RECAP: Beauty and the Beast – Episode 16 – Insatiable

Bullets can’t kill a Beast and Beasts don’t use “morning stars” to kill, or do they?

After last week’s hotness overdose I thought we were going to be lucky if we got a couple morning after kisses. Needless to say, my expectations were surpassed. The episode starts with Cat waking up on Vincent’s bed, alone. She sits up and notices that the warehouse is a complete mess, indicating us that their night was even wilder than we got to see [extended scene anyone?] Vincent comes in armed with a garbage can, broom and the “sex glow”. Catherine seems impressed that Vincent is still around and didn’t run on her like some of her previous boyfriends. Not saying Vincent would run [he is a gentleman] but seriously, where would he go? It’s not like he walks around in the middle of the day. I guess he could always go rooftop hopping…  As Vincent cleans, Cat gets up and they start a slightly awkward yet sweet “after the fact” conversation. Cat is OK, Vincent is “OK if she is OK”, we are all SO OK with all this! They rejoice in the fact that they can engage on adult activities like any other couple without … well you know, accidental murder. Suddenly, Vincent remembers “he hates cleaning” [don’t we all?], grabs Cat and pushes her to the bed. And yeah… it’s super hot… again. Now… this scene was very complex… there was a lot of inner struggle and subtext… I believe it is VERY important for me to re-watch it a few times… Just give me a moment while I clarify my views on the “subtext” of the scene. You should probably do the same… [Don’t forget the ice water before you do].

A few moments later, Cat and Vincent are lying in bed. She does some unfortunate foreshadowing by saying that last time she really “liked” a guy, it ended in disaster [that comment worried me a little]. Vincent is less preoccupied with the “calm before the storm” implication and more focused on her choice of words: “LIKED?” he repeats. She tells him he doesn't need to be “fishing for compliments” [because we all constantly give them for free, just take a look at Twitter!], but he says he was just “CLARIFYING”… and you know what a big part of Beastie life that is... [Raise your hand if you giggle every time someone uses that word in a sentence]. As we pay very close attention to Vincent’s err…  thoughts, Cat asks him to stop looking at her like that because she eventually needs to go to her office and remember she is a cop on top of it [it really seems impossible at the moment].  He asks what is he looking at her like and she replies: “like I never want to leave this bed”. If I were Cat I would have quit my job first thing in the morning so I wouldn't have to leave that bed! At the very least I would have called in sick. PRIORITIES! Anyway, they kiss and it’s ridiculously hot, again… until Cat’s damn phone starts ringing and they notice EVERYONE [Evan, Joe, Tess] has been looking for her. Seriously, don’t they know she is in the middle of a very complex moment with a lot of “subtext”?! She should be allowed to subtext it out for the rest of the day!

Turns out, everyone was looking for Cat because there was a “mauling” at the PARK which resembles the “vigilante’s” attacks; except for the fact that the victim was innocent and that the “vigilante” was otherwise engaged at the time of the murder. Cat arrives at the CRIME SCENE and Joe gives her a lot of grief for being late. Cat tells him she went “for a run” because she is “training for a marathon”.  Joe doesn’t buy it; but, if you think about it, her excuse was half true. She WAS exercising [for 3 hours!], just a different [and more enjoyable] type of workout. Whatever the case, Joe is really on her case because she has been “preoccupied” during the last few months. Where is this coming from? I can’t recall Joe having any complaints about Cat’s police work before… whatever issues she was having, Tess was the only one who knew [and maybe Gabe]. So yeah, Cat actually knows who killed Darius and where he is [and how he is in bed], but Joe doesn’t know that… But apparently Joe is having some sort of sixth sense bitchie moment [poor Joe, I do feel bad for him!] because he is really mad at Cat. She does her best to explain the “vigilante” couldn’t have done it because he was doing her [you know… without disclosing that last part]. She argues about the M.O., and suggests a copycat. Joe’s outburst is interrupted by the arrival of Gabe who is very insistent on the fact that he wants the vigilante ALIVE [that’s good, right?] So Joe shifts his rage from Cat to Gabe and lets everyone know he wants revenge. Things are already NOT looking up for Vincent! Good thing Cat got her way with him when she got the chance!

