RECAP: Beauty and the Beast – Season 2 Episode 8 – Man or Beast?

Flatlining is so “last episode”; so it’s time to learn how BLACKMAILING works… 

Vincent tries to teach Tori how to have a "Beast-monition" & Gabe tries to teach everyone how to successfully blackmail people. Meanwhile, I tell you all the reasons Tori was the worst daughter ever [and most likely a psychopath]. We also learn that Cersei Lannister may not be so bad after all. Plus I finally figure out the trigger logic! [I think]. 

Another Friday… another Tori episode to re-watch… *sighs* I’ll keep discussing her character [among other things]. I am really trying to be as fair as possible and separate writing flaws, from acting flaws and hopefully putting my subjective feelings aside. I also apologize to any Tori/Amber fans out there… And yes, as it turns out, there are some [have to admit, I was quite shocked]. They were nice enough to not yell at me for expressing my… “not so favorable” views on our least favorite redhead… so I thank them for that. And hey, if you love Tori/Amber… go for it. I am also open to hearing any reasons why people may think Tori was a good character. But enough about this.

The episode opens where we left off: at WINDSOR TOWER, where the world is about to have two less beasts [courtesy of Daddy Bob and his professional Beast Cleaner]. Tori is completely hysteric [and annoying… I guess that goes without saying], but luckily, Vincent is calm and in control. All super-soldier under pressure… can’t say I mind that. Anyway, he gets Tori to focus and talks her through an escape plan. She breaks free as the building explodes [complete with a very awkward slow-mo shot of Tori beasting out].

Cat gets word of the explosion and breaks every traffic rule imaginable to get there. When she arrives Tess updates her on the situation. Cat gets very upset and refuses to believe Vincent is dead. I LOVED her reaction. Even when she was as mad as she could get with Vincent she was unable to cope with the possibility that he could be gone. And THAT is what truly loving someone looks like [Unlike Tori who got over her dad’s murder in like two seconds and didn’t try to stop it in the first place!]. Catherine wants to go look for Vincent. Gabe is all “Yeah, he is probably dead. The important thing is that you are now single and that we send your dad to jail. I am a seriously good guy!” Insensitive much? Cat MUST be in shock, because instead of yelling at Gabe she just nods and goes home to “take a shower, a minute and then come back”.

At THE CRIME SCENE OF FAILED BEAST-HITS, Leon [the professional Beast Cleaner] calls Bob to confirm “both targets were eliminated”. Eh… Leon… I don’t see any bodies, do you? He refuses to give “proof of murder” and demands immediate payment or else… This hit man won’t be getting many referrals any time soon. That can’t be good for business… it’s not like beast cleaners advertise…

Cat arrives at her apartment and I am pretty sure she was still in shock and denial. Luckily, there is nothing to “deny” because Vincent is there alive and well! Shocker, the leading man is NOT dead [This isn’t HBO, you weren’t actually afraid for his safety, were you?]. Cat’s first unfiltered reaction is to run to his arms and tell him how happy she to see him alive. Aw. The sweet moment lasts for a few seconds until we realize Vincent brought Tori along. WTH?! Insensitivity is just going around in this episode! Vincent implies he had nowhere else to go… and I wonder what the hell was wrong with JT’s place… [maybe he just wanted to see Cat].

As Tori lies “unconscious” on the couch [I swear she even messed that up], Vincent explains how Tori made him stronger, faster and more powerful. He apologizes to Cat for bringing Tori to her apartment and sort of implicitly apologizes for kissing her too [but not really… and he SHOULD have]. In any case, Cat says their issues go beyond the kiss. I really like the fact that Cat isn’t giving the unmentionable “incident” more importance than it has. It was just the last drop that made her realize she was seeing what she wanted to see in Vincent rather than the reality of his situation.

