EPI-LOG ARTICLE on Beauty
and the Beast
review by Nina Johnson. Click
here for contents.
Episode 35 (Season 2, Episode 13)
Arabesque
Arabesque (airdate:
March 13, 1989). A young woman is walking down a dark street. She goes to a
grate in the sidewalk and withdraws an envelope from her coat. She kisses it
then lets it drop through the grate. She starts to walk away when a man begins
questioning her. Vincent reads the letter in his chamber. He remembers that as a
child he and the young girl had played in the Great Hall. She danced around him
while he watched. He remembers going to Father for comfort. He tells Father that
he is the reason why the girl is going above to live. The letter asks Vincent to
meet her at their "special place". He goes there but after waiting
several hours, he leaves and goes to find Catherine. Vincent explains that the
note came from Lisa Campbell. He tells her about Lisa's past. Catherine has seen
Lisa dance before. Vincent asks her to deliver a message to Lisa. "Tell her
that she has a place and that I'm here." Catherine asks why Lisa left the
tunnels. Vincent's answer is "Because I loved her."
Catherine goes to the performance and manages to get backstage to talk with
Lisa. Catherine delivers Vincent's message while outside the door a man listens
to them. He comes in and tells Lisa that Mr. Taggart is waiting for her. She
tells him Taggart can wait. Catherine goes to the public library to check into
Lisa's background. One of the articles on Lisa is a wedding announcement of her
and British financier Alain Taggart. Lisa is in her hotel room when the man from
her dressing room comes to tell her that the tour has been cancelled. She is to
be packed and ready to go that night. Lisa runs to a window and down the fire
escape to the tunnels. Lisa searches for Vincent and he meets her in a
passageway. He asks what she is doing in the tunnels. She says the tour has come
to New York. But Vincent tells her that they have been many times before. Lisa
tells the children stories about her dancing in New York. She tells the children
that Vincent have her the inspiration to be a dancer. Vincent remembers how he
found a tunnel shaft that opened into an air duct to a stage. Father tells Lisa
to stay with them as long as she wants although he is none too pleased about her
visit. She accuses him of blaming her for the incident years ago. Catherine asks
Joe about Alain Taggart. He tells her Taggart is accused of selling illegal
weapons. The federal jury is investigating him and they expect to bring
indictment on him. Catherine talks with Vincent at the main tunnel entrance
about Lisa and her relationship with Alain Taggart. That's why Lisa came to the
tunnels. She asks Vincent exactly what Lisa meant to him. Vincent's answer is
that she was a special light in his life and part of a happy childhood. But
something happened between them that made her flee to the world above. Catherine
asks what happened but Vincent is quiet. She tells him that they have never hid
the truth from one another. Vincent agrees and leaves her there.
Vincent and Father argue over Lisa. Father wants her to leave and face up to the
world above. Vincent says that Father made sure that Lisa left them. Father's
explanation is that he was trying to save Vincent further pain and
disappointment. He says that whatever choice he made was out of love. Vincent
answers that so are the ones I make now. Catherine, hurt and confused, takes a
cab home, unaware that two of Taggart's men are following her. Vincent recalls
the incident that drove Lisa away. They were in the Great Hall with white
candles everywhere. Lisa danced around him enticingly. She put her arms around
him and he locked his arms around her. He didn't let her go and she screamed.
When she tried to back her away, his claws scratched her back. Father came upon
them and Vincent whirled around with claws opened. He came out of his rage to
collapse in tears in Father's arms. Lisa goes to Vincent's chamber and asks what
is wrong with him. He tells her how guilty and frustrated he felt about that
incident. She avoids the subject telling him it was child's play. He then tells
Lisa that he knows what she is hiding and why. Catherine has been captured by
Taggart's men who try to beat Lisa's location out of her. Vincent has sensed her
danger and rushes to her. He tumbles through the ceiling and kills a man. One of
the man has a gun and Catherine grabs it. She turns the gun on the man and kills
him. Lisa goes to Vincent's chamber hoping to see him but finds Catherine
instead. Catherine says that Lisa is just lying to herself and Vincent. She
needs to stop running and face the music because when it stops playing, where
will she be? Father and Vincent come in and Lisa tells them that her least
anticipating moment will be when the music stops. Lisa is taken to the
courthouse in protective custody. Catherine is waiting next to a pillar and
gives her a smile of encouragement. Vincent waits for Catherine on the balcony
that night. He explains what happened to him and Lisa and how he desired her.
Catherine tells him that he should not be ashamed of that. He feels guilty that
he hurt in passion and that his hands were not made for love. Catherine takes
his hands and kisses them saying "These hands are beautiful! These are my
hands." Vincent begins to weep as Catherine holds the hands he thought
could only be used to hurt.
Guest cast: Elyssa Davalos as Lisa Campbell, Mark Neal as Vincent (child), Kelli Williams as Lisa (child), Christopher Neame as Colin, Preston Hanson as Frank, Marguerite Hickey as Beth, Michelle Costello as Jill, Marcie Leeds as Samantha, Linda Hoy as Marie, Nicholas Shaffer as the lawyer, Peter DuPont and Ken Brooks as reporters.
Writer: Virginia Aldridge
Director: Thomas J. Wright