3 Vampires with a Chance at Love

 

True love is a forever thing– especially for vampires. Or it can be, anyway. These TV couples’ stories left us wondering, but I’d like to believe they got their happily ever after. Here are three vampires who were (probably) lucky in love…

Spoilers Ahead

Mick St. John and Beth Turner, Moonlight

Mick and Beth, Moonlight

Mick (vampire) and Beth (human) have a complicated relationship. Beth has a boyfriend and Mick saved Beth’s life as a child and has been keeping tabs on her ever since. It’s a tale as old as time. But as the show goes on, their feelings for each other grow and turn into something else (and just as complicated). There’s a lot of back and forth about whether a vampire-human relationship could even work, and when the series was cancelled it ended ambiguously on a kiss between Mick and Beth. These two have a real connection, even if their fears cloud their feelings at times, so I think they have a solid chance to make it work. The show hinted at the potential for a vampire cure, so Mick could eventually become human. He could also turn Beth. Love finds (fangs?) a way.

Is this love?: 8/10

Jessica and Hoyt, True Blood

Jessica and Hoyt, True Blood

Although it might not seem like it, Jessica (vampire) and Hoyt (human) have a lot in common. Both had traumatic childhoods with domineering, manipulative parents. Both have quieter, somewhat innocent/naive personalities with rebellious sides. Both also have to cope with situations they have no control over, and neither really knows where they fit into the world. When they meet each other, it’s love at first sight. They did try to make it work for a while, but there were too many things working against them, including Hoyt’s mother and Jessica’s vampire nature. Their breakup was both inevitable and necessary, giving them a chance to figure out who they were. They eventually reunite, and even though we don’t get to see how their life together plays out, chances are they make it work (at least, they’d better make it work after all the screen time the producers devoted to their wedding in the series finale).

Is this love?: 9/10

Alex and Hal, Being Human

Hal and Alex, Being Human

Okay, this one might be cheating since both characters are human by the end of the series, but sparks started flying while Hal was a vampire, so I’m counting it. Although both are attracted to each other, their budding relationship is cut short when another vampire takes it upon himself to kill Alex (and then gives her blood to an unsuspecting Hal to drink). Hal is horrified at what’s happened, and when he finds out Alex is still around in ghost form, he promises to get revenge for her murder. With nowhere else to go and few people to talk to (thanks to being invisible to humans) Alex ends up moving in with Hal. Their opposing personalities make them something of an odd couple: Hal is precise, compulsive, and terrified of losing control; while Alex is carefree, no-nonsense, and takes things as they come. But the real hindrance to a relationship is that one of them is incorporeal (and it doesn’t help that the other one is constantly fighting his blood lust). The series (officially) concludes with an interesting twist that has all supernatural beings become human again, finally giving Hal and Alex a real chance at a life together.

Is this love?: 8/10

What other vampires have a shot at love? Share your thoughts in the comments…

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Cheers,

Aspasía S. Bissas

Originally posted on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com

Moonlight S1 E16 "Sonata" Series Finale

Spoilers Ahead

Just when things were getting good CBS had to go and cancel Moonlight. Such is the sad story of TV and we, the fans, can only hope to not be left hanging. Luckily we get something of a satisfying ending for Moonlight, although we also have to contend with the beginning of an intriguing new storyline that will never go anywhere. Sometimes I have to wonder if TV execs are all closet sadists.

In any case, "Sonata" starts off with Joseph being honoured by Hearst College for his generous donation of an entire arena (he also founded the school, he admits to Beth, after losing a bet to William Randolph Hearst). The evening is going well enough and Beth and Mick are enjoying their fourth official date--until the school's star basketball player is found dead in a hot tub.

As they investigate the murder (among the suspects are Joseph's freshie--human blood donor--and a vampire) Beth has a chance to find out more about vampire culture than she really cares to. She ends up jealous of Mick's desire to feed off other humans and confused about how she feels about being turned--or not--someday.

When Mick manages to catch up to the killer, Emma--one of the dead player's vampire managers, as well as his lover--D.A. Talbot and the police are already there. Emma is freaking, refusing to go to jail, and emphasizing her point by flinging the humans around the room. But Mick calms her down and convinces her to cooperate. You get a good look at Mick's gorgeous fangs in this shot. It's nice to see the vampires acting like vampires throughout this episode, actually, and their 'otherness' is featured prominently in "Sonata."

Once in jail, Emma gets melodramatic, insisting that if Mick doesn't get her out again she'll tell the police what she is and then hand over the names of all the vampires in LA. She then warns him he's got 24 hours. Um, okay. Not only does this seem like it's straight out of some cheesy "suspense" movie but leads to a trite scene straight out of a heist movie as Mick gathers up the gang (which consists of Joseph, Guillermo, Logan, and the Cleaner) to break Emma out. The "heist" itself is actually not bad. Of course it goes wrong, leaving the vamps scrambling for a last-minute Plan B. After all the trouble they go to getting Emma (not to mention feeding her blood) they have a quickie trial in which she's convicted of treason against vamp-kind and sentenced to death by flamethrower.

As the LA vampires are breathing a collective sigh of relief, somebody slips D.A. Talbot a list of all their names (a few are crossed out, including Emma's). Mick and Joseph's names are last on the list. Talbot then gets a mysterious phone call telling him the list is for his eyes only. This is the new intriguing storyline we're never going to get to see played out. Talbot has seen enough strange things in the last few episodes to start putting facts together, so I'm pretty sure he would eventually figure out the vampires' existence. But then what would happen? Would he be understanding or turn hunter? How would the vampires respond? And who is his informant? Damn, it would have been nice to have another season.

The episode (and series) appropriately leaves off with Mick and Beth. He goes to see her after the Emma situation has been dealt with. Beth is upset with all things vampire and she's decided she doesn't think the two of them can ever work out. Mick is speechless as he turns and walks out (nicely acted, Alex O'Loughlin). Beth closes the door behind him and dissolves into sobs. Out in the hall, Mick suddenly turns and goes back to her apartment. When she doesn't respond to his knocks he just walks in (gotta love a man of action). He gives a rousing little speech about "us" and their feelings for each other. Then he tells her he loves her and they kiss. From just outside the apartment we see Beth gently close the door again, as the two of the continue to kiss inside. Well at least we get something of a happy conclusion with those two, although again it really would have been nice to see how their relationship would have played out.

Overall Moonlight was a good show, one any vampire fan should make a point of checking out. There were definitely a few weak episodes but the vampires were cool, the acting was good, the makeup/effects were pretty awesome, and the relationships were compelling. Although we're left wondering what could have been, at least it was fun while it lasted.

Fang Files

Appearance: Pale human until the vampire emerges then ghostly white eyes and long, elegant fangs (these are probably the best fangs I've seen on any vampires).

Strengths: Super speed, strength. Ability to tell blood types apart by taste. Enhanced sense of hearing--vamps can tell from the sound of a person's heartbeat that they're lying. Can speak below audible human levels so that humans can't overhear them (although other vampires can still hear them). Enhanced sense of smell. Resistant to injury.

Weaknesses: Silver, fire, boredom, love.

Mythology: It's a common practice among vampires to have arrangements with humans who provide them with blood; these humans are called "Freshies." Vampires have their own laws and justice; above all they must keep their existence a secret.

Sound Bites

Beth: This is great--I feel like I'm back at my high school prom.
Joseph: You know prom wasn't really big back in the 1700s. High school either. The plague--the plague was big.

Simone: We should go.
Joseph: But this is so awkward. I love awkward.

Beth: You okay?
Mick: Yeah, well, I got hit in the face with the sacred ass paddle.
Beth: [shrugs] Karma.

Moonlight, Season 1 Episode 16 "Sonata" (series finale). Written by Ethan Erwin and Kira Snyder. Directed by Fred Toye. From CBS.

