Moonlight Episode Discussion - Ep 9: Fleur de Lis

[GuardianAngel]

We're getting ahead of ourselves here. It's inevitable that we mention scenes that are still to come but lets not discuss them in depth until we get to it.

I'll try to post the next scene later today.

[redwinter101]

[coco]

I've been sitting on my hands eager to reply to some of the comments but holding back til we got to those scenes.

Looking forward to more. I've thoroughly enjoyed this particular discussion so far.

[GuardianAngel]

Thank you, coco. I'll try not to take too long getting to the good stuff.

[coco]

Thank you, coco. I'll try not to take too long getting to the good stuff.

Not rushing you at all, GA.

[allegrita]

coco is much better behaved than I am today.

[librarian_7]

I think a lot of it has to to with the situations they where in also. When I think about things, I remember that Beth never got the opportunity to work a case like this with Mick. Every case Beth was involved in with Mick related back to vamps in some way and it was about keeping a secret at all times. The case that Morgan and Mick worked was a human case - nothing for Mick to have to hide and nothing for Morgan to discover. Beth is always going to come across differently in this situation - she takes it seriously and I liked that about her. I have to say that I found Beth much, much fun on the show. There was a definite serious side to her but also a down to earth side that I related to.

Pssst....coco, WLB and Click were non-vamp cases...and LLF as well.

Okay, back to topic.

Lucky

[GuardianAngel]

Mick and Morgan are back at his office, going over the audio Mick got - trying to get a clearer shot on what he thought he heard.




They both listen. Morgan comments that he was right about the interference - the audio is very clear. Mick hits buttons, trying to make it clearer. They get to the part where he thinks they talked about Haggans killing them but it's a mess. He's sure it should be there and repeats what they said.



She says maybe 'kill' was a figure of speech. Like "I'd KILL for a burger." Mick doesn't buy it. She asks if he's sure he heard that. He's positive.




He says that maybe the mic missed it. She scoffs - his ears picked up something that a state-of-the-art $5,000 mic did not?

Mick asks what if Haggans isn't thinking about divorce - what if he's using this proof to justify murder? Morgan can't imagine why - wouldn't divorce be easier?



He says yes but it's also way more public. He doesn't strike Mick as the kind of guy who wants his personal life on display. She asks if he's the kind of guy who would commit murder. Frustrated, Mick tells her anybody is capable of murder. Given the right circumstance.




Morgan looks at him thoughtfully as Mick goes back to play with the audio. Evasion?



Morgan tells him that Haggans hired them to get information - it's not their responsibility what he does with it. Our noble Mick says that he's not going to get this woman killed. Morgan reminds him - no info, no paycheck.



Relenting, Mick says 'all right', he'll talk to Haggans. She asks if he's going to ask him if he's planning on murdering his wife. He's thinking of something more sublte.



They get up to leave. Mick is going to meet with Haggans. Morgan says she knows one of the sound guys at Buzzwire who can maybe help clean up the audio.




When Morgan first took the job, I didn't think she took it very serious. I thought she was more interested in playing with Mick. It's at this point, the end of this scene, that I thought she became more serious about it. More involved with the actual job.

[helloeeze]

Just have to say I love Mick's outfit in this scene. There are a couple screencaps as he gets up from the chair to leave, oh, those jeans hugging him. Very nice. Then you add the coat, makes it hot and stunning. The fact that Morgan doesn't give Mick a sideways glance from time to time...well, that only proves she's Coraline because any normal woman would be checking the man out at every opportunity.

I bought my husband a shirt like that . He didn't like it and only wore it once. Hey, a girl can have a fantasy, can't she?

[darkstarrising]

She's into the job, all right...for that amount of money, so would I....but she's still playing with him. All the little innocent comments about divorce being easier than murder, she's trying to get him agitated. She wants to see if he'll start to sweat...

[Phoenix]

Sorry to come in late and go off on a tangent ... but I just wanted to make a general observation about Morgan vs. Coraline.

