(S01E02) My name is Jen, and I have taken over reviewing Moonlight. If you have read some of the reviews so far, you will know that my colleague Rich Keller hated the show. Most of the commenters hated it too. I seem to have a higher tolerance for it, though, so here goes. I watched this episode with my best friend, and she said, "If you like vampire smut, you kind of have to like this show." And we both like vampire smut. One other difference between my friend and me and Rich Keller is that we think Mick St. John is good-looking enough to tune to in every Friday night when we have nothing else to do. That might not be the greatest criteria in the world, but I don't understand why people tune in and watch Desperate Housewives week after week, so there you go.
What's bad
Let's go ahead and get this over with. The writing needs some help. For one thing, how convenient is it that Mick's old friend Bobby is blind? It makes it nice that Mick has someone to go to, but making him blind was just a little too obvious. I would have preferred another way for them to be friends: Bobby could have perhaps known Mick's secret. If that was too dangerous, then perhaps they talked on the phone. Mick, living in LA, could probably find someone to apply aging makeup that would be a bit more convincing than just having a blind friend who wonders why Mick's voice and muscles haven't changed at all. Blind people can't see, but they aren't stupid.
What baffles me the most, though, is how a show can appear on the same network as CSI and have such serious plot holes as Moonlight. Maybe 25 years ago, forensics weren't sophisticated enough for the police to know that Lee Jay made Eileen's shooting death look like suicide. However, things have changed.
When Lee Jay shot himself in Mick's apartment, and then Mick fled to escape arrest, Josef told him that Mick was looking at 25 years in prison. He also said that prison wouldn't be a vampire's friend. Let's take these apart one at a time: First, modern forensics would be able to tell from the angle of the gunshot that Lee Jay's wound was self-inflicted. Not only that, but despite the fact that Lee Jay held a cloth over the gun, gunshot residue would have been all over his hand anyway, not to mention his clothes. There would have been no gunshot residue on Mick. I can understand that perhaps Mick didn't want to be subjected to questioning by the police, but if he is a PI, he should have known that the forensic evidence would exonerate him.
Second: Why isn't prison a vampire's friend? Who is going to be able to mess with him? And he has an entire prison population to feed from. Twenty-five years is a drop in the eternal bucket. Not a lot of sunshine. So, what is the big problem?
We need some more explanations, too: Why didn't Lee Jay become a vampire when Mick attacked him 25 years ago? How much about vampire cliches (like crosses, holy water, garlic, sunlight) are true when apparently wooden stakes can kill (only if inserted fully and properly) and silver bullets are actually poisonous. I respect the series' right to make up their own vampire mythology, but they need to explain it to us better when the topics arise. Saying that the digital world makes vampires suddenly capturable when earlier in the same episode we learned that they are not capturable on film is confusing and a little inconsistent. The note about digital should have been inserted at the moment he talked about the image in film. And what about mirrors and reflections?
What's Good
I think one of the keys to enjoying this show is not to take it too seriously. It probably doesn't have enough camp to qualify as pure camp, but there are elements.The CI graphics when Mick and Beth were driving to the warehouse were absolutely terrible. That was the campiest part of the show, and it was hilarious-- but unfortunately, the scene was aiming for a serious tone as Beth tried to get out of Mick what Lee Jay meant by, "I know what you are." She knows that Mick is hiding something and that she is dreaming about him in connection to her childhood kidnapping. However, she can't quite connect the dots.
The character of Lee Jay was almost pure camp though. He was pure caricature. However, he fit the tone of the show. The tone is uneven right now though: I think the writers need to choose between seriousness and camp and just embrace one or the other. I hope they choose camp. Then, at least we will know that scenes like them driving with fake scenery are meant to be camp and not simply the result of being given a nothing budget for a Friday night show.
