Moonlight Episode Discussion - Ep 5: Arrested Development

[librarian_7]

I'm going to have to miss a lot (I hope there's a lot, anyway), over the next few days, but I just wanted to throw out a thought.

It's always struck me--and bear with me here for a second--how much Teenvamp is presented as a younger version of Mick. Before you grab tomatoes, yes, that kid would never have grown into someone as gorgeous as Mick, but--the dark, curling hair, the clothes (so very similar to Mick's black coat and baseball cap from Fever...), the self-loathing. He is what Mick sees himself as being.

He is a dark, very dark, mirror image of Mick. This is particularly noticeably in the scene that cuts back and forth between Mick and Beth in car, and TeenVamp talking to the hooker in the bar. And their conversations, both on the phone and later, in the amusement park, are not face to face. Each is talking, but to himself.

Lucky

[SirenSong]

No tomatoes from me, Lucky. I noticed the similarities on first viewing and wondered if we were supposed to momentarily, at the beginning of the episode, think that Mick had gone loco and started murdering prostitutes. If they had written the teenvamp a bit better so that we actually sympathized with him a bit, the comparison would have worked better. Sadly, they didn't.

[GuardianAngel]

Yes, in the beginning we don't ever actually see the teen vamp's face. And he wears that cap which is similar to the one Mick wore in the preceding episode. I think we were supposed to question if it was Mick.

Personally, I didn't see much in common between the two. Yes they both loathed what they were but for very different reasons and not in the same way.

[librarian_7]

I will say I personally never for a moment thought it was Mick. The build and height were all wrong, and since we'd seen him in his icky little lair...the chances of it being Mick never were great. If they wanted us to think that, they did a poor job of misleading us. But the parallels are there.

Lucky

[mwj01]

This was such a weird exchange between the two, I thought. I kind of lump it into the same category as the stupid Beth dialogue at the end of Out of the Past. Here she confronts Mick and wants him to admit that they made a connection in the desert and then she switches mode and tells him that they should try to track the killer together. Huh? What does one thing possibly have to do with the other? It's like they edited out 15 lines of dialogue for time purposes. And as much as I would like to think that Chisty's connect the dot explanation was what they had in mind, I think that's giving the writers waaaaayyyyy too much credit.

Weird, weird, weird.

I agree on the weirdness of the convo with the sudden "let's track the killer" comment. I guess he was wiping his brow though. And Fleur, she was always demanding a response from him!

[wpgrace]

No tomatoes from me, Lucky. I noticed the similarities on first viewing and wondered if we were supposed to momentarily, at the beginning of the episode, think that Mick had gone loco and started murdering prostitutes. If they had written the teenvamp a bit better so that we actually sympathized with him a bit, the comparison would have worked better. Sadly, they didn't.

I think Lucky is right, in that the intent was to make these two vamps on some level comparable (in their phone convo, Mick tells the teen I'm a vamp just like you and the teen questions the just like me part), and thus to make Mick--and then by extension us--at least somewhat empathetic towards this teen. But ultimately, as SS points out, the writers and the casting guys, and the teen actor, failed to make it work.

I think this is, sadly, a bit unfortunate and typical about the show... they often had a loftier ideal in mind but the execution just couldn't live up to the plan... I don't know if this occurred so often because they were rushed trying to make eps before the strike... I read somewhere once that they got the green-light late and were behind anyway due to the recasting... or if the constant turnover in show leadership meant you didn't have that practised and caring eye spotting the little problems and failures we all now catch...

But had they not cast Alex as Mick... this program would likely not have made it even thru the original Twelve... and THAT would have been a horror!

[redwinter101]

I agree with Grace about the execution not always living up to the vision - but one of the reasons why I adore this show so much is that there was a vision in the first place. The creators, cast and crew, especially those involved in the first 12, set out with an ambition for what this show could be. They tried to tackle complex issues and themes, they tried to avoid numbing procedural, they tried to be original, they tried to show the conflicts and challenges these characters faced every day - in short, they aimed high. Sometimes they missed the target - but when they hit it, boy did they hit it.

I think AD shows some hitting and some missing: we've had plenty of discussion about the shortcomings of zitvamp (thanks for that Raven ) and also some of my favourite scenes. And there are more coming (Mick and the vamp at the amusement park, discussing true love; the sex conversation; Beth meets Ryder and Josef; the parking lot kiss). I think this highlights the hit and miss theme of the whole show.

And I can so easily forgive the things that didn't work when they were as a result of refusing to play safe.

Red

[wpgrace]

Oh I do agree Red... I'll take what we got over not getting it any day...

As I said, that would be the true horror! Farrrrrr more frightening thought than any monster!

