Beauty is the Beast

BIG CBS Love

HH

What’s it about?

Catherine Chandler witnesses the murder of her mother and is miraculously saved by what she perceives is a beast,but her claims are dismissed as post-traumatic stress. Nine years later,she is a detective with New York Police Department and a case leads her to discover the “beast” after he saves her life once again. Vincent Keller was a doctor who enrolled for a supersoldier experiment programme where,injected with a serum that altered the DNA of the volunteers,it made them stronger and also monstrous. When the side-effect surfaces,the government ordered extermination of the supersoldiers,but Keller escaped and is in hiding. Although a government agent,Catherine feels bound to protect Keller when he appears on the FBI radar,which puts her in danger.

Who’s in it?

Kristin Kreuk,whose only prominent work has been the TV series Smallville,plays the vulnerable detective leading lady. Canadian actor Jay Ryan is the brooding ‘Beast’ while Austin Basis is Keller’s friend JT Forbes,who has been hiding him. Nina Lisandrello’s mannerisms as Catherine’s detective partner Tess Vargas are reminiscent of Chandler Bing’s Janice. Other recurring characters include Catherine’s father played by Rob Stewart and sister Heather essayed by Nicole Anderson.

What’s hot?

The show is a romance garbed in the thriller format,which provides ample opportunities for pacey,adrenaline-pumped scenes that will allow for chemistry between the lead characters. It helps that Ryan is a looker and the two together on screen make for a pretty picture — the key ingredient in any romance. The crime setting adds starkness to the romance so that it doesn’t get too sugary.

What’s not?

When your ‘Beast’ is so good-looking that he is actually the ‘Beauty’,the show is flawed from the start. The idea of the fairytale is to look beyond the surface and at the goodness of a human being. But Keller is both good-looking and well-intentioned,which beats the purpose of the story. A red line highlighting his right cheekbone is too convenient for a scar. The hero,in fact,is hardly visible as he mostly stands in shadows,brooding. The few expressions on his face that are noticeable hardly make him seem talented.

The dialogues and sequences are prone to cliches,often alluding to the show’s central theme. Sample the dialogue by Catherine: “Sometimes,things aren’t what they seem; you can’t tell who the real monsters are”. Even the romantic moments are hardly fresh — in the very first episode,Keller and Catherine are thrown in an embrace as he tries to save her from being run over by a train in the subway.

Should you be watching it?

If you are a romantic who enjoys Mills & Boon,you might still enjoy it. Or,you could instead watch any Hindi romantic show currently on air because you wouldn’t know the difference.