RECAPLETTE: Beauty and the Beast - S3E5 - The Most Dangerous Beast

Codependency could kill you, but concert tickets might save your life

Another day, another episode… the EXACT SAME “relationship issue” from last week. Basically, Vincent and Catherine are still trying to break their co-dependency habits. This involves limited texting, focusing on their separate jobs and buying concert tickets. Concert tickets are important … apparently.

Vincent goes upstate NY to cure the poor or the geographically challenged or something while Cat stays behind to do some police work with new partner WESLEY ATCHINSON, like “itch with an A”. He kind of reminds me of Darius… [maybe Heather should date him]. Unfortunately for the new detective, he is not going to get much training from Cat [she is no Oliver, that’s for sure], because she is too busy obsessing about Carol. Surprisingly, Cat’s obsession is justified. Bob and Carol ARE still plotting to kill them. Their evil plan is to get Vincat when they are at their weakest: AKA not together. The lesson here being that “bad things happen when you break the co-dependency cycle”?

Meanwhile, JT has been investigating Bob and Carol and he has learned the following: “Bob and Carol can slow down their heart rates and speed up their brain processing power to such an extent they see the world in slo-motion” So…. Basically a bunch of information WE ALREADY KNEW. Well, except for the “slowing their hearts bit” [that will be important]. 

Carol doesn’t want to off Cat in broad daylight because openly killing cops is too much hassle. So she comes up with a convoluted plan that basically goes like this:

Step 1: Kill innocent in front of Il Cantuccio [I am shocked that place is still in business. Who rebuilt it after the beast-brawl BTW?]

Step 2: Plant rare meth on the recently killed innocent

Step 3: Lure Cat to ex-meth lab and kill her

In the meantime, Bob goes after Vincent. His tactic is to hurt an innocent, make DR. VINCENT KELLER come to the rescue and then… not kill him… They need Vincent alive, but only if he is the beast they need. Eh… he is the ONLY beast, so I wouldn’t get picky at this point. But Bob IS picky. So he starts “testing” Vincent. The first test is a “beast morality test”. Vincent passes with flying colors when he saves the innocent [only to watch him get killed by Bob 2 minutes later]. The second test involves Vincent beasting out. According to Bob, Vincent also passes this test; although I have no clue how since the only thing that Vincent did was get tranqued and captured. That is not “the most dangerous Beast” behaviour.

BACK IN NEW YORK, Cat and Atchinson follow the very special meth to the only place where they cooked it. Of course the meth lab is no more and instead of finding Jesse Pinkman, they are greeted by Carol’s sniper gun. Atchinson is hurt, but manages to escape. Cat stays behind to face the superhuman assassin all by her lonesome [yeah that was smart]. By the time Cat enters the warehouse, Carol has apparently run out of bullets because instead of you know… shooting Cat, she engages her in a PRE ASS-KICKING ENDLESS CONVERSATION detailing everything that has happened and will happen to their respective partners. At this point, Cat conveniently remembers JT’s “super-snipers biology lesson”. Carol can  “see” the world in slow motion, so Cat takes away her ability to see by smashing the lights. Carol can’t see and Cat wins the fight! [because Cat CAN see in the dark?].

While Cat was super-sniper hunting without backup, JT discovered that Bob was after his best-bud. JT goes to Vincent’s rescue, even though he is “just a guy who heals himself”. Just in case he dies, he calls Tess to tell her he loves her. When Tess gets the message she completely loses it and tells Carol that if her boyfriend dies she is going to kill her. I quite liked the irony of Tess’s reaction. Cat lives in fear of what might happen to Vincent and Tess is always telling her to relax. But when it is her boyfriend who is in danger, it’s not so easy to calm down, is it? [I wish she had acknowledged this at some point].

BACK AT THE FOREST OF FAILED BEAST CAPTURES, JT puts in practice his [very stupid] plan: Get run over by Bob to trigger Vincent’s Beast. So… JT’s plan is to basically make Vincent save himself? The plan sort of works. V goes code yellow, breaks his shackles and kills Bob. Then he has some issues going back to his human self. Thank God Cat is not there to give the SANCTIMONIOUS SPEECH OF THE WEEK! Oh wait… JT IS there to deliver it by proxy: “Cat’s love blah blah blah” Why was JT trying to talk him down exactly? Bob was already dead and I don’t think Vincent was about to attack him, was he? And while we are on the subject… does everyone believe Vincent is utterly incapable of doing anything by himself? [saving his own life, unbeasting e.g.] Let the man have some beast autonomy! 

In any case, Cat and Tess learn that their boyfriends are still alive. They go to the interrogation room to let Carol know that she was not so lucky. Carol doesn’t even wait for them to deliver the news. She knows. So she stops her heart and dies. Cat is all “oh she died from love” and everyone around her just accepts it… Seriously? No-one even thought of calling 911? Or go “What do you mean she STOPPED her heart?” That precinct has issues. 

The episode ends on a sweet note. JT doesn’t heal instantly, but he sort of does. However, he thinks he might have used up the serum. I am hoping this is not the end of it because what would be the point? Tess visits him and before leaving makes sure to mention in passing that she loves him too. Aw… and that was so Tess.

Back and Il Cantuccio Vincent and Catherine get concert tickets. Concert tickets are important. They are a metaphor… OK maybe not.

END OF EPISODE

There were moments [and lines] on this episode I liked, however I had trouble with several aspects. I thought Carol and Bob went down too quickly [and too easily].  I wish they had just captured them. Bob and Carol in jail, who wouldn’t want to see that? Moreover I felt the episode had unnecessary scenes with way too much exposition [and of facts we already know!]. I wouldn’t say I disliked it completely, but overall not my favourite.

But my main issue is that – again – I was underwhelmed by the V/C aspect of the episode. The whole co-dependency issue was already used last week and this episode tackled it very superficially. I absolutely adore those two and their scenes were still very cute, but this season has yet to deliver a “moment”. Many years from now when I think of BATB I won’t remember every detail. I will remember the art studio scene, the museum kiss, Cat breathing out as Vincent gets taken by the helicopter. Cat and Vincent buying concert tickets? Not one for the history books.

QUOTES

“That’s what he needs to be doing with his time, not figuring out the mythological mysteries of Catherine Chandler” – Tess about JT

“What is it gonna be ‘beastie boy’?” – Bob

“You are just a dude who heals himself” – Tess to JT

“If JT is dead, you are dead” – Tess

Tess: Why do I feel like I am having a heart attack?/ Cat: That’s probably because you are dating a hypochondriac