(S01E12) "I was human" - Coraline to Mick St. JohnWhat a season ender! It wasn't really a cliffhanger, though. Sure, there were un-resolved threads (which I won't discuss 'til after the jump), but I thought it was a pretty decent ending to the season, without making me feel like I will chew my own arm off waiting for the next season (or the strike to end-- whichever comes first!). What did you think?
I thought it was pretty lame that after seeing one phone number and one dinner date in his date book that Beth, who is supposed to have some good instincts and investigative skills, immediately jumped to the conclusion that Josh was cheating on her. On the other hand, why do you have a dinner date with a jeweler? Would he have done that if the jeweler was a guy? Why not just meet at a coffee shop during the day, or her shop if she has one? I also found it rather anti-climactic that Josh was going to propose to Beth. Of course he was. It wasn't Josh who was having issues. And even Beth says, "I don't know if this makes it easier or harder." Presumably, "it" is dealing with Josh's death. Does it make it easier because now she never has to say no?
I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be feeling about this, as a viewer. Is the fact that Beth was wearing the ring at the funeral some kind of indication that she is going to officially mourn Josh, or be loyal to him beyond his death for awhile? But enough about that. Let's talk about Mick!
I loved Lance's black eye. I wish we knew more about why his eye was black, rather than it is just a cool wardrobe choice. I loved the fights and vamping out in this episode, as usual. The fight scene in the warehouse was great. I really liked seeing the scientist vamp out too, even though I already assumed he was a vampire. For a moment, when Mick was on the floor and the fire was burning, I really thought he was in [im]mortal danger. I wish they would have actually played that up a bit more and put him in greater danger (though, then Beth would have had to come and save him).
I think Coraline is lying to Mick about the compound. Why on earth was there a monkey in that warehouse if the compound is made out of something besides... monkey. She was deliberately vague about what the compound was made of (Oh, organic materials from France! That's very helpful!). And for being a pretty bright guy, Mick clearly has blinders on if he didn't also wonder what that monkey was doing there. Sure, it's okay to test the compound on rogue vampires who have to be put down anyway (um, no it's not. That is the equivalent of saying it would be okay to do testing on death row prisoners, and that is not okay. It's horribly unethical.)
These vampires and their [im]moral codes are nothing less than scary as hell-- and I'd love to see the show explore this darkness a little more. After all, they showed nothing less than two beheadings last night. So, can't they treat their little experiments with a little more messiness than just having a cute cleaner show up and dimple at Mick? I am really hoping these themes will be explored in the next season-- and I am sure they will be, because that will make Mick's choice to become human all the more difficult. He finds it unethical to be a vampire-- but can he condone unethical modes of becoming human? Rock, meet hard place.
Early in the season, I had complaints that the show's mythology wasn't strong enough. Not anymore! I absolutely loved the history last night, as Coraline laid it out. The sire of those seven siblings (of course, Coraline and Lance are siblings!), and the compound being invented during the French Revolution; Louis the XVI being a vampire; and the revolution itself being a huge vampire genocide. But why is it so important for Lance to have the compound NOW?
At first, I thought the same thing Mick did: Coraline fed into Mick's desires and made him human to make him vulnerable to Lance's attack. But I loved Lance's dismissal: "This isn't about you." Mick, although I love him, could stand to learn that lesson. I felt for the first time in this episode that Coraline really does love Mick and that she really was trying to make up to him for turning him. Maybe that isn't true, but for the first time, I believed it. I also loved the fact that her family was angry with her for passing on their noble bloodline to Mick without permission. Vampire snobbery: Priceless.
I also loved the vampire guitar hero (Logan); the vampire napping in a bathtub full of ice in the hotel; and Mick ordering take out from every possible place he could and gorging himself once he was human again. I wonder whether he'll miss being a vampire though. And the cure is temporary-- so what will this mean for him and Beth? Anything?
It's going to be a long wait to find out...
