Beauty and the Beast - Déjà vu - Review: "Those who fail history are doomed to repeat it."

Hey Beasties! Are you ready to discuss the season 2 finale of Beauty and the Beast 2x22: Déjà vu? I know I’m not. But I also know I have to do it. I can’t believe that season is actually over. I feel a little empty inside and have no clue what I'm going to do with myself on Mondays at 9 pm now (I'm open to suggestions, by the way). I found a lot to love and not a lot to nitpick so that’s always great. I guess it’s time to dig in, so let’s get to it.

If I had to make a long story short I would sum up it a little something like this: Gabe went on a killing spree. Cat became obsessed with her ancestor, Rebecca Reynolds’s journal. Tess questions her relationship with JT while keeping point on the Gabe manhunt back at the 125th and JT got gravely injured. But all’s well that ends well because by episode’s end Gabe was dead, JT was doing just fine, Tess sorted out her feelings and VinCat finally a little uninterrupted alone time.

I was a little disappointed with Sherri and Jenny’s last of the season outing last week and was totally prepared to be bummed out by Brad Kern having his hand in the last episode of this season. But luckily this episode was not written as solo effort by Brad Kern, he got an assist from Roger Grant (one of the writers that have grown on me over the course of season 2). The pacing in this episode was (as it has been in the case of almost all of the episodes since we got back from hiatus) was frantic, tumultuous, lopsided and if I'm going to be totally honest, a little disjointed. I get what Brad and Roger were going for with the flashbacks but it just kind of fell flat for me personally both as a storytelling device and the execution of it on the technical side. The heart of the story was nice but the dialog was a little stiff and kind of boring.

But hey at least one thing didn’t disappoint me and that was most the directorial execution which was provided by Stuart Gillard. While I was not a fan of the flashbacks, I thought everything in the present day was breathtakingly beautiful and stunning, even the interior shots were well composed, lit and blocked. The performances he pulled from the Fab Four was great, especially Kristin Kreuk’s. You guys know I could drone on for days about the technical stuff so I will just move on…

The theme that I loved the most that was presented in this episode was team work and this theme applied to almost everyone in the episode. Any good Beastie knows that Cat and Vincent are better together than they are apart when it comes to accomplishing a goal. I also love that we revisited the idea of destiny and fate and how in the end Cat and Vincent always choose each other AND THAT IS WHAT MAKES THEM SPECIAL AND SETS THEM APART.

Another theme presented in this episode was of course the title, déjà vu. Not only are we at a similar point from last season, Cat is going through something eerily similar to what her ancestor Rebecca went through as well. I wasn't a fan of Gabe and Vincent rematch at first because it felt too ‘been there, done that’ but that actually turned out to be one of my favorite things about this episode. Some recurring elements that came back into play yet again were the gem, the collar, Rebecca Reynolds and her journal ‘Big Brother’ style surveillance and the taskforce. The motifs of being in control and learning from others mistakes was front and center as well (I can only hope the writers, executive producers and any other network powers that be will take the latter lesson to heart).

On to the meat and potatoes of this review…

Cat was on fire this episode. I was a little put off by her obsessiveness over the journal at first (and that was probably due to it being in my top three least favorite plot devices of this season of Beauty and the Beast). I loved her desperation and conviction. But as the parallels droned on the use of the journal and the flashbacks grew on me. I loved seeing Cat take charge of a situation and handling it competently. I do feel the use of this plot device for drawing the parallels was a tad bit heavy handed but it served its purpose well. Kristin Kreuk really brought her A game in this episode. I felt her pain, her rage, her hopelessness and her determination to not let history repeat itself. The best Cat moment for me had to be when Vincent’s blood from the vials is all over hands and she realizes that the plan ISN'T right. That they need to do this TOGETHER or it won't work. I also like when Cat questions herself and tells Tess that it doesn't feel right putting the plan into motion without Vincent. She finally realizes it isn't about which one of them saves the other more often or who sacrifices the most, it’s about them being together and when they are together there is almost nothing they can't accomplish. It warmed the cockles of my heart to be honest. I was shocked that Cat was the one to kill Gabe (again) in the end because damn she literally just saved his life (for a second time, friendly reminder for anyone who is keeping score).

