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Beauty and the Beast celebrated the mid-season finale by having a wedding! How delightful was this RomCom-UrFa of an episode? Cat said it best, "Brooke and my Dad shouldn't even be together." So perk your ears and Podcast Up! Check out the write up here!

Trapped is filled with so many plot holes that you'll need to flip and roll like Vincent to make sense of it. Take a guided tour with our latest review. Podcast now!

Listen to the podcast here and then checkout our written review of Out of Control. Enjoy the podcast!

Happy Thanksgiving Beasties! As you might know by now Beauty and the Beast is showing a rerun of Proceed With Caution tonight. So we saved our Worth review for a special Thanksgiving edition, cause we love you that much. We finally dive into the 'shipper wars. Find out who we're backing and what we thought of Worth.

Michelle's thoughts on Saturn Returns: If you've listened to the podcast or read John's write up, you know we didn't enjoy this episode. In a different show this episode would have been fine. This episode was a story about a normal girl who has to choose between a romance with a hot mysterious loner that she has to keep secret from all her friends or a hot successful coworker that she thought was a player but suddenly revealed his deeper feelings. That could be a legitimate show, the problem is it clashes with what we know about Cat and the story Beauty and the Beast was telling so far. I thought I was watching a show about a woman who witnessed her mothers death and became a cop obsessed with her job and her mothers killer. A woman who withdrew from normal society until she meets the man who saved her life and now they must save each other by healing the emotional scars they both carry. So the problem with this episode is that it doesn't work with the story they started out with. Based off this episode, half of what we knew about Cat has been retconned. John and I can be good sports though. If Beauty and the Beast is now about competing relationships and who will end up with who we are ready to play along. We have both chosen teams to root for. I am voting for JT and Joe Bishop now known as J-Joe. John is hoping that JT and Evan will hook up also known as team Jevan. We will be breathlessly watching and tallying up all the various points for each. So let the games begin and may the best man-team win! ¨ John's thoughts rant on Saturn Returns: Cat's having a party and the CW is inviting everyone! Too bad it's the stupidest party of the year, and yes we are counting the Republican Party-ouch. Saturn Returns is now the worst episode of the season. For those of you not keeping score Beauty and the Beast is hitting 3-2. Cat and Vin's blossoming romance is nipped in the bud when he spies her kissing Evan. This one was completely for all you "shipers" out there. The episode crapped all over Cat's character and trivialized her mother's murder for the sake of raising the drama in Cat and Vincent's relationship. Lame, so lame you want to change the channel. This episode wasn't lame simply because Cat has shown so much disinterest in Evan that it's impossible to see him as the third point in this triangle. No, it was lame because it was cheap manipulation of the audience to show us how much Cat's life has changed since meeting Vin. As apparently she is at the warehouse every dam day-and-night and has to lie to her friends 24/7 about where she was and who she was with. While at the warehouse she does nothing to find out why her mother was killed, what she did while working for Muirfield, or anything related to the big questions of the show. So what the hell is she doing at the warehouse? The answer is simple. We know she goes their often as she has to constantly lie about where she was. We know she was not working her moms case as that would have been shown. We know she is doing something bad as she has to lie about what she did. We know she can't always be with Vin as JT would die of a heart attack. So the only logical explanation, she's stalking Vincent. Yes, in an attempt to bond she has picked up his creepy stalking habit so they'll have something to do together. Sub-mystery of the week solved! Cat (on call to Vin): What are you doing right now? Vin: Stalking you. What are you doing? Cat: Awe, I'm stalking you too my princely Beast. Doesn't it just melt your creepy stalker heart? Three good stories sprouted from this poop-heap of an episode: Vin is having black outs, Joe and Tess might be on to something-each other, and JT is hooking up with some sweet professor candy named Sara. All the relationship melodrama between Cat-and-Vin, Cat-and-Heather (don't even get me started with the unauthentic nature of their relationship) and Cat-and-EVERYBODY left such a bad taste in my mouth I found it hard to get interested in the supporting relationships. Which means that Vin's blackout was the best part of this episode, and it's about 4 minutes. The only thing that sucks is these blackouts will now be framed by the emotional stress of seeing Cat kiss another man. So all the love triangle melodrama is just getting started. It's a rants and ragers edition where we ask ourselves just who the hell is Catherine Chandler and dissect the nature of authentic characters in fictional media. Give it a listen, avoid Saturn's Return. PS: Congratulations to the Beauty and the Beast crew they were picked up for a full season!

