Happy ninth birthday to Moonlight!
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 7:18 pm
Hi fellow Moonlightaholics,
Our show made its debut on Friday, September 28, 2007, and as my current banner says, it grabbed my attention right away when Beth bashed Mick over the head with a vase, and he (looking imperturbable and ever so handsome and cool) said, mildly, "Ouch."
Beth was intrigued (but she was all, eww, vampires! 
). I was even more intrigued. This was definitely a new kind of vampire. 
Although I had read and seen (on TV and in movies) quite a few different takes on the vampire theme before Moonlight, I've always been a bit annoyed that vampirism seemed to involve the loss of a person's true personality, and usually, their soul. Why should it?
Maybe it's because I'm not very religious, but the whole "get bitten and lose your soul and your goodness" thing left me cold. That's one of the reasons I loved Moonlight so much, even from the very start. Finally, here was a show where vampirism was a physical condition, not a spiritual catastrophe. Yes, there were certain side effects--many of which made sense in terms of vampires being predatory by nature--their senses were heightened, they were strong, they could see in the dark, new vamps could become feral if not carefully coached by their sires, etc. And there were some nods to traditional vampire lore, with interesting twists--silver was poisonous to them, stakes paralyzed them rather than killing them, exposure to the sun was painful (but possible), they slept during the day (but in freezers, not coffins). But the person's basic nature didn't magically change overnight, they didn't lose their soul, they weren't evil. (Well, unless they started out that way.) I liked the fact that vampires had their own laws and rules, that they worked hard to co-exist with us mortals, and that they had even figured out a way to obtain their food without killing the providers. This was a kind of vampire I could totally understand.And then there were the characters themselves. Mick was charming, compelling, devastatingly handsome, yet detached from the people who surrounded him. But although he kept his emotional distance, he was drawn to mortals, and determined to do what he could to help them. You could feel his yearning for them, but that detachment seemed impenetrable. Until Beth got into trouble, and he had to rescue her, and she hugged him... and his carefully constructed wall of detachment melted in front of our eyes.
Josef swept into the show like a tsunami. He absolutely stole his scenes, but not in an annoying way. He had a powerful personality, acted as a sort of mentor to Mick, was all about enjoying life (or un-life) to its fullest. He was rich and powerful and totally in control. And when he bit the freshie and she swooned in obvious erotic bliss, well... 
He was brash, but he cared for Mick. And though he didn't understand Mick's fascination with us mortal ones, he respected it. Well, kinda. And Guillermo was a working man, who had found the perfect niche for himself in the human world. He was Mick's "supply guy" for his bagged blood, and he was also a good source for information in Mick's cases. I loved his low-key character, and the fact that he held a position of respect in the community. Guillermo was in the morgue, partly, to make sure evidence of vampires didn't get noticed. He was good at his job and he was also extremely charming, in a completely different way from Mick and Josef.Then there were the humans. Beth was strong, self-assured (well, mostly--she needed a bit of reassurance from Steve during her first live broadcast), and insatiably curious. She wasn't afraid to go into dangerous situations. Yet behind that strength was something else... we weren't sure what, not in that first episode, but we knew she had some locked-away memory, and that Mick triggered it somehow. She was interesting to me for her mystery as well as for her other, more obvious qualities. Steve was her cameraman, her friend, and a sort of grounding influence for her. Carl was great, in a different way. I loved his relationship with Beth. She drove him crazy, but she was a woman of her word and she gave back as much as she got from him, in terms of information. Plus, he was gorgeous and an incredibly snappy dresser. Then there was Maureen. I loved her! What a great, strong character for a woman to play. Moonlight was ahead of its time in its casting, I think. What a diverse cast it had, and we saw that from the first.
Well, I could go on and on, as you can see.
I still think about Moonlight every day. I don't think I will ever get over my Moonlightaholism. And I don't want to. So let's have a toast to Moonlight, the amazing show that brought us together nine years ago. Here's to creators Trevor Munson and Ron Koslow, the wonderful writers, the directors and actors and set and costume designers, the lighting crew (special shout-out to them for the gorgeous way the show was shot), and all the other crew who made it happen. Thank you to all of them. They changed my life nine years ago. 
Oh Alle, what a wonderful way to remember everyone... 
Happy 9th Mooniversary to my lovely Moonlight family. 
I'm so happy to have found such a warm and wonderful place to continue sharing memories and inspiration with people... 
Moonlight was unique, ahead of its time, but after all this time, still brings a smile to my face. The magic is eternal, just like Mick.
Moonlight was an amazing show that changed my life in so many ways. I am so glad it lead me to such a wonderful community.
Moonlight music still makes my heart swell whenever or wherever I hear it. The scenes are still so vivid in my minds eye I drift off to that special place in my heart where my Moonlight memories live. 
