Beauty and the Beast - 2.13 - Till Death - Review: Therein lies the rub.

‘Therein lies the rub.’

Together we can save BATB

#SaveBATB – Important Trend Event - A Match Made in Heaven

Spend Valentine’s Day weekend fighting for the epic love that is VinCat! All the information can be found here.

#Save BATB – Talk Show Appearances – Get BATB on Wendy Williams

I know a talk show that is hip, popping, geared to our exact demo. It also has a large devoted audience as well as a lovable and outspoken host. I’m talking about The Wendy Williams Show. Did you know the show airs in over 52 countries around the world? Did you also know that Ms. Wendy is a sucker for an underdog? If we manage this, it would be a huge deal.

I'm not stopping there either, if successful, I plan on doing it all over again to get BATB on The Talk, The View and Kelly & Michael.

Want to join us? For more information on how to participate please visit my blog.

We’re going to need a whole lot of beasties to make it work so please spread this across all the social media platforms you can think of (Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Get Glue, etc.).

Don't sit around wishing you could make a difference, get involved!

Time to beast up and roar louder than ever before!

Friendly Reminders

•Don’t forget to live tweet with the show (@cwbatb) every Monday night at 9 PM EST/8PM Central on The CW.

•Trend events begin at 6 PM EST and end around 1 AM EST.

•The official hashtag according to Nielsen and Trendrr is STILL #BATB.

•Also remember to only use two hashtags in your tweets, otherwise it is filtered out as spam.

The Recap and Review

Title: Till Death | Teleplay by Sherri Cooper & Jennifer Levin/Story by Roger Grant| Directed by: Stuart Gillard
Synopsis: CAT AND VINCENT’S FEELINGS FOR ONE ANOTHER RE-SURFACE — In an effort to track down Sam’s captor, Vincent and Cat have to work together on Valentine’s Day, which forces Cat to evaluate whether she wants to be in a relationship with Gabe.
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My thought on this week’s writing team...

Man, was it good to have Sherri and Jenny back. It feels like forever since we’ve seen them. I absolutely adore the way they made the bromance sing and come to life. However, the gal pals were a little off. I also think that there were some nods to what’s going on behind the scenes if you look hard enough. I’m shocked at the choices they made but this show is their baby so I will give them the benefit of the doubt and enjoy what’s left of the ride they’ve planned. The dialogue was top notch and of course they threw in an explosion because well we haven’t had one in a while. I also love how they gave some more wind to the JTnT ship. I like that they opened up the world of the show a little and gave us a few new sets as well as we got to experience a more full day in the life of our favorite characters. I did find the pacing a tad bit off as well as the reveal and motivation but I’m sure there’s more to the story so I’ll wait for the bigger picture to be revealed before I comment fully.

My thoughts on this week’s directorial execution...

Stuart Gillard always brings the best out in everyone when he directs and this week was no exception. I love the mixture of lighting techniques that were employed. I also like that he managed to set a different mood with each and every set change. The way he frames his scenes are kind of genius. In short, I really love when Mr. Gillard directs.
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Cat – Yet another week of me wanting to say no comment and be done with the character of Cat. She still has yet to be relatable to me with her choice to be with Gabe. Cat lives in New York City. She is attractive, single and successful. I’m pretty sure there are tons of guys who haven’t tried to kill your ex and kidnapped you that would love a chance to woo you. I will give Cat bonus points for her finally saying what I (and quite a few other Beasties) have yelling at our screen for, oh 13 episodes now in regards to Gabe and how his past actions need to be addressed. I’m just going to throw this out there, a woman does not owe a man anything for his kindness, especially when that kindness is only there because he did something wrong. There is nothing wrong with forgiving a person for their transgressions but you should never forget what a person is a capable of. How does that saying go? Fool me once shame on you…

Dana Landon – Well, at least she didn’t turn out to be the villain. It’s a shame they rushed her backstory with a small info dump about her son and how she and Sam were on the rocks before he was “killed”/”went missing”. I’m sad that she didn’t get her happy ending but at least we will be getting more Tom Scott Everett as Sam Landon.

Gabe – Is this the final nail in the coffin for ‘Bad Guy Gabe’? I hope not. Gabe is so boring now that he spends every single frame of his screen time obsessing over Cat. Gabe still seems awfully shady. I just can’t shake the feeling that he is up to no good. Maybe I’m over analyzing or simply re-watching the episode too much, to the point where any and everything and everyone seems suspicious. I knew it was too good to be true that Gabe would be exposed as the bad guy. The question I really want to ask is that after this episode why Gabe would still want to be with Cat. Or better yet, why would he want to still hang out with people who were so quick to believe the worse about him after “everything” he has done for them?

JT – JT’s new nickname should be ‘King of the Pep Talks’. I still say that the relationship between JT and Vincent should be way more tense than what it is. But I’m kind of glad that it isn’t since VinCat is still a mess. If JT and Vincent were on the outs not only would not be able to get into Vincent’s head, I highly doubt we would get any JT screen time. I do feel as though JT is overcompensating, as he should be but at the same time, short of finding a cure for beasts, he’s really done more than enough for Vincent at this point. I think now that Vincent is out of the shadows JT should be too and moving on with his life. JT was the heart and soul of the episode and I’m glad things seem to be getting back to normal on that front.

Sam Landon – We all knew he was shady and I’m glad it didn’t take Team Beastie long to figure it out either. His plan was sheer genius and made me squeal like a pig with delight. They also gave us some heavy background for the Landons. I’m very pleased that they do indeed know what an archeologist does and elaborated on how and why he was able to coach JT from the bench.

