Beauty And The Beast 1.17 "Partners In Crime" TV REVIEW
Episode 1.17
Writer: Emily Silver
Director: Rick Rosenthal
THE ONE WHERE Catherine’s partner finds out who Vincent really is and JT gets to be the man of action.
VERDICT Well, here’s a turn up for the books: an episode of Beauty And The Beast that’s actually pretty good. Just look at the four star rating we’ve given it. Yes, we’re just as amazed as you are.
Picking up straight after last week’s shock ending we’re straight into damage control concerning both what Police Partner has just found out and the fact that Vincent just got shot.
The Vincent getting shot thing is dealt with easily – after a swift bit of self-surgery to remove the bullet he “heals quickly”.
Police Partner is a little harder to sort out as she runs off through the sewer as soon as she realises that Vincent is both the vigilante and also Catherine’s secret fella. Catherine and Vincent give chase but it’s JT who saves the day with the judicious application of a tranquiliser dart. Nice move JT.
JT also goes into Creepy ME Guy’s lab to fake the DNA results on one of the bodies found in the factory fire. He succeeds with a little help from Catherine.
Unfortunately Vincent’s little chat with Police Partner doesn’t go so well, but he still chooses to let her go. And just as it looks like JT’s actions in the lab convince everyone Vincent’s dead, PP looks set to blow it all.
This episode is jam-packed with lots of great character interaction which all felt easy and natural. From Vincent using his doe-eyed charm to calm PP down and get her on side, to Catherine and PP’s heartfelt chat on the street. These characters actually felt like people and there was very little of the bad acting or telegraphed emotion which we’ve often complained about.
During the sewer chat with Police Partner you realise that Vincent actually believes that telling the truth will win the day. He’s not being cynical; he’s not turning on the fake charm. This character actually is that naïve deep down. And that’s quite a sweet revelation.
The conversation between PP and Catherine on the street actually makes them seem like they’re people who know and care about each other for the first time. There’s also some lovely interplay between JT and Creepy ME Guy. Now that Vincent and Catherine are an official couple they really are so much better onscreen together; we’re starting to believe in their relationship.
The various plots move forward very nicely. With half the police thinking Vincent is dead, the pressure of the last few episodes should ease up. And with Police Partner now in on the secret, things are bound to change and get a little easier for Catherine. But what new threat will Creepy ME Guy be given what he witnessed in this episode?
There are still a few niggles. Vincent’s last minute rescue of PP and her subsequent change of heart were obviously going to happen. And there’s a very odd scene between Lowan and Catherine; it felt very out of place and came across as almost comedic as the ADA questions Catherine and the pair try to evade each other’s suspicions.
At least all the questions we asked last week about the plan to fake Vincent’s death are being asked and answered in the show. The fallout from last week’s raid and how Vincent’s DNA would be found and the convenience of the tip Catherine said she got are all questioned here. Not everyone is satisfied with some of the answers given.
And there’s also the question of how big New York’s sewers system is as once again characters run about a lot and still seem to bump into each other with remarkable ease.
Generally this is a really enjoyable episode and it came as a very welcome hour’s entertainment. Okay, so it’s taken the show 17 episodes to get its first four star review and it might not be this good next week but this episode shows how good this show can be. More like this please.
SPECULATION 1 ADA Lowan appears to be after Vincent for a very specific, very personal reason. We wonder if the two have a history and whether Lowan might be revealed to have a similar beastly affliction to Vincent.
SPECULATION 2 Now the factory is gone, and with so much of the last two episodes taking place in the sewers, we wonder if the show might make a more permanent feature of the dark and dank tunnels under New York just like the ’80s show did.
STALKER BEHAVIOUR OF THE WEEK Creepy ME Guy now loves Catherine. He’s just decided this. He’s been a much more interesting character since they dialled back the smarm, but here it looks like he’s headed straight back into smarmy central. He decides to go to Catherine and tell her how he feels. He ends up spying on Vincent and Catherine and witnesses some of Vincent’s beastly abilities. You can tell from the twisted look on his face that he’s just about to be consumed by jealousy.
MURDER DEATH KILL No crime story again this week. It’s all fallout from last week’s episode. Garnett and Newell head into the sewers in search of Vincent and both fall foul of Catherine. Both end up dead. They didn’t last long didn’t they? But seeing as they were working for Lowan, and obviously dodgy, we aren’t going to mourn them too much. Although the way there disappearance is talked about in the police precinct you’d think there’d be more concern about two cops just going missing.
BEST BLATANT PRODUCT PLACEMENT We’ve noticed this before, but never has it been so blatant. Catherine drives a KIA. Look a KIA! Here, after a pause on the KIA logo on the steering wheel, we’re treated to a loving shot panning across the dashboard of the car. We see the inbuilt satnav, the swanky on/off button and the beautifully appointed display panel. Then after Catherine gets out of the car the camera pauses on the car for just a second to long. It felt like they’d dropped a car ad right in the middle of the episode. It’s not quite Will Smith and the Converse All Stars but it’s up there.
BEST LINE
JT: "I came as soon as I heard you got him."
Creepy ME Guy: "How did you...?"
JT: "Word travels. You know; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram."
Creepy ME Guy: "It was on Instagram?"
JT: "Psh. Kids today..."
Steven Ellis @Steven Ellis
New episodes of Beauty And The Beast air in the UK on Watch on Wednesdays at 9pm
