Sun Oct 12, 2008 — by Robert Greenberger

Review: 'Beauty and the Beast' The Complete Series

In 1987, television was evolving.  Thanks to Hill Street Blues, the way dramatic stories were presented became more complex, the storytelling more diverse and the stories more compressed. The subject matter was also starting to broaden, moving beyond cops, lawyers and doctors.  It was just before the SF wave kicked off with Star Trek: The Next Generation but that didn’t stop CBS from trying something a little different.

On a Friday night, September 25, 1987, audiences were treated to a different look at the classic Beauty and the Beast tale.  The series starred Ron Perlman as Vincent, the beast, a mutant of some sort, who comes to the rescue of Linda Hamilton’s Catherine, a rich girl turned assistant district attorney.  Their connection became the stuff of fairy tale and from that pilot episode, their fates became inextricable.

It had all the lush romance of a Harlequin book and the action to keep spouses by their side.  The series had its ups and downs, making a star out of Hamilton who left the series after just two seasons, derailing the eternal romance. Jo Anderson was brought in for the third season but that, coupled with CBS’s insistence on increased action for the males, hurt and the series came to an end in January 1990 (although the final two were run that summer).  Its 56 episodes remain a testament to the creative vision of creator Ron Koslow and fantasist George R.R. Martin who wound up penning 13 of the episodes.

Paramount Home Video has released a 16-disc box set of the complete series and it shows its age.  Beauty and the Beast has the look and feel of the 1980s without fully embracing the changing storytelling in television. The storytelling is slow, almost plodding at times, and each week they seemed to focus on some new social ill without really offering long-term solutions.  The threats were fairly standard stuff for the most part, intertwined with the poetry between the characters.  Complete with lush music, long, lingering gazes into character’s eyes, it was truly a romance novel brought to the screen.

On the other hand, one is reminded all over again about how the show worked with the characters and was probably the first prime time series to introduce a unique mythology. Much of this unfolds during season two and strengthened the series overall.

Vincent came from the world below. Across the first season we got glimpses of where Vincent was raised and at first it appeared to be a place where the homeless gathered in the tunnels under the city.  But, as we got to know Father (Roy Dotrice) and the other denizens, we learned there was so much more to the series. They communicated by tapping on the pipes with Pascal as the operator.  (The series also gave us the first real glimpse of Armin Shimmerman’s gifts.) But not everyone who came to live below was as benevolent.  No, there was John Pater, come to be known as Paracelsus, who helped build the society with Father, only to find they had different goals and Paracelsus was exiled and became a recurring threat to the entire civilization.

The World Below was clearly an idealized society, welcoming to all including the “deformed” Vincent, and people in need of help.  We learned that they had tangible support from “Helpers” from Above, making their worlds interconnected in interesting ways.

Through it all, Vincent and Catherine saved one another, discussed their feelings with one another, and did everything in soft tones with strings playing in the background.  Catherine wasn’t all weepy, though.  After her attack, Catherine learned self-defense and became scrappy in a fight until she needed too-often saving by the feral Vincent.

The World Above had threats of its own including Stephen McHattie’s Gabriel who ran the drug running operation that led to Catherine’s death.  He also took the love child of Vincent and Catherine which became the running line for the shortened third season.

Rewatching the series is mixed.  Some of it is slow and meandering, while the romance remains strong.  The DVDs come with little in the way of extras.  Hamilton and Perelman introduce six of the season two episodes, taken from the original season set. A bonus disc has Vincent’s love letters to Catherine broken out with stock footage and superimposed florid script.  Newly constructed letters are read by someone other than Perelman.  An interactive game completes the disc but it’s largely a trivia game disguised as a quest to save Catherine (an all too common plot from the series).

It’s a handsome box set and if you loved the show once upon a time, you’ll feel warm all over again.  If you come seeing what all the fuss is about, bear in mind when it was made.On the other hand, one is reminded all over again about how the show worked with the characters and was probably the first prime time series to introduce a unique mythology. Much of this unfolds during season two and strengthened the series overall.

Vincent came from the world below. Across the first season we got glimpses of where Vincent was raised and at first it appeared to be a place where the homeless gathered in the tunnels under the city.  But, as we got to know Father (Roy Dotrice) and the other denizens, we learned there was so much more to the series. They communicated by tapping on the pipes with Pascal as the operator.  (The series also gave us the first real glimpse of Armin Shimmerman’s gifts.) But not everyone who came to live below was as benevolent.  No, there was John Pater, come to be known as Paracelsus, who helped build the society with Father, only to find they had different goals and Paracelsus was exiled and became a recurring threat to the entire civilization.

The World Below was clearly an idealized society, welcoming to all including the “deformed” Vincent, and people in need of help.  We learned that they had tangible support from “Helpers” from Above, making their worlds interconnected in interesting ways.

Through it all, Vincent and Catherine saved one another, discussed their feelings with one another, and did everything in soft tones with strings playing in the background.  Catherine wasn’t all weepy, though.  After her attack, Catherine learned self-defense and became scrappy in a fight until she needed too-often saving by the feral Vincent.

The World Above had threats of its own including Stephen McHattie’s Gabriel who ran the drug running operation that led to Catherine’s death.  He also took the love child of Vincent and Catherine which became the running line for the shortened third season.

Rewatching the series is mixed.  Some of it is slow and meandering, while the romance remains strong.  The DVDs come with little in the way of extras.  Hamilton and Perelman introduce six of the season two episodes, taken from the original season set. A bonus disc has Vincent’s love letters to Catherine broken out with stock footage and superimposed florid script.  Newly constructed letters are read by someone other than Perelman.  An interactive game completes the disc but it’s largely a trivia game disguised as a quest to save Catherine (an all too common plot from the series).

It’s a handsome box set and if you loved the show once upon a time, you’ll feel warm all over again.  If you come seeing what all the fuss is about, bear in mind when it was made.

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