Cat visits Evan at the MORGUE to confirm what she already knows, that there aren’t any traces of Vincent’s cross-species DNA on the park victim. However Evan isn’t as keen as Cat on the idea of exonerating the vigilante. Evan is also not keen on the idea of telling Joe that “the man who killed his brother may not be a man at all”. Cat is probably thinking “you have no idea of how much of a ‘man’ he is”, but she doesn’t say it out loud. Evan tells Cat that she needs something more concrete to prove the innocence of the vigilante. So Cat leaves to gather something “concrete” but, unfortunately, she also gives Evan very concrete proof that she has been with the vigilante by leaving behind her SCARF. Oh Evan…

Cat and Vincent go to the CARRIAGE WAREHOUSE [or whatever you call that place] to collect evidence, because the professional forensic team of the NYPD apparently can’t function without some Beast-assistance. While they scan the place, they conclude M wouldn't try to set Vincent up for murder, because the last thing they want is to draw public attention, so the guilty party remains unknown [for now]. Cat is upset because everything seems to work against them. Vincent starts to give her an out [shocker], but she quickly tells him she is sure she wants to be with him. Fortunately, he doesn't go down yet another self-loathing trip; instead he accepts her commitment and tells her “you are right, we are stronger together than we are apart”. Cat also tells him that she is done beating herself up for being happy and that she is willing to fight every single day to be able to have a life with him. It’s all so tragically romantic. But there is still the issue of the unsolved murder for which Vincent is being framed. So… he uses his “beast metal detecting powers”  [when did he take that evolutionary step? Did it come included with the night vision?] and finds a metal splinter in the horse’s shoe.

In the meantime, Evan has a surprise secret meeting with AGENT TWILIGHT [Kyle]. He gives Evan his first M-assignment, which is to prevent the NYPD from catching the “vigilante”. Agent Twilight tells Evan he should take all the necessary measures to ensure the cops don’t get him first; and, unfortunately, Evan is not really in a position to make any sort of moral argument. He recently confessed to a murder he didn't commit so what was he supposed to say? “I may have killed a witness, but tampering with evidence is where I draw the line. I am a serious scientist for God’s sake!” Somehow, I don’t think that was going to fly. Evan also has another motivation to agree to Agent Twilight’s terms. He believes that putting away the “vigilante” will be the best thing for the public’s [and Cat’s] safety. After Evan accepts his assignment, Agent Twilight tells him to find another car… not big on carpooling, I see. So on top of everything else, M is not even an environmentally friendly evil secret organization?

Back at the WAREHOUSE, JT is analyzing the fragment Vincent and Cat magically found at the crime scene. It is a spike from a medieval weapon called the “MORNING STAR” [because it makes you see stars when they hit you with it? Weapon name interpretation = not a skill of mine]. JT goes into the history of the aforementioned weapon. The “morning star” was apparently the weapon of choice in the 14^th century, which is completely irrelevant unless the killer is some sort of psychotic time-traveler. What is sort of relevant is that the spike has an insignia and that JT knows a guy who knows a guy who is an expert on “medieval weaponry”.

At the PRECINCT, Tess is getting ready to go on a raid with Garnett and Newell [A.K.A. GARWELL, get used to it]. Joe approaches her and basically benches her from the investigation. Apparently Joe thinks sidelining Tess is his prerogative as her boss/boyfriend. He gives Tess the “bogus assignment” of checking out the cold leads, unaware that he is in fact throwing Tess right into the claws of the Beast [almost literally]. Tess is obviously not pleased because she wants to go out and play with the big boys, but then again, Joe is still her boss and she has no choice but to do what he asks. It’s really unfair for Tess, but I also understand his point of view… more on that later.