But let’s forget about Tori for a second, she is fake breathing on the couch and won’t be going anywhere. The more pressing issue is that Vincent is suddenly consumed by a need for revenge against Bob. He point-blank says he “is going to kill him”. Seriously, Beasts… you don’t need to PRE-ANNOUNCE YOUR MURDERS! [*hint* they are more effective if you don’t!] Cat is obviously against this. She explains to Vincent that he can’t kill Bob because he is a “human being” not a beast and if he kills him he would “lose his humanity”. I think Cat is right to defend her father; however, I slightly disagree with her logic. I don’t think she should think of beasts and humans as different. I think she sees Vincent as human [or deserving of human rights], because she loves him and she thinks he is special; but I am going to go ahead and conclude Cat doesn’t see all beasts like that. Her behavior with Pyro Beast and even One Tree Beast attest to that. Now, at this point, Vincent had obviously messed up a lot… but I think this was part of the issue too. For better or for worse, Vincent is a Beast, and Beasts are his kind. I don’t think it is morally acceptable to kill beasts any more than it is to kill humans. If someone starts killing human criminals they are labeled “vigilantes” and, even though, it might be respected by most, it is still morally grey. Let’s not forget all beasts were human once. Beasts can be good and humans can be bad. In this case, Bob was a bad human. Not saying V should kill Bob, just disagreeing with Cat separating the morality of killing a human and a beast.

Anyway, Cat pretty much gives Vincent an ultimatum. If he kills Bob there is no future for them. Vincent asks if there is still the possibility of them being together and Cat says she wants there to be. I think Vincent was very tormented at that point but the prospect of having a chance to be with Cat seems to allure him enough to put a break on his vendetta. Cat promises to help Vincent get justice without killing Bob. So Cat leaves the apartment to set up in motion her “How to arrest your dad in 10 days” plan.

Later, Tori finally wakes up from the MOST UNCONVINCING UNCONSCIOUS STATE EVER. Vincent gives her a glass of water and she bitches about it not being Vodka or something. So spoiled. Vincent tells her Catherine will help them get Bob. Tori is skeptical, and let’s be real… it’s not because she doesn’t trust Catherine, she is just jealous.

Meanwhile, Tess and Cat go to Gabe’s place to come up with a plan to bring Bob to justice. Gabe already has a plan and it doesn’t involve FLATLINING! Gotta give him some credit for that. In summary, the plan is to find one of the beast bodies and hope it hasn’t been cremated yet. Then send the evidence to Bob and threaten to expose him. However, they need to make him think someone with actual information is blackmailing him. Someone like BEAST CLEANER LEON. But finding a professional is not that easy, so Cat suggests they get Vincent to TRACK HIM. I sigh and brace myself for the inevitable ENDLESS explanation about tracking that is sure to come.

Later, they gather the whole crew to explain the plan. JT is on “body stealing duty” and he is NOT thrilled about it until he finds out they are partnering him up with Tess. Why they needed two people for the task? I have no idea… Unfortunately, Vincent can’t track the beast cleaner because… blah blah blah TRACKING RULES THAT DON’T MAKE SENSE. Point being, Tori needs to be the one who tracks Leon and Vincent needs to teach her. Ug. Someone just track the damn guy and get it over with! TRACKING IS NOT THAT FASCINATING!

Bob gets an e-mail with the blackmailing note and then it’s time for the UNCOMFORTABLE OVEREXTENDED BEAST TRACKING SCENE THAT WE DIDN’T REALLY NEED. They FINALLY stop talking about flatlining and now they are back to tracking explanations? What makes it even worse is that Tori is involved now. The scene feels like it lasts an ETERNITY [it’s probably 3 minutes long, which is long] and all we get is Vincent explaining to Tori how to have a premonition track [“Beast-monition”?]. Which we already knew… hemoglobin, remember? And NO still doesn’t make any sense!

I have to stop and discuss the worrisome effect Tori has on me. So, it’s time for an AWFUL TV CHARACTERS TANGENT.