New Podcast! Enjoy the new intro music! It's 100% longer and better than before! Michelle's thoughts on Beauty and the Beast – Basic Instinct: Another great episode! They've fully recovered from episode 2. There's a lot to look forward to with the series becoming less procedural and more story focused. The growth of Cat and Vincent is getting really interesting as they help each other to heal. Muirfield continues to heat up and there is still lots of story to tell there. Anyone scared away by episode 2 is really missing out. This episode Tess is getting really suspicious about how Cat is getting her mysterious leads. At first she thinks it must be Evan and Cat in a secret relationship but by the end of the episode she realizes that's not it. Tess will have to find out more soon or later and it will be interesting to see how that plays out. At least she'll react a lot better than JT has so far. JT is like the ultimate jealous wife. After living with someone for so long it's normal to become close and JT has the added influence of being Vincent's protector. We've seen his constant efforts to keep Cat away and blame her for anything going wrong. This episode they finally have to work together to rescue Vincent. The development of this relationship should prove to be really interesting too. I do think I'm right about Evan not being used as the third point of the love triangle, that spot is taken by JT. This episode was a home run and sets the stage nicely for a lot of great character development. I can't wait for Cat's Dad to appear and find out how he is involved with her Mom and Muirfield. Also finding out how Silver Fox survived and see him get more involved with Cat and Vincent. This season is turning out really solid. ¨ John's thoughts on Beauty and the Beast – Basic Instinct: Beauty and the Beast episode 4 Basic Instinct asks Cat "How brave is your love?" She flinches and then doles out two to Muirfield for making her flinch. Well it's more like four, four dead agents. Go team Beauty, Beast and the Geek! This episode had it all. It had great parallelism between the case of the week and the developing relationships between characters (we talk about this alot in the podcast). Fantastic fight scenes: where Cat kicks some serious ass and dishes out one hell of a throat punch, JT kills a dude witha  bat and helps the Vin Man dispose of the bodies and Vincent in full on Beast mode causing explosions and choking out some fool! You've heard the expression "Give them enough rope to hang themselves." Well Vincent's motto is, "Give me enough chain and I'll choke you to death with it." They also tease us with a photo of Cat's mom at the Muirfield headquarters! What? So it is true she was working for Muirfield! Now I want to meet Cat's Father even more and find out what he knows. Take away all that awesomeness and Basic Instinct was simply about going with your gut and having faith in good people. Early on in the episode Tess tells Cat she's "over thinking it" when it comes to playing baseball, but it was also good advice for what would come. Muirfield drops some sobering facts about Vincent on Cat; he allegedly killed 500 people in an unsanctioned strike on an Afghan village. Though she's quick to counter with the old argument of you made him do that. It is still a massive body count to think of, even IF he was with 10-20 other Beasties, that's 25 to 50 civilians brutally killed by each Beast. Then she is shown the ONE American dude Vincent killed and she loses all faith and trust in Vincent. (I take this as commentary on America's apathetic attitude toward civilian casualties of the War in Afghanistan. I give the writers two thumbs up and congratulate them on taking Beauty and the Beast deeper than I expected.) Back to talking about faith, because that's what this episode is about. Vincent's faith in Cat bringing him back to humanity. Cat's faith in Vincent bringing closure to her moms murder and allowing her to finally rest and live like a regular human being. When they have their faith tested it makes Cat question what she knows about Vincent versus how she feels about him. She's forced to reconcile those feelings against the new evidence and it rattles her, justifiably so. Cat says she is "used to the world being black and white", her obsessively driven savior complex does see the world in black and white, or rather guilty and innocent. We've seen this in previous episodes when she tries to deal with Muirfield as if it's a typical case. Now her world is being flipped and she can't be on the wrong side, it was that side that killed her mother, and stole her life, that's where the fear and over thinking hits her the hardest. That's why she's so shaken when Vincent shows up at her apartment, she must be imagining all the people (Afghanis), or person (US dude), that was left devastated from his crime(s). This causes a chain reaction and the next time she's with Vincent he notices something's up. She tries to push him away, a little role reversal, and Vincent realizes she is scared of him not Muirfield. It's a painful