RECAP: Beauty and the Beast – Season 2 Episode 15– Catch me if you Can

Not all Beasts go to Heaven

Sam is still on a mission to beastify the world one orphan at the time. Turns out JT made one hell of a serum! It includes beast-fugues and sire bonds! Meanwhile Vincent wonders if he is doomed to hell and starts seeing ghosts [sort of]. But whatever! It's all about a car crash this week! [and secret CIA bunkers that may or may not be part of the Alliance] and GUMMI WORMS!

Vincent is at the GENTLEMEN’S GUILD using face-recognition software to find Sam while eating gummi worms. YES that fact IS important, at least to me… I wonder if Jay got directions on “how” to eat those gummi worms… but man it was distracting [in the best way possible!] Anyhow… Vincent is tracking Psycho-Sam the old fashion way because 1) Sam is good at covering his tracks from beasts [but not from regular humans?] and 2) He is still trying to prove to Catherine that he can be a beast-free man. According to me, tracking is not the same as going all beast-assassin and shouldn’t be a concern but… Vincent is still trying to go beast-cold turkey, I guess.

At the COFFEE SHOP OF GIRL TALK AND BEAST CONFESSIONS Cat tells Tess about her V-dream and she is all “It wasn’t sexual or anything like that. It was just a representation of how deeply I still care for Vincent and how terrified I am of watching him get hurt. No biggie…” Tess thinks Bob messed with her head when he told her she is destined to become “Cat-the-Beast-Slayer”. Cat’s very simplistic [and obviously flawed] plan is to catch Sam as fast as she can so she can stay away from Vincent and “focus on Gabe”. She is aware that catching Sam is not magically going to change the way she feels, right?

Meanwhile, Vincent and JT look for Sam the old fashion way: by showing his picture to passerby. I have to be honest… If Vincent came up to me asking for some dude, I would be: “Yes… I can totally take you to him. He is in my apartment. But ditch your friend first… this might take a while…” People are more honest than me and in the end; Vincent doesn’t gather any useful information about Sam’s whereabouts. JT finally convinces him to “sense” Sam, which Vincent does. So… super-criminal-Sam suddenly gets caught on tape AND doesn’t beast-proof his tracks? Hmmmm…

Cat arrives at Gabe’s apartment and discovers that he has a plan to bust Sam. They can’t exactly charge him with “conspiracy to create beasts” so Gabe wants to arrest him for identity theft. It is actually a decent plan. Cat mentions that catching Sam will be a way to start their beast-free life. Gabe agrees and takes the opportunity to give her a set of keys for his apartment. Cat clearly freaks out. I guess she is not THAT excited to start “their” beast-free life after all… Thankfully she is saved by the bell when JT calls to tell them Vincent caught Sam.

At BEAGONSTON, Sam comes to terms with the failure of his evil masterplan [due to “cockiness”]. He braces himself for a certain death but realizes killing him is not Vincent’s plan. So Sam goes all: “You are going to arrest me and put me on trial? Now, that’s just LAME.” He also reminds us that he is trying to avenge his son [still not clear from whom], points out the MANY flaws in Vincent’s plan [beast-tracking not a fact that can be introduced in court, if he goes down they go down, etc etc] and finally starts mocking Vincent for being a “pathetic beast who is desperately trying to get his girl back”. This finally sends Vincent over the edge and he beasts out on Sam… just as Cat arrives. Now, that was unfortunate.

Cat and Gabe are upset because “Beast Justice” doesn’t hold up that well in court. I guess they have a point, but Vincent was really just trying to help! JT gets in best-friend-mode and defends Vincent like his life depends on it, but he is eventually sent away. Gabe decides to confront Sam the lawyer way [AKA “devious-human-justice”]. Sam quickly realizes Gabe is trying to “Al-Capone” him and proceeds to detail how the well-known gangster got arrested for tax evasion blah blah blah. I thought the explanation of the obvious reference was a little unnecessary. I mean… we’ve all seen The Untouchables, haven’t we? In any case, Sam has an ace under his sleeve. He has a recently converted beast tied up somewhere in NY and if they don’t let him go, the fledgling beast will DIE.

