Beauty & the Beast 4x02 Recap: “Beast Interrupted” (Benching the Beast) [Guest Poster: Bibi]

“Beast Interrupted”

Original Airdate: June 9, 2016

The episode opened with Cat benching Vincent and taking the lead on finding out who is after him. She decided that it was best for both of them, if she handled it, as to not expose Vincent and give him time to focus on being a doctor. Vincent, as seen in every season before, is not good at being sidelined and is worried that Cat will become exhausted trying to protect him. This is not new for Vincent; since day one, he has wrestled with allowing Cat to be there for him and sacrificing her time and risking her life for his protection. Guess marriage hasn’t cured his guilt and he is struggling with the concept of “for better or for worse.”

Meanwhile J.T. is ignoring his duties as a professor and a boyfriend in order to help solve the question of who is after Vincent. I love J.T. and all of his quirkiness, but he is spiraling again. And once all of the beast hunting is over (which we can clearly see will end since this is the final season), I am worried that he will have nothing and no one to go back to. J.T. really needs to start keeping his other priorities in line before he ends the series moving in with Cat and Vincent and being their forever third wheel. While I love J.T. and Tess, this episode proved tough to watch because more and more it seems as though J.T. isn’t listening to what Tess needs, and she continues to seem less than thrilled that J.T. is more focused on this “greater purpose.”

In an attempt to include Heather again, the show made her one-night-stand storyline with Kyle more than it needed to be. I would really like to see an actual storyline for her — one that doesn’t include her hooking up with Vincent’s co-worker and pining after him, and one where she actually has a great career, and isn’t popping up at everyone else’s work places unannounced just to chat. With Vincent struggling to be a normal doctor, Heather pays him a visit and reminds him that it is okay to let Catherine take the lead. This is what married couples do for each other, after all. She also pays Tess a visit later on the episode, where they both agree that they are over being hunted and would like their normal lives back. They didn’t realize that protecting Vincent would be a full-time, full-team job and they are wondering when they can draw the line in the sand.

Elsewhere in the episode, there is a socialite who was attacked after J.T. realized that Homeland Security had been hacked. She apparently had been secretly giving money to informants and was therefore a target. I will be honest — while I love Beauty & the Beast and will always be a fan, this episode seemed all over the place and it wasn’t that strong to me at all. Tying the socialite in was not clear and I did not end the episode feeling like I learned anything more about who is after Vincent.  The best part of the socialite plot was actually Tess pretending to be her, and getting back on the streets, which you can clearly see she misses at times.

In the end, J.T. was able to erase some incriminating evidence after DHS said they would no longer be covering for Vincent and company. But again, it is not too clear where this leaves us. I would like to see something bigger and better happen as the rest of the final season progresses.

Will the team ever find the personal work/life/beast balance that they are all seeking? Will J.T. and Tess make it through his obsession with identity and greater purpose? Will the writers clearly outline the direction that they are going in for this final season? Will Vincent ever stop feeling guilty for Cat loving him and sacrificing for him? Share your theories below!