Beauty and the Beast (TV series)

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Beauty and the Beast
Image:Hamilton-perlman-BandB.jpg
Pictured: Linda Hamilton (Catherine), Ron Perlman (Vincent)
Format Drama, romance
Created by Ron Koslow
Starring Linda Hamilton
Ron Perlman
Roy Dotrice
Jay Acovone[1]
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 56
Production
Running time approx. 48 minutes (per episode)
Broadcast
Original channel CBS
Original run September 25, 1987 – August 4, 1990
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary
For other uses, see Beauty and the Beast (disambiguation).

Beauty and the Beast is an American television series which first aired on CBS in 1987. Creator Ron Koslow's updated version of the fairy tale has a double focus: the relationship between Vincent (Ron Perlman), a mythic, noble man-beast, and his Catherine (Linda Hamilton), a savvy assistant District attorney in New York; and a secret Utopian community of social outcasts living in a wondrous world beneath the city, a sanctuary where Vincent is protected and loved. Through an empathic bond connecting Vincent and Catherine, he is able to sense her emotions, and comes to be her protector as well as the man she loves beyond all measure. The series follows the developing relationship between these two and nicely fleshes out the underground world of labyrinth tunnels, mystical waterfalls, and people who have come together to form a loving and nurturing family. In a twist from the original tale, however, this "beast" does not transform into society's idea of beauty after gaining the love of Catherine. Rather, Vincent's inner beauty is allowed to remain the focus of who he is, and it is Catherine's former life the one transformed by their love of each other. Vincent's makeup was devised by veteran Hollywood makeup artist Rick Baker. In the third season, after the death of Catherine, Jo Anderson[2] became the new female lead, playing Diana Bennet, a police woman investigating Catherine's murder. As the title indicates, the premise of the series is inspired by the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast"; in particular, there is some connection to the Jean Cocteau French film of 1946, La Belle et la Bête.

Contents

[edit] Series Synopsis

[edit] Season 1

When Catherine Chandler is beaten and slashed and left to die in Central Park, she is rescued and cared for by Vincent, who has taken her to his Father (Roy Dotrice), to their hidden community of people dwelling in tunnels below the city of New York. Ten days later, she returns to the surface with the promise of keeping Vincent's secret and the challenge to go on after her terrible attack. After completing her recovery, her life begins a serious transition: She takes self-defense lessons, leaves her comfortable job at her father's law firm and joins the Manhattan District Attorney's office as an Assistant District attorney. During the course of the first season, the production team fashioned an almost hypnotically compelling blend of romance and crime drama which used both Catherine's position as an ADA and her will to help Vincent and his world, to place her in moments of physical danger which would bring the idealized romantic figure of Vincent to the surface world as her guardian angel.

[edit] Season 2

During its second season, the series shifted its focus slightly to add more character development, as the central characters spent considerable time exploring their relationship and with the inhabitants of the Tunnel World, where Catherine had now finally been accepted as a friend and "Helper" (someone who assists the Tunnel community with what they need to survive and by keeping their secret). More people from the world Above turned up for emotional support and healing in the World Below's welcomingly secure environment. Near the end of the season, however, in an effort to boost faltering ratings, the action orientation returned as a result of the misleadings of the recurrent villain Paracelsus (Tony Jay). (See also: Personality). In a cliff hanger final episode, Catherine is seen walking down a tunnel into a chamber, where Vincent is suffering from a violent madness.

[edit] Season 3

When the series returned for its abbreviated third season late in 1989, Linda Hamilton had announced her decision to leave the series. A decision that, along with the network's desire to attract more male viewers, would have serious repercussions for the show's continued survival. In an exciting resolution to the previous season's cliff-hanger, Catherine rescued Vincent from his inner demons but was kidnapped by Gabriel (played by Stephen McHattie[3]), the ruthless head of a huge criminal empire she had been investigating, which was trying to corrupt the D.A.'s office. She was killed, but not before giving birth to Vincent's son, who was held hostage by the evil Gabriel. Catherine's boss and close friend, Joe Maxwell, (Jay Acavone) hired Diana Bennett, (Jo Anderson), a private investigator, to track down Catherine's killer. And, quite naturally, her investigation ultimately led her to the shadowy, now darkly obsessed and grieving Vincent. Although still astonishingly popular with its dedicated group of core fans (comprising mostly of women), the darker, more resolutely violent aspects of the rework concept, coupled with the fatal loss of the all-important central relationship between Catherine and Vincent ultimately led to the series' cancellation.

[edit] List of episodes

[edit] Season 1

  • 1. Once Upon a Time in the City of New York
  • 2. Terrible Savior
  • 3. Siege
  • 4. No Way Down
  • 5. Masques
  • 6. The Beast Within
  • 7. Nor Iron Bars a Cage
  • 8. Song of Orpheus
  • 9. Dark Spirit
  • 10. A Children's Story
  • 11. An Impossible Silence
  • 12. Shades of Gray
  • 13. China Moon
  • 14. The Alchemist
  • 15. Temptation
  • 16. Promises of Someday
  • 17. Down to a Sunless Sea
  • 18. Fever
  • 19. Everything is Everything
  • 20. To Reign in Hell
  • 21. Ozymandias
  • 22. A Happy Life


[edit] Season 2

  • 23. Chamber Music
  • 24. Remember Love
  • 25. Ashes, Ashes
  • 26. Dead of Winter
  • 27. God Bless the Child
  • 28. Sticks and Stones
  • 29. A Fair and Perfect Knight
  • 30. Labyrinths
  • 31. Brothers
  • 32. A Gentle Rain
  • 33. The Outsiders
  • 34. Orphans
  • 35. Arabesque
  • 36. When the Blue Bird Sings
  • 37. The Watcher
  • 38. A Distant Shore
  • 39. Trial
  • 40. A Kingdom by the Sea
  • 41. The Hollow Men
  • 42. What Rough Beast
  • 43. Ceremony of Innocence
  • 44. The Rest is Silence

