Full ML Original Pilot

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Catmoon
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Re: Full ML Original Pilot

Post by Catmoon »

Wow, I feel like it's Christmas! I never thought I'd ever get to see the pilot. So cool to have some "new" ML after all this time, a real treat. :hyper2:

That being said of course... Interesting to compare versions. I liked how they showed that Mick had relocated like a smart vamp. It is just a bit lame how in our ML he was able to stay in LA all those years (without even changing his name). But that -- and his dialogue to Beth at the end "I've been with you" make it seem a bit more stalkerish right from the start. Unlike how on our ML we didn't really get that stalker feel until Beth found his file on her and all the photos. I see that my opinion of the chemisty that I saw from the small bits of previews holds -- sorry, not seeing it at all with this Beth and Mick. Plus she seems too 'soft' to be a crime reporter. Our Beth had a wonderful ability to be both very feminine and tough/could hold her own with the boys at the same time. I liked Mick's NY apartment, not as much as the FOS but it was attractive. One thing I wish they would have kept -- what he was wearing in the jazz scene flashback was so much better and hotter than that horrible Hawaiian shirt and lame look he sports in our show.

Watching this does give me a bit of a weird parallel universe feeling. Like a glimpse of another road my life might have taken, if. Where would I be now? Had this version and it's cast made it to the actual series I would absolutely not be here typing this right now. I wouldn't have had all these interesting times and got to know all you wonderful people. Everything I've created here would not exist. I don't watch vampire shows. That Beth did nothing for me as a character (I adore Sophia's Beth). When I had ML on the TV just because it was on right before a show I always watched, it was the wonderful chemistry between our Mick and Beth that grabbed me and pulled me in. And it was our irreplacable Josef who's kept me here all these years.
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Re: Full ML Original Pilot

Post by allegrita »

I've really enjoyed seeing this pilot, and I agree with many of you. But Catmoon, I think you nailed it. If this had been the Moonlight that made it to my television, would I have ended up here? Would I have written all this ridiculous amount of fanfic? Would I be a mod, for criminy's sake??

Maybe not...

Kids, don't shoot me, but this Moonlight-pilot world doesn't GRAB me the way the final one did. Part of it is the actors. Part of it is the fact that they condensed way too much plot into such a small space (and maybe that wouldn't have been an issue). But I LOVE the Los Angeles-sunny-palm trees-sun'n'surf vs. dark-shadows-neon-moonlit world of the Moonlight we got. I love Mick with longer hair. I love Josef as a perennial 25-year-old financial shark. I love, love, love Sophia's take on Beth... vulnerable, tough, damaged. I love Jacob Vargas's Guillermo, too. He isn't a stereotype, and the Guillermo in the pilot was. I love Shannyn's Coraline--her lovely face, her passion, her vulnerability. And I love our own Carl Davis, as perfectly portrayed by Brian White.

Mick's New York apartment doesn't do it for me--not now that I've seen the FoS. His clothes, with the exception of the 1940's era jazz club outfit (which was, um, yeah, HOT!!) :melts: are kinda... dorky. Well, not counting the batcoat, for which we have Joel Silver to thank. I did love the frost inside the freezer, and I'd have loved to see more of that, but I assume it was a bitch to do for a very small amount of airtime... so I'm not surprised that it went away.

The one thing that I absolutely wish we'd been able to keep is the little actress who played Baby Beth. I didn't ever like the kids they cast for Baby Beth. This little girl has spunk, and guts. I love that she gave Mick the gun. But what Mick did to Coraline in this episode just made me want to barf. That is NOT our Mick. No, no, no. It's just wrong!!! For Mick to stake Coraline and then set the house on fire is bad enough... but for him to dump her in a FIREPLACE?? Nooooo. :gasp:
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Re: Full ML Original Pilot

Post by Luxe de Luxe »

darkstarrising wrote:
PNWgal wrote:What Luxe and DSR said.

