Beauty & the Beast (season 1)

Beauty & the Beast (season 1)
DVD cover
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	22
Release
Original network	The CW
Original release	October 11, 2012 – May 16, 2013

The first season of Beauty & the Beast, an American television series developed by Sherri Cooper-Landsman and Jennifer Levin and very loosely inspired by the 1987 CBS television series of the same name, commenced airing in the United States on October 11, 2012, concluded May 16, 2013, and consisted of 22 episodes.^[1]

Beauty & the Beast's first season aired in the United States (U.S.) on Thursdays at 9:00 pm ET on The CW, a terrestrial television network, where it received an average of 1.78 million viewers per episode.^[2]

Premise

Catherine Chandler, a law student, witnesses her mother being shot the same night she is saved from her mother's murderers by a supposed beast. Nine years later, and now working as a detective for the NYPD, a case leads her to discover that Vincent Keller, an ex-soldier believed to have been killed in action during military service, is actually alive. As Catherine gets to know him, she starts finding out more about her mother's murder and about who (and what) Vincent really is. At the same time, they get to know one another and eventually fall in love.

Plot

This season revolves around Catherine and Vincent trying to pursue a relationship together, whilst being hunted down by a top-secret government organization named Muirfield who want Vincent dead. Muirfield are revealed to have conducted a high-profile secret experiment on soldiers fighting in Afghanistan. These experiments resulted in every soldier becoming physically stronger and faster, hoping this would win the war quicker. But, something went wrong, as the entire force went out of control with their new abilities. The government gave orders to kill them all, but Vincent escaped and has been in hiding ever since. Muirfield make several attempts to capture Vincent during this season, and even enlist the help of Cat and those close to her to capture him.

Catherine's family history is delved into in this first season, as her mother's unsolved murder has preyed on her mind for nine years. Catherine witnessed her mother shot and killed by two hitmen who were then killed by Vincent. Catherine refused to believe the official police report that her mother's death was that of carjacking gone wrong since the men who killed her mother suddenly appeared and began shooting without saying a word, as well as that the two dead killers identities were never found in any police record, leading Catherine to believe that her mother's killing was that of a government conspiracy. It was later revealed that Catherine's mother worked for Muirfield, conducting the experiments, and ultimately helped turn Vincent into a beast. Catherine must deal with conflicted feelings of her mother's memory across this season, having been determined to solve her case for all this time. When Catherine watches her father get run over in the season finale, she then learns that, biologically, he was not her real father after all.

Vincent's DNA mutates as the season progresses, as he becomes more beast-like. He begins experiencing black-outs, which J.T. associates with Catherine's interference. Cat and Vincent will stop at nothing to see each other, however. Assistant District Attorney Gabriel Lowen visits Cat's precinct to investigate the beast-like attack in the city and over time he reveals that not only does he know about Muirfield but that he shares the same ability as Vincent. At first an enemy, Gabriel goes on to become an ally to Vincent by the end of the first season and suggests he has found a cure to the virus inflicted on them by Muirfield. Vincent ultimately wonders if he wants to be cured or not.

Vincent is captured in the season finale as a helicopter drops a net on him and flies him away, leaving Catherine heartbroken. With Vincent captured, a gun is then aimed at Catherine's head. But, someone orders them not to shoot; Agent Bob Reynolds –Catherine's biological father.

Cast

Main Kristin Kreuk as Catherine "Cat" Chandler Jay Ryan as Vincent Keller Sendhil Ramamurthy as Gabriel 'Gabe' Lowen^1 Max Brown as Dr. Evan Marks^2 Austin Basis as J.T. Forbes Nina Lisandrello as Tess Vargas Brian White as Joe Bishop

Recurring Nicole Gale Anderson as Heather Chandler Rob Stewart as Thomas Chandler Bridget Regan as Alex Salter Shantel VanSanten as Tyler Edi Gathegi as Kyle[3] Khaira Ledeyo as Dr. Vanessa Chandler Ty Olsson as Garnett Rachel Skarsten as Brooke Chandler Christian Keyes as Darius Bishop Ted Whittall as Agent Bob Reynolds

• ^Note 1 : Sendhil Ramamurthy is credited as a series regular from episode 16 through to episode 22. He joined the series in episode 15 as a guest star.
• ^Note 2 : Max Brown is credited as a series regular up until episode 18. From episode 19 onwards he is no longer credited.