Tess – Tess wasn’t out of character so, there’s that. Not much was really written for Tess this week. The character boiled down to a very limited supporting background character which is a shame but the story really didn’t call for what Tess is best at so I’ll let it slide. Bonus points that she got so much screen time with JT.

Vincent – It’s a shame that it took Tori dying for Vincent to be more likable or maybe that was the whole point of the character. Vincent is a really amazing friend to Cat. He pointed out all the things that if I did not know what Gabe had done, I would totally tell Cat. It’s even more encouraging that he is still protective while not being jealous. Part of me wishes he had not saved Gabe but he literally had to since Cat was there, which was the point of that scene.

VinCat – Wait, can I say no comment here? Would you be mad? No, I will go ahead and address it. As I said last week, I’m on board with Cat and Vincent being friends and learning to openly communicate without fear of saying or doing the wrong thing because that will build a strong foundation for whenever they get back together but come on, episode 16 (aka our hiatus) is right around the corner. They keep telling us VinCat will be back on track by then. That’s three episodes and four weeks away from now. I’m a fan of things happening organically and having credibility. So it pains me to say unless there is a significant time jump VinCat getting back together again won’t be believable for me. Vincent still has a long road of redemption before he can be anywhere near worthy of being with Cat again. Cat still needs a lot of work to do in regards to figuring who she is and what she wants and why she makes some of the terrible choices she does (cough, Gabe, cough). I think Vincent is showing way more growth than Cat at this point but she doesn’t nearly as much to make up for Vincent does. I think that once Vincent finds a place in the world and JT and Cat are not his only lifelines then and only then will Vincent be on equal footing with Cat and able to have a healthy relationship.

Grade: B-

Awards

Character of the Night
• Vincent wins this one hands down. I really appreciate that it seems that Vincent is growing as a person, has a handle on his beastly nature and truly wants Cat to be happy even if that means that he can't be with her. I love how Vincent is being a good friend. But honestly, it must be pretty damn annoying to have your ex's new relationship and all your shortcomings constantly rubbed in your face.

Best Character Interactions
• Vincent and JT
• JT and Tess

Favorite Moments
1. We open the episode with a shot of Sally (Cat’s blue Mustang). What? I have a thing for cars.
2. Vincent is still in big, fluffy, comfy robe
3. I believe Vincent was making his favorite sandwich
4. Cat’s flashbacks of Gabe
5. Team Beastie meeting minus Gabe at the Gentlemen’s Club.
6. Cat’s heart beat when talking about Gabe to Vincent.
7. The precinct’s new boss takes some of Tess’s chocolate.

Favorite Lines
1. Cat: That actually makes sense considering how the last one ended. No offense.
Vincent: None taken.
2. Tess: The good news is I saved our jobs.
3. Vincent: I like balloons.
4. Vincent: 87? I don’t think Barnes is trying to make octogenarian beasts.
5. JT: What? I watch a lot of CSI.

Favorite Scenes
1. JT gives Vincent a pep talk peppered with ‘Les Miserable’ references.
2. Cat and Vincent chat about Gabe
3. Gabe and Vincent have a chat about Cat
4. Cat and Dana talk about Sam
5. JT confesses to Tess he was the one who sent the flowers, balloons and chocolates.
6. Vincent breaks into Gabe’s apartment.
7. Vincent confronts Gabe about finding the serum in his apartment.

Burning Questions
1. Is the gem still safe?
2. When will we meet the guy who is actually pulling the strings?
3. Why are women always made to look the fool because they let the men in their lives pull the wool over their eyes?
4. Why is JT still living in the Gentlemen’s Club?

Theories
• The new boss of the 125th precinct is an avatar for Brad Kern (aka an unabashed misogynist)
• Gabe really is the bad guy that is pulling the strings at the highest level and he did all this to throw suspicion off of himself.
• Gabe is still a beast (he’s not even the slightest bit afraid of Vincent).
• Cat and Tess will get fired by the end of the season.
• Cat and Tess’s new boss is the big bad.

Repeated Elements
• JT + pop culture references.
• Women being blinded by love
• Couples being paired together
• Misdirection

Biggest Surprise of the Episode
The JTnT ship is out in the ocean with plenty of wind in its sails.

Theme
• Trust is like a mirror, you can fix it if it's broken, but you can still see the cracks in the reflection.

Grievances List
• Gabe’s picture shouldn’t have been up in that office for several reasons. The first reason being he was not a cop.
• I’m tired of all the so called “small gestures” when it comes to VinCat. I’m going to need a grand sweeping gesture pretty damn soon.
• What the hell is Vincent doing in the precinct let alone in an interrogation room?
• Shouldn’t the charge for the tickets to Mexico have specified that there were two of them?
• Nobody is wondering why the serum bottle is more than half empty?
• No one is asking any of the right questions, AGAIN!

WTF Moments
• Remember all of that hype for a ‘pregnant bride’? She was an unimportant background actor. SMH.
• Can no one have a happy ending on this show?
• When Sam points to Gabe’s picture while being interrogated.

A little help?
Who is the actor who plays the new commander of the 125th precinct? I know I have seen him in numerous other shows but his name alludes me.


Side Note: I forgot who asked last week but yes, the title was an Arrested Development reference. This week’s title reference is a purposefully misquoted line from William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’.

Polls

Last Poll Results - BATB Great Debate #12 - How do you feel about the relationship between Cat and Gabe? A whopping 61% of you responded: It makes no sense and I wish they would stop trying to force it.

This Week’s Poll – BATB Great Debate #13 – Did you secretly want Gabe to actually be the bad guy?

Make sure you vote and comment on this week’s Best Scene Poll as well.

Shameless Self–Promotion
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