Beauty And The Beast Review: “Cold Case” (Season 2, Episode 19)

The desperation level on this episode of Beauty and the Beast was palpable. All the characters on Team Vincent were grasping at straws to come up with a way to level the playing field. Meanwhile, Gabe (Sendhil Ramamurthy) continued on his downward spiral, bent on solidifying his return as the villain in the second part of season two. If you weren’t weary of him before you watched “Cold Case,” chances are you have changed your tune after getting a refresher course in Gabe 101.

Gabe may be hell bent on self-destructing after watching his progress (and his chances with Cat) go up in flames on this last episode, but it seems like there’s something else at work. When Gabe killed the witness, he reverted back to his beast side in a sense. The working theory on Beauty and the Beast was that when Gabe died in the season one finale and was resuscitated, his beast side was put to rest. It’s still too early to tell, but it looks like there might be a beast revival in his near future.

For the majority of season two, Gabe has been an upstanding citizen. He helped Cat (Kristin Kreuk) to reunite with Vincent (Jay Ryan). He watched everyone’s back. He became a definite asset to the team. All that is fading rapidly, and with that loss, his temper has become something of an issue. Fans of Beauty and the Beast already know this, but emotions are tied to a beast’s control over their super-human tendencies. Maybe all it took was Gabe completely losing control to bring back the beast within him.

The bright spot on this episode was a surprise visit from Heather (Guest Star Nicole Gale Anderson), who returned to New York to drop some big new on her big sister (congratulations on the engagement), only to have it returned ten fold. There was a moment when Heather first seemed to comprehend the gravity of the situation where her character literally evolved before your eyes. Before this point, Heather had her fifteen minutes in the spotlight, but as a character she came across as shallow and wanting more often than not.

Anderson’s exit from the show this season to star in the short-lived ABC Family series, Ravenswood, didn’t come as a huge blow by any means. Sure Heather was a cute accessory, but her reactions were often over the top and didn’t add much to the story development.

Now that Cat is essentially an orphan, Heather is the only remaining link to her family (excluding Agent Reynolds), and there’s something intrinsically compelling about them reuniting under these strained circumstances. Cat has always kept Heather in the dark to protect her, similarly to what Gabe thinks he’s doing. It made sense at the time, but it also put up clear boundaries in their relationship and ultimately pushed them into the ‘estranged’ realm.

Cat’s life centers around a core unit of friends that she trusts with her life, ergo Vincent’s life. With Gabe no longer part of the inner circle and the stakes elevated, Cat needs all the allies she can get. Although Heather still seems like she’d be a liability, her living in another part of the country certainly makes it easier to trust her with this secret and still maintain a level of safety. This was one relationship that needed to be mended and the writers went about it in a way that made sense. Cat needed a win, and Heather tied in perfectly with the cold case she was trying to pin on Gabe.

The witness may be unable to testify, but now there’s a modicum of doubt planted about Gabe in the mind’s of everyone in his professional life. Without his status as assistant district attorney, he loses most of his clout and won’t be able to block Vincent’s exoneration for much longer. This is going to push Gabe into a corner, and it’s doubtful that he will go out without putting up a fight.

Tell us, what you think Gabe is going to do on the next episode of Beauty and the Beast when he realizes he’s all out of options? Sound off below!