I’ve never in my life had such a negative visceral reaction to someone on screen! I watch a LOT of TV so this is hardly the first time I have despised a character to the point of wanting him or her dead [For instance Gillian on Boardwalk Empire and a bunch of people on Game of Thrones]. It’s also not the first time a woman comes between a favorite couple of mine [Jax cheated on Tara with a stripper on Sons of Anarchy  for God’s sake!]. Speaking of Sons of Anarchy, **SPOILER ALERT** Katey Sagal’s character just killed the leading lady! So I obviously hate her for it… yet I still love her, because she is an awesome actress and Gemma is a wonderfully complex character. Thanks to @traveller395 for making me realize I don’t precisely “hate” Tori. Hate is a strong emotion and for a character to elicit that, it has to be a strong character [played by a strong actor]. For instance, I HATED Joffrey on GoT, I hated Gus on Breaking Bad [but I adore Giancarlo Esposito]. Turns out, having characters to “hate” is part of the TV experience. However, what Tori makes me feel is annoyance and irritation. I find her scenes utterly uncomfortable to watch [and I don’t feel they add anything to the overall plot]. In other words, Tori makes me appreciate what Cersei Lannister brings to the table [and that’s EXTREME]. 

END OF TANGENT

BACK TO THE EPISODE. Tess and JT go to the morgue to have the most morbid first [unofficial] date ever. After browsing cadavers for a while, they find Zach and his AbcFamily “Twisted” neck [no pun intended]. We also learn that JT has been texting Tess and she hasn’t been answering. She basically tells him that their kiss was a one-time event; however, she didn’t seem that adamant about it, if you ask me…   

Meanwhile, Cat and Gabe go to the FBI to rattle Daddy-Bob. Gabe basically repeats the entire BLACKMAILING plan… because that’s what Gabe does… endlessly repeat his plans. And Bob already got the blackmailing message… I think he was perfectly capable of figuring out the rest by himself. But whatever… just to be 100% sure Gabe TELLS him he should suspect Leon. Meanwhile, Cat uses some menthol and fake cries to get some sympathy from Bob. It takes a good actress to act like she is acting [not so well but convincingly enough]. I think it might be the post-Tori effect or something, but I appreciated everyone’s acting skills so much in this episode.

Tori and Vincent finally find Leo, and long story short… Tori says to hell with the plan and kills him. [Side note: I think I dislike Tori the least when she is in Beast mode for some reason]. Vincent gets upset and yells at her… but later tries to justify her in front of Cat. Vincent’s argument is that she couldn’t control herself. OK, fine, let’s say I buy that. But Tori is SO out-of-control-upset with Leon for “trying” to kill her, yet she is not even a little mad at Vincent who positively KILLED HER FATHER? I really think making Tori at least a bit conflicted about that would have gone a LONG WAY. I personally can’t get past it. What kind of person doesn’t mourn her father? She HAS to be a psychopath. Further proof: For someone who just committed her first murder ever, she is not emotional AT ALL. *sighs* RIP Leon, the Professional. You could have been an interesting character...

Cat is obviously NOT happy with Ginger Beast. Gabe is all “Tori, we don’t just kill people out of revenge… well I guess I used to… last year, but I don’t anymore.” Vincent tries his best to keep peace and come up with a solution. Tori is clearly just trying to drive a wedge between Vincent and everyone else. She uses issues of “kind” [human vs. Beasts] to do it. Unfortunate, since Cat still needs to work a little on her Beast-equality concepts. Nevertheless, I think Tori was just taking everything Cat said out of context. Sadly, Vincent was so consumed by his need for revenge; he was probably more vulnerable than he normally would be.

Vincent and Tori leave. Suddenly Tori starts acting like she is an expert on Beast lifestyle. Seriously, she has been a beast for what? Two minutes?! She badmouths Cat and starts telling Vincent to just give in to his nature as a superior species of some kind. So much bothers me about this! **Mild spoilers for future episodes** First of all, if Tori was going to be the spokesperson for Beasts, it doesn’t make sense that she is a new beast. Second, by her reaction towards Cat… and everything else you can tell she is a spoiled immature brat who cannot see beyond her nose and doesn’t really understand the complexities of the world. In other words, she is just a horrible person [and possibly a psychopath]. What makes me upset about this is that Vincent will eventually have some sort of relationship with her and I don’t understand it! Forget the fact that she is coming between Vincat and that she is defending beastliness without understanding it. Why would Vincent be with someone who has no redeemable qualities? If the thing was only sexual [beast-instinct-based] I could understand it [NOT like it], but if they wanted a real connection… Tori needed to be a better character.

