Beauty and the Beast 2.01: "Who Am I?" Review!

Beauty and the Beast returns for it's second season, with the search for Vincent Keller (Jay Ryan). Can Catherine Chandler (Kristin Kreuk) find her beloved beast and soul mate before it's too late? If she does find him, what kind of person/creature is left waiting for her as he has been imprisoned for three months since being kidnapped. The first episode this season, "Who Am I?" brings a lot of changes/new possibilities to the story.


As much as I loved the first season of Beauty and the Beast, I was a little worried about rumors of a fresh-start/reboot of the series. Like any first season of a show, it has its ups and downs while trying to build an audience but I thought it was handled wonderfully. The show is not just about an epic love story between its two leads and was never meant to be. It was something we, "the fans" demanded. Now this season starts off with a darker tone and I, for one, am looking forward to the action, mystery, romance and more of the origin story of the beast.

First, the things that are now gone from the series. Yes, Vincent's scar is gone! A few new things have been done to Vincent, as well, including a new beast-out look that is totally awesome. Also, the show seems to no longer be giving the illusion that Vincent is a “beast” all the time since the scar from season 1 is gone. I am a bit upset and think it set him apart in the show from everyone else. Yet, I can overlook it and move along with the story and focus on the characters.

Another thing that is no longer apart of the series is the character of Joe Bishop (Brain White). Yes, Catherine and Tess' Police Captain. He was married and yet romantically involved with Tess Vargas (Nina Lisandrello). I didn't care for the married man, cheating story-line as much as I liked the character of Tess. I think it will be good to refresh that story by just getting rid of it all together. The best way was to excuse the character of Joe all together.

With Joe parting ways from the series, Tess can finally find a relationship worth having. I'm excited for her to meet someone, maybe even possibly hook-up with "our" lovable joke-master J.T. Let's work on that, "fans" I know us beasties can "ROAR" pretty loud. (ha ha) Tess has her hands full with an increased workload at the police station, as she is covering all of it since Cat's been busy on her search for Vincent.

Mister Gabriel Lowen (Sendhil Ramamurthy) is back and being portrayed in a different light. This isn't a huge shock to me because of hearing rumors and seeing cast pictures posted from the set. Gabe is among the living when the show picks up three months after the shocking events of the season 1 finale. He is brought back to life by Catherine, one of the last people you would think of and she still doesn't trust him, as she shouldn't. We will have to tune in to see how they turn his character around.

Cat doesn't give up hope of finding Vincent despite the months he has been missing. She is relentless in her search to find Vincent with J.T (Austin Basis) and she'll get some help along the way from Gabe. One might think that Cat is going crazy on her search for him and is forgetting her other duties in life, even neglecting friends and her sister Heather in the process. We know how strong willed Cat is and I just think she really misses him and will stop at nothing until he's safe.

Speaking of Heather Chandler, it does look like the show is preparing for her character to leave, since the actress that portrays her (Nicole Gale Anderson) is set to star in the new ABC Family series Ravenswood. It is a bit sad for me as I liked the character of Heather and was hoping to see more of her this season. Especially since she and Cat haven't really had much time to talk since the season one finale. When we see Heather, she is really worried about that because she thinks she alone holds the secret of Cat's true paternity. She doesn't know who the father is but we "beasties" know of Cat's real father as seen in the finale of season one.

We saw more of Catherine's bio-father who works for the FBI (Ted Whittall) in this episode and what his involvement is with Muirfield. I'm sure more will be revealed as the season progresses regarding how he met Catherine and Heather's mother. The Season 2 premiere is just the beginning and is an episode we've all been waiting for. I think it will be interesting yet filled with drama this season, once Cat finds out he's her father and that he is one of the people behind Vincent's beastly ways/capture.

A few things I hope to see this season; Vincent and Catherine falling in love again, more jokes from J.T, a new love interest for Tess, meeting more of Vincent's past friends and family members, more of the origin story of the beast, more beasts and the possibility of a she-beast has been rumored. This season is setup for excitement in many ways. I'm excited.

On a final note, I'm liking the darker tone of the show, my reaction upon seeing the opening minutes of season 2 is “this show is evolving into something great with thrilling storytelling," and I can't wait for future episodes of Beauty and the Beast this fall. This is a truly great re-telling of a classic story that only gets better in season 2. If you haven't been tuning in... catch up fast, because you're missing out; this is one show not to be missed.



Beauty and the Beast season 2 airs Monday nights at 9/8c on The CW.



"Who Am I?" was written by Brad Kern and directed by Stuart Gillard. 

Photo Credit: The CW