Beauty And The Beast [2012] - General Discussion

[dcinmb]

Renewed for Season 4!?! Season 3 debuts Thursday, May 21st.

Deadline Hollywood:

And it lives! Despite not making the CW’s regular season schedule, drama Beauty And The Beast has been renewed for a fourth season before a single episode of Season 3 has aired. That Season 3 will debut on May 21, with the procedural getting a summer run. Despite its soft linear ratings, Beauty And The Beast has done well online and is a big international seller for its studio, CW sibling CBS TV Studios. Plus, Beauty And The Beast, a remake of the 1987 series, has been a sentimental favorite of CW boss Mark Pedowitz as it was one of the very first concepts he pursued after taking the reins of the network . . .

. . . Since it’s been a long while since the most recent Beauty And The Beast original, here is where things stand on the show, courtesy of the CW. As season three begins, Cat (Kristin Kreuk) and Vincent (Jay Ryan) are able to focus on their love, finally free from Muirfield, manhunts and beasts. However, that love will be tested as new and more dangerous threats await. When they learn that innocent victims are being used to test the boundaries of the impossible, Cat and Vincent will uncover a deeper conspiracy, one which Vincent can fight only by turning to the beast he carries within. But unleashing the beast will risk Vincent’s life – along with his and Cat’s love – as they struggle to build a normal life together.

 

[edited to fix typo]

Edited February 14, 2015 by dcinmb

[coppersin]

Does season 4 reach some sort of syndication goal? Otherwise, I'm wondering if renewing the show months before season 3 airs is to give showrunners enough time to plan a final season.

[dcinmb]

100 episodes used to be the traditional threshold for syndication but in recent years it's fallen to 88. After a 13-ep fourth season, BatB will have 70 eps in the can, so one would think the series would be renewed for at least a fifth and possibly even a sixth season. That said, I find it interesting that Hart of Dixie, which will have amassed 76 eps by the end of Season 4, has yet to be renewed. It sounds like Pedowitz is planning for BatB to be one of the building blocks of the CW's new expanded summer schedule, which makes a lot of sense. As I suggested last year back on TWoP, BatB has a rabid fanbase that will follow the show anywhere so the CW might as well use it to bolster its summer numbers or to gain a toehold on Saturday nights.

 

I gave up on Hart of Dixie at the beginning of Season 3, so I'm not familiar with its track record. Maybe it doesn't do as well as BatB online and internationally, both of which were cited above as reasons for BatB's renewal?

 

From The Hollywood Reporter:

CW president Mark Pedowitz told reporters in January that he was planning a big summer scripted expansion — with season four of Beast likely to return to the schedule.

 

 

 

[dcinmb]

CW Predictions: Special Bubble Watch Conspiracy Edition (Tom Shaw, TV By the Numbers/zap2it)

 

 

The Cancellation Bear's got nothing to write for the CW until mid-March except repeating that Hart Of Dixie is certain to be canceled. On the other hand, Bubble Watch's Tom Shaw has plenty to say about the CW.

 

Recently, The CW renewed Beauty & the Beast for a fourth season, ahead of the third season even airing. (Worth noting, The CW publicly denied the news at first, apparently solely so the renewal could be part of the traditional Friday bad news dump.) As even The CW seemed embarrassed by the situation, I thought I’d mention some of the numbers that may have had an impact on the decision…

 

22 vs 52

The simplest answer – and certainly the most PR-friendly for The CW – is that the recently reasonably successful CW has to look to Summer to expand. With only 10 hours to schedule and 8 scripted shows already renewed (plus ANTM), the network has to get creative with its scheduling, and this is the next logical step. After all, The CW has already tried Canadian imports (e.g. The L.A. Complex), and well-outside W18-34 reality (e.g. Whose Line Is It Anyway?) in Summer, and airing first-run programming is the next step.

 

Needless to say, this move – or more accurately, the timing – doesn’t immediately pass the smell test. The CW couldn’t wait and see what this Summer’s ratings were before the Beauty & the Beast contracts expired and they had to make a decision? The CW didn’t want to see how iZombie or The Messengers rated, or how this year’s pilot crop turned out?

