RECAP: Beauty and the Beast – Episode 18 – Heart of Darkness

Turns out M is less SD-6 and more Manticore, with none of Division's secrecy or Massive Dynamic's security system... but they have universal key cards! 

Previously on BATB: Gabe is suspicious about Cat, Tess discovered Vincent is a Beast, JT is still the authority on unrequited love, Vincat like to make out on her fire escape and Vincent doesn’t like stairs.

The episode starts with Evan “hitting the sauce” in the middle of the day. The poor guy looks terrible, his “Ken hair” seems to be gone for good and it is obvious he hasn’t slept. Agent Twilight comes into the bar and Evan tells him he “found the creature”. Apparently, after Evan saw Vincent making out with Cat, he followed him to the tunnels. However, Evan doesn’t tell Agent Twilight where he found the Beast in the first place: kissing the woman he was about to declare his love for. After convincing Agent Twilight that the intel is solid, he gets an “M employee of the month” present: Creature Mace… OK, not really, it is a portable BEAST-PANIC-BUTTON. Muirfield takes care of its own [but not the environment]. Agent Twilight leaves and Evan considers calling Cat on his cell phone, but he notices someone is watching him. So… he goes up to the guy and punches him! At the moment I didn’t get what was his endgame, so I just thought he completely lost it. But no… not completely, just a little. What really bothered me about Evan was that he went straight to M instead of confronting Cat first… OK, so he already tried talking to Cat and she wasn’t telling him the truth… but still, I think he owed her some explanation instead of going straight to the “evil archers”. You can argue Evan was acting like this because he genuinely wanted to protect Cat, which is true, but I think a big component of his rush decision was jealousy. Having said that, it is so hard to be mad at Evan knowing what will happen by the end of the episode! Oh Evan…

Lounging around

On a more joyful note, Cat and Vincent are “lounging around” her apartment. She is putting away some groceries while he does some laundry, including the clothes that he is wearing… yeah… He looks at Cat, in the middle of stripping and she says: “Don’t let me stop you” [don’t let ANYONE stop you!]. They talk about JT and the hardships of living “in flux”. She tells him, he is lucky to have a girlfriend [doesn’t JT have a girlfriend too, by the way?] so he has a place to shower and do his laundry, then she walks up to him and kisses him. I love that the writers keep coming up with ways to squeeze these romantic moments into the action/tragedy packed episodes. Their “lounging around” starts getting heated but suddenly Vincent pulls away and announces someone is about to knock on the door. It is Tess and she wanted to have some “girl time” unaware that Cat was already having “boy time”. Now, I am all about “girl time”, but in the case of this particular “boy”, I think his time should take precedence over everything else. Tess greets Vincent who happens to have his fly open. Was it because he was going to wash his jeans… or did Cat get started with the lounging around? After the awkward moment V makes it more awkward by telling Tess he doesn’t want things to be awkward [not awkward at all]. Tess acknowledges the fact that he saved his life so she gives him a pass, for now, but if he ever hurts Cat… well you get the picture. Cat decides she’s had enough “meet the Beast” awkwardness and drags Tess to the roof. Vincent is OK with them going, because he can “do his own laundry”, Tess apologizes for “sock-blocking” him [Broadcast censorship sucks].

So Cat and Tess go up to the ROOFTOP OF IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP MILESTONES. However it is not time for love confessions and kisses, rather, Tess is coming to terms with the fact that the “serial killer they were chasing” is more of a “Hulk with a heart of gold”. To which Cat adds: “You should see him with his shirt off [and you wouldn’t be commenting on his ‘heart’ if you know what I mean…]” OK 1) I LOVE the writers for writing that line and 2) Why didn’t he take off his shirt? Wasn’t he going to wash ALL of his clothes? I am only mentioning this, because I am a freak for hmm consistency… nothing else. On a more serious note, Cat tells Tess that she needs to decide for herself is she is “all in”. I guess Cat is trying to be a good friend by giving Tess a “choice”, but what could Tess do if she decided that she was out? Go to the police? Go to M? She would end up most likely dead or forcing Cat to run and live with the guilt of turning her friend in… To paraphrase Heidi Klum “In the world of Beast, one day you are in and one day you are out dead/on the run”. Tess doesn’t get to “decide” if she is in because Cat gets a call letting her know that Evan is IN the “drunk tank” and he wants her to go bail him out.

