Beauty and the Beast is an American television series, originally broadcast in 1987, centered around the relationship between Catherine (Linda Hamilton), an attorney who lived in New York City, and Vincent (Ron Perlman), a gentle, but lion-faced "beast" who belongs to a society of misfits and outcasts (see "mole people") dwelling in the tunnels beneath the city. The beast makeup was devised by veteran Hollywood makeup artist Rick Baker. During the short third season, the character of Catherine was killed, to be replaced by Diana, a special-investigations policewoman played by Jo Anderson; however, the presence of Catherine was often nearby in the stories.

The show often dealt with antagonists in New York's organized crime world, while also following the relationship of Catherine and Vincent. It was both a romantic and crime drama giving it an unusual appeal. While the show was cancelled after only three years, it continues to have a large fan base online. Women in particular responded to the series and trade in taped episodes through the mail via fan newsletters was often brisk. No DVD release has been slated.

As the title indicates, the premise of the series is inspired by the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast"; in particular, there is some connection to the Jean Cocteau French film of 1946, La Belle et la Bête.

Series Synopsis

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Seasons 1 and 2

While returning to her Manhattan apartment, Catherine Chandler (Hamilton), a wealthy socialite and lawyer, is abducted off the street by a pair of thugs, is beaten, and abandoned in the middle of Central Park. She is discovered by Vincent (Perlman), a member of a secret community of people who dwell in caverns and tunnels beneath the borough. Vincent, due to his extraordinarily abnormal, leonine appearance, only emerges from the Tunnels during the night, and it is on one of his rambles that he discovers the wounded Catherine. Carrying her down to the home chambers of his community (the World Below), Vincent nurses Catherine back to health with the aid of his adoptive father (Dotrice), who is reluctant to host the woman because of the risk of exposure she represents to the Tunnels. During this time, an "empathic connection" (often referred to in fan writings as a "bond") develops from Catherine's emotions to Vincent, as well as a deep love on Vincent's part for her.

Partially recovered, and told the truth of Vincent's community, Catherine promises to hold their secret safe, and returns Above. After completing her recovery, she changes her life from its previously shallow round, and joins the Manhattan District Attorney's office as an investigator and trial lawyer. Vincent, still "connected" with her, visits her on her apartment terrace at night, and a romantic relationship grows between them, but one which can never be physically consummated. (This leads to the sexual tension that was one of the series' drawing cards with fans.) Catherine's duties as an investigator lead her frequently into situations where she is placed in danger; although she has taken self-defense instruction, she is often placed in a situation which she cannot extract herself from. Vincent, sensing her fear through their bond, uses various tunnels and interior paths (sometimes even riding atop subway trains) to reach her in time and save her.

Toward the end of Season 1, and through the majority of Season 2, the above action-oriented situations were decreased in favor of character development and more pure dramatic situations. Emphasis was placed more on the lovers' relationship with each other and with their friends and families; Catherine's role as a "Helper" (one of the people living Above who know or have befriended the Tunnel community, assisting them with food and aid) also grows during this period. Near the end of Season 2, however, in an effort to boost faltering ratings, the action orientation returned, emphasizing a seeming breakdown or reversion in Vincent to the animal side of his dual nature (See also: Personality). In a cliffhanger final episode, Catherine is seen walking down a tunnel into a chamber, where Vincent is suffering from a violent madness.

Season 3

The season begins with a two-hour (later split into two parts) episode in which Catherine pulls Vincent from his insanity, but with his empathic connection to her broken. Though the viewer is never given the specifics, Catherine becomes pregnant with Vincent's child.

Later, in the course of her work, Catherine stumbles onto evidence of a massive criminal conspiracy. She is kidnapped by Gabriel (played by Stephen McHattie), the leader of at least part of the conspiracy, in an effort to extract the hiding place of accumulated evidence. Following Vincent's discovery of her hiding place and his attempted rescue, Gabriel discovers Catherine's pregnancy, and holds her until the child is at term; she is killed after the baby is delivered by Gabriel's doctor who gives her an overdose of Morphine and dies in Vincent's arms. The remainder of the season, except for the final two episodes, follows Vincent's quest to bring Gabriel to justice and rescue his child. He is aided in this by Diana Bennett (Anderson), a special police investigator specializing in criminal profiling, who is apparently gifted with a degree of intuition verging on extra-sensory perception. She has discovered the existence of Vincent and the Tunnels through her investigatory work, and joins him in his efforts.

Main characters

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The "World Above"

Catherine Chandler

Catherine was the daughter and only child of Charles Chandler (see below), a partner in a large corporate law firm based in New York City. She was of less than average height, with honey-brown hair and a ready smile. She usually dressed very fashionably, in accordance with her social and economic position, even in the less "formal" world of the Tunnels.