 

Not to mention that the whole concept is predicated on the regular season schedule being rock solid, when Reign’s performance is mediocre, and The 100, The Originals, & Jane the Virgin are only doing well when graded on the extreme curve The CW has. So some other possibilities…

 

6 vs 2

Just to get it out of the way: The CW is a theoretically* equal venture between CBS and Warner Bros, yet the number of CBS-distributed scripteds (Reign and Jane the Virgin) was dwarfed by the number of WB-distributed renewals (everything else). With the WB-iZombie getting The Flash as a lead-in while the CBS-The Messengers gets dumped to Fridays, there was little reason to expect that ratio to improve in the short term… other than renewing the CBS-Beauty & the Beast.

*Fun experiment: Check out the renewal PR and count how many times “WB” or “Warner Bros” shows up.

 

88… or just 4?

It’s a common refrain from us here at TVBTN: Syndication economics put such a premium on hitting 88 episodes that any show with three full seasons is guaranteed to get a fourth season, no matter how bad the ratings are, so the show can reach 88 episodes. Except it isn’t guaranteed anymore. To be clear, virtually all shows with three full seasons still get renewed for a fourth. They increasingly don’t get renewed for 22 episodes though – Community, Nikita, Hart Of Dixie, etc. all ended Season 4 with less than 88 episodes. (Beauty & the Beast will merely be around 70 episodes after Season 4.)

 

So what’s going on here? These high-level financials are beyond our ability to confirm, but some ideas:

 

The magic number for syndication is decreasing again. As time goes on and the industry gets more fragmented, the number of episodes syndication prefers has dropped (it wasn’t long ago that 100 episodes was the sweet spot). Considering the rise in cable/cable model shows, that magic number dropping was probably a given – very few of those shows are going to reach 88 episodes only producing ~13 a year. It may well be that 70 becomes the new 88, and three and a half – or two and a half and a half – becomes the new four.

 

International sales and streaming deals, and their penalties, are growing in importance. These secondary sales have traditionally been such a small piece of the puzzle that their income wasn’t worth basing decisions on, but as margins continue to shrink, their importance grows – and so do the penalties. It may well be that these deals were written under the old assumption that three seasons gets you four – and the losses generated by airing, say, a short Season 4 of Nikita on The CW were less than the penalties their international and streaming deals would have created if there was no Season 4.

 

Clearly, 70+ isn’t a universal yet – Suburgatory isn’t airing this season, likely to everyone involved’s disappointment – but it is a trend that bears watching.

 

12 vs 22%

Frequently forgotten is that when UPN and The WB merged to form The CW, another company put out a PR statement as well, as (the now) Tribune Media owned stations agreed to stay CW affiliates through September of 2016. That date isn’t that far into the future anymore, and in the interim Tribune has both expressed disappointment with the ratings CW’s programming gets them and returned to original programming themselves (Salem, Manhattan). It’s not impossible to see The CW and Tribune splitting at the end of next season – or at the very least, for Tribune to aggressively negotiate what they pay to The CW downward.

 

While there are (now) only 12 CW Tribune affiliates, they cover most of the biggest metropolitan areas in the country – roughly 22% of the US population. To be clear, I would expect nearly all to all of those markets to find new affiliates for The CW (the CBS affiliates in those markets would be highly pressured to carry The CW on their digital subchannels, if nothing else). The question becomes how much of a haircut does The CW take in the transition – and how much can they survive? Given that the goalposts of even The CW’s public statements keep getting pushed back – they’ve gone from “profitable after broadcast and DVD” to “profitable after broadcast, syndication, DVD, and streaming” (I expect the next iteration to include “and loose change that falls out of actors’ pockets when they come in for casting calls”) - I’m not sure The CW can survive losing even 5-10% of their income in the process.

 

So what sorts of things would we expect to see if The CW is legitimately worried about its feasibility beyond next season – or at least establishing as firm a negotiating position as possible beforehand? You’d expect to see the network get as many existing shows in as syndicatable a position as possible – say, by renewing their entire Fall lineup- at the expense of new shows that won’t live long enough to be worth anything in syndication by then. You’d expect them to push borderline shows to syndication even if they have to expand to lesser used chunks of the schedule (Summer). And you’d expect them to talk up the portions of their business model (Netflix, Streaming, International Sales) that don’t involve the portion they’re negotiating with…

 

May You Live in Interesting Times

There’s no reason the real answer isn’t a combination of all of the above – or even that each encourages the others (worries about the Tribune deal encourages them to get as many shows to syndication encourages airing programming in Summer encourages Tribune to reevaluate the deal). The larger point is, expect more weirdness with The CW over the next 15 months.