So Cat goes to the DRUNK TANK OF FATAL LOVE CONFESSIONS AND BETRAYALS where Evan is waiting for her. He tells Cat he punched the guy so they could have a private meeting away from M’s prying eyes A.K.A “the people who want to catch Cat’s new boyfriend”. Evan is upset because Cat “chose” that “monster” instead of him. I wasn’t aware Evan was even in the running … I mean, he went to the wedding with her sister and he was dating Claire and then… well, it’s not like he was professing his love for Cat [hey, he never got around to do it]. Once it is evident that Evan knows the truth Cat stops lying and tells him he has no idea of WHO or what Vincent is. Evan is convinced that “this thing” is a danger to her [why, because he doesn’t know how to use the stairs?] and tells Cat he joined M to prevent her from getting killed. Then Evan tells her he is a fool for “trying to protect her even as they speak” then questions if her “feelings for this monster are real”. Don’t hate people because they have different species DNA Evan! That’s genetic discrimination! Cat suddenly realizes what is going on and asks Evan why he lured her in there. He tells her: “So I’d know you’d be safe when they came for him”. Cat doesn’t hesitate for one second and runs, leaving Evan stuck to think about what he did in the drunk tank.

Meanwhile Vincent and JT are down at their new home, the TUNNELS [couldn’t they just find a cheap motel or something?] JT needs to go do his job as a respected college professor [who lives in the sewers], so he leaves Vincent alone and carrying a lot of boxes. Suddenly he stops because he HEARS something… and no, he wasn’t distracted by the “echo” if the tunnels [ Let’s assume an entire “M-crew” is louder than just Tess]. So, the M-Crew, leaded by Agent Twilight [who is so not wearing proper sewer-raid attire], go after Vincent and right when we think it is all over for our Beast, we discover that he has vanished [and didn’t even leave the boxes behind!].

After surviving the “almost M attack”, Vincent meets Cat at the PARK. Cat starts blaming herself for leading Evan on when she should have been honest with him [and she might have a point]. Then, for some reason, she decides it is a good idea to tell Vincent everything Evan said about their doomed relationship. Cat finishes by saying that Evan was “upset” and Vincent is all: “he sent a dead squad after me! I think ‘upset’ is putting it nicely”. Cat says she is going to try to reason with Evan, but Vincent decides she is in “enough danger” and that it is time for him to face Evan. And, let’s be real… this is not just about Vincent trying to solve the M situation and keep Cat safe, it is also a “male [or Beast] deciding to clearly mark his territory” which is sort of stupid and an unnecessary risk, but also… really hot. I am guessing Catherine also found the whole alpha male routine a little hot because she didn’t argue as much as I would have expected. She tells him she is going to take care of it and he doesn’t reply; so it is pretty clear he was still planning to find Evan for a “mano a mano” “garra a mano”.

Back at the PRECINCT, Gabe is raiding Evan’s lab because he has reason to believe there is a mole. Cat is upset that Evan is being “singled out” but Gabe is all “The MIA ME is the main suspect, but don’t worry sweetheart, you are still in the running too”. He also mentions Cat’s out of No.2 pencils, perhaps she had to give them to JT because his pencils are stuck in the ceiling of his office and it is sort of Cat’s fault.

And it is FINALLY time for THE. TRAIN. SCENE! Can you feel my excitement? It’s only one of my favorite scenes ever, also the best preview clip the CW released and yes I watched and rewatched that YouTube video like there was no tomorrow. So here it is… let’s watch it again and again and again. You must watch it at least twice (once closing your eyes to hear the voice):

