Customer Reviews

Beauty and the Beast, Episode 21: Ozymandias [VHS]

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When Vincent's world is threatened by the building of a gigantic skyscraper, Catherine must intervene to save it. This is one of the finest episodes this wonderful series ever produced, combining all the elements that fans of the show love: heart-wrenching drama, suspense, a tried-and-true nemesis, gripping romance, and the beautiful poetry-reading of Ron Perlman. His rendition of the title poem is the icing on the cake. Simply stunning. If you like this show, this is a must-see!

Elliot Burch, eligible young real estate tycoon and Catherine's once and would-be boyfriend, is erecting what would be the world's tallest building. The laying of the foundation for the building threatens the very existence of the tunnel community. An anguished Catherine thinks she has a plan for stopping Burch's tower, but only at the cost of heartbreak for both Vincent and her. This intense drama builds to a harrowing emotional climax. The conclusion, making great use of the Shelley poem from which the episode derives its title, ENLARGES the story and elevates Elliot from an interesting character to a tragic figure.

In 1998 I conducted a poll among Beauty and the Beast fans asking them to rate the 44 episodes of the first two seasons on a 1-to-10 scale. 31 fans participated. "Ozymandias" finished 8th out of the 44 episodes.

I placed "Ozymandias" 8th in my own personal 1-through-44 rank-ordering of the episodes.