Written by: Brad Kern
Directed by: Stuart Gillard
Synopsis: Three months after Vincent Keller (Jay Ryan) was abducted by Muirfield, Detective Catherine Chandler (Kristin Kreuk) is reunited with him - but not in the way she planned. He’s changed: his scar has disappeared, his memory has been wiped clean and he returns as a supercharged beast on a mysterious mission. Catherine needs to unravel the reasons behind Vincent’s change if she has any hopes of recovering their epic love, while also trying to solve the secrets that swirl around her own life.
Now that the Season 2 premiere of Beauty and the Beast is less than two weeks away, it is time to get the ball rolling and the Beastie Fandom here on Spoiler TV roaring.
First of all, if you have been avoiding spoilers, like I have (which I doubt because come on, you’re on a site named Spoiler TV), this episode might be a bit jarring. This is definitely a soft reboot of the show. The two leads seem out of character, while Vincent has a reason, Cat does not. I don’t know whether to chalk this up to the writer of the episode (the new co-showrunner Brad Kerns) not really understanding what makes Cat so likable or if this a character retcon that he will be forcing down our throats. The same thing can be said for Tess who seems less sassy and more witchy (which translate to: comes off highly unlikable). I know Brad Kern can write for women (he was the showrunner for Charmed for all eight of its seasons) so I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Secondly, I was pleasantly surprised and perfectly fine with them moving away from the procedural aspect of the show. While I am more than happy to see the character of Joe Bishop gone, the actor Brian White will be missed. The 125th precinct is in shambles but no worries, the district attorney has appointed a certain someone (*cough* Gabe *cough*) to fix it and get things back in order. Tess is not a fan of this arrangement and tension (that may or may not be unresolved sexual tension) ensues.
OK now it’s time for me to whet your appetite with some things to be on the lookout for…
The Beauty In This Episode
1. Gabe (played by Sendhill Ramamurthy) is alive and kicking and seemingly looking for redemption.
2. Code Yellow/Beast Mode gets a makeover and I for one, love it.
3. Vincent’s beast senses also get an upgrade (but there is a downside to it that is very interesting).
4. Now that Joe is gone, this frees up Tess from that terrible relationship/storyline and hopefully allows for her to become a full-fledged character and not just Cat’s partner and sassy best friend.
5. There are three fight sequences and Cat is featured in two of them.
6. The darker tone of the show.
7. Vincent out sasses JT (never thought it would be possible).
The Beast In This Episode
1. Cat has put everything and everyone on the back burner in her pursuit of finding Vincent.
2. Cat comes on a little too strong with Vincent.
3. Amnesia/Vincent’s memories being wiped clean (may just be fatigue from this plot device being used in every genre show ever).
4. The super duper heavy-handed exposition in some places.
5. Not enough explanation in other places (granted they might get to it over the course of the season but it was jarring in one particular instance)
6. One of the villains actually has an evil monologue while holding Vincent hostage, it came across a bit cartoony. Maybe they were watching Arrow over the break?
7. The writers will definitely need to be vigilant about the continuity of the scope of these new set of beast senses they have given Vincent.
Putting It in Neutral
1. The scar is gone.
2. The interactions between Gabe and Tess.
3. Vincent’s new attitude.
4. The Big Bad’s agenda (I’m definitely going to need more information).
5. Cat’s family drama.
6. The 125th precinct’s predicament.
7. The music selection. If they do indeed keep the music that was featured, it will definitely be a big improvement over last season.
Grade: A (90/100)
Things you can do (if you haven’t already) to show your support for the show:
Like the official Facebook page (and don’t forget to congregate there after an episode if you can).
If you are on Tumblr, they have an awesome official account there.
Live tweet, with the show if at all possible.
Be sure to follow the official twitter accounts: @cwbatb & @BatBWriters.
If you miss an episode, be a dear and watch on The CW's website or Hulu (if you have it).
Things you can do if you’d like to support this reviewer:
Live tweet with me every Monday at 9 PM (@lilithhellfire)
Be sure to check out The Beauty and the Beast Podcast on iTunes. If you like it, don’t be shy, rate, review and subscribe.
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I’m always looking for fans of the show to be on the podcast. If you are interested I record every Monday night around 10:30 pm EST, if you want to be on the podcast just drop me an email (lilith.fairy.hellfire@gmail.com) and we can work out the details.
Don’t forget Beauty and the Beast roars back on to your TV screen for Season 2, on Monday, October 7, 2013 at 9 PM/ 8 PM Central on The CW.
