Now the relationship which inspired millions is gone.
| Open Letter | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Now the relationship which inspired millions is gone. |
| From: | Kay Simon |
| Addressed To: | Beauty and the Beast fans |
| Date(s): | February 1990 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Beauty and the Beast (TV) |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Now the relationship which inspired millions is gone. is a 1990 Beauty and the Beast (TV) open letter by Kay Simon.
It was printed in the January/February 1990 Pipedreams very shortly after the beginning of the third season and its explosive plot twist.
Some Topics Discussed
- the death of Catherine Chandler
- the first episode of the third season was anti-woman
- what this fan felt to be lies and poor treatment to fans by CBS
The Letter
What now?
Now the relationship which inspired millions is gone. Perhaps, if hints and long-shots prove fruitful, there will be fourth season in which some incarnation of Catherine will return. Was she only drugged on the rooftop, with antidote and witness-protection program administered to keep her from the "big" forces which underline the entire third season arc? Or might a popular fan rumor transpire and a soul transfer take place? Did Vincent take Catherine's soul into himself until he could find a new receptacle, a la the Spock transfer at the end of "Star Trek II"? Or a "Beast and Mrs. Muir"-type chronicle? Only the producers and writers could consider these possibilities, and only providing that ratings in the difficult time-slot maintain respectable levels, and that a fourth season....or more episodes for this season....become a reality themselves.
While the first season went into the second with cautious optimism, it became apparent that the woman we admired had lost the spark of hope, and the scripts, ever downward spirals, reflected it. The despair was relentless, except in "Bluebird", and the darkness overwhelming. The fairy tale had changed, it seemed for the worse....
The third season was announced with much fanfare and hoopla as a "retooling", because the "relationship" had begun to "implode on itself. News flash: it wasn't the "relationship", it was the relentless darkness which turned people off in droves, reflected by lower ratings.
For those of us who watch the show faithfully, it was a betrayal of the messages of hope, from: "what we endure will make us better", to: "there is no hope". The exception is, as I mentioned before, in "Bluebird", which is probably why it is many viewers' favorite from the second season.
Now after just watching the two-hour movie, I believe many will feel additionally betrayed, and most definitely lied to. They have patiently waited for the first kiss, but instead were then only shown chaste one-sided versions, and in near-death or even after death. They were offered more in the vein of poison than passion, a la anti-"Snow White"?
Is this the morality play of the nineties? That to love is to be injured or die, that illicit love results in death as in “Romeo and Juliet”? The two-hour movie was enormously Biblical in countless references, and anti-female in many respects, with the tone set unwavering, “Thou shalt pay”. Did anyone else notice how few female cast members and female lines there were? Did anyone pick up on that Gabriel was the “Angel of Death” for Catherine, as opposed to the “Angel Bearing Great Tidings” for Mary? Whether these were conscious or unconscious, whether “Thou shalt pay” was directed at the fans or at Catherine, is unclear.
What is clear is that the third season will be a different show. As some have joked, “The Furry Equalizer”, as the opening credits now indicate. Or, “Son of Beast” which is a spinoff of the earlier show which we loved.
The third season may be hugely dramatic and compelling, and we may like the Diana character very much. As one viewer commented from her letter to the Production Office, “Thank you for Diana, and thank you very much for her live-in boyfriend.”
It is too soon to look into Vincent's future. It is too much to even consider Diana as a love interest, although wonderful that he shall again have a woman as a friend. Surely they make for a less than unusual crime-fighting team than society-attorney and Beast.
Does anyone have any data on how many female private investigators there are in New York? At least on television, it seems like every other woman is one....
As for “Though Lovers Be Lost”, as Vincent says, “to endure will make us stronger”, but for the rest of the season, despite Catherine's loss, as far as action and intrigue are concerned, we are told to “hold on to our seats!”
As we try to enjoy this new, improved version without the fairy tale anymore, let us not forget there are always possibilities....