The more Cat (Kristin Kreuk) learns about her lineage, the more Beauty and the Beast looks like it’s becoming a modern day version of a Shakespearean tragedy. Similarly, the more disgustingly cute that Cat and Gabe (Sendhil Ramamurthy) become, the more desperate Vincent (Jay Ryan) gets – and it’s not an awful look for him, or the show.
This new dynamic presents an interesting shift in the balance of power between Cat and Vincent. For the better part of a season and a half, Cat showed her love for Vincent by fighting tooth and nail for him. On more than one occasion, Vincent walked away from Cat, willingly. Although he’s arguably always been there for her when she needed him, he hasn’t exactly made her his first priority in the same way that she has made a habit of doing for him. In other words, they were a broken record.
For the first time, Cat is the one with all the power. Vincent, in return, is reacting by proving a theory. If he can take down Sam (Tom Everett Scott) with only marginal use of his beast side, he can win her back. This would settle the beast versus man argument that has been an over arching theme this season. The problem is that he isn’t exactly subtle in his intentions. Ergo, Gabe going on the offensive.
Gabe hasn’t been shy at letting Cat know about his feelings regarding her ex, and he has every right to be threatened. The love of Cat’s life is still an active part in it. This would create a red flag for any blossoming relationship. When you add in all the other variables, complicated doesn’t even begin to describe it. When Gabe thinks that Cat is on board with his whole separation premise, he approaches Vincent and plays his most powerful card. As a former beast, Gabe can say with unique authority that he’s the better option for Cat, and means it. If only that made it true.
As a fan of Beauty and the Beast, your first instinct may be to root for Vincent. That doesn’t mean you can’t feel bad for Gabe at the same time though. It doesn’t make you a traitor, it makes you reasonable. It has to be rough for him. He’s fighting a losing battle. Bottom line, it doesn’t matter how much he molds himself into the ‘good guy,’ he’s going to walk out of this empty handed. Gabe has already lost a lot in his life, and not that his former destructive behavior is excused by any means, it almost seems like he deserves more than the ending he’s going to get.
Watching Gabe put all his cards on the table after his wild card falls to deaf ears certainly ranks as a powerful moment in the history of the show. For a brief period of time it looks like he may get what he wants. Except, what he wants leads Cat straight to Vincent, where a very natural magnetism pulled them straight into the bedroom. Cat may regret this decision in the morning, but it’s not like she can just stop at the corner store and buy a card that says ‘sorry, I tripped and fell on top of my ex. It didn’t mean anything.’ She has a lot of explaining to do, and instead, she may opt to let things go. Wouldn’t that be something.
There’s only one more episode of Beauty and the Beast before the series goes on hiatus. Where do you think the story will leave off? Let us know all your theories in the comment section below!