A graduate of Radcliffe College, she is a very capable lawyer, but lacked purpose or direction to her life until she was mistaken for a witness in a criminal case, beaten severely, and left by the thugs in Central Park to bleed to death. Her rescue and nursing by Vincent gave her the opportunity to turn her life around; his example that she could survive adversity and trauma focused her determination. Additionally, she was given the deeper support of her love for Vincent, and, as an extension of him, the other Tunnel Dwellers.

Following plastic surgery operations to restore her face from its severe scarring (except for one near an ear that was not able to be corrected---but one that she gladly wore as a reminder of what she gained), Catherine found a way to put her legal talent to good service by working in the District Attorney's office. She also discovered the satisfaction of aiding others more directly by becoming one of the team of Helpers that supplies and protects the Tunnels. Though Father, the leader of the community, resisted Catherine at first, he was gradually won over by Catherine's determination and steadfastness, and by her unashamed love for Vincent.

Catherine proved herself to the Tunnels many times. In "Ozymandias," she was willing to marry Elliott Burch (see below) in an attempt to stop his development of the Burch Tower that threatens to expose the existence of the Tunnels. In "Ashes, Ashes," she risked her life to assist Vincent and Father in nursing the Tunnel residents through an epidemic of pneumonic plague. She several times placed her life and career on the line to search for and rescue Vincent ("No Way Down," "Nor Iron Bars a Cage"). Though the empathic bond generally ran only from Catherine to Vincent, it could also flow in the opposite direction as well when he was himself in extreme danger ("Shades of Grey").

In exchange for her devotion, the Tunnel community eventually declared her an official Helper at "Winterfest," their winter celebration of fellowship and community (similar to winter solstice celebrations in other cultures).

Shortly after rescuing Vincent from his madness ("The Rest is Silence"), Catherine was kidnapped in order to extract evidence pointing to the criminal organization led by Gabriel (see below), then held as Gabriel's plans changed upon learning of Vincent and Catherine's carrying of his child. She was murdered by Gabriel's minions after the baby was delivered.

Joe Maxwell

Joseph Maxwell (Jay Acovone) is a Deputy District Attorney for the Borough of Manhattan, and was Catherine's immediate superior in the office. He possesses dark hair and equally dark "good looks". His family background is in law; his father was a police officer, killed in the line of duty.

Joe is a generally easy-going boss; he commonly referred to his best investigator as either "Cathy" or "Radcliffe" (an allusion to her alma mater), and in slow moments or periods of thought throws darts at an office dartboard (placed perilously close to the door). He can, however, display intensity during investigations, especially when personally involved. Upon taking over the position of District Attorney following the murder of John Moreno (see below), the previous office holder, Maxwell reopened the investigation into Catherine's own murder, appointing Diana Bennett (see below) to take over the investigation.

He has never known of Catherine's relationship with Vincent or the existence of the Tunnels. Since Vincent was in part responsible for Catherine's success rate in investigations, Joe has often wondered how a "socialite corporate lawyer" could produce so heavily on seemingly uncrackable cases. He is aware of her mysterious disappearance prior to joining the District Attorney's office, but never pressed her upon the subject. There have been indications that he was attracted to Catherine romantically ("Chamber Music" et al.), but the feeling was reciprocated only by friendship.

Diana Bennett (Season 3)

Following the death of Catherine Chandler, the character of Diana became the "Beauty" of the title. Diana is a special investigator with the "210 Division" of the New York Police Department, which investigates extremely difficult cases beyond the scope of the normal police. She is taller than average, with long red hair and the accompanying pale conplexion of the redhead. She wears a ring with a large cabochon stone on a forefinger (which has intrigued many fans as to its significance in the frequently symbol-laden world of the series).

Diana's investigative technique is based on criminal behavioral profiling, in which she uses subtle clues to slowly draw inferences and build her case. There is some suggestion that her technique has at least a part basis in extra-sensory perception, due to the extremely vague nature of some items of evidence that she uses; however, it could also be attributed to excellent imagination and intuition.

Called in by Joe Maxwell (see above) to assume the investigation into Catherine's murder, Diana acquires enough clues to deduce the existence of the Tunnels, and actually begins exploring them at one point (forcing a sealing of the old access door from Catherine's apartment building). Later, she discovers Vincent (whose existence she also had deduced, though not in its entirety), lying upon Catherine's grave, dying from the effects of a blast planted to kill him and Elliott Burch (see below). Nursing him back to health, she slowly gains his trust, and is given by him enough information to lead her to the location of Gabriel (see below) and Vincent's son.