So… the BRILLIANT PLAN GANG let Sam go in the hopes that he will eventually lead them to the dying beast. Surprisingly, Sam actually goes to see his dehydrated beast [but looks like no-one thought of following him]. The new beast is XAVIER WRIGHT, a history teacher. Is it me… or does Xavier look younger than the other Orphan M-black guys (Gabe, Jacob-the-builder, mystery Clara).Is that intentional? Anyway, Sam tells Xavier that he is transitioning from “ordinary to ‘extraordinary’” [now that is an euphemism]. He also explains that the new Beast-serum 3.0 comes with a sire bond to the beast-master included. WHAT did JT put on that serum? [Cortexiphan?]  It’s turning into a magical potion at this point! It does EVERYTHING. What’s next? The beasts are going to have the ability to cross over to an alternate universe? In any case, Sam “compels” Xavier to find [and kill? Stall?] Vincent. I am not sure how Xavier understood his mission; Sam’s instructions were kind of cryptic.

HISTORICAL BEAST: XAVIER WRIGHT, innocent orphan, teacher, sired to Sam… [I wonder if he also has a “humanity switch”… Please say no]

Vincent arrives at the HOUSEBOAT and finds Gabe pouring himself a glass of scotch [I am surprised he didn’t do the classic lamp/couch thing when Vincent walked in]. Anyway, Gabe is there to confront Vincent about his redemption. He is all “I was the one ‘making amends’. It was MY thing this season!” He also tells Vincent that it is obvious he is trying to get Cat back, but it won’t work because beasts don’t have souls or something like that. Then Gabe tries to guilt-trip Vincent into walking away with the excuse that he can give Catherine a better beast-free future.

I think Gabe’s reasoning is completely flawed. The distinction is not between “man and beast”. It is between “good and bad men [or people]”. At the end of the day, Vincent is and always has been a good man [even if flawed, his essence is good]. On the contrary, I don’t think Gabe is a good person. In fact, I believe he had psychopathic tendencies since he was very young and not just because he was a beast. He was taken to a foreign country, confined to a lab and turned into a cross-species creature... That seems enough to screw someone up beyond repair! Granted, none of these things were Gabe’s fault; but, whatever the reason, I think Gabe was never quite right. So… yes, in a way, Beast-Gabe didn’t have a soul. Now… Human-Gabe? Jury is still out on how much of a soul he has [a dim one, I’d say]. I believe, above all, Gabe cares about Gabe. The only difference now is that he exchanged his “survival instinct” for his new obsession [or –prize]: Cat.

Funny enough, I think Gabe’s “threat the beast” plan backfired. Vincent doesn’t need anyone telling him to “sacrifice himself for Cat”. He does that all by himself. Most likely, the only thing this confrontation did was to make Vincent realize that Gabe may NOT be the greatest guy for Cat after all...

But Vincent still needs some time to sulk and self-deprecate before he is ready to take action. So… he decides to go play pool [and stay away from Cat]. Luckily, JT is there to fulfill his BEST FRIEND EXTRAORDINAIRE duties. Vincent whines about failing at his “beast-straight” attempts and being doomed to a lonely hell-bound existence as a freak of nature [or something along those melodramatic lines].

JT giving advice like it is nobody's business

JT gives Vincent a series of fortunate advice. In summary he tells him that: 1) Gabe doesn’t know what he is talking about [and they don’t even like him] 2) He has already regained his humanity so his efforts have not been in vain and 3) He shouldn’t live his life trying to do what he thinks Catherine wants. He should do what HE thinks is the right thing and the rest will come later. Just like Mr. Mason on Downton Abbey, JT should be the only person allowed to give advice on this show [and sometimes surprisingly Heather]. Vincent takes it in and concludes that what HE wants is to save Xavier from beasthood and prevent him from suffering like he did. Aw… He honestly wants to save Xavier. Not to impress Cat, not to get something in return, just to save him. And that’s why I think Vincent is a good man/beast with a soul.