Read my previous reviews:

Episode 1 "No Such Thing as Vampires"
Episode 2 "Out of the Past"
Episode 3 "Dr. Feelgood"
Episode 4 "Fever"
Episode 5 "Arrested Development"
Episode 6 "B.C."
Episode 7 "The Ringer"
Episode 8 "12:04 AM"
Episode 9 "Fleur de Lys"
Episode 10 "Sleeping Beauty"
Episode 11 "Love Lasts Forever"
Episode 12 "The Mortal Cure"
Episode 13 "Fated to Pretend"
Episode 14 "Click"
Episode 15 "What's Left Behind"

Moonlight S1 E15 "What's Left Behind"

Spoilers Ahead

"What's Left Behind" features monsters, war, miracles, regrets, family, and a really nice Victorian house. And unlike the last couple of episodes (read more) it's not disappointing. In fact, I really liked it. And since the series is approaching the end, it's nice to see it concluding on at least one high note (and hopefully another one in the finale).

The episode starts at night with a frightened little boy lying awake in bed. He hears strange noises around him and it seems as though someone is creeping around in the hallway. The next thing we know the boy is grabbed out of his bed from above.

The next morning Beth meets with Ben (his request). Apparently the previous year she covered two similar kidnappings and Ben wants to use her expertise and fresh eyes to help in the investigation. Since the boys in the previous kidnappings were found dead within a week, finding this boy (Jacob) is imperative.

Mick, meanwhile, has spent a night out with Josef...window shopping for couches. (We shall never speak of this again.) On returning to Mick's place he is transfixed by the TV that's tuned to the kidnapped boy's father pleading for his return. The next day when Beth arrives at the crime scene, Mick is already there. It turns out he grew up in the neighbourhood.

Through flashback we find out that the house the boy lives in used to belong to Mick's best friend since childhood, Ray, and Ray's wife, Lilah. We also find out that Mick and Lilah betrayed Ray. So when Mick goes inside and sees a picture of Ray and Lilah he realizes that the kidnapped boy's father (Robert) is their son. Or is he? In the age of paternity melodrama (thank you, Maury Povich) my first thought was that Robert is more than likely actually Mick's son.

Mick has the same thought and even manages to scrounge up some pre-vampire DNA for a test. But that comes second to finding Jacob alive and well. He is possibly Mick's grandson, after all.

As he and Beth investigate the kidnapping he tells her about him and Lilah. It turns out that when they hooked up they both thought Ray had been dead for months (so not sure where Mick's sense of guilt is coming from). Mick left them both alone after Ray's miraculous return from the war, and he'd had no idea that Lilah was pregnant. But the fact that Ray was partially paralyzed and not expected to be able to father children, as well as the fact that Robert was born seven months after Ray's return definitely point to Mick being the baby daddy.

Meanwhile he and Beth have figured out who the kidnapper is. Unwilling to wait for a search warrant, Mick goes after the guy. The kidnapper is as creepy as you would expect, monologuing about his twisted philosophies. He then tries to shoot Mick. But when he sees that Mick is completely unaffected he tells him it's his fault that Jacob will die afraid and alone in the dark. And then he blows his brains out. Things are looking grim for Jacob--until Mick hears a faint heartbeat. It turns out psycho kidnapper bricked the poor kid up into a wall (is anyone else completely freaked out at the thought of that?) Mick breaks down the wall with his bare hands and saves the day.

Later, as Mick and Beth sit in his car outside Jacob's house, Beth hands him the results of his DNA test. For a second I thought Mick wouldn't even look but he does. He's not Robert's father. It turns out Robert really was a miracle baby for Ray and Lilah. Mick is happy for his friend but he never realized how much he wanted a family of his own.

As this is happening outside, inside the house Robert is astonished when Jacob points out Mick in an army picture on the wall. Robert (aware that Mick is just outside) grabs the photo off the wall and runs out as Mick is pulling away. As Robert watches Mick leave he drops the photo. On the back we see Mick's name written (you'd think he would've changed it in 60 years). But thinking about what must be going through Robert's mind gives me shivers. Ghost stories involving a dead person coming back long enough to help someone in trouble are my favourites, so this episode really appealed to me on that level. But the acting was also good, the emotion was real, the house was enviable, and the story compelling. Even though there was no real progression of Mick and Beth's relationship, I (surprisingly) didn't miss it. Overall "What's Left Behind" is an episode I would go back to and watch again, something I can't say about too many shows.

Fang Files

Appearance: Pale human until the vampire emerges; then ghostly white, bruised-looking eyes and long, elegant fangs.

Strengths: Heightened sense of smell and hearing. Ability to see clearly in the dark.
Super strength. Ability to heal quickly. Not affected by being shot. Menacing growl.

Mythology: Vampires give off a distinctive odour of decay. Vampires love children's blood: it is purer than that of adults and some believe it tastes better. Vampire DNA is fundamentally changed from the original human DNA.

Sound Bites

Mick: Should I be jealous of him?
Beth: Of course. Even if I have no romantic interest in him your jealousy makes me feel desirable.

Josef: I hope you get the kid back. Your last contribution to the human gene pool.
Mick: Yeah, I guess he is.
Josef: Unless you and Beth rewrite the rules of vampire love and figure out how to procreate-- [sees Beth] Hi, Beth. [stage whispers to Mick] Beth's here.

Beth: Family's not only about DNA.

Moonlight, Season 1 Episode 15 "What's Left Behind." Written by Jill Blotevogel. Directed by Chris Fisher. From CBS?The CW.

Moonlight S1 E14 "Click"

Spoilers Ahead

Welcome to "Click": Mick and Beth don't kiss. She spends the night at his place...on the couch. And he spends a good chunk of the episode chasing after another woman. Can you feel the romance yet? Somebody should have told the writers that by episode 14 the significant looks between Mick and Beth were getting old. Unfortunately, the best part about Moonlight is the relationship between our hero and heroine and if that's going nowhere then so is the show (not to mention my interest in watching). I don't feel so bad anymore that it was cancelled.

The episode starts off promisingly, with a car chase through Beverly Hills in which Mick is an amusingly anxious passenger. It turns out the driver, Tierney Taylor (Peyton List, Mad Men, Smallville) is a popular actress being pursued by paparazzi. This is where it gets a whole lot less interesting (for me, anyway). It turns out Mick has decided to join the rest of the world (by doing things like taking on high-profile clients and getting a Facebook page). His client, Tierney, is being hounded by paparazzi everywhere and at all times--someone is clearly tipping them off. The car chase ends with them pulling up at a restaurant where Beth just happens to be lunching with the new ADA, Ben. What're the odds?

Ben apparently still needs to talk about being kidnapped by a psychotic vampire plastic surgeon (see last episode). He also wants to get to know Beth better, although it's not entirely clear whether this has potential to turn into romantic interest (I really hope they weren't planning on going there with it).

In between fending off the paparazzi (including one particularly creepy specimen), having lunch with Tierney, chatting with the producer of Tierney's big upcoming movie ("Lusitania"), and shadowing Tierney's every move, Mick manages a few moments with Beth. They chat about work and there's even talk of--gasp--going on a date!

In the meantime Mick's making the news as Tierney's new hottie, which makes him the newest target for the paparazzi. That's going to cramp his vampire style. Particularly when he captures the attention of Tierney's creepy photo-stalker, Dean Foster.

Beth's going through her own work-related issues. Her new boss wants to take BuzzWire completely tabloid, adopting the position of 'scoop first, retract later'. He wants Beth to use her connection to Mick to find out about the "curse" of Tierney's movie Lusitania, which seems to be plagued with production problems. He orders her to go to a party in honour of the movie.

Mick, of course, it also at the party (a reference to the Poseidon Adventure is the best part of the entire episode). He and Beth spend some quality time together chatting about work (again) and discussing their upcoming date. Mick admits he hasn't been with a human since he was turned (it's kind of sweet). And just as he and Beth are about to kiss...they get distracted by Tierney and her real hottie, Scott, having an argument. Mick abandons Beth to check on Tierney, something I wouldn't have been too happy about but Beth apparently doesn't mind.

When Mick catches up again with Beth they're interrupted once more, this time by screams. Several people are looking over the railing of the ship. When Mick and Beth look they see Tierney in the water below. Mick jumps in after her. One bad cut later and the police are taping off a perimeter and getting Tierney into a body bag. Blaming himself for her death, Mick takes off to her State Room and quickly finds the murder weapon (an anchor that's been wiped but still smells of blood). Now comes the fun part of figuring out who killed Tierney: her seemingly greedy business manager, the creepy paparazzo, her shifty-looking boyfriend...or someone else entirely...

