Never Turn Back Review and Speculation

By TV Donna

The following post was written by guest author** TVDonna. To see her bio CLICK HERE

Never Turn Back…honestly they could have called this episode "never stop watching"…I know the producers promised a huge cliff-hanger…..but….who could have seen any of this coming….

It starts out with Vincent and Catherine having a "normal" date in a little town in NY….Vincent has taken one of Gabe's magic pills and the effects have not worn of.     We get a taste of the intense feelings and romance that we all watch the show to see and it is very sweet.

When Vincent gets back to his place JT tells him that the pill seems to be repressing his animal dna and if it continues to do so he may become cured.

From the expression on Vincent's face we're not sure if he is completely ecstatic over this supposedly good news.   He already seems conflicted, but then Catherine shows up …after hearing the news…with fake id's, a new life in small town America , and she claims this is what she wants for them.    Of course Vincent is "all in" with the idea in his neverending desire to make Catherine happy.    All good so far?    Well this is Beauty and the Beast so…all good is not usually an option.

Meanwhile over at Gabe's loft he and Tyler are planning Vincent’s demise.    Gabe acts like killing Vincent is hard for him but I think that the truth is Gabe has done whatever he had to get whatever he wanted all his life so this regret is just a front…he is ruthless and probably always has been so.   Now comes a JT we have never seen…having some reservations over Gabe and Tyler he breaks into Gabe’s place when they leave and discovers the truth…way to go JT…that they want Vincents entire lympothatic system  and more and will kill him to get what they need.    Our minor hero in this plot, JT destroys everything and warns Vincent to stay away from Gabe.

Catherine gets a call from her Dad asking her to come immediately to meet him as he has urgent information he needs to give he.   She heads to meet him and witnesses him being pushed in front of a car and severely injured.    At the hospital she gives a blood donation ..just in case.   Heather shows up and wants the whole "sister act" again but Catherine is in her cop mode and goes to the precinct to have his laptop and phone analyzed. Tess calms her down and tells her to go and be with her Dad and she would go to the IT guy and see what she could uncover from the electronics.

Upon discovering what JT has done Tyler calls Gabe to inform him that Vincent will not be coming to their little dissection party.    Gabe tells her not to worry because he knows exactly what will get Vincent to come…and he kidnaps Catherine and takes her to his childhood mansion.     He puts her in a room where he was kept as a child when he was out of control and calls Vincent.   Catherine pleads with Vincent not to come…but, of course, to no avail.

Trying to find a bargaining chip…Vincent and JT capture Tyler and call to negotiate a trade…Tyler for Catherine.  Now the real Gabe rears his ugly head and tells Vincent to "kill her"….pretty cold, if you ask me.   Vincent thinks  he must face the beast without his own beastly powers but Tyler, who has been betrayed…tells him and JT that Vincent can get his beastly side back with the injection of a vaccine but it would be irreversible.    Vincent believing that Catherine wants a "normal life" in sleepy town USA refuses and decides to fight Gabe using only his soldier skills.   We all know how that will work out. 

Back at JT place …Tyler dupes Jt,  , handcuffs him and escapes heading to the mansion.   Unfortunately she runs right into the man who took the body of the assassin who tried to kill Gabe from the precinct in last week’s episode.   He is the same guy who's picture is on Catherine Dad's laptop when Tess gets it up and running again.    He kills her just as she recognizes him.    Tess. Looking for Catherine who never got to the hospital finds JT and releases him and as he brings her up to speed on the dire situation as it stands, she tells him they have more problems….mini cliff-hanger here.

Back at the hospital the doctor tells Heather that her Dad needs surgery and they need a blood donor…Heather says that her sister has already given blood and ….mini cliffhanger #2…the doctor tells her that Catherine is not her Dad's biological daughter.      omg…right?

Now for the epic, cliffhanging finale scene…….

Cat is locked in a room with Gabe beating on the door fully beasted…Vincent is scaling the walls in soldier mode.    Just as Gabe is about to break down the door Vincent finds Cat..even as a human Vincent has an uncanny ability to always find her…He and she get out through a window and repel down the building.   As soon as they are on the ground Cat senses that Vincent is regretting not having his beastly side and she asks him if he really wanted to become completely human.  He tells her he want thought it was what they both wanted and he wants to make her happy and be with her so he is willing to make any sacrifice because that is what she wants.   She then tells him  the only thing she is sure she really wants is him…man or beast. It does not matter.    Vincent, seeing clearly now that Catherine will love him as a beast or human tells her that he should have listened to JT and could have turned back with the injection of a vaccine.

No more time for talk…a really mad, beasted out Gabe is rapidly approaching and thus the fighting commences…No question that Gabe is winning so Catherine runs into the mansion to a doctor that is waiting there for the dissection and at gunpoint demands he give her a vaccine.   She runs back to the fight and just as it seems Gabe will finish Vincent off she injects him saying "I won't let you die for me".      Vincent beasts  out and the fight is equaled out with both beasts holding their own.     At one point Gabe gets the upper hand and is about to spike and kill Vincent when….major cliff-hanger…a sniper in a helicopter shoots him full of holes and he falls down dead.    At this point we are cheering and waiting for the lovers to run to each other….not gonna happen.     The guy in the helicopter is the same one who killed Tyler and has been hunting Gabe…and they throw a very strong net over beasted- out Vincent and begin to haul him up…at this point Catherine who has been knocked out recovers and sees the man she is destined to love forever being taken away…she runs to him and tries to grab his hand…their hold onto each other for a short time and it is heart-breaking to see their hands slowly being pulled apart …major cliffhanger.     The look on their faces as they are losing sight of each other is so emotional that it would be hard to think anyone watching did not shed at least one or two tears…

Enough cliffhangers you say…not quite…in the final scene the other agent in the copter gets ready to shoot and kill Catherine when his boss says.."don't shoot her…she's my daughter."….fade to black …end of season 1.

    

Review:   

Beauty and the Beast was "the little show that could"….it went from just another procedural with a beastly twist to a nail-biting story of star-crossed lovers…something television is sadly lacking.    Vincent and Catherine are truly destined and they pull it off so beautifully….The chemistry between them is magic…and even though they make mistakes in their relationship, they always come together in the end in a completely captivating way.

These two characters and the support of JT and Tess are the reason this show is definitely a keeper and should see many more seasons.    Love, mythology, action, chemistry, drama, lightheartedness …what else can anyone ask for in a show.    Its creative growth has been nothing short of masterful.

 Speculation:    

What’s to come?   Well it's obvious that Catherine's new Dad with factor in the first story arc.    I would like to see him as a bad guy turned good.   When he sees the love and commitment Vincent and Catherine have for each other  he realizes that Vincent is not a threat but could be an asset …as can Catherine…they unite forces against Murfield who I am thinking he is not really a part.    I would also like to see Vincent get a couple more beastly skills.     More moments with the Three Musketeers would round things out.   And, of course, many more romantic encounters between Vincent and Catherine…at least one or five per episode…sweeter and sexier than last season.     One thing is certain, everyone wants our lovers reunited  as soon as possible…   This is the speculation of a hopeless romantic…

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And you can find a complete list of BATB RECAPS HERE (including a full recap for the finale)