Beauty and the Beast – 2.16 – About Last Night – Review: Doesn’t this all seem vaguely familiar?

‘Doesn’t this all seem vaguely familiar?’
‘In your heart, in your bones, no matter how silly you know it is, you feel that everything has been leading to this, all the secret arrows were pointing here, the universe and time itself crafted this long ago, and you are just now realizing it, you are now just arriving at the place you were always meant to be.’
― David Levithan, Every Day

The Recap & Review
Title: Catch Me If You Can | Written by: Melissa Glenn | Directed by: Stuart Gillard
Synopsis: CAT AND VINCENT ARE REMINDED OF HOW IN LOVE THEY ONCE WERE — In order to prevent Sam (guest star Tom Everett Scott) from destroying a large group of people, Cat (Kristin Kreuk) and Vincent (Jay Ryan) are forced to revisit a romantic destination from their past, which enables them to come to a new realization about what they mean to one another.
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My thought on this week’s writer…
I was utterly shocked that they allowed a brand spanking new writer be the one to write this episode. Although, I was largely relieved to learn that Brad Kern wasn’t doing the honors to be honest. But at the same time a little sad that Sherry and Jenny weren’t doing the honors either. But I will say that it seems as though Ms. Glenn has at least seen some of the first season as saw light touches of the formula they often used in season one. First instance, start with VinCat, end with VinCat. Second instance, pull in the best friends to offer advice. Third instance put Cat and Vincent in a dangerous situation while looking pretty. The list goes on but I digress… I found the dialog to be average (and a little bit too repetitive) but the overall pacing and plot was right on track, especially since she was the one who had to clean up the mess has been going on all season long. All in all she did a pretty solid job and it’s always nice to have another woman around on the writing staff.

My thoughts on this week’s director…
Stuart Gillard is one of my top five favorite directors for Beauty and the Beast (and that shouldn’t be a surprise or well-kept secret). He always manages to bring out that extra something special in all the actors that sparkle on the screen. His use of light and space gives an epic feel to even the smallest and most unimportant of scenes. He’s another director that isn’t afraid to let a scene breathe and meander in the spaces between. My favorite scene for directorial aesthetic distinction would have to be the masquerade ball.
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Cat – Cat realizes that her heart wants what it wants and that it’s definitely not Gabe. I do like that Cat finally brought up something that has bugged me about their relationship to no end: Vincent’s need to always try and save Cat even when she doesn’t need it. Cat was strong, decisive (eventually) and expressed herself. Cat was open with Tess and allowed Tess to offer her some advice. I like this Cat, she’s finally starting to feel like the old Cat again and that’s a Cat I can get behind.

Gabe – Well, Gabe is now truly a waste of space. We spent all that time on his redemption only to have it wiped away (at least seemingly, because if he wasn’t the one to drop a dime on Vincent, then who did?). Even now, with VinCat back together, he’s still going to be hanging around sucking up screen time. Just kill him or let him ride off into the sunset.

JT – JT was perfectly in character and on fire. He got all the best lines and gets a chance to save the day, not one but twice. Once with the antidote and then again by unencrypting the NSA thumb drive. It also appears he got the girl to boot.

JTnT – Finally, some resolution. Tess said what most of us have been thinking about the JTnT ship but I’m glad she finds JT just as charming as I do and is willing to take a shot. I don’t think it will work out for those two in the end (their loyalties lie in two different places and it think it was foreshadowed pretty heavily in this episode) but I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts.

Sam Landon – I just wanted Sam to die. I’m sorry, I’m not sorry. I never could connect with the story of Sam. His body toll is just way too high. They made him into a super villain at the expense of making Team Beastie just look completely stupid. I did like that they gave him a moment to shine when instead of killing the man he was after, he just knocked him out and stole his pin.

Tess – Tess finally wasn’t wallpaper! She was integral to the story. She got a chance to offer Cat some advice, be a part of the case as well as kiss a boy and let him know he she felt.