And - shallow moment here, but Mick playing that trumpet in a smoky club, tie and vest undone, was just plain hot. :melts:
O yeah :cloud9: (and not so shallow)
ok, I'm know I'm going to regret this but I'm going to say it anyway -- Mick the musician in this version? ... worthy of a tromboner.
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Re: Full ML Original Pilot

Post by Catmoon »

allegrita wrote:But what Mick did to Coraline in this episode just made me want to barf. That is NOT our Mick. No, no, no. It's just wrong!!! For Mick to stake Coraline and then set the house on fire is bad enough... but for him to dump her in a FIREPLACE?? Nooooo. :gasp:
Yeah, I thought that was um, a bit harsh. I just assumed the original vision of Mick was to be a lot darker. Not so much what he did but almost off-handed, unaffected way he did it. This is our Mick: :Mickangel:

Same for his dispatching of the vamp goon, too. This Mick obviously had a real love of playing with fire. :(
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Re: Full ML Original Pilot

Post by Luxe de Luxe »

I also like the darker Mick -- gotta love some of that in a vamp series -- but his dispatch of Coraline seemed altogether way too perfunctory for the love of his life. Dumping her in the fireplace?! Tacky. On the other hand, his treatment of the vampguard was just perfect.

BTW -- I had a strange response seeing Mick in the pilot for the first time. I was distracted by the moles on his face. Has he had these removed??
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Re: Full ML Original Pilot

Post by PNWgal »

I would have liked a combo of the grittiness of the unaired pilot and the Moonlight we did get.

I liked this Mick. I loved his rough edges, liked that he wasn't so...saintly, for lack of a better word. I loved how he wore his emotions for Beth on his sleeve, out there for everyone to see. The pain etched on his face at the end when he finally allows himself to touch her was heartbreaking.

I would have liked our Mick to have a little more of an edge.
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Re: Full ML Original Pilot

Post by cassysj »

I'm very happy they recast Beth and Coraline. I found this Beth harder and she seemed older than 26 to me. I didn't like Coraline at all. I felt Shannyn was prettier and delivered the lines better. I'm also glad that we got Jason but for me comparing the two Josefs is like apples and oranges. I can see a lot of interesting qualities in this Josef especially the Coraline angle at the end. It would have detracted from their "hanging out" to a television perception degree. (I've always hung out with people 15 - 20 years senior to me so it wouldn't have bothered me but I can see most of the audience not finding it believable.

One thing that I found unbelievable in the pilot was when little Beth pushed the gun towards Mick. I think they were putting too much of adult Beth's fiestiness on a child. I think a four year old would be paralyzed with fear.

I'm really glad I got a chance to see it.
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Re: Full ML Original Pilot

Post by Catmoon »

Luxe de Luxe wrote:
darkstarrising wrote:
PNWgal wrote:What Luxe and DSR said.

And - shallow moment here, but Mick playing that trumpet in a smoky club, tie and vest undone, was just plain hot. :melts:
O yeah :cloud9: (and not so shallow)
ok, I'm know I'm going to regret this but I'm going to say it anyway -- Mick the musician in this version? ... worthy of a tromboner.
Will this do, gals?? :whistle:

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Re: Full ML Original Pilot

Post by allegrita »

Gorgeous, Catmoon.

But it's a trumpet, not a trombone. And I'm not going there with the innuendo, 'cause I'm a mod. :laugh:
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Re: Full ML Original Pilot

Post by MoonMarg »

"I know its what I should do...but I can't bring myself to do it" Ohh that line just gave me goose bumps. I would have loved to see that scene in our ML. I also loved Mick's little speel at the end about finding someone but knowing you could never be together..what then? I liked the Alex/Sophia melt- into-it- hug so much better though.

It was just so nice after all these years to have a little bit more of ML, even if it wasn't OUR ML, it was still our Mick. Baby Mick was just so cute - really loved the hair - in between long and short - would love to see him wear it like that again someday.

Coraline was the biggest mistake of this pilot. I didn't think she was young enough, or sexy or seductive enough for Mick to fall for. In fact I thought she looked really harsh. I'm glad Mick banished her to the fireplace - how brutal - but well deserved. :twothumbs:

Little Beth was awesome. I loved how she showed the courage to help Mick get the gun.