Episodes

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (million)
1	1	"Pilot"	Gary Fleder	Sherri Cooper & Jennifer Levin	October 11, 2012	2.78[4]
In the autumn of 2003, 19-year-old Catherine Chandler’s mother Vanessa was killed by two unknown hitmen; those men chased Catherine into the woods to kill her, too, but she was saved by a mysterious humanoid beast. In 2012, Catherine, now a successful New York police detective, is still plagued by memories of that mysterious beast as well as her mother's unsolved murder. During a murder investigation, Cat finds fingerprints of deceased doctor Vincent Keller on the corpse. Cat finds an address for the last known whereabouts of Vincent Keller and discovers him hiding away inside, under the protection of his friend J.T., very much alive. Vincent begs her to keep his hideaway a secret. Cat does so, but, what Vincent seems to be hiding from, appears to now be targeting her. Vincent must save Catherine when she is attacked by hitmen in a subway tunnel, after they promise her new information on her mother’s case. In the darkness of the subway tunnels, with her body pinned against his, Catherine realizes that Vincent Keller is the one who saved her life nine years ago.
2	2	"Proceed with Caution"	Rick Bota	Sherri Cooper & Jennifer Levin	October 18, 2012	2.00[5]
When a ballerina is murdered, Cat investigates possible suspects with her detective partner Tess. Vincent masks that he is keeping tabs on her, when he appears out of nowhere with a lead for Cat to follow.
3	3	"All In"	P. J. Pesce	Jeff Rake	October 25, 2012	1.88[6]
A judge is murdered and the person Cat thinks is responsible is innocent according to Vincent. J.T. tells Cat that there are better ways of communicating with Vincent to ensure their cover isn’t blown.
4	4	"Basic Instinct"	Bradley Walsh	Roger Grant	November 1, 2012	1.70[7]
Vincent revives a teenager whom Cat discovers has a history of bone fractures. Silverfox, the agent in charge of ensuring the truth about Vincent never gets out, makes Cat an offer: trade in Vincent in exchange for information about her mother’s death.
5	5	"Saturn Returns"	Steven A. Adelson	Story by: Blair Singer Teleplay by: Blair Singer & Kelly Souders	November 8, 2012	1.84[8]
Cat investigates when a woman due to get married goes on the run and must also erase footage of Vincent after he is caught on camera stopping a robbery. Heather throws her sister a surprise birthday party. Vincent arrives as the party is in full swing and witnesses Evan, the medical examiner, sharing a kiss with Cat. Cat tells Vincent that she would like to prepare dinner for him the very next day. As Cat lights a candle and waits for him, staring longingly out of her open window, she is unaware that Vincent has blacked out on his way to her apartment. Cat blows the candles out as Vincent comes to, now on top of the Brooklyn Bridge.
6	6	"Worth"	Kevin Fair	Allison Moore	November 15, 2012	1.56[9]
Cat’s step-mom turns up and Cat’s attempts to bond with her could be wasted when she spots her kissing another man. Cat and Tess investigate the murder of an artist whose paintings are being used to front a high-end escort service. Vincent blacks out again and this time he’s covered in someone else’s blood.
7	7	"Out of Control"	Rick Bota	Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders	November 29, 2012	1.52[10]
The death of a fraternity boy shows all the markings of a beast-like attack. Having found a clue that leads to the real killer, Evan is kidnapped. Cat begs Vincent for help, unaware of how frequent his blackouts have become. Vincent transforms into a beast as they hunt for Evan and when Cat cannot bring herself to stop him, Vincent ends up killing Evan’s kidnapper in front of both Evan and Cat. Vincent runs off, into the night, leaving Cat to pick up the pieces and for her precinct to put capturing Vincent as their main priority. Cat goes to tell Vincent this news but finds he has locked himself in a cage, now J.T. has found the cause of his blackouts: her.
8	8	"Trapped"	Paul Fox	Emily Silver	December 6, 2012	1.41[11]
Vincent recalls memories from his past, whilst Tess and Cat investigate an attempt on the life of a teenage pop star. J.T. and Cat try to find a remedy for Vincent's blackouts.
9	9	"Bridesmaid Up!"	Mairzee Almas	Sherri Cooper & Jennifer Levin	December 13, 2012	1.59[12]