As Mick and Beth investigate, Mick is hounded by the paparazzi (somehow he's the story now). In a rare moment of not being surrounded, a car suddenly comes careening out of nowhere straight for Mick and Beth. He pushes her out of the way but ends up badly hit. Being a vampire he's okay, but neither of them realize that Dean Foster got photos of the entire thing. It doesn't take Beth long to find out, however, when Foster emails the pictures to her and blackmails her. He wants the exclusive rights to BuzzWire's hot leads or else Mick will become his new priority.

After they find the killer (about five minutes ahead of the DA's office) the paparazzi decide that Mick is old news. Except for Foster, of course. Instead of saying anything about him to Mick, Beth goes to see Josef with the photos. She asks him to handle the situation so that Mick won't be exposed. She wants to protect Mick the way he's protected her, which is fine except that it turns out Beth isn't above murdering a human being if they're annoying/threatening. Josef agrees to help but points out that as long as Beth works at BuzzWire Mick's secret will always be in danger.

The episode ends with Mick and Beth on their dinner date. She tells him she quit BuzzWire (it's okay--the place was going downhill anyway). In the shadows outside Dean Foster is taking photos. Until he gets jumped by a couple of teenage vamps who quickly put an end to his career as a professional scumbag. The big surprise comes as we see ADA Ben watching Beth's last BuzzWire broadcast. As it wraps up he looks down at Foster's photos of Mick getting hit by the car, which he then slips into a file labelled Mick St. John. This is not good.

Overall this was an underwhelming episode. There were a couple of good moments and it was nice to see that Mick and Beth at least managed one date. The situation with Ben could be interesting but, with only two episodes of the series left, I doubt it has a chance to go anywhere. All we can hope for now is a satisfying conclusion to Beth and Mick's story. But I have a bad feeling that's not going to go anywhere either.

Fang Files

Appearance: Pale humans until the vampire emerges, then bruised-looking ghostly white eyes and long, elegant fangs.

Strengths: Heightened sense of hearing and smell. Ability to jump great heights (including jumping straight up). Quick healing. Ability to survive major trauma without injury. Super speed and strength.

Weaknesses: Sunlight sickens vampires.

Mythology: Before digital photography photos of vampires always came out blurry because of the silver in the emulsion.

Sound Bites

Mick: Right, we go out, get to know each other--
Beth: You've known me since I was four.
Mick: Okay, it's weird when you say it like that.

Josef: I'm not your sire.
Mick: Kind of a step-sire, though.
Josef: No.

Mick: [to a teenage vampire paparazzo] Give me the camera, lost boy.

Logan: You know Tierney spends a thousand dollars a month on cat grooming? Cat. Grooming.

Moonlight, Season 1 Episode 14 "Click." Written by Erin Maher and Kathryn Reindl. Directed by Scott Lautanen. From CBS/The CW.

Moonlight S1 E13 "Fated to Pretend"

Spoilers Ahead

Woo hoo--Mick is human and Josh is gone--the stage is finally set for romance between Mick and Beth! Only, not so much. Prepare to be disappointed.

Despite it being only temporary, Mick is thoroughly enjoying being human again (see last episode), sleeping in a real bed instead of an industrial freezer, spending time in the sun without getting sick, and eating all his favourite foods. He even gets to enjoy a sunny picnic at the beach with Beth, who informs him that she's had feelings for him for a while. Mick still seems reluctant to do anything about it, though.

While Mick ponders the consequences of mortal-vampire relationships, Mo (Beth's boss) puts a damper on Beth's night by calling her into work (a hot story is about to break). But Beth's night gets worse when she finds Mo dead from a gunshot wound to the head and Mo's ever-present computer missing. She and Mick discover that Mo was in the presence of a vampire before she died, although she wasn't drained of blood. The mystery gets even more complicated when they find Mo's USB drive and discover she was working on three stories, one of which involved Josef and a charity scam. In order to find Mo's killer they're going to have to investigate the key players in all three stories, starting with Josef.

I was thrilled to see the lovely Ksenia Solo (Kenzi on Lost Girl) take on a role as a politician's daughter in one of the stories being investigated. We also get to meet the new DA, Ben Talbot (Eric Winter, The Mentalist), who starts out as kind of an ass but ends up being okay. I just hope he's not being set up as competition for Beth's affections. More likely that was the long-term plan before the show was cancelled.

The three mysteries are actually pretty interesting, particularly how they intertwine and relate to Mo's murder. Unfortunately, things really fall apart at the end with an unbelievable and clumsy conclusion. It turns out the murderer is a vampire, who--for no good reason--proceeds to vamp out in a particularly non-subtle way, kidnaps Beth and the new DA, and leaves Mick for dead. There might be an argument for kidnapping Beth, but the DA? Why not just kill the guy? And why wouldn't he check to make sure Mick was dead? How did Mick not bleed to death as he lay unconscious for two hours with a huge chunk of glass embedded in his thigh? What was the murderer doing for the hours it took for Mick to wake up, take care of his wounds, go back to his place to get weapons, and argue with Josef (including convincing Josef to turn him again since he obviously can't fight a vampire as a mortal)? Why wouldn't Josef do his best friend Mick a favour and fight the murderer on his behalf (something that would be a piece of cake for an ancient vampire like Josef) rather than turn Mick (wasting more time) and robbing him of his hard-won and much-loved humanity? Why would the killer bother blindfolding the DA (so that he doesn't end up seeing any of the vamp action that ensues when Mick and Josef eventually show up, of course). And why did it take all this for Mick to finally see the disadvantages of being human--what, he didn't already know that humans are weaker than vampires? Too many questions and no satisfying answers.

I did, however, immensely enjoy the scene where Josef turns Mick. Strange that with all the vampire shows and movies to choose from, we so rarely get to see any actual biting (often we see the lunge or the blood or the aftermath, but not the bite itself). I happen to enjoy it when vampires act like vampires and a good bite is a big part of the appeal (drinking blood out of a glass, while probably a necessity for the good guys, is just too... domesticated).

But speaking of unsatisfying, the end of the episode brings us full circle with Mick and Beth sharing another picnic, only this one is on a rooftop at night. The conversation comes around to their G-rated relationship. Mick claims he doesn't want Beth to get hurt but she turns it back on him, pointing out that maybe he's the one who doesn't want to get hurt. She calls him on using vampirism as an excuse for keeping them apart. As she stalks away he grabs her and finally kisses her. It's a good kiss too, and it looks like things are at last moving forward. Except that when it ends he tells her he still needs time to figure things out. Huh? I'm so not a fan of people (or characters) who over-think emotions (seriously, who believes you can weigh the pros and cons of love? If you feel the need to do that you're not in love). The show has officially gone from tantalizingly stretching out the tension between Mick and Beth to coming up with lame excuses to keep them apart. Fail. There are three episodes left and I'm starting to worry that Mick and Beth will never get together. So much for romance.

Fang Files

Appearance: Pale humans until the vampire emerges, then ghostly white eyes with reddish bruised-looking circles around them and long, elegant fangs. Prone to growling and eerie screeches when fighting.

Strengths: Heightened senses. Super strength and speed. Ability to easily jump great heights. Ability to move silently.

Weaknesses: Sunlight (makes them increasingly sick). Stakes (paralyze).

Mythology: Cold is soothing to vampires. Vampires can eat food but it is flavourless to them. Animals are instinctively frightened of vampires. The Cleaner takes care of scenes of vampire carnage in order to keep their existence secret from humans. A blood exchange is needed to turn a human.

Sound Bites

Mick: I... am in love with her.
Josef: Yeah. Yeah you are. Now go do something about it before it's too late.

Mick: People always hide things in the last place they think anyone else is going to look.
Beth: Tampons!
Mick: Excuse me?
Beth: I always hide my nice jewellery in a box of tampons.
Mick: Yeah, okay. I'll admit that's the last place I would look.

Josef: [being questioned about Mo's death] Well, was her body found in the La Brea tar pits?
Beth: No.
Josef: That was the only person I killed this week.

