Beauty and the Beast Season 2 Review

• 29th Jun 2011

Beauty and the Beast was never a ratings winner, but it did inspire an almost fanatical devotion in a small number of fans (making it ‘cult’ in the proper sense of the word) who kept it going for three series. Season 2 is now being released as a Region 2 DVD. It’s hard to see how the premise could remain fresh – when the story hinges on the fact that the lovers can’t be together, how long can you maintain that before viewers start getting bored? And there’s no chance of Vincent transforming into a handsome prince (or Ron Perlman) once he wins Catherine’s love – he’s stuck as a cross between The Rock and Lion-O from Thundercats forever.

The focus of the series shifts slightly here from Season 1 to allow for more character development. Catherine’s now been fully accepted as a friend and helper to the tunnel community. More time’s spent in the world Below which is refreshing as it conmcentrates on the fantasy elements more so than in Series 1. They’ve also amped up the violence – whether as a ratings winner or just for the hell of it – and when Vincent goes off the reservation towards the end of the season, it’s done pretty well. There’s a villain in the shape of Tony Jay’s Paracelsus, but he’s only really allotted screentime towards the end of the series and feels like a bit of an afterthought.

If you’re one of the aforementioned Beauty and the Beast fanatics, obviously you’ll love this. And if you watched it as a child, then it’ll be a nice trip down (violent) memory lane. If you don’t fall into either of those categories, the lack of the ability to laugh at itself and slightly sanctimonious air of it all mean that it’s probably not for the casual viewer. Extras wise, emphasis is on commentary – selected episodes come with an introduction from Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman.

Emma Wilkin