Vincent’s increased sense of smell leads him to Catherine’s next crime scene. Cat is pursued to bring a plus one to her father’s nuptials. Even when the risk is so great, Vincent offers. As everything starts to feel normal, a drunken Heather tells Cat that Evan let slip about his research on mutated DNA. Cat realizes Evan has samples of Vincent’s DNA and is stunned by what he tells her. Catherine must find Vincent to tell him the news. However, another vehicle comes up behind her and runs her off the road. The assailiant steps out of their car and shoots Catherine, but Cat shoots back. Vincent comes to her rescue but, as he tries to pull her out of her smashed car, another vehicle, driven by Evan and Heather, is fast approaching.
10	10	"Seeing Red"	Rick Bota	Roger Grant	January 24, 2013	1.79[13]
Vincent runs off into the night, leaving Cat in the hands of Evan, as she lay unconscious in the middle of the road. Vincent runs into his former fiancée and he and Cat soon discover she too may be being tracked by Muirfield. J.T. gets a call from Evan regarding a paper J.T. did years ago on mutant DNA and must ward him off of continuing his research without arousing suspicion.
11	11	"On Thin Ice"	Mike Rohl	Blair Singer	January 31, 2013	1.72[14]
While Catherine is still recovering from the gunshot wound off-duty, Vincent struggles with his feelings for Cat and fond memories of his old life with Alex. J.T. goes to extreme lengths to stop Evan presenting his findings to anybody.
12	12	"Cold Turkey"	Fred Gerber	Allison Moore	February 7, 2013	1.48[15]
Vincent and Alex are on a romantic getaway in a cabin, when Catherine interrupts, despite her promise to avoid seeing Vincent. Evan discovers a bug in his office, which makes him start to believe J.T.'s earlier warnings.
13	13	"Trust No One"	Bobby Roth	Brian Peterson & Kelly Souders	February 14, 2013	1.40[16]
Vincent tries to woo Catherine on Valentine's Day. Catherine gives in to him eventually, only to have the moment spoiled by her sister.
14	14	"Tough Love"	Bradley Walsh	Don Whitehead & Holly Henderson	February 21, 2013	1.52[17]
After an awkward double date with Darius and Vincent, Heather gets suspicious of Vincent and enlists the help of Tess to find out more about "Vincent Zalanski". Joe's brother, Darius, unintentionally gets Heather and himself in big trouble and it is Vincent who suffers the consequences.
15	15	"Any Means Possible"	Steven A. Adelson	Roger Grant	March 14, 2013	1.43[18]
Catherine and Vincent grow closer as they collaborate to track down a witness, helping to clear Vincent's name. First appearance of: Sendhil Ramamurthy
16	16	"Insatiable"	Lee Rose	Blair Singer	March 21, 2013	1.72[19]
As Cat and Vincent take their relationship further, they are brought back to reality when it appears there is a copy-cat mimicking Vincent. Evan grows even more suspicious of Cat. Muirfield are close to catching Vincent, and with no escape, J.T. and Cat must take a big risk.
17	17	"Partners in Crime"	Rick Rosenthal	Emily Silver	March 28, 2013	1.50[20]
Cat is forced to tell Tess the truth about Vincent. Gabe interrogates the entire precinct, hoping to find whomever is more connected to the vigilante's case than they are letting on.
18	18	"Heart of Darkness"	Scott Peters	Roger Grant & Blair Singer	April 18, 2013	1.59[21]
Evan confesses his love for Cat, admitting that he was the one who tipped off Muirfield on Vincent's whereabouts. Cat is stunned. Evan soon has a decision to make as Vincent and Cat are both in danger. Meanwhile, Gabe finally finds evidence connecting somebody in the precinct to the vigilante.
19	19	"Playing with Fire"	Mike Rohl	Brian Studler	April 25, 2013	1.24[22]
Gabe reveals a big secret to Cat: he knows about Muirfield. Vincent is wary of anything he says. J.T. and Vincent find a new hideaway.
20	20	"Anniversary"	Mairzee Almas	Holly Henderson & Don Whitehead	May 2, 2013	1.23[23]
On the anniversary of her mother's death, Cat asks Gabe to attend her family's annual remembrance of Vanessa, making Vincent jealous. Cat finds some information that makes her think her mom might still be alive and when a sniper shoots the mayor at a public event, Vincent finds evidence that links Gabe to the sniper.
21	21	"Date Night"	Kevin Fair	Story by: Roger Grant Teleplay by: Sherri Cooper & Jennifer Levin	May 9, 2013	1.29[24]
Cat and Vincent go on a date in public in an attempt to be a normal couple, which backfires. Gabe reveals some information that gives Cat hope they can cure Vincent.
22	22	"Never Turn Back"	Rick Bota	Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson	May 16, 2013	1.26[25]
When secrets about Cat's family are revealed, it will change everything Cat knew about her past. Vincent finds himself staring his demise in the face; while Gabe takes drastic measures to get some answers.

