“We’ve got a rogue on our hands.”It’s all about contrasts in this third entry: the doctor who kills, the vampire who saves, the astrophysicist overwhelmed by the minutiae of human interactions. And, on top of it all: the beautiful blond human who is a foil to the dark, mysterious ex-wife.
I enjoyed the second episode of Moonlight much more than the first, and I just watched the fourth and liked it a lot. So I am enjoying this show, but Dr. Feelgood didn’t quite work the way it was supposed to—so far, Billie is getting the best episodes.
Mick’s origin story, which is pretty horrific, contrasted—sort of—with the doctor’s. Mick was turned by his wife on their wedding night, in a truly bizarre consummation and loss of innocence. Mick’s turning was plotted out by his wife, with good, albeit self-interested, intentions on her side. She cared for him; she wanted to give him the gift of vampirism. A gift that keeps on giving, and giving, and giving.
The doctor wasn’t so lucky. His sire just made a mistake, and the doctor didn’t get the benefit of vampire-training. The doctor fully embraced all the worst parts of vampirism: unquenchable thirst, overpowering physical strength. But he completely missed the possible benefits of immortality, such as being able to put yourself on the line to save others—an aspect of vampirism that Mick takes part in every week. The doctor even killed his wife, which moves him way out of the realm of feral kitten and straight into the realm of crazy, deluded psychopath. (My semi-feral cat would definitely wait for me to die to start noshing.)
Speaking of wives, which seems to be the theme of the week: the astrophysicist said he’d never been able to turn anyone before, almost like he was impotent or sterile. Or was it more of a mental block?
Okay, I’m done talking about wives. Let’s talk about Sophia Myles, who is just wonderful. Her reaction to the news of Mick’s secret life is great: she’s astonished, but just rolls with the punches— “Will you ask the other vampires if they know anything?” had me laughing. On the other hand, did she really need to look up pictures of vampires on the internet? I know, I know: it symbolizes her curiosity about Mick. But, still.
That curiosity just might get Beth into trouble with her paramour. She told him that the vampire stuff was looking at had nothing to do with him—a rather needless protestation if she’s not interested in Mick. So we have a Mick/boyfriend contrast, too. As well as the obvious contrast between getting sired and Beth finding out the truth: even just knowing about vampires can change a person, as much as becoming one. Okay, maybe not quite as much.
Bites:
• Beth: “Are you the only one? Or are there other…vampires?” Loved her unwillingness to say it out loud.
• Random cop: “Pit bull? Like the one that mauled the woman in San Francisco?” If she’s referring to this bizarre and tragic case, which was a huge deal in the Bay Area in 2001, then it was a Presa Canario.
• Josef: “Do you think Tiger would be up for a little nightclubbing?” This seems downright prescient.
• Prof. Vampire: “I think I’ve finally gotten used to my solitary existence. Other vampires seem to avoid me, and my human colleagues…well, you know how that is.” I thought this was hilarious.
• Beth: “Eighty-five looks pretty good to me.”
Mick: “Not from where I’m sitting.” Does he not like immortality?
• Mick: “The stake. Take it out.”
Beth: “Maybe it’s like a piece of glass—you’re supposed to wait to take it out.”
Pieces:
• The only way that the same detective could be involved in a murder on Melrose and a mauling downtown is if he works for the Robbery-Homicide division (which is LAPD), which means that his choice of dining location in the first episode, by the LA County Sheriff’s station, was just chance. Yes, I read way too many LA-based detective novels.
• The doctor was referred to as a rogue, a feral kitten, and a newbie.
• A new bit of info on the vampire clubhouse: The Cleaner, who, you guessed it, cleans up after vampire mishaps. Half fixer, half den mother. I like it. Mick’s olfactory detection got a starring role in this episode, too: is he just good at ferreting out scents, or can he really get psychic flashes of what happened in a place? And how long do these scents stay in the air? And, hey, what's up with the rules?
This episode had a lot of moving pieces, and a lot of emotional ground to cover. I think they (preemptive groan) bite off a bit more than they could chew.
Two out of four feral kittens. (Ouch, why is my cat chewing on my toe?!)
Josie Kafka is a full-time cat servant and part-time rogue demon hunter. (What's a rogue demon?)
I just loved Sophia Myles in this episode. She is so amused by the whole situation, so fascinated with Mick, and so funny. Very cute. Loved the Cleaner, too. And Mick's backstory is such a bummer, and again makes him seem so human and vulnerable. Incineration aside.
ReplyDeleteAnother probably unintentional genre reference: the camera at Mick's front door, and him watching Beth outside of it, was reminiscent of La Femme Nikita.
Josh brings Beth her favorite Chinese food when she works late. Where can I get a boyfriend like that? And speaking of Chinese food, Professor Rocket Scientist Vamp mentioned how he loved the Empress Pavilion. I've been there several times. It's an L.A. landmark.
http://www.empresspavilion.com/
The place is immense, and it's so busy that you have to be there by 10:30 to get a table for lunch. It's worth it, though. The dim sum is incredible. It's my cousin's favorite restaurant.