moment for Vincent and he decides that he can no longer risk hurting the people he cares about and will turn himself in. Which is interesting cause he could have run on his own. By turning himself in he's admitting that those around him are "collateral damage" and that he has reached a place in regaining his humanity that he doesn't want to go back to being alone. It would be better to be locked in a cage than on the run alone. JT's faith in... well JT's faith is complicated. He trusts Vincent in an unconditional; some might say suicidal, way. But being on the lam with the Vin man for the last less than a decade the two have become close, best friends to start and now even closer, it's one hell of a bromance. That's probably why JT flips out on Cat so much like a jealous girlfriend bro. But that's just how much he has committed to his friendship with Vincent, hence when he learns Vincent has chosen to give up/end the relationship JT flips out, because he still has faith, and mounts up with Cat to go get their man back. Again the episode brings the win as we get more awesome scenes of JT "the Bat Man" Forbes! If they make a JT action figure, he better come with a baseball bat, and a "No Cats" sign. Luckily Beauty, Beast and the Geek learn a lesson about having faith and trusting their gut the team reconciles in time to win the big game against Muirfield. YEAH! We're number one, we're number one... on Muirfield's most wanted list. Oh, I don't know if we should cheer about that. This episode also expanded the character of Joe Bishop. Mister Moody turned that frown upside down and became a ball busting Baseball coach that helped lead the NYPD team to victory over the NY Fire Dept. "NYPD putting out fires." Best Joe Bishop line ever, someone needs to make a Joe bishop soundboard. He had some great insight that reflected what we talk about in the podcast about what the baseball game symbolizes for Cat, "This game is about the whole precinct, about pride. It's about you too Chandler." It's interesting that he says it's about the WHOLE precinct and then specifically says it's about Cat too. Joe recognizes Cat is an outsider. She buries herself so deep in her work she never comes up to meet with her fellow workers, outside of the ones she must talk to on a regular basis.  It builds on to Cat's character as a loner obsessed with her job, and nothing else. It also adds some much-needed dimension to Joe Bishop. This was the first time I actually thought Joe cared for his people and saw them as more than a daily irritation he had to manage. I'm rooting for more Joe, as a halfrican-American I enjoy seeing my fellow brothers and sisters on TV. Hopefully you caught this excellent episode, Basic Instinct, if not go watch it now-now at the official CW Beauty and the Beast website. Remember to trust your gut, and your gut says tune in every Thursday night at 9pm. Then check out our podcast and weekly review for a Beauty and the Beast doubleheader. Ending baseball puns, I'm out.

Michelle's thoughts on ep.3 All In: The CW should have replaced episode 2 with episode 3. The episode names are apt, ep. 2 is called Proceed with Caution and ep. 3 is called All In. The second episode of a new series is not the time to be cautious, they should have jumped all in immediately. I worry that the second episode hurt the show a lot and it won't get a second season, which is a shame after this episode. I really enjoyed this one. It reminded me a lot of the old 80's series in a good way. The case is finally not girl themed, about illegal aliens and being framed for murder. Maybe because Cat and Tess are not the leads on this case, instead it's two guys dressed as modern versions of 30's gangsters. We have some great moments with Cat investigating the case on her own and Tess getting upset about not being in the information loop. Cat finding the two girls and getting Vincent to help them was very reminiscent of the old show. I love that she doesn't give up investigating even when she's suspended. By the end of the episode Vincent finally gets tired of playing hide and seek and allows Cat to contact him when she needs help. This episode was really solid and makes me excited for the future. We didn't get a lot of Muirfield action like the preview seemed to promise but we have that to look forward to. There were only 2 things that I didn't like this episode. I still don't like Cat's sister being there; luckily she was hardly in this episode. She does have one good line when she tells Cat to go to her father's wedding with the doctor and when Cat protests that he is a player, Heather comes back with "You like players." More evidence of Cat pushing everyone in her life away and only dating men she knows will leave. The other part I didn't like is the idea of Vincent following Cat around without her knowledge. Very creepy stalker/twilight vampire watching her sleep. I hope that now they have a way to communicate he will stop doing that. Everyone ended in a good place this episode more communication between Cat and Vincent, and Cat and Tess. I loved that