Six shows that I am watching pretty regularly this season
Five other TV shows where Sarah Palin should appear
Brought To You By ... - VIDEOS
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
1-19-2008 @ 2:02PM
excuses said...
why is that so unethical? i acutally think if someone is going to die anyway, why the hell not try and put their life to some good use. what sounds worse, killing someone, or killing someone after they help u test out a lifesaving drug? people need to get a clue, and realize that it might take some people to help alot of people. ethics is an obstacle that needs to be removed. just do it, and get the benefits.
Reply
1-19-2008 @ 2:14PM
Isabelle Carreau said...
I liked this episode a lot. It added to the mythology (Vampire genocide, the 7 siblings (one would expect 6 would have been the selected number since 7 is "God's" number while 6 is the "Devil's"), the cure, etc.).
About the Beth/other woman storyline, there was supposed to be more about that Celeste woman. Per a version of the script, Beth was to meet Celeste and learn that she (Celeste) was hired by Josh as a consultant. Celeste would have told Beth that Josh had planned to propose. Beth, being the journalist that she is, was supposed to make her way to Celeste's office to find out why Josh had hired her. Beth would have discovered that Celeste was hired to investigate on... vampires!
Reply
1-19-2008 @ 3:02PM
Honey said...
I think they were using the monkey to test, and make, a " blood " source for the compound...If they had a blood source, then they could have a continual blood supply instead of rubbing the compound into an open wound and using it up as they go, they could "drink" or transfuse the new source. The monkey or eventual human source would create an almost unlimited supply.....theoretically. The show in general is just great!
Can't wait to see so much more of Mick and Beth, sooner rather then later.
Reply
1-19-2008 @ 6:43PM
Belle98 said...
Once again another great episode. I love this series so much. I just hope that we do not have to wait too long to see another new episode.
I loved the that the mythology was once again explored in this episode.
So we had some questions answered and many new ones unanswered.
Reply
1-19-2008 @ 7:06PM
John said...
You can't apply human morality to vampires, so I'm not concerned about putting down rogues.
Lance never really tried to kill Mick which is curious, so I'm sure we'll see him again. It was a little refreshing that Lance was like "keep out of it, this isn't your concern" without just dispatching the newly mortal Mick.
My prediction:
Mick stays human long enough to father a child with Beth, then reverts and the "compound" enters the mythology and while it's always referenced to, there may only be a couple eps a year focused on it. With the way shows come and go, if you have a decent mythology to fall back on, why not pattern after X-Files and feed the myth 6 times a season and have standalone stories 16 times.
Reply
1-19-2008 @ 10:45PM
Manal said...
I absolutely LOVED this episode just as much as you did. I loved the history, the genocide, the explanation for the cure, the guitar hero vampire, EVERYTHING. But one thing caught me off guard. When Mick was asking Coraline about how she was human, he was like "You were human, you ATE." But when Coraline was in the shower with him in episode 9, "Fleur de Lis", she says "I even ordered my favorite wine." If she was a vampire when they met, didn't that mean she couldn't eat? I mean, Mick made it pretty clear in this episode that vampires don't eat food when he said that to Coraline. But I still loved the show, I think that was maybe a little mistake. I don't think I ,issed something, I mean I've seen all the episodes and paid close attention. Well, besides that, I loved it. I wonder how long the compound lasts. I wonder what the compund is. I thought it would have to do with some kind of blood, I'm not sure. But Coraline did say that the compund was running out and they had to use as little amount as possible. And plus, I don't think it were made of monkeys, because the last time I checked, monkeys weren't extinct. So I think it's a little more complicated, maybe the monkey was there to show that it was a lab and they were testing on something. I'm not sure, I can't wait until next season. Does anybody know if it was renewed? I'm pretty sure it was since it won the PCA Award, and even before it did, the President of CBS Corporations said it had a high chance of coming back. Anybody know for sure?
Reply
1-20-2008 @ 5:25AM
xbxtv said...
Eating is not the same as drinking.
Mick drank some old whiskey/scotch in "B.C.", so I guess it's fine with vampires.
