RECAP: Beauty and the Beast – Season 2 Episode 17– Beast is the New Black

“Holding someone’s heart” is not always a romantic metaphor

Vincent gets arrested, but it is OK because he can totally pull off an orange jumpsuit. Meanwhile, Catherine manages to finally find herself; Gabe acknowledges that he is a vulture and Tess takes up grave digging as a new hobby. Beast definitely is the new black and convicts are the new “eligible bachelors”… apparently. At least in TV Land.

The episode starts right where we left off. Vincent getting arrested for Curt Windsor’s murder [and looking too fine for a man in jeopardy…] Catherine tries to protest but the detectives just take her disconcerted boyfriend away and slam the door in her face. Outside, Vincent is dragged to the squad car while he FREEZES TO DEATH. Would it have killed them to drape a coat over him? But WHAT am I saying? I keep complaining about the unnecessary bathrobe from hell. Less clothes  =  good. I needed a minute to remember that…

Anyway, Catherine comes out running. She tries to stop Vincent’s arrest with a plethora of lame arguments that include “extenuating circumstances” and “he didn’t do it!” [Which also happens to be a lie]. She is obviously afraid of Vincent beasting out and then getting sent to a very different kind of prison [the kind where they either dissect you or turn you into a killing machine]. Vincent finally is taken away, but he manages to tell Catherine to get him the beast-Stone.

As the police car drives away, Catherine takes out her phone to call JT. She is such a nervous wreck that she drops her badge in the middle of the street. JT is with Tess [in bed] when Cat calls. Tess panics because she doesn’t want Cat to know she is there. JT tries to play it cool and says “it was only one night” [ouch]. Finally, he picks up the phone and gets bombarded with the bad news. Cat tells him that she NEEDS the gem [and no, unfortunately, it has nothing to do with role playing] and that she is on her way to the 95^th PRECINCT to intercept Vincent’s lab work.

Cat walks into the precinct looking like she is crazy and/or homeless, tells the reception cop she is a detective and demands to see Vincent. All would be perfectly fine, if she hadn’t lost her badge! So, instead of crazy/maybe-on-drugs cop she looks like a crazy-most-likely-on-drugs-woman [and yes, somehow, she still looks gorgeous].

Getting the damn gem should be a pretty straight-forward task if anyone other than Vincent knew where it was! So they all start wondering: “If I were a beast, where would I hide my miraculous-kryptonite-gem?” JT doesn’t know the answer to that question. So, out of frustration, he decides to call Gabe and remind him that he is a “son of a bitch”.  Gabe must get that type of phone calls a lot, because he doesn’t even react like it is an odd occurrence. He just says “wrong number”. JT makes it clear that the SOB message is meant for him. Then he tells him to get his ADA ass to the 95^th or ELSE! And yes, JT actually manages to sound quite menacing!

Meanwhile, Vincent gets booked and strip-searched [but nothing too graphic because this is network TV]. OK… I obviously feel bad for Vincent getting arrested… but I can’t lie! I found the whole V in jail thing very hot. Not too long ago I was asked to pick my Top TV crushes of all times. Among my choices I had: Vincent [duh], Michael Scofield from Prison Break, Jax Teller from Sons of Anarchy and Hood from Banshee… notice a pattern? They’ve all been in jail. So… apparently I like men in jail… Go figure…  [just to clarify I am referring to TV-MEN not RL-men. I prefer those out of jail].

As Vincent completes the MOST APPEALING BOOKING IN CRIMINAL HISTORY, Cat keeps trying to get inside the precinct. Unfortunately, all she manages to do is sound crazier and show her gun to the reception cop. So, on top of looking crazy, she escalates to looking “crazy, armed and dangerous”. Just as they are about to grab Cat and put her in a strait-jacket, Gabe arrives to “save the day”. He flashes his ADA ID [which according to this show is the equivalent to a golden ticket in Willy Wonka-land] and demands that they let Cat in. Cat’s not above getting help from the guy she just dumped, so she runs inside.

Vincent is escorted to an… infirmary-cell [?] where they get ready to take DNA and blood samples [yes, the orange jumpsuit was TOTALLY doing it for me… I have issues…] Vincent can’t really say he doesn’t want samples taken due to his not-so-human-DNA so he goes with a simpler excuse: “afraid of needles”. But seriously what was he expecting to get with THAT excuse? If lame excuses like that worked, then everyone arrested would be “claustrophobic”! Anyway, as soon as the nurse gets ready to take his blood, he beasts out, sends the guard flying and retreats to a corner.