Beth: How long since you've had a donut?
Mick: 1952.
Beth: Two words: Krispy Kreme.

Moonlight, Season 1 Episode 13 "Fated to Pretend." Written by Gabrielle Stanton and Harry Werksman. Directed by David Barrett. From CBS/The CW.

Moonlight S2 E12 "The Mortal Cure"

Spoilers Ahead

I hate it when shows screw up on continuity. I'm not talking about when a cup is half full in one scene and completely full in the next, or when a character's hair is slightly lighter from one moment to the next. I mean major inconsistencies in storyline. Like when Spike called Angel his sire even though, later on, Drusilla was revealed to be his sire. I understand that the writers/producers might want to change something in order to improve the overall story (believe me, I know--I'm a writer: editing is never done). But when you make changes to the mythology of the story, it throws the whole series out of alignment. That's what Moonlight does this episode. I'm less than impressed.

A good portion of "The Mortal Cure" deals with the aftermath of Josh's death. Not only Beth's feelings about Josh and the loss of him but the way she views Mick, as well. Things get even more complicated when Beth finds out Josh was going to propose to her and still more complicated when Coraline re-enters the picture.

Mick, meanwhile, has his hands full. After being confronted by an ancient vampire with a jet black eye looking for Coraline, Mick decides to find out who the vampire is, where Coraline is, and what this all has to do with the supposed cure for vampirism.

Mick learns that the ancient vampire, Lance (Jason Butler Harner, Fringe), is ridiculously rich, lives by his own rules, and "never" leaves Europe. He also discovers that Coraline escaped the hospital with help from her best friend and fellow vamp, Cynthia Davis (Meredith Monroe, Criminal Minds, Vampires: The Turning). After a little more investigation Mick finds out that Cynthia recently earned a Masters and a PhD in biochemistry, that she commutes between LA and Paris every couple of weeks, and that she's been importing agricultural products from France. What does it all mean?

Mick heads to the warehouse where the agricultural products are being delivered and discovers a lab inside. A vampire scientist is performing experiments, overseen by Coraline. And then Lance shows up. Mick takes a moment to save Coraline from Lance's clutches only to watch her run off as Lance proves to be unlike any other vampire Mick has ever encountered (rather than turn to ash when it catches on fire, Lance's hand quickly heals). After a fight in which Mick gets his ass kicked, Lance takes off (it's unclear why he doesn't kill Mick). Once Lance is gone, Mick calls the Cleaner, now played by a new (but not improved) actress. Unfortunately, there's a lot of mediocre acting this episode.

The next scene brings us a minor bit of discontinuity (not the really annoying one, but still worth mentioning) where Beth is supposed to be meeting someone at 2 pm and shows up when it's completely dark out. Man, the sun sets early in LA. Afterward, she goes to see Mick and just when it seems Beth is about to say something significant, Coraline shows up, latching herself onto Mick like a tick on its favourite dog. No surprise when Beth leaves without saying another word.

Coraline informs Mick that she needs to leave town and that she wants him to go with her. But of course she can't go anywhere before getting all expository about Lance and the cure. It seems the cure is itself mortal; merely a temporarily effective organic compound developed from local plants by an 18th century noble French family. Lance is part of this noble family, one of seven brothers--all vampires--sired by the same (also noble) vampire. In fact, King Louis XVI himself was a vampire. Oh yeah--and the French Revolution? A big fat excuse to hunt vampires. The compound was designed to mask the characteristics of vampires long enough to prevent a trip to the guillotine. Coraline stole the compound from Lance and now he wants it back.

She tells Mick that she's been trying to find a way to make the compound's effects permanent. It turns out she wants to embrace life again, or some such nonsense. She makes a gag-inducing comment about love not being able to exist without mortality and offers to give Mick a bit of his life back by using some of the compound on him. He's thrilled, of course, and the effect starts taking hold right away. At this point she claims she really has to go. Of course, as she and Mick are walking outside, Lance and his henchman show up. When Lance calls Coraline 'sister', Mick suddenly realizes that there weren't seven brothers in the noble vampire family--there were six brothers and a sister! And Coraline was the sister!

But wait--wasn't Coraline supposed to have been a 17th century courtesan? Wasn't that the whole point of the fleur-de-lys brand/tattoo on her shoulder, mentioned way back (a whole three episodes ago) in "Fleur de Lys"? Not only was it mentioned, but we got a flashback scene of Coraline being branded. So how does she suddenly go from being a 17th-century whore to being an 18th-century noble? And where did the brand/tattoo come from? She couldn't have got it after being turned (it would have healed, like any other wound) and I'm pretty sure nobles didn't mark their daughters. See why this annoys me? It's the worst sort of writing/storytelling to change the nature of a character merely to suit your changing needs. How hard would it have been to work around the show's established mythos? Next thing you know, Beth will have been a teenager when Coraline kidnapped her and Mick was a Vietnam war vet before being turned.

Anyway, being no match for Lance as a vampire, let alone as a temporary mortal, it's not long before Mick's life is in serious danger. At this point Coraline finally steps in, offering to go with Lance and give back the compound as long as Lance leaves Mick alone. Apparently Coraline's in trouble for more than just stealing the compound--she's also pissed off the rest of her family for turning Mick without his consent and without their permission. Lance stakes Coraline and then takes off with her to face the consequences for her actions.

Mick doesn't seem overly concerned about Coraline's fate. Instead he limps home, collects a vial of his own blood for future analysis, and spends the night gorging on food and enjoying the opportunity to sleep like a human (i.e., not in a freezer). The next day, plenty beat up from the fight the night before, he heads to Josh's funeral, where he and Beth talk about how great it is to be mortal and how some things (spending their lives with Coraline and Josh, respectively) were never meant to be. Then, as the service begins, Mick and Beth stand on opposite sides of the casket, staring at each other. It might have been nice if they'd at least waited until Josh was in the ground, but clearly things have changed and they're on a whole new playing field.

I really hope this is the last we see of Coraline. There were hints that there might be long-term plans for her and Lance on the show, but hopefully the writers didn't have a chance to act on those plans before the untimely demise of the series. Coraline was a much better character as a dark presence in Mick and Beth's pasts. Once she showed up again she lost her power (not to mention polluting the show with her bad acting and annoying presence). The change to her background just adds to the reasons to get rid of her permanently. There are only a few episodes of Moonlight left; I hope the show gets good again now. It would be a shame to remember it for episodes like this one.

Fang Files

Appearance: Pale humans until the vampire emerges, then ghostly white eyes, dark under-eye circles, and elegant fangs.

Strengths: Heightened sense of smell. Ability to jump great heights. Super strength, speed. Some can fly.

Weaknesses: Stakes (paralyze). Fire (for most vampires). French peasants.

Mythology: As vampires age they give off an increasingly stronger smell of decay. They also enjoy the cold, sleeping in freezers and taking ice baths.

Sound Bites

Scientist: Let's be rational about this.
Lance responds by decapitating him.

Josef: [to Mick] It's just like Coraline to fall in quicksand and bring you down with her.

Coraline: I think Beth is starting to like me. She didn't stab me this time.

Moonlight, Season 1 Episode 12 "The Mortal Cure." Written by Chip Johannessen. Directed by Eric Laneuville. From CBS/The CW.

Moonlight S1 E11 "Love Lasts Forever"

Spoilers Ahead

You know how when you watch a show regularly you figure you can predict where it's going to go, what's going to happen, which characters are going to stick around--that sort of thing? I thought I'd figured Moonlight out. I was wrong.

"Love Last Forever" starts off with Mick working out as he ponders in a voiceover the state of his life and his feelings for Beth. Deep stuff for a shirtless guy doing pull-ups.

Elsewhere, Josh is trying to cut a deal with an El Salvadoran mobster, trying to get the guy to turn on his boss in exchange for a lenient sentence. The guy refuses and more or less lets Josh know he's going to regret going after them. He wasn't kidding. As Josh walks to his car that night, a pair of guys on motorcycles (faces conveniently hidden behind dark helmets) chase him down. One of the guys knocks Josh around a bit before throwing down a photo of Beth with her face crossed out. The guy aims the laser sight of a gun on Beth's face and tells Josh to remember that it's not a good idea to accuse an innocent man. Then they take off, leaving Josh hurt and freaked.

