Beauty and the Beast #3.5 “The Most Dangerous Beast” Recap & Review

In “The Most Dangerous Beast” episode of The CW’s Beauty and the Beast, Vincent and Catherine are split up by Bob and Carol, who have returned to hunt them down. Vincent is put through a series of deadly tests, while Catherine searches for Carol with a new rookie partner in tow, unaware that Carol is leading her into a trap. Tess questions her abilities as a leader when she comes to verbal blows with Cat, and JT is seeing things in a whole new light. Literally.

Most episodes of this season so far have come with their own unique theme, with each character’s issues relating to that theme in some way. With some shows it’s hard to swallow everyone going through the same thing at the same time, but the writers of this season have managed to pull this off in a realistic and natural way. The theme of this episode was three-fold, dealing with faith, trust, and the power of love.

Faith & Trust

I wrote in my last review about VinCat’s co-dependency issues and why they feel the constant need to be with one another, but a new facet of that cropped up in this episode. Catherine has a lack of faith in Vincent and he has a lack of faith in himself. So that’s why they always have to be doing everything together? Because they both worry that something could happen if they are apart and Vincent could “go primal” and not be able to come back from that if Catherine is not there? Have they become so wrapped up in the idea of being “better together” that they have lost faith in their abilities when they are apart?

It’s interesting. Last season things kind of went to hell in a handbasket when they broke up. Sure, there were other issues involved with that, but it makes sense that in their eyes things got so bad because they were apart. Now, the only way things will be okay is if they are together.

At first I was a little skeptical about Vincent’s feelings of insecurity. He’s pulled himself back from the brink sans Catherine before and was a beast long before he met her. However, then I thought about it. Yes, he was a beast for nine years before he and Catherine got together, but for the most part he lived on the run and in solitude. The only person he was around for an extended length of time was JT. Furthermore, he then had his memory wiped and got a serum upgrade, turning him into a more dangerous beast. As I said in my last review, his new persona was more dangerous as well, quick to use his beast abilities to kill. He even once lost control and hurt Catherine, something neither of them had ever believed could happen. He came to realize in season two that he needed Catherine and the balance she brought into his life and the calming effect she had on the beast within. For him, she is the connection to his humanity. So along with Catherine blatantly telling him “what if I’m not there to save you?” it’s no wonder he has felt this way.

Catherine’s lack of faith in Vincent could be part of her superiority complex she has going on, but I think is more a case of paranoia. She has a constant worry of Bob and Carol showing up again and while the other characters keep blowing her off, I can see that she’s scared. The B&C team are like no enemies they have come up against before. They don’t have to attack head-on, where Vincent and Catherine obviously have the advantage, they can hit you with a bullet from a mile away and you’d never see it coming. Of course Catherine is freaked out by that. This connects to what I feel is a case of paranoia about losing the people she loves. She lost her mom, she lost her dad (the one not in jail), she lost Evan. People around her are constantly dying and there is always more danger around the corner. It makes sense that she keeps a wall around herself when it comes to personal relationships and throws herself into her work. But she can’t do that with Vincent. He’s inside the wall and if she lost him it would destroy her. Yes, Bob and Carol could kill him, she does fear that. But she could lose him in a whole other way. She has seen other beasts and how they have lost the humanity within them. What if it happened to Vincent? We don’t know the extent of the beast; is it a separate personality? Could the beast overrun him and be in control permanently? It’s one thing for Vincent to be killed. But what if he was still alive, but everything that was Vincent was gone and all that was left was beast? What would that do to Catherine?

So it would seem their lack of faith stems from fear on both sides. Fear of losing one another, but also fear of not being strong enough on their own. The two are an amazing team, but relying on each other so much that they forget their own strengths is damaging. This episode did a good job of reminding them of their own individual abilities.

Would You Stop Your Heart For Me?