Vincent – It is now Vincent who is deeply invested in their relationship and is having to deal with a wishy washy love interest who has options. It is now Vincent being the one jumping through hoops. I have to say I rather like this turn of events. Vincent was smart, funny and charming in this episode. I was getting glimpses of the old Vincent and I loved it.

VinCat – Well, their happily ever after might have been ripped away at the last second (again) but at least they are officially back together and as Vincent said, they are better together than they are apart and in my mind there’s nothing they can’t overcome when they’re together.

Grade: B+

Awards
Character of the Night
• For the 5th week in a row, the reigning champion, Vincent! He was funny, vulnerable, proactive, honest and open while still maintaining some of those season 1 flaws (overprotectiveness, namely)

Best Character Interactions
• JT & Vincent
• Cat & Tess

Line of the Night
• Cat: No, I had this perfectly under control; my control. You obviously haven’t changed at all. I’m not some damsel in distress; I don’t need a knight in shining armor.

Scene of the Night
• Cat and Vincent on the rooftop together, again, finally

Highlights
Favorite Moments
• Vincent eating crushed up granola bars and milk with a measuring spoon
• Cat’s smile when she realizes Vincent is on the roof
• Cat dreaming about VinCat’s greatest hits (also a nice call back to the beginning of the season when Vincent was getting flashes about them)

Favorite Lines
• Gabe: I’m not giving up without a fight.
• Vincent: I can’t believe we’re trying to find this guy again.
• JT: I just got two more things on my ‘honey do’ list
• Vincent: Obviously, I don’t make decisions for Catherine.


Favorite Scenes
• Cat and Vincent in the afterglow of reconciliation
• JT and Vincent talk about break up sex
• Cat and Tess talk about break up sex
• Vincent talks to Sam and offers him help and then saves him when he jumps

Repeated Elements
• Masquerade ball
• Best friends offering their advice
• Fighting for what you want
• Sweeping declarations
• Being pushed together only to be torn apart

Theme
• It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.

Biggest Surprises of the Episode
• Vincent’s arrest
• Tess tells JT how she feels

WTF Moment
• Gabe tells Cat he loves her (I don’t think he means it, I think it was a manipulative ploy)

Burning Questions
1. What happened to the gem and will it ever come back into play?
2. What happened to the beast skeleton and will it ever come back into play?
3. Will the existence of beast go public (there are SO many people who know now)?
4. I thought ALL the beast related deaths were chalked up Agent Reynolds?
5. How will Vincent get out of being charged with murder (he is guilty of the crime)?

Shameless Self–Promotion
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Fun Fact: If you like the show Reign and are a Royal like I am, I'm happy to announce that I am now one of the reviewers here on Spoiler TV for Reign. Be sure to check out my review for the show this week!

Farewell for now…

Well, Beasties, this is it! I just want you to know that I’ll miss you and hope to see each and every one of you back here, sometime around the middle of May. It has meant so much to me that you guys have come to my humble review week after week. You guys leave awesome comments and help me see BATB in a new light and bring up things I either forgot or didn’t catch. I just want to thank you for making a warm and welcoming (for the most part) BATB community here on Spoiler TV.

Be sure to check my blog from time to time as I will be throwing trend events, writing ‘Retro Recaps’ about season 1 and conducting polls to pass the time. I want to encourage you to participate in all the trend events and campaigns aimed at saving BATB that you can. If you follow me on Tumblr you can look forward to tons of screencaps and gifs that I plan on making to help pass the time during these two months.

If you need something to pass the time be sure to subscribe to the podcast and send in email as we will still be discussing all thing Beauty and the Beast during the hiatus.

I sincerely feel that we really have a shot at getting renewed (Star Crossed numbers aren’t so hot, The 100 is not a suited match for Arrow and The Tomorrow People will not cut it on Mondays) but we must stay focused and not get complacent. We have to roar louder than ever before if want to save our show.
Lastly and most importantly, be kind to one another, stay steadfast in your determination and don’t forget to roar loud, hard and often!
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Well, now it's your turn to sound off in the comments section below. I look forward to reading your thoughts.

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