 

 

 

 

 

[coppersin]

Thank you for sharing that article. It answered a few questions I've had about syndication numbers and CW's affiliate contracts.

[dcinmb]

[dcinmb]

Returning Spring Shows: Where We Left Off (TV Guide)

 

Beauty and the Beast (CW)
Premieres: Thursday, May 21 at 8/7c

 

Where We Left Off: As beasts Gabe and Vincent faced off, Catherine swooped in and impaled her one-time love interest-turned-super-charged enemy to save Vincent. In the final minute, VinCat actually relaxed, putting off a government offer and instead getting a momentary happy ending.

 

What's Next: The premiere picks up two months later and although life has never been more romantic for Cat and Vincent, they'll soon confront a destined foe! Also keep an eye on guest stars Natasha Henstridge and Alan Van Sprang, who play a married couple with lots of secrets, and Jason Gedrick as Liam, an antagonist for Cat and Vincent.

 

 

[ElleBee]

Thanks for posting, dcinmb. I wasn't the biggest S2 fan, but those outtakes were totally awesome. 

 

[doesntworkonwood]

I'm probably a bit late, but I just finished watching the series and, surprisingly, quite liked it. 

 

I started watching because I like something to watch whilst I'm writing up notes, but by the end I was paying too much attention to the show, which means that I've still six and a half modules to write up in the next two weeks (oops!)

 

I really liked the first season, it felt a lot tighter than the second season. There was actually a goal (to keep Vincent hidden and take down Muirfeild), whereas there wasn't a goal in season two and everything was a bit flaily and each storyline happened in about five or six episodes rather than having an overarching plot. 

 

I think I'm one of the few who didn't mind the Gabe redemption thing. During the first episode of season two I kind of accepted that they had completely changed his character from season one (remember when he was self serving and didn't care about anyone else, not even his girlfriend who he was in love with? Yeah), but as the season progressed I was way more annoyed by the change in Vincent's character and the existence of whiny self obsessed Tori, so Gabe didn't bother me much in comparison. 

 

(As a side note, I always thought Sendhil was British, and when he first came on and was talking in his American accent I found it so fake and thought he needed better American accent lessons, and then I googled him)

 

I really liked both the Valentines episodes. The first one because it was super cute how Vincent was trying to win Cat over, and the second one because as soon as Tori died, Vincent finally went back to his normal self and stopped being (quite frankly) a douche. 

 

The entire plot with the historical thing was ridiculous. They should have kept to it being a modern thing, because there are so many plot holes with that storyline that it is just stupid. 

 

I'm hoping season three is a lot tighter to S2, and it should be if it's only thirteen episodes. 

[dcinmb]

I'm hoping season three is a lot tighter to S2, and it should be if it's only thirteen episodes. 

 

Fingers crossed! Unfortunately, Brad Kern is still at the helm but it sounds like he may have learned his lesson after the incoherent mess that was S2.

[dcinmb]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoWEphAym3s

[Just Here]

And, the wait continues...  Season premiere pushed back to June 11th (CW press release).

[doesntworkonwood]

And, the wait continues...  Season premiere pushed back to June 11th (CW press release).

But I've already put it in my diary! It was supposed to get me through my exams :(

[shapeshifter]

And, the wait continues... Season premiere pushed back to June 11th (CW press release).

Why is TV Guide showing June 2??? http://www.tvguide.com/special/summer-tv/calendar/june/

ETA: Answering my own question: I'm guessing TV Guide shows a full year of schedules but doesn't show the year, so this is June of 2014.

Edited May 10, 2015 by shapeshifter

[Just Here]

For those in Canada, BatB season three will premiere next Sunday (May 17th) in the 8pm time slot on Showcase, per the Showcase Twitter account.

[Just Here]

And, we're already getting information about Season Four, via Ask Ausiello (TVLine.com):*

Question: Any new Beauty and the Beast Season 3 spoilers? —Jacob

Ausiello: Forget Season 3. I’ve moved on to Season 4, production on which begins later this month. The show is adding a new series-regular character by the name of Kyle. He’s a mid-20s EMT who is ridiculously charming, super-athletic and unnaturally handsome.

