Hothead

Hothead
Season 2, Episode 4


Air date	October 28, 2013
Written by	Roger Grant
Directed by	Michael Robison
Episode Guide transcript
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Hothead is the fourth episode of the Second Season, and the twenty-sixth episode overall.

Summary[]

Beauty-and-the-beast-comic-con-poster — Comic-Con 2012 Season 1 Poster

VINCENT COMES FACE TO FACE WITH SOMEONE FROM HIS PAST — After getting stonewalled by Cat (Kristin Kreuk) in his quest to track down a suspected beast, Gabe (Sendhil Ramamurthy) enlists Vincent’s (Jay Ryan) help, but Vincent quickly takes matters into his own hands. Unfortunately, the beast as an advantage over Vincent that requires Cat’s help, in addition to the help of someone else who opens up old wounds from Vincent’s past. Nina Lisandrello also stars. Michael Robison directed the episode written by Roger Grant.

Plot[]

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Cat and Tess head out for a night of fun. Cat wants to forget about Vincent, who is also stressing now that his memories are starting to come back. He tells Chandler that he needs another Beast so he can keep busy and not think about Cat. Fortunately for him, there's a serial arsonist that Gabe determines to be a fire-resistant Beast.

Cat's night out doesn't go so well as she ends up in a fight, although it's pretty one-sided when her opponents are drunks. She ends up getting arrested after one of the people she punches ends up being a judge. Gabe bails her out and scolds her like a child before filling her in on the fire-resistant Beast. He wants Vincent to help catch him, not kill him, to try to undo the his Beastly condition in the same way they undid his own. If they can re-create the results on the arsonists, they could cure Vincent. Cat wants no part of this investigation or plan, seeing as how arson isn't even under their jurisdiction.

Gabe pays a visit to Vincent's boat, risking personal safety to put him on the trail of the arsonist as well as tell him a bit about their history and dangle the possibility of his becoming human before him. Vincent heads out, determined to kill it. He uses his Beastly abilities to track the arsonist down to his latest fire. It's there that he learns that this Beast, Eddie Long, is not only fire-resistant but a fire-starter as well. Eddie unleashes some flames on Vincent then kicks him while he's down, knocking him out, and walks off victorious.

Cat is at her home with Tess having hired a masseuse and another woman to give Tess a pedicure. While Cat is getting a massage, she is repeatedly getting distracted by talking about Gabe's plan. Gabe calls to interrupt the session, but she doesn't answer. He tries messaging Tess and then her neighbor, forcing the women to cut short their pampering session.

Vincent is rescued from the fire by some firefighters and Gabe has managed to get Vincent hidden in a hospital room to hopefully keep anyone from ID-ing him. Vincent shares a private moment with Cat in which he tells her he wants to finish his mission so he can be with her. Meanwhile, his handler has arrived at the hospital in search of Vincent, knowing that "John Doe" is really him. He spots Gabe with the arson investigators, who want to interview Vincent. Gabe tells them that Vincent is named Victor and is working undercover for the DA's office. As it turns out, the younger of the investigators is Aaron Keller. When his name is mentioned, Vincent's heart begins to race as memories come flooding back. Gabe orders the arson investigators out as Cat struggles to get Vincent under control. Vincent is remembering that Aaron is his nephew, the son of Vincent's dead brother William. Overwhelmed by the memories and unable to get his transformation under control, Vincent beasts out and leaps through the hospital window.

Vincent calls his handler, who says that he just has a few more missions and then he'll be done. He tells Vincent some background information on Eddie being a convicted arsonist that Muirfield ran experiments on, advises him to stay calm, and to steer clear of things that will trigger memories. Vincent returns to his boat to find Cat waiting for him, wanting to be sure that he's okay. He opens up about Aaron, William, and the memories that came back of the day William died.

Cat and Vincent got to the firehouse trying to figure out where Eddie is going to go next to start a fire. There are pictures of both of Vincent's brothers on the wall, honoring them, and several other firefighters, for their lives being lost on September 11th. While talking to the firemen, they figure out that all the building are owned by a specific wealthy oil executive. Vincent mentions the arsonist like challenging buildings and they point out that the companies headquarters may be the next target. Aaron wants to leave immediately, but his boss tells him to cool down and that they're not going to randomly run to wherever they think the fire might be. However, while all of them are distracted Aaron grabs his gear and takes off. A few minutes after he leaves a fire alarm goes off at the headquarters. The firefighters start to head out, Catherine saying that Aaron has run off early, probably to try to take the arsonist out himself. At the fire, Cat tries to stop Vincent from going in to find Aaron, but he kisses her and tells her not to worry.

Aaron comes face-to-face with Eddie, who takes him out with a flash-bang explosive. Vincent is looking for Aaron when he runs across Eddie.He prepares to face off with Eddie once again. Eddie attempts to use his running fire trick but Vincent learned from the previous attack and claws a water pipe to put out the fire and begin fighting him properly. Aaron's firefighter alarm goes off, clueing Vincent into the fact that he is in trouble. While Vincent is distracted looking around for it, Eddie runs off. Vincent struggles with flashbacks, trying to find Aaron. He remembers William telling him he's going back to medical school since their mother couldn't handle losing a son the same way they lost their father. Then he remembers September 11th, watching the footage on TV and telling the other doctors that his brothers we're still trying to get people out just as the towers begin to fall. A vision of William standing in front of him guides him to Aaron, and he scoops him up to get him to safety.

Cat and Gabe encounter Eddie, and Cat has to shoot him to prevent him from attacking and escaping. They try to use the defibrillator but they're not able to resuscitate him. Vincent gets Aaron out and whistles the firefighters over to look after Aaron. Later, Aaron pays a visit to Cat at the station to thank her. She warns him to be more careful from now on. He asks to talk to her partner to thank him for saving him but she says he won't be able to do that in person since he's "undercover."

Cat and Vincent go for a walk. He's adjusting as best as he can to the memories coming back but he's also happy to have more of who he is. They pay a visit to Ground Zero, the memorial site of the Twin Towers, and pay their respects to Vincent's brothers. Vincent wonders if he could have saved them if he had stayed in his profession as a firefighter and Cat points out that he could've died too. She advises him not to think about what could have been. He pulls her close to him as they both look over the fountains.

Quotes[]

Catherine: I was just trying to have fun. I didn't mean to get in trouble.
Gabe: Trouble is getting a flat tire. You flattened a judge.

Vincent: Well, it's amazing what a little honesty and a few memories can accomplish, huh?
Catherine: Because you feel it too, memories aren't just playback. They trigger emotion, and emotion doesn't lie. It's real. It reveals who you were, who you are.

Cat: Do you wanna remember me?
Vincent: Yeah, I do, more than anything in the world.

Cat: OK - my life is a mess, are you happy?
Tess: Only if you switch out those earrings. They're too dangly. I can't. I just can't, I can't.

Tess: Dude it’s not a petting zoo.

Tess: I am not a secretary, I am Cat’s friend. I tolerate you.

Aaron: Oh look who it is… bad cop and mute cop.

Cat: Just be more careful, you know. We can’t afford to lose any more Kellers.
Aaron Keller: I guess it's in the blood, huh? Being stubborn?
Cat: And heroic.