Evan is sitting in the train considering calling Cat. Suddenly Vincent sits in front of him and says [very menacingly]: “Don’t even think about calling her”. It takes a minute for Evan to realize who he is and when he does, he can’t hide the fear/shock from his face [priceless!]. Evan asks Vincent if he is going to  “rip out his throat” and we know that he would never do that, but I LOVE that he answers by saying “Oh, it’s tempting”. Vincent then TELLS Evan what is going to happen, he tells him that he needs to leave town and stir M away from them. And damn… the way he says it… all territorial and menacing OH.MY.GOD. This is a side of Vincent we don’t get to see too often. The poor guy is so damaged and has so many self-esteem issues; he is usually all dark and self-loathing but not now. His anger and worry for Cat’s safety combined with jealousy resulted on some seriously sexy threatening attitude. And it gets even better, because Evan starts getting [or at least tries to get] menacing too. So between Vincent’s voice and Evan’s accent… well… you get it, right? Anyway, Evan doesn’t like the idea of abandoning Cat into Vincent’s “so-called hands” and he asks Vincent if Cat is better off with a “menace” like him. Vincent answers “She seems to think so” And I LOVED it. Vincent has been insecure about Cat’s feelings to the point of being annoying, so the fact that he is finally showing this level of confidence is amazing [and so sexy]. Evan continues by saying something like “she is just fascinated by you, if I had less boring DNA she probably would be with me by now” but Vincent is not going down so he tells him “Maybe she is in love with me” [oh yes she is!] They argue for a while about the duration of fairy tales [5 seasons or more please], torture endurance, Evan calls the most selfless man in the world selfish and finally V tries to clarify how evil M is, but E is still a little confused on the subject [Did I just sound like Gossip Girl for a second?]. This non-physical confrontation was as verbally intense as the battle between Maggie Smith and Shirley MacLain on DonwtonAbbey!

Then, as it usually happens in the subway, an older man falls on top of Vincent. Even in the middle of a very stressful situation, Vincent is his usual polite Beast and helps the man up. Evan takes the opportunity to escape. Vincent immediately goes after him [very predatorily by the way… yep, still hot]. Evan gets to the last car and is forced to stop [seriously, what was his exit strategy?] Once Vincent catches up with Evan he tells him that “he won’t let him hurt Cat”. Evan asks Vincent if he thinks Cat wants to hide out like a hunted prey forever. If it means “hiding out” with Vincent, I would totally want to be a “hunted prey” forever. Evan also says “She deserves to be with a man”… again, you don’t get more “manly” than this guy! Here is a picture for illustration purposes… I really like to have clarity in my posts, so I thought visual aids were necessary:

Vincent doesn’t get to prove how “manly” he is because he notices Evan holding the BEAST PANIC BUTTON and those M-goons sure are fast! They are there in no time at all! I wonder if THEY drive KIAs because that would be good promotion… although I am not sure if I would want to drive the same car as the non-eco-friendly evil agents… Anyway, the M-team comes crashing through the window of the train and shoot Vincent with a tranquilizer dart. Evan is at least a little bit shocked by the way they are taking him in (like a wild animal) Even Evan has to admit Vincent looks pretty ‘manly’ err.. I mean human.

Meanwhile, at the PRECINCT, Cat tries to reach Vincent on his Beast-mobile, but no luck. That’s when Tess asks her about the “creep at six o’clock” (JT). Cat drags JT for a chat inside the ladies’ locker room [yeah, that will make him look less like a creep]. Tess comes behind her and once it is established that Tess is cooler than JT, he introduces himself and they start talking Beast business. I think it is funny to see JT introducing himself to people he has already met. But mainly it is funny because unlike the first Vincent/Tess scene I feel I have seen JT/Tess before due to the funny “Set tours with Austin and Nina” AND Tess already met JT in the pilot and saw him breaking in Evan’s lab…why doesn’t anybody acknowledge that?! It truly is the PLOT WITH NO PAYOFF! JT also apologizes about the “tranq thing” and Tess is all “what tranq thing?” So now I wonder, who does Tess think shot her? Vincent or Catherine? If she thinks Vincent did, she should let it go. She did shoot him first…with a real bullet. Now, back to “Beast Business”. In summary Vincent went to see JT at the university and said he was going to “deal with it”; translation: “I am gonna go smack your English mate square in the mouth”. JT got worried so he tracked his phone to a four block radius outside the city and then the signal was jammed. Apparently the M-team is super efficient with speedy extractions but they can’t even think of getting rid of his PHONE!? WTH? Oh, that’s right, I have to remember M-AGENTS ARE THE WORST SECRET OPERATIVES EVER.

