This was a truly amazing episode that leaves so much to talk about. We came off of last week's huge scene of Vincent telling the world he's still alive, and right into the ramifications of that, with the continued fallout from the VinCat breakup. J.T. and FBI Agent Dana Landon found major insights into the history of beasts that developed the show's overall mythology in fascinating new ways.
The VinCat relationship has had connections to Ryan Adam's music to me ever since his song "Desire" was used in a memorable season 1 scene. This episode made me think a great deal about Adams' song "If I am a Stranger." How do you become a stranger to someone with whom you've shared an epic love? How can one world be split in two, and to what extent can you forge a new destiny through independence? "Ancestors" explores these themes as Vincent and Cat both set off on their own mystery-solving expeditions with separate agendas. However, as divided as their purposes are, destiny pulls these two back together like a magnet, with some sexy and bittersweet results. Here are my thoughts on the episode, using some lyrics from "If I am a Stranger" along the way.
"For all the hours here that move too slow
There's all this letting go, that don't pass
If all this love is real, how will we know?
If we're only scared of losing it, how will it last?"*
The beginning of this episode was utterly brilliant in the way it threw the viewer straight into a scenario that was, for Beauty and the Beast, pure Twilight Zone. The incredibly secretive Vincent was being interviewed on The Talk! While this scene was cute and funny, and Julie Chen could not get over how good-looking Vincent is (understandably), immediately afterwards, cold reality seeped in.
Tori, who seemed to have taken on a new persona as Vincent's agent/manager, complete with a smoother new look, was all pumped up about how the audience loved Vincent. But for Vincent, it's hurtful that he has to lie, saying that he has no memory of his life after Afghanistan. Going public, which seemed to stand for honesty, has only led Vincent to further deception. It's incredibly difficult for him to continue recovering from his ordeals and find peace with who he is when he still has to spin the truth at every turn.
We got a fun scene with Cat and Tess discussing to what extent the former has moved on and can really live a "beast-free" life. We're reminded that Cat needs to forge her own path now after being the only one fighting for her bond with Vincent to stay strong and seeming to lose that fight in such a frustrating way. But as much as she needs to get away from the "B" word, we soon learn that's going to be harder than it seemed.
Afterwards, the ladies headed to the station where they were introduced to Agent Landon, who had a case for Cat. Since a notorious thief had turned up dead and her cohorts weren't aware of her demise, Catherine, who somewhat resembles Mara Angel (coincidental name, or Easter Egg-y reference to Elizabeth Rohm's time on Angel?), was asked to go undercover and take her place. This was a perfect opportunity for Cat to really get away from all of her problems: a chance to become someone else entirely. Naturally, Cat made the most of this new gig, not least of all because she also relished getting back into the kind of work she became a cop wanting to do.
Gabe was extremely opposed to the idea of Cat's becoming involved in such a dangerous and unpredictable case, and we realized that his feelings for her just keep getting more intense. The further along this progresses, the harder it is going to be for him to send her off into treacherous places. But as Tess sagely pointed out, Gabe respects who Catherine is far too much to stand in her way; it's an integral part of why he cares for her so much. I like this advisor's role that Tess has taken on with Gabe, where she's kind of his guide to living a normal, reformed, sensitive and considerate life.
Vincent and Tori showed up at J.T.'s after he was attacked and robbed by mysterious assailants. The baddies were after the shackle that was recovered from Tori's dad's secret crypt full of beasty artifacts. J.T. also let Vincent in on some of his findings regarding the skeleton: it is that of a beast from centuries ago, indicating "a beastly lineage that precedes Muirfield." This bombshell is made all too real by J.T.'s assurances that the evil scientists used DNA from an extinct species to create the kind of beast that Vincent is. I loved seeing this deeper unfurling of the show's mythology, which can only lead to Vincent going on a journey of self-discovery that he sorely needs. Unfortunately, Vincent's impatient methods of investigation yield a few problems.