The power of love was another prominent theme within this episode for everyone involved, even the dynamically villainous duo of Bob and Carol. In their first featured episode I didn’t much enjoy the two characters. They seemed a bit two dimensional (even with their dual identities) and I felt the way they were used as a future mirror and mentors for Vincent and Catherine was a bit forced. Their appearance here was much better as their characters became more fleshed out. Not only did we learn that they are victims themselves, their crimes a result of their desperation to not end up like the other experiments, but their love for one another was evident. Even without the two sharing any screen-time with one another outside of phone calls, the actor’s performances revealed how potent their love really was; so strong that Carol killed herself in a literally heartbreaking scene when she found out Bob was dead.

Vincent and Catherine’s love shone as well. Vincent may have killed Bob, but he was able to reign in the beast and revert to his normal self. All because he managed to tap into his link to humanity, his love for Catherine. It was a beautiful scene with the flashbacks to Season One and their love theme playing over them. As JT said, whether Catherine is there or not, her love is always with him.

So… now that he can kill without going permanently primal, what will happen to our drinking game about taking a shot every time they mention him “losing his humanity”?

Stop Calling The Genius Stupid

Speaking of JT, he really is the smartest person on the show. Not just in terms of his uber-science smarts, but his abilities as a loyal and faithful friend. He acts as Vincent’s counsel, his advice sage, yet straightforward. His faith in himself, his faith in Vincent, and his never-ending loyalty is what ended up saving the day.

He certainly came off much better this week than last, growing in confidence. His powers seemed to have a growth spurt as well. Not only could he heal himself, but his vision became enhanced as well, allowing him to see different frequencies in the spectrum of light. Is it all over, though? He allowed himself to be hit by a car to inflict injuries that would go beyond the serum’s ability to heal him. It only healed him half-way before it burned out. Hmm. Even with the threat to his life, it just seems a bit too easy to me. I do think it’s a good idea to wrap up a story before it becomes too repetitive, but I thought we were just getting going. I wanted to see what this power would grow into and what effect it would have on him. Would he get to the point where he was so desperate to be normal again that it would drive him insane and allow him to be manipulated and used against his friends? I’m hoping that this isn’t the end of his part of the story. It’s been fun to see JT being more than just a side-kick.

One part of his story that certainly isn’t coming to an end any time soon is his relationship with Tess. The two make a great team, their different personalities balancing each other perfectly, and now have both professed their love for one another. I was initially against them getting together (I believe I shouted “WHY?!” at the tv screen when they first kissed), but the two of them as a couple has really grown on me and nearly every scene with them elicits smiles and laughter. TV shows usually don’t let couples stay happy for too long, but here’s hoping that these two are the exception.

Oh Captain, My Captain

The anticipated tension between Catherine and newly promoted Tess came to a head in this episode. Tess is feeling the pressure to whip her precinct into shape and assigns Cat a new rookie partner to show him the ropes. Cat’s response? “Why me?” I’m getting a little tired of her attitude; her feeling of superiority and exemption from her duties. I get that she feels as if she has a greater destiny and wants to figure out who sent Bob and Carol, but the fact is that she has a responsibility to her role as a detective. If she wants to continue to use the resources and privileges of that position, then she actually has to do the job!

Tess seems to be in the same boat of thought as myself and lays down the law with Cat. And even though Cat turned out to be right in this instance, that doesn’t change the fact that Tess is in charge and Cat has to play by her rules. I’m glad Tess acknowledged both facts; that Cat was right, but also that they are probably going to disagree again. In any other show this probably would be dropped right here, but the show is showing its strength here by realistically continuing plot threads, both in storyline and character. This will surely continue to test their friendship.

Thankfully, their friendship is strong. Even in the midst of their disagreement they still care about one another. Cat is also the one to hold Tess back from making a career ending decision when she almost attacks Carol and is the one to remind Tess to have faith in herself that she is right for the job of captain. The relationship between these two is one of my favorite parts of the show and even though I think Cat may be a bit negligent as a friend, but her compassionate heart really shows in moments like these.

