Beauty and the Beast (1987) S1 E3

## Plot

At night, Vincent is listening to an old man play his piano in his apartment. Suddenly, two men throw fire bombs through the window and drive off. Vincent saves the man by using his cloak to put out the fire. He's grateful to him, saying that without his help, he and all the other tenants would've died. The men are trying to drive them from their homes, because they're old, and there's money to be made. At a party, billionaire Elliot Burch notices Catherine, and is immediately smitten. He donated his art collection to the museum. He and Catherine officially meet. His lawyer Lewis wants to talk to him, but he says it can wait until later. The man Vincent saved, Micha, tells him that the men have turned off their heat, stopped their plumbing, broken the elevator, etc. Vincent leaves when his wife checks on him, but promises that something will be done, and tells Micha who he is. I looked it up, and Micha is a Russian name. Elliot and Catherine get to know each other better, which Vincent feels. Elliot drops her off at her apartment building, and asks if he can see her again. She gives him her card. She sees Vincent on her balcony. He left her a message, but she asks him not to leave. He tells her about what's happening to Micha Langer and his friends. While putting out the fire, he received a slight burn, which she notices. She offers to get him something, but he says he isn't the one who needs help. Someone's hired men to chase them out. She says she'll try to help. She thinks she learned how to have a generous heart from him, but he says it can't be taught, and that she should follow her heart. The next day, she talks to Mr. Langer. Their building is rent controlled. The law says they can't evict them or raise their rent, so they're trying to scare them into leaving. He points out the man who hired the punks. His company is offering them a "great deal" on condos in New Jersey. His name is Leo Mundy. He works for the managing company that bought the building two months ago. He's been arrested six times for strong arm stuff, but has never been convicted. Catherine wants to move on him, but Joe points out that she has no evidence. The system stinks sometimes, but they're a part of it, so they have to follow the rules and procedures (or at least find clever ways around them). Catherine receives flowers from Elliot. He calls her, and they agree to a date at 8 o'clock. Father asks Vincent what's wrong. He can feel that Catherine is falling in love, and Father tells him to let her. He wants to be happy for her, but his heart is dying. He's never felt jealousy before, and it hurts. Father says he's always known this day would come, and has always dreaded it: The day his heart would long for a life that can never be. While walking his wife Sophie to the drugstore to get her medicine, Micha is beaten up by the men, but Vincent saves him again. One of them lost his jacket in the struggle, and Vincent takes it. The men tell Leo about him. Catherine and Elliot kiss. Okay, there's obviously chemistry and attraction, especially from Elliot, but they just met yesterday or the day before, and it's like Catherine has completely forgotten about her feelings for Vincent. Yes, I know I normally despise love triangles with a passion, but I imagine a show that's primarily *about* romance would be able to pull it off, or simply avoid it altogether. That's why I don't find it infuriating, just mildly annoying. Besides, Elliot actually goes through growth and character development, so he's not just a one off static love interest. George R.R. Martin was the executive story consultant. Then again, there's a lot of messed up relationships in *Game of Thrones*, both the show and the book series, in platonic, romantic, and familial relationships, which sometimes overlap with each other. Anyways, the next day, Catherine receives a letter from Vincent, saying this might help, along with one of the men's wallets. This is enough to arrest them, and Micha and Sophie agree to identify them in a lineup, and testify when they go to trial. The plan is probably to offer them a deal if they'll implicate their boss, Leo Mundy. Edie tells Catherine that different holding companies own the buildings, and the others are already scheduled for demolition. It's possible that the other companies are shell corporations to hide who really owns them though, and Edie says she'll find it. Joe says the plan that Cathy and I proposed is possible. Suddenly, Elliot comes in with a gourmet lunch for Catherine. She appreciates it, but she works here. This isn't professional or appropriate workplace behavior. He can't just see her whenever he wants. She says she'll see him tonight, and they kiss. Later, she heads into the tunnels, and Mundy sees her. She talks to Vincent. She doesn't want to hurt him. He says they've always known this bond between them is only a dream. She says it's the most real thing she's ever known. She doesn't know if she loves Elliot, but if she does, it won't change anything. Um, yes it will. She doesn't want to lose Vincent, but he leaves without another word. Leo sees her come out of the tunnel, and investigates it. He finds a pair of large footprints. He calls his boss and tells him that Catherine is trouble. The boss tells him to find out who she was with in the tunnel. His boss is revealed to be someone named Mr. Arthur. Specifically, Lewis Arthur, who was at the museum party with Elliot. That's his lawyer. Catherine asks him if the companies are controlled by Elliot Burch. He doesn't answer, and she leaves. She and Joe find out that the men who attacked Mr. Langer are back on the street. Someone paid their bail, which was pretty high. They can't get police protection for Micha and Sophie. The best they can do is increase patrols in the area. Catherine visits Elliot, and he says he owns the building, and claims he had no idea what was going on. She thinks he sees the elderly there as obstacles. He says that's not true, and even it was, his project would employ 10,000 people, whereas only 30-50 people live in the building, and when it's finished, it'll generate millions of dollars of new jobs. For who though? They're old, they're probably retired. Also, you're a billionaire in a capitalist society. You'll probably be the only one getting richer. Seriously discount Riker, you're not helping your case. I've been waiting forever to make that joke. I actually thought his actor was a beardless Jonathan Frakes at first. *Star Trek: The Next Generation* did come out the same year. He's actually played by Edward Albert, who, in my opinion/defense, looks and sounds *a lot* like Jonathan Frakes did back then. Anyways, Catherine walks away in tears. She goes to the Langers, and tells them that the men are out of jail. Sophie says it's worth it, because if no one stands up and says no, then the nightmare begins again. She rolls up her sleeve, and reveals that she's a Holocaust survivor. The men come back again, cut the phone lines, and turn the power off. Sophie and Catherine hide in an empty apartment while Micha gets the other tenants. Vincent can tell what's going on, and heads there. One of the men finds Sophie and Catherine. Micha has told as many people as possible to arm themselves and fight back. It's revealed that Mundy is one of the men, and Catherine punches him in the gut. Vincent comes in through the window and knocks out all the men. Mundy backs up, but he trips and falls out the window to his death. Obviously, everyone will keep Vincent's secret after what he did for them. Micha says he's a friend, like Catherine, and that no one else can ever know. Elliot talks to Catherine outside her apartment building. She has enough evidence on his management company to stop the project. She finds a book of William Shakespeare's sonnets from Vincent. Number 29 is my favorite. There's a message that says Shakespeare knew everything. I don't know about everything, but fine, he knew a lot. Speaking of sonnet 29, she finds a flower bookmarking that page, and we hear it spoken by Ron Perlman. Yeah, this show has a heavy emphasis on classic literature, poetry, etc. Sometimes it ties into the theme of an episode, or what a character is feeling, and other times it doesn't.