Cat showed up to meet Mara's fellow thieves as they prepared for their latest heist. While Pete (it's Peter from Teen Wolf!) immediately distrusted Cat, his brother Patrick took a quick liking to her. Vincent and Tori, unknowingly on the trail of the same case Cat was working, came walking into the bar. Yes, the MacGuffin the thieves are after was a gem with ties to beastly history. VinCat cannot get out of each other's way!
The intense look between Vincent and Catherine when they saw each other was priceless and proves that the attraction and love between them still burns as hot as ever. Cat diffused the situation by grabbing Patrick and kissing him. It kind of served Vincent right to see this after all of the Alex and Tori incidents from episodes past, and here it really seemed that Cat was exerting her new independence in a feisty way. How BAMFY was she in that bar fight with the thieves, by the way? Loved it.
The intense look between Vincent and Catherine when they saw each other was priceless and proves that the attraction and love between them still burns as hot as ever. Cat diffused the situation by grabbing Patrick and kissing him. It kind of served Vincent right to see this after all of the Alex and Tori incidents from episodes past, and here it really seemed that Cat was exerting her new independence in a feisty way. How BAMFY was she in that bar fight with the thieves, by the way? Loved it.
I also liked her conversations with Patrick that contained a great deal more truth than one might expect from an interaction based on falsehood. She explained that what she was doing was not about rebounding, but that "this is my idea of being me again, separate from anybody else." This episode shows that letting go can be painful and liberating in equal measures.
How to rebuild the walls that someone has knocked down"*
Meanwhile, Tori was quite irritated that Vincent, ostensibly tracking the thief who attacked J.T., had led them straight to Cat. She admitted that she fears what may happen if Vincent becomes caught up in the past, in his relationship with Cat, once more. In Tori's view, returning to that past threatens Vincent's future, which she considers tied to her own. I get why this bothers Tori, but she's annoyingly aggressive about it. Vincent is going to need time to work all of this out for himself instead of following some script written by Tori of how his life should be now. Actually, considering how little patience he has with almost everyone else, Vincent was a lot more patient with Tori's attitude than I would have been.
Favorite J.T. quotes of the week, btdubs? "Beast up!" "Avenge me!" The guy gives an exceptional pep talk, and you have to love Vincent's deadpan reactions.
Gabe was still eager to pull Cat out of the undercover gig, but she was ever more determined to bust up the ring of thieves. However, he decided to trust her instincts and her strong desire to go off on her own, even to the extent of continuing to allow her independent approach to the case when she went over the bridge and destroyed her wire. Unsure of whether Cat was the ultimate survivor or a victim of the thieves' violence, Gabe told Agent Landon, "the only thing I'm sure of is that I'm worried sick." Landon replied, "How long have you been in love with her?" The complex emotions in this scene were superb.
When Cat and Vincent both showed up at the Russian consulate to snag the gem, the episode basically turned into a classy, Remington Steele-style game of deception and love/hate repartee, which was fantastic. Cat was posing as a waitress and Vincent as his "war hero" pin-up persona while both wheedled their way ever closer to the gem. The claws were out on both sides when VinCat argued over who should get the gem. Vincent needed it to understand the history of beasts and therefore who he is. Cat wanted to prevent any life-threatening mischief that might result from its ending up in the wrong hands.
Vincent warned, "Don't cross me, Catherine, I mean it," to which Cat fabulously quipped, "Don't make me shoot you again, Vincent, and I mean that."
That exchange was darkly funny and brilliantly showed off the chemistry between VinCat, but things turned deadly serious after Patrick got in the way of Vincent's making off with the gem. Vincent threatened to kill the thief, directly recreating the scene of Cat having to shoot him to save Reynolds' life. While Cat was incapable of shooting Vincent again, the pure depth of disappointment in her expression was potent.