In the meantime, Cat finally gets inside the locker room and steals a uniform [because that’s not illegal at all]. While she [illegally] changes costumes, Gabe tries to convince her that he had nothing to do with Vincent’s arrest. Gabe claims that he is going to “help Vincent” because he wants to “level the Plainfield” and THEN he can win Cat in a proper duel or something like that. Now, that’s just stupid.

BACK AT PRISONERS’ INTAKE, three guards are getting ready to take on the big bad beast. Vincent is on the verge of losing control and starts thinking about Catherine. Just then, Catherine walks in. She tells the guards that she is a “visualization expert” called in to help with Vincent’s belonephobia. And… they actually believe her.

Catherine approaches Vincent and starts talking in “code” about the gem. He starts referring to it as his hidden “bliss” and how Catherine can get it for him and… yes, at some point, it starts sounding really dirty. I can’t believe the guards didn’t figure out something fishy was going by listening to a conversation that included “dungeons”, “gems” and a “hidden bliss”. Those three are NEVER upgrading to cops and/or detectives. In any case, Vincent is reluctant to tell Cat where the gem is, which doesn’t make any sense because he asked for it in the first place! Finally, he tells her that the gem is hidden in his brother’s headstone.

While Cat and Vincent visualize gemstones, Gabe reaches out to his contacts at the D.A. office. Gabe making himself useful is something I always find suspicious. Tess and JT arrive [separately] as Cat comes out of prisoner’s intake. JT is too worried about his best friend’s arrest and he clearly doesn’t have the energy to cover up his transportation methods. Between the stress of Vincent, the pressure of his non-relationship and Gabe pretending to be a “good guy”; it’s too much for JT to take. He finally explodes and ends up telling everyone that he and Tess slept together. And yes, even with the amount of tension… it was sort of funny.

Later, the girls go grave digging and Tess lets Cat know that she only slept with JT one time… and then another time. I am not sure what her point was… “It was just a two-night-probably-more-to-come stand”? Tess starts asking all the obvious questions about how they are going to smuggle and hide the GIGANTIC BEAST-KRYPTONITE GEM. Cat doesn’t want to hear it; she just needs to believe everything is going to be all right. I feel for Cat, we all become unreasonable when we are desperate; but I also feel for Tess. I don’t think she was being selfish. I think she was just trying to be supportive, but kept doing and saying the wrong thing throughout the episode.

"I am gonna get yelled at a lot in this ep, aren't I?"

The fact is, Vincent actually committed the crime and he might get a life sentence. He wouldn’t survive that and Cat doesn’t think she would survive it either. Ironic, considering that not so long ago Cat was all for a “beast-free-life”, but we all knew that was a total lie/delusion. Tess tries to make Cat feel better by telling her that they “are not some newbie couple, they are epic” and they can overcome anything. Tess also tells Cat that she is truly worried about Vincent because two people that she cares about would be devastated if he is sent to jail. Aw. I really liked the way they wrote Tess in this scene. I feel her character wasn’t comprehensive enough at some points in the season… and there was the whole #TeamGabe nonsense… but EVERYONE was guilty of that particular crime! [even Vincent]. Anyway… after digging for a while, they find the gem [plus some money and a passport] in one of the graves.

But the bad news are not over. Gabe’s contact at the DA office sent him a file and, apparently, they have pictures of Vincent dumping Windsor’s body… [it was back in the day when beasts had seriously questionable crime-committing-skills, remember?]. So looks like the evidence isn’t that circumstantial after all… Hey, at least JT is not in the pictures. Cat has an idea for the defence: Vincent didn’t kill Windsor, he just came across him when he was dying and tried to help, but failed. He didn’t report the incident due to his amnesia/PTSD or something. Then, they make Vincent look good by telling the judge that he “saved Tori” [did he really?], which is just stupid because then they would start wondering where the hell Tori is and probably accuse him of killing her too! So… not the best defence… but fine, let’s say it falls under the “reasonable doubt” category except… they found Windsor’s heart inside Vincent’s fridge…. Wait WHAT? They conclude Bob is most likely behind it, because Gabe doesn’t collect organs [are we sure about that? He does collect medieval weapons… where are those BTW?]

