Post by anapi -season3baby :) on Jan 20, 2015 2:50:23 GMT -5
Arwenfan and Jefferen,
I get your point and even agree, to a certain extent about Catherine. But PLEASE read the following and consider it as a whole.
I will say that Catherine's faults are, in part, what make her the perfect mate for Vincent. He certainly has those same exact traits, particularly in regards to being judgmental and having a temper and only wanting things his way. Vincent thinks ONLY his plans will work (think "Ancestors," "Playing With Fire," "Held Hostage," "Recipe For Disaster," any of the episodes within the Alex arc), and when they fail, they fail spectacularly, usually with death in their wake. And Vincent thinks he can also always control the situation (again, "Held Hostage," "Recipe For Disaster") which also usually goes terribly wrong. And you don't hear Vincent having to take a portion of the episode to apologize for his actions anymore than Catherine does. YET THEY BOTH DO. Vincent points out to Catherine in 215 that he has made mistakes, and Catherine corrects him by saying that they BOTH have. So BOTH Catherine and Vincent recognize these character flaws in themselves and one another and seek to counteract what is worst in themselves by balancing it out with the other person.
And Arwenfan, you are also forgetting that Catherine DOES own her bad acts in Season 1 AND in Season 2. She tells Vincent that she "beasted out," and she also states, "you are NOT the only one with a temper." So Catherine, like Vincent, recognize their faults and typically own their actions later. In "Liar, Liar," Catherine again acknowledges her wrong actions and regrets hurting Vincent in her phone conversation with Tess and later with Vincent himself ALTHOUGH SHE ALSO correctly places blame with Vincent for his part. And she realizes that neither of them can continue to move forward at the rate they are going. And remember that Catherine also acknowledges in "Playing With Fire" that if she and Vincent could have just worked together rather than insisting on going with each one's individual plans, they would have ended up with Muirfield's files.
"Playing With Fire" and "Liar, Liar" really are stellar episodes for showing the stubbornness in both Vincent and Catherine and also how BOTH come to see their actions as having led to the disasters that followed. And isn't that what we are supposed to see--that Vincent and Catherine bring out the BEST in one another, in part, because they can recognize, acknowledge to one another, and deal with the fallout of their actions TOGETHER to build a better future for one another. And JT yells at Catherine (and Vincent) for screwing up their plan in trying to convert Tess to their side, and Vincent even further risks himself in staying for Catherine's sake in order to go along with her plan to convince Tess. YET CATHERINE IS ultimately right. Had Catherine NOT been so insistent or not continued to follow her plan and TRUST in the better instincts of those she knows, then the ultimate right conclusion would never have happened.
And seriously, would the series be nearly as enjoyable if Catherine and Vincent were perfect? That would be rather boring. What makes the love so strong between them is that each can see the other's faults and issues as well as their own, and EACH of them seek to better themselves and love the other person, despite their individual spectacular errors in judgment. Because let's face it, even Season 1 Vincent has a lot of issues. He is consumed by bitterness and originally doesn't want to help. YET IT TAKES CATHERINE's BADGERING to remind Vincent of who he used to be AND WHO HE WILL STRIVE TO BE. So without that particular Character Trait of Catherine's, Vincent really wouldn't become the hero that he does become by the end of Season 1. AND VICE VERSA.
To me, that is the whole point of the series: Catherine and Vincent take what is negative in one another and somehow together make it positive. Vincent is reckless in protecting JT by revealing himself to Catherine and by his actions of continually going out and disobeying HIS OWN RULES that he himself created to keep him and JT alive, as Vincent states in the first episode. YET VINCENT's CHARACTER GROWTH would not happen without his mistakes and character flaws. Because at heart, Vincent (and Catherine) are good people that strive to do the right thing.
And seriously, if either Vincent or Catherine were wishy-washy in their actions and plans, would they be the strong and stubborn people that they are? Being relentless is not necessarily a bad thing. In a quest for justice, in fact, it is rather a necessary character trait.
Also, Catherine's negative character traits naturally seque into what makes her lovable as well. I love that she is assertive and doesn't back down when she believes she is in the right. It certainly takes strength of character to hold onto your own beliefs and seek to make a difference in the world by sticking to your sense of justice. Yes, it leads her down the wrong path at times. Yet she still tries. Vincent points out in "Ever After" that this trait of Catherine's is one of the things that made him fall in love with her. So even though that same character trait has certainly caused him trouble, he loves her because he realizes that Catherine is still a decent person, like himself, that certainly tries to live according to her ethics and beliefs and attempts for justice.
And maybe because Catherine DOES have those faults mentioned may be WHY she is so forgiving, even when she shouldn't be. Catherine was so quickly willing to forgive and forget with Gabe because she saw he was trying. So her ability to forgive is something of character for her, in my opinion. GRANTED, my own thoughts on forgiveness are heavily influenced by coming from a faith that believes that God sent his own Son to die for the sins of others, thus allowing for anyone to seek forgiveness. I mean, forgiveness when you are undeserving is at the heart of what I was taught. And the idea behind that forgiveness is that you DON'T hold on to the negative acts done by others if they truly repent, seek forgiveness, and try to better the world for others. In other words, you try to believe that people really CAN CHANGE and be better. And THAT is one of the most positive and life-affirming messages that I choose to take from BATB--another reason WHY I love this show so much!
So Catherine being so willing to forgive, even extending it to those that are CLEARLY undeserving, is something that seems to speak positively for her rather than negative. BUT I GET THE OPPOSING VIEW--however, I would point out that if you argue that Gabe and Bob and others in the series should NEVER qualify for forgiveness, no matter how sorry they are or how much they might try to do to make themselves and the world better, THEN YOU WOULD HAVE TO NOT FORGIVE Vincent for his acts in early Season 2. Because Vincent does choose to do some pretty terrible things. But Vincent certainly comes to regret his actions and spends the rest of the season atoning for those sins. Which spoke to me of Vincent's strength of character, willingness to forgive, and genuine strides towards redemption. Which helps bring Catherine back from the wrong path she had taken. (Again, whole point of the series for me and what makes me LOVE these characters so much!)
I guess what you can take from the above is that the Character Flaws of both of the main characters in BATB make them human for me and make me want to follow their journey. And Vincent and Catherine love each other NOT just because they look good on the outside--they value and love one another for all that each individually strives for (even when they sometimes take a wrong path or action that appears selfish). Both Catherine and Vincent make spectacular comebacks from rather dark and bad places, which often times weren't entirely of their own making. They each bolster one another up and forgive one another for spectacular mistakes, because they truly love one another and strive to better themselves and one another. And what is NOT to love about that?
I certainly don't think EITHER ONE of their mistakes or character flaws makes them any less strong individuals, when taken as a whole. They certainly are worthy of love and understand one another all that much better BECAUSE of all the ways they fail inasmuch as the ways they have succeeded and been right.
Word!