"What happened to you?" she asked Vincent, a simple question that perfectly encapsulated the feelings of disconnection between these two lately. After killing Shorty and coming so close to killing Patrick almost out of spite, Vincent's continuing to spiral out of control in a way that powerfully conflicts with his idealized new public persona. I wonder what it's going to take for him to find his way back to himself at this point.
"If I am a stranger now to you
I will always be, I will always be
Stronger now than me, stronger then you
Our love will always be
And if we let it go, I will try to be there for you
If I can, what if I can't?"*
Vincent and J.T. pondered what the shackle was really used for after they found that the gem fit perfectly into it. Meanwhile, Cat met up with Dana Landon, who revealed that she's been on the trail of some strange and unaccountable evidence on a series of cases that have links to Cat and her family. The name "Reynolds" showed up on a very old police report, indicating that her father's family has been entangled in beast cases for centuries. Furthermore, the gem has been found at murder scenes for many years - why? A very thought-provoking question. This scene nicely complemented the mythology-building we saw in Vincent and J.T.'s conversations.
The episode ended with yet another massive twist after Catherine acknowledged that Gabe had completely trusted her on the undercover case:
Cat: "I just realized, you uh, didn't call in the cavalry when my wire went dead. You trusted me."
Gabe: "You asked me to."
Gabe's act of extending this trust to Cat even though he wanted so badly to protect her by stopping her from putting herself in danger's way turned out to be exactly what Cat needed. He'd respected her skills as a cop and her independence. And then Cat kissed him! Right there in front of everyone! I really didn't see that one coming. It was shocking and daring, despite just being a quick smooch. It meant a whole lot to Gabe, but what did it mean to Cat? I'd guess gratitude and another chance to assert her independence and feel what possibilities are out there in a life beyond Vincent.
But kissing Patrick was one thing, and this is something else again. The kiss with Patrick was a fairly harmless way of proving her freedom with a stranger, but Gabe is a close friend and her boss, not to mention that she's blind if she doesn't realize he's crazy about her. So it's a big, risky, crazy thing Cat did in this scene that will doubtless have some serious follow-up in the next episode, whatever form it may take.
I've previously admitted that I enjoy the little pocket of 'ship that is Cat/Gabe, but it's only enjoyable for what it is. Sure, Cat and Gabe have chemistry, and Sendhil Ramamurthy has done a great job of making Gabe believable in his reformed state even though the writers rushed his change along too rapidly to make it realistic. Do you sense a "but" coming? Yep. But, the show is called Beauty and the Beast for a reason: VinCat are soulmates, they are the couple we're here to root for, and it's all about the when and how they'll find their way back to each other, not an "if."
The Cat/Gabe kiss was an exciting moment because it just stirred the pot of everything that's been happening even more. I liked the sheer, wild, escapist drama and the unpredictability of this episode. The romantic intrigue and fantastical mythology are ramping up to new heights as Season 2 moves forward.
All in all, with all the controversial developments mixed in with world-building backstory, this episode was miles better than last week's and found Beauty and the Beast in strong form.
What did you think of this week's episode? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Favorite J.T. quotes of the week, btdubs? "Beast up!" "Avenge me!" The guy gives an exceptional pep talk, and you have to love Vincent's deadpan reactions.
Gabe was still eager to pull Cat out of the undercover gig, but she was ever more determined to bust up the ring of thieves. However, he decided to trust her instincts and her strong desire to go off on her own, even to the extent of continuing to allow her independent approach to the case when she went over the bridge and destroyed her wire. Unsure of whether Cat was the ultimate survivor or a victim of the thieves' violence, Gabe told Agent Landon, "the only thing I'm sure of is that I'm worried sick." Landon replied, "How long have you been in love with her?" The complex emotions in this scene were superb.
When Cat and Vincent both showed up at the Russian consulate to snag the gem, the episode basically turned into a classy, Remington Steele-style game of deception and love/hate repartee, which was fantastic. Cat was posing as a waitress and Vincent as his "war hero" pin-up persona while both wheedled their way ever closer to the gem. The claws were out on both sides when VinCat argued over who should get the gem. Vincent needed it to understand the history of beasts and therefore who he is. Cat wanted to prevent any life-threatening mischief that might result from its ending up in the wrong hands.
