BEAUTY & THE BEAST: Abduction Junction, What’s Your Function?

Episode 202: “Kidnapped”

THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD!

[Photos: Ben Mark Holzberg/The CW]

While the NYPD at large continues its investigation of the Zhao murder, Gabe, Tess, JT and Cat pull together for Vincent, to varying degrees of success, although each with an agenda.  Tess just wants to protect Cat; JT wants to protect Vincent; Cat wants to spend time with Vincent so he can get his memory back; Gabe wants to hold and assess Vincent, since he seems more dangerous.  And in fairness, he’s right.  The Zhao killing was more brutal than we’ve seen from Vincent in the past, and his MO is now different.  Whereas before Vincent used violence reactively to defend the helpless, now Vincent appears to be proactively seeking vengeance.  Despite his increased violence, however, Cat adamantly avers that Vincent would never hurt her.

Cat’s agenda to tap into the personal, human side of Vincent and trigger his memories lead to a plan for a rooftop picnic, something Cat and Vincent used to do back in their golden days of a few months ago.  However, since Cat doesn’t have a phone number or email address for Vincent, she goes searching for him unsuccessfully.  Her efforts don’t go unnoticed by Vincent, and he voluntarily appears on her rooftop.  Things seem to go well at first, until Cat’s sleuthy side refuses to be suppressed.   A few nosy questions about Vincent and about Zhao, and Vincent takes a leap…literally.

Gabe and Tess can’t seem to suppress their sleuthiness either; unknown to Cat, they’ve been surveilling Cat’s apartment.  When Vincent leaves Cat’s place, they’re able to direct Cat to Vincent all the way to Rikers Island.  While there, Vincent snipes a drug lord with seizure-inducing dart from a remote rooftop, and then poses as the on-call doctor so he can visit the drug lord in the infirmary, where he demands to know, “Where’s your asset!?”  Um, huh?

Vincent preps to leave, but overhears Cat talking on her phone with Tess about how they’ll track Vincent together.  Alarmed by the implication, Vincent uses a Vulcan nerve pinch on Cat, shoves her unconscious body into a car, and takes off.  Cat comes to, blindfolded, on a boat, and as you can imagine, full of questions for Vincent.  Sweet, humble, self-doubting, big-hearted Vincent has been replaced with (and sorry to offend those with more delicate sensibilities) Douchebag Vincent.

In his new jerk mode, Vincent bellows at Cat that it’s his turn to ask questions, tells her that he has to work, and is generally snotty.  He unties Cat’s hands and applies acupressure to her wrists when he realizes she’s motion sick, then confesses that he feels a pull towards her.  It seems no woman can resist a guy who’s generally a jerk with moments here and there of sweetness.  A little flirting here, a little there, a kiss, and Cat and Vincent end up in bed together.  Apparently, that worked out ok (not that we got to see much of it), but pretty quickly thereafter, Vincent tells her to get dressed because he’s got work to do.  Oh no, he di-int!  Adding insult to injury, he leaves for “work”, and ties Cat up again.  What a charmer.

While Cat’s been tussling with the biggest jerk this side of the Pecos, Gabe, Tess and JT have been trying to figure out where she’s disappeared to.  Vincent jacked up Cat’s cell phone so it won’t provide an accurate location, so JT figures out Cat’s password for her car GPS.  I’m not sure why they actually needed it, because Cat told them she was going out to Rikers, but whatever.  Using some of the confusing data from Cat’s cell phone, our clever trio figure out the location of the houseboat where Cat is tied up.  Gabe pursues her solo after telling Tess and JT they are both too close to the case to continue on it.  Pot, kettle.

Swarthy anti-hero Gabe finds Cat tied up at Vincent’s.  Cat then checks Vincent’s computer to get information on his “work.”  It seems Vincent has been messaging with Gina, a young nursing student who also happens to be related to an enemy of Cartel Carlos.  Gabe and Cat theorize that Vincent is Carlos’ hired assassin, and he went to Rikers to get his marching orders.  Gabe and Cat set out to the club where Vincent has planned to meet Gina, to try to protect her from whatever chicanery Vincent has lined up.

When Cat and Gabe arrive at the club, Vincent detects and recognizes Cat’s heartbeat above all others.  C’mon, Vincent, how hard does the symbolism have to hit you on the head before you recognize it!?  He confronts Cat about her arrival.  She admits to peeking at his computer and now trying to stop Vincent from killing Gina, but Vincent contradicts her assumption: he’s there not to kill Gina, but to protect her.

Unfortunately (and improbably), Vincent’s unprofessional absence from Gina gives the real bad guy a chance to sidle in.  A ne’er-before-seen ne’er-do-well pulls Gina into a back alley under the ruse of helping to protect her.  He attacks, and Vincent arrives…duh duh duh!…just in time to protect her.  Both men beastify and fight, while Cat watches from out of the way.  It’s over and Vincent has disappeared with the other defeated beastly body by the time Gabe catches up with Cat .  Cat shares her horrified realization: “there are more of them out there.”  Back at the precinct, Cat and Gabe realize that Vincent was after Carlos’ hired beast-goon, and that Vincent’s not an out-of-control killer as they had once surmised, but has likely been bought…but by whom?

When Cat arrives home from her rough day of chasing after Vincent, a note on her apartment door directs her to her roof.  Filled with hope, Cat finds Vincent awaiting her.  On the up side, Vincent returns her phone and apologizes for tying her up, and even offers to take her up on her picnic suggestion.  But when Cat wants to know the answers to the little questions like what’s Vincent doing with his life and who he answers to, he resorts again to douchebaggery and tells her she has no right to know because they’ve only had the one night together.  Cat expresses righteous indignation at being considered a one-night stand.  Vincent gets mad and beastly, and pushes her down.  Realizing the significance of his mistake, Vincent flees.  Later, Catherine contritely confesses to Gabe that Vincent is dangerous, after all.

Questions for next week:  If Vincent was protecting Gina, is there a chance he was protecting Zhao, too?  How much of Vincent’s crap will Cat have to take before she gives him the boot?  Which Vincent is the bigger jerk: Vincent-with-Alex jerk, or amnesiac Vincent?  How much remorse will Vincent have when this is said and done, and how much of a wedge will that drive between our ill-fated loves?  Is anyone else other than me starting to feel concerned that we’re skating awfully close to romanticizing relationships with violent, unavailable men?  I’m starting to feel a little uncomfortable, and wonder whether anyone else feels that way, too?  Leave your thoughts in the comments section!

See you guys next week!

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