As Mick and Beth hang out at her place, talking about the blood sample he stole from Coraline and how much he hates being a vampire, Josh shows up. Mick leaves so that Josh and Beth can talk alone, and Josh tells Beth that he's recused himself from the Tejada case because Beth's been marked. He claims he'd never step down if it was just him at risk, but he can't let anything happen to her. She (showing a lot more courage than I think I would) insists he stay on the case, pointing out that the case could fail without him and more innocent people could die. A moment later they're kissing and "reconnecting" as a couple.

The next morning Josh and Beth are still reconnecting as Mick waits for Beth at a blood analysis lab, debating whether he should tell her how he feels about her. If you think that's painful wait until Mick shows up at Beth's apartment looking for her after she missed their appointment, and sees Josh there in his pj's. But Mick is quickly distracted when he realizes Josh is arranging a police guard for Beth. Josh then asks Mick to watch over Beth until the squad gets there, which Mick is only too keen to do.

We meet the infamous Tejada (who sounds more like a cheesily stereotypical Mexican when he speaks than an El Salvadoran--not good) at his daughter's 16th birthday party. He's clearly devoted to his daughter, even if he has no compunction about murdering other people's children. But the celebration comes to an abrupt halt when Josh and a team of armed cops shows up to arrest Tejada on a felony drug charge. That's it--really piss off the ruthless mobster.

Meanwhile Mick and Beth pick up Coraline's blood analysis results at the lab. It turns out the blood is clean--no traces of unusual or illicit substances whatsoever. In fact, it's too clean--the complete lack of accumulated toxins has the lab tech convinced that the sample came from a child. It's also of an extremely rare blood type: AO negative, which just happens to also be Beth's blood type. Hmm...

As they're pondering these mysteries, Josh is arguing in front of a judge to deny bail to Tejada. Too bad Tejada's lawyer presents a more persuasive argument; the judge sets bail at a paltry $5 million. Tejada will be home in time for dinner.

As Mick and Beth leave the lab, Mick suddenly hears something--a bullet sliding into place in a sniper's gun. A moment later that bullet is speeding toward Beth. Mick pushes her down just in time to avoid being hit and then he takes off after the assassin. Unfortunately, the men drive off before Mick can get to them. Returning to Beth she points out that he's got blood on him--he was hit. But it turns out to be Coraline's blood, from the vial he had in his pocket. So much for further analysis.

Back at Beth's apartment, Josh gets the guards in place and then pulls Beth aside to tell her he loves her. Mick listens in, unhappy to hear Beth say she loves Josh too. Then Josh has to get going. Beth watches from the window as he approaches his car. As they wave to each other, we see a man jogging and holding plastic wrist restraints. The jogger then pulls a mask down over his face. Unfortunately, Beth notices the jogger before Josh does. As a car screeches around the corner, the jogger pistol whips Josh, restrains him, and tosses him into the trunk of the car. Meanwhile Beth is inside flipping out.

One of the cops tries to stop the kidnappers but he gets shot multiple times. As Mick starts chasing after them on foot, Beth gets in her car, picking up Mick along the way. A small but appreciated detail: Mick instructs Beth on how to follow the other car at high speed. What--you mean it's not a naturally occurring skill, like shooting a machine gun or spontaneous group dance routines? As they give chase they also try calling Josh's phone. When they realize it's on, Mick calls his techie vampire contact and gets him to triangulate the location of the phone using its GPS. As soon as they're told the kidnappers have gone to Griffith Park, Mick calls Carl (the cop) and tells him where they are.

As the kidnappers are getting ready to shoot Josh, Mick and Beth arrive. Mick pulls some nifty moves to knock the bad guys out and he and Beth start freeing Josh. This is where things started going in an unexpected direction for me. Unfortunately, one of the kidnappers isn't unconscious, and he shoots Josh multiple times through the backseat of the car. This is cool and also sad (and the guy's got perfect aim). This time Mick knocks him out good.

As Beth calls 911, Mick--a WWII medic--performs triage on Josh. The wounds are bad, but Mick knows what he's doing. He cauterizes a neck wound with the car's cigarette lighter (ouch) and uses Beth's necklace to tie off a bleeding femoral artery. This scene: not for the weak of stomach. Beth holds Josh down and talks to him, trying to keep him with her. Josh starts rambling about their anniversary and the first time they met. Then he passes out. Realizing the ambulance is still about a minute too far out, Mick initiates CPR. But Mick no longer hears a pulse or blood circulating. Desperate, Beth asks--and then begs--Mick to save Josh, to turn him. But Mick refuses. Just then the ambulance arrives and the paramedics try defibrillating Josh's heart. But Josh is gone.

I did not expect Josh to get killed off. Maybe I should have, but he seemed like one of those characters that would either stay a part of the show or just fade away. And funny enough, even though I never cared that much about his character, I felt really sad when he was killed. Strange how shows can affect you.

Mick tries to comfort Beth but she angrily rebuffs him, telling him to stay away from her. Mick looks down at his bloody hands and then up at the sky. There's also a really nice long shot of Mick and the paramedic by Josh's body, while in the distant background Beth stands by herself, framed by the men in the foreground. I think that moment was captured beautifully.

At the police station, the kidnapper who's not in intensive care isn't talking. Mick asks to have five minutes alone with the guy, promising he won't touch him--that Carl can even watch from outside the room. Mick goes in. Facing away from the window and hunched so that his face isn't captured on camera, he shows the guy his true face. Of course the kidnapper starts panicking, screaming for them to get "el diablo" away from him. Finally the guy is so afraid of what Mick might do to him he tells him where Tejada's gone into hiding. Leaving the room, Mick lies to Carl about where Tejada is--he's got a score to settle, vampire-style.

Mick heads to Tejada's actual location, standing out like a sore thumb in the dive bar/strip joint. When the bartender pretends he doesn't understand Mick's question about Tejada, things start getting violent. Guns are blazing, fangs are out. None of the gang members stand a chance. Mick finally intimidates one guy into telling him that Tejada is in the office.

Mick bursts into the office looking human. Tejada tries to be badass, but that doesn't last. Mick vamps out, pins him against the wall with a desk, and bites. Tejada is toast.

Beth is at her place, grieving and looking wrecked. Mick shows up but she doesn't want to see him. He tries explaining why he didn't turn Josh, that it wouldn't have been saving his life--it would have been taking it. Beth doesn't want to hear it. She snaps that if it's so awful being a vampire, why does Mick go on living. In a voiceover he says that she makes him want to. Out loud he claims he's not really sure. It's funny how a guy can take down an entire bar of armed mobsters, but admitting his feelings is too scary. Beth then asks him what he would have done if it had been her lying there, seconds from death--would he have let her die? Mick claims he would have done the same thing. Beth breaks down crying. In another voiceover he says that the truth is he doesn't know what he would do. Then in an instant, he's gone.

Now that Josh is out of the picture, I suppose Mick and Beth's relationship could go anywhere. They're free to be together, but maybe Beth's anger and hurt will prove to be too much. Hell, maybe Coraline will even draw Mick back in. Nothing is certain at this point and I've got to say--I like it.

Fang Files

Appearance: Human until the vampire emerges, then ghostly white eyes and sharp, elegant fangs.

Strengths: Super strength, speed, hearing. Resistant to bullets. Impressive jumping skills.

Weaknesses: Sunlight, self-loathing.

Mythology: Mick desperately wants Coraline's cure for vampirism, but most other vampires would view such a thing as a threat.

Sound Bites

Mick: How does an immortal handle mortal feelings?

Josh: You shouldn't have made this personal. Don't you ever threaten her again.
Tejada: I won't forget this...amigo.

Mick: At the end of the day, not a lot separates life and death. That's what makes it precious.

Mick: When it comes to revenge and vampires--blood is vengeance.

Moonlight, Season 1 Episode 11 "Love Lasts Forever." Written by Josh Pate. Directed by Paul Holahan. From CBS/The CW.

