Moonlight Episode Discussion - Ep 11: Love Lasts Forever

[Luxe de Luxe]

I thought the tension in this scene was incredible... and the whole Mick giving her instructions thing just gave me goosey chills all over. I love it when Mick takes charge.

[GuardianAngel]

I never noticed this before, but in that next to the last screen cap, after Josh is shot, look who Beth is holding onto.......

LOL. I know. But truthfully, I don't put much meaning on it. I think she would have grabbed anyone standing next to her. If not the shock would have sent her to the ground.

[wpgrace]

I never noticed this before, but in that next to the last screen cap, after Josh is shot, look who Beth is holding onto.......

Oh! Good eye! I've never noticed that either... but I don't blame her here...

[GuardianAngel]

I thought the tension in this scene was incredible... and the whole Mick giving her instructions thing just gave me goosey chills all over. I love it when Mick takes charge.

Me too, Luxe. And I love how, ever since she didn't stay in the car, when he tells her to do something that will keep her safe he makes her acknowledge it and agree.

[allegrita]

Mick in this mode is just amazing... he makes you listen to him. I love it when he takes charge.

[francis]

This is moving so fast I can't keep up. The conversation in the house was so hurtful for Mick. It was made very clear that at that moment Beth chose Josh, but still let Mick protect her. Josh is a great guy to ask Mick how HE is, while so upset that Beth has been in danger.
I wonder about the stupidity of the tact squad. They didn't think with one brain cell that Josh would be in danger, too. They can't even stop Beth from leaving, they can't keep up with her, and they are ill prepared to get the bad guy in front of the house. I can see why Mick secretly planned to stay around. He never meant to leave.

The whole chase was high adrenaline. Beth was finally ready to take instructions, Mick is good at that. She stayed down until it was clear that the danger was over, only it wasn't. That moment when Josh got hit from behind was shocking and heart-stopping. Of course Beth would hold on to anyone who was there.

Mick was so focused on the whole triangle thing that he was careless. I guess he beat himself up constantly about that later. He could have taken out the guy or made sure he was still unconscious or tie him up or check for secret weapons. He did none of these things in his attempt to help Beth get Josh back. Very tragic.

[GuardianAngel]

Okay, here we go. Grab some tissues ladies. I think I used half a box doing this.


The following link is for the Trevor Morris website where you can access and listen to “Saving Josh”, the wonderful music which accompanied this scene. Click on ‘film-tv-interactive’ (right next to the Trevor Morris logo) and then on Moonlight.

http://www.trevormorris.com/home.html


Mick and Beth lift Josh from the car and lie him down. A frozen Beth stands there until Mick yells to call 911.








Mick is assessing Josh’s damage. When Beth comes over Mick tells her to take off her jacket. He has her put it over a shot in the abdomen and apply pressure.




Mick’s going to address the other wounds. His VO tells us that he was a medic in WWII. Multiple gunshot wounds were common - you did the best you could with what you had. He tears the pants up one leg to get at a shot in the thigh.






A police car arrives. It’s Carl and he comes over to see Josh, and tells Mick they need to move him to the car and get him to the hospital. Mick says no. He’s got to stabilize the wounds - there’s an ambulance on the way. He tells Carl to take care of Tejada’s guys.




Carl goes to do that. Mick talks to Josh softly, telling him ‘stay with us’ and ‘come on, Josh’. He moves up to assess the wound in the ADA’s neck. Mick’s VO tells us that the artery has been severed and he needs to make sure blood is getting to his brain. He has Beth use her fingers to put pressure on the neck wound.




Mick goes to the car and to get the lighter. Carl takes away the thugs and Beth talks to Josh, telling him she’s sorry.


Mick comes back and announces that he’s going to cauterize the artery. He tells Beth to hold Josh still as he moves from the pain.








Mick reminds Beth to keep pressure on the abdomen and tries to keep her focused by telling her she’s doing a great job.




Mick moves back down to the leg and listens for blood flow. The tourniquet isn’t working. He’s got to stop the blood flow to the femoral artery. He tells Beth to take her necklace off. When she questions him he says to just do it.


She wants to know how he knows what he’s doing as she hands him her chain. He tells her that you learn a lot in war and to hold the necklace.




Mick’s VO tells us that you find out why some people make it and others don’t. He tells Beth this is going to hurt Josh so hold him steady. HMick tells him to be brave. Josh says ‘right’.




Mick goes to work, making an incision and using the necklace to tie off the artery. If it works it may save Josh’s leg.






Beth tries to comfort Josh through the pain, telling him he’s okay.




Josh asks her what day it is and she answers Friday. October? “No, Sweetie,” she tells him. “It’s January”. Josh says their anniversary is in October. They discuss their first date. His favorite dive bar. They played video golf. She tells him she’s never had so much fun her whole life. He had to make sure she was his kind of girl.










Mick tells us the artery is clamped. That should stop the blood flow to the legs.


All the blood is taking its toll on Beth. It’s the sunlight taking its toll on Mick.






Mick asks Carl how much longer til the ambulance arrives. He says two, maybe three minutes. Mick knows Josh doesn’t have three minutes. Mick’s VO tells us that, at the end of the day, not a lot separates life and death.




