The spring finale of Beauty and The Beast doesn’t end with happily ever after, but it does end with the possibility of it. Vincent (Jay Ryan) and Cat (Kristin Kreuk) have made it through another growing pain in their relationship and it only took them 16 episodes to do so. Vincent has proven that he can in fact change, for the better, and through a collaborative effort, they managed to turn Sam (Tom Everett Scott) back to the side of good (or, at least is appears that way). This just leaves Gabe (Sendhil Ramamurthy) as the odd man out – again.
Let’s start at the end and work backwards. About Last Night ends with a pretty unsettling scene – Vincent being hauled away in handcuffs for murder. After everything this couple has been through, it must seem like the universe is both pushing them together and pulling them apart simultaneously. The truth is, this cliffhanger was most likely compliments of ADA Lowen. Gabe may have taken his promise to protect Cat from Vincent a bit too far and this time he may not be able to fix things.
All season long Gabe has tried to compensate for his mistakes as a beast. He wormed his way into the lives of Cat and her friends. He helped Cat with her rescue mission even when it seemed futile. He stood by her when Vincent pretty much made a mockery of their relationship, with some help from Tori and her beast pheromones. Gabe was there every step of the way, and when the dust settled and the time was right he stepped in, filling the emotional void in Cat’s life and cementing his redemption.
As Vincent grew further away from the cold hearted beast for hire who we were introduced to at the beginning of the season and closer to the man that Cat fell in love with, Gabe went on the defensive. Now that Cat has made a decision, and it wasn’t him, Gabe is on the offensive. He has nothing to lose. And if Sam’s character has taught us anything, it’s that people with nothing to lose will do just about anything.
Not only has this most recent plot twist threatened to tear Vincent and Cat apart again, but it runs the risk of destroying Gabe. All of his redeeming qualities are about to become the basis for Cat’s anger. She has proven her tenacity for getting what she wants before and if Gabe had anything to do with Vincent’s incarceration, she’s not going to stop until she defeats his ego. This won’t be the first time she went up against odds that weren’t in her favor, and let’s face it, if actual police work had led them to Vincent, clearly Cat would have been arrested as an accessory.
When Beauty and the Beast started off the night, Cat had convinced herself that choosing Vincent was wrong and that somehow choosing to love him, or stay in love with him, was unfair to herself. She was willing to settle for the person that Gabe had become, if for nothing else than the blinding fact that Gabe was able to change, to be a better person than circumstances previously allowed. As the realization sunk in over the course of this episode that Vincent was capable of the same thing, he became the obvious choice – the only choice.
The CW hasn’t announced a return date for Beauty and the Beast, so all we can do now is cross our fingers that the series makes it safely back to air so fans aren’t left wanting. Do you think Gabe is behind this latest obstacle in Vincent and Cat’s epic romance? Let us know all your BATB theories in the comments section below.