The Moonlight Blog

Written by Ethan Erwin and Kira Snyder
Directed by Fred Toye

Considering the fact that the producers, writers, and cast were all expecting (and practically promised) a renewal for a second season, it’s no surprise that this episode is not an all-encompassing series finale. And also considering the fact that the network wanted the additional first season episodes to be relatively self-contained, it’s no surprise that the episode doesn’t feel like a traditional season finale.

What is surprising is how well the writers managed to bring certain concepts together while focusing first and foremost on the relationship between Mick and Beth. Once the writers decided that the obstacles had to be removed from the board, it was always a matter of exploring how the relationship would be defined. There was never a question that it would actually happen.

Instead, it was a clever way to address the unlimited issues that come out of the vampire/human interaction. Humans are, in the end, foodstock to the average vampire, so the devil is in the details. In “Moonlight”, vampires have managed to carve out a community within the human masses, and the delicate balance is well maintained by a system of rules and laws. This seems obvious, especially in the post-Anne Rice paranormal romance fiction, but each incarnation manages to put their own spin on things.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it’s a perfectly rendered world, airtight in its own logic. One can see a hot, young, and sexually voracious vampire like Lisa surviving quite easily, given student turnover at the average large university. Josef would likely applaud her lifestyle and methodology. The Monaghans, on the other hand, seem a bit reckless. Wouldn’t it be just a little foolish to plaster so many marriage licenses all over the wall? Hardly discrete.

Yet it creates the impression, well exploited in this episode, that the Cleaners have been around long enough that the delicate balance has been well-attended. Vampires can maintain a lifestyle that keeps them relatively safe, and the problems are quickly removed. It becomes a question of complacency, when the danger of exposure is realized just a bit too late, too often, and the lifestyle becomes a liability.

Dealing with all of those issues gives Beth a chance to see some of what she had to know intellectually on some level. It also gave her a front-row seat regarding the consequences when someone becomes a threat. As I mentioned, Beth knew some of this on a certain level, since she set Josef after a threat to Mick in “Click”. Yet, for all that, it’s still shocking for her to face the realities of “freshies” and vampires living in plain sight.

I suspect that Beth would have been caught in the middle between the human and vampire worlds, had the series gone to a second season. This would have placed pressure on Mick, who was already standing in both worlds. But the season (and series) ends on a positive note, almost as if it’s the end of a novel where the author had been hoping to write a sequel. Mick and Beth reaffirm their love, and since that has been the through-line all season, it’s the only satisfying place they could have ended it.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10

(Series Final Average: 7.6)

Written by Jill Blotevogel
Directed by Chris Fisher

Shortly after this episode aired, the tide began to shift for ‘Moonlight”. Instead of an apparent lock on a second season, the series was suddenly facing cancellation or, at best, a 13 episode mid-season run. Sure enough, by the time this review was finally written, the show was cancelled and the reported cliffhanger ending to the season (now series) finale will never be resolved.

This episode continues to display the series’ strengths, exploring the many facets of the unusual relationship between Mick and Beth that has emerged after the disappearance of Coraline and the death of Josh. Beth was always on the edge of committing her life to Mick’s capable hands in every possible way, but now the decision has been straying towards a true love affair. Only the details of a vampire/human relationship, particularly sexuality, seem to be in the way.

Instead of focusing on what Mick and Beth might have, the story focuses on what they cannot have, specifically by exploring what Mick might have had. The kidnapping of a child just happens to involve a man who might be Mick’s biological son, based on his younger human exploits. This revelation is not easy for Mick to digest, because that would mean that he betrayed his best friend and fellow soldier back in the Second World War. To top that off, the kidnapped child would be his own biological grandson.

Even Josef understands the lure of such an improbable legacy. If there is any sure sign that Josef is beginning to get more comfortable with the idea of Mick and Beth circling each other so closely, it’s the conversation between Josef and Mick over children and what Mick can and cannot provide. Mick is forced by his circumstance to consider what the inability to father children might mean, while Beth’s reaction is caught between panic and bemusement.

As much as the episode focuses on Mick and his potential human family, there are stirrings in terms of the growing threat to the vampire world. Ben’s interest in Mick is based on the pictures he received at the end of the previous episode, and it’s not much of a stretch to consider that his job offer to Beth had an ulterior motive. It’s a foregone conclusion that this will factor in the series finale.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10

Written by Erin Maher and Kathryn Reindl
Directed by Scott Lautanen

Rather than rest on their laurels and limp into a potential second season, the writers (who are now in nominal control of the series) have chosen to use these extra post-strike episodes as a bridge between the first season arc and the future. The main hook is the idea that Mick might be exposed in the wake of Josh and Maureen’s deaths. Mick has his own way to deal with such a threat, but surprisingly, so does Beth.

I’m not sure that it makes sense for Beth to be so naïve about the truth of her chosen genre. Perhaps Maureen kept Buzzwire more or less respectable, but anyone with passing familiarity with TMZ or Perez Hilton is aware of the utter lack of basic human decency displayed. Someone in that general field should know if they’re the exception to the rule.

But perhaps there was simple a line Beth wasn’t willing to cross, even if it meant getting very close to it. As we see in her wonderful conversation with Josef in the final act, she’s willing to consider and even advocate some disturbing actions. She simply won’t dirty her own hands in the process of seeing to her (and Mick’s) best interests. That, combined with her more confident acceptance of vampires as a whole, brought home the strengths of the character for me.

I also liked the exploration of Mick’s weaknesses. Josef tries to get Mick to understand that a public presence is more of a danger than he suspects, but Mick seems to think he has everything under control. It’s a touch of hubris that has always been there since the beginning of the series, and it’s come back to bite Mick before (the second episode comes to mind). What it could do in this instance is force Mick to decide between staying with Beth or leaving town to protect himself.

While I’m hopeful that this possible threat to the vampire underground will last longer than the next couple episodes, since it would logically get Josef more directly involved with the story, the pacing of the series thus far suggests otherwise. If there is one complaint I have about the series, it’s the tendency to rush through plot points that would be better served by depth. Hopefully, if the series survives to a second season (and the SAG strike is avoided), the writers can make these minor but rewarding adjustments.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10