 

Sounds like a potential love interest for Catherine's sister, Heather.

 

 

*Warning: The link contains potential spoilers for several upcoming season finales.

[dcinmb]

Austin Basis Talks VinCat, Season 3 Expectations, Season 4 Speculation (rickey.org) - slightly spoilery

 

There’s a LOT more romance this season. And because it’s 13 episodes, it’s really packed. Imagine all the action and sci-fi mythology stuff that was packed into 22 episodes is now in 13 episodes. We’re able to run on all cylinders, and have stuff happen in every single episode that advances the story, the plot and the characters along in a way that’s more dramatic and immediate than in double those episodes.

 

 

[dcinmb]

‘Beauty and the Beast’ Advance Review: Season 3 Premiere Is a Grown-Up Fairy Tale (rickey.org) - slightly spoilery

 

. . . In many ways, “The Beast of Wall Street” plays out like a sort of grown-up fairy tale, with all its talk of destiny and all of its whirlwind romance. Yet it’s grounded in a certain reality that feels authentic to who these characters are, and the sorts of challenges they would likely face, as real people. Again, without getting into specifics, the premiere spends a lot of its time dealing with how the two central relationships of the show, Vincent (Jay Ryan) and Catherine (Kristin Kreuk) on the one hand, and J.T. (Austin Basis) and Tess (Nina Lisandrello) on the other, have changed in the wake of what happened at the end of Season 2 . . .

 

. . . this premiere is like a weird mixture of fantasy, action movie, and medical drama, but wrapped in the cloak of this grand romance. Seriously, Vincent and Catherine’s romance dominates the episode, with the opening being downright blissful in its depiction of their post-Gabe relationship, illustrating that these are not just two people who love each other, they’re two people who are passionate about one another . . .

 

. . . Ultimately, the Season 3 premiere for Beauty and the Beast suggests that we’re in for a season that is both more fantastical, but also more grounded in reality. I know that doesn’t make any loving sense, but I can’t really think of a better way to describe it. With all this talk of destiny, and all of the lofty, high-stakes action and decisions, and all the big moments — both romantic and personal — this simply felt like a fairy tale reimagined for a modern setting, but with a more mature sensibility . . .

 

[dcinmb]

TV Fanatic Interview w/KK at the CW Upfronts

[Just Here]

Nicole Gale Anderson Season 3 Interview:

Has some new scenes (I think), but there's nothing really spoilerly (again, I think).

[dcinmb]

[dcinmb]

Brief BTS interview w/Jay from S2 DVD (TV Fanatic)

[dcinmb]

The trailer posted above was deleted due to the change in the premiere date, so here it is again with the new date. (I can no longer edit my original post.)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOSsnufOcEM

[dcinmb]

 

Edited May 26, 2015 by dcinmb

[dcinmb]

[dcinmb]

SYNOPSIS

"The Beast of Wall Street" - (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) (TV-14, DV) (HDTV)

VINCENT HAS WEDDING BELLS IN MIND - With the happy couple seeming to be enjoying an ordinary life, Vincent (Jay Ryan) thinks the timing might finally be right to pop the question until Cat (Kristin Kreuk) stumbles on an extraordinary case with the FBI involving somebody who goes on a superhuman rampage. Though reluctant to engage with the case for fear of losing the normality he has found, Vincent finds himself with no other options when Cat is injured after discovering that someone is drugging innocent victims and transforming them into super-humans. Meanwhile, Tess (Nina Lisandrello) accuses JT (Austin Basis) of stalling his recovery as he tries to understand how he's still alive. Nicole Gale Anderson also stars. Jeff Renfroe directed the episode written by Brad Kern (301).

[dcinmb]

SYNOPSIS

 

“Primal Fear” — (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) (TV-PG, V) (HDTV)
CAT AND VINCENT TAKE THE NEXT STEP — Vincent (Jay Ryan) moves in with Cat (Kristin Kreuk) which forces them both to address the rapid changes in their relationship while they investigate a shocking new lead in their hunt to track down who is behind the super-human experiments. JT (Austin Basis) tries to impress Tess’ (Nina Lisandrello) brothers and discovers that there may be some side effects to the medicine he received from Agent Thomas (guest star Arnold Pinnock). Meanwhile, Heather (Nicole Gale Anderson) returns to town with a surprise announcement. David McNally directed the episode written by Roger Grant (#302).