Eating (and digesting) real food seems to be the problem.
1-21-2008 @ 9:22AM
anne said...
Coraline ordered, and drank the wine the same day she was eating, at the outdoor cafe. She was human then.
Yes, Cynthia was in the scene in France. I think she was probably a servant or maid in waiting to Coraline's family.
1-20-2008 @ 2:15AM
Cj said...
I THOUGHT THE EPISODE WAS GREAT FINDING ABOUT THE ROYAL BLOODLINE. DOES THIS MEAN THERE BLOOD IS NOW MIXED WITH MICK'S? I WANTED HIM TO GRAB BETH AND KISS HER OR HUG HER SOMETHING. I MISS THE SHOW ALREADY. HOPE THEY BRING IT BACK SINCE IT WON THE PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD. THEY JUST CAN'T LEAVE US HANGING. IF ANYONE HEARS ANYTHING ABOUT IT BEING RENEWED LET ME KNOW. MICK IS HOT HOT. GREAT SHOW.......
Reply
1-20-2008 @ 4:57AM
Will said...
I really enjoyed this episode also. I thought that was a great and inspired backstory involving the French Revolution and the royal bloodline. It really made the history interesting.
In regards to the question about vampires eating food, I thought it was established that they could eat food, they just didn't need to. I could be mistaken, though.
Reply
1-20-2008 @ 11:36AM
iceflower said...
I think mick and beth are perfect for each other. and regarding the comment about vampires drinking you will notice when joseph in preparing there drinks he takes a pipet and puts in a couple drops of something red. i am thinking it is blood. i wonder how long the cure will last? and how beth is going to react to mick being human.
Reply
1-20-2008 @ 9:29PM
Bruno said...
I think I saw Celeste as a servant in a close shot of Coraline flashback to the French Court...
Anyone noticed?
BTW, great show... I loved this last episode and can't wait for it to come back.
Great to see how it improved over the episodes, being the first couple really bad, with the worst production ever...
Reply
1-21-2008 @ 2:26AM
Cj said...
BRUNO YES I NOTICED SHE WAS THERE WITH CORALEEN AND HER BROTHERS. ALSO I WAS WATCHING TV TONIGHT AND SAW THE MOVIE UNDERWORLD AND GUESS WHO PLAYS A VAMPIRE IN IT? BETH, IT REALLY FLIPPED ME OUT TO SEE HER. WOW ANYONE SEE THIS MOVIE?
Reply
1-21-2008 @ 12:06PM
T. Ecc said...
Loved the episode and the ending scene, what love he has for Beth showed throughout the episode. Still don't trust Coraline, she's up to something. Very encouraging season finale (if it is) and look forward to more episodes!!
Reply
1-21-2008 @ 7:29PM
RIP said...
Hey there.
Like all of you i loved this last episode.
I was'nt quite sure about the show's heading at first. I was affraid it would be a vampire "A.Spelling" show.
But i checked the guys behing it, and : "The Matrix" 1,2,3, "Veronica Mars", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Angel", "Firefly", "Farscape", "Eureka", "Profit", "The X Files", "Millennium", "Dark Angel", etc...
Well... not a bad resume!
So i thaught... maybe i should have look at it. And a few things here and there caught my attention about the mythology. The thing is, i was a role playing gamer back in the day, not on video games (well... that's not true actually, i played a lot of those too) but the table games with dices and every thing, and i played a very good game called... "Vampire: the Masquerade". A lot of things in the show are (i belive) inspired by that RPG, and that's what hooked me to show. The powers of the vampires, theyr speed, the fact that a wooden stake in the heart dont kill them but incapacitate them, daylight not killing them on instant, the fact that with age comes more power, the evident structures of the vampires society, the "cleaning" services, the bloodlines, all of this is in the RPG. Of cours not all of the game is in the show.
I allways thought that a show based on that game would be awesome.... well they made one actually, "Kindred: The Embraced" back in 1996, but it lasted 8 episodes... Not a bad show, i think it was cancled because the main actor died...