Meanwhile, Tess can’t figure out why Vincent doesn’t just go after Xavier. Cat explains that Gabe has decided to do this by the book. I guess there is some logic to Gabe’s  imposition “request”. If they really want to arrest Sam and build a case, they should probably stick to humanly achievable tactics. However, Gabe’s motivations go beyond that. He just wants Vincent out of the picture [Yet he didn’t mind “using Vincent” when he needed him to save his life. That’s beast-hypocrisy]. Also, does anyone actually believe jail is going to stop Sam? Whatever… Cat also asks Tess what she thinks about the key. Tess concludes a “key” is never just a “key”. Cat doesn’t look eager to continue the existential discussion about keys, so she decides to go find Xavier herself. I just wanted to note that Cat never expressed any form of excitement about the “key”; and the whole business with Xavier felt more like a way of stalling than a means to an end [the end being the beast-free future with Gabe].

Xavier-beast-[ghost?]

Little did Cat know that Vincent was already tracking Xavier… the beast-way. Vincent arrives at Xavier’s apartment and, using his INCREDIBLY ILLOGICAL POWERS OF BEASTMONITION, pieces together everything that happened. He even makes eye-contact with Xavier in the vision! COME ON! Who is he now? Peter Petrelli? These tracking visions just keep getting more and more ridiculous. What’s wrong with just smelling a trail like trusty dogs do?! Anyway, Vincent walks out of the apartment and starts following the ghostly vision of Xavier [yeah, seriously] until he almost gets hit by a car. It’s Cat, who is also tracking Xavier [in a less ridiculous non-supernatural way].

After arguing about who should and shouldn’t be there for a while, Vincent finally gets inside Cat’s car. He mentions that she is solely focused on Sam, but they should be worried about Xavier too. I don’t think Cat is selfish at all, but she does have a tendency to get tunnel vision. She is too focused on apprehending Sam because she is under the illusion that arresting him will magically put her life in order. However, she is not thinking about protecting the innocent [in this case, Xavier]. In addition, there is the issue of Sam’s son. No-one knows exactly what happened but Sam went into a psychotic break for a reason and this deserves to be investigated. Sam may have turned into a bona fide criminal/psycho, but his son still deserves justice and whatever happened to him is connected to M and beasts. So… arresting Sam is NOT the end of the line. There is a lot more to consider.

Then, Cat has a light bulb moment and realizes that it was too easy for Vincent to track Xavier. Sam knows better. It’s almost too good to be true… like it was intentional. Vincent starts to argue with Cat’s logic, but she is proven right when a truck crashes into their car and flips them over. Xavier is driving the truck as part of his plan to kill [?] Vincent. Xavier-Beast approaches the car to finish the job but the accident has already attracted too much attention, so he is forced to run away. That was a seriously ineffective beast-hit. What’s the point of having a beast-minion if he is just going to [try to] kill people using human tactics like a car crash?! And if he was going to go down that road, couldn’t he shoot Vincent? That’s why effective beast-assassins are soldiers and not history teachers!

What follows is one of the greatest scenes in the history of the show and it will be impossible for me to do it justice. In summary, Vincent and Cat end up trapped and literally tangled inside the flipped over car. They attempt to get out while coping with the effects of their close proximity [I personally wouldn’t mind getting into THAT type of car accident]. There are too many people outside so they have no other choice than to wait for the rescue squad [while adorably arguing about whose fault it was]. Just then, Cat gets an untimely phone call from Gabe. After some shuffling and groping, she manages to answer her cell. Turns out Gabe found an apartment Sam rented [under his name?]. Thanks to JT they discover the apartment is right in front of a secret-not-so-secret CIA BUNKER. Then Gabe has to hear that Cat is stuck with Vincent, that she is “too close” to him, that her “leg is falling asleep” and that there is a giant saw involved. I wonder what Gabe concluded from that information! At that point, Vincent decides Cat has talked to Gabe long enough so he hangs up her phone [which I kinda loved]. Then he bursts the car door open and makes it look like the fireman is superman. They emerge from the car and start running towards Sam’s apartment and the CIA Bunker [They are going to at least get a cab, right?]

