Beauty and the Beast “Love Is A Battlefield” Review

For the good of the mission. This was the justification for the actions taken by our lead characters within “Love is a Battlefield”, the newest episode of Beauty and the Beast. Vincent and Catherine must play undercover roles on opposite sides of the law. Vincent gets deeper into darker territory in order to learn who placed a bounty upon him, as Catherine attempts to protect her husband by ingratiating herself with the DHS agent heading up the hunt for Vincent.

Risk It All…

From the moment they met, risk has been a part of the game for Catherine and Vincent. But now the risk is much greater, with Vincent threatening all he has worked for and the humanity that he has gained back in order to gain the trust of an illicit organization in an attempt to learn the identity of the beast bounty buyer. The question is, how far will he go to accomplish this? He’s run from the authorities, tortured a man for information, joined up with criminals, and made out with a cold hearted assassin! All for, as Vincent says, the good of the mission.

The point where I think he goes too far is where he kills an innocent man. Sure, he McGyver-ed up and brought him back to life, but that does not excuse his actions. As far as I can remember, this is only the second time Vincent has killed anyone while not in “beast mode.” The first was when he shot and killed Alex’s stalker in self-defense back in the first season. How can he justify this? What would have happened if he hadn’t been able to revive the man?

Vincent has taken a darker turn in the past couple episodes, bringing back memories of Season Two, where his human side had taken a backseat and the Beast was at the wheel. Part of me wonders if when Agent Hill injected Vincent with that super dose of adrenaline it somehow had a lasting effect even after it had worn off, triggering a side of Vincent’s personality that he has been trying to repress for a long time. It worries me where Vincent is headed, if he will kill someone with barely a second thought; what dark deeds he may commit to succeed in his mission. At some point he is going to have to face the consequences of his actions.

Someone already dealing with the consequences of Vincent’s actions is Catherine, as she spent the episode chasing after Vincent, cleaning up his messes, and protecting him from DHS. It’s going to be hard to prove Vincent’s innocence with him getting mixed up with thieves and assassins. Something else hard to prove to her new boss is her commitment to capturing Vincent. I liked Catherine’s admittance to Agent Dylan that of course she still loves Vincent and only cares for his safety. Anything else would be unrealistic.

But bringing Vincent in is quickly becoming a lost option, as the epic duo gets deeper into the undercover game they have created. If they hope to get out of this alive they are going to have to be on the same page. Most of the problems they had to deal with this episode were brought about because they were working separate agendas with little to no communication between one another. Even with them having to be apart, they have to work together. Otherwise, it’s Game Over.

How It All Came Together

While I initially felt that this episode seemed like a bit of a stall and retread of the previous episode, upon second viewing it’s evident that the issue of Vincent and Catherine gaining the trust of their respective bosses was necessary. Vincent simply bringing in an unconscious operative and Catherine proving herself to merely one agent that led to a botched operation would not realistically have been enough. They both had to show commitment. Because both Graydal and DHS are taking a risk by trusting Vincent and Catherine. That theme of risk was nicely woven throughout the story and characters by writer Vanessa Rojas, going all the way down to J.T. taking a risk at reigniting the spark between himself and Tess. Rojas, who has written two episodes previously and works mainly as story editor on the show, was able to keep the script tight, well paced, and fun. This was aptly brought to life onscreen by new director Farhad Mann.

While the role of Dianne Vaughn (what kind of name for an assassin is that?) was a bit cliché, AnnaLynne McCord played her as devilishly sexy, but with such cold eyes that there was no doubt she would kill you as soon as kiss you. The opposing blonde of the evening, DHS Agent Olivia Dylan, was played by Anastasia Barzee. Truthfully, I was looking forward to seeing more of Donnie Keshawarz as Agent Morgan, whose portrayal I really enjoyed. Unfortunately, his schedule wouldn’t permit. However, after my second viewing, I am coming around to Agent Dylan. She’s tough and no nonsense, but not without a heart. I’m looking forward to seeing her relationship with Catherine develop.

Even with my enjoyment of this episode, I lament that this didn’t come earlier in the season. I continue to feel that we are too far into this season and yet still so in the dark. At this point last year, the mystery of the super-human experiments had been dealt with and we had our introduction of Liam, the season’s true big bad that terrified not only the characters, but the audience as well. This season I feel like too much time in the early episodes was spent idle and the story is just getting going. I truly hope the show is able to pull it together and give us an exciting story that doesn’t feel rushed and leads to a satisfying conclusion for our Beauty and Beast.

To Sum Up

A quick moving, fun episode that continues to complicate our character’s lives, but one I wish had come earlier in a season that was frustratingly stagnant in its first half.