Moonlight S1 E10 "Sleeping Beauty"

Spoilers Ahead

I think Moonlight missed the mark in "Sleeping Beauty" by not using The Smiths' "Girlfriend in a Coma" as the theme song. But then maybe that would have been a tad irreverent. Too bad, though--it seems like an opportunity wasted. In any case, I'm getting ahead of myself (I seem to do that a lot).

If you'll cast your mind back to the last episode, "Fleur de Lys," you'll recall that it ended with Beth staking Coraline, not realizing that Mick's ex is now human. "Sleeping Beauty" picks up the story a short while later, with Coraline in the hospital. She's definitely looking all-too human as she lies unconscious with tubes attached to various body parts and a punctured lung (Beth missed the heart). Apparently infection is already setting in and it seems unlikely Coraline will pull through (we can only hope). Interestingly, Coraline protected Beth by telling the doctors it was an accident. Trying to ingratiate herself with Mick, perhaps? He's too busy obsessing over how she became human again to really notice anything else about her. Vampires are odd creatures. One thing I appreciated about this episode, though, is that Coraline is not the main focus. That would have been the obvious route to take and I'm glad they didn't go there.

Instead we watch as a sick old man hires a hitman to kill Josef. Even more intriguing, he knows what Josef is, insisting that he be killed with fire. That can't be good. The assassin is definitely thorough. As Josef hosts poker night at his office (they play for vials of blood) a hail of machine gun fire rains down on them. Before they can recover, the hitman tosses in a couple of incendiary devices and Josef's office goes boom. And just when I was really starting to like Josef.

Mick of course investigates, even as he mourns his friend and worries about Coraline. It doesn't take him long to notice that the incendiary devices used were military grade. But before he can look into it further, he gets a call from the hospital letting him know Coraline is awake and asking for him. When it rains it pours. After reminiscing a bit over Josef, Mick asks Coraline how she became human. Knowing she's got something he desperately wants she avoids the question until she finally passes out again. So Mick just takes out his handy hypodermic needle (no, that is not a euphemism) and helps himself to a sample of her blood. You've got to love his enterprising spirit.

Back at his place, Beth is waiting outside the door for him. They share a moment of reconnection and grief over Josef before heading inside. And who should be waiting but the man himself: Josef survived. We never do get to find out exactly how he escaped but he's pretty annoyed that it was so improbable that no human will believe it, thus forcing him to avoid exposure by staying "dead," thus rendering him broke and homeless. And you thought you had a bad day.

Once they're over their initial shock, Mick and Beth join forces on the investigation while Josef is forced to lie low at Mick's place. But Josef doesn't entirely get the concept of keeping a low profile, as Mick soon finds out. After hacking into the military's basic training database and finding their assassin (who turns out to be former special ops and a mercenary) Mick returns home and discovers Josef entertaining a group of women. I think Mick overreacts a little as he kicks the women out before turning on Josef and flipping over his irresponsibility and lack of consideration. It's hard not to feel sorry for Josef when he quietly says he gets lonely, but Mick somehow manages to, snapping that now he understands why. When Josef says he needs to go to his office to get money out of the fireproof safe hidden there, Mick claims he can't deal and that he's going to bed. It's awesome to have friends you can count on for support when you really need it.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, the doctors are mystified as Coraline's temperature drops rather than turning into a fever (as would be normal with an infection). Knowing her background, though, it's not difficult to guess why. Suspicions are confirmed as a nurse leans over to adjust her pillow and Coraline vamps out staring at the woman's neck. I thought the nurse was dead for sure, but when she straightens up again Coraline is back to looking human.

Ignoring Mick's outburst, Josef goes to his office anyway. He runs into the head of security while he's there and tells the man he's the only one who knows Josef is still alive, so they need to keep it between them. Not long afterward the guard is talking to the hitman, telling him he called as soon as Josef showed up, figuring there'd be something extra in it for him. And there is--a bullet (there's a nice shot here of the guard's blood splattering across the security monitor). Unaware that anything's amiss Josef retrieves the safe. But rather than grab the cash in there, he picks up a small velvet bag and removes a heart-shaped locket. As he stares at it, the assassin comes up behind him and gets ready to shoot. Out of nowhere Mick stops the guy (okay, maybe he is a good friend after all). As he and the hitman fight, Mick tries to get him to say who hired him. The hitman holds out until Mick finally dangles him out the window. At this point the guy names John Whitley, a New York real-estate developer. Satisfied, Mick knocks him out.

When Josef denies knowing John Whitley, it's obvious he's lying. And when Mick turns his back on Josef for a second, Josef disappears. After seeing the hitman safely in police custody, Mick meets up again with Beth. She's done some research and found out that John Whitley is a 93-year-old man whose daughter went missing in 1955. Worried that Josef is out for revenge, Mick and Beth decide to head to New York (although not before Beth and Josh indulge in some relationship drama).

And speaking of drama, our hitman manages to kill two cops and escape from the back of a squad car. Guess who else is taking a trip to New York? He actually gets there first and pays a visit to Whitley. After forcing the invalid to tell him what Josef is, he orders Whitley to tell him everything about vampires, including how to kill them.

When Mick and Beth finally catch up with Whitley, the hitman is gone. Whitley ends up telling them that after his wife died two years ago, he discovered his daughter's diary, which his wife had kept hidden from him. He claims that the diary revealed that daughter Sarah was seduced by a vampire named Charles Fitzgerald (aka Josef Kostyn). He believes that Fitzgerald/Kostyn killed Sarah. It's taken Whitley two years to find Fitzgerald and he refuses to die before avenging her death.

While Mick and Beth wait to hear from her hacker friend about where Josef could be, Beth reads the diary. It turns out Sarah loved Josef and very much wanted to be turned. So what happened to her? Before they can ponder it too much they get the call with Josef's possible whereabouts. As they start heading over I'm amazed that Mr. Vampire P.I. doesn't notice they're being followed by the hitman, but whatever.

Mick and Beth find Joseph at a house where he seems to be the owner. Resigned he invites them in and takes them into one of the bedrooms. Unconscious on the bed is Sarah Whitley, who apparently hasn't aged since 1955. Joseph then tells the sweet, sad tale of how he and Sarah met and fell in love, how she figured out he was a vampire and didn't care, how she wanted to be turned so they could be together always. In a flashback we see him placing the heart-shaped locket from his safe around her neck. This is a whole new aspect of Josef, who until now seemed like the antithesis of all things romantic. He goes on to tell Mick and Beth that something happened when he turned Sarah, that "she got lost somewhere in between," and has been in a coma ever since. He's never been able to let her go, hoping that someday medicine or a miracle will bring her back. This statement is punctuated by the assassin crashing in through the window.

The hitman shoots and then stakes Josef, snarling in frustration when Josef still doesn't die. That's when Mick steps in, hauling the guy against the wall and breaking his neck. Then he unstakes Josef. A while later as Mick and Josef talk, Josef tells him he hopes the universe is on Mick's side in making it work with Beth. Mick almost looks giddy with excitement at the thought. After Beth gives Josef Sarah's diary, she and Mick leave, and she can't stop thinking about what happened to Sarah. Mick's mind is elsewhere. They're supposed to be catching their flight home in a little while but Mick suddenly wants to go out on the town and do something fun. At first Beth looks enthused but then she gets serious and makes a lame excuse about having left on bad terms with Josh and how she should get home. Mick's cool about it (unlike me) and they share another moment of connection, although this time there's a figurative--and literal--barrier between them (a cab). Maybe it's the smart thing for the two of them to keep their relationship strictly platonic, but as they part in opposite directions, it's definitely not the satisfying thing. Tragic love--how I hate you.

The episode ends back in the hospital in LA. Coraline jolts awake, saying Mick's name. Then she flatlines. As the staff rush in, we discover the bed is empty and Coraline is gone. I guess her humanity didn't take.

I liked "Sleeping Beauty," despite a couple of predictable and slightly cheesy moments. The story with Joseph and Sarah was unexpected and well done. The fight scenes were good (and who doesn't love an explosion?) And much as I didn't care for it, Beth resisting Mick and returning to Josh was probably the right way to proceed with that storyline. If only they'd gone with The Smiths.