 

 

Edited May 28, 2015 by dcinmb

[dcinmb]

Interview w/Austin Basis (KSiteTV)

 

. . . For the people who have forgotten in the past year, where did the show leave off, and how does Season 3 start up?

The show followed the arc of Gabe (Sendhil Ramamurthy), basically, going from bad to good to bad again, and this time, it was to in a fit of rage, to take revenge against Cat and Vincent. Gabe saw his end, Vincent and Catherine saw the resolution of that time when other people could invade romantically – whether it was Gabe, whether it was [the redheads that shall not be mentioned] – so, I think they’ve passed that point in their relationship. That was resolved in Season 2. They’re set to take the next step in their relationship, which is just understanding what that relationship is in the domestic sense, living together, moving in together, and possibly moving on to closer and more intimate things in their future, while at the same time, wondering if there’s anything out there that would threaten that. Not necessarily romantically, but threaten their lives in a real risk sense, and then with J.T. and Tess, obviously, J.T. almost died, and he was saved, so J.T.’s arc for the next season is what saved him, how he was saved, why he was saved, and what the consequences of his recovery would be in the future, because if you don’t know the source, you don’t know the end. That’s a tough arc for J.T., and how it affects his relationship with Tess is definitely positive and adverse at some points . . .

 

. . . What do you think the fans will be the most excited about with Season 3?

The romance. The romantic connection between Vincent and Catherine is reinstated and set up for the arc of the season. Everything that they do in their lives – whether it’s fighting against these unknown forces that are going to come up – it is towards making their connection, and their home, and their relationship more solid and more safe and secure. Obviously, there’s whimsical stuff, there’s really romantic stuff, and it’ll be ups and downs and a roller coaster ride, as usual, but I think the goal is to bring them together for good, and in a very romantic way.

 

Is the Beasting out going to look different this year?
I think the Beasting out always evolves. At this point, we’ll pick up a couple of months later, and because Vincent has gone back to the hospital and he’s re-earned his doctor credentials, he’s going back and he’s working in the ER, he is trying to avoid all that stuff. He’s almost in denial, and not using any of the Beast stuff. He knows that he can go back and listen to someone’s heartbeat without a stethoscope. He wants to live like a normal person, even though he has the beast sense. He wants not to ignore it, but not use it as a crutch or as a dependency… to do things as a human. To a degree, he hasn’t really exercised that muscle, so he’s still scared that he can push it too far. After twelve years, it becomes a muscle that he got a grasp of to control, where he won’t cross the line. 

 

There are a couple of points this season because it’s new and he’s facing forces that are stronger and more powerful, that he needs to use more fully his Beast. That comes out in the makeup, but it also comes out in how far he’s willing to go and the line that he doesn’t know he can hold himself back [from]. He knows Cat can hold him back, when she’s there, but when she’s not there? That’s when he’s really nervous and saying “I don’t know if I could Beast out without Cat there, because she’s what saved me. She’s what brings me back.”

 

 

 

 

[Just Here]

Again, for those in Canada:  Three days after I posted the above, Showcase moved the premiere to (this) Sunday, June 7th (Twitter).

[dcinmb]

[Kordi]

Haven´t watched the episode yet. Just wanted to say hello and mention that I´m pumped for season 3 of BATB!!! XO

[shapeshifter]

This episode felt like a pilot.

[3dog]

Yeah, shapeshifter you're right, it kind of did. But I'll take it if it means they're totally resetting on season 2.  Major sophomore slump, so I'm happy that season 3 starts off feeling different.

[dcinmb]

So apparently, Brad Kern's brilliant writing strategy is to just rehash storylines and dialog from S1 and S2. The big bad experimenting on "innocents" is Muirfield 2.0. And the rooftop scene where Catherine's pleading with Vincent to let the guy live is pretty much exactly what happened before she shot Vincent to save her dad.

And I've been waiting for Vincent to reunite with his family ever since he was lauded as a hero last season. Wasn't his mom still alive in S1? Now we find out that he gave J.T. a box of his mom's stuff before he even left for Afghanistan?

There was lots of affection between Vincent and Catherine and the proposal scene was sweet, but unfortunately, I no longer see the incredible chemistry that they had in S1 and early S2. I was so hoping to love this show again but so far, it ain't happening. :-(

Oh well. At least Gabe's still dead.