Reception

The first season was given a 33 out of 100 score on Metacritic, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews from 19 critics.^[26]

U.S. Nielsen ratings

No.	Title	Air date	Timeslot (EST)	Viewers (in millions)	18-49 Rating/Share
1	Pilot	October 11, 2012	Thursday 9:00PM	2.78[4]	1.2/3[4]
2	Proceed with Caution	October 18, 2012		2.00[5]	0.7/2[5]
3	All In	October 25, 2012		1.88[6]	0.6/2[6]
4	Basic Instinct	November 1, 2012		1.70[7]	0.6/2[7]
5	Saturn Returns	November 8, 2012		1.84[8]	0.7/2[8]
6	Worth	November 15, 2012		1.56[9]	0.6/2[9]
7	Out of Control	November 29, 2012		1.52[10]	0.6/1[10]
8	Trapped	December 6, 2012		1.41[11]	0.5/1[11]
9	Bridesmaid Up!	December 13, 2012		1.59[12]	0.6/1[12]
10	Seeing Red	January 24, 2013		1.79[13]	0.7/2[13]
11	On Thin Ice	January 31, 2013		1.72[14]	0.7/2[14]
12	Cold Turkey	February 7, 2013		1.48[15]	0.6/1[15]
13	Trust No One	February 14, 2013		1.40[16]	0.5/1[16]
14	Tough Love	February 21, 2013		1.52[17]	0.5/1[17]
15	Any Means Possible	February 28, 2013		1.43[18]	0.5/1[18]
16	Insatiable	March 14, 2013		1.72[19]	0.6/2[19]
17	Partners in Crime	March 21, 2013		1.50[20]	0.6/2[20]
18	Heart of Darkness	April 18, 2013		1.59[21]	0.6/2[21]
19	Playing with Fire	April 25, 2013		1.24[22]	0.5/1[22]
20	Anniversary	May 2, 2013		1.23[23]	0.5/1[23]
21	Date Night	May 9, 2013		1.29[24]	0.5/1[24]
22	Never Turn Back	May 16, 2013		1.26[25]	0.5/1[25]

DVD release

Release dates			Ep #	Additional information
Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
October 1, 2013[27]	March 10, 2014[28]	January 7, 2014 (Brazil)[29] April 23, 2014 (Australia)[30]	22	Features: Season in Review: The Beginning Dressing the Beauty Creating the Beast Deleted Scenes Gag Reel Commentary on "Pilot"