Fang Files

Appearance: Human until the vampire emerges, then ghostly white eyes and sharp, elegant fangs.

Strengths: Super strength, speed. Ability to leap abnormally high.

Weaknesses: Fire. Stakes (paralyze). Mortal women.

Mythology: Vampires don't give off heat (and therefore don't show up on infra-red). To turn a human, the human must be drained and then fed vampire blood; the procedure is dangerous and doesn't always work. There may or may not be a cure for vampirism.

Sound Bites

Beth: You still care for her, don't you?
Mick: She was my wife.

Coraline: You look like someone just died.
Mick: Someone just did. Josef.

Josef: Well, are you just going to stand there all day or are you going to help me find out who killed me?

Moonlight, Season 1 Episode 10 "Sleeping Beauty." Written by Trevor Munson and Ron Koslow. Directed by John T. Kretchmer. From CBS/The CW.

Moonlight S1 E9 "Fleur de Lys"

Spoilers Ahead

I can't stand Coraline. She's boring and annoying and quite frankly, I don't think Shannyn Sossamon is much of an actress. So it was with no small amount of satisfaction that I watched Beth shove a stake into her chest. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

"Fleur de Lys" opens with Beth knocking insistently on Mick's door. When Mick finally opens it he's wet and his shirt's open, but Beth doesn't seem to notice. She bursts out that she has proof that Morgan is Coraline, and just as Mick is about to tell her how he already knows, Coraline comes down the stairs sporting little more than wet hair and one of Mick's shirts. Beth is infuriated, not only at Coraline for what she did to her as a child, but at Mick's present betrayal. Out of nowhere Beth pulls out the aforementioned stake and expresses her displeasure in unequivocal terms. Then the episode goes back 24 hours so that we can see how we ended up here, a device I appreciate as a fan of non-linear storytelling.

The previous day finds Beth lurking in her car as she stakes out Morgan's apartment (wonder if there was supposed to be some irony there, with Beth staking out the apartment before staking Coraline). It seems she has acquired a bit of an obsession over finding out whether Morgan really is Coraline. Although Mick is finally convinced they're not the same person, Beth needs to be absolutely sure that this isn't her childhood kidnapper. She wants Mick to keep Morgan occupied while she investigates. One way or the other, Beth is going to find out the truth.

(On a side note: Mick tells Beth that Coraline was a 17th century French courtesan. Coraline's fleur-de-lys "tattoo" is actually a brand, apparently given to all courtesans of this era. We even get a flashback scene of Coraline being branded. Remember this as it's going to be an issue in a couple of episodes.)

For now, Mick takes on a surveillance job that involves watching a rich man's trophy wife and obtaining evidence of the affair her husband suspects she's having. Mick decides it's the perfect way to keep Morgan occupied and after much grovelling over his treatment of her at the cemetery, she agrees to be his photographer on the case. It doesn't take long for Mick and Morgan to get the evidence they need, but when Mick overhears the wife saying that her husband will kill them if he finds out, Mick suddenly isn't so keen on giving his client a motive to off his wife.

Meanwhile Beth is busy researching her colleague and possible kidnapper. Her research leads her to breaking into Morgan's apartment and snooping around, almost getting caught in the process. But as she gets deeper into the mystery she's noticing hints that Mick and Morgan are getting deeper into each other. She can't quite hide her jealousy but it also seems to spur her on in her investigation. She even goes to see Josef to ask him about Coraline. From him she finds out about Coraline's old party house.

Mick does seem unusually drawn to Morgan, which makes no sense to me as Beth is infinitely more attractive, but whatever (no one said sexual chemistry was logical). Morgan seems just as drawn to Mick and the two of them probably would have done more than just kiss had they not been interrupted by the discovery that their client's wife's lover is the client's son (her stepson). They decide to head to Buzz Wire, where Morgan knows a sound guy who can clean up the poor audio of the lovers' conversation, and Mick makes an appointment to meet his client in an hour. But he stashes all their evidence at his office, unwilling for the moment to do more than talk to his client.

Mick gets stood up and he soon discovers the meeting was a ruse so that his office could be broken into and the evidence stolen. Knowing his client now has proof his wife is cheating, and with whom, Mick takes off to the son's house to warn him. Just as Morgan is listening to the improved audio and realizing the son and the wife are planning to kill Mick's client (not the other way around), Mick is realizing the same thing as he sees his stolen papers and photos on the son's table. Before Mick can react the wife shoots him in the back. Then she and the son decide it's time to kill her husband/his father.

After Morgan rushes over to warn Mick and finds him hidden (and by then healed) in the underbrush outside the son's house, they realize they have to get to his client before the would-be murderers do. They save him in the nick of time, thanks to Mick's vampire skillz (there's a nice shot of him jumping down a stairwell to save time), although they end up getting mussed in the process. So they go back to Mick's place to "clean up." I guess that's what the kids are calling it these days. As Mick walks by the bathroom while Morgan takes a shower, he notices the door is wide open. Of course Mick can't help but head in. And when Morgan turns and sees him and asks if he wants something, he has to get into the shower (fully dressed) with her. Poor Beth hears nothing but excuses about why it can never work between them, but Mick barely hesitates with Morgan. As they kiss he gets a good look at the fleur-de-lys on her shoulder. It's Coraline! Only in human form. It's difficult to tell whether he's happier that Coraline is alive or that she's apparently found a cure for vampirism.

Beth's emotions are a little easier to read. She decides to visit Coraline's old party house and discovers it doesn't appear entirely abandoned. Then she discovers a pile of photos of Mick and herself, taken secretly. Even worse she finds a girl's room downstairs that she realizes was the one she was kept in when she was kidnapped. Suddenly enraged Beth breaks a child-sized chair and makes a stake out of the leg. And then we come full circle, as Beth is back at Mick's door and Coraline ends up on the pointy end of that stake. Of course, Beth didn't know that Coraline really is human now (and even if she was a vampire Beth didn't intend to kill her as stakes only paralyze). But the very mortal Coraline is now bleeding to death while Mick freaks out. Beth looks confused, but not sorry. I can't say I blame her. The episode ends with Mick preparing to get Coraline to a hospital.

I think it's a pretty safe bet that Coraline will survive the staking. Alas. What's less easy to predict is how all this will affect Mick and Beth. One step forward and two steps back: ain't love grand?

Fang Files

Appearance: Human until the vampire emerges, then ghostly white eyes and elegant fangs.

Strengths: Super strength, speed, and jumping ability. Enhanced hearing. Fast healing. Able to withstand injuries that would be fatal to humans.

Weaknesses: Stakes, their makers.

Mythology: Fire is supposed to be fatal to vampires, yet Coraline somehow survived being enveloped by flames.

Sound Bites

Beth: I've got the proof. She's been lying to us, stalking us. Morgan is Coraline.
Mick: I know she is.

Beth: [on the phone] Seriously, what are you guys doing?
Mick: We're working a case.
Beth: Sounds like you're working something.

Josef: You have to understand--Mick and Coraline's relationship was one of those terrifying, completely self-destructive freak shows that you spend your while life searching for knowing that it can only end with one or both of you dead.
Beth: That's your idea of love?
Josef: Well what can I tell you--I'm a romantic.

Moonlight, Season 1 Episode 9 "Fleur de Lys." Written by Gabrielle G. Stanton [FYI now she's writing for The Gates and The Vampire Diaries, as well as co-producing them]. Directed by James Whitmore Jr. From CBS/The CW.

Moonlight S1 E8 "12:04 AM"

Spoilers Ahead

I didn't love "12:04 AM" and I don't know why. There were decent fight scenes, good use of music, an amusing (if not entirely believable) bit in a confessional, nice moments between Mick and Beth, no sign of Coraline, and on top of it all, a creepy Manson-like murderer who just won't die (by the way, for the younglings out there--that's Charles Manson, not Marilyn. And if you're too young to know who Marilyn Manson is, I don't want to know about it). All the elements for a damn fine episode. And yet it didn't click. Not for me anyway.

The episode starts off well, with Mick removing embedded bullets from his body (the downside of super quick healing) and dropping the latest addition into a jar full of previously removed bullets. As he works he watches Beth's latest report on BuzzWire.

