EPI-LOG ARTICLE on Beauty and the Beast
review by Nina Johnson. Click here for contents.

Episode 20 (Season 1, Episode 20)

To Reign In Hell

Everything is Everything  (airdate: March 18, 1988).  Vincent is telling the children a story about the greatest threat to the Tunnel World's safety and future.  It is the story of Paracelsus' banishment from their world.  Catherine is in her apartment and sees a shadow at her balcony.  She rushes to it believing it to be Vincent.  But it isn't Vincent, he is reading.  Catherine realizes that she doesn't know this man and Vincent feels her reaction.  The stranger captures Catherine and carries her deep into the tunnels.  Vincent has started his way to Catherine's balcony, to see what danger she is in.  When he arrives, Catherine is not around and all he finds is a half-melted gold-coin.  His thoughts bring him to Paracelsus and the last words he said before he rushed into the fire, "My gold!"  Vincent takes the coin to Father as evidence that Paracelsus is still alive.  Vincent is sure that Paracelsus has taken Catherine so that he will follow her and enter Paracelsus' domain.  Father knows that Paracelsus is quite capable of killing them both so that the madman can rule over the Tunnel World.  Vincent decides that he must go after Catherine and Father lets him go with a little advice.  No matter what Paracelsus may say about Vincent's past, "There is a truth beyond knowledge."  Pascal and Winslow hear a tapping on a pipe that has not been used in a long time.  The code is ancient and the word is "Vincent".  Vincent listens to the pipe and asks them where it leads.  They tell him that it goes below the bedrock.  Pascal agrees to go with Vincent to the source of the sound.  Winslow wants to go along to help them find Catherine, who has just regained consciousness.  A huge man forces her into a chamber where Paracelsus waits for her.  On his face is a gold mask covering his left cheek and nose.  Jamie asks Vincent if she can accompany them on their journey.  But she is told no and they leave her behind.  Paracelsus' plan is for Catherine to be the bait in a trap for Vincent.  He tries to scare her, but she tells him that she is not afraid.  He even removes his mask to reveal his burned face, but she remains calm.  He plans on taking over the Tunnel World and will kill anyone that stands in his way.  He knows that Vincent is on his way and sends the henchman to make sure that only Vincent approaches.  The rescue group  comes across Narcissa.  The mention of Paracelsus' name brings fear to her face.  She tells their fortune: if they continue on, they will find death.  They pay no heed to her warning and continue.  After a long ways, the men build a camp fire and Pascal talks about the Paracelsus they had known before.  The next day at the end of the pipe, a huge man attacks them.  Winslow is thrown against the rock wall, then Vincent is subdued.  As he starts to turn on Pascal, an arrow hits him.  Jamie followed the men and shot at the henchman.  Vincent recovers and they force the man away.  They then go to Winslow whom they discover is dead.  They bury him and Vincent feels guilty for his death so he sends to others back.  Catherine has been tied to a wall with kindling placed around her.  Paracelsus hopes that she is afraid, but she denies it.  She feels Vincent's presence but doesn't reveal it.  She knows that any kind of emotion will only draw him closer to an uncertain death.  Vincent crosses an underground lake and later comes upon a skeleton tied to a wall.  Catherine's crystal pendant is on its neck.  Vincent finally arrives at Paracelsus' chamber.  Paracelsus tries to confuse Vincent with a different story about his birth.  Vincent asks where Catherine is to learn that she is directly below him.  He jumps down as the henchman lights the kindling, who then attacks Vincent.  Paracelsus watches the two men battle.  Slowly the henchman begins to overcome Vincent until Catherine screams.  In a fury, he kills the henchman.  He is able to rescue Catherine before the flames engulf her.  Meanwhile, Paracelsus has escaped.  Catherine and Vincent make their way back home.  On the raft over the lake, he gives her back her crystal.  She thought she had lost it forever while Vincent had thought that their bond had disappeared.  She reassures him that it hadn't.  She knew if she felt fear he would sense it and bring him to danger.  Vincent asks her "You would sacrifice so much?" and she replies that "I would sacrifice everything for you."  Father's words come to Vincent's mind.  Now he knows what the truth beyond knowledge is - love.

Guest Cast: Big John Studd as Erlik, James Avery as Winslow, Irina Irvine as Jamie, Beah Richards as Narcissa. 

Writers: Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa

Director: Christopher Leitch.