Mick met Coraline in 1952, and compared to earlier in Coraline's life, women must have had a huge amount of freedom at that time; however, it was still an era of rigidly defined gender roles. Fast forward to the early 21st century, and we see women are treated almost as equal to men. Women are free to pursue real careers these days, not just work "for fun" until they find a nice man and settle down to look after the house.

If "Morgan" was as young as she looked, she would have grown up in a totally different world to Coraline. Different attitudes and expectations from society. (To offer a RL example, I'm in my mid-40's, and my father's attitude was that paying to educate me was no better than setting his money on fire. Any woman Morgan's age would have grown up in a far more equal society, so I think Coraline took all of that into account when - as Red observed - she created the persona.)

[Luxe de Luxe]

She's into the job, all right...for that amount of money, so would I....but she's still playing with him. All the little innocent comments about divorce being easier than murder, she's trying to get him agitated. She wants to see if he'll start to sweat...

I totally agree, dsr. She's having a subtle dig at him here, seeing what his response will be to the divorce vs murder question. He definitely sounded a little flustered to me when he responded.

I'm not sure whether I agree that its a totally manufactured persona.. I like to think that a lot of 'Morgan' was Coraline's natural charm showing through.

[coco]

Thanks for pointing out how wrong I got the cases, Lucky.
I honestly had an observation I was trying to make about the differences I see when I watch them together but I clearly messed it up so shutting up now about it.

GA love the last set of screen shots. Being totally shallow for a moment - that outfit is very, very nice on Mick, he looks utterly gorgeous in that scene. Again, they are working well together here and Morgan has definitely shifted to a little more serious in terms of the case.

[news]

Stepping my toe in briefly and hoping it doesn't get cut off, but IMO, Cora was being Cora, plain and simple. She was playing a role (Morgan)--to befriend Beth to a certain extent and to get to Mick. The entire reason for Cora's character is that she was the antagonist--every show needs one, and that was her position. Yes, I think Mick loved her at one time. As evidenced on the show, I never saw any "cute" Cora moments in the flashbacks. All I saw were her being a seductress---again, her role and purpose, and toying with Mick. That in itself is a powerful tool to snare a man. To me, that is what lured Mick in. She was sexy as hell, unattainable and steps above him on the social ladder.

Cora knew that Mick was 'into' Beth, she also knew that playing the seductress and slightly evil chick was not going to get him into her good graces again, therefore, become human and better than she was before--someone Mick could possibly fall in love with again.

Once again, Cora is a centuries old vamp, she knows the game and how to play it. Does that mean that she never loved Mick, of course not. But do I believe that a zebra can change it's stripes? Not so much.

Of course, we can all speculate till the cow's come home (sorry for all of the animal metaphors), but based only on the one season we got, that is how I rationalize Cora's becoming Morgan and her 'sweet' behavior.

Lisa..you'd make a fine law enforcement officer luv, or something in that capacity. Everything you've written shows it. I'm one myself you know. I'd just love to work alongside of you. Great observations on Morgan/Coraline, truly. Carry on everyone....

[wpgrace]

Thanks for pointing out how wrong I got the cases, Lucky.
I honestly had an observation I was trying to make about the differences I see when I watch them together but I clearly messed it up so shutting up now about it.

GA love the last set of screen shots. Being totally shallow for a moment - that outfit is very, very nice on Mick, he looks utterly gorgeous in that scene. Again, they are working well together here and Morgan has definitely shifted to a little more serious in terms of the case.

Personally, I LOVE your shallow, coco... then I don't have to feel so guilty about mine.

And I think Morgan has become more serious about the case coz we're not just talking about a cheating wife now... we're talking potential murder. Murder of a wife. A subject she is likely to take rather personally, as well as seriously.

I love how, several times in ML, they have an ep plot going that mirrors Mick's own life or experiences in some way... as with the teen vamp... and here, as with the wife-icide... which turns out to be a husband-icide... but I am now jumping ahead again...