In the meantime, JT and Vincent go to speak with WEAPON-DUDE in Williamsburg. He gives them more useless facts; we learn that the spike was made in England and that Germans and New Yorkers may or may not have an unhealthy fixation with arcane weaponry. More importantly, he tells them there are only 3 to 4 “Waxford morning stars” in NY. Weapon-dude isn't too willing to help them track the owners of the morning stars, so JT retreats and lets Vincent handle it. Vincent proceeds to make an unconventional indirect threat to weapon-dude. Vincent’s all “You know… I am really nice guy, but my friend over there… yeah the adorable looking one playing with that sword and probably pretending it is a light-saber… yeah that one, anyway… he can get very “beastly” when he gets mad. You should see him with a bat…” I am not entirely sure why Vincent didn't flat out threaten the guy… but it was sort of funny [and sexy… threatening Vincent is always sexy]. The unconventional threat actually works and weapon-dude immediately gives them the info about the auction houses that might have sold the murdering morning star. Of course that information will lead them nowhere, so this scene was pretty much useless except for the fact that it was sort of sexy. But seriously… with all the cut scenes that will come in just a few minutes, I don’t get why they didn't cut THIS scene [or part of it].

While the boys make weird and unnecessarily complicated threats, Cat goes to the MORGUE to present Evan with the “murder weapon”, which is kind of fishy if you think about it. Cat suddenly turns up with the murder weapon, which the entire forensic team missed?  Since Evan isn’t an idiot, he doesn’t immediately go along with Cat’s “Let’s exonerate the Beast” plan. Instead he mentions she “is going a long way to protect this thing”. Cat tries to play it cool and gives him some “I just want justice” crap. But Evan doesn’t blindly believe her anymore and he finally tells her that he tested her scarf and found cross-species DNA all over it [because Vincent was “all over” Cat, all right]. Evan starts putting two and two together and finally figures out the truth. Well sort of… he thinks Cat is “harboring” the creature. By the way Evan was speaking; I think he was picturing some half human lion-like Beast [think Ron Perlman] who lived in a cabin in the woods. I am pretty sure he didn’t consider “insanely hot guy, who just had sex with Cat” as a possibility.

Cat denies Evan’s accusations and makes up some pretty believable excuses for having cross-species DNA all over her, but then she sort of ruins it when she gets overly defensive about “the vigilante”. Probably getting so defensive wasn't the best move, but I sort of liked it. It was as if she couldn't help herself from defending Vincent when Evan was calling him a cold-blooded dangerous killer. She tells Evan that she would never do anything to hurt herself or anyone else. So, in other words, she was asking him to trust her. However, I think Evan was convinced Cat needed a savior and he was more than willing to fill that role [unaware that Cat already got her Knight in Shining Armor 10 years ago]. Evan was doing a lot of wrong things, but he had good intentions at heart, so I found it hard to be mad at him; especially when he said “everything I've ever done was to protect you”. However, Cat didn't find it so hard to get mad at him, which is also understandable. The whole invasion of privacy + putting the love of her life in danger explains it. She reminds Evan that he owes the vigilante his life [which he seems to have forgotten], but he only tells her he will do “whatever it takes to catch him”. A very upset Cat grabs her scarf and walks out… only to break down in the hallway… her anger quickly turning into fear.

At the WAREHOUSE, Cat tells JT and Vincent that she left her scarf because she was distracted thinking about all the things she wanted to do to Vincent… OK, she doesn't exactly say that… but it was implied, wasn't it? Then they start a round table to summarize all the different ways they are screwed: NYPD is closing in on Vincent, Evan knows they are connected, ADA has access to security tapes around the city and they can’t track the guy who bought the MORNING STAR. Cat’s freaking out, JT is uncharacteristically quiet and finally it is Vincent who comes up with the plan to save their asses. I love when hot guys come up with clever plans [Magnets Bitch!]. Later, JT brings home the necessary supplies to implement Vincent’s plan, which include a cadaver of similar height and weight as Vincent. I totally give props to JT for getting a cadaver on such short notice, however Cat is a little pickier and she is all “that guy… not nearly as hot as Vincent”. What follows is the MOST EXPOSITION-HEAVY SCENE EVER! Basically JT, Cat and Vincent stand over the [not so hot] cadaver discussing their plan. In a nutshell: They will burn the warehouse [they also go into detail of WHY the warehouse will burn] with the cadaver inside. In order to convince the police that the not-so-hot-cadaver is our very hot Beast, Cat will swap the DNA samples at Evan’s lab. So… Vincent can go from dead, to gone dead but not dead dead. The exposition finally ends when they decide JT should go talk to Evan and figure out how much he knows while Cat and Vincent are on arsonist duty.