Cat confronts Bob at the PRISON OF MISGUIDED PROTECTIVE FATHERS and tries to trick him into confessing, but he is shrewd enough to realize she was recording the conversation on her phone. Bob doesn’t admit to anything, but the new working theory is that he paid someone to put ONE TREE BEAST’S heart inside Vincent’s fridge. I gotta say… I felt proud of Bob at that moment. You know how much I love morally ambiguous dads and he was kinda losing his edge…. Anyway, Bob tells Cat to move on and find a less incarcerated boyfriend. Cat tells him they “will survive” and leaves.

BACK AT THE PRISON OF SEXIEST UNJUSTLY CONVICTED CRIMINALS, “Dr. Forbes” arrives to “retake some samples”. I am SERIOUSLY concerned about the American penal system. How easy is it to escape/infiltrate a prison facility?! According to this, VERY. Let’s hope this is not art imitating life... As soon as Vincent sits down, Detective Vargas “from IA” takes MILLER THE GULLIBLE GUARD away to talk about some case. JT gives Vincent the gem and tells him that he swapped his blood with his own. All JT needs to do now is avoid getting arrested, which is not as easy as it sounds considering he keeps hacking the government and breaking into places. Vincent notes all the risks they are taking and JT is all “I know… we are awesome, aren’t we? We totally got your back buddy” which is NOT what a person with a tremendous martyr complex needs to hear. So… obviously, Vincent decides to confess and plead guilty… Oh Vincent…

After learning this, Cat visits Vincent in jail and tells him that she is tired of all the men in her life doing misguided things to “protect her”… She does have a point. Think about it: Evan, Daddy Chandler, Gabe, Daddy Bob and of course Vincent and his “you are better off without me” chronic behavior. But I have to stop and say that I REALLY love prison visitation scenes! There is something about the heightened emotion and the impediment of the glass barrier that makes them very compelling. I vividly remember some of my favorites on Alias, Prison Break, The Killing and Prisoners’ wives. This scene is definitely one of the memorable ones too.

Cat wants to stop Vincent from confessing. He reminds her that just a few days ago, she was all about “moving forward with her life” and he wants to give her a chance to do just that. Cat realizes that he is not backing down, so she does the only thing she knows will stop Vincent. She tells him that if he goes down, she will go down with him (by coming forward as a witness). Vincent objects because this would implicate Catherine in the murder and most likely destroy her career/life. Cat simply tells him she loves him [“no but”] and leaves. Awww…  Vincent doesn’t waste any time. He goes back inside and starts a fight [but doesn’t fight back]. Sidenote: no-one should look that good in an orange jumpsuit… it is almost against nature…

Cat asks Gabe to corroborate her “self-defense” story because the testimony of Vincent’s rival would be more credible. She tries to win Gabe over by telling him that this is about “truth above all”, “doing the right thing” and “redeeming themselves in the eyes of the law”. Aw… Cat, I love you, but that was B.S. Maybe Cat wants to believe all that, but she won’t have any problems lying and breaking the law for Vincent in the near future. Still, can’t blame the girl for trying… But yeah, asking someone to ruin his career/face criminal charges to save his “rival” is probably little much.

Speaking of desperate plans… Vincent’s idea was to get beat up and sent to the hospital. That way, he could easily escape from the ambulance. This makes a hell of a lot more sense than Sam’s infirmary miraculous break. Vincent gets rid of the gem, beasts out and neutralizes the ONE GUARD (Gullible Miller) without any issues [because he is a beast and security was insufficient even for a human]. Then he blurs away into the streets of NYC [wearing the not conspicuous at all orange jumpsuit].As all of this unfolds, Cat meets with the lawyer Gabe recommended. [Why people are still accepting help from Gabe is beyond me]. Gabe shows up mid-meeting, suggesting he might be willing to come forward too [I don’t buy it]. However, Gabe never gets the chance to upgrade from pseudo-nice-guy to SAINT because they are interrupted by the breaking news that Cat’s imprisoned boyfriend just became a fugitive.

He is an ADA with a magical badge, she is a
visualization superhero #badbuddycopshowideas

Gabe and Cat arrive at the “scene of the prison ambulance break”. For some reason, Cat decides that it is a good idea to antagonize Detective Flannery, who technically is just doing his job [unaware that he has become an accidental beast hunter]. Detective Flannery tries to explain the gravity of the situation to Cat, but she cuts him off when he mentions “a guard with hallucinations”. To make it even worst, the aforementioned guard (Gullible Miller) is speaking to a reporter. Cat approaches Miller and slips back into her “visualization expert” cover. Gullible Miller doesn’t seem to notice that “Cat-the-visualization-expert” is not even wearing a uniform and HAS NO REASON to be there. Maybe Miller thought that she is some kind of superhero that shows up every time someone is in need of pleasant images and hallucination control.