[dcinmb]

http://youtu.be/OYI3ZFqWxr0

[dcinmb]

How Beauty and the Beast Defied Bad Ratings to Return for Season 3 (and 4) (tvguide.com) --- vaguely spoilery

Beauty and the Beast has had to continually triumph over low ratings and being shuffled around the CW's schedule to earn a renewal. But now that it's back with -- at least! -- two more seasons executive producer Brad Kern is putting his focus back on the heart of the show: Vincent and Cat's romance.

 

"In Season 2, the mandate was to broaden the characters and the reach and see if the network could attract a bigger viewership. At the time, a future pickup was dependent on that," Kern tells TVGuide.com. "It didn't work, but the good news was that the network was exceedingly happy with what we did and they really liked the pitch [for] Season 3. Luckily, the loyal audience stayed with us and they'll be happily rewarded."

 

The Season 2 finale saw Catherine (Kristin Kreuk) and Vincent (Jay Ryan) defeat their friend-turned-beastly foe Gabe (Sendhil Ramamurthy) as they found their way back to each other romantically. When the third season begins, the duo is in a bizarrely normal circumstance: figuring out how to be a couple. As fans are already anticipating, a proposal is also on the way, which will set the stage for the remainder of the season. But that's not to say the 13 episodes will be all puppies and rainbows. Kern warns that there are many obstacles ahead - just more relatable ones than we've seen on the show in the past.

 

"We're not challenging them with external threats anymore," he says. "We don't want to do that and the audience doesn't want to see it. The engagement period will run through Season 3 and will show that this wonderful romance still needs to grow. There's a difference between being engaged and being married, and there are real world and real couple issues that will be both fun and emotional for Vincent and Catherine to have to work through. We'll tie that into the overall story, leading into the discovery that Vincent and Catherine will have to be at their best in order to survive the season."

 

One of those internal struggles will be Catherine's past. "There's nothing like being engaged without it triggering old family issues," Kern says. "Her dad is in prison, her mom isn't there, she died, and she has a sister (Nicole Gale Anderson) who is there, but they have different recollections of their mom. So, we'll use that to delve into Cat's family backstory and a lot of revealing, cool elements that come out and help her grow."

 

Although this season's story is intended to be more grounded, there will be a new enemy for the season: a threat "that is worthy of Vincent's beastly skills, but not a beast!" Kern says. "The reality is that Reynolds [Ted Whittal] used Vincent to eliminate, we think, all the other beasts and there are only so many beasts Vincent can fight that can look different. So, in looking for new threats, we decided to come up with a story where innocent [people] are being experimented upon to see how far the human being can evolve. It's how they'll react as far as speed, thinking, agility, jumping, strength and what would a human look like in 10,000 years? As we discover more and more of these innocent people, we have to save and not kill them as they're trying to attack Cat and Vincent. We'll then begin to reveal the reason why the people are being experimented upon which will lead us back to our mythology."

 

Joining Vincent and Catherine in this fight will be the show's other couple, a pairing Kern admits he wasn't sure he wanted to see play out. "I was frankly resistant to the idea of Tess [Nina Lisandrello] and J.T. [Austin Basis] together, but Austin and Nina surprised me and [CW President] Mark Pedowitz with this wonderful chemistry," he says. "It's something we'll be further developing. I look at them as the more relatable couple, and through them we can enjoy the more fantasy, epic couple which is Vincent and Catherine. [Catherine and Tess'] friendship and partnership will actually be tested because of a change in their work relationship, but the goal of the season is to bring the 'Scooby Gang' together -- and that includes Heather. They're all a part of a greater destiny and the fun is how each comes to that realization in their own separate ways."

 

Edited June 13, 2015 by dcinmb

[ElleBee]

There was lots of affection between Vincent and Catherine and the proposal scene was sweet, but unfortunately, I no longer see the incredible chemistry that they had in S1 and early S2. I was so hoping to love this show again but so far, it ain't happening. :-(

Oh well. At least Gabe's still dead.

