Beauty and the Beast (1987) S2 E2

## Plot

By the waterfall from the end of the season finale of the previous season, this episode starts with Vincent reading Fern Hill by Dylan Thomas to Catherine. *And as I was green and carefree, famous among the barns About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home, In the sun that is young once only, Time let me play and be Golden in the mercy of his means, And green and golden I was huntsman and herdsman, the calves Sang to my horn, the foxes on the hills barked clear and cold, And the sabbath rang slowly In the pebbles of the holy streams. All the sun long it was running, it was lovely, the hay Fields high as the house, the tunes from the chimneys, it was air And playing, lovely and watery And fire green as grass And nightly under the simple stars As I rode to sleep the owls were bearing the farm away* That's far from the end of the poem. Catherine tells Vincent that it was beautiful, and asks him why he stopped. Sometimes he sees it all so clearly. He used to come down here as a child and wonder about such places. When Catherine was a girl, she spent her summers at a lake in Connecticut. She would hide in the tall grass of a glen, and it was as if she were the only person on Earth. If she sat still, the deer would walk right by her. She wishes Vincent could see it, and he does too, but he tells her that they are there. She's taking him with her words. She wants to share it with him. It seems so unfair. He would appreciate the magic of it, and then it would be theirs. He admits that he wants that too. She gets an idea. All they really need is a way to get out of the city safely, like a van. They could drive up at night. No one is at the lake this time of year. They could really do it. Later on though, Father yells at Vincent for even considering the notion. Any risk is too great. He says it's an irresponsible dream born out of selfishness, and he knows because he's had the same dream for Vincent himself. This isn't just for him, but for Catherine too. They'd finally be free from the perils and the urgencies of the world, even if only for a moment. Their love for each other is something that warms everyone, but Vincent has a responsibility to the people of his community, who look to him for truth, strength, hope, and protection. Without him, their world would be a very dark place. Vincent points out that he also has a responsibility to Catherine, who gives so much and asks for so little. He runs out when Father tells him that he can't do this. While he's packing, Pascal visits him. This means that the rumors about him leaving are true. Mouse overheard him arguing with Father. It scared him. He and Jamie arrive. Vincent assures them that he'll only be gone for a short time. They're worried about him, but Mouse and Jamie leave after Vincent promises to be careful. Pascal says it sounds dangerous. This is a risk for all of them. If anything happens to Vincent, the consequences for them would be awful. We see the white rose again. Sometime later, Catherine tells Vincent that she's rented a van and has everything they'll need, but he tells her that he can't go. She apologizes for even asking, but he says he's the one who should apologize, for wanting to give her so much, but knowing that there are things he can never give her, no matter how much they both want it. Catherine tells him that there's so much he already gives her. He has to believe that. She leaves, and we follow Vincent as he walks, then runs back to his chamber in despair. It even sounds like he's crying, as lines from prior conversations in the show echo in his head. He breaks a chair when he throws it at the wall. He also breaks a window when he throws his bag at it. The rest of the episode is basically the plot of *It's a Wonderful Life*. An "angel" that looks like Catherine appears. She shows him what would've happened if he had died as a child. The rose is gone, because Catherine never gave it to him, because she never knew him. She is alive, but the angel has other things to show Vincent first. She tells him to remember love, and disappears. He's attacked by Pascal, who looks worse for wear, along with a pretty creepy Jamie. He tries to follow them and runs into Paracelsus. Without Vincent in the way, he was able to take over the World Below. He also never burned in the fire, so he doesn't have that stupid looking mask, thank goodness. He tells Vincent that Jacob Wells has nothing to offer him. He offers Vincent the chance to either join him or die. He refuses to join him, so everyone holds him down, but just as Paracelsus is about to kill him, the angel teleports him to a blank black space to talk to him. Even as a baby, he was a symbol to the community. When he died, hope and possibility died with him. He's transported to a warehouse, and then a street, where he runs into a feral, frightened Mouse who can't speak, since Vincent was never there to find him and bring him into the community as a child. He's also *missing a hand*, due to Paracelsus. The angel shows Vincent that Father is still alive in this alternate reality, but he's a drunk homeless man. Vincent saves him when he and other homeless people are harassed by thugs with weapons, but he's rather incoherent and inconsolable. He just confirms that the child found outside St. Vincent's Hospital died. Probably not the best time to mention it, but that's a real hospital in New York. The angel teleports Vincent to Catherine's balcony. She's still alive, but her spirit is gone. He wasn't there to strengthen her heart. She's clearly unhappy with her current life. She's still dating Tom Gunther, and he's even more demanding than he was in the pilot. She goes out onto the balcony… and freaks out when she sees Vincent. She takes out her gun and shoots him. The angel appears again. Vincent says he's lost Catherine, but she tells him that nothing is ever lost. They're on the same journey. They create that journey for each other. Vincent says he doesn't know what to believe, but the angel says he does, and once again tells him to remember love. He wakes up and sees the real Catherine smiling at him, because of course the whole thing was a dream. She says he could never lose her, and they could never lose each other, as long as they both remember love. His window looks normal, and the chair isn't broken, so I wonder if even the freak out from earlier was also part of the dream. Catherine is still wearing the same outfit she had on before.