Tori’s speech sounded totally unconvincing to me, but she actually gets to Vincent. She basically tells him to “embrace who he really is” and stop trying to fit a mold of a past he can’t remember. Then she offers to help him kill Reynolds [See? Horrible person]. I don’t want to believe Vincent is so naïve and/or stupid that he would suddenly decide to go for the beast-kill just because a girl told him to do it. I think Vincent’s inner struggle had been taking place for a long time; ever since he came back. He was jolted out of his supersoldier path by Cat and all the emotions that came with her. However, it also meant the world as he knew it was turned upside down. After finding out his entire life [the life he could remember] was a lie and that he had been working for the enemy he thought he was fighting, he understandably felt upset. His need for revenge probably clouded his [newfound] judgment and the easiest way out was to fall back into his baser nature. Tori was just the excuse… the final push. It’s unfortunate, but I can’t say I completely blame him… given the circumstances.

Back at the GENTLEMEN’S CLUB OF FAILED BLACKMAILING PLANS, Cat sits at the bar completely defeated. She tells Tess maybe her love for Vincent blinded her and it is probably time to stop fighting and trying to change him. The way she says it made me feel for her. It didn’t sound like she was mad… it was more like she was letting go and even considering she might be harming him by trying to make him into something he is not. But also, she probably realized she couldn’t go on living like that and it was time to move on. I thought it was a sad moment of realization, of letting go and of taking control of her life. Unlike Daddy Bob, I think love IS unconditional… but it shouldn’t be all-consuming.

Also, Gabe and JT have a new plan [this may actually work because it is actually JT’s plan]. They have Leon’s phone so they will keep up the blackmailing ruse. Then, Gabe will go see Bob himself and tell him he was working with Leon. It’s actually believable given Gabe’s morally ambiguous past if you think about it. However, Cat thinks it is too risky and just wants to give up. Gabe goes into his speech of “Save the Beast, save the world” again... He claims to want “justice” for Vincent and atonement for his past sins… which SO doesn’t make sense. Is Gabe a good guy? Is Gabe a bad guy with a hidden agenda? Is Gabe a guy with a really complicated plan to get Cat to love him? Is Gabe a reformed psychopath? It’s all so unclear! Anyway, Daddy Bob gets the blackmailing text message and he takes the bait.

Before we continue, I have to get something out of the way. This is probably not going to make me very popular, but I must say it [be kind & finish reading]. I never had an issue with Gabe in the same way I have an issue with Tori. I realize this is LARGELY due to the fact that I loved Sendhil since his Heroes days and I think he is a great actor. HOWEVER that doesn’t mean I like [or agree with] Gabe’s storylines. The way they wrote his character this season was SO confusing. You don’t go from psycho-kidnapper-beast to savior in less than a year. And if getting the girl was his endgame… then why try to save Vincent so badly? The way I see it, Gabe was a guy who suffered a terrible fate when he was a kid. Not his fault but this marked him for life [think of Dexter after his mother’s murder]. I think Gabe had psychological issues that went beyond being a Beast. This resulted in him killing his foster parents which also created another trauma. I think by the time we met Gabe he was a deeply disturbed individual. He became detached from normal human emotions and led a very selfish existence, driven by the need to survive at all costs. It was clear that not even Tyler mattered to him and that he always put himself first. That’s who Gabe was in S1 and who he eventually reverts to in S2. A despicable character? For sure! But that does not mean he was a bad character. I find that version of Gabe [a borderline psycho] more interesting and with a lot of “dramatic value”. The fact that suddenly Gabe was full of regret and selflessness did not make any sense and bothered me a lot. Cat being so easily convinced by his new persona was also something that never sat right with me… but that will be discussed later.

