BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: If It Ain’t Broke…

Episode 311: “Unbreakable”

[photos: Ben Mark Holzberg/CW]

I dunno. Just seems like we’re stretching things out to get to the end of the season. Liam shows, he taunts, he runs off. Only one revelation (about J.T.), and it’s not a shocker by any stretch. Am I getting picky in my old age? Below, I stack and rack the good’uns and not-so-good’uns. See if you agree.

Good’uns:

• J.T. pseudo-confesses to Vincent that the reason he’s concerned about Vincent going primal is because he’s been talking to Cat. Great! Let’s stop keeping secrets from each other!
• J.T.: “I like the confidence”. Not sure why, but this particular line struck me as funny.
• Liam: “I told him beast to beast…it’s like dog hearing.” I am a big fan of snark, so I liked this from a humor perspective, but does anyone else wonder what this means exactly?
• When Liam tells Vincent he’ll just break into DHS on his own, Vincent follows anyway, and Cat eye-rolls. I’m such a sucker for a good Cat eyeroll.
• Vincent asks Cat to trust him, to trust them. And so she does. Just what we all wanted to see. They’re getting better.
• Cat asks Tess to help J.T. find the gem, because he shouldn’t be alone right now. I thought that was a great way to not break J.T.’s request to keep his secret, but give them a way to be honest with each other.
• When, in the course of looking for the gem, Tess finds J.T.’s stash of bloody tissues, she calls him out on it. And while he evades for the moment, she doesn’t let it go. Tess really honestly is my favorite character on the show. She’s funny, and she’s developed into a character that doesn’t take any crap, without being hostile or rude. Just what a strong woman should be.
• I do like the fact that Vincent pushed himself to perform and found he could still be in control. Guess what, that’s a lesson for most of us.
• “I was detained, not arrested.” While this gave me a giggle, I really hope I don’t have a kid who tries to draw this distinction with me in the future.
• Tess to Heather (who is yet again being an annoying buttinski): “Your sister, I’ll suspend.  You, I’ll arrest.” More strong woman stuff from Tess. And Heather totally deserved it.
• “He’s worried they’ll also find out he’s 200 years old, and Area 51 him.” Makes me think of Brent Spiner a la Independence Day.
• Tess: “I never cared about any of that.” Of course you didn’t, because you’re the coolest person on the planet.
• When Cat and Vincent are deconstructing the episode’s events, Vincent chooses to look at the positive aspect, i.e., that Liam has tipped his hand, and that if he’s trying to divide them, then he does actually fear what they can do together…which made me realize that Vincent really is the most positive one out of the four of them. He’s been beaten down, again and again, had horrible things happen to him, but he still chooses to see the good in what he has. If only all the rest of the world were to do this, too, what a wonderful world it would be.

Not-so’s:

• J.T.’s nose has been bleeding like a stuck pig, and the whole time, I’m sitting there wondering why Vincent can’t smell that.  Especially since Vincent’s other beast senses, like Liam talking to him via dog hearing, seem to work just fine. Then Liam asks him if he hasn’t been smelling the serum-poisoning on J.T., and I was like, “Yes! Vindication!”
• What was the point of the story line with J.T. not being able to find the gem in the prison, and having to go through all the safety deposit boxes at his pad? If it was just to draw things out longer, I’m not amused. If it was just so Tess could find his bloody tissues, it seems as though there might have been a more clever way to handle it.
• I really don’t like the possibility that an internationally wanted man could be protected by a local philanthropist. Please tell me that doesn’t happen in real life.
• Cat: “How’d [DHS] get your blood?” Liam: “That’s not your concern.” When is this little comment going to be looked at more deeply?
• J.T.: “Please don’t tell Tess, I don’t want her to worry.”  Noooo! When are you guys going to figure out that the secrets kick your butts?
• Cat never seems to find a boundary she’s not willing to cross, e.g., choosing to go harass the Ellingsworths when there is already a harassment charge against the NYPD by the Ellingsworths. Cat, honestly.
• Liam mocks Vincent for being emotionally invested in Cat. Why is it that men pick on each other for caring about women, that it’s viewed as a sign of weakness? We see it in the media, and in everyday lives, but scientific studies show that men benefit from stable relationships with women. I am generally bummed out by all the hostility I see these days. Why can’t we all just get along!?
• Okay, so Liam is an ancestor of Helen’s, not her brother. Ugh. I’m starting to feel like the writers have taken story lines from all the scifi TV shows that ever were, cut them up into little strips of paper, put them into a fishbowl, and are just pulling them out one at a time to see what should happen next.
• Liam says he’s doing all of what he’s doing to end his suffering, but it seems like there are lots easier ways to off even a superhuman than what he appears to have planned.
• Vincent, Heather, and Cat drinking wine in front of a fire with dim candlelight. Vincent asks Cat to take a walk. And why doesn’t Heather realize that means “GTFO, Heather!”?
• I love Christmas lights. Love, love, love them. But seeing them when it’s 103 degrees in Texas creates cognitive dissonance for me.

So all in all, a B- episode. If it weren’t for Tess, this episode would have earned a C. What do you guys think? Too harsh? Let us know in the comments below. See you guys on Thursday with Episode 312 “Sins of the Fathers”: Liam and Vincent fight some more, Tess and Cat worry, J.T. and Vincent tell them not to worry, Heather offers her uninformed opinion. Am I right?

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