While I feel like I saw more of Allister than Vincent during this episode for some reason, I found everything to do with Vincent to be on the mark. OK, first of all, I love the continuity of the big, blue, fluffy robe when we got to the first present day scene of the episode. Secondly, I’m glad they finally showed a little something, something off in that robe again and that little something, something happened to be Jay Ryan’s abs (they have been sorely missed). I have to say that I found Vincent to be full of wishful thinking and quiet seething rage this whole episode. It was fun to see the domesticated side of Vincent that knows how to cook and apparently can cook very well. It was also a nice change of pace to have Vincent telling Cat she needs to relax and stop worrying. It was interesting to see Vincent take on Gabe once again, especially since Gabe now had the upper hand by being a stronger beast. The fight scene was fun but not nearly long enough. I really wanted Vincent to be the one to kill Gabe, especially since Gabe was once again a beast. I thought maybe that was the point of making Gabe a beast again so Vincent could get a cathartic release and with that bury his animal instinct for at least a little while. Guess not. But I’m glad that killing Gabe together brought Cat and Vincent closer together (wow, that was a very odd sentence to write).

I’m a little miffed about everything to do with JT in this episode. For starters, he didn’t get nearly enough screen time. Secondly, I absolutely hated the way Tess treated him for the majority of the episode. Especially since this episode started the morning after the important chat with Tess about sexual compatibility and everything seem perfectly fine (well, until Gabe beasted out and escaped). Lastly, they actually thought that it would a good idea to tear him to shreds and string him up. Oh, wait, also the fact that no one ever bothers to thank him and show him a little appreciation for all the amazing stuff he does. I’m still shaking my head about this. I’m ever going to be over this particular part of the episode.

Speaking of disappointing material for a character… Every single time Brad Kern has something to do with the script the character of Tess gets super wonky. I don’t know what it is. Maybe he doesn’t like the character. Maybe he doesn’t understand the character very well. Maybe he just likes drama for the sake of drama. I don’t know and I don’t care. What do care about is having Tess in character and explored and fleshed out a little more. All of this stutter step and stop with the character’s development and storyline has been frustrating and it is almost always at the hands of Brad Kern. Tess was out of character for most this episode and it infuriated me. Tess was pushing JT away. Why? I have no clue. Tess was feeling unsure about her relationship with JT. Why? I have no clue. Tess suddenly wants a relationship like Cat and Vincent’s. Say what now? Not only that but she confesses it at the worst possible time. Tess if anything has a laser light focus and a propensity to bottle up her emotions for better or worse. But at least Tess being good at her job and the best gal pal ever didn’t change or was impacted by this kerfuffle and her breakdown over JT and interactions with him at the hospital totally made up for it.

Gabe did not go into that good night without a fight. I found the material written for Gabe to be hammy as hell but Sendhil still managed to knock his performance out of the park. I wish that we’d had more time of Gabe being the actual big bad and had gotten a more gradual descent into madness but it is what it is. I loved Gabe taunting Vincent. The best villains are the ones that can get inside our heroes heads and Gabe certainly knew how to push Vincent’s buttons. When he attacked JT I knew there was no going back. There was absolutely no way Gabe would not end up dead (as it should be, you touch JT and somebody should pummel you until your heart stops beating). Gabe was a man with absolutely nothing to lose. His job and the power that it provided was gone. There was no chance of him getting back with Cat and worst of all he’d intentionally turned himself into the thing he hated the most. Cockiness was always Gabe’s problem and in the end it was his downfall. I loved the look on his face when the collar and gem was snapped onto his neck and all the smugness drained from his body. Priceless! That was probably one of my top five screencaps from the episode.

Grade: B

Awards
Character of the Night
• Cat

Best Character Interactions
• Cat and Vincent

Most Memorable Moment
• JT strung up in the rafters torn to shreds.

