Beauty and the Beast:

Unbreakable

By Barbara Handshy Anderson

When I got the three season DVD set of Beauty and the Beast I remembered how much I loved the series when it was new in the 1980’s. Sadly, I also remembered how much I disliked the way it ended. It felt unfinished to me. Surely after all that Catherine and Vincent had gone through, they deserved to end up together. I firmly believe that any story that begins with “Once upon a time…” deserves to end with “… ever after.”  Since I renewed my acquaintance with the show in 2013, this alternate resolution to the story has been bouncing around in my head. I wonder if Ron Koslow has been haunted over the years by his “Unfinished Symphony? If so, I would remind him that “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens, which was a centerpiece of the series, actually had two endings. The original ending was unsatisfactory to his friends and so he made it better. So I have taken it upon myself to make it right. This is my feeble effort, such as it is….

**Many thanks to Judith Nolan and Angie Burns for their kind encouragement and editorial expertise.

-Barbara Handshy Anderson

Index

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4

Section 5

Section 6

Section 7

Section 8

Section 9 (final)