References

1. "Shows A-Z - beauty & the beast on cw". The Futon Critic. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
2. Patten, Dominic (May 23, 2013). "Full 2012-2013 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
3. Nevets, Stephen (January 18, 2013). "'Twilight' And 'X-Men First Class' Star Edi Gathegi Joins 'Beauty And The Beast'". The Global Dispatch. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
4. Kondolojy, Amanda (October 12, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' and 'Two and a Half Men' Adjusted Up; 'Up All Night', 'Beauty and the Beast' and '30 Rock Adjusted Down; No Adjustment for 'The Vampire Diaries'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
5. Bibel, Sara (October 19, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Vampire Diaires', 'The Big Bang Theory', 'Grey's Anatomy' & 'The Office' Adjusted Up; '30 Rock', 'Up All Night' & 'Scandal' Adjusted Down Plus Final Baseball Numbers". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
6. Kondolojy, Amanda (October 26, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Big Bang Theory', 'Grey's Anatomy', 'Vampire Diaries' Adjusted Up; 'Parks & Rec', 'Up All Night', 'Rock Center', '30 Rock', 'Person of Interest' & 'Beauty & the Beast' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
7. Bibel, Sara (November 2, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' Adjusted Up, 'Person of Interest' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
8. Kondolojy, Amanda (November 9, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory', 'Vampire Diaries' & 'Grey's Anatomy' Adjusted Up, 'The Office', 'Parks & Rec', 'Scandal' & 'Rock Center' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
9. Bibel, Sara (November 16, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory', 'Vampire Diaries', 'Grey's Anatomy' & 'The Office' Adjusted Up; 'Last Resort' & 'Scandal' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
10. Bibel, Sara (November 30, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' & 'Grey's Anatomy' Adjusted Up; 'The Vampire Diaries', 'Two and a Half Men' & 'Beauty and the Beast' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
11. Kondolojy, Amanda (December 7, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The X Factor', 'The Vampire Diairies' and 'Glee' Adjusted Up; 'Two and a Half Men', 'Elementary', 'Person of Interest' and 'Big Bang Theory' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
12. Bibel, Sara (December 14, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Vampire Diaries' Adjusted Up; 'Last Resort', 'Two and a Half Men', 'Person of Interest', 'Grey's Anatomy' & 'Scandal' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
13. Bibel, Sara (January 25, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'American Idol' Adjusted Up; 'Glee' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
14. Kondolojy, Amanda (February 1, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' Adjusted Up; No Adjustments for 'Scandal', 'American Idol' or 'Do No Harm'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
15. Bibel, Sara (February 8, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Community' & 'The Big Bang Theory' Adjusted Up; 'Person of Interest' & 'Elementary' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
16. Kondolojy, Amanda (February 15, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Zero Hour', 'Big Bang Theory', 'Community', 'Idol', 'Elementary' & 'Grey's Anatomy' Adjusted Up; 'Scandal' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
17. Bibel, Sara (February 22, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory', 'Parks and Recreation', 'Grey's Anatomy' & 'Elementary' Adjusted Up; 'Beauty and the Beast' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
18. Kondolojy, Amanda (March 15, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory', 'American Idol' & 'Community' Adjusted Up; 'Elementary' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
19. Bibel, Sara (March 22, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Vampire Diaries', 'American Idol', 'Grey's Anatomy' & '1600 Penn' Adjusted Up; 'Beauty and the Beast' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
20. Kondolojy, Amanda (March 29, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'American Idol' & 'Grey's Anatomy' Adjusted Up; 'Raising Hope' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
21. Bibel, Sara (April 19, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Vampire Diaries' & 'American Idol' Adjusted Up; 'Glee' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
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24. Kondolojy, Amanda (May 10, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Big Bang Theory', 'Grey's Anatomy', 'American Idol', 'Vampire Diaries', 'Two and a Half Men', 'Wipeout' & 'Elementary' Adjusted Up; 'Glee' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
25. Kondolojy, Amanda (May 17, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Hannibal', 'The Big Bang Theory', 'The Vampire Diaries', 'Grey's Anatomy' & 'Office' Retrospective Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
26. "Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
27. "Beauty & the Beast: The First Season". Amazon.com. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
28. "Beauty And The Beast [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
29. "Beauty & the Beast: A Primeira Temporada". Paramount Brasil. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
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