 

Couldn't agree more. I do like that they've refocused on the more romantic side of the story, since that was always their strongest asset, but the IMO the chemistry isn't what it used to be. You'd think it would get stronger as the actors got to know each other better, but it's almost like there's an inverse relationship between the amount of time the show has been on and the leads' chemistry. Not that it's bad, but with pretty weak story lines it's really all this show has to bank on, so that makes it more obvious when it's waning. I also don't really like the JT/Tess pairing--they're just somehow cooler separately than as a couple. And not everyone has to have a romantic partner counterpart within their very small social circle.

 

So I'll be watching, because I do still like it, but ehh. 

Edited June 13, 2015 by ElleBee

[Myrrhine]

I liked some of the episode. The main thing I want from this show is some romance (check) and for the emotional beats to make some freaking sense.

And this fakey Vincent can't kill anyone "moral code" is testing my patience. The new superbeast is an innocent???? Because he was experimented on just like practically every other beastly foe they have faced? Just like Vincent? And Vincent will lose his humanity if he kills this superbeast, but the superbeast killed the FBI agent and remained an innocent? It is just nonsensical , and when they tie Cat's motivations and feelings about Vincent to that sort of thing, it grates for me. I mean, maybe I'm misremembering, but hasn't Cat killed before? Wouldn't she kill someone if there was a direct threat in the line of duty? Ugh, they have made her very pushy. Actually, Cat, you do want to risk Vincent's life; kindly stop trying to pretend otherwise.

I also felt like a couple months is not that long to get over being strung up and tortured or whatever.

Anyway, I liked the beginning and making breakfast and I am open to them helping to fight this new crop of beasts. And even to Vincent being a doctor again. We'll see where it goes from here. I will probably stick around either way!

Edited June 14, 2015 by Myrrhine

[dcinmb]

[dcinmb]

SYNOPSIS: "BOB & CAROL & VINCENT & CAT”

 

VINCENT AND CAT MEET THE IDEAL COUPLE — When two married agents (Alan Van Sprang and Natasha Henstridge) from the FBI take over an investigation, Catherine (Kristin Kreuk) and Vincent (Jay Ryan) hope they are seeing a future version of themselves but fear their work schedules are jeopardizing their relationship. When the two couples bond and team up on the case, a mysterious coincidence surfaces that raises suspicions. JT (Austin Basis) investigates whether he has super powers of his own while Tess (Nina Lisandrello) considers a career move. Meanwhile, Heather (Nicole Gale Anderson) offers up an interesting option to make her big sister’s life a little easier.

[SonofaBiscuit]

I know that this show is called Beauty and the BEAST, but I'm actually not very interested in the beast angle anymore.  I don't want to spend an entire season watching Cat and Vincent track down beasts...that feels like a rehash of some of last season.  If they were gonna go this route, they should have somehow brought Evan back as a beast so I would have at least been invested in the storyline.

 

I missed about 20 minutes of this episode due to a storm (satellite outage), but most of what I did see was kind of boring.  I did enjoy the proposal scene and thought that Vincent's hesitation was cute.  I wasn't sure if he was going to ask or not, but I'm glad that he did.

 

 

[ElleBee]

I thought this was the best one of the season so far. They pretty much telegraphed that Bob and Carol weren't who they were pretending to be, so I was glad they didn't draw it out and that Catherine and Vincent figured it out pretty quickly. I also liked that Tess made Captain--hopefully that gets her back more focused on the police side of things, which is where she's strongest. I also liked the amount of relationship stuff in this one--enough to keep it a central theme but not too schmoopy. (I actually laughed when Cat warned B&C "In fairness, that's what we're best at" before going into kick-ass mode.) So maybe it's because my bar is pretty low for this show, but I thought it was a pretty good episode.

[apgold]

Crazy King Henry from Reign is an assassin, no kidding.  Nice to see Natasha Henstridge back on TV.

 

So if Tess is now Captain, does Cat get a new partner?

 

I wish Heather would go away, I liked when she moved to Atlanta or Ravenswood or whatever, can't she go back there?  It's nice that Cat has a sister, but I don't know if it's the character or the actress who is more annoying.

 

Did anyone notice that Cat's Canadian accent came through when she pronounced pro-cess the Canadian/British way?

 

Sorry to see Vincent's houseboat go up in flames, I liked the way they decorated that set.  But seriously, there are not that many houseboats in Manhattan, maybe a handful on the Upper West Side boat basin.

 

I knew that JT's hand was going to heal fast.  I guess that's his superpower, not a bad one to have.