At that point in the episode, the only person not engaged in criminal activity was Tess. She was actually doing her job, interviewing witnesses of the vigilante “crimes”. She talks to the store owner of the mini-market where Vincent stopped a robbery on Saturn Returns. Important stuff he says: The vigilante saved his life, his face was covered in veins, and he looked a little bit like an animal. Tess goes back to the PRECINCT to report her findings to Joe. As Evan already suspected, Joe isn't too happy with the “a noble Beast killed your brother” tale. He gets very upset and doesn't take Tess seriously. She also gets upset because he is keeping her out of the loop. She tells him that she has worked very hard to get where she is in a predominantly male world. However, her girl-power speech leads her nowhere and Joe, once again, decides he wants her away from the investigation. It’s annoying [from a feminist point of view] but also completely understandable [from a human point of view]. He is acting because of genuine love and concern for Tess. Without any choice, Tess leaves to continue her interviews.

Cat calls Gabe to tell him she found the location of the vigilante and gives him some crappy excuse about how she acquired this information. For some reason, NO-ONE seems to be questioning Cat’s sources in this episode. Let’s assume Gabe was so eager to find Vincent, he wanted to believe she was telling the truth. Gabe rallies Joe, Garwell and some power point operator guy and ceremoniously says: “Gentlemen, this is the true definition of ENTERPRISE”

OK, So… according to this:

en·ter·prise

noun

“Lawyers really know the meaning of enterprise”

1.  Lie to everyone and then pretend to have useful information to lure your boss and co-workers into a soon to be burnt location, where they will find a [not so hot] body and be led to believe it is the [hot] guy they were looking for.

Synonyms: Deception, fraud, trickery, bluff

So… Catherine leads the cops directly to the WAREHOUSE and what truly truly annoys the hell out of me about this plot-line is the fact that NO-ONE seems to connect the warehouse to JT. In the Pilot, Cat and Tess easily track down JT to the warehouse so it is safe to assume the place is registered [or linked] to him somehow. It should also be mentioned in the case file for the Ashley Webster investigation. In summary, the JT/warehouse connection is out there and I don’t understand why they wouldn't check who the hell owns the place before raiding it! But OK… let’s assume the place IS NOT listed, it is believed to be “abandoned” and that Cat and Tess only got there looking for JT because one of his students or colleagues directed them to it… I guess it is possible… it would have been nice if it had been stated though.

BACK TO THE EPISODE. Gabe is finishing his “warehouse presentation” when Evan arrives. He asks if Catherine sent the pictures, Gabe confirms it and then Evan decides to go tip off Muirfield. But… why? Why would Evan assume the intel was solid? Didn’t he conclude just moments ago that Catherine is protecting the creature? If he wanted M to find the creature, why would he assume Cat was telling the truth? That doesn’t really make sense now, does it? OK… again, let’s assume instead of being inconsistent with his ideas, Evan was actually being really smart and figured out that Cat gave them the right address but was planning to help the vigilante escape before the cops arrived. So, by tipping off M , they could arrive faster than the cops and apprehend the beast before it had a chance to escape… let’s assume that [however unlikely].

Meanwhile, Tess interviews Lola, a woman who was saved by Vincent. Some readers pointed out Lola’s attacker may have been the man whose blood was all over Vincent after his Beastie fugue on Worth. Also, on Out of Control, JT and Vincent find a case described as “attempted rape, assailant hasn't come forward no ID on the guy who saved her” and believe it may be what happened during V’s blackout.  Other readers believed Lola was the woman Vincent saved 5 years ago because she was grabbed by Simon Holmes [who Vincent killed] behind a bar. We know about that incident because Ari Muirfield told Cat during the episode Basic Instinct. To clarify, I re-watched all the mentioned scenes and concluded that Lola’s incident could be either one. Lola never mentioned a time-frame and both cases involved women attacked/almost raped by men. I lean towards Lola being the most recent victim, which will finally clear the mystery of whose blood was on Vincent [on Worth/Out of Control]. Also, the place where Tess interviewed Lola wasn't precisely “behind a bar” and one of my readers also pointed out that before Vincent wakes up with bloody hands on Worth there was a shot of the water tunnels. So this scenario is the one that makes most sense, but I couldn’t 100% say Lola is not the woman from 5 years ago. Anyway, back to the ep. Like everyone else Lola tells Tess that the vigilante saved her life, that he looked like a “wild animal” and that he disappeared suddenly. Based on the location Tess figures out, he could have used the water tunnels as an escape route; so she decides to go in there and try her luck at “Beast underground hunting”.