Back at M’s HQ [which looks like a Museum/hospital hybrid]; Evan is not so pleased with the customer service provided by the WORST EVIL SECRET ORGANIZATION EVER. I am guessing he was expecting some sort of “post-Beast apprehension” quality control or something. Instead he is waiting for Agent Twilight at M’s lobby with M’s receptionist. Evan tries to rattle Agent Reception by implying [or rather flat out saying] that he probably needs to ask permission to go to the bathroom. So… he goes to the bathroom… just to show Evan that he is licensed to pee or something. However, he leaves his KEY CARD behind. Doesn’t he know? As a good M agent he is supposed to hand out BUSINESS CARDS, not key cards! I guess he didn’t pay much attention during his training [and that is what they consider “M material”?] Evan is smarter than the M material so he takes the key card and starts roaming around the halls of M. And … seriously, this TOP SECRET building doesn’t have ANY security measures? Like surveillance cameras, biometric scanners, old school security guards or something? Evan is just walking around, snooping and nobody notices?! Muirfield should take some lessons from other evil secret organizations like SD-6, Division or Manticore. Hell! Even Massive Dynamics was more secure and they weren’t even “secret”! Evan arrives to the “RECORDS” office and gets in, with the keycard stolen from the lowest level M agent ever which apparently opens ANY door at the LEAST SURVEILLED FACILITY EVER. He finds Vanessa Chandler’s file and we get a glimpse at a bunch of information we already knew… but Evan didn’t. Then… he finds something new and… we don’t actually see it… but by the way he was acting it looked like something major.

At Cat’s KIA… and this is important because it is time for some PRODUCT PLACEMENT! I almost feel like we should start a “Beasties love KIA” campaign… you know, beasties taking pics of themselves with a KIA car and posting them all over the internet to get some attention, free marketing and all… You think I am joking… but I am not [ratings really worry me]! Anyway, we find out that M’s HQ at least has an electrical fence [which JT will deactivate with a homemade bomb], so at least they have some form of security, but still not enough. Here is how you break into an Evil Secret Organization in 3 easy steps:

1. Stakeout the building while promoting KIA
2.  Get two awesome sidekicks together and make them look for “transformers” while making sarcastic remarks to each other
3. Get an old random voicemail from ANY M-agent to bypass the WORST voice recognition lock which doesn’t even have “key words”

And that is it! Everything you need to get into the facility of a TOP SECRET EVIL ORGANIZATION. No guards at the door, no security cameras to spot your entry, no silent alarms… you are good to go! OK there was actually a silent alarm… which Cat trips, but no cameras to see who broke in. After hearing the alarm, Evan decides to leave the “reports” room and with his ALL ACCESS KEY CARD he gets into Walter Bishop’s Lab… OK, not really but it certainly looks like it. It was during this scene that I started thinking of the evolution of the show.  I know I constantly compare it to Alias, but not really because of the plot, it is more about the character archetypes and some of the themes… However I initially wrote that BATB wasn’t a “complex sci-fishow” and that it wasn’t the “next Dark Angel” or anything like “Fringe”. But after watching this episode [and seeing the previews for S2], I have changed my mind. Once they got rid of the procedural element, they were able to deepen the mythology [while wonderfully developing the romance]. BATB is still not a “sci-fi show” but it has an important science fiction component. I think they incorporated some themes that are very similar to Dark Angel (supersoldiers, genetic alteration, animal DNA) and less directly they have some elements which are similar to what we saw on Fringe  (corporations and the government experimenting beyond the ethical limits). Now, I don’t want the show to turn into a sci-fi fest, above all, it should remain a love story; but having similar themes to Dark Angel or Fringe is hardly a bad thing.

