Sleeping Beauty -- "missing" scene: Josef and John Whitley

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Lilly
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Sleeping Beauty -- "missing" scene: Josef and John Whitley

Post by Lilly »

Anyone who has been fortunate enough to get a look at the Moonlight scripts has probably been pleasantly surprised to find little treasures in them that never made it to the small screen.

As promised elsewhere, I’m posting a summary of a “lost” scene from “Sleeping Beauty.” I have a copy of the script and was excited to find a very small scene at the end that never made it to the final edit. In this pink (or second) revision of the script, it showed a final “meeting” between Josef and John Whitley, Sara’s father.

The scene was very brief (less than a page) but very powerful and it would have been amazing to see what Jason would have done with it. I asked Trevor about it and he wasn’t sure if the scene was ever shot, because the writer’s strike began right in the middle of filming that episode and he was not on set at the time.

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After Mick says goodbye to Beth and walks off alone, there would have been a pan up over the city skyline and then a cut to the interior of John Whitley’s penthouse. We see Whitley alone in his bed staring at the ceiling. As the camera pulls back it reveals the window open and Josef standing off to the side. He tells Whitley he came there to kill him but has decided not to prove Whitley right about him. He approaches the bed. He tells Whitley that he’s not some creature incapable of love. He loved Sara. The only difference between them is that Whitley can die and forget the pain of losing her and Josef will carry it forever. Josef stares at Whitley for a moment and then takes his hand. His expression darkens and it becomes apparent that he’s been talking to a dead man. He reaches for the sheet and pulls it over Whitley’s face. Fade.

The episode then concludes back at the hospital with Coraline’s disappearance.

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So, I’m wondering – would you like to have seen this piece included in the edit for television? Or, do you think it was better to have left things where they did?
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Re: Sleeping Beauty -- "missing" scene: Josef and John Whitley

Post by VAsusieQ18 »

Very interesting, Lilly, and thanks for sharing. I suspect there's quite a few little scenes from the Moonlight scripts that never made it into the final episode, either never filmed or edited out.

This would have been a really powerful and moving scene, IMO. It would have show yet again that Josef was a vampire capable of still caring for the human race. That he was not so far removed from his human existence that he could not feel grief and sadness. Sarah's father escaped his pain. And at the very end, Josef would have realized that he will never be able to escape his. What a powerful scene to have been left out. Leads me to wonder why? What purpose did it serve to not show Josef as being more in touch with his human emotions? Perhaps it was something as simple as not having enough time in the episode to include the scene. Or perhaps the writers felt that the fact that Josef loved Sarah and was suffering for her loss was sufficient. But I must say that at the time of the original airing of the episode, I myself actually wondered why there never was a confrontation between Mr. Whitley and Josef. I guess I now have my answer.
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Re: Sleeping Beauty -- "missing" scene: Josef and John Whitley

Post by cassysj »

It would have been fascinating to see Jason do it. But plot line I would have hated that Josef opened his heart to a dead man. I would have found that too heartbreaking. If that scene was there John Whitely would have died thinking that maybe he was successful in his revenge. I like the idea of him being alive a little longer and never hearing from his hitman. Knowing he failed.
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Re: Sleeping Beauty -- "missing" scene: Josef and John Whitley

Post by wpgrace »

It strikes me as very Josef to need to confront the man who tried to have him killed... in this case to confront him with an explanation and a finger wag, rather than a threat... but yeah, it is definitely more Josef to have him address this issue with Whitley... and to be disappointed the man died first... but only briefly disappointed... onward and upward for Josef.

The writers' strike took a lot from our show, including coherent direction. More tribute to Trevor and Alex and company, that they made what they did so incredibly memorable and wonderful given the time and restrictions and wandering interests of TPTB that they were dealt.

And your scene is still better than this, Lilly...
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Re: Sleeping Beauty -- "missing" scene: Josef and John Whitley

Post by Lilly »

My feeling is that they may have thought it would steal the thunder from that parting scene between Mick and Beth. The feeling there was so bittersweet with him finally wanting to have a little fun and she turning him down. To go back to Josef at that point may have lessened the impact of that goodbye.

Still, I would have paid large sums of money to see Jason perform that scene.



ETA: Thank you, grace. :oops:
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Re: Sleeping Beauty -- "missing" scene: Josef and John Whitley

Post by wpgrace »

Lilly wrote:My feeling is that they may have thought it would steal the thunder from that parting scene between Mick and Beth. The feeling there was so bittersweet with him finally wanting to have a little fun and she turning him down. To go back to Josef at that point may have lessened the impact of that goodbye.

Still, I would have paid large sums of money to see Jason perform that scene.

I would not have minded something to lighten the mood after that scene with Mick and BEth... that scene made me really sad. I was actually pleased to see the Cora scene after that, and to hear her call his name... I remember thinking, at least someone still loves him...

And it would have been ironic... the ep begins with Josef in such trouble and would've ended with him still in charge, the lone survivor... and once again MIck, who had been the one to take control for parts of this ep, once again the one with the emotional load to carry... this added scene would've reinforced that...
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Re: Sleeping Beauty -- "missing" scene: Josef and John Whitley

Post by Lilly »

wpgrace wrote: I would not have minded something to lighten the mood after that scene with Mick and BEth... that scene made me really sad. I was actually pleased to see the Cora scene after that, and to hear her call his name... I remember thinking, at least someone still loves him...

And it would have been ironic... the ep begins with Josef in such trouble and would've ended with him still in charge, the lone survivor... and once again MIck, who had been the one to take control for parts of this ep, once again the one with the emotional load to carry... this added scene would've reinforced that...
I agree, grace. It would have brought the episode full circle. I even wonder if it might have worked after the Cora scene, instead of ending with a bit of a cliff-hanger.