BACK AT THE GUILD, JT refuses to believe Vincent planned his own escape until he realizes he did it to protect his girlfriend, which makes him VERY upset [If you are going to out-martyr the martyr DON’T TELL HIM ABOUT IT!] Cat is trying to stay positive and wants to focus on clearing Vincent’s name, but JT tells her that she needs to face reality. Vincent left to protect them and he IS NOT coming back. We keep worrying about what Vincent’s fate will do to Cat and we often forget about JT [whose life has been dedicated to protecting Vincent for over a decade]. If you think about it, JT’s worst fear from the moment Cat came into Vincent’s life was that she was going to put him in danger and he would be forced to leave. That fear has become reality, so yeah… I think he has the right to freak out too. After exploding on Cat, JT leaves and Tess instantly goes after him [which should be interpreted a sign that she cares, but everyone is too busy and upset to notice].

Tess follows JT all the way to the Keller boys’ graves and wonders why the cemetery is suddenly her new hang out. JT is not being nice to Tess at all, so she asks if he is still upset about the carpool negation thing. JT doesn’t want to talk about it because he has more present concerns, like coming to terms with losing his best friend in the world. I totally empathize with JT; however, Tess has a point too. They haven’t really had time to discuss their “non-relationship” so he doesn’t even know how she truly feels and everyone just keeps yelling at her. JT realizes she might have a point, but first he has a grave to dig.

Cat and Gabe go to the dungeon to see if there is a Beast hiding there. No luck. Gabe is uncharacteristically quiet [in other words, not talking about what an awesome guy he is] and Cat asks what is wrong with him. He says he doesn’t want to sound like a “vulture waiting to swoop in”[so why is he there?]Then Gabe shares his true feelings: He thinks that Vincent left out of self-preservation rather than concern for Cat. In a nutshell, Gabe thinks Vincent is a selfish jerk. Er… has he MET Vincent? He is annoyingly selfless… Anyway, Gabe concludes that he really “does sound like a vulture” [he said it himself and I am NOT going to argue]. Just then, Cat gets a call from JT to tell her the money/passports are gone so looks like Vincent is gone gone.

A very depressed Catherine goes back to her apartment and finds her beast waiting for her in the rooftop [yay!], but he quickly informs her that he is there to “say good bye” [no!] Vincent doesn’t want Cat to throw away her life for him blah blah. She reminds him that “sacrifice for love” is a two way street but, truth is, they have too many things working against them. Vincent asks for one last night with her and… NO-ONE is ever going to deny him that, right? Cat accepts, but she is not going down that easily. She calls JT and tells him he has one night to figure out a way to save Vincent while they… well you, know are doing other stuff.

DIY with Vincent: How to create a romantic fantasy in 1 min
or less with items you have at home. The fugitive guide to
swooning on a budget [while running from the law]

Vincent and Catherine go inside and realize that Cat has a very well-lit apartment! Good for Sunday brunch and scrapbooking parties; not so good when you have a fugitive boyfriend. So Vincat are forced to spend their last night inside the tiny bathroom. Not the most romantic place, but Vincent will make do. He asks Cat for her phone and starts playing the song they danced at her father’s wedding [aw], then he takes off his shoes [unfortunately he stops there] and asks Cat for a dance, inside the shower, with water running, fully clothed. I would normally roll my eyes at a scene like this [with so many layers of fluff] but not this time! I was too busy swooning and yes, I LOVED IT. It started out so cute and then it got so hot. *Sighs*

But… as usual, Vincat’s happiness is short-lived. Vincent suddenly looks up and announces that there is someone at the front door [shockingly not Heather this time]. It’s Gabe. Ug. At least he is there with some useful information: He found out who Reynolds used for his organ delivery service (an ex-convict named HARRY SALVO). Cat gets super excited and calls for Vincent who walks into the room just as he is slipping on a dry shirt [I loved that he did that. In your face Gabe!] Vincent seems cautious and doesn’t want to get his hopes up, which is probably wise because when Cat and Gabe arrive at Salvo’s apartment all they find is a dead organ-smuggler. So… that was a useless detour…