At the WAREHOUSE, Cat and Vincent are doing what any regular couple does on a cloudy afternoon: discuss their relationship while getting ready to torch a former chemical plant/apartment. They take comfort on the fact that this may give them a chance to start over and to spend more time together. Did you believe that for even one second? I didn’t… it’s the world against Vincent and Catherine, remember? Their arson preparations don’t go as fast as they could because they keep stopping to passionately look at each other and make out. I would normally complain about their untimely affection outbursts… but this is Vincat we are talking about! 1) It’s hot, even [and especially] at inappropriate times and 2) There is no such thing as “inappropriate time” to make out with Vincent, there just isn’t.

It is time for the EMPTY YARD RENDEZ-VOUS OVER-CUT SCENE between Evan and JT. I don’t know what happened to the editors, but for some reason they thought that they could cut half of the scene and no-one would notice. But guess what? We noticed! Because 1) It didn't make any sense and 2) We watch the previews! I won’t even try to come up with an explanation of how the scene could make sense, because we know from the previews that they cut a bunch of dialogue. Like Evan telling JT “I think she might know the creature”. Anyway, this is what happens in the actual scene:  JT tells Evan he is giving up on his cross-species DNA research, his excuse is that his colleagues are starting to think he is a mad scientist or something [plausible, I guess]. Evan tells JT that he is also out of the “research” game and more into the “capturing” endeavor these days. First, Evan informs JT about the NYPD raid and JT has an incredibly fake surprise reaction. However, Evan also tells him about Muirfield, which surprises JT for real.  Then Evan says “Catherine will finally be safe”… So HOW THE HELL DID WE GET THERE? JT is not supposed to know who Catherine is or what is her connection to the “creature” … There is obviously a big chunk of dialogue missing there. JT’s response to “Catherine will be safe” is to rush out of there like his house is on fire [oh wait, I guess it IS]. Not suspicious at all.

Cat and Vincent are almost ready to incinerate the WAREHOUSE when he hears helicopters coming. They go to the window just in time to see the M-TEAM propelling down. Cat and Vincent manage to escape using a hatch that leads to the water tunnels. The M-team furiously shoots at them unaware that the place is ready to blow up. So… it  BLOWS UP just when Joe and the rest of the cops were about to enter. Didn’t that look like a complete set up for the cops? If I were Joe or Gabe [or anyone], I would have totally suspected Cat for giving them the intel! Instead, they just assume that the “vigilante” offed himself by blowing up his home. [Why exactly?] To make things even more suspicious, JT arrives at the WAREHOUSE and very conspicuously stares at the wreckage. That doesn't seem like he used to live there or anything, I am sure biochemists like to watch old chemical plants burning every once in a while…

Vincent: Right

Cat and Vincent continue their escape through the TUNNELS. They stop when they realize no-one is coming after them and the M-Team is most likely a pile of ashes at that point. [Out of nowhere] Cat’s all: “You are so dreamy, I can’t stop thinking about you and that’s my biggest problem… not that people are trying to kill us or anything like that… your dreaminess, that’s the problem” [OK, it sounded much more romantic than that]. Like always, Vincent shows us his unparalleled way with words and says: “Right”. They have a moment of happiness because they believe they got a “fresh start” and that the world may give them [and JT] a break for once. They briefly remember there is still someone trying to frame Vincent for murder but they don’t dwell on it. Then Cat decides to go make an appearance at the warehouse to avoid suspicions [which nobody is having for some reason]. When she is about to walk away, Vincent cuts her off and kisses her… You’d think it would get old… but it SO DOESN'T. Cat leaves, Vincent grabs his Beast-pack and heads in the opposite direction. By the way, I have the feeling they cut lines out of that scene too…