 

I liked that Cat was having problems walking in her heels and then used them as weapons. Not all women on TV need to walk around in 5 inch heels perfectly.

[shapeshifter]

So if Tess is now Captain, does Cat get a new partner?

Loved your whole post, apgold. Good question. Someone who does not know about Beasts, no doubt, and high jinks will ensue.

 

I wish Heather would go away, I liked when she moved to Atlanta or Ravenswood or whatever, can't she go back there?  It's nice that Cat has a sister, but I don't know if it's the character or the actress who is more annoying.

I agree. She's supposed to be annoying, but, really, why Show? Especially now that she knows about the beasts. Maybe Cat's new partner can better fill the role of Friendly Who Does Not Know so Heather who now serves no purpose beyond being an annoying place holder can go away.

 

Did anyone notice that Cat's Canadian accent came through when she pronounced pro-cess the Canadian/British way?

Yes. She sounded like my sister's family. The one that always gives away Canadians is "either" pronounced like "eye-ther."

 

 

Sorry to see Vincent's houseboat go up in flames, I liked the way they decorated that set. 

Yes, but maybe now we can forget about when Vincent tied her up on the boat. I still watch the show, but that was OTT for me with regards to continuing the romance. I try to pretend it didn't happen.

[shapeshifter]

When Cat is assigned to a new partner by Tess, she begins to suspect that Bob and Carol have re-surfaced to separate her from Vincent and hunt them both down. Meanwhile, a transformed JT discovers that his newfound healing ability comes at a terrible cost.

The episode still has 1 5 minutes, but my CW signal just crapped out, so I'll just point out that

I looked up directions from Manhattan to Lake Placid, and it's 4 hours, 37 minutes, so I guess JT's super serum extends to his car. Heh.

[shapeshifter]

JT throws Vincent a surprise bachelor party. Unfortunately, it is interrupted by a mysterious sniper with his sights set on putting a stop to Vincent and Cat’s interference with the super human experiments. Cat’s family comes to town for a bridal shower arranged by Heather but Cat is distracted by having to visit her imprisoned father to ask for his help.

Still watching this show, although apparently alone. I like it because Cat & Vincent's relationship is what I thought Liz & Max's was going to be on Roswell, only with a little too much bickering.

[gryphon]

I'm still watching...probably because I love JT and Tess so much.  Especially JT.  Was the audio on this episode screwy?  It was muffled and distorted at the same time for me. Vincent  was really difficult to understand.  

[shapeshifter]

I'm still watching...probably because I love JT and Tess so much.  Especially JT.  Was the audio on this episode screwy?  It was muffled and distorted at the same time for me. Vincent  was really difficult to understand.  

It was okay here (over-the-air 30 miles north of Chicago), but my AT&T wireless was a little sketchy during the storm.

 

Is there some other board where BatB watchers convene?

I'm also wondering what the stats are. Is this definitely the last season?

[memememe76]

I am a sucker for sibling bonding, so that final scene with Cat and Heather kinda broke my heart.

[dcinmb]

I'm still watching too but sadly, this show has pretty much become background noise for me. Whereas I used to wait with bated breath for Thursday nights to come around, now I'm lucky if I get to an ep before the following week's ep airs.

KK/JR's chemistry used to be enough to make up for the assinine plots and repetitive dialogue but I just don't see it anymore. As awful as Season 2 was, I still found their bickering amusing and even sexy. Now I just find it tiresome and repetitive. Seriously, how many times do we have to hear "going primal" and "innocents" per ep?

And is it just my imagination or is Kristin Kreuk really over-acting this season? I've always thought she was a decent actress (never saw Smallville) but it's almost as if she spent her hiatus doing a stage play and is now acting to the rafters.

On a positive note, JR's really bringing the charm and the funny this season and I'm still enjoying AB and NL. Never in a million years did I think I'd be more into the J.T./Tess pairing than VinCat, but there you have it.

Sad that a show I used to love has become so ho-hum to me. I'm much more into Arrow these days.

It was okay here (over-the-air 30 miles north of Chicago), but my AT&T wireless was a little sketchy during the storm.

Is there some other board where BatB watchers convene?

I'm also wondering what the stats are. Is this definitely the last season?

Where north of Chicago are you? I went to grad school at Northwestern.

They're currently shooting Season 4. (details in the media thread)