Beauty and the Beast - Deja Vu (Season Finale) - Review

The Season 2 finale of Beauty and the Beast did an honorable job of wrapping up most storylines, having been written at a time when there was no way of being sure a Season 3 was coming.  Even though aspects of the episode felt a little rushed or convenient in order to provide closure "just in case," I truly admire the writers for doing that service for the fans.  Too many shows have ended early on cliffhangers, leading viewers forever in suspense.  At least if this had been the end, it was a happy one with almost all questions answered.  However, lucky for us that we have more adventures with Vincent and Catherine to look forward to next year!

I'll be using some lyrics from Kylie Minogue's song "Kiss Me Once" in this review, as they reflect the sense of triumph over adversity that Vincent and Cat achieved through their love and solidarity.

"There's a look in your eyes
Something's up tonight
I can feel it
And the air is thick
With the sense of it
And the dam won't break
One tear falls, tension cracks the walls
And relief comes"*

Ever since Gabe hit his breaking point and shifted from a former villain seeking redemption to a person incapable of such reform, the final showdown between him and VinCat has been looming.  When we caught up with the newly re-beasted Gabe in "Deja Vu," he was busy killing poor Agent Knox, and then breathing down the phone to a horrified Catherine.  This was a truly scary and well-played scene.  Still fixated on his nonsensical mission to "protect Cat from Vincent," Gabe was determined to murder his nemesis' friends and allies until Vincent faced him in battle.  But since Gabe had used an extra special beasty serum that made him even more powerful than Vincent, this confrontation could have proven disastrous.  That's why Catherine was driven to extreme measures to protect Vincent, such as teaming with Tess and JT to incapacitate him before he could attack a smug Gabe during the baddie's coffee break between killings.  And after poring over the journal of Rebecca Reynolds, Cat became even more afraid that her ancestor's story was a prophetic mirror of her own.  

Right, so let's talk about Historic!VinCat.  Oh, I mean Alastair and Rebecca.  Sigh, this segment was so totally adorable with its Buffy-esque cheesy costumes and the sweet chemistry between Rebecca and her badly wigged beast that it broke my heart to see Alastair's sad end.  I could have watched a whole spinoff about the adventures of Historic!VinCat, that's for sure.  The juxtaposition of Rebecca's flashbacks with Cat's present dilemma was also very nicely rendered and made for a striking comparison leaving us to wonder what Cat could do to prevent Alastair's fate from becoming Vincent's.  Clearly, locking Vincent in a cage wasn't going to do it, and I loved Vincent's cute inability to stay mad at Cat for too long once she let him out.  What Catherine realized was that she and Vincent needed to work together as an unbreakable duo in their stand against Gabe.  It's just like I always shout at the screen in horror movies: don't ever split up, you won't cover more ground! 

Cat: "It's just that everything they were going through was so similar to us, I wanted to do exactly what Rebecca did to protect Alistair. Then I started worrying, that that's what got him killed: trying to protect him instead of trusting them, trusting that everything that they've been through, everything that we've been through makes us stronger as a couple."
Vincent: "Mmmhmm."
Cat: "Please forgive me."
Vincent: "Nooo...okay."

This dialogue beautifully encompassed the journey that Catherine and Vincent went on as a couple in Season 2.  It took VinCat enduring so much turmoil and overcoming so many insecurities and worries for them to realize that they had to let go of their hang-ups and just have faith in themselves as a couple.  Cat's decision to embrace this concept whole-heartedly was a perfect way to bring this theme of the season full circle.  Also, Vincent cracked me up with his instant forgiveness.

(Side note: Vincent's robe is my everything.)

Meanwhile, witnessing Vincent and Cat's devotion throughout their struggle against Gabe made Tess question whether or not she also had found "the one" in J.T.  Then Gabe decided to make J.T. his next target and Tess was devastated.  Nina Lisandrello gave a beautiful and touching performance in this episode, showing how much Tess really does care about J.T.  Interestingly, Gabe simply attacked J.T. and left him hanging for his friends to find, rather than killing him.  While his wounds should have been mortal, it's surprising that Gabe didn't completely finish the gruesome job before departing.  Did he think it would be even worse for the remaining three friends to have to watch J.T. die?  Was there some tiny vestige of sympathy left within Gabe that made him hold back from outright killing J.T.?  Either way, this was the last straw, and Vincent was eager to get revenge.  