Thanks for the review Lilith. Glad you enjoy the episode.
ReplyDeletethank you so much for this !!!! love the show :) :) thank you thank you thank you ;) :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Lillith, great review without giving away too many details. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteNice! Sounds like I'm going to love it.
ReplyDeleteif you're new ...welcome to our beastie family sweetie ;) ;)
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome thank you! The changes sound interesting. I am game as long as they aren't drastic. Hopefully Tess gets her sassy back because that's one of the things I really like about her.
ReplyDeleteI know I really loved Tess because she was sassy but she was a pragmatist/realist and kind of helped to keep Cat grounded. She was tough but when it came to Cat she had a heart of gold. I read a lot of interviews with the showrunners that say they have a plan to really flesh her out this season, so fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteloved your review, thanks a lot! what worried me about what you said is that the characters seem a bit out of character. was that very evident in the episode and do you think cat's behaviour seems completely unecessary/unjustified? thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review, you didn't give to much away you just basically got me even more revved up and ready to go, but I think with Catherine she just thought she'd be able to pick right back up from 3 months earlier, that's why she's pushing so hard, she's very aggressive and it's hard for her to pull it in, she's gonna get it done come hell or high water, that's just Cat!!!
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Cat I get why they are doing it (it is actually kind of necessary in a behind the scenes kind of way)but at the same time I feel like they are trying to sweep stuff under the rug. In the case of Vincent, his memory has been wiped clean so it's understandable. But remember it's like a grand total of of maybe 2 minutes in a 43 minute episode that has so much more awesome stuff to be focused on.
ReplyDeleteok thanks so much, feel much better now :)
ReplyDeleteHeads up! The show's official twitter handles are: @cwbatb & @BatBWriters. @CWBeautyBeast is awesome, but it's a fan run account.
ReplyDeletethanks, that's what I get for using the first google listing.
ReplyDeleteLol, I'm def guilty of that one! Great post, thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit worried about cat now. All the reviews that I've read seemed to think she's becoming too obsessed with Vincent. Hope the writers will fix this later.
ReplyDeleteit's just one episode and a new writer (granted he's now the co-showrunner) wrote it. I'm sure the next time he writes an episode he will have it all worked out. I have every faith that won't mess up Cat's character.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reply and the assurance. I really hope he will. One aspect that I love about this show is cat's character as a strong woman who's not perfect but also not a needy one. Can't wait to see the new Vincent too! Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeletecould I ask one more thing - from this one episode did you get the feeling that personality wise Vincent (in non beast mode) is similar to good old Vincent but with a memory loss or does he seem like a completely different person? and was there real connection between him and cat despite the fact that he doesn't remember her? many thanks again, much appreciated! really!
ReplyDeleteYeah Cat is a very strong and independent woman which I like about her! Hopefully we don't loose that, but like Lilith Hellfire I doubt we will.
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing about cat at first too but then I figured it was a normal reaction for her circumstances. These people killed her mom, have been hunting down the love of her life and kidnapped him (plus that guy that showed up and died at the precinct trying to warn her. She probably feels to blame because she didn't listen to Vincent about Gabe). They just got together and said they'd stand up to anyone who tries to break them apart. I can see why she might act a bit crazy and do anything to find him.
OK, New Vincent feels like he's been wiped clean completely for the most part but we do catch glimpses. As for the latter question, all I can say is that TPTB know where their bread is buttered in terms of what we Beasties like and are passionate about when it comes to the story.
ReplyDeleteThank u!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI trust the writers. They haven't disappointed me yet. I'm sure Cat's obsession is part of the grand plan. Maybe it's one of their obstacles.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I am new. And loving the show and beastie family. What an awesome fandom! :)
ReplyDeleteI caught up with s1 on showcase.ca They have the whole first season on their website, if anyone else needs to catch up. (I don't know if it's available outside of Canada.)
you can find the episodes all over the place ;) amazon , youtube ( cw channel ) , kicck-ass etc :) :) :) so happy to have you on our familyand to see that our family it's getting bigger and bigger every day ! ;) hope to see you on fb or twitter ;) :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and commenting.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the ep I agree with most of what you said. However, I don't think Cat came off as 'unlikeable' but more that she was really INTENSE. It was a but jarring but it made sense in the context. She has been trying to find him vigilantly for the past months, to the detriment of everything else, so I kinda expect her to come off as intense when she eventually finds him. I suspect that this attitude will change as the season progresses especiay with each one's separate arc.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, looking forward to the season and nice preview.