head: WHAT DOES HE WANT?? If I don’t know what a character wants (his motivations) – that worries me. Sure, it keeps the element of mystery alive but I am still left with no answers. A mutual concern that we share with the characters - who also feel that they are nowhere closer to getting Liam. From what I understood, Liam was never really after Vincent and Catherine directly. Hell, he doesn’t even know that Catherine is related to Rebecca. His whole endgame was to get revenge on the Ellingsworths – the family that abandoned him because he was different. In order to understand Liam, we need to understand his history up until now. According to Liam’s expositional anecdote, it seems that Liam’s father was a beast as well because Liam mentioned that his mother had an affair with a “monster.” His mother was an Ellingsworth and from the looks of it – a wealthy family with a good reputation. Most likely, the Ellingsworth never accepted Liam’s mother and her beast. However, Liam’s mother got pregnant with Liam and out came a beast baby. By blood, Liam was an Ellingsworth but the family never accepted him as one of them. And thus, they proceeded to neglect him, reject him, and abandon him. I don’t know if Liam’s parents were killed or not – although it’s very likely considering the time period. Assuming that his parents were killed, this means that Liam was born into a world of rejection and bitterness, prompting him to live a lonely and unhappy childhood. As Liam grows older, he falls in love with a woman – Rebecca. Until this point, Liam still had some humanity in him. Things were going well for him as he was engaged to Rebecca in 1854. However, somewhere along the line, Rebecca met Alistair and fell in love with him – meaning that Liam got rejected and abandoned again. This was his last ounce of humanity and his hope for love had vanished completely. And that’s when he became a murderer, ultimately killing both Alistair and Rebecca. More importantly, this is how Liam turned to the dark side and why he does what he does. Yet, it still doesn’t explain what he’s been doing all these years and why he chose NOW to get his revenge on the Ellingsworths. Liam sort of explains that he was trying to gain the trust of the family being the “savior” who gives to charity and stuff. But that’s still a gap in Liam’s history that is left unanswered and one that is problematic for me because I don’t completely understand his actions now, in the present.
This leads me to how the episode ends: with Liam having a NEW goal and one that sounds a little convenient to me. But to get to that, we have to talk about Reynolds first. This week, we have seen how Reynolds has grown from last season. Although he isn’t too happy about it, Reynolds has to accept the fact that Vincent and Catherine are inseparable. He never liked Vincent and I think he still doesn’t BUT Reynold’s growth doesn’t come from his acceptance of Vincent – it comes from acknowledging that he had made a mistake. He decides to help Vincent and Catherine, ultimately sacrificing himself. I have to say his death came as a bit of a surprise for me – only because I hoped that we would get to see him be the father that Catherine deserves. And I don’t know how many tragic deaths Catherine can handle. On the other hand, I did find it intriguing how the relationship between Catherine and her father had changed. When Catherine came to Reynolds in jail to ask him about the amnesia formula for Liam, Reynolds felt very “fatherly” to me – advising Catherine on her relationship with Vincent while Catherine pulls the classic teenage daughter line, “But I love him dad!” And how she spits back at her father, “I’ve done everything in my life on my own dad.” Catherine never forgives Reynolds but I think she has hope for a reconnection; a fresh start; a chance for redemption because she calls him “dad.” Or perhaps it’s because Catherine needs that comforting parent and the only person that can give that to her is Reynolds. Yet, Catherine’s feelings towards her estranged dad come forward when she finds him mauled to death by Liam. Catherine’s reaction proves that she truly had an emotional attachment to him tainted with a bit of regret for all the lost years they’ve had. It’s a tough moment for Catherine to confront. So why didn’t you give her a hug Vincent!??
Back to Liam – in the end, although Reynold’s efforts did save the Scooby gang from being Liam’s dinner, it actually made things worse. Thanks dad. The amnesia formula didn’t work and instead caused Liam to believe that Catherine is Rebecca and Vincent is Alistair. Now, everything conveniently falls into place, setting us up for the season finale because NOW Liam is actually directly going after Vincent and Catherine. I don’t know that much about memory and how the brain works, but I’m not buying into the whole “confusion of identity” thing. It seemed like an easy way for the writers to turn this around to make it about Vincent and Catherine vs. Liam. I have a problem with this because a) it seems convenient and lazy but b) it also mirrors every other season finale we’ve had from Beauty and the Beast. But . . . I’ll take it: as long as we get a wedding (I’ll touch on this too)!!
Lastly, let’s talk about Liam’s tactics. Last week, he tried to divide Vincent and Catherine by trying to appeal to Vincent’s beast. Liam is literally trying to destroy everything they’ve worked for. This week – their careers. Catherine is being investigated by Internal Affairs and Vincent is on probation. Getting into “prediction territory,” I think that for the season finale Catherine’s life will be in peril, whereas Vincent, is going to risk exposure and might lose his job. I say this because the little Ellingsworth boy saw Vincent as a beast. Not that anyone would believe the boy, but in the preview for the finale, we do see Vincent as a beast, running away from a SWAT team, helicopters, the whole city. I fear Vincent may have to be in hiding for a bit. With regards to Liam, I think we may be seeing a more emotional side to him, only because in that last scene where Liam is stalking Vincent and Catherine – there’s something different in his eyes: HUMANITY. I have a feeling that may either save him or complicate the mission to kill him. And now for the infamous wedding - I’m sorry to say that I don’t see a wedding coming. There would be not enough time to fit everything into the finale. And if we do, it’ll probably be crammed in the end. The only reason I’m ok with this is because I know there’s a season 4 and there, we can dedicate the appropriate time for the wedding. Plus, there really hasn’t been any wedding planning going on. But, if there was no season 4 and there was no wedding – I would be pretty pissed only because the season would feel incomplete. We open the season with the proposal and hence, it would seem logical to end it with a wedding. What adds to my doubts about the wedding even more is Kristin’s own comments about this season. She mentioned back in June that fans would be happy with the season whether they “get married or whatever it is that makes them happy.” Uh-oh!
In conclusion, I really enjoyed this episode and the mythology around it. I hope we get to see some period scenes, a Christmas tree, and a true VinCat moment! I’m excited for the season finale – whether we get a wedding or not!