Moonlight Episode Discussion - Ep 7: The Ringer

[wondergirl9847]

Clunky, but fitting in an odd way. We do know, after all, that Coraline liked to eat in bed...

LMAO!! He could have said "I wouldn't kick her outta bed for biting me on the neck and turning me into a vampire...oh wait..."

I love this episode too. It's so cool to see Mick unhinged! Like everyone else, I loved the looks he gave when he first sees Morgan/Coraline at the fire. One of my fave parts is when he's asking Beth how she knows her and his eyes shift between the two women. It's hilarious! I can hear Mick going, "Um, Beth, don't you recognize her!?" Hee!

Also, that look Coraline gave Beth at the end with Beth's sweet, slightly confused look was PRICELESS.

Josef...oh Josef. His whiny attitude when they go to Mattola's house, him sitting on the bed and bouncing up and down, the look he gives when he sees Morgan. All fantastic scenes.

One of my fave lines in the entire series: "This was one of your real gigs." BWAHAHAHA!!! Cracks me up every single time.

The camera angles and lighting were beautiful in this ep. That shot where Mick touches the hand and it turns to ash....gorgeous. I love the colors and mood in The Ringer. It's so dark and eerie.

Oh and I covet that red dress Coraline wore at the party. Talk about gorgeous!

[coco]

This is actually the episode I've watched the least so I'm going to watch the DVD again this week to have another look and I'm looking forward to learning more about it from those who enjoy it

[mwj01]

One of my fave lines in the entire series: "This was one of your real gigs." BWAHAHAHA!!! Cracks me up every single time.

Yeah, that was hilarious! He was trying so hard to impress her and then bam! Although clearly she was still impressed anyway.

[wpgrace]

One of my fave lines in the entire series: "This was one of your real gigs." BWAHAHAHA!!! Cracks me up every single time.

Yeah, that was hilarious! He was trying so hard to impress her and then bam! Although clearly she was still impressed anyway.

That is the cool thing, isn't it Sister? He is a human and probably a decent but not break-out musician, but she sees something in him, with all her years of experience she sees something that even Josef (who we later learn once said Mick isn't cut out to be a vamp) doesn't see. And it's not just his looks... and she was right. He was special. And turned out to be a pretty good vamp, in spite of himself.

[GuardianAngel]

One of my fave lines in the entire series: "This was one of your real gigs." BWAHAHAHA!!! Cracks me up every single time.

Yeah, that was hilarious! He was trying so hard to impress her and then bam! Although clearly she was still impressed anyway.

That is the cool thing, isn't it Sister? He is a human and probably a decent but not break-out musician, but she sees something in him, with all her years of experience she sees something that even Josef (who we later learn once said Mick isn't cut out to be a vamp) doesn't see. And it's not just his looks... and she was right. He was special. And turned out to be a pretty good vamp, in spite of himself.

But is the vamp that Mick has become the same vamp she envisioned he would be? Did he fall short of her expectations? Or surpass them?

[SirenSong]

One of my fave lines in the entire series: "This was one of your real gigs." BWAHAHAHA!!! Cracks me up every single time.

Yeah, that was hilarious! He was trying so hard to impress her and then bam! Although clearly she was still impressed anyway.

That is the cool thing, isn't it Sister? He is a human and probably a decent but not break-out musician, but she sees something in him, with all her years of experience she sees something that even Josef (who we later learn once said Mick isn't cut out to be a vamp) doesn't see. And it's not just his looks... and she was right. He was special. And turned out to be a pretty good vamp, in spite of himself.

But is the vamp that Mick has become the same vamp she envisioned he would be? Did he fall short of her expectations? Or surpass them?

Oh wow....I think that question might even deserve its own thread, GA. I'm not sure what Cora thought of the type of vamp Mick turned into, but he sure reacted a world differently than she had expected. She thought he would be eternally grateful for her "gift"....literally. I'm sure that it was quite a shock to her to find out how much he hated it and hated her as a result. My question would be.....did Mick really hate being a vampire that much or had he convinced himself of it and just perpetuated that?

[redwinter101]

I think that consciously Mick hated everything about being a vampire - because it wasn't his choice and it meant that so many of the things he expected (home, friends, family) were taken away from him. I do think there was a significant amount of denial about the upsides - and it's not just Coraline who sees them, Beth does too - because there were certainly times when he obviously enjoyed the power.

But coming to LLF, I think that was the truest statement - he regrets it every day - and I think that is about more than simply choice. He longs to be the man he dreamed of becoming - although he never got the chance to find out if he was capable of becoming that man. I genuinely think that if he didn't hate being a vampire, he would have turned Josh.

I think by the time we get to TMC, we see that Coraline's expectations of Mick the vamp have changed too - but that took her over fifty years to work out.

I agree with SS - this topic could have its own thread. Bearing in mind that the All About Mick thread isn't just for pics but is also for character discussion, perhaps we can continue over there?

But for this episode, I think the clearest thing for me is that both Mick and Coraline wanted each other - just neither of them knew each other well enough to know what they were getting or that things wouldn't turn out as either of them hoped.