There is a suggestion in at least one episode that Diana has begun to conceive an attraction toward Vincent; if so, it has come too soon (within the episodes of the canon) for Vincent to return it, if ever, due to his continued grieving for Catherine's death. There is no evidence of a psychic/empathic connection between the two characters.

The Tunnels

Vincent

Vincent's true nature is difficult to explain, and has been the source of conjecture in the fan community. Physically, he is a person of extremely large and powerful build; however, he differs from human norms in that he possesses the facial characteristics of a lion, complete with blonde "mane" and fangs. His fingers are tipped with claws that can leave deep wounds when he attacks. In contrast to this intimidating form, his voice, while gravelly, is quite soft. When roused, Vincent has been known to emit loud roars, also similar to a lion's. Normally dressed in a welter of various patched garments and homespun, he often wears a large cloak about his shoulders, especially when walking the city streets so as to conceal his appearance from others Above. He has also been seen to wear (at more festive or formal occasions) a costume somewhat similar to an 18th Century gentleman's formal dress, with a ruffed stock at his throat.

His parentage is unknown; he was found abandoned as a baby in the garbage behind Saint Vincent's Hospital by Father, who drew his name from the location. Nursed to health by Father and the early Tunnel community, he was raised with the other children of the Tunnels, and given an education heavily grounded in the humanities and European literary tradition. (This may have been an effort by Father to compensate for his lack of opportunity to play in the daylight.) The results of this education are found in Vincent's speech, which is both pithy and expressive, and contains many literary allusions. He serves as the English and literature teacher to the new generation of Tunnel children. He is also a member of the Tunnels' representative Council, where the habits of thought and examination encouraged by study of the liberal arts aid him and lend weight to his voice.

He has twice suffered from attacks of madness or some other mental aggravation, which resulted in his withdrawing into his more animal nature: once as an adolescent, and the second some two to 2-1/2 years after meeting Catherine. It is unknown if this will happen again in the future.

Vincent's devotion to those he loves is profound, but is not unquestioning. He is unafraid to argue with Father when he believes Father is wrong about something, and ignored the man's advice to break off all relations with Catherine (Season 1). He is commonly a champion of the underdog, and will often support the petition of newcomers to join the Tunnels. He is also the last line of defense against intruders, though he does so with the greatest of reluctance ("China Moon," "The Hollow Men," "Snow"). At such times, Vincent has exhibited a strong grasp of tactics; combined with the power of his attack, Vincent is a formidable adversary.

His devotion to Catherine was complete (as was hers to him), leading him into many dangerous situations (most episodes of Season 1 and 3). Since her death, he has grieved powerfully for her; however, he finds solace in Jacob, their son, and a hope for the future; as well, his friendship with Diana Bennett (see below) has given him a new direction in his life.

Father

Jacob Wells was a research physician, working for the federal government on nuclear projects in the 1950s. When he spoke out against certain activities, he was blacklisted and fired from his job. Unable to find new work, left by his wife (who was pressured to do so by her family), he wandered alone and homeless until he was led to a series of tunnels beneath the surface of New York by a woman named Grace. Finding sanctuary there, and assistance from friends that would not desert him, Wells gathered together other outcasts and misfits of society to band together to found the Tunnel Community. Among this early group was John Pater, who becomes infamous as Paracelsus (see below). Following the power struggle between Pater and Wells, Pater was ejected beyond the "boundaries," and Wells declared their titular leader.

Today, Father is loved and respected as the genius of the Tunnel world. Grey-haired, with a mustache and goatee, he walks the passageways of the living areas with the aid of a cane, dressed in the collection of castoffs and homespun that is the normal mode of dress among the underground dwellers. As well as being the head of the Council, Father continues practicing as a physician to his people, aided by Mary (see below) and using supplies contributed by Peter Alcott (see below). He acts as surrogate father/grandfather to the children, telling them stories as well as reading to them, and also serves as one of their teachers. (A memorable scene from "A Children's Story" has Father and Vincent drawing the class into a scene from Romeo and Juliet by acting out the roles.)

Father has returned Above only twice since his removal to the Tunnels. The first time, he was arrested and charged with murder, but cleared by Catherine and Vincent ("Song of Orpheus"). On the second, he became involved for a time with an old love (played by Fionnula Flanagan).

Other characters

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The "World Above"

Jenny Aronson

(Terri Hanauer) Jenny Aronson was Catherine's closest friend outside of the Tunnels. She is slightly taller than Catherine, with dark features and a head of curly brown or black hair. She works as an editor with a New York publishing house.