All and all - I really enjoyed watching it. I loved some aspects and hated others. I'm glad it was changed though. I'm not sure I would have fallen for this version. I liked the young hip cool vamps that were our ML. I loved sunny LA and Micks classy FOS. And as shocked as I was to find I liked this Beth, Sophia is the only Beth Turner worthy of my Mick St John. :heart:
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Re: Full ML Original Pilot

Post by Luxe de Luxe »

Catmoon wrote:
Luxe de Luxe wrote:
darkstarrising wrote:
PNWgal wrote:What Luxe and DSR said.

And - shallow moment here, but Mick playing that trumpet in a smoky club, tie and vest undone, was just plain hot. :melts:
O yeah :cloud9: (and not so shallow)
ok, I'm know I'm going to regret this but I'm going to say it anyway -- Mick the musician in this version? ... worthy of a tromboner.
Will this do, gals?? :whistle:

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Yum, Cat. Way cooler than the guitar. And Alle, I know, I should hang my head in shame. :mdrama: :yes:
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Re: Full ML Original Pilot

Post by SharonC »

Luxe de Luxe wrote:
Catmoon wrote:
Luxe de Luxe wrote:
darkstarrising wrote:
PNWgal wrote:What Luxe and DSR said.

And - shallow moment here, but Mick playing that trumpet in a smoky club, tie and vest undone, was just plain hot. :melts:
O yeah :cloud9: (and not so shallow)
ok, I'm know I'm going to regret this but I'm going to say it anyway -- Mick the musician in this version? ... worthy of a tromboner.
Will this do, gals?? :whistle:

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Yum, Cat. Way cooler than the guitar. And Alle, I know, I should hang my head in shame. :mdrama: :yes:
He can certainly play his... no, no, no I WILL BEHAVE
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Re: Full ML Original Pilot

Post by francis »

I was finally able to watch the first part too, by using another proxy. It's only blocked in Germany, don't know why.
I really am grateful to have seen this. It shows beautifully the strengths and the weaknesses of the first draft, and they managed to get rid of the weaknesses wonderfully. They didn't reveal as much in the show but let things unfold more slowly. I love the noir, Mick is already fully Mick. I would have loved to keep it as gritty as it was, but I understand why they didn't go for much of it. At least, I think the makeup and special effects would have been too expensive in the long run. Thank you to whoever found this and put it on youtube.
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Re: Full ML Original Pilot

Post by jen »

To me, this is a wonderful example of how things get better if you keep working on them.

We all have different takes on what we like and what we don't. The biggies, for me, are Mick the trumpet player in a jazz club. There was something so cool and hot about it at the same time. It struck me as very appropriate to the period and this Mick was much more attractive than the guy in the Hawaiian shirt.

That baby Beth was great, but I agree that she was more focused than I believe a four year old would have been in that situation.

Really prefer the L.A. location--the light, slick, upbeat, modern ambiance just 'feels' better to me. It is one of the touches that I found so very interesting interesting in a vampire show (and I don't tend to watch vampire shows as a rule) and a 'lighter' Mick just fits with it--again, a very interesting choice in a vampire show.

They kept tinkering and the end product improved.

While the older Josef was OK, it would have given the Mick/Josef dynamic an entirely different feel. Having a lot of wisdom in a man that looks like your grandfather is somewhat believable, but having that level of knowledge in someone who looks your age is more surprising. Provides a good lesson that judging on appearances can lead you wrong.

Said something before that I think I need to change. I asked the question if I would have watched if the old cast and style had been what I saw in January of 2009--I said absolutely. I need to change that to a 'yeeah, maybe.' I doubt it would have made it to the centerpiece of my TV viewing in a couple of episodes, and the idea of missing an episode would not have upset me as badly. For a show coming from that original ensemble, Alex would have been the one to carry the show, singlehandedly.

For our Moonlight, it was a group effort and, to me, was a wonderful example of synergy.

Jenna

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Re: Full ML Original Pilot

Post by MoonMad »

Luxe de Luxe wrote:I also like the darker Mick -- gotta love some of that in a vamp series -- but his dispatch of Coraline seemed altogether way too perfunctory for the love of his life. Dumping her in the fireplace?! Tacky. On the other hand, his treatment of the vampguard was just perfect.