Line of the Night
• Vincent: You know what your problem is Gabe? You can't handle rejection. And I cannot handle what you did to JT. (Serious)
• JT: Bring back gummies. (Funny)

Scene of the Night
• Cat and Vincent work together to put an end to Gabe once and for all.

That Awkward Moment
• That awkward moment where I was traumatized for 20 minutes of the episode thinking JT wasn't going to make it.

Auf Wiedersehen
• Beth
• Agent Henry Knox
• Gabe (and good riddance in this case)

Highlights

• There were so many VinCat smooches and little happy moments jam packed into this episode.
• Every member of Team Beasties got a moment to shine.
• Gabe is dead!
• The sense of purpose and urgency
• We were renewed for season 3 so this is not the end of the road for our beloved show.

Lowlights
• The flashbacks weren't actually flashbacks, more like Cat's imaginative re-enactments.
• The heavy use of the "flashbacks".
• The technical execution of the "flashbacks"
• The "romantic" parts were very bland and chaste (Beasties deserved to be shown a little more than that after this season)
• Sendhil is no longer in the cast. He was awesome when it came to interacting with the fandom and I will (and hope you all will as well) support him in any of his future endeavors because once a Beastie always a Beastie.
• This hiatus is going to be a bitch BEAST

Miscellaneous

Style Spotlight – You probably already guessed it... Cat's blue leather motorcycle jacket.
Crackpot (or Not) Theory of the Week
• JT is going to become a beast sometime during season 3

Surprise of the Night
• Agent Reynolds aka Bad Bio Dad makes an appearance

Spotted: Captain Ward actually being a reasonable man and assuming actual control of the precinct. Good for him.




Tweets of the Night

Brad Kern knew better. If JT would have died, #Beasties would have rioted. #BatB #DejaVu @AustinBasis/JT is the heart of this show.

— Lilith Hellfire (@LilithHellfire) July 8, 2014

Hey the robe is back again and so is @JayRyan 's abs! #BatB #DejaVu

— Lilith Hellfire (@LilithHellfire) July 8, 2014

This episode has such a frantic pacing. I like it but I want this to last as long as possible. #BatB #DejaVu

— Lilith Hellfire (@LilithHellfire) July 8, 2014

Shameless Plugs and Self-Promotion
BATB Podcast (now with improved sound quality)
BATB Podcast Fan Page
BATB Podcast Email
My Blog
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Thank You Beasties
I just want to take this time to thank all the Beasties who have taken the time to stop by and read my reviews. It means so much me to interact with you guys even when we don't see eye to eye about things. I had a blast reviewing this season and made some friends and had some great experiences. While I may love the story of season 1 better than season 2, this season will always have a special place in my heart because it was the season when I found the place where I belong and it’s right here in the BATB fanmily.

I will try my best to find plenty of fun things for us to do over the long hiatus, I promise. I have two pretty cool things in the works for the following two weeks. One is a highlights and lowlights recap of season. The other project is a roundtable discussion featuring some fandom favorite reviewers. I’m definitely going to find time to review every single episode from season 1 over on my blog as well. A review will be posted once every two weeks starting at the end of August.

I also want to have a Netflix live streaming event as soon as season 2 is available and I will tweet more details as the time gets closer so be sure to follow me on Twitter if you haven't done so already.
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What did you think of this episode? How does it stack up against the rest of the episodes from this season? Is this way you imagined the season ending? As always, feel free to sound off in the comments. You know I love you for reading…

About the Author

Lilith Hellfire is a 27 year old female who currently resides in NYC, NY. By day she toils away at a public relations firm. But by night she is blogging, DJing, podcasting machine. She is the host of numerous podcasts such as Arrowcast, Beauty and the Beast
and Welcome to Beacon Hills.
She's a rabid fangirl of the following shows: Arrow, Beauty and The Beast,The Flash, The Originals, Justified, Sons of Anarchy and Revenge.
She writes about Beauty and the Beast, Reign and Young & Hungry for Spoiler TV.

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