Beauty and the Beast has a weak roar

Grade: 80%

You’ve probably already heard something about the CW’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, and it’s likely nothing good. Critics have been brutal about the supposed “reboot” of the old CBS series. Is this pile on deserved? Well, kind of, but not really.

There are definitely some valid criticisms about the “Pilot.” The dialogue is god awful. “You look pretty good for a dead guy” has been done a zillion times, and that’s barely scratching the surface. Every character has at least one groaner, and the writers seem to just want to move the story through the crime procedural elements to get to the mushy “good” stuff, which might partially explain the laziness.

Yes, the CW’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST may be a crime procedural, or, at least, that’s how the “Pilot” is presented. The titular beauty, Catherine Chandler (Kristin Kreuk, Smallville) is a homicide detective in New York City. She accidentally bumps into Vincent Keller (Jay Ryan, Neighbours), who is a vigilante, and together, they figure out who murdered the body of the week.

Because this is the CW, though, it’s hard to believe that BEAUTY AND THE BEAST will maintain this conceit. The network hasn’t ever really done a procedural, and its attempts at such a thing are usually half-hearted, and soon melt into larger arcs. This is a good thing, as serials are far superior forms of storytelling, and remain much more interesting over time. But it’s curious that this show chooses to start from such a boring launching pad.

Another thing to complain about is the pacing. In the “Pilot,” it plods along, seeming to take forever to get from one thing to the next. Perhaps it’s because there is lots of set up, but it just seems unnecessarily slow. We get that Vincent’s entire backstory won’t be explored in this first episode (though enough of it is to hook potentials fans), but does our introduction to him have to be so slow?

There are also more than a few blatant thefts from other projects. Vincent transforms into something beastly when his adrenaline ramps up, definitely reminiscent of The Hulk. The exterior New York shots could easily just be reused camera bits from Gossip Girl, which is the only logical reason why BEAUTY AND THE BEAST might be set in New York – to save money – as it doesn’t really make sense for the story. A shot of Vincent on a rooftop is definitely straight from Clark on Smallville. Catherine’s tough girl act, brought about by tragically losing her mother, is the same one that can be found on Castle and a dozen other shows currently running. Austin Basis plays Vincent’s best friend and roomie, J.T., exactly the same way he portrayed Math in Life Unexpected. Catherine’s partner, Tess (Nina Lisandrello), is a stereotypical New York detective, and could be in Blue Bloods.

And then, there are the plot holes and things that are just too shiny and perfect. Vincent is a doctor, and just wants to save people, completely selflessly. Catherine seems hurt by a guy doing her wrong, but immediately bounces back and is looking at other men. She is smart, capable, and always well above average pretty, even when on the job. The secret military organization that is supposed to be so tough and smart can’t find Vincent, and have no way to fight him when he does show up, even after years of hunting for him. Sure, some people believe he’s dead, but he’s dropped too many clues for that to be the general consensus from the authorities. And even if they are just finding out Vincent is alive, surely they’ve dealt with others like him.

One thing that I’ve heard many people complain about, though, that doesn’t deserve the scrutiny is that the Beast, Vincent, is good looking, yet still skulks in the shadows. This is completely explained by the fact that the military, which experimented with his DNA, is looking for him. It doesn’t matter how handsome he is, if he’s found out, he’s dead. Yes, when he’s not transformed, he is attractive. So what? That isn’t the point. He’s not hiding because he’s ashamed of a scar.

The remarkable thing that may be missed is that Vincent doesn’t hide well enough. He lives in a city with millions of people, surrounded by cameras. He is determined to help out those who need it, which results in Catherine connecting him to a bunch of past crimes. Why hasn’t he been found out yet? Why doesn’t he move somewhere rural, where there is far less chance of being caught? Why does he keep taking unnecessary risks even if, as he says, it makes him “feel human?” Wouldn’t you rather be alive?

The good thing about BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is the mythology. Some have complained that it’s predictable, too, but with so little of it leaking out yet, it’s hard to imagine how anyone can justifiably lobby that against the series. We know that Vincent was part of a government project after 9/11, during his time serving in Afghanistan. We know that Catherine’s mother being killed was not some random happenstance. And that’s about it.

There is also plenty of romance for the shipper fans. Kreuk and Ryan are easy on the eyes, and their characters are so virtuous that it’s easy to root for them. Catherine telling the boy at the beginning that she doesn’t care if he smokes weed shows that she knows the difference between laws that make sense and those that don’t, and doesn’t just blindly follow rules, making her even more sympathetic. They will find happiness with each other, and it’s plenty easy to see how that could be so.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is not groundbreaking or particularly original. But it’s not terrible, either. Depending on how the series develops, and the twists it decides to take, it could end up being something definitely worth watching. The CW is the perfect home for it, and gives the show its best chance of growing properly, finding its target audience, and not being reigned in unnecessarily. We’ll have to wait and see if that’s the case.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST premieres this Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on the CW.