Despite the show's obvious flaws, I like Mick and Beth. I don't know that they have real chemistry, but I like the fact that Mick is earnest and that Sophia Myles is doing a decent job of developing her character and embracing the material. Kevin Wiseman as a supporting character is also, as Rich pointed out, great. I have no idea why Wiseman isn't turning up on IMDB as being on the show, because there he is.
I also like the vampire special effects, the eyes and the growling. I wish there were even MORE of it. My friend and I were so disappointed when Beth shot Lee Jay instead of us getting to watch Mick rip his head off. The end of the show was also great, when Mick was begging for Beth to leave him alone, and her response: "Oh, are you okay? I can't see the bullet holes in the back of your jacket!" But the end of the show when he told her, eyes wild, blood dripping from his mouth, fangs showing, "I'm a vampire," was great. We couldn't quite believe that he outed himself to Beth in the second episode. So much for tension building. I am not really sure what the tension of the show will be now. However, I have some ideas:
Obviously, Mick cares about humanity and has regrets (about Eileen's death and who knows what else). This would indicate, and Josef's observations support, that Mick hasn't really embraced his vampire identity. So, the show should delve into his history more and discover why he can't really let living among humans and caring about them and the desire to protect them go. We got glimmers tonight of his past: He used to feast on humans, just like Josef did. What changed that? Was it rescuing Beth? Was it something else? The show can also explore whether or not a vampire can have a romance with a human, and get rid of Beth's dippy DA boyfriend in the bargain. These unanswered questions are a double-edged sword: They are flaws, because they are unanswered. However, they give the shows directions to explore.
You kind of have to love Beth's name: Beth Turner. Turn Her. Any guesses about what's going to happen? I noticed on IMBD also that the main players are only listed as being on six episodes, so maybe they are trying to speed Mick and Beth's relationship along in case the show gets canceled.
The show isn't perfect. Obviously. But it has vampires and private investigators! I think it deserves a chance to find itself. Either that, or get Alex O'Loughlin on a new show, stat!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-06-2007 @ 4:50PM
Hussain said...
I disliked the show, and comparing it to the show like Blood Ties* Moonlight comes out as a weak competitor. Both shows have a vampire that choose to protect women who get themselves in trouble, and unlike Blood Ties, the vampire in this series is the PI, both have changing eyes when in vampire mode (I don't know what to call it). What Moonlight tries to do is bring a show that is similar to Blood Ties to a bigger, broader audience. The dark themes and dark world of Blood Ties are removed for a more popular feel and look. And in my opinion this is where Moonlight fails. This show also brings no intrigue or originality to the world of vampires (and perhaps the mythical world), again it popularizes this world and the idea of vampires in modern day.
* In Canada, the show has only began a month ago, both shows also play in the same time slot
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10-06-2007 @ 2:11AM
DMD said...
'I think one of the keys to enjoying this show is not to take it too seriously.'
Nice review Jen, if the 'Bionic Woman' has a chance, then so should 'Moonlight'.
Besides Alex is hot !
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12-05-2007 @ 9:29AM
number1moonlightfan said...
Jen,
I can't believe that you took the show apart like that. If people took Buffy apart like that I guess it wouldn't have made it for 7 seasons either. This isn't CSI and that is why Moonlight fans aren't concerned with forensics. Jail isn't a vampires friends because if he starts feeding off the prisoners people are going to start asking questions, another reason is you can't actually feed anytime you need to.Another thing, you can't become a vampire just by being bitten, you have to drink blood from the sire as well.I personally think the show is great and that is why I am an avid watcher.The actors are great,and the story lines are great.I think it can only get better as the writers get farther along. Either don't watch it or relax and enjoy it.
10-06-2007 @ 2:47AM
Dwayne Conyers said...
I tuned in and realized Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd aren't on this... so I lost interest fast. Seems CBS is going for "creepy factor" on this night of programming.
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10-06-2007 @ 6:40AM
Kimber Foldhazi said...
