We really find ourselves in a pickle now! Beauty & the Beast took an unexpected turn this week with shocking revelations, tense moments, and an inevitable heart-wrenching ending. One where we find ourselves back in the hideouts and sewers of season 1. Especially after last week’s throwback, where it seemed like situations like these were something of the past – to see their lives flip upside down just like that - is unfortunate. Bad news for our characters but good news for us – the plot is finally moving somewhere! Last year, the show was rather slow in terms of plot progression and it ended up hurting the arc of Liam – the granddaddy of all beasts. And it seems like this episode is an indication that the show will start to pick up its pace. The episode was filled with twists and turns I never saw coming and it made for a compelling episode that kept me on the edge of my seat. Vincent and Catherine have always managed to wiggle themselves out of tough situations, but this time - it certainly is the worst of times for them. For better or worse, right?
The major shocker this week was the revelation that the DHS were the ones who were trying to kill Vincent – under the command of Agent Hill! Some of you may have predicted Agent Hill’s betrayal, but to me – I didn’t expect it. Especially after everything Vincent and Catherine had done for him, I wouldn’t think that he would come to the conclusion to kill Vincent and expect to keep his hands clean and his family’s for that matter. But, it turns out that that is the exact reason why he had a change of heart. Seeing his family in danger due to his involvement with the beast bounty – shook Hill up. Sacrificing his family’s safety wasn’t worth the trouble of helping Vincent and Catherine with their beast bounty problems. Logically, the only way to remain safe was to get rid of the bounty and the only way to do that was to kill Vincent – the reason why any of this exists. Of course, Hill underestimated how difficult that task would actually be because it turns out that he really didn’t know that much about beasts. Case in point – he dies by the hands (claws) of a beast that he purposely triggered.
For these past two seasons, Beauty & the Beast has been making sure to integrate storylines where characters confront their past. I think it’s quite insightful to delve into Vincent and Catherine’s individual past because it’s their dark past that bonds them and it’s also what has helped shape them into the people they are now. Last season in “Chasing Ghosts,” looking into Catherine’s past allowed her to understand her mother’s decisions and motivations when it came to her involvement with Muirfield and the super soldier experiments. It enabled her to finally let go of the residual anger and frustration she felt for her mother. The same sort of arc occurred with Vincent this week revisiting his old army colonel. The fact that Colonel Fuller – a man who had treated Vincent and his comrades like family – to suddenly turn around and kill them all - is a betrayal that has angered Vincent for years. So much so, that Vincent is afraid that he won’t be able to control himself around Fuller. But after actually confronting his past, Vincent learned that even though Fuller was ordered to kill all of the experiments – he let Vincent live despite having a clear shot at him. This insight enables Vincent to finally stop seeing Fuller as the enemy and instead see him as someone who was trying to do the best he could in a terrible situation. Vincent understands this as he’s found himself in similar situations before. Vincent returns the favor as he helps rescue Fuller and makes peace with the tragic memory that haunted him for years.
Meanwhile, back at the “Scooby gang” headquarters, Catherine is being told by DHS agents that her husband has been diagnosed with PTSD and has been deemed as a “terrorist threat” by none other than Agent Hill. Now, if we take away all of the “beast parts” of this story, to the ordinary outsider – this is a logical conclusion. Does Vincent have a military history? Yes, but . . . Has Vincent been acting ‘agitated’ or ‘paranoid?’ Yes, but . . . Is he displaying signs of being ‘mentally ill’ thinking people are looking to kill him? Yes, but . . .! And it’s this “BUT!” that Catherine stumps upon because she can’t reveal why Vincent has been (and has a right to be) acting this way. Catherine fervently defends her husband but her argument falls short when she cannot explain why the accusations are false. And it’s here where Catherine realizes that Agent Hill has set Vincent up with the “terrorist bomb.” But here’s what’s interesting: The entire season, Vincent and Catherine have been fighting to avoid exposure and now they find themselves in a situation where it seems that exposure is the only way to prove Vincent innocent. How else can they explain their way out? Can things get any more worse? Oh wait . . . it does.
One of the things that make Beauty and the Beast such a unique show is their ability to ground itself in reality. Despite it’s sci-fi/fantasy context, they always manage to bring the story into a contemporary setting, thereby making it more relatable to their audience. For example, bringing in 9/11 and Afghanistan to Vincent’s backstory was a clever way to reimagine the origin of Vincent’s beast. And they continue to do so this season, bringing up issues of hacking and the “blogosphere” and the implications of what it means to live in a world filled with social media. Adding the threats of “bombs” and “terrorists” into the storyline is something that is very relevant to the world we live in today. Hec, right after the episode ended, breaking new flashed onto my screen about the Dallas shooting. Reality doesn’t stray so far from shows after all.
The other shocker this week was that Vincent kills Agent Hill! Of course, it’s not entirely Vincent’s fault because he was induced with three loads of adrenaline – enough to make an elephant’s heart explode. It’s unfortunate because it falsely pins Vincent as a murderer and it doesn’t help his case in proving that he is not a “danger to society” or a “terrorist.” The moment when Vincent has Hill in his clutches reminded us of the Vincent from season 2 because he becomes someone we almost don’t recognize. Even Catherine can’t stop him and you can see the terror and shock in her eyes. There’s no going back now. She realizes what this means for them both. Vincent is now a fugitive on the run for the murder of a DHS agent. No doubt, this murder will raise suspicions of the “creature of NYC” when the public hears about it. However, here’s where we see Catherine be the supportive wife. After Vincent runs off, she doesn’t hesitate to pack up her things and find Vincent. She knows what she has to do and she accepts this sudden turn of events because she knows that Vincent needs her and that she failed to be there where he needed her earlier. Even though she has every reason to be afraid of Vincent, Catherine still goes after him. And when she does find him, the two hold each other because it’s all they have now. Vincent knows that he’s lost the life that he had and he doesn’t want the same to happen to Catherine, especially now that she’s a DHS agent. But Catherine makes it known that he is her husband and that they will wither through this together. It’s a sad moment to see them in this state – on the run and holding on to each other as long as they can – because they may not be able to have this anymore.
On a lighter note, JT & Tess provided some comic relief. When JT receives a job offer for a prestigious bio-research company (I think), Tess immediately decides that it must be some sort of trap because nobody would be quick to hire JT for such a great job. And here’s the interesting thing: Tess doesn’t believe that anyone would be interested in JT career-wise or romantically. And to spice things up, the interviewer who comes to meet JT is a hot young woman who is very interested in JT as the scientist and the man. And that bothers Tess - still thinking this is all a joke. What’s funny is that it looks like JT will want to move on with this new opportunity while Tess will want to reel him back, in fear that she may lose him. She’ll probably take him back and regret pushing him away.
Kyle is interesting because he pops in and pops out but I feel like he’s always looming. And this week, his attitude towards Heather only raised my suspicions of him. It was only weeks ago when Kyle had romantically said to Heather that he didn’t care about her family problems/secrets. And now, he’s acting all pushy warning her that at some point she will have to come clean about all this nonsense. I believe that Heather will remain loyal to her sister. What I fear is that this will cause Kyle to take matters into his own hands and find out on his own. And that’s when things will get dangerous. Creep.
Overall, a huge progression story-wise and an episode that has truly left me wondering: what’s the next step? How will Vincent and Catherine survive? The DHS no longer seem to be their allies so it’s just our gang on their own. Or maybe a new agent surfaces to lend a helping hand? I really have no idea what may happen or if exposure might be somewhere in the near future. But it’s certainly intriguing and I can’t wait to find out!