Cat checks one for attending the wedding despite her sisters nagging. It further reinforces that Cat's relationship with Vincent will be the most important one in her life and she's not ashamed of it. Way to stand up for a woman's right to be single and not be considered strange and defective! I think this episodes solid ending will allow them to really stir things up with some Muirfield action next time. I'm ready for some more creepy FBI guy action. See you next Thursday, CW! ¨ John's thoughts on ep. 3 All In: The latest episode of the CW's Beauty and the Beast (All In) was a big win, except for Cat who was almost demoted to garbage, oh Angry Sexy Boss you so crazy. All In shows us just how far our heroes are willing to go for their convictions, and Heather goes all the way! (That's Cats sister for those who blanked her out.) But seriously let's check out what we learned about these sex colored characters. When Cat believes an innocent woman is about to be railroaded to a guilty verdict, she decides to do some overtime police work to prove the woman's innocent. Much to the complaints of Joe "Me So Angry" Bishop who only wants justice served up in its purest bureaucratic form. Even good ol' Tess can't back her up on this slam-dunk case. Good for her, she shouldn't be a dumping ground for a one-sided relationship-EPISODE THEME ALERT!  When the feces hit the fan, and Angry Boss has a real reason to be angry, Tess has some harsh words for Cat. Simply put this aint no Thelma and Louise relationship, so think twice before swan diving off a cliff. This gives us the chance to see Cat described by her closest friend in the harsh light of anger. Tess calls Cat out easily for her emotional baggage and tendency to withdrawal into herself. All things we enjoy about her as they pushed her into the role of a driven savior. Dealing with someone like that on a daily basis, well you have my sympathies, as you'll be in the loop when you're useful. However, the two patch things up towards the end of the episode. Cat agrees to open up more and not keep her in the dark. (Episode theme expanding one-sided relationships!) Tess says she appreciates that Cat takes her seriously as a cop and says she is the best partner she's ever had. Awe, Cat's just a shinning star of friendship! Or it could be that Tess was partnered with a sexist bunghole for two years who found her feminine qualities an automatic rejecter of authentic detective skills. I also took this as some meta commentary from the creators in reaction to some of the more ludicrous reviews that don't take Cat and Tess seriously as cops because they are short and thin women. Moving on to Cats next one-sided relationship, because that's the only kind she has. We see Evan getting played by Cat to do some off the books investigatory work. Hey don't feel sorry for this smarmy bastard, he's an attractive doctor with an English accent. Our hearts should break for his foolish pursuit of Cat? No thank you. They do some flirting, as Cat knows how to work a man to get what she needs. In the most ironic line of the night Cat thanks Evan for his help and says, "Who would I rope into my investigations if not you?" Who but Vincent, and I think the camera fades to a scene with her and Vincent. Ouch. No growth in this one-sided relationship, just the advancement of sexual tension, Evan's sexual tension. The other one-sided relationship is the biggest and flips it on Cat, who can't really deal with it. Vincent has all the leverage of the relationship. He sets the rules, communication happens on his terms and he gets to give all the creepy surprise grabs and hugs! He's also the only person Cat seems to want. Everyone else serves as stand-ins and feels almost disposable at times. If Cat didn't work so hard to keep that social aspect of humanity she would see everyone as strictly a means to an end. Cat wants Vincent so badly that she will do anything to get him on her side of the savior game, in some ways because he was the one who got her started. She has thrown away much of her life to serve a greater good and is clearly a junky looking for a co-dependent, Vincent is her man. Her need for him is so strong the she actually accepts the weaker position in a one-sided relationship. No one else gets this treatment, not even JT "Shoo Cat" Forbes. He is adamant about his feelings toward her being around and she could careless. After numerous telling offs, and an attempted bat to the face, Cat's still in charge. Same goes for "Me So Angry" Bishop. He can yell, scream and suspend her, but Cat is still going to do it her way. Luckily for Cat Vincent is in love with her and so the pair talk about bringing some balance to the relationship (episode theme!) and Cat gets Vincent's digits. Looks like JT's ulcer is gonna need a Costco sized bottle of Pepto, because this cat aint going back to the pound. *A note on the podcast. We were hoping to have Ashley and Emma B. on the show, but this episode was so good it provided little to mock about. So we will have them on as soon as we get another "winning" episode.