I have watched both episodes because I like the premise - and I like what I have seen so far. Of course, I have seen it before (Angel and Nick Knight), but as long as it is done well, who cares that it is not an original idea. There is little now that is. Right now the writers do need to find their direction - soon. The networks have shown a callous disregard for shows that don't develop instant success. I would like to see where this one goes. I like Alex and Sophia - they have the all important chemistry - and I want to know more. I just hope CBS gives it the time it needs. Great review, Jen! :D
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10-06-2007 @ 6:49AM
LadyOracle said...
All in all this episode wasn't as bad as it could have been. I agree that the writing needs some help, but this is something that can be improved over time. The writers just don't seem to think things through.
Here is my question. Assuming that you are trying to trap a vampire and have some girl tied up as bait. I would think you would anticipate the vampires arrival and booby trap the roof? This would seem to me to be the smarter option. Oh well, hindsight and all that jazz.
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10-06-2007 @ 11:53PM
Will said...
It's Kevin Weisman, not Wiseman. But he still isn't listed on IMDB as having a part on this show. Weird. Maybe you need more than one line per show for it to count. He's kind of wasted here.
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10-06-2007 @ 9:23AM
Chris said...
Last nights episode was ok,but compared to that thing last week it was great.
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10-06-2007 @ 10:55AM
shawn said...
you review this show, but not My Name is Earl or Boston Legal?
WtF.
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10-06-2007 @ 11:31AM
Jimmy said...
I hate to make this comparison, but it's just too easy: did anyone watch the first season of Angel? It not only sucked (pardon the pun) it sucked bad. The show only improved when Wesley was brought over from Buffy and they got rid of the Irish demon guy. To me, Moonlight is a lot like that. As you said, it's not perfect, but it's slowly improving. Here's the problem, this isn't Fox. CBS isn't know for giving shows a chance; of course, Ghost Whisperer has been on the air for three years with ratings no better or worse than Moonlight, so maybe CBS will be happy with a series that maintains and/or builds on that crappy show's audience.
What Moonlight really suffers from is a lack of mythology. Similar shows, Buffy and Angel for instance, seemed to have a mythology already created before the series hit the air, and it was developed with each season. Moonlight needs to delve more into the past of Mick and his friends. Oh, and they need to drop the crappy backgrounds when Mick is "driving" through "LA." They just look horribly fake.
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10-06-2007 @ 2:55PM
Logan said...
First off, let me start by saying that I'm not sold on this show, yet, and I really liked your review. There are elements to it that have some potential, but the jury is still out so to speak.
In reference to your "bad stuff" section:
1. Mick fled the apartment because he had several bags of blood that he didn't want the police to find there. Once he took off, he had to stay out long enough to protect the author. Granted, after the fact, he shouldn't have been worried about going to prison.
2. Prison would not be a vampire's best friend, because if he forcefully fed off of other prisoners, it would get noticed pretty fast. Plus, they still haven't explained to us why he sleeps in a freezer. Maybe that's somehow essential?
3. In most vampire mythology, the vampire has to either completely drain the person, or at least feed the victim some vampire blood. Sometimes both.
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10-06-2007 @ 4:28PM
Tele-Toby said...
I did like the twist about photographs with silver emulsion couldn't capture the image of a vampire, but digital photography can. Also, how long has he been a vampire? I thought from the pilot that he has been one for either sixty or ninety years (remember both figures being tossed out for one thing or another.), but it then seemed like he wasn't a vampire until the late fifties, maybe the sixties, since there was a picture of him from back then. Anybody know how the chronology shakes out here?
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10-06-2007 @ 4:34PM
KayDee said...
Jimmy - I should point out that Angel didn't air on Fox; it aired on The WB. And Fox is the most cut-throat of all networks for not giving shows a chance to develop. But I agree that Angel's first season was a definite work-in-progress, despite the fact that it came with two fully developed characters from BTVS in Angel and Cordelia (and later, to a lesser extent, Wesley). That should have allowed ATS to come to the table fully loaded and running. But it didn't. Series - especially genre series - need the chance to develop their mythology and pacing.