BACK TO THE EPISODE. After Evan explores the creepy lab and almost has a “mano a mano” with a… mano; he keeps moving until he reaches a viewing room from where he can see Vincent inside a cage. So devastating! You can tell that Evan finally realizes what he got himself into. He is a good guy and he obviously feels bad for Vincent, but I wonder what he had in mind before seeing this. Did he think they were going to send Vincent to some sort of “Beast Rehab” center where they would make him meditate into normalcy? While Evan watches [because no-one cares to check the viewing room], Agent Twilight decides to rattle the cage of the Beast. Vincent asks for his name. He simply tells him he is “not Agent Cole”, the “older Muirfield Agent” who “kind of thought he was suave” which is the PERFECT way of describing Silverfox/Ari Muirfield, don’t you think? Agent Twilight starts enumerating all the horrific things they are planning for our Beast… Evan looks as terrified as everyone in the audience. Vincent briefly growls at Agent Twilight, and even he seems impressed, so I am assuming V is an especial Beast. Finally someone lets Agent Twilight know that there was a security breach [they really need to work on their response time!] and he leaves. Evan takes the opportunity to enter the room.

And it is time for yet another hot male confrontation scene. Vincent is the one held captive and about to be cut open, yet Evan is the one who looks terrified. For the first time we realize Evan thought Vincent was born this way. So Vincent CLARIFIES for him. He tells him about the experiments, about JT [so disappointed Evan never had one last encounter with JT!] and he finishes with: “My name is Vincent Ryan Keller, Specialist, United States Army” So, Evan finally becomes aware that the “creature” he was chasing is actually a poor soldier who was abused by his own government. Evan is devastated by what he has done and he also comprehends that he won’t be able to save Cat by himself. So he decides to liberate Cat’s true knight in shining armor. However, when he is about to press the FREE THE BEAST GIANT RED BUTTON he is stopped by Agent Twilight who apparently has some pretty nasty hand to hand combat skills. Sometimes I feel like Agent Twilight and Sorenson are the only ones who know what they are doing at M. Agent Twilight and Evan take their fight to Dr. Bishop’s lab. Agent Twilight is fixated on finding out who breached security… you how you could know already? SECURITY CAMERAS! Evan doesn’t have the answer for that and tells Agent Twilight that even if he knew he wouldn’t tell him so “he might as well kill him”, so Agent Twilight shoots him! I thought that was going to be the end of Evan… but no…

Meanwhile, Cat sneaks into V’s prison room. Where she finds, not a security guard, but a nurse. Yeah, why put some extra security on the top secret Beast you worked so hard to get? Whatever. The nurse tells Cat that if she shoots they will know she is there. So Cat runs to the FREE THE BEAST GIANT RED BUTTON and then the nurse grabs her and… suddenly Vincent throws her across the room. I really don’t see the point of Vincent coming to the rescue here. Cat has fought men twice her size… I think she was perfectly capable of taking down a nurse by herself… oh well… I guess it was faster. Vincent and Catherine exit the room, but not before they stop by M’s COAT CHECKING DESK. And I know a lot of people hated that jacket, but I actually liked it! Still… why would he stop to get it back… can’t he take a little cold? Cat is wearing a shirt and a lab coat! Anyway, Cat refuses to leave without Evan and they find him at the lab. At this point I started thinking that Evan wasn’t going to die, and that him being shot was just an excuse for Vincent to get all doctorly/hero and save his life earning his eternal gratitude because the Beast turned out to be the better man… [Doesn’t that sound wonderful]. Cat is all “Hey, Evan don’t die… you still need to be prosecuted for being a potential mole! I am the other suspect, FYI… completely useless information, not expecting you to do anything crazy in the near future” Evan urges Cat to run, but it is Vincent who finally says they are not leaving him behind. I thought that was a nice touch. Cat walks ahead to check the way out and Evan asks Vincent if he is going to “tell her about her parents”. I can’t figure out what this is about… was it about Bio dad [but why would that be on M’s file]? Or something else. I’d love to hear your theories. Whatever it is, Vincent doesn’t want to tell her and I am guessing whenever she finds out, she’s going to be pissed.