Michelle's thoughts on Episode 2: Episode 2: A disappointment After a surprisingly great first episode, the second was surprisingly bad. It felt like this was a placeholder episode where nothing happens. Catherine and Vincent argue a lot about information we know she'll find out anyway. A sister is introduced which ruins the idea that Cat is a brooding loner who feels like she doesn't fit in her own life. If her sister is there all the time, how will she be lonely and driven? Maybe they were trying to match JT and Vincent to Cat and Heather, but Cat already has Tess so this seems unnecessary. Hopefully something interesting happens with this sister soon to get her out of the best friend role. A rather unsatisfying mystery is solved entirely by Tess, since Cat is too busy getting saved by Vincent to help. The doctor is moving more towards the love triangle role (he even mentions a love triangle!) contrary to my hopes. There wasn't much good about this episode. The only parts I found interesting were the Muirfield involvements. Erasing all the files off her computer was a sweet move. If they really want to kill her they should stop sending one assassin at a time though. I wish they weren't afraid to have Catherine kill people she fights. Even in the first subway fight the one man who dies runs into the other guys knife so she has no blame! I really think this might be a gender issue. Arrow kills lots of bad guy goons and apparently that's ok because he's a guy. I wonder if Vincent had to save her partly so he would be the one to kill the assassin. Either way, Cat should have kicked that guys ass with no help from anyone! I don't know why the second episode was so weak but I hope the preview for the next one isn't misleading. It looks much better, getting into the Muirfield stuff a lot more. I'll look forward to that and hope episode 2 was an exception. With only 13 episodes in the first season, it was silly to waste this one on nothing happening. The first episode set me up with high hopes, don't let me down CW. ¨ John's thoughts on Episode 2: Beauty and the Beast episode 2 is called Proceed with Caution, which is what you should do if you choose to watch it. Caution being copious amounts of your favorite adult beverage. We're introduced to Cat's sister Heather. Sweet Heather is a young, innocent, doe-eyed lady who just wants to put their Mother's UNSOLVED murder behind them, and gets annoyed at Cat when she brings it up.  "Mom's case has been closed for 9 years." Heather says. Wait, what 9 years? Damn those cops give up fast, wasn't she murdered 9 years ago? I guess Muirfield was better at covering things up back in the day. This could also work toward our theory that Cat's whole family was in on the hit. Beauty and the Beast also treats us to some playful banter between the whole team of detectives and medical examiner as they show up to the case of the evening. We get a flirty push between Examiner Sexy and Sexy Cat. Then Partner Sexy tells them to just get it on, Chris Farley style, she then tells Sexy Cat "some amount of my brothers met their wives on the job." Then Angry Sexy Boss shows up and says, "Now how about meeting your victim." In this case the victim is the viewer. After all their sexy talk they find a ballerina has been murdered and begin a Blues Clues/Myth Busters like investigation of the crime scene. It's all very procedural. Until Sexy Beast shows up on a sexy rooftop, and gives Sexy Cat a sexy bear hug from behind. As creeper friends do. Then Sexy Cat asks him about her mother. The dialogue is something like this: Sexy Cat: Tell me about my mother's death. Vinny B. Sexy: No, ask me sexier and angrier. Sexy Cat (in upset sexy voice): Tell me who killed my mother, was it Muirfield? Vinny B. Sexy: No. Not sexy enough. But you were kind of sexy. So I'll give you a clue about your current case. Sexy Cat (really upset, not at all sexy): Are you F-ing serious? {Sexy Cat throws Vinny B. Sexy off the roof.) Well it didn't end like that, but that about sums up the childish line of question and answer the two love beast's play, and it goes... all... episode... l-o-n-g. It's apparent that Vinny B. Sexy is gonna make Sexy Cat work for some sexy-sexy answers and force us viewers to watch some terrible drama before we get answers. Those answers better be damn sexy! As we are painfully pulled through this less than stellar second episode we are blessed with one gem for sacrificing an hour to CW's sexy altar. J"They call me the Sexy Bat Man"T Forbes proves that he ain't no bitch. When he hears someone breaking into the back of the warehouse, and remember this is a dude who has been in hiding from a killer super-secret-not-so-sexy-secret government agency for the last 7-9 years, instead of running he posts up with a bat, and when that door opens he swings for the fences. Luckily Cat's cat like reflexes kick in and she ducks the grand-slammer bammer. It appears that J"TCMTSBM"T Forbes is the only person Sexy Cat can successfully beat up. Enter bike messenger assassin. Who uses the cleverest of ploys, pretending he was hit by your car, to sneak attack the victim/runner-overer. Luckily, oh so luckily, Vinny B. Sexy was creeper lurking, or perhaps just getting a meal from a dumpster in the same alley now that he's homeless. (Wait I did mention that he ran away from the warehouse right?) So he saves Sexy Cat right before she's about to be unsexily murdered. Beauty and the Beast failed the strong female lead test on this one. I vote they rename the show Saved by the Vinny and make it a whacky lady cop sitcom. Seriously, this episode was disposable. At best they advanced the Vincent-Cat-Evan love triangle (but that's a blah-sosceles triangle), expanded our knowledge of Cat's family life (though with a rather annoying sister and not her conflicted father), and showed us that JT never runs, no matter how hot the kitchen gets, Ghost-GhostFacers! That's 2 parts Bad to 1 part Good, so watch it (now-now) as that's a perfect mixture of unintended comedy. Special thanks to Sir Brandon of Earlsbury who joined us for the podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @swhs78.

