As Beauty and the Beast continues to move us further into uncharted territory, the new Vincent (Jay Ryan) is taking on character traits that are more unexpected than ever. We may be forced to begrudgingly accept the fact that the Vincent we met in season 1 is not only gone, but it doesn’t look like he’s coming back anytime soon. Despite my reservations about the new direction of the show, I am re-invested in the star-crossed lovers story. I want to see them come out on top in the end and I am willing to watch all season long as they fight their way back to what they once had – even if Vincent can’t remember any of it.
This episode of Beauty and the Beast was titled ‘Kidnapping,’ but it was really more of a romantic stay-cation with some ropes attached than encompassing anyone actually being held against their will. Cat (Kristin Kreuk) wants to be wherever Vincent is. Plus, she doesn’t hold the same strict guidelines that normal couples have, being as she’s not in a normal relationship, and she’s clearly willing to take most of the bad with the good. I think being willingly isolated with the person she loves negated any of the negative connotations that come along with the term ‘kidnapping.’
What makes the story a little more unbearable (and tragic, if that’s possible) is that all the things that Cat did to protect him – the absence of photos and personal mementos – are coming back to bite her. How do you explain to someone sans a memory that you’re the love of his life when all the makers he’s been programmed to look for don’t exist? Even with all of his newer, faster, stronger upgrades, Muirfield has miraculously failed to make him psychic. The only thing that keeps him coming back is a gut instinct, and even that isn’t enough to keep his natural urges at bay.
In contrast to Vincent’s new persona as the genetically engineered super soldier without a conscious, we have a desperate version of Cat whose judgment has been clouded and emotions are firing erratically. Cat was introduced to us as a strong female protagonist with a weak spot for bad boys – and this bad boy is becoming her Achilles heel. Although we haven’t lost her in the same way as Vincent, she’s exhibiting personality traits that blur the line between loyal and obsessive. Obviously someone has to save Vincent from himself (and the ominous government agency yet to be officially revealed), but who’s going to save Cat?
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