That said, this week's Moonlight was head over heels better than the premier. If this improvement-pace keeps up, I think the show has a chance to be very good before the year is out, and hope CBS gives it the chance to find its rhythm.
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10-06-2007 @ 7:43PM
claire said...
I absolutely love "Moonlight" it's one of my favorite on TV right now.
I just want to clarify one thing:
"Why isn't prison a vampire's friend?"
Well, maybe because in 25 years he wouldn't age one bit. Which is why Josef tells him he would get a book deal after those 25 years. And feeding off the inmates, probably not an option because it will get noticed.
It made total sense to me even before Josef said the line.
Other than that, I agree that the car shots need to get better. They look really fake to me.
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10-06-2007 @ 9:25PM
Nabby said...
Nice review, Jen.
I agree with KayDee (10), this episode was way better than the first. The way they handled Beth's discovery of her hero's "secret" at the end was superb.
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10-06-2007 @ 9:40PM
Randall said...
Didn't like the first episode at all, but turned in last night out of boredom. And I am glad I did. Huge improvement!
Mick's best bud is interesting, in a creepy kind of way. We may discover reasons to really hate this guy. Beth's D.A. boyfriend also has potential... and I hope they stay together, rather than having Beth mooning Buffy-like over her unattainable blood-drinker. And the introduction of Mick's old blind cop partner opens up all sorts of possiblities for complications.
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10-06-2007 @ 9:25PM
courtney said...
About the vampire lore in this show. Most of it was answered in the first episode. Mick said that holy water, crosses, garlic was all just myth. A wooden stake through the heart doesn't kill but paralyzes a vampire. They can only be killed with fire and losing their head.
I also thought at first that the car scene looked terrible. However, it does fit in with the noir theme of the show, which i really like.
I personally really liked that she found out so soon, and i the end was my favorite part.
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10-06-2007 @ 9:58PM
botfish said...
This is my favorite show on tv now and like others have said, the second episode was far and away better than the premier. It just needs to be given a chance to develop its story and mythology.
To answer some of your Q's:
Prison not a friend of a vampire: well, they would notice really fast that he wasn't aging and if he was feeding off people, that would be noticed really quickly as well.
The backgrounds while driving: this show is very noir (like the films from the 40's and so on) and back then when there was a car sequence, the background was always fake. This is keeping w/ that feel and is another nod to the noir aspect.
I think this show, which is already getting good, has the promise to be really great. Give it a chance to do that.
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10-08-2007 @ 11:45AM
clgbutterfly said...
It takes a lot of guts to produce any supernatural or SciFi show on a small budget. Many mention that how weak Angel was in the first season and they were correct, but they already had an established fan base and a TV station willing to take risks. Forever Knight never had a big budget, but they did have Laquiox (or however you spell that). Moonlight will be fighting an uphill battle. Not only are they on a major network, they are on a network notorious for being ultra-conservative. I think the only reason we are seeing a show like this is because the other networks have been taking chances on Sci-Fi and supernatural shows. I'm crossing my fingers that it will stay, but my husband is probably right in the fact that we will probably not see another good, long lasting Vamp show until Showtime or HBO picks one up.
I'm also hoping that if they were willing to keep crappy Ghost Whisperer, maybe Moonlight has a chance and btw (Cybil and Bruce were on Moonlighting)
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10-08-2007 @ 7:05PM
Jeffrey Lipsey said...
I, too, love the show and it has a good chance of being really good. However, unlike Jen, I was not a fan of the special effects. The plot holes that Jen explained weren't all that bad as Mick mainly just didn't want policeman in his apartment asking a lot of questions.
"Overall the plot of Out of the Past was extremely well written. The writers have done an excellent job so far incorporating the storyline into the main plots of both episodes to start the season. I have a hard time believing they are going to be able to keep it up, but right now I have a good sense of where the show is going and I’m impressed."
http://lamererun.com/2007/10/06/moonlight-out-of-the-past/
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