At the ESCAPE TUNNELS Vincent tries to open a metallic door and Evan starts playing with his phone which has perfect reception while being underground in a facility that jams signals. Evan watches in awe as Vincent transforms and realizes the Beast’s main purpose is to keep Cat safe as well. Evan apologizes to Cat and then starts telling her that saving her and Vincent would give his life a reason or something and that’s when, once again, I started thinking that he was going to die. Evan kisses her on the cheek, she turns around for a second just when Vincent is about to open the door and Evan decides to go offer himself as a shooting practice target for the M agents. And I seriously don’t get it! Vincent was almost done with the door and Evan didn’t delay them for that long! Five extra seconds hardly seem like good enough reason to die, don’t you think? So Evan dies, Cat and Vincent escape… I was crying for the rest of the episode! I have explained in more detail how I feel about Evan’s death HERE. In a nutshell, I DID NOT want Evan to die, but I guess I could understand his death from a storytelling point of view. However, I didn’t like [or understand] how it happened and I thought it was too soon! Also, the fact that he died where he died gave me pause about his potential come back. It would actually make a lot of sense, but from all that I’ve read and heard it is not likely to happen. Oh Evan… I need a minute.

JUMP CUT TO the PRECINCT where Gabe starts shaking uncontrollably and then takes a pill. That’s when Cat arrives; Gabe informs her that Evan “skipped town” and that is not a euphemism for being dead, or maybe it is… Did Gabe ever say Ray Shenkman and/or Garwell “skipped town”? Anyway, Evan confessed via e-mail that he was the mole [you know, with his signal-less phone] and he wasn’t short about it either. It’s not like he wrote “I am the mole”, he actually went into an entire speech about the moral justification of being a “vigilante”.  At least Evan died a hero, which I like and fitted the character, but I still have issues with the timing of his death. Cat is so devastated, she looks like she is about to confess to Gabe, but somehow she manages not to. Then she decides to take a ride on the subway, because revisiting the place where you were jumped and almost killed not so long ago seems like the logical thing to do when you are depressed... All joking aside, the following scene might be my favorite scene from the entire series. It is the definition of “tragically romantic”, it has countless amazing lines and it was beautifully acted.

Vincent walks into the train. Cat asks “How do you always find me”, he says he “never stops looking” [and his new beastly mutation includes metal detection and GPS tracking abilities]. Cat blames herself for what happened and luckily Vincent doesn’t engage in a self-deprecation contest. Rather, he acts strong and reassures Cat. He starts by telling her how strong she is and that she shouldn’t blame herself for what happened. She also blames herself for putting Vincent in danger and says she should have pushed him away but she couldn’t help pulling him closer [completely understandable]. He tells her that he couldn’t help it either and Vincent is not a man of many words [usually he makes do with stuff like “Ouch” or “Totally”] but the following speech is quite beautiful [not just because it’s him saying it]:

“In all those years that I was watching over you, making sure you were safe, all I ever wanted was to meet you, to get to know you. So when you walked up those stairs that day in the warehouse and you had figured out who I was and I was begging you not to tell anyone… That was the best day of my life (…) It was, and I know it was wrong, I know I should have run right then and there, and that would have been the safest thing for you, but even though Muirfield was out there I just couldn't help myself either (…) We are always going to be vulnerable, but I don’t know what to do now because… I can’t live without you”

Whatever doubts Cat was having had to be erased by that. The scene ends on a sad note though, with Cat stating: “We wouldn't have to be vulnerable if Muirfield was out of the way”

Such a great ending for a great [yet tragic] episode. I had to rush this recap a little so I may have more mistakes than usual! I apologize but it was a miracle I even managed to post it! So, I hope it wasn’t so bad. Enjoy!

MORE RECAPS

QUOTES

Evan: Creature Mace?

Tess: I am not gonna lie, the whole manimal thing is a lot to wrap my head around

Vincent: Or maybe she is in love with me

Evan: How long do you think this fairy-tale will last?

Tess [to JT]: Cooler than you in a ladies’ locker room

Tess: I am not leaving you with geek squad as backup

Tess [to JT]: Don’t take this as a personal criticism, but you can’t fit down a seven inch vent pipe

Vincent [to Cat]: I am in awe of you

Cat: I should have pushed you away, but I pulled you closer. I couldn’t help it. 

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Alejandra

Alejandra spends her days watching TV, writing for TV, writing about TV. Hopefully, one day, she will get substantially paid for all three. Follow her on twitter @azannier