Romantic Moment of the Week: Vincent and Catherine

THE SHOW: Beauty & the Beast

THE PAIRING: Vince and Catherine

THE EPISODE: “Who Am I?”, Season 2, Episode 1

THE WRITER/DIRECTOR: Brad Kern (writer); Stuart Gillard (director)

THE MOMENT:  When Vincent rescues Cat from a burning building.

The Iconic Tale

The tale of “Beauty and the Beast” is such an iconic love story that even without a specific romantic moment to highlight, the story itself deserves notice as one of the great romances that include many notable romantic moments. The pair of Beauty and her Beast is one of the most romantic and epic pairings of true love in history. The modern television show, Beauty and the Beast, did a beautiful job this week of highlighting that romance in its premiere episode of the second season.

“Beauty and the Beast” is one of those tales that make people believe in true love and its power to redeem even the seemingly irredeemable. I remember asking my mom to read it to me before bedtime over and over again. I was glued to the Disney movie version of it and had bought so many B & B clothes and memorabilia that I was basically a walking Disney advertisement. Now, I know I wasn’t the only one out there who was like this…come on, you know who you are. It’s ok to admit it. The movie was listed 7^th in the animation genre of the American Film Institute’s list of the “Ten Top Ten” classic American films. It was also listed as the 34^th most romantic movie. Needless to say, Disney did a bang-up job adapting the folk tale for the big screen. And now it looks like the new television series is trying to rival that level of fame.

A Rocky Start

However, the show hasn’t lived up to those expectations previously. While it started out interesting enough and with a good cast and decent group of writers, by the middle of the first season the show began a downward spiral. It became predictable and some decisions were even baffling. Certain pointless deaths seem to have been written in purely for shock value and an effort to build ratings…unsuccessfully I might add.

What really spelled ruin for the show, however, was the treatment of the couple themselves. There was very little build up before we had our happy ending with the couple getting together. After that what are we supposed to care about? Nobody wants to watch a show about how the characters chat over laundry after their happy ending. That’s why it’s called an ending. The excitement is in the build up, the tension between the two characters before they are finally together. The show had them sleeping together halfway through the season! Where was it supposed to go from there? It became boring, and that is the ultimate sin in the entertainment business. Do anything but bore your audience. It is the kiss of death.

A New Beginning

I was pleasantly surprised when I watched this season’s premiere. I had written the show off long before the end of season one. Then season two rolled around, and at first, I wasn’t going to even bother watching it. But, I was assured by friends (two very talented writers with whom you all are familiar) that the show had changed; there’d been a rebirth. So, I sat down with a leery mind and started to watch the season premiere. And, lo and behold, they were right. I found myself getting interested and excited about the events on screen. I was decidedly not bored. Hooray!

We have a whole new, more terrifying Vincent. He’s now a full grown raging lion and not the mildly disturbing kitty cat that he was before. They’ve also made him lose his memory, which gives the writers the gift of being able to almost completely start over on the story. They have infinite room to work with, and by the looks of it, their taking this chance and running with it. The season premiere was phenomenal and breathed much needed new life into the plot and characters and their relationships. The happy ending came a bit too soon the first time around, but Vincent’s memory loss gives the writers a chance to draw the romance out this time around and really build it into something epic. This classic love story deserves nothing less.

The Romantic Moment

And so, my romantic moment this week is a scene with the much-improved pairing of Vince and Cat. Vince is after Li Zhao, the creator of Muirfield, tracking him down with his new heightened senses to his office. After starting a fire, he’s on the brink of catching Zhao when he notices Cat, who has followed him there, choking and passing out from the smoke. Rather than let her die, Vincent lets Zhao get away in order to save Cat from the fire.  Let me just say that it was a very sexy and heroic rescue. I liked Vincent before, but I certainly wasn’t gaga over him.  His new persona may just gain him another fan (wink).

In the meantime, we get to fall in love with each other all over again.

After Vincent’s impressive save, he and Cat go to her apartment where she declares that they are meant to be. Cat expresses a beautifully touching and undying faith in their relationship. She definitely demonstrates that she’s got the makings of an epic heroine in this scene. Sitting across from Vincent while Cat tends to his wound, she tells him that while he works on getting his memory back: “In the meantime, we get to fall in love with each other all over again.”

To his doubt, she responds, ‘Cause we don’t have a choice. I told you, we’re meant to be.

I love her utter belief and trust in the strength of their love, but also the renewed tension between the characters. It’s clear when she approaches him to tend to him that she’s not sure of her reception, and he is also wary and unsure. Hopefully this time around we will get to see a real soul deep connection develop between them.

Did you catch the premiere? What did you think of the love connection between Vincent and Catherine? Sound off below…

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Don’t forget to check back every Saturday for a new Romantic Moment of the Week.

Make sure and take a peek at the Highlight of the Week: Highlighting the CW’s Beauty and the Beast.

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