I loved this scene so much! The car crash when something significant is about to happen is one of the oldest tricks in the book. We’ve seen it thousands of times [latest examples that come to mind include Nashville, Grey’s Anatomy and Gossip Girl]. I usually hate it because it is SO cliché. However, this put a new spin on it and it was great! Instead of tragic, it was hilarious and they used the time to deliver some exposition seamlessly. Good job! [I spend so much time pointing out all the flaws in the writing, I thought it was only fair to acknowledge this outstanding scene and why it was so great from the writing POV].

Meanwhile, Xavier arrives at the CIA BUNKER. Sam tells him to go down to SUBLEVEL 20 to download something from the server. The only catch is that he has to do it without breathing because Sublevel 20 is a “NO OXYGEN FLOOR”. Since Xavier is sired to Sam, he complies. A while later, Vincent and Catherine arrive. Without hesitation, Vincent gets in the elevator. Cat tries to stop him. She doesn’t want him to risk his life for her. You can tell she is genuinely worried, which I loved.  Vincent explains that saving Xavier is not about her, it’s simply the right thing to do. Cat knows she can’t stop him, so she painfully lets him go and goes after Sam.

So Vincent rides down the elevator to sublevel 20 and… this is TOTALLY an SD-cell? Isn’t it? I mean… secret underground bunker, black-ops “CIA division”, a server [47?], a swanky elevator, C4 charges… I am not imagining this one… I am NOT! OK, maybe I am… In any case, before Vincent can find Sloane’s tastefully minimalist office [and before I start singing The Supreme Beings of Leisure – Under the gun], he spots Xavier who has collapsed in front of the server.

In the meantime, Cat finds Sam in his apartment across the street [which apparently doesn’t have a front door lock]. She walks in, points a gun at him and tries to “arrest him” Seriously? At this point? She is forced to let go of her “by-the-book-justice” ideals when she notices Sam is holding a bomb trigger. Once the download from the server is complete Sam pulls the trigger without hesitation. Cat attacks Sam and finally manages to cuff him to the radiator. She leaves but not before threatening Sam by proclaiming “If Vincent is dead, you are dead” [and I am convinced she meant it]. Fortunately, Vincent managed to pick up Xavier and get into the elevator before the bomb went off. So the world isn’t beast-free just yet.

Cat runs towards the bunker and finds Vincent giving CPR to Xavier in the middle of the wreckage. For a moment there, looks like Xavier is gone for good but Vincent refuses to give up. Finally Xavier breathes again. Cat embraces Vincent like her life depends on it and softly says “you could have died”. The power of that gesture is overwhelming. It transcends the usual sexual tension of their interactions and goes to a place of honest love and concern. Gabe and Tess arrive in time to witness the exchange, the truth of it evident: Cat can’t contemplate a life without Vincent.

LATER AT THE PRECINCT Gabe tells Sam that, on top of “identity theft”, they have enough to charge him with “domestic terrorism” now. Sam is WAY too calm about it. He remains stoic until Gabe mentions his son. Sam starts ranting about the people responsible, but all we get is that they were “playing God” and “are above the law”. There is a powerful moment when, in the middle of his madness, Sam proclaims he’d do anything to get justice for his son. He tells Gabe he couldn’t possibly understand because he doesn’t know what it is like to love someone like that. In a twisted way, I felt for Sam in that moment. [He also had some unexpected insight about Gabe not knowing what real love is… I think Sam should have been the profiler!]