Red

[librarian_7]

But for this episode, I think the clearest thing for me is that both Mick and Coraline wanted each other - just neither of them knew each other well enough to know what they were getting or that things wouldn't turn out as either of them hoped.

Red

So, just like any normal relationship...

Lucky

[GuardianAngel]

The flashback ends - Mick is still staring at the photographer.



He gets close enough and calls her Coraline. She says, sorry, but no. He says she looks just like someone he used to know.



She asks if that person was an ex-girlfriend.



No. Ex-wife. Just then there is an explosion in the building.



The pretty brunette asks if this usually works for him. He tells her it's not a pick-up.





She looks just like her. The woman is not impressed and tells her it's not a turn on to be compared to someone's ex.



Beth sees them together and comes over. She asks if they know each other. They say no. Mick says they just met.





Beth confirms again - that they don't know each other. Mick says he thought they did but he guesses they don't.



He introduces himself. And so does she. She's Morgan.





Mick asks how the ladies know each other. Beth (Buzzwire) buys photos from Morgan.



He then asks how long they've worked together.



Morgan wants to know what with the interrogation. Beth tells Morgan he's a PI, can't she tell?





Mick continues to eye her. This is so unlike the Mick we've come to know. He seems beside himself.



Morgan walks away, saying she needs to get back to taking photos. Beth begins to tell Mick what she's learned. That the investigators found lighter fluid and dirty rags in the dumpster (apparently arson). Mick isn't paying any attention. His attention is on Morgan.





After it becomes apparent to Beth that Mick's focus is elsewhere, she walks away. Unhappy.





Mick's VO explains that there is a good reason he never expected to see Coraline again. He'd killed her.

[librarian_7]

A couple of brief comments about this sequence...

It always surprises me that Beth and Coraline are almost exactly the same height...I always picture Beth as shorter, and Coraline as taller. Don't know why, I just do.

And I love the way, as Beth walks away from Mick, her movements are not exactly slow-motion, but they did something to the speed to make it look different and odd. More like you'd expect a vampire to move.

Lucky

[Luxe de Luxe]

Yes, I agree with what everyone has said about Mick being rattled by Morgan/Coraline. It was delicious to watch. His scenes with Josef were so close to him having a breakdown. Josef clearly thought he was nuts.

When you think about the premise of the meeting though, Morganline has burned down a building, with a person inside (who she's organised to be tattooed and killed) just to give Mick a few clues, to taunt him about his 'murder' of her.... well, that's pretty chilling. That person is pretty capable of anything. It's really hard to equate all that with the pert pretty brunette wit a razor sharp wit.

BTW... I hated the whole slicked back hair, hawaiian shirt look. What did they do to my Mick!!! ... and the cracker line, beyond clunky. The 50's was beat poet time, they should have had him talking like Maynard G. Krebs!!

[cassysj]

Yes, I agree with what everyone has said about Mick being rattled by Morgan/Coraline. It was delicious to watch. His scenes with Josef were so close to him having a breakdown. Josef clearly thought he was nuts.

I also love the Josef the Bloodhound look when he's in the room with Morgan. I have pets that don't sniff me as much.

I hadn't thought about Morganline setting someone up to be tattooed and killed. I didn't pay that much attention to this episode before last Friday.

[redwinter101]

Coraline has learned a lot along the way - and she certainly seems to have shed the raving insanity that led her to kidnap Beth - and Morgan is alluring in a different kind of way, but she still fundamentally sees people as expendable IMO. She had a plan and she executed it. I do think that her experiences of humanity have changed her, but she's still manipulative, driven and determined. As Josef said, she's back for Mick and she'll do whatever it takes. Which makes the conclusion of TMC even more intriguing.

And God alone knows who she bumped off to set up Morgan Vincent's backstory.....

Red

[Luxe de Luxe]

Coraline has learned a lot along the way - and she certainly seems to have shed the raving insanity that led her to kidnap Beth - and Morgan is alluring in a different kind of way, but she still fundamentally sees people as expendable IMO. She had a plan and she executed it. I do think that her experiences of humanity have changed her, but she's still manipulative, driven and determined. As Josef said, she's back for Mick and she'll do whatever it takes. Which makes the conclusion of TMC even more intriguing.

And God alone knows who she bumped off to set up Morgan Vincent's backstory.....

Red

eek.... I hadn't thought of that Red. Maybe she did bump someone off. I was thinking that she probably set up a false internet trail leading to a crony claiming to be her father. But its just as possible that the other thing happened.

hmm... am not sure whether the kidnapping was due to raving insanity or the desperation of a woman about to lose the love of her life. they're not quite the same thing. I see Coraline's actions as the latter. I agree that she sees people as expendable - she's been a vampire for centuries and maybe human for a couple of years? Couple of months? She's definitely back for Mick - I think she has moved in because she's witnessed his growing attraction toward Beth - and she went to the trouble to set up an elaborate back story (BuzzWire has been buying photos for her for months). But she wants to punish him a little too (who wouldn't?)

[librarian_7]

I do think there may have been a real "Morgan Vincent"...and that at some point, Coraline removed her from the picture. Possibly at the time when Morgan was set to move to Los Angeles.

Lucky