Michelle's thoughts on episode 1: The first episode was much better than I expected! As we discussed in the podcast Catherine is a very strong character and the parallels between her and Vincent are really well done. There are a lot of great relationships that were introduced that John covers in his post. I wanted to talk about the two relationships we haven't discussed yet. The first one is between Cat and her boss at the police station. We only see two quick moments with them and it was enough. I don't think Cat needs an overbearing boss, she's already so driven by her inner demons. She doesn't need another person suspicious of what's going on with her and Vincent either. I think it will only slow the show down if they go that route. Hopefully this relationship will stay in the background and only be used when they need some external motivation for Cat. The second relationship we haven't discussed is the playboy doctor and Cat. I liked this one. Cat only surrounds herself with non threatening relationships like douche boyfriends and a female partner that's not too nosey, so I think the doctor fits right in. She wouldn't be so friendly with him if she thought there was a chance of romantic interest. She knows he's a major playboy, they joke about it, so he's as much of a threat as the douchey boyfriends she surrounds herself with. I don't think Cat would hook up with a guy like that so he's as benign as a gay guy friend would be. He asks her out on a date but I think it was more as just friends. I'm sure he would hook up with her if he got the chance but he wouldn't want a long term relationship. She doesn't even remember that she missed the date until he tells her, that's how little she was invested in it. He was joking when he said he waited hour and hours, a guy like that wouldn't wait around. He was more upset that anyone would stand him up not that Cat did. It was another way of showing how important Vincent is becoming to her, that she would blow off a date with a friend without a moments thought. John disagrees and thinks that the doctor will become the third point of a love triangle. He thinks this episode just lays the groundwork for that. I really hope this doesn't turn out to be the case. I just can't believe a relationship with this doctor would be tempting at all to Cat. I'm interested to see which direction the show will take it. Overall this was a great first episode, we could only find a few things to make fun of in the podcast. Mostly we talk about how great everything was! I'm hoping for a lot more great things in the future. ¨ John's thoughts on episode 1: We tuned into the CW last night for the premiere of Beauty and the Beast. It far surpassed my expectations and was a true delight to watch. Kristin Kreuk gave an outstanding performance as Catherine "Cat" Chandler. She brought just as much guts and determination to the character as Linda Hamilton did in the original series. No small task for Kreuk who comes in at 5'4", and doesn't have the benefit of the 80s love of beefy shoulder pads and weighty garments to bolster her physical presence. Yet she still manages to come across as a tough and emotionally damaged detective. Hey you would be damaged too if you blamed yourself for your moms murder, a murder you witnessed, and then survived only because some raging man-imal tore your pursuers apart. That's going to leave some psychological scarring. Luckily, Cat persevered through the drama by withdrawing into a deep desire to dish-out sweet justice and became a butt-kicking detective. Every detective needs a good partner and Tess, played by Nina Lisandrello, is more than good. Their relationship is honest, filled with trust and feels genuine. I like Tess, she's an honest, logical woman and makes a great detective. Tess also brings none of that annoying "tell me your secret" creepy neediness that many shows love to use for bad drama. Right now the two make a great team with Tess giving nothing but awesome support. We'll see if that dynamic changes and we get the typical skeptic-and-believer partnership, no please. They do rush Tess out of scenes so Cat can investigate the mystery of Vincent in peace. An unfortunate externality that will hopefully be corrected once she is let in on Cat and Vincent's crusade. Vincent, played by Jay Ryan, also delivered a strong performance as a conflicted man-beast. Not as broody as the CW's popular Angel, and with way less of a creep factor coming off his relationship with Cat. Vincent and Cat share a similar theme, as they are both on a quest to regain a lost part of their humanity. This, and their initial dramatic encounter in the woods, bonds them to each other and the two have good chemistry as they work to "save each other." Vincent's partner/roommate JT Forbes, played well by Austin Basis (of Ghostfacers fame F-yeah!), provides an anchor for Vincent who is out of touch with humanity because of his rage issues, and being wanted by a covert section of the government. JT provides a few laughs and the friendship between the two comes across as honest. So honest that JT gets into a somewhat pointless argument with Vincent, seemingly forgetful that he is arguing with a beast that can rage out and rip a man limb from limb. That's just whacky JT! All kidding aside I enjoyed the scenes with them and am looking forward to more. We were also introduced to an unnamed FBI agent. This guy was great. He seemed like an intelligent sociopath and gave me confidence that the Muirfield angle will be handled well. Overall the premiere was very good, save for a few moments of typical plot holes and RUFK moments. The CWing of Beauty and the Beast went better than expected and came out more of a beauty than a beast.