How It All Came Together

Written by Benjamin Raab and Deric A. Hughes, this is yet another episode written by two newcomers to the show. In fact, as far what has aired and what information of future episodes have been released, it looks like most of the writing staff from Season 2 was dropped, with just a few kept as part of the team. In fact, it looks as though creators Sherri Cooper and Jennifer Levin are no longer part of the show either. Gone are their executive producer credits. They are listed as consultants at the very end of the end credits, but in my experience that means next to nothing. It’s certainly not unheard of for creators of a show to step back after awhile and move onto something else, nor is it odd for there to be a bit of a power struggle between showrunners with one side finally opting to leave. Of note is Brad Kern’s previous show Charmed, where creator and co-showrunner. Constance M. Burge left after many disagreements with Kern over the direction of the show. For BATB, it seems to be a similar case, as the second season couldn’t commit to a direction for its plot or characters. Perhaps the disagreements became a bit too much and Cooper and Levin decided to reduce their role. Perhaps they were forced to? This is all purely speculation. No official announcements have been made. Any of you Beasties more in the know?

Whatever the case may be, and not discounting all that Cooper and Levin contributed to the show, but this season continues to excel. Not new to the table is director Mairzee Almas, who has directed three previous installments of the show, including fan favorite “Bridesmaid Up!”, and was also a director on the previous CW hit show Smallville. Almas tends to craft episodes full of excitement and “The Most Dangerous Beast” was no different.

Paying homage to short story “The Most Dangerous Game”, this episode brought us to a fresh location as Vincent was chased through the woods by Bob, having to dodge bullets and arrows as he was put through one test after another. This was one of the most intriguing elements of the hour. Bob wasn’t just after Vincent because he’s a beast, but was trying to find out if he is the specific beast his master seeks. Vincent was not only tested on his hearing, agility, and strength, but also on his morality. His compassion for another human being and whether he would attempt to save him. Why would that matter? Has the one behind these experiments heard of the heroic vigilante but just doesn’t know his identity? Why would he specifically want Vincent? Or is Vincent even the one? Maybe there’s another do-gooder of a beast out there. I’m wondering how much information Bob and Carol did pass on to their superior about Vincent. It’s possible they didn’t give his identity, for they wouldn’t want to lose their bargaining chip, nor would they want to incur any wrath if he turned out to be the wrong beast.

Another part of this episode I liked was getting to see Cat as a detective again, even though she didn’t like it. Cat is a fantastic detective, even without the aid of Vincent’s heightened senses. She scoped out that crime scene in a matter of seconds. I really enjoyed seeing her back in her element. Even though the trail she followed was one Carol left for her, she still had to figure out the puzzle to find out where Carol was. It’s obvious why Tess would assign a rookie to learn from her, because when she actually does the job she does it well. She’s smart and powerful. Her fight with Carol was exciting and shot in a really fun way with minimal lighting, staying off their faces and having the shadowed figures fight against a smokey backdrop. Nice work there by the DP and stunt team.

Lastly I want to mention the music from composers James Guttridge and Sean Hosein. It’s not often in television that composers get to do anything more than background music, but they’ve crafted several pieces for this show that have been stellar. For this episode they developed music that really drove the emotion, as shown in “Vincent Remembers Cat’s Love”, which touched on their love theme that has appeared in several episodes before. My favorite contribution of theirs tonight, however, has to be “Inseparable After All” which played during the scene where Carol stopped her heart. The way it was shot, the performance by Natasha Henstridge, but especially the music is what made me almost cry during this scene. I really felt for Carol and it made me sad to lose her and Bob’s characters.

To Sum Up

The excitement of the season rose to a whole new level with this installment. The themes of the episode really tied everything together, giving good development to each of our regulars and even making me like (and feel a bit sorry for) Bob and Carol. I’m most intrigued to find out who is after Vincent, and why. The mysteries they have laid out this season really have me hooked.

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