Back in the eighties a TV series took viewers by surprise,
the story of a young woman, an assistant DA, who by chance met a part man, part
beast member of an underground network of people named Vincent. This paring was
known as BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and introduced the world to Linda Hamilton and
Ron Perlman who had both been in other films but found themselves more
well-known after this series. The way things are today it was only a matter of
time before that series was recreated.
This time around Kristin Kreuk stars as Catherine Chandler,
a determined police detective who encounters an ex-GI and doctor named Vincent
who has a secret to hide. When a child Catherine’s mother was killed in front
of her by a group of men who were never identified. She was saved that night by
a mysterious stranger, a manically violent man-beast who she never really quite
saw.
Of course that mysterious stranger was Vincent and he’s made
it his job to watch over and protect Catherine from the shadows. The reason he
does so is that he knows who was behind the death of her mother. Vincent was
part of a secret government project that turned its volunteers into what he has
become and her mother was involved in that project. Now he’s on the run from
this secret government organization, in hiding with the help of one friend.
That friend base increases when he finally meets Catherine face to face.
Now in on what was going on, Catherine continues her day job
while still looking into the death of her mother. She and Vincent become closer
as he helps her when he can, even after telling her to stay away. This
inevitably results in that organization finding Vincent and the ensuing
problems that follow. And that’s just in the first season!
The series ran for 4 years to popular acclaim, winning more
than its share of awards. Not an easy feat since it appeared on the fledgling
CW Network. That worked in its favor and also added a needed boost to CW as
well. The changing story found the couple meeting and eventually the romance
soon followed which only added to the popularity of the show. It was the same
formula used in the initial series but this time felt a bit more normal as
Vincent no longer had the constant appearance of the beast.
The series works on a number of levels, as a police
procedural first off. Shows like this need their own twist to separate them
from the pack and the aid of a super powered ally was handy. It also works as a
conspiracy styled thriller with a hidden organization with its own agenda at
play. And it worked as a romance. If not the show wouldn’t have lasted as long
as it did nor would it have drawn in the female viewers that helped push it
over the top.
While each season has been released in the past the entire
season has now been collected into an easy box set that takes up less shelf
space and allows fans to watch it from start to finish. Those like me who
didn’t catch it while it was on TV can check it out and enjoy the story. Fans
can watch with glee. It’s a nice way to own the series and the packaging looks
better than those multiple boxes. If you never saw the series here’s your
chance. It’s definitely worth watching.
Click here to order.
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