Mick tells Beth Josh needs CPR. Does she know how to do that? She says yes. Beth breathes for Josh while Mick does the chest compressions. The VO continues....”that’s what makes it precious.”






Mick doesn’t hear anything, no pulse, no circulation. Nothing.


Beth turns to Mick telling him that he can save him. Mick realizes what she’s asking and says no, he can’t do that. “Yes, you can. You can save him.” Mick tells her that’s not living. She pleads. And again.










Mick tells her he’s human, holds up his bloody hands and says this is what happens. We hear the ambulance coming.






Medics arrive and take over. Mick tells them Josh’s heart stopped 45 seconds ago. Mick and Beth watch as they try to revive Josh.










Finally, the paramedic tells them Josh is gone.










Mick approaches Beth, calling her name. She tells him to stay away from her. She turns and heads towards the pond.
















Rest in peace, Josh Lindsey

[librarian_7]

[allegrita]

Somehow it's even more awful in screencaps...
Poor Josh. Poor Beth. Poor Mick.

[PNWgal]

I'm back to comment, now that I've stepped away to blow my nose and blame my sniffling on allergies.

I wholly agree with Alle - seeing this scene in still caps is more heartbreaking than watching it. You can see the anguish on Beth's face, the grim determination on Mick's, and watching Josh die in stages is horrifying. Alex, Jordan and Sophia couldn't have played this scene any better. Beth freezing in horror, then snapping to attention when Mick barks at her to call 911, then struggling to stay calm throughout...exactly the way I think I'd react to something like seeing the guy I love get shot right in front of me.

For some reason, when Beth says, "No sweetie, it's January", I just dissolve into hiccupping sobs. She's trying to keep him with her, and...well damn, it breaks my heart.

And again, the way Beth and Mick see his vampirism comes out, guns blazing, here. Beth sees it as being "saved", as "living", and Mick can only see it as a curse he won't level on anyone the way it was leveled on him. If you want to look at in in a purely pessimistic way, Mick let Josh die on principle. He Turns Josh and maybe Josh really likes it. Mick's self-hatred is a moot point.

[francis]

They both did everything possible. Beth was horrified and shocked. Mick was almost emotionless, functioning efficiently, throughout his attempts to save Josh, competent, focused. He was probably having a flashback to the war, but other than Beth he has seen it all. But when Josh was pronounced dead, he came out of it and fell apart. And that was exactly the moment when he reached out to Beth and she couldn't give him what he needed. She was utterly devastated, probably sick. Josh was so brave throughout the blood bath, and Mick never once lost control and let his vampire out, despite all the blood.

I wonder if the necklace was silver and burned Mick's hands, and how tempted he must have been to lick his hands. He was out in the sun all morning, and now this.

They all three did such a good job with this scene. I think they all must have been wiped out at the end of that day.

[wondergirl9847]

My word! The screencaps!! I am sitting here at work reading the captions, looking at their faces and trying to keep myself from becoming a crying mess right now.

One of my fave caps is the one where Josh is in agony, with Beth holding his head in her hands and his hand is grabbing her arm. It KILLS me.

Don't even get me started on Mick's face after Josh is gone and Beth tells him to stay away from her.

[wpgrace]

Sigh. SUCH amazing acting from them all... and yeah, Mick's face thru this whole scene reflects everything he is going thru... a truly amazing performance.

Francis, I too wonder if the silver in the necklace burned Mick, and if the blood was just oh so tempting... adding another layer of discomfort to what is already a horrific moment for him...

May I take just a moment to, once again, thank GA for the screen caps? These are amazing, as they always are from GA... but yes... something about these make the moment even more painful.

[darkstarrising]

Have to agree with y'all about the impact of the screen caps....in live action, it's moving way too fast and you aren't given the time to fully appreciate the intensity of emotion on each of the characters....the caps at the end really show just how much Josh's death cost Mick, both as a human and a vampire.....

One thing I hadn't noticed before is that Mick isn't all that concerned about his own gunshot wound being seen by others (blood on his shirt could be explained away, but not the hole). Later on, at the police station, he's got his coat buttoned up to cover that little detail

[Luxe de Luxe]

Firstly, GA, thanks for attaching the link to Trevor Morris's moving score... I listened as I read the screencaps and got chills down my spine. When the clarinet (or whatever it is) comes in over the top of the piano it's just.. *Luxe shivers*

This was simply one of the best sequences EVER in ML. The dramatic tension was unbelievable, you really feel the urgency. I loved how 'together' Mick was despite this, going straight back into medic mode, nothing but mind on the job and total competence as he tried to save Josh, falling back on his field experience for the ingenuity required to get it done. (who would have thought about her necklace??). I just fell in love with him again during this scene, firstly the whole taking charge thing ( ) and then even in the midst of this horrible crisis, being able to tell Beth she's doing a great job. He's managing the whole thing. That is character. I just kept thinking what a wonderful, wonderful man.

There was something that really bothered me about this scene though, and that was the total lack of blood on Beth's hands. Mick asks her to put pressure on an artery and her hands should have been as bloody as his. It was a terrible continuity error given they'd worked so hard to make the rest of the scene as real as it was.