Though, like most of Catherine's acquaintances Above, Jenny never knew anything about the Tunnel World, she realized that there was a special man in her friend's life. Additionally, in "The Watcher," Jenny exhibited a degree of intuition that, had Catherine survived the Gabriel incident, might have led her to discover the full truth of Catherine's secret.

Jenny helped Catherine to contact the art gallery that ultimately sold Kristopher Gentian's paintings, discovered by Catherine and Vincent in "When the Blue Bird Sings."

Elliot Burch

(Edward Albert) Burch was a Donald Trump-like character, a self-made millionaire in the profitable New York construction business; however, he suffered the fatal flaw of cutting corners with the law by hiring thugs to force out a group of tenants from a rent-controlled building so as to tear it down ("Siege"); and later breaking other regulations to pave the way for his planned "Burch Tower" ("Ozymandias"). Deeply attracted to Catherine, he courted her actively in "Siege," and remained infatuated with her even as she discovered the facts that brought his plans to a halt.

During Season 3, Burch maintained a modus vivendi with Vincent in the effort to discover and bring down Catherine's killer. Gabriel (see below) temporarily co-opted Burch by playing on his jealousy for Vincent's relationship with Catherine, but Burch went through a change of heart at the last instant before Vincent was killed in an ambush, saving him from enough harm to escape. Burch's fate in the resulting explosion is unknown.

Charles Chandler

(John McMartin) Charles Chandler was a full partner in the firm of corporate lawyers that was also home to his daughter, Catherine. He was tall and silver-haired, dressing in line with the dictates of his profession.

A devoted single father (due to the death of his wife), Charles gave his daughter every advantage, up to an expensive education at Radcliffe and a position in his firm. He was also present for her when he was needed, especially following his bewidowment. Deeply concerned for Catherine's seeming lack of purpose at the beginning of the series, he grew to be quite proud of her accomplishments with the District Attorney.

During Season 2, Charles suffered a stroke, dying not many days after. Vincent, supporting Catherine, visited him at night in the hospital before his death to speak to him; it is unsure if the unresponsive Chandler was aware of his presence -- although Catherine later had a dream or vision of him while grieving for him in the Tunnels, in which he expressed his approval of Vincent for her ("Orphans").

Edie

(Ren Woods) Edie works in the computer division of the NYPD. A virtuoso of databases, she frequently discovered facts that allowed Catherine to find an angle of attack on a case, beginning with the thugs who originally attacked the lawyer. They grew to be close friends, though there was sometimes a joking element of quid pro quo when Catherine needed information quickly.

(Edie was present during Season 1 only.)

Trivia

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• Actor Tony Jay who played Paracelsus, did voice work in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Tony is one of several actors on the program who later portayed characters in various Star trek Series most notably Armin Shimerman and Fionnula Flanagan.

Episode list

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Season 1 (22 episodes)

1. Once Upon a Time in New York
2. Terrible Savior
3. Siege
4. No Way Down
5. Masques
6. Beast Within
7. Nor Iron Bars a Cage
8. Song of Orpheus
9. Dark Spirit
10. A Children's Story
11. An Impossible Silence
12. Shades of Grey
13. China Moon
14. The Alchemist
15. Temptation
16. Promises of Someday
17. Down to a Sunless Sea
18. Fever
19. Everything Is Everything
20. To Reign in Hell
21. Ozymandias
22. A Happy Life

Season 2 (22 episodes)

1. Chamber Music
2. Remember Love
3. Ashes, Ashes
4. Dead of Winter
5. God Bless the Child
6. Sticks and Stones
7. A Fair and Perfect Knight
8. Labyrinths
9. Brothers
10. A Gentle Rain
11. The Outsiders
12. Orphans
13. Arabesque
14. When the Blue Bird Sings
15. The Watcher
16. A Distant Shore
17. Trial
18. A Kingdom By the Sea
19. The Hollow Men
20. What Rough Beast
21. Ceremony of Innocence
22. The Rest is Silence...

Season 3 (12 episodes)

1. Though Lovers Be Lost... (part 1)
2. Though Lovers Be Lost... (part 2)
3. Walk Slowly
4. Nevermore
5. Snow
6. Beggar's Comet
7. A Time To Heal
8. The Chimes At Midnight
9. Invictus
10. In the Forests of the Night
11. The Reckoning
12. Legacies

External links

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Sites of Authority

Fan Sites

• Beauty and the Beast Tunnel Ring

1980s TV shows in the United States | American television series | CBS network shows | Fantasy television series

La Belle et la Bête (série télévisée) | La bella e la bestia (serie televisiva) | Skönheten och odjuret (TV-serie)