Anyways, i love the fact that they are not making making the RPG into a show, but they are taking bits here and there from different vampire mythology (more from the RPG evidently), and they are making their own.
The Louis XVI and his entourage being vampires, and that the reign of terror was a vampire hunt made me smile. I should specify that i'm french, and that US movies or TV shows have allways been, well most of them, taking liberties with France history or culture.
I apoligise now for all the misspelling or basic english mistakes in this post. Hey... i'm french ;)
This spin about the french revolution... well it didn't bother me at all. I find it quite clever actually, for once... ;)
Joseph warned Mick to stay out of Lance's way, that he is from an other bloodline, more pure, maybe more powerfull (influance and all), and in the end, Coraline is the sister of Lance, she turned Mick, so now we know Mick is from a powerfull bloodline (and i'm sure a very twisted too, aaah family). If we go with the RPG, it could mean that for his age, Mick is a powerfull vampire.
Lance and Coraline are very powerfull vamps, Lance could easely take Mick even as vamp (logicly Joseph coul allso take Mick, he is 400 years old and mick is "only" around 80, and Joseph also said that coraline is older than him in an earlier episode).
When Lance stake Coraline, they both mention "He". Coraline is obviously scarde of him, Lance and the other guy seem to be following his orders.
Who is "He"?!!!
I'm pretty sure the master of the bloodline. Maybe the vamp that turned them? Louis XVI?
They also mention a more pure bloodline. so they are tainted bloodlines? does it have to do with the vamps powers? differents casts? what does it means in the society of vamps?
I don't remenber if they answered why Coraline picked Beth when she abducted her when Beth was little. If they didn't, Why her? now that we know a little more about Caroline and her origins, is there a link?
I can't wait for the next season! Pleeeease let there be another season!
Reply
1-22-2008 @ 2:13AM
Cj said...
LET'S ALL OF US EMAIL CBS.COM IF ALL OF US BOMBARDED THE NETWORK THEY WILL BRING IT BACK LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO JERICKO THE GUY THAT PLAYS IN IT SAID NUTS WHEN HE FOUND OUT THE FAN SENT LOADS A LOADS OF PEANUTS TO THE NETWORK THEY RENEWED IT. SO IT DOES WORK. LET'S ALL DO SOMETHING...PLEASE I LOVE THIS SHOW..
Reply
1-23-2008 @ 10:40AM
charlene frydberg said...
i love moonlight cant wait to next season to see if mick is human and not a vamp i hope he says a vamp he is very sexy vamp so i will have to wait to see
charlene
Reply
1-26-2008 @ 9:43PM
Anita said...
I really enjoyed this episode. However, I would've believed Beth's remorse a bit more during her Josh flashbacks had she not spent the past 4 months plotting their breakup, abusing him and lusting after another man.
The prize for most obvious voiceovers goes to ML for "she was lying", seconds after Mick asks 'why are u lying', and "she's a vampire now", right after Coraline vamps out.
I loved the Logan character (particularly since I think he played the funny gay photographer boyfriend on Ugly Betty). However, this is the 4th tech person Mick has gone through, including himself, for background work-
I'm sorry to see Coraline return. The Morgan character was fresher and Shannyn seemed more comfortable in M's skin. However, in light of her background, I understand why Coraline would treat Mick like a plaything, abuse him & expect him to return -
Reply
2-17-2008 @ 7:35PM
dare underdown said...
I love moonlight,It deserves an A+ ,it is the best show
that has been on in along time,like mick does anyone that dosent like the show and to whoever said it sucked
well BITE ME! V^^^V
Reply
2-18-2008 @ 12:42AM
JoanneMoore said...
How can they take Moonlight off and leave crap TV like How I met your mother oh please help us if thats the best we have to replace Moonlight. I protest and if they could do it and bring Jericho back we should do it for Moonlight. It was one of the better shows on Tv these days. Can anyone help me with this?? Joanne
Reply