[GuardianAngel]

The idea that there are modern day vamps living among us is a fantastic one. They changed up the vampire lore so that it worked. Vampire's are not an inheritantly evil creatures. No more than a human is. It's a virus in the blood that can be passed from vamp to human. We see the good vs. evil struggle in one particular vampire. It's his own personal struggle, not one of a race. I was hooked on the premise.

[Fleur de Lisa]

Me too, GA. That had me completely hooked. And it was so different from everything else that was out there. I firmly believe that if ML had premiered a year later, we may have had a different scenario--look at the success of Twilight and True Blood. ML was ahead of it's time. The melding of vampires, romance, action, etc--what a unique concept, and one that is sorely lacking in television today.

One of the reasons I love AD--is it is a melding of all that is ML---the sexual tension, the crime fighting, action sequences, searching for humanity, empathy, and the music just rocked! They may have hit a few snags, but I give them so much credit for their uniqueness.

[wpgrace]

I agree... that premise, that vampires walk among us, is incredibly seductive. And the fact they tried to explain it from modern, medical, and scientific terms is just such a fun twist. And it is an incredibly simple idea, once one has been intelligent and creative enough to come up with it in the first place. That was such a draw for me. I like vampires, but I've seen a lot of vampire stuff... this really stood out and also seems to have attracted folks who NEVER liked vamps before...

I also agree Lisa, that had the show debutted a bit later... giving them more time to really string their act together as well as letting the vamp craze progress a bit more, we might've gotten more show...

Sigh. We'll never know.

But it is soooo fun going over it a million times together isn't it? Makes no sense, but I never get tired of it... and you all keep coming up with stuff I never thought about before anyway... which means I have to go back and WATCH the eps again... SO much work being a fan!

[Fleur de Lisa]

I agree... that premise, that vampires walk among us, is incredibly seductive. And the fact they tried to explain it from modern, medical, and scientific terms is just such a fun twist. And it is an incredibly simple idea, once one has been intelligent and creative enough to come up with it in the first place. That was such a draw for me. I like vampires, but I've seen a lot of vampire stuff... this really stood out and also seems to have attracted folks who NEVER liked vamps before...

I also agree Lisa, that had the show debutted a bit later... giving them more time to really string their act together as well as letting the vamp craze progress a bit more, we might've gotten more show...

Sigh. We'll never know.

But it is soooo fun going over it a million times together isn't it? Makes no sense, but I never get tired of it... and you all keep coming up with stuff I never thought about before anyway... which means I have to go back and WATCH the eps again... SO much work being a fan!

I know!! Going back and re-watching, you would think we had every little nuance covered, but there is still so much more to explore and learn. I love hearing other's takes on scenes, the fact that we all get a little something different out of an episode/scene. I am constantly amazed at the level of intelligence and specificity that is on this board. You all blow me away.

[GuardianAngel]

We see the girl from the escort ad get a phone call.



We hear a voice on the line ask her if she's Cherish. We know it's the creepy teen vamp. He has things belonging to the girl he killed.



He says he's a friend of her old roommate, Jazzmyn. When asked he says that Jazzmyn is good, never better and says 'hi'. (shiver)



Cherish is surprised because Jazzmyn swiped her old website. The voice says that Jazzmyn's sorry about that (Oh yeah, she's as sorry as sorry gets). He continues, saying that Jazzmyn said he should give her, Cherish, a call. It's clear that it's a 'business' call. At first Cherish is no very interested but when they strike a deal for $500 an hour they agree.



Cherish asks if he's sure Jazzmyn won't be upset. The vamp tells her that he promises, Jazzmyn won't say anything.



Marissa surprises Beth at work.



Beth apologizes for bailing at the dinner. Marissa says she should apologize to Josh. Beth asks if Josh was mad and is told no. Which is the point Marissa wants to make. She wants to know what's going on between Beth and Josh. They've been together a year and haven't even moved in together. Isn't it time to get serious?



Beth says she is serious. Marissa isn't buying it. Beth is more serious about her job than Josh. She asks if there is someone else.



Beth tells her no. 3 times. (Me thinks the lady doth protest too much?) Doesn't Marissa think Beth and Josh were fated. She says yes but fate isn't getting someone moved in or the extra keys made.



Marissa begins to say that the universe sends you a sign (deja vu?) and is inturrupted by Beth's phone ringing. Guess who!



With a knowing smile Marissa says that it is a sign. Beth tells her its not Josh.

[wpgrace]

Ok, so I have proven time and again that I am computer stoopid, so I'll ask... how does Mick get that rose on his name when he calls Beth? OR does Beth apply the rose to Mick's name when he calls? (Mick St. John smiley)

[PNWgal]

I'm wondering if it's an iPhone background, Grace.