BACK TO THE EPISODE. Before Bob goes to the BLACKMAILING MEETING OF DOOM, he meets with Cat. This scene was sweet but we don’t get much new information. Basically Bob tells Cat that he is leaving and he just wanted to make sure she will be all right. After everything, Cat can’t completely forget the fact that this man is her father. You can tell she will go through with the plan but it’s causing her some pain. That’s because Cat is a good person… unlike other women… with red hair… I won’t name.

"Eaaasy Bob"

Bob arrives at the RENDEZ-VOUS POINT OF BEAST ATTACKS AND UNNECESSARY BOMBS. Speaking of bombs… Leon, the [late] Professional beast cleaner has had a name! Wilkes… but who cares at this point? So the scene goes like this: Gabe arrives, Bob verifies ABC Family beast is in the trunk, Gabe repeats how blackmailing works in case you weren’t paying attention [gee… it’s flatlining all over again], Bob stupidly confesses, Cat records it with a remote mic. Finally Bob takes Gabe’s car and drives away [leaving Gabe stranded with a bomb-rigged car]. So… this scene was a little too long and not particularly awesome [writing wise], however… after watching all those Tori/Vincent scenes where Jay Ryan was killing himself to make the scene work by himself, it was really refreshing to watch a scene where two actors were actually acting.

Cat comes out of her hide-out and arrests Bob. She cuffs him and puts him in the back of her car. Bob starts explaining his motivations, which are a little too straight-forward for my taste. In summary, he wanted to eliminate all beasts because he helped create them. So, he just wanted to do the right thing and “rectify his mistakes”. However, I believe the “right thing” would have been finding a cure to “save” all beasts instead of just killing them. At least round them up and train them or something! Moreover, I would have liked for him to have more complex motives [beyond guilt and fatherly concern]. Some amount of greed or maybe something that tied to his backstory with Vanessa… I wanted more, more about Bob and what drove him. But we never get to find out because Vincent drops [literally] on Cat’s car and makes her crash. Now… that annoyed me. I know that Vincent was consumed by revenge and in beast mode… However, the fact that he had no regard for Cat’s safety was going too far. Making her car crash was not necessary. She could have died!

After the crash, Vincent yanks Bob out of the car, beats him up and pins him to the wall. Cat gets out of the car and points a gun at him. Cat literally begs him to stop and tries to appeal to his human nature.          Vincent seems to listen and finally steps back. Now… this is up for debate; but I think, at that moment, Vincent was really listening to Cat and was willing to let Bob go. Unfortunately, a second later, he snaps and goes back to attacking him. After all the confusing trigger logic, this is my final theory: What the TORI TRIGGER actually does is transforming Vincent from a “Beast, who still has his human consciousness inside” to a “Jekyll & Hyde dual being”. Vincent’s Beast was inherently good, like Vincent… he was stronger and impulsive, but he saw the world like Vincent. However, the trigger seems to separate Vincent into two different entities: the man and the Beast. This beast is basically an animal without a moral code. But that is just a theory.

So, anyway, Mr. Vincent-Hyde emerges and attacks Bob again. Cat shoots him. Vincent reverts to human [Dr. Jekyll!]. He looks shocked and mostly hurt [not physically] after realizing what happened. Luckily, he doesn’t attack Cat; he just runs away. I obviously DON’T like Cat shooting Vincent, but I get it. He was without a doubt going to kill Bob and, in my book, murder [beast or human] is wrong. Also, whatever his sins, Bob is still Cat’s father. I think Cat did what she did mainly to save Bob’s life, but also to prevent Vincent from reaching the point of no return. Both Jay and Kristin gave it all in that scene. It was very powerful and devastating to watch.

