LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE
VINCENT AND CATHERINE
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An impossible love?
It is said in the opening credits that they 'cannot be together', and that's how it was meant by the series' creator, Ron Koslow. The Vincent he imagined, inspired by the 'Beast' played by Jean Marais in the Cocteau movie, was not completely human, and his relationship with Catherine tragically impossible, since Koslow's beast had no hope of ever changing into a Handsome Prince.
Yet, as it often happens, the creature escaped the limits set by it's creator. The character's inner logics, the actor's work and the interaction with the others have made Vincent a deeply human person... maybe with something more, like the psychic bond uniting him to Catherine, but certainly nothing less. He fights his fears and demons, struggles to find balance between his dark and light zones, his strengths and his frailties.
Both a warrior and a poet, virile and romantic, unerringly faithful and utterly devoted, all that spiced with a touch of (most of the time) restrained savagery... It's easy to see Vincent as the incarnation of a masculine ideal, the man of every girl's dreams. And honestly, with Ron Perlman's imposing physical presence and talent, Rick Baker's wonderful make up and his beautiful, romantic costumes, it's hard to imagine what spell could turn him into a more Handsome Prince than he already is.
Catherine's character is just as complex and full of nuances, and Linda Hamilton's vibrant interpretation gives her all the necessary depth and intensity to make her exist in front of Vincent's impressive presence. If there is a transformation, it's in catherine that it takes place throughout the 1st season. Being assaulted and meeting Vincent will change her forever, transforming a somewhat frivolous, rich daddy's girl into a valiant soldier fighting against crime and injustice, and give a meaning to her life. Catherine's love for Vincent is just as strong and absolute as his for her. Whatever her doubts and her fears, she moves forward with tenacity, determined to believe in their dream.
Both characters evolve as the show goes on, and so does the relationship between them. Some episodes, like A happy Life or Orphans, are entirely devoted to that evolution, but even when the plots are centered on something else, the relationship remains the capital element. Even without written words in the script, the two lead actors, who share an evident complicity, channel its existence and progression through body language and looks, also communicating as an undertext the sexual desire simmering between their characters, of which no word will ever be spoken.
In an interview, one of the scenarists said she had envisioned a four season show, during which the relationship between the two main characters could have evolved and progressed toward a possible happy ending.
One will never know if Ron Koslow and the CBS managers would have allowed such a thing to happen. Their decision to continue the show after Linda Hamilton's departure shattered the fairytale. Suddenly, and for monetary reasons, the physical relationship between vincent and Catherine was no more an impossibility. For the show to go on, Catherine had to die, Vincent had to survive, and a child was the only thing that could prevent him from following her. (Don't die! If you die, I die.)
Then they probably hoped to go on with the show as if nothing had happened, with the Beast moving on to a new Beauty. Shows how little they knew about a character they had themselves created!
A big part of the audience, who knew Vincent better than that, just refused to buy it.
To them, 'Beauty and the Beast' were Catherine and Vincent.... and nobody else.
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