Beauty and the Beast Review: Flat Lining

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Cat's confrontation with her father was not at all as I expected, and either Agent Reynolds is putting on a brilliant act or he's really not an altogether bad guy.

That was just one of the interesting developments on Beauty and the Beast Season 2 Episode 6.

Elsewhere, Vincent was getting prepared for his last two missions, unaware of Gabe's theory that one of those missions mean Vincent taking his own life. What?!?

Getting Physical

It was good that there was so little time wasted after Cat learned Agent Reynolds was her biological father and her decision to chat with him about it. I also like that Cat made the distinction between her bio father and her dad, because there really is a difference.

Your dad is the guy who raises you and puts bandages on your scraped knees; your father is the man who offered the DNA to create you. Cat understood that, even though she chose to use the word dad for effect upon her first meeting with Reynolds.

We won't know for a while, I'm sure, what the real story is behind Cat's birth, but what Reynolds said rang true. He and Vanessa were in love, but broke up before he knew she was pregnant. In a not so realistic time-frame, Vanessa was already in love with another man by the time she discovered she was pregnant and Reynolds decided to step aside until Cat was 18.

Cat was 18 when Vanessa was killed, and Reynolds didn't want to take advantage of the situation, but he also couldn't stay away from the important moments of her life, like her high school graduation. That all made sense. Even when he was probing about Vincent, he seemed both concerned and professionally interested.

I wonder where the two sides of Reynolds will come apart.

Gabe was so certain that his flat-lining technique of beast rehabilitation would work on Vincent's penultimate mission, Winsor, but if anything - it had the opposite effect. There was definitely something much different about Winsor than the average beast.

At least Gabe's theory that Vincent was his own last mission should come to a screaming halt now that Winsor is dead and his daughter inherited his beast qualities. Surely that's a first.

Vincent experienced a few strange things while in Tori's presence - first, he beasted out a bit while comforting her in the woods and second, he ripped the heart out of Winsor while they were both in beast mode in front of Cat, Gabe and Tori. Yikes.

Cat thought that meant he was just taking one step back before he could take two forward, but we all saw Tori look into a mirror - and she's a beast. The reason that matters is it didn't seem like something she was aware of, and she'll likely turn to Cat for help. Somehow, through Cat the news will get to both Vincent and Reynolds.

Vincent needs to help Tori. She needs to learn how to control the beast, and only a beast can teach her that. If Vincent tells Reynolds, wouldn't Reynolds be more interested in how it happened and whether it can happen again (thereby meaning there might be more beasts out there than he knew) instead of wanting to destroy the last two known beasts (Vincent and Tori)?

It seems an awfully convoluted way to get around to a decent story, though, doesn't it? Outside of that option, I admit I'm out of them.

Other observations:

  • What's the deal with writing Austin Basis out of every episode? This week they use his apartment without J.T. in it, saying he's out of town. Throw us a bone!
  • Did you notice that Tess is rooting for Gabe to get the girl? That's why she's pushing Gabe to tell Cat how he feels, and making Cat feel hesitant about Vincent. Interesting.
  • As much as I like Tess and Gabe, it feels like they're being horribly underutilized. Certainly there is more that they can do other than worry about Cat and Vincent.
  • Why did Gabe have Tess close the door when she went into his office when he had a huge board displaying his entire beast theory facing a giant window into the precinct? Kind of moot.
  • Vincent' getting his memories back; there's not going to be some hormonal thing between male and female beasts to keep he and Cat apart, is there? Just say no.

What did you think about Cat and Agent Reynolds? Vincent and Tori? What's next for this group? Are you as invested as you have been since the beginning, or do you understand the plummeting ratings?

Father Knows Best Review

Editor Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 4.1 / 5.0 (177 Votes)

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.

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