In the season finale, Beauty and the Beast converges with the past in order to bring fans a bittersweet ending to an exciting (and awkwardly drawn out) second season. With the stakes at an all-time high, Cat (Kristin Kreuk) and Vincent (Jay Ryan) risk it all to take Gabe (Sendhil Ramamathury) down – and things end more or less as fans may have predicted, with a slight twist.
The journal that Cat recently came into possession of, which formerly belonged to her ancestor Rebecca Reynolds (also Kreuk), came alive for a few scenes. It was nice to take a break from modern day New York City and revisit a piece of Cat’s history, but there was nothing compelling enough to make it a habit. History was clearly repeating itself in the most uncanny way. Cat’s ancestor found herself in a stunningly similar situation over a hundred years ago, in love with a beast and willing to protect him at all costs – sound familiar?
The difference is the outcome. Rebecca was so consumed with protecting Alastair (also Ryan) that she couldn’t see the obvious, and Cat almost fell into the same trap. This entire show is premised on the idea that Cat and Vincent are a package deal. She picks up where he leaves off, and vice versa. So why would this scenario call for a different means to getting the same end result. Luckily, Cat was able to figure out the hidden meaning in Rebecca’s journal before it was too late. It wasn’t until she stopped looking at the words as a how-to guide and took a step back that she realized that Rebecca didn’t kill Alastair, her actions did.
With out a lot of options at her disposal, Cat is forced to consult her father in the interest of saving Vincent. There wasn’t a lot of merit to this scene with the exception of a confirmation that Gabe had crossed a line and that Cat was a saving influence in Vincent’s life, but it brought the season around full circle. Season two of Beauty and the Beast started with Agent Reynold’s (Ted Whittall) being a guiding force in the events occurring, and in a roundabout way, it also ended with him doing the same. Cat and her father’s relationship may not be on the mend, but for what it’s worth, he seems to have grown more amiable toward Cat’s choice in men – especially given that putting his favor behind Gabe didn’t work out quite the way he had planned.