Vincent warned, "Don't cross me, Catherine, I mean it," to which Cat fabulously quipped, "Don't make me shoot you again, Vincent, and I mean that."
That exchange was darkly funny and brilliantly showed off the chemistry between VinCat, but things turned deadly serious after Patrick got in the way of Vincent's making off with the gem. Vincent threatened to kill the thief, directly recreating the scene of Cat having to shoot him to save Reynolds' life. While Cat was incapable of shooting Vincent again, the pure depth of disappointment in her expression was potent.
"What happened to you?" she asked Vincent, a simple question that perfectly encapsulated the feelings of disconnection between these two lately. After killing Shorty and coming so close to killing Patrick almost out of spite, Vincent's continuing to spiral out of control in a way that powerfully conflicts with his idealized new public persona. I wonder what it's going to take for him to find his way back to himself at this point.
"If I am a stranger now to you
I will always be, I will always be
Stronger now than me, stronger then you
Our love will always be
And if we let it go, I will try to be there for you
If I can, what if I can't?"*
Vincent and J.T. pondered what the shackle was really used for after they found that the gem fit perfectly into it. Meanwhile, Cat met up with Dana Landon, who revealed that she's been on the trail of some strange and unaccountable evidence on a series of cases that have links to Cat and her family. The name "Reynolds" showed up on a very old police report, indicating that her father's family has been entangled in beast cases for centuries. Furthermore, the gem has been found at murder scenes for many years - why? A very thought-provoking question. This scene nicely complemented the mythology-building we saw in Vincent and J.T.'s conversations.
The episode ended with yet another massive twist after Catherine acknowledged that Gabe had completely trusted her on the undercover case:
Cat: "I just realized, you uh, didn't call in the cavalry when my wire went dead. You trusted me."
Gabe: "You asked me to."
Gabe's act of extending this trust to Cat even though he wanted so badly to protect her by stopping her from putting herself in danger's way turned out to be exactly what Cat needed. He'd respected her skills as a cop and her independence. And then Cat kissed him! Right there in front of everyone! I really didn't see that one coming. It was shocking and daring, despite just being a quick smooch. It meant a whole lot to Gabe, but what did it mean to Cat? I'd guess gratitude and another chance to assert her independence and feel what possibilities are out there in a life beyond Vincent.
But kissing Patrick was one thing, and this is something else again. The kiss with Patrick was a fairly harmless way of proving her freedom with a stranger, but Gabe is a close friend and her boss, not to mention that she's blind if she doesn't realize he's crazy about her. So it's a big, risky, crazy thing Cat did in this scene that will doubtless have some serious follow-up in the next episode, whatever form it may take.
I've previously admitted that I enjoy the little pocket of 'ship that is Cat/Gabe, but it's only enjoyable for what it is. Sure, Cat and Gabe have chemistry, and Sendhil Ramamurthy has done a great job of making Gabe believable in his reformed state even though the writers rushed his change along too rapidly to make it realistic. Do you sense a "but" coming? Yep. But, the show is called Beauty and the Beast for a reason: VinCat are soulmates, they are the couple we're here to root for, and it's all about the when and how they'll find their way back to each other, not an "if."
The Cat/Gabe kiss was an exciting moment because it just stirred the pot of everything that's been happening even more. I liked the sheer, wild, escapist drama and the unpredictability of this episode. The romantic intrigue and fantastical mythology are ramping up to new heights as Season 2 moves forward.
All in all, with all the controversial developments mixed in with world-building backstory, this episode was miles better than last week's and found Beauty and the Beast in strong form.
What did you think of this week's episode? Share your thoughts in the comments!
*Lyrics taken from "If I am a Stranger" by Ryan Adams