Next step is to confront Bob and he seems genuinely surprised when he hears Salvo is dead. Bob raises an interesting point: Vincent’s escape is all over the news, which means the M-related people know he is out there… and these people don’t like loose ends. The theory is confirmed when Gabe gets word that GULLIBLE MILLER was found “dead”. Cat doesn’t feel like getting another dating lecture from her dad so she just goes, leaving Gabe and Bob alone… Never a good idea to leave two borderline psychos with God complexes alone…

Cat goes back to her apartment and informs Vincent that they have to run. Vincent doesn’t want to pull his girlfriend into his Harrison Ford movie; however, Catherine has finally figured out what she wants [she found herself! I feel like I should throw a party…] She explains that she was trying to “move forward” but she never knew where she was going. All she truly wants is to be with him and maybe what she needs is to take the final step and just leave her life behind, “unless he doesn’t want to”. Vincent tells her that she is “his gem” and he “wants to take her everywhere with him”, but he thinks it is too much to ask. Catherine tells him it is NOT his decision to make… unfortunately, the cops are about to “decide” for both of them because they are there! With choppers and all! So their “who can sacrifice the most battle” will have to wait until next week.       

Cat concludes that she can’t come with him because she would slow him down. Not being able to jump from rooftop to rooftop is very inconvenient when running away from the law… However she promises Vincent that they “will find each other” [Heh Alias line!]. Vincent finally agrees and gets ready to leave but cuffs Catherine to a chair. He mentions it is the “fourth” time he has tied her up… [so yes, go ahead and count them… we only know of 3 so the 4th had to be “recreational”] He kisses her and leaves just as the cops barge in.

A defeated Cat goes to tell JT that Vincent is gone. They mutually try to comfort each other but they are clearly devastated and scared that they won’t see him again. Finally they hug. It was incredibly emotional. I think Catherine and JT share a very special connection. Cat loves JT because he’s been the greatest friend Vincent could ever have; and, even though, JT initially thought Cat was only trouble he knows how much she loves Vincent and that she is the key to his happiness, so he loves her too.

Later, JT goes to the precinct to see Tess. He explains that even though he had been preparing to lose Vincent for over a decade, it still hurt when it happened. Regardless, he is sorry he took it out on Tess because she means more to him than a “one two-time-thing”. Tess explains she wasn’t trying to hide their “non-relationship”, she just didn’t know how to tell Cat. JT understands and concludes that a fight upgrades them to an “actual relationship”. Tess decides to cement their new “relationship status” by having a drink in public. I gotta say, this scene was very sweet... As I mentioned before, I wasn’t all for this couple. I don’t dislike JT&T [they can be very cute], but I didn’t think they were a “necessary couple” [plus I am usually against sidekicks getting together because it is TOO convenient]. However, this episode got me thinking. Tess had a history of being against beast drama. She was supportive of Cat because she was her best friend, but she didn’t have a personal investment. If she has a relationship with JT, she has another reason to be involved… I think this situation worked in her character’s favor.

CUT TO Gabe having an uber creepy scorned –lover-soon-to-become-serial-killer scene. He is in his apartment, sitting in the shadows and watching the news of  “fugitive Keller” while ceremoniously sipping a glass of scotch.

Meanwhile, Vincent leaves the city of New York behind, but he stops and longingly looks behind. [Maybe he is not ready to leave yet] Cat tries to fall asleep when she hears a tap in the window. She excitedly gets up expecting to see Vincent but… she is grabbed and abducted by a couple of masked men. END OF EPISODE.

I LOVE this episode. It is one of my favorites of the entire show, it might even be my favorite [definitely top 3]. It had so many good things going for it. Lovely “aw” moments, some sexy moments, action, twists and great lines. Not perfect… because this isn’t premium cable, but it was pretty great. I feel like I didn’t do it justice with my recap. Sometimes I think bad episodes make for better recaps [more stuff to mock!], but I tried!

QUOTES

JT: Well, I posted that photo of you in my bed on Instagram…

Gabe: For the record, I have not been holding onto organs in case you and Vincent get back together

Vincent: I like older women

Catherine: I love you… no but.

JT: It’s a Harrison Ford movie over there

JT: Stop JT-ing me

Catherine: I don’t know whether to kiss you or throw you off this roof

Catherine: I am risking everything because I LOVE YOU

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TVEmpress

The TV Empress is a Media Management graduate, screenwriter in the making (and financial engineer in the meantime). She has serious plans to take over global television. You can follow the TVEmpress on twitter @TVRepublik