This was another episode full of fantastic mystery, excitement, and surprises. I love how the final episodes in Season 2 aren't pulling any punches. "Cold Case" built off of the developments of last week's episode to further the story of Vincent and Cat's face-off with Gabe, adding in the complication of Heather's return. As Catherine worked with Vincent to "turn the tables" on an increasingly unstable Gabe, she also had to figure out a way to mend fences with a frustrated Heather. And while Cat and Vincent's pursuit of justice was interwoven with sweet and poignant romance, Gabe's reaction to learning of their plan to bring his past crimes to light showed just how wicked and depraved he could become.
For this week's review, I'll be using some lyrics from Eliza Doolittle's song "In Your Hands" that connect to the charming, resplendent sense of devoted love between Cat and Vincent. It's just beyond awesome to have the two of them back where they belong after so much of the season found them split up and miserable.
"When I'm with you,
How time flies,
It's gonna be a short but amazing life,
I'm proud to know you,
Feels so right,
You're my go to,
Even when it's you I fight"*
I actually have to start off my look back at the events of this episode by applauding
Sendhil Ramamurthy for a job very well done. Goodness knows that Gabe is not an easy role to play, mostly because his seeming-agenda has shifted so many times. Yet Ramamurthy consistently brings an A-game performance to make the character nuanced and intriguing. Of particular note was Gabe's expression when he put Tess and Cat on suspension at the beginning of "Cold Case." It was as if Gabe realized that he'd gone a step too far, and there would be no coming back from this path that he's headed down.
Obviously, despite Gabe's feelings for Catherine being one of his motivations, she will absolutely never take him back and every move he makes against her and Vincent just cements this fact even further. If there was one additional nail in his coffin that could make Gabe spiral more out of control, it was the very one that came: the ghosts of his past misdeeds coming back to get him. Preserving his reputation and avoiding the consequences of his crimes are paramount to Gabe, and his desperation to that end became downright scary. That said, I also spent a lot of time in this episode laughing in Gabe's face as the smug S.O.B. finally saw what it was like to have the pressure on him, after working so hard to ruin Vincent's life.
It's so unstoppably fabulous when Vincent and Catherine take on a case together, and I love seeing them as partners in this context. Another favorite aspect of mine is that they always have a new plan every time they get knocked down. This is because they are completely indefatigable in their insistence on getting their future together. That's why they are going to win. So Cat's newest brainstorm led them to look closely at some of the murders Gabe most likely committed, trying to figure out which one could be proven. A perfect plan, although I had to chortle at Cat mentioning that Gabe seems to have "conveniently" forgotten about his crimes...do you mean "the writers, for most of Season 2," Cat? After figuring out that the Sheckman killing was the one that could be substantiated, Vincent and Cat actually found the man who witnessed the crime. You know, for a doctor, Vincent makes a really good cop!
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There's nothing I can do,
I'm in love through the good and the bad,
I'm in love with you,
And I am trusting you,
With my beating heart held in your hands"*
Meanwhile, Heather dropped in out of thin air, showing up at Cat's apartment fresh from
Once Gabe caught on from the captain that the Sheckman case was being reopened, it was a hop and a skip for him back into being a total nutball, as he showed by telling the dead man's brother that Vincent was the killer. Not satisfied with that low ebb of morality, Gabe also told the brother that Heather could link Vincent to the scene of the crime! Next thing we knew, poor Heather, wedding dress and all (it must have gotten all dirty! Gabe should have to pay for that dress), was being kidnapped and tossed into the dungeon with Vincent. Well, since Heather didn't believe Cat's story about beasts, I appreciated that the writers arranged this scenario for her to see Vincent change and understand that Cat was being honest. Heather also got to see Vincent's heroism first-hand, and that always has a profound effect on all of us, right? Heather, welcome to team VinCat!
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"You've got the power to destroy my world,
So just kiss me and tell me I'm your only girl,
You could hurt me and take all that I have to give,
But even still you're that person I could never be angry with...
I'm in love with you,
And I am trusting you,
With my beating heart held in your hands"*
After patching things up and enjoying some well-earned girl talk with Heather, Catherine got to indulge in the previously mentioned hot make-out session with Vincent, but over in Gabe's world, things were proceeding much less pleasantly. I have seldom been as thrilled or satisfied watching a show than I was when the captain brought Gabe to the police line-up room.
Gabe: "What's this?"
Captain: "I think you know what it is."
Yes, Gabe, you do. Ha. Ha. Ha. Slow clap. This scene was for the win. Unfortunately, following on from Gabe being identified by the witness, he made bail and went after Watson. In a chilling scene, Gabe tried to force Watson to back down from testifying, and then lost his mind completely and strangled the poor man just as he did Sheckman last year. After murdering the man who had identified him earlier that day, I just can't conceive of a way for Gabe to weasel out of this one (but we know he's gonna try). Gabe was going down anyway thanks to Cat and Vincent's findings, but now he's just made the whole situation a million times worse. Following months of life in a moral gray zone, Gabe is back to full-blown villain and actually seems as if he may become the primary "big bad" of the show. It would not surprise me at all if that ends up being his role in Season 3.
What did you think of this week's episode? Share your thoughts in the comments!
*lyrics taken from the song "In Your Hands" by Eliza Doolittle
**As a side note, I also loved the song that was included in the apparently now-mandatory rooftop make-out scene near the end of the hour. Does anyone know what that song was?