Despite Gabe's continuing attempt to act as if he was a confident and unflappable evildoer, Vincent seemed so much cooler and more deadly when the two foes met up over a not-so-amicable little game of pool.  Once we saw those cues, we knew they would become weapons, right?  While Vincent did as well as he could against Gabe's super-beast rage, Catherine swept in as the perfect back-up, with the beast-inhibiting collar in hand.  Despite all the temptations to let circumstances split them up, VinCat stayed side by side in their take-down of Gabe.  

Catherine: "Just so you know, attacking JT didn't stop him from putting together all the evidence to connect everything to you. And I mean everything. You're going to jail, you bastard."  That is some strictly FTW dialogue right there.

I was impressed with the way the writers arranged it so that Cat would be the one to take Gabe out, and it felt like poetic justice after last week, when she came so close to eliminating the threat of him.  Once again, Gabe pushed Cat to the limits and her badass self defense skills came out with no hesitation.  But this time, Gabe was (finally!) all out of last-minute resuscitations.  While I'm going to miss having Sendhil Ramamurthy as part of the cast, Gabe's character arc had hit a wall.  Even Cat's ponderous speech at the end where she was wondering if perhaps Gabe truly wanted to be a good man but ultimately couldn't...this just almost seemed like the writers were trying to explain away the incongruous nature of Gabe's character.  In any case, while he had his ups and downs, this was a satisfying conclusion to Gabe's strange story.

When Vincent and Cat rushed to the hospital, a tearful Tess told them that J.T. wasn't expected to make it.  Yet when they went to his room, J.T.  was apparently fine, much to the relief of Tess, with whom he sweetly reunited while requesting his beloved gummies.  How could J.T. be alright?  Well, those mysterious agents who previously got Vincent exonerated after taking his blood were on hand to explain.  It seems that the agents had access to a cure for J.T. and were interested in recruiting Catherine and Vincent in their cause. As I waited for the Men in Black theme song song to start playing, the agents revealed:

Mysterious Agent 1: "Let's just say that in a world where science can create beasts, you shouldn't be surprised to learn that there's a lot worse things out there. Worse threats."
Mysterious Agent 2: "Which is why we've been watching you. Both of you."
Mysterious Agent 1: "And now that we know what you can do and who you are, we're going to need your help to learn exactly what we're up against."

This was a really neat way to set up a new direction for the show to go in when it returns.  Had this been the series finale (perish the infernal thought!), we might have been left curious about what "worse threats" than beasts are around and who exactly the agents are. But it wouldn't have been the type of massive cliffhanger to eternally torture us.  As it is, I'm highly intrigued to learn what other types of possibly supernatural beings the show may introduce, and have they also been created by science?  It will also be amazing to see Vincent and Cat working together for something other than preserving his safety.  This is a wonderful opportunity for BatB to break free from the mold of Seasons 1-2, excellent as they were, and try something a little different.  The idea of expanding the mythology of the show is extremely appealing.

"Me and you,
Baby we made it through
Me and you,
We've got some loving to do
Kiss me once
And you will watch me fall
Kiss me twice
And I will give you my all"*

So for our last glimpse of Catherine and Vincent until way too long from now, we found the couple talking about their newly free lives and how they have finally won their chance to be happy together.  This scene eloquently portrayed the simple, pure joy that VinCat shared as they pondered a world lying before them full of fun and adventure that they can embark upon.  I can't wait to see what exploits await our "fab four" when BatB returns!

What did you think of the season finale?  Share your thoughts in the comments!

*lyrics taken from the song "Kiss Me Once" by Kylie Minogue

About the Author - Virginia Mae Fontana

Virginia is happy to be reviewing The Vampire Diaries, Hart of Dixie, Nashville, Beauty and the Beast, Witches of East End, Covert Affairs, and Continuum for Spoiler TV. She is a college English instructor and enjoys obsessing over films and pop music - in addition to tv shows, of course! You can find her blog, SugarRushed, at http://virginiamaeblog.blogspot.com/ and her Twitter handle is @SugarRushedBlog

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