I do like the fact that Whitley was already dead, though. The fact that Josef could get to him so easily established the degree of his control over the situation. Still, when it came to life and death -- echoing what happened to Sarah -- there were still things beyond his grasp. The remarkable thing about Josef is his acceptance of that. It's not something that he shows others, except briefly in his conversation with Mick , but I believe it's there.
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Re: Sleeping Beauty -- "missing" scene: Josef and John Whitley

Post by mitzie »

Yes, I would have wanted to see this in the episode, even though it is totally gut-wrenching that he was already dead! I bet Jason did an incredible job with this un-shown scene!! That being said, I liked your take on the scene much better and would have loved to see it in that episode!!!! :clapping: :clapping: :clapping: :yahoo: :hearts: :thanks: for posting this deleted scene!! :hug: :wave:

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Re: Sleeping Beauty -- "missing" scene: Josef and John Whitley

Post by darkstarrising »

I think the scene as written would have added greatly to the episode....too many questions were left unanswered about both John and Sarah Whitley at the end of the episode. I might have changed the sequence to having Mick walk away, then cut to the hospital when Morgan/Coraline's disappears, then end the episode with Josef talking to Whitley. Having Josef try to reason with a dead man would be ironic, yet pulling the sheet up over his head would have been an extremely powerful image to leave the audience with.

That said, the story as you've written it (with a dialogue between Josef and John Whitley) provides a bit more insight into each of the men. Furthermore, having Whitley realize that Sarah was under his nose all these years and had been lovingly cared for by the 'monster' would have made for a powerful ending.
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Re: Sleeping Beauty -- "missing" scene: Josef and John Whitley

Post by wpgrace »

Lilly wrote:
wpgrace wrote: I would not have minded something to lighten the mood after that scene with Mick and BEth... that scene made me really sad. I was actually pleased to see the Cora scene after that, and to hear her call his name... I remember thinking, at least someone still loves him...

And it would have been ironic... the ep begins with Josef in such trouble and would've ended with him still in charge, the lone survivor... and once again MIck, who had been the one to take control for parts of this ep, once again the one with the emotional load to carry... this added scene would've reinforced that...
I agree, grace. It would have brought the episode full circle. I even wonder if it might have worked after the Cora scene, instead of ending with a bit of a cliff-hanger.

I do like the fact that Whitley was already dead, though. The fact that Josef could get to him so easily established the degree of his control over the situation. Still, when it came to life and death -- echoing what happened to Sarah -- there were still things beyond his grasp. The remarkable thing about Josef is his acceptance of that. It's not something that he shows others, except briefly in his conversation with Mick , but I believe it's there.
I actually like the idea that Whitley was already dead too... added poignancy to the interchange. As you said, some things are beyond even Josef's grasp... and Josef knows and accepts that... part of his vamp maturity, I guess...
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Re: Sleeping Beauty -- "missing" scene: Josef and John Whitley

Post by eris »

It was a Josef centric episode, so I don't think it would have been stealing anything from the M/B moment. I would have liked to have seen the end - with a minor tweak. It makes no sense for J not to know the man was already dead. He'd have known there was no heartbeat or breathing. I would have loved a "peaceful confrontation" between the two men, with J making the point that he wasn't going to kill Whitley, but I think they should have punctuated it by him either handing Whitley the bullet that almost killed Sarah or setting it on his side table. He didn't have to know about Sarah, but the point would have been made that the only monster out hunting was Whitley and that Josef could have killed him any time he wanted to and chose not to.
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Re: Sleeping Beauty -- "missing" scene: Josef and John Whitley

Post by Lilly »

eris wrote:It was a Josef centric episode, so I don't think it would have been stealing anything from the M/B moment. I would have liked to have seen the end - with a minor tweak. It makes no sense for J not to know the man was already dead. He'd have known there was no heartbeat or breathing. I would have loved a "peaceful confrontation" between the two men, with J making the point that he wasn't going to kill Whitley, but I think they should have punctuated it by him either handing Whitley the bullet that almost killed Sarah or setting it on his side table. He didn't have to know about Sarah, but the point would have been made that the only monster out hunting was Whitley and that Josef could have killed him any time he wanted to and chose not to.
I may not have communicated it properly, but it was pretty clear that Josef knew he was talking to a dead man. The audience just wasn't in on that fact until the "reveal."
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Re: Sleeping Beauty -- "missing" scene: Josef and John Whitley

Post by NocturneInCMoll »

It's a real shame this scene got lost. I think it would have added so much to the episode and to the show overall, especially in terms of Josef's character (he was underused and underexplored). I think it almost fitting that he was talking to a dead man and knew it.

It makes me sad for what the show could have been if it had gotten its act together.
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Re: Sleeping Beauty -- "missing" scene: Josef and John Whitley

Post by Lilly »

NocturneInCMoll wrote:It's a real shame this scene got lost. I think it would have added so much to the episode and to the show overall, especially in terms of Josef's character (he was underused and underexplored). I think it almost fitting that he was talking to a dead man and knew it.

It makes me sad for what the show could have been if it had gotten its act together.
:sigh: I so agree, Julie.
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Re: Sleeping Beauty -- "missing" scene: Josef and John Whitley

Post by wondergirl9847 »

Thanks for sharing that, Lilly! I got chills when I read it. It would have been a very powerful scene and Jason would have rocked it for sure. I can see the scene playing out in my head.

Perhaps, not only was Josef trying to convince Whitley he was capable of love...he was talking to himself as well. :yes:
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