[edit] Season 3

  • 45. Though Lovers be Lost, Part 1
  • 46. Though Lovers be Lost, Part 2
  • 47. Walk Slowly
  • 48. Nevermore
  • 49. Snow
  • 50. Beggar's Comet
  • 51. A Time to Heal
  • 52. In the Forests of the Night
  • 53. Chimes at Midnight
  • 54. Invictus
  • 55. The Reckoning
  • 56. Legacies

[edit] Cast

[edit] The "World Above"

  • Joe Maxwell (Jay Acovone[4]) - a Deputy District Attorney for the Borough of Manhattan, and Catherine's immediate superior in the office.
  • Jenny Aronson (Terri Hanauer[5]) - Friend of Catherine's.
  • Elliot Burch (Edward Albert[6]) - A self-made millionaire and New York building developer, who is in love with Catherine.
  • Edie (Ren Woods[7]) (Season 1) - Works in the computer division of the DA's office.
  • Gabriel (Stephen McHattie) (Season 3) - A highly-influential crime boss and the biggest drug trafficker on the East Coast, responssible for Catherine's death.

[edit] The "World Below"

- Vincent's true nature is not explicitly stated in the story. Physically, he is a man of extremely large build; however, he differs from human norms in that he possesses the facial characteristics of a lion, as well as fanged teeth. His fingers are tipped with claws that can leave deep wounds when he attacks. When angered, Vincent emits a feline growl, and when fully roused emits loud roars. He often wears a large cloak about his shoulders, so as not to attract attention while walking the city streets. He is also seen to wear (at more festive or formal occasions) a costume somewhat similar to an 18th Century gentleman's formal dress. His parentage is unknown; he was found abandoned as a baby in the garbage behind Saint Vincent's Hospital and brought to Father, who drew his name from the location. Nursed to health by Father and the early Tunnel community, he was raised with the other children of the Tunnels. He has twice suffered from attacks of madness or some other mental aggravation, which resulted in his withdrawing into his more animal nature: once as an adolescent, and the second some two to 2-1/2 years after meeting Catherine.

  • Father (Roy Dotrice)- Jacob Wells was an English-born physician who worked for the United States government during 1950s. When he spoke out against certain activities, he was blacklisted , fired from his job and saw his license to practice medicine stripped from him. Unable to find new work and abandoned by his wife, he wandered alone and homeless until his finding sanctuary in the Tunnel community. Following the power struggle between John Pater and Wells, Pater was ejected beyond the "boundaries" and Wells declared their titular leader. Today, Father, as he became known, is loved and respected as the patriarch of the Tunnel world.
  • Mouse (David Greenlee) - A child taken in by the World Below. Painfully shy following some traumatic incident, he is completely withdrawn and was unable to even speak. He is something of a genius, able to scavenge (or steal), dismantle and reassemble (usually), just about anything, as well as create functional equipment out of what others would consider hopeless junk.
  • Mary (Ellen Geer) - An older woman who acts almost as a second in command; in a way, a mother to Jacob's "Father". It is revealed she is in love with him, but thought it was "selfish to have him all to [her]self." She apparently has medical training, as she is shown delivering a baby and tending to the ill several times in the series.
  • Pascal (Armin Shimerman) - A member of Vincents inner circle of friends. Pascal listens to people talking through the pipes in the underground. Pascal is soft spoken and offers words of wisdom to friends.
  • Winslow (James Avery) - One of the most influential members of the underground community, he is also very hot tempered as well and sometimes allows his anger to overcome his good judgment. In Shades Of Grey, when Father and Vincent are trapped in a collapsed cave, Winslow leads what he thinks is a rescue effort and refuses to hear other ideas. In To Reign In Hell, when Katherine is kidnapped, Winslow and Pascal join Vincent in trying to find her. However, when Paracelsus' minion, a giant, attacks Vincent, and when trying to save him, Winslow is killed. Vincent and Pascal hold a small memorial for their fallen comrade.
  • Paracelsus (Tony Jay) - John Pater was a scientist and former friend of Father's who helped organize the Tunnel World, but desired power for himself. Father describes him as a "philosopher, scientist, magician" and says that much of what the tunnel-dwellers have created below, they owe to Pater.1 After his exile beyond the boundaries (see above) and an accident (caused during a confrontation with Vincent) that horribly scarred his face with burns, he took the name Paracelsus (after the 15th-century alchemist). He is a recurring antagonist in the series.

[edit] Novelizations

Avon Books published three books novelizing various episodes from the series.


[edit] DVD Releases

On February 13, 2007 Paramount Home Entertainment/CBS DVD released the first season of Beauty and the Beast on DVD in Region 1. Season 2 was released on July 10, 2007 and the third and final season was released on February 5, 2008 [1]

DVD Name Ep # Release Date
Beauty and the Beast: The Complete First Season 22 February 13, 2007
Beauty and the Beast: The Complete Second Season 22 July 10, 2007
Beauty and the Beast: The Complete Third Season 12 February 5, 2008

[edit] References

  1. ^ Jay Acovone at the Internet Movie Database
  2. ^ Jo Anderson at the Internet Movie Database
  3. ^ Stephen McHattie at the Internet Movie Database
  4. ^ Jay Acovone at the Internet Movie Database
  5. ^ Terri Hanauer at the Internet Movie Database
  6. ^ Edward Albert at the Internet Movie Database
  7. ^ Ren Woods at the Internet Movie Database

[edit] External links

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[edit] Sites of Authority

[edit] Fan Sites