Life Unexpected Ends Unexpectedly

     It seems like not that long ago (last April 13th, actually) when I wrote a fond farewell to what I was sure would be Life Unexpected's series finale. Thrilled that the CW gave the little show a second season this year, though it was renewed well after last spring's finale, so we were left hanging for quite awhile, I find myself with mixed feelings that the show is gone for good. Ok, it's not officially canceled, but it might as well be. Kudos to the network for allowing a second chance, but the ending, while plenty tear inducing, also left me frustrated, more for what it didn't show than what it did. As such, I will be focusing this review on the final moments of the show, rather than the whole series, whole season, or even the whole episode.

     The big news, of course: Baze (Kristoffer Polaha) ended up with Cate (Shiri Appleby). How could you not cry when Lux (Brittany Robertson) interrupted their make-out session to call them (for the first time seen on screen) Mom and Dad? Of course it was the dream of every child who grew up without parents, or parents being together. This was also the dream of many fans of the show, not counting myself among them. Yes, I longed for that in season one. But Baze was moving on in season two, and Ryan (Kerr Smith) was so well fleshed out as a likable character... It seemed more realistic that Cate would stay with Ryan.

     I praised the show the first time around for doing the unexpected, ending with Cate marrying Ryan. Cate and Ryan were just so invested in each other, that even after their marital problems this year, I was not happy to see them broken up. It seriously tainted the moment. Had the show been given another two seasons, as the final few moments were set two years in the future, I could easily see Ryan having left Cate to raise his baby with Julia (Jamie Ray Newman, Drop Dead Diva, Eureka) in a more natural way. Plus, it would have helped their radio careers to have them fight a lot and eventually divorce, but stay on the show. Or even not fight too much, as they seemed to still care for each other, and Ryan stayed in Lux's life, as he should have. But as Julia had barely been seen up to this point, it bothered me immensely. It was just too abrupt.

     Baze, like Cate, also had another love interest, in the form of Emma (Emma Caulfield, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gigantic). It broke my heart when he ended things with her. I totally understand. I knew finding out that she had had a four year affair with Baze's father, Jack (Robin Thomas), would end things between them. How could it not? As such, I blame the writers for ruining such a perfect pairing with that twist. On the other hand, the couple got really serious, really quickly, and had the show continued, I guess it would have been a bit boring for Baze to settle down with a woman so quickly. Not for me, but for most viewers, who like the on again-off again stories. Still, I missed Emma in that ending.

     Another option for Baze, and the one I thought was happening at first, was having him end up with Alice (Erin Karpluk), who was almost absent from this season entirely, but managed to be in the end. When I saw a pregnant Alice sitting next to Baze, I assumed she was his happy ending. It made sense. She was sweet, pretty, and recently divorced before the jump forward. Sure, since she wasn't with Baze, I am glad she was with Math (Austin Basis). Math is the epitome of a nice guy, and his unluckiness in love has been disheartening. I don't wish to take away from his happy ending by complaining. I'm just very unsettled by the whole last minute Cate - Ryan split, and that has influenced my whole opinion of the end.
 
     The other thing I had hoped for was the return of Eric (Shaun Sipos). As someone in the teaching world, I was disgusted by the Lux dating a teacher arc. But I also saw how they came together, completely unaware that they were doing anything wrong, and it hurt my heart a bit, too. Eric was good for Lux, and I had hoped he might return after she became legal age. Unlike the other relationship jumps, I'm fine with Lux ending up with Jones (Austin Butler), even though he had been dating Tasha (Ksenia Solo). Jones was the ultimate symbol of how Lux had been healed emotionally.

     I also wish for another season so I could see Lux fall in and out of love with Sam (Landon Liboiron) before she settled on Jones, as that was clearly being set up before the finale. She had some more healing to do, and Sam would have helped that process along, being a good choice for the damaged Lux, but on the road to healing himself from his parents' broken home, he could have taken her with him. Sam's continued presence would have kept Emma around long enough for Baze to try to get past her past, if he ever could, which is doubtful, but how I hoped it would go.

     Happy endings were also given to Jack, who was at the graduation sitting behind Baze, presumably with their relationship once again on the mend, and Jamie (Reggie Austin), who had almost disappeared from the show in season two. I felt like Kelly (Amy Price-Francis), similar to Sam, lost a good ending because of the pressures of wrapping up the show. Paige (Arielle Kebbel) was even more cheated, as she had been worked fairly prominently into this second season, just to go missing in the final couple of episodes.

     Life Unexpected wasn't always consistently top notch, often (especially in its sophomore year) falling to cheese or what seemed like too much drama. However, it was also often heart warming, and I will miss it.

Article first published as TV Review: Life Unexpected Ended Unexpectedly on Blogcritics.

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