Our Manson-esque killer, Donovan Shepherd (played by Gideon Emery, who also played Vlad the Impaler in The Middleman), is about to be executed for brutally killing six people 14 years earlier. He was convicted on the testimony of a 10-year-old girl (Audrey, played by Sarah Foret--a Katie Holmes lookalike--Beautiful People), who watched him murder those people, including her parents, and is there now to witness the execution. Meanwhile, Donovan's insanely devoted followers (his "family") are protesting outside and being generally threatening. Beth instantly bonds with Audrey over their mutually traumatic childhood experiences.

After some unnecessary Christ-like imagery, Shepherd (the name is included in said imagery) unleashes his final vitriol, telling the assembled witnesses that he regrets nothing, that he seeks the blood of those who crossed him, and that he'll live on while they die screaming his name. Nice. Audrey is further traumatized, while Beth inexplicably repeats his last words on air to the exultation of his gathered followers. This scene isn't believable and it also makes Beth seem like an irresponsible jerk. This might have something to do with why I'm not a fan of the episode.

From there things get weird as Audrey starts being stalked by someone who may or may not be Shepherd. Meanwhile bodies start piling up and she and Beth could be next. While Mick investigates the situation, Beth discovers that he was her rescuer and "guardian angel" not just when she was four, but ever since as well. The only thing that's not resolved by the end of the episode is Beth and Mick's relationship.

As I mentioned there are a few nice moments between Beth and Mick. Before she realizes he was her rescuer she tells him that it's ironic that Shepherd has been in prison yet Audrey never felt safe, while Beth's kidnapper was never found but she's always felt safe. His reaction is subtle, but you can tell he likes hearing that.

The way Beth glows just a little bit whenever anyone asks whether there's anything between her and Mick (which they always do), even as she denies it. And the way she nods in complete agreement when Audrey admits she feels safe with Mick. Did I mention she even smells Mick's sweater blissfully while he's out?

Meanwhile, when Mick realizes Audrey and Beth are in immediate danger, his first (and apparently only) thought is of Beth.

And then the final scene when Beth approaches Mick and tells him she knows he's been watching over her. He seems chagrined but she's shedding tears of happiness because she's found her guardian angel. He claims that now she knows why things can never work between them (I'm not quite sure how he figures that), and she responds that since she's met him she's learned that anything is possible. As dawn breaks over the horizon, she kisses him. But, rather than respond, he skulks away, shielding himself from the sun and leaving her basking in it.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I think what really bothers me about this episode is the lack of subtlety. Everything is so obvious, and just in case you don't get it it's spelled out for you. Maybe I'm being too critical, maybe they were having an off day. I'm just going to try to focus on all the good (even great) aspects of the episode and the show. Even the undead need to be cut some slack once in a while.

Fang Files

Appearance: Human, until vamp emerges and then ghostly white eyes and prominent, elegant fangs.

Strengths: Fast healing. Bullets and shrapnel are not an issue and can be left inside a vampire's body, which usually heals before they can be removed (but try getting through a metal detector). Super speed and strength. Heightened sense of smell. Vampires' visual comprehension is "off the charts." Ability to jump great heights.

Weaknesses: Sunlight, stakes, big knives.

Mythology: Vampires don't need an invitation to enter a home. Vampires can detect multiple scents in blood, including the smell of emotions.

Sound Bites

Donovan Shepherd (to Audrey): Hello, sweetheart; I see you.

Mick: I thought about being an actor back in the 70s. But I think I just really wanted to be Steve McQueen. There is a difference.

Priest: Who are you?
Mick: I'm the one who wants a confession.

Moonlight, Season 1 Episode 8 "12:04 AM." Written by Jill E. Blotevogel. Directed by Dennis Smith. From CBS/The CW.

Moonlight S1 E7 "The Ringer"

Spoilers Ahead

Have you ever been desperately in love with someone; someone you knew was bad for you but you just can't seem to stay away or let them go? Have you ever loved someone until the emotion infests you like a disease, eats away at you, and leaves you helpless before it? Mick has. And not with Beth. Love really does suck.

"The Ringer" starts off with a fire at a downtown hotel--one Mick used to go to with his parents for Sunday brunch. After chatting about it with Beth (who is at the scene reporting) Mick spots a woman taking photos in the crowd. He freezes. The woman looks exactly like his dead vampire ex-wife/maker, Coraline. Did I mention he killed Coraline by setting a building ablaze with her in it?

After a flashback in which we witness the first time Mick and Coraline meet (back in the 1950s when he was a mere Hawaiian-shirted mortal musician, a look and occupation that I just don't buy on Mick). Back in the present, Mick confronts the woman only to find out (a) she's human; (b) her name is Morgan; (c) she has no idea what he's talking about; and (d) she and Beth work together (Beth uses her photos for stories).

And yet, Mick can't shake the feeling that Coraline has somehow returned from the dead and made herself human. There are just too many coincidences to ignore, starting with the photo Morgan snapped of a woman (bearing a resemblance to her) being murdered in the fire by a man bearing a resemblance to Mick. The woman in the fire even has a fleur-de-lys tattoo on her back, just like Coraline did. Not to mention that Morgan moves and talks just like Coraline, that she has a copy of Coraline's favourite book by her bed, and that she happens to play one of Mick's favourite songs when he's at her place.

Josef is rightly skeptical. He admits that she is Coraline's doppelganger but Morgan is clearly human--not even Coraline could pull that off. And Mick clearly can't let go of his ex. Meanwhile Beth is showing signs of jealousy as it becomes clear there's some sort of connection between Mick and Morgan. (On a side note, this show really has the men hapless in the face of evil vamp women. Love not only sucks, it bites too).

Finally it all gets to be too much for Mick. In a moment of crazy he accosts Morgan, rambling on as if she is Coraline, and ripping her shirt to get a look at Coraline's telltale tattoo. But when he sees there is no tattoo and realizes that Morgan is bleeding but not healing, he finally backs down. Apparently he can believe his ex was resurrected and that she somehow cured herself of being a vampire, but the idea of tattoo removal is beyond his scope of believability. Back at his place Mick finally tells Beth what's been going on, how Morgan looks just like Coraline, how Coraline died, how insanely in love with Coraline he was (emphasis on insane). When Beth asks if he's disappointed that Morgan isn't Coraline, Mick can't answer. Beth's look before she walks away is part pain and part disgust. Mick just looks dismayed.

The episode ends with Morgan at her place as she breaks out the makeup remover and uncovers the fleur-de-lys on her back. Cue dramatic music.

There were a couple of nice moments in "The Ringer." The nighttime shot in the columbarium (yeah, I had to look it up) as Mick walks through was gorgeous (although why a vampire would need a flashlight to see in the dark is something of a mystery). There's also a great shot of flames (from the fireplace behind him) surrounding Mick as he talks about his feelings for Coraline. The fight scene at the cemetery is also pretty cool.

Moonlight isn't the first vampire show to feature a vamp who's managed to revert to the mortal coil (Angel and Forever Knight leap immediately to mind) but I'll be interested to see its take on the subject. And even more interested to see how Mick and Beth deal with it.

Fang Files

Appearance: Human until vampire emerges, then...see photo above.

Strengths: Super strength. Enhanced sense of smell. Ability to easily jump great heights. Quick healing.

Weaknesses: Stakes, sunlight. Fire (?)

Mythology: To be absolutely sure a vampire is dead you need to see their ashes.

Sound Bites

Musician: (re: Coraline) She's something else, isn't she?
Mick: Yeah, I wouldn't kick her out of bed for eating crackers.

Josef: (to Mick) Coraline drove you crazy the whole time you knew her. Now she's dead and she's still driving you crazy. You need to let her go.

Morgan: (questioning Beth about her relationship with Mick) I'm a photographer--I see things.
Beth: And I have a boyfriend, remember.
Morgan: Like that ever stopped anybody.

Josef: (to Mick) One of these days you're going to have to stop hating what you are.

Moonlight, Season 1 Episode 7 "The Ringer." Written by Josh Pate. Directed by Chris Fisher. From CBS/The CW.