Michelle's thoughts on the Preview Review: We recorded our first podcast and after listening to it I need to stop saying “um” and “like” so much! Overall I think it turned out well though. We mention the hope that Kristin Kreuk as the new Catherine will live up to Linda Hamilton’s portrayal of the character several times. It’s obviously a topic we feel strongly about. I love strong female characters and Catherine is so badass in the original I don’t want her character ruined. I really hope this show can pull off a strong, smart, independent woman. We rambled a bit but I think when we have a whole episode to talk about it will be easier to stay on target. It’s been so long since I’ve had to wait week to week to watch a show, normally I wait until it comes to netflix and watch it all at once. At least a week will give lots of time to review the current episode and anticipate the next one. I’m excited for the first episode, I think it has a lot of potential. We love to watch TV shows and critique them and recording our thoughts in a podcast will be a natural extension of our normal conversations. This will be so much fun! We’ll be making fun of the show more than talking about how great it is, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love it. That’s the way we enjoy TV and we hope you’ll enjoy it too! ¨ John's thoughts on the Preview Review: Our first podcast is now under our belts. We learned a few lessons, I don't get to play with paper during recordings and going off track is unavoidable. Reviewing the podcast it was apparent that one of Catherine's most influential qualities was her ass kicking ways. We touched on the topic again and again. Linda Hamilton's performance was impressive for a couple of reasons. We rarely get to see tough ladies on tv, so when a woman holds her own it's like you've just witnessed the second coming, and Jesus is a woman. Catherine was uncompromising, but in an intelligent way. Too often there is a tendency to make women headstrong and then we get to watch them follow a painfully idiotic choice to its bitter end that usually involves being rescued by some dude. Catherine makes smart choices and then deals out, or takes, a few hard knocks because of them, but it always feels authentic and intelligent. I'm hoping that the new Beauty and the Beast will stay away from Kirstin Kreuk's skillful, and finely honed, damsel in distress acting ability. In one of the promos she talks about the character Catherine having these suppressed emotions from her mothers murder. We want to see these emotions power the driven and tough Catherine as she ruthlessly seeks justice for her mother and Vincent. Maybe ruthless is too strong of a word, but you know what I mean. What I don't want to see is constant tears behind every close up of her all to angelic face. The rule to follow should be "Don't get pouty, get punchy!" #ToughGirlThursday should trend across twitter every episode! On to the Beast, good ol' Vincent, now played by Jay Ryan, or Jay Ry as I pretend he's called. He has a tough act to follow. Not only was Ron Perlman in a full on Lionman costume he also looked like the most epic of 80s hair rockers. Jay Ry follows a similar approach and looks like he shares a barber with Skrillex, but sadly he does not take up the lionman mane. Instead he has a scar (from battle? from the secret serum? from Ron Perlman?) and gets all ugo in the face when amped up.  Vincent was a subdued character with watchable angst in the Perlman version. While Jay Ry's acting chops might be up to the challenge of quality angst, if it is typical CW fare (not counting Supernatural) it will no doubt leave me wanting to put a stake through its heart. The search for a cure and conspiracy at the heart of Vincent's struggle is interesting and very ambitious. Vincent's struggles are going to be powerful if the show can give him enough, quality, outside factors to work with. They have plenty: the conspiracy, the infection, the cure, isolation, other beasts, his drive for redemption, his feelings for Catherine, but if they can't pull it together in a tight and convincing way it's all wasted. And abso-fing-lutely keep the medical drama out of the way. Well that's all for now. Overall I'm excited for the show to start, but keeping my expectations low. Hopefully with a 9pm time slot the story will be... beastly.