Well, this was a fabulous episode - I liked it better than last week's. I feel that after so many months of waiting, VinCat are growing so much closer than they have been in ages. Even though "Redemption" did not end with them getting back together, there were some lusciously romantic moments between them that emphasized the strength of Vincent and Catherine's bond against seemingly insurmountable odds.
The use of the dream sequences to bookend the episode could not have been better. I loved this on so many levels. The way we weren't sure at first if each scene was reality or dreaming was incredibly suspenseful. The revelation that Cat and Vincent are both worried about the same basic problems in their relationship, that both are deeply troubled and haunted by the idea of each other - perfect. Additionally, how awesome was it to have each of them express, in the dreams, the ideas that they never give voice to in real life? In Vincent's dream, for example, seeing Catherine address her desire for Vincent was a bit of a welcome change after so many Cat/Gabe episodes!
Given the continued theme of two exes still in love, I'll be using some lyrics from Natalie Imbruglia's "Fun" in this review.
"So long
I've been waiting
To sing this song
Not sure
If it's worth it anymore
Working anymore
People always
Ask about you
People always
Want to talk about you
Sometimes when I
Sleep I think about you
With your new someone"*
After Gabe faked his death to give Sam a chance to pursue his wicked plans and hopefully give the gang a lead on the mysterious billionaire kingpin they've been chasing, this week we got to go to Gabe's funeral. The interactions between Cat and Tess, where they debated the necessity of expressing grief to continue fooling Sam, were too funny - especially when J.T. showed up and Tess snapped at him to act sad. Vincent sat right down next to Cat, igniting waves of chemistry that did not die down in the least throughout the episode.
We also got this classic Vincent/J.T. exchange:
J.T.: "I can't believe you're gonna let her walk away."
Vincent: "Well I'm not about to tell her at her boyfriend's funeral."
J.T.: "But he's not really dead!"
Poor Gabe was a bit put out to hear how few people showed up at his funeral, but he didn't have too much time to get bogged down in that, since it soon became apparent that Sam was plucking former orphans from the home where Gabe grew up to turn into beasts. While Gabe was forced to remain in hiding, Cat and Vincent headed to the hospital where an innocent victim of Sam's nefarious injections hovered near death. Taking on responsibility for saving this man brought out Vincent's need to recapture his former identity as Doctor Vincent Keller, the sympathetic and heroic human, the man who might be able to win Cat's love back.
It was fantastic to see Vincent get to return, however briefly, to the role of a doctor, quickly jumping into action to save a random patient, as well as the wrongly identified Jacob. Saving others, whether as a beast or as a human, is what Vincent was born to do. Someday, hopefully he will learn that there can be a balance between these two sides of himself. I think his hatred of his beast side is ultimately unhealthy, both psychologically and in terms of his ability to control the beast within. When a person tries to completely smother a big part of themselves, inevitably it will reemerge more out of control than ever.
Naturally, however, even after Cat learned from our friend the VinCat shipper J.T. (he's the man!) that Vincent means to go "beast cold turkey" to win her back, Catherine still coerced her ex to beast out again. Why? Because, of course, Gabe had to go and ruin the pretense of his death about two seconds after the gang went to all that trouble to convince Sam of its being true. I mean seriously, Gabe? I guess the only way I can sympathize with this dumb, rookie move on his part is to realize that he's been overcompensating for how intimidated he is by Vincent's place in Cat's life. Wanting to help out and save the day is a natural extension of these feelings of apprehension about his relationship with Cat. Sorry, Gabe, but this romance is doomed. When the consummation of your relationship happens off-screen because no one wants to see it, that's just not a good sign!
I'm really enjoying Tom Everett Scott as Sam, not least of all because as an actor who usually plays straight-laced goody-two-shoes characters, he's able to incorporate that persona into his villainy. Sam's ability to lure his test subjects with his smiling mask of decency is part of what makes him so successful and frightening.
Ever the multi-tasker, Vincent managed to save the dying man in the hospital and help the gang take on Sam and his new beast, Jacob, both of whom made a few attempts to stick Gabe with the beast serum needle. Well, Gabe, ya could've stayed home! Unfortunately, Cat had to shoot and kill Jacob to save Gabe from that needle, in a moment of anguish for her that will have emotional fallout going forward. After all, she later reflected, she did not hesitate to shoot a beast who was also essentially an unwilling and helpless victim of Sam's manipulations. All of this angst snowballed into an intriguing confrontation with Gabe towards the end of the hour.
It seems that Gabe has finally reached the end of his rope with VinCat, although he has repeatedly acknowledged that clearly, Vincent isn't going anywhere. So how exactly is Cat supposed to remove Vincent from her life when he's such an integral part of her ongoing adventures? And why should she have to deal with Gabe's problems right after she had to shoot someone and is miserable from that experience? Even as someone who enjoys the Gabe character, I'm starting to think he's letting his insecurities push him too far (or maybe his sweater's just too tight). However, since they're liable to be yet another factor pushing Cat back into Vincent's arms, I must ultimately approve of his jealous, silly declarations. Also, this?
Gabe: "It feels like there are three of us in this relationship and sooner or later that is gonna have to be resolved, Catherine. Vincent has to go."
Yes, it's going to be resolved, alright, Gabe. But not the way you think!
The segue into Cat's dream sequence at the end was fascinating. The blurry, fragmented and dark imagery of her driving to Vincent's reflected Cat's conflicted state of mind and hinted that we were departing reality. And this last scene? Wow. As much as I loved Vincent's dream from the beginning of the episode, this was even better.
Hearing Vincent declare "You know what I think about that? I think screw Gabe" was amazing! It's about time that, even subconsciously, he and Cat stop tiptoeing around the extremely obvious. And hearing him say "I love you" was so exciting, though unfortunately, a physical tussle with Cat soon led to his falling to the floor, mortally injured - right before a horrified Cat woke up in bed.
"Didn't we have fun?
I know it hurts like hell
When you can't be with someone
Didn't we have fun?
Though it hurts like hell
Yeah, I don't want to forget
I don't want to forget"*
I know it hurts like hell
When you can't be with someone
Didn't we have fun?
Though it hurts like hell
Yeah, I don't want to forget
I don't want to forget"*
When Cat woke up, etched across her face were all the worries that got in the way of her relationship with Vincent the first time around: the fear, shared by Vincent, that ultimately they are only going to hurt one another. This terror that their love is epically doomed does not in any way negate the overwhelming and potentially redemptive power of the love itself. That's why this week's episode title was so brilliant: Vincent's working hard at redeeming himself while Cat questions whether their bond is ultimately capable of being redemptive or merely destructive. And that conversation she had with Bob Reynolds earlier in the episode, with her father urging her to sever all bonds with Vincent in the deadliest terms, is not easing her anxiety.
The fact that Cat's in bed with Gabe at the end is meaningless compared with the unbreakable connection she feels with Vincent. We have to hope that soon, all remaining barriers between Cat and Vincent will fall away. After all this build-up, we can be certain that this reunion is going to be good.
*lyrics are taken from the song "Fun" by Natalie Imbruglia.
What did you think of this week's episode? Share your ideas in the comments!