After Sam is taken away, Gabe makes it pretty clear that he is upset. Cat actually apologizes, like hugging someone is a crime? OK, so that was a VERY MEANINGFUL HUG, but still… I don’t think she needed to apologize. Gabe says he is tired of being the “nice guy” even if he has to “make up for a lot”. Cat tells him that he has already “made up for everything” [LIKE HELL HE HASN’T, but I’ve already complained about this A LOT]. Finally, Gabe asks Cat if she is “with him or with Vincent”. Cat is all “I am with you… until I am not… give me an hour or so” So Gabe asks Cat to TELL Vincent they are OVER. At this point I was annoyed at Gabe for a lot of reasons [his “nice guy” act, how controlling and demanding he is, etc. etc.]; however, I guess even Gabe deserves to know where he stands in his relationship [I still don’t think he has the right to tell Catherine to do or don’t do anything!].

While Cat struggles to not lose herself in a misguided attempt at a normal life, Vincent updates us on an irrelevant plot twist: Xavier is human now! Vincent accidentally flatlined him! In JT’s words: They are just “making this crap up”. JT commends Vincent for saving the day and for all the good reasons, not just to impress a girl. He even rewards him with a gummi worm. Oh… and Sam puts a plan to escape from prison in motion. Let’s not forget about that… but I am too anxious to get to the next part.

Cat arrives at the HOUSEBOAT OF MIXED SIGNALS AND INCONCLUSIVE BREAK-UPS. Vincent is getting ready to eat his microwave dinner in less than 30 seconds. Unfortunately, he is wearing that damn robe… [Let’s be honest, this scene would have been 10X better if shirtless] Cat is there to remind him that she “is with Gabe” and they can’t see each other anymore. Vincent couldn’t be more understanding. He doesn’t even get upset. He acknowledges she is right, he tells her she deserves happiness which he cannot give her [Cat is not so sure about that].

It is obvious Cat doesn’t understand her own motives. She was probably expecting a fight and when she doesn’t get one, she starts internally arguing with herself until all her insecurities surface. Vincent basically says good bye, he walks closer and tells her to “take care”.  She nods and doesn’t move an inch… If that wasn’t an invitation for him to make a move… I don’t know what is. They look into each other’s eyes for a charged moment and finally he seems to say “screw it” and kisses her. There is a moment of hesitation where I thought she was going to walk away but she doesn’t have the strength to do it. SHE kisses him again [intensely] and it is perfectly fitting for the situation. It wasn’t like their previous kisses, it was desperate and raw. Vincent picks her up and carries her to his bedroom. END OF EPISODE.

Apologies to everyone who disagrees [remember this is just an opinion!], but I personally loved this scene [and yes, I watched it like 20 times on loop]. I felt it was emotional, it was completely unexpected and it wasn’t idyllic. It wasn’t a romantic kiss on the rooftop or at gala; it was spontaneous and imperfect like their relationship at the moment. I know some people have issues with it because Cat was technically with Gabe… but come on, it’s not like they were married and Cat was never really “with Gabe”. She knew it and Gabe knew it better than anyone, which is why he was trying so hard to force his way in and get Vincent out of the picture.

I thought the ending of this episode was romantic, precisely because it was imperfect. I believe it is more compelling to watch someone love another person despite him/her being deeply flawed as opposed to two perfect people in love. In this case, I think the flaws go both ways. As Cat herself acknowledges “they have both made mistakes”. (*) Whatever the case, it marked the first step towards Vincent and Catherine back together and we gotta love that.

I thought this was a great episode. Overall, it had great scenes, natural dialogue and moderate exposition. I had very few issues with the writing and that’s a big plus. As usual, you are welcome to share your point of view in the comments, facebook and twitter. Thanks again for reading and putting up with all my TV references! [I am aware I watch an insane amount of TV! I can find TV references in every aspect of life!] I just hope I can entertain you, even if you don't completely agree!

(*) I kept going back to a line from Sons of Anarchy. Paraphrasing it said something like: “If I could stop loving you I would, but I can’t”. I always thought that not so romantic line showed the deepest kind of love. Not having the will to stop loving someone even if they are deeply flawed. You may respond or not to this type of story [I personally do], but you can’t deny the feelings are there.

QUOTES

JT: Yep, that’s how I lure the ladies

Tess: Gabe kept you up last night? / Cat: No… Vincent did

MORE RECAPS