Cat shows up at the WAREHOUSE and approaches Joe. You can tell he is not feeling the relief he was hoping for after seeing his brother’s killer die [perhaps because he is not really dead], and I feel a little bad for him. Nothing can bring Darius back. Cat reassures him that “they got him [the vigilante]” and Joe actually seems convinced about it. I have no idea why no-one seems to think the “vigilante” blowing himself up is bizarre, but good for Vincent, I guess.  Also… I was a little sad to see the warehouse go. It was almost like another character on the show. RIP WAREHOUSE. Joe calls Gabe and informs him that the vigilante is dead. Gabe is obviously not pleased, but covers it and tells Joe he did a good job [in an almost condescending manner by the way]. Gabe proceeds to explode on the two headed beast that is Garwell. He blames them for not capturing the vigilante alive and he also mentions he has “run out of time”. I didn’t make much of it at the time… but that was obviously important. As Garwell leave Gabe’s house, we spot the infamous MORNING STAR hanging on the wall, which perfectly matches the “medieval torture” motif he has going on [I wonder who is his interior decorator… perhaps it’s Sorenson…]

Tess never shows up at the WAREHOUSE because she is still down at the CLOSE-ENCOUNTERS-OF-THE-BEAST-KIND TUNNELS. It goes without saying that she finds Vincent, because the NYC tunnels are probably not big or intricate at all! So two [make it three in just a minute] lonely people walking without any direction are bound to run into each other, right? Also, Vincent doesn't hear Tess coming so she sneaks up on him. The writers’ twitter explanation was that there was too much echo down there. I guess I can believe that [but I will have issues with it on the next episode]. Anyway, Tess spots Vincent, asks him to stop, he flees, Tess runs after him. For some reason, the super-soldier with the super senses and the super speed doesn't outrun her and sort of gets himself into a corner. So Tess points her gun at him, which causes his adrenaline to rise and he starts to transform. Mid-transformation he begs and then demands Tess to leave, but she stays put. She is understandably terrified and shoots the floor once. Vincent turns around, full beast, and growls at her. Now, I am sure what the Beast was trying to say was: “Please, Tess, would you kindly retreat so I don’t hurt you? Also, I have to meet my girlfriend soon and I don’t want to be late”. However in “Beast-speech” it comes out like: “Grrrrrrrr”. Since Tess fails to understand the Beast’s very polite request, she shoots him. As Vincent falls to the ground, Cat arrives and without even acknowledging Tess screams and runs to Vincent’s aid [priceless!]. END OF EPISODE. I LOVE this scene; it is one of my favorites ever. It’s such a pivotal point for the story, Cat’s desperation is heartbreaking and everything Nina Lisandrello did was perfect. She didn’t even have any lines towards the end, yet her face was a perfect mixture of fear, insecurity and confusion; I thought her acting was SPOT ON.

I really liked this episode as a whole and I LOVED the opening and closing scenes [no need to CLARIFY that]. However, while writing this recap, I realized that I had a LOT of issues with some of the scenes. There were a lot of holes in the plot and the “police work” was especially sloppy. Also, the heavy exposition wasn't written in the most creative way [and it was TOO noticeable], but above all I was upset about all the missing dialogue… some of which we actually got to see in the previews but then was nowhere to be found in the actual episode! Some of the scenes were so over-cut, they didn't make sense. But whatever my feelings about the middle chunk of Insatiable, the sexy way it started and the shocking way it ended made it a very worthy episode for me.

MORE RECAPS HERE

QUOTES

Joe: And the full extent of the law is at the end of my barrel

Cat [to Vincent]: When I am with you, I… feel strong, like… I can take them all on.

Vincent [to Cat]: You are amazing, you know that?

Vincent:  We are stronger together than we are apart

Weapon-dude: I thought you were investigators. So… investigate.

JT: Sorry if the selection of cadavers at the research lab wasn’t up to your standards

Tess: I’ve worked my whole career not to be protected by the boys and I won’t allow you to treat me any differently

Vincent: Us against the world, huh? / Cat: Well…us and JT against the world