Thanksgiving came a week early on Beauty and the Beast, and although there were friends and family involved, it wasn’t much of a celebration.
I’ve always had my doubts about Agent Reynolds (Ted Whittall), but there was something increasingly disturbing about his character on this episode of Beauty and the Beast. Besides trying to kill Vincent (Jay Ryan), which we already knew was probably in the cards, he used Cat’s (Kristin Kreuk) own insecurities when it comes to family to his advantage. Even though she only came to dinner under the auspices of gaining information to further Vincent along in his quest to sever ties with his handler, and whatever covert government agency he works for, I think it’s fair to say that she was hoping that Reynolds would prove to be something of the father she loved and lost.
Beauty and the Beast, as I pointed out last week, focuses strongly on Vincent as the tragic victim. And, yes, what he’s been through has been unfortunate, but it tends to completely overshadow what’s happened to Cat. That’s not to say that these losses don’t play a headlining role on the show, however, they just don’t have the same impact. I struggle with using the term “equally tragic” to describe her suffering because most of what Cat has experienced has technically happened to other people and has simply effected her, as opposed to Vincent and his string of appalling bad luck. Yet, Cat has encountered disheartening events to the point that she’s so overcome with a desire for something normal – in this case, having a father – that she can’t see what’s really going on around her.
Reynolds may be playing the good father card, but ultimately he’s breaking her trust long before he’s earned it (technically speaking, he broke it before he even met her). He’s using Cat’s grief to fuel his own personal mission to clean up the mess he made with Muirfield. Reynolds is willing to add to his own daughter’s misery if it means eliminating all of the threats he considers the beasts to be. What’s even more concerning, not that him wanting to kill Vincent isn’t up there on the list, is that if he has such a controlling interest in the Muirfield project, does that mean he also played a role in the death of Cat’s mother?
It wouldn’t really surprise me if he considers her execution as collateral damage in the entire unsanctioned affair. It’s hard to cover something up when people that know too much are still breathing. Although, he does have an eerie soft spot for Cat. I almost believe him when he says that he thinks it’s in her best interest for Vincent to just walk away; that it really is a sacrifice for love. So the question that I’m looking for the rest of this season of Beauty and the Beast to answer is, can Agent Reynolds: the beast wrangler and Agent Reynolds: the father coincide?
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