Note: This review contains SPOILERS.
This is an issue that has divided Beauty & The Beast fans for almost twenty years, and reading the reviews here, I can see a lot of people are still bitter. While the show certainly suffered the loss of Linda Hamilton, I personally found there was still plenty to enjoy in this abbreviated season.
For one thing, the season-long story arc served the show quite well. The second season's cliffhanger ending could left a lot for the writers to explore. So much fuss was made way back in 1989 about the show being "retooled" to attract more male viewers. And I'll admit, there's probably a sizable portion of the potential male viewing audience that is attracted to the increased action and violence. But was the show really THAT different? We still have Ron Perlman and all the others giving it their all (and it was quite an emotional and yes, violent arc for Vincent). The late, talented Edward Albert got moved into a series regular slot. And I can't think of another series villain as vile as Stephen McHattie's Gabriel. And for you action fans, there's Lance Henriksen's appearance as the vicious assassin, Snow.
Even amid all the death and sorrow, there are moments of beauty. "Walk Slowly," the follow-up to the 2-hour season premiere, is one of the best-written episodes of the entire series. Jo Anderson is no Linda Hamilton, but she evidences real concern and determination to help Vincent. And the return of Rolley (from season two's "Chamber Music") evokes sympathy, as well as reminds us that there was always more to this fictional universe than just Vincent and Catherine.
Now, to all the people who HATED season 3 and are writing these one-star reviews: You're entitled to your opinion, as are we all. But your negative reviews may be hurting the chances for us TRUE fans to get these DVD's released. I'd like to suggest you start using the COMMENTS option after the reviews (I expect to see a few for THIS review) to express your opinions. Please don't ruin this for the rest of us.
Finally, to the uninitiated who may not have seen this season: It's really not as bad as many people would have you believe. If you accept that Linda Hamilton only appears in 2 episodes, maybe that will lessen your potential disappointment. And if you've followed the story this far, it just makes sense to see it through to the end. No, it's NOT as good as the first two years. But it's still a great show, and I hope you will give it a chance.
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Beauty and the Beast - Season 3 dvd movie.