BTW -- I had a strange response seeing Mick in the pilot for the first time. I was distracted by the moles on his face. Has he had these removed??
Ah, I was distracted by the moles too! I wonder if he's had them bleached or something because I don't seem to notice them now and had actually forgotten he had them once. It's an interesting question isn't it?

I'm not sure Coraline qualified as 'the love of his life' in this story at all. It's hard to tell from this snippet of plotline, but the overwhelming feeling I got from this was that Beth was the love of his (un)life and that Coraline was less than a blip on his radar. His ruthless dispatch of her in the fireplace seemed to mean no more to him than his killing of the guard outside. Just another problem to be overcome. Of course, there may have been layers added to that as the series unfolded, but from this presentation that was the feeling I got.

As for the pilot presentation itself - I really, really enjoyed it! I was surprised by how much I liked this Beth, and unlike some of you, I really thought she and Alex had some good chemistry happening. I also liked the older vampire as mentor for Mick and would have been interested to see what they did to his character. He definitely seemed to have a fondness for Mick and I didn't feel he was betraying Mick, and yet he was apparently keeping secrets from him. It was also clear he truly loved Coraline. I would liked to have seen that storyline play out. The actress who played her, Amber Valletta, was atrocious though, and not beautiful at all. I find that really odd because she was quite decent looking in Hitch and not a bad actor either. I think she's a natural blonde and perhaps being brunette is what made her so unattractive in this. Don't know what made her act so badly though. She was dreadful. I did love that turning scene though. I had seen that before, and always loved the way it illustrated Mick's human weakness in the beginning, where you hear Coraline slap her hands down on his defenceless body, you see the fear in his eyes as he sees her fangs descend (so different to the scene we got in ML where he shuts his eyes in the throes of passion and doesn't see it coming) and his being powerless to stop her. Then, juxtaposed against that, we see him wake up and fling Coraline right out of the bathroom in a rage at what she's done, positions completely reversed. I really liked that. (I also really, really liked the hand gliding up her leg when they were on the bed, barely touching her skin. Gave me squee-ly shivers it did. :cloud9: )

One of the things that annoyed me about our ML was the way the behaviour changed uncharacteristically sometimes, presumably because of the revolving door of show runners having different creative visions. During the course of 16 episodes we had Mick wax and wane over Coraline, eventually losing all interest in her in a really disappointing plot dropping exercise, and what I really appreciated in this rendering of the show was the lack of ambivalence Mick had towards Coraline. When he tossed her in that fireplace she was less than zero to him. It was quite startling after knowing Mick's attitude to her during the course of our show. I actually liked this hard edge to Mick, especially when it was so obvious that he was completely vulnerable when it came to Beth. Likewise, I liked that Coraline was still caught up in Mick, despite his treating her so callously all those years ago, and that treatment causing her to still bear scars. Was that little cry at the end when she saw him and Beth hug because she still loved him, or because she didn't want to see him happy? I would liked to have seen that play out.

I liked this Carl Davis too and thought he had really good chemistry with Beth. The always promised steak dinners was cute I thought.

I liked that it was set in NY and I liked the grittier feel and the harsher looking vamps, although I agree it was an ugly look. Really liked seeing the veins begin to show in Coraline's face when she knew it was going to come down to a fight with Mick over baby Beth. I also liked the extra powers, and the idea that Mick couldn't bear to erase Beth's memory was a beautiful idea.

I always adored the hug that Mick and Beth shared at the end of NSTAV - the way he just melts into her. But I actually liked the hug in this as well, although it was stiff and painful and completely different. He really did act like a man who hadn't touched another living soul for 60 years. It just highlighted the uncharacteristic way Mick had allowed himself to be won over by Beth, who he clearly loved for a long time from afar. In the beginning of the pilot she made him nervous simply making eye contact, and by the end he had virtually told her who and what he was because he so badly wanted to be with her. I thought this version made that more apparent than our ML did.

Finally, Alex was pitch perfect as Mick. I liked that he was less slick and well groomed, and I liked his complete air of indecisiveness around Beth. All in all, there isn't much about this I didn't like! I loved everything about the ML we got, and seeing this doesn't change that, but I know I would have loved this just as much if this was the show we got instead. Which probably proves that for me it's all about Mick, and everything else is just gravy. :snicker:
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