I thoroughly enjoyed this episode and felt it was incredibly fun and suspenseful, even though a few plot points didn't make much sense. We got some classic VinCat romantic turmoil, a reveal about the big bad that brought more questions than answers, a major breaking point for Catherine, and the end of the road for J.T.'nT. - for now, at least. I'll be using some lyrics from Indiana's song "Heart on Fire" that reflect the sense of commitment despite a world in flux that Cat and Vincent displayed in this episode.
"I really wanna make this happen
I really wanna take the fall
From grace you can’t imagine what
I really want, I really want
If only I had the courage
If only I could commit
I'd tumble and I'd perish
If only I, if only I
(don’t push me, cos I’m close to the edge)"*
Vincent and Cat need to do what now? It was a real mood-killer when a mysterious assailant interrupted that sweet VinCat scene in the church at the end of the previous episode. Even more detrimental to the couple's burning desire to tie the knot? Their attacker was still out there, and Cat feared the ramifications to their closest associates. To protect their friends, she concocted the notion of drawing the baddie out of the city, all the way to Niagara Falls. There, under the pretense of an elopement, Vincent and Catherine could simply wait to intentionally fall into the clutches of the villains and finally find out who the hell they are and what their endgame is.
I guess it all sounds reasonable enough (well, let's face it, for this show lately anyway - ha!), except for the detail of the fake elopement that landed Cat and Vincent at the altar, prompting Vincent to refuse to follow through with the farce. It was weird that Catherine wanted to use a quickie wedding as a way to find answers about the dangers they are facing, especially since she seemed increasingly unsure whether she wanted to go through with the wedding or consider it real. Meanwhile, Vincent was bothered by the idea of saying the vows under less than ideal circumstances, rather than the special and romantic day he'd always dreamed about. Vincent's adorable speech about his parents' wedding and how he had envisioned his own was just as irresistible as Catherine's behavior was confusing. Jay Ryan did an amazing job of portraying the conflict between Vincent's desire to support Cat in executing her plan, and his refusal to compromise about the wedding.
Once again, Cat seemed to let her drive to crack this case interfere with the importance of the wedding, to the point that this time the two worlds directly collided. That said, she has a point, and it might actually make more sense to put the wedding off until these new big bads are at least neutralized. It also became clearer that she simply never cared as much about having the old fashioned formal wedding as Vincent did. Hearing Vincent's words on the subject, and later fearing for his life, helped Cat to see that she did want to have that dream wedding, leading to a very poignant ending to this episode.
"I’m losing my conviction
I’m losing my mind
When my heart is open, my heart is open
The first fall is the deepest
The deepest I know
Now I fall to pieces, I fall to pieces
(don’t push me, cos I’m close to the edge)
Because,
I’m falling with every heartbeat..."*
Hi Julianna / Bye Julianna. I have to say, I actually did not see the twist coming during Heather's job interview. Little did I suspect that the haughty woman who finally condescended to offer Heather a position at her company was actually a player in the superhuman experimentation saga, and a nefarious one at that. Julianna proved to be an interesting character, and it would have been kind of neat to have a female adversary on the show; it would have been a fresh approach and cool to see Cat face off against another strong woman in future episodes. Yet alas, or not (we don't really see enough of Julianna to know if she would have worked as a long-term character), Julianna was only around long enough to threaten Heather and Vincent and drop some frustratingly vague, yet utterly fascinating hints about the ongoing storyline. But who knows, maybe she'll recover from her injuries and come back to share more secrets and cause more trouble.
After J.T. and Heather were revealed to be insta-friends with no previous development of this detail a few episodes back, it was cool to see them actually team up and help save the day when Cat and Vincent were in Julianna's clutches. It's a good thing the two of them were so quick on their feet, because Vincent came dangerously close to being injected with a deadly serum - so close, in fact, that Catherine couldn't control herself when they finally got the upper hand over Julianna. I loved the idea of Cat finally "beasting out," turning the tables, since it's usually Vincent losing himself in rage and becoming too violent. It's brilliant that the idea of Vincent dying pushed her to this point, since it reinforces the focus on the sheer strength of VinCat's love that's been too much on the back burner in earlier episodes this season. The scene was scary and unpredictable, and gave Kristin Kreuk yet another chance to show off her fabulous acting after last week's beautiful scene with Cat watching the video of her mother.
"With my heart on fire, Nobody asked me why
With my heart on fire, Read between the lines,
With my heart on fire, There’s no need to cry
With my heart on fire, I begin to fly
I’m falling with every heartbeat..."*
That's a little harsh, Tess. Believe me, I know it can't be easy for Tess, taking on the role of captain and dealing with all these secret side cases related to the superhumans that she can't explain to her superiors. And J.T.'s incredible devotion to Vincent does make him careless of Tess' emotional needs. Yet I have two issues with her various snips and snipes throughout the episode, as well as the break-up scene.
1) "I have to deal with real cases, police cases." Tess, is a violent crime less of a "real" crime when it's committed by a superhuman? Are the fab four just supposed to ignore the dangers of the test subjects wreaking havoc on the city so she can keep her reputation intact?
2) Had Tess simply asked J.T. to put her first in his life and pay more attention to her needs, he might have come through for her. She didn't even give him a chance.
One part Tess was right about was J.T. and Heather's unappreciative and dismissive attitudes about the protective details she put on them. But to constantly repeat the bit about how her "ass is on the line" every week, as if protecting and helping her friends is some kind of dreadful inconvenience, is just making Tess increasingly unlikable. I hope they can get the character back to her more likable qualities soon.
What did you think of this episode? Share your thoughts in the comments! And be sure to catch an all-new Beauty and the Beast, Thursday at 8/7c on the CW.
*lyrics taken from the song "Heart on Fire" by Indiana.