After Vincent leaves, somehow, Cat pulls herself together and re-arrests her dad. In Jail, Bob tells Cat he will confess to everything so he can keep her safe and above suspicion. So… in the end, he is just a “good dad”… which I thought was kind of lame. I love Bob and all, but I thought the resolution to his character was a little too simplistic. Not saying I don’t buy Bob cared about Cat… I do. But after playing with everybody like they were chess pieces… he just gives up and confesses? No scheme or plan? Some clever way to get himself out [while keeping Cat safe]? Seemed a little out of character. Jack Bristow would NEVER do that! And he LOVED his daughter too! It was a little disappointing as far as morally ambiguous daddies go. But if Gabe can inexplicably turn into a selfless “saint”, I guess Daddy Bob can just be a good father…

After talking to Bob, Catherine completely breaks down and Gabe is there to comfort her… how convenient. Gabe really didn’t do anything wrong in THIS episode [besides his mysterious personality transplant & that tactless moment at the beginning], but this is NOT the character Gabe was meant to be. Supporting friend? Nah… Tess could have fulfilled that role just fine. I’ll discuss Gabe as a romantic interest later, but for now… I just had issues with his baffling magnanimity that came out of nowhere.

The episode ends with Vincent bleeding out in his houseboat and Tori walking in on him. She is gonna have a field day dissing Cat! Also… when she walks in, she looks more like she is thinking “wow you looks awesome shirtless” than “Man, you are bleeding to death”, but why am I surprised? Cat goes up to what is now the ROOFTOP OF DOOM… she cries, we cry. There was a hiatus after this, so we cry for over a month. END OF EPISODE.

Now… let’s see if I can explain what I think about Vincent’s dark turn. I am not completely against this storyline, but I don’t agree with the timing of it. I think, this season, the writers wanted to explore a more extreme version of “Beauty and the Beast” by making Vincent a true monster. To accomplish that, they needed a strong [negative] motivation that could drive him to his most beastly nature. “Revenge” works perfectly for this. Think of Edmond Dantes [or Emily Thorne if you want to stick to TV references]. Do you question Edmond when he starts taking revenge? No, we applaud him. In other words, I understand Bob’s betrayal as a trigger for Vincent going to the dark side. I think the writers wanted to take Vincent to the extreme so they could later explore his journey into finding his humanity. That is the classic tale at its purest form: Unconditional love shows the Beast the way to what seemed an impossible redemption.

I think the concept worked in the long run. Looking at the big picture, I thought Vincent’s journey was emotional and believable [Jay deserves a lot of credit for this]. However, I also feel they lost their way more than a few times somewhere in the middle. In addition, I think they made a mistake with how they structured the first 5-6 episodes. They got Vincent and Catherine back together too quickly [probably just to please the audience]. They created an illusion where the old Vincent was back. They made him “feel” for Cat again and they even gave him some of his memories back. With all this information [and feelings], it felt like a betrayal when Vincent succumbs to his lower nature. In my opinion, all this could have been avoided if they simply came to this dark-extreme earlier (before he regained any memories, and before he acknowledged any feelings for Cat). Furthermore, I don’t think Tori was necessary for Vincent to fight with his dual nature. Man or Beast? It was an internal struggle a battle of Vincent vs. Vincent and no-one else. There was no need to personify “beasts”; especially as ineffectively as they did with Tori.

But let’s forget for a second about the tragic events. The episode itself wasn’t particularly great [plot aside]. None of the scenes stood out for me, and for the first time ever I didn’t write down ANY quotes. It was just full of sorrow and awkwardness and I felt something needed to balance that out. My favorite scene was the JT&T scene at the morgue. I think a longer “C-story” with those two could have improved this episode vastly. I hope I was able to explain and successfully divide my feelings towards the overall concept vs. the episode execution.

Go ahead and share your feelings… feel free to rant.

Next week, like the show, the recaps are going on hiatus but only for ONE WEEK! I promise, I am fully committed to writing this recaps so I won't disappear. "Don't Die on me" RECAP will absolutely be posted Friday October 10th. So be sure to look for it. 

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