Voices From Krypton

MOONLIGHT: "FLEUR DE LIS"

Moonlight “Fleur de Lis”

Episode: 1.09

Original Air Date: 11/23/2007

Writer: Gabrielle Stanton, Harry Werksman

Director: James Whitmore Jr.

Starring: Alex O’Loughlin, Sophia Myles, Shannyn Sossamon, Jason Dohring

Guest star: Victor Webster, Kathleen Munroe, Richard Cox, Marc Anthony Samuel, Amayla Early, Bryn Early, Andrew Lin

Plot Summary: Beth convinces Mick to keep Morgan (the photographer/‘ringer’ for his ex-wife) occupied while she conducts a more in-depth investigation into Morgan’s past.  Beth wants to prove one way or another that Morgan is Coraline, the vampire who kidnapped Beth when she was a child.

Review: In romance novels, writers have rules about their male hero. They must be loyal, faithful, courageous, have a good sense of humor and great abs (okay, that’s moi interjecting again). They are also determined. I like my hero steadfast in his convictions and capable of falling deeply, single-mindedly, in love, despite his flaws and the obstacles that keep ‘pulling him back in’.  And oh yeah, he has to have a big heart. What does all this have to do with Moonlight’s “Fleur de Lis”, episode 1.09? Sounds a lot like Mick St. John if you ask me.

This episode peeled away another layer from our hero’s mystique. It also answered a question I’m not certain had been asked before—how far will rage take Beth Turner? Cleverly crafted, “Fleur de Lis” used the procedural investigation to provide a reflection of what’s happening in the lives of the main characters. It also plays homage to an Oscar-winning movie from 1974 called “The Conversation” starring Gene Hackman, written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola.  Check it out if you’ve never seen it. It might make you scream when you connect the dots to “Fleur de Lis”.

To recap: in the investigation portion of the story we have a head of household hiring Mick to check on his trophy wife, a stepmother found to be involved in an affair with a stepson, and other miscommunications that lead to errors in judgment. On the other side, we have Morgan/Coraline, getting to play multiple roles—photographer, forgiving new partner, and a mother dealing with her wayward children (Beth and Mick).

This was a dark episode. The dysfunctional relationship between parents and children and infidelity were examined.  And within this maze, we still have Mick being heroic, but making huge mistakes in judgment. He trusts information at face value until nudged by Beth or Morgan. He also wants to save innocent lives—that pesky heart of his gets him shot in the head (big shriek at that scene). He wasn’t the one who figured out the truth of who wanted to kill whom until it was shoved down his throat. That’s also reflected in what he’s doing with Morgan/Coraline. He wants a cure for vampirism—and might well have slept with Coraline out of sheer joy if Beth hadn’t interrupted.

However, his most evident flaw is his greatest attribute—the big freaking heart. He cares about too many things including Beth, his guilt over killing his wife, his guilt about being a vampire, his guilt about wanting to sleep with Beth, while at the same time loving her (and treating her) as if she was a child. Then he’s also got the other issue. As Josef said, Mick doesn’t always think with his big head – which rings clear in that shower scene.  Went Mick went in there, he wasn’t just searching for the fleur de lis on Morgan’s shoulder. Nor did he know for certain if she was Coraline when he opened the shower door. And he didn’t examine Morgan’s back first. Mick reached for her.

Well, Loyal Viewers, it was a complex episode – well played with a couple of surprises to boot. It even gave us a cliffhanger ending. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait three weeks to find out what happens next (new episode won’t air until December 14).

Things I liked: The surprise opening. Beth Turner letting us know she doesn’t forgive and forget. I was actually stunned by Beth’s rage. She was sure Morgan was Coraline, but she’d heard both Mick and Josef swear she was human. Nonetheless, Beth still staked a most likely human Coraline—no matter what she said about freezing vampires.

The women were the most clear-headed characters in the episode. They made the big decisions – the stepmother shooting Mick, Coraline rushing to Mick’s aid, Beth in about every scene was right on top of her crime investigative journalist game.

Things that made me go, huh? (in a good way): Beth’s in charge of this episode—and it’s more than getting to do the voice over (VO) for first time in the show’s young history. She handled it well, but it was a necessity. No way did we want to be in Mick’s head for this one.

What’s up with Alex’s patches of gray hair in the opening scene with the CEO? It disappeared later.

Stuff hits the fan: Beth’s words to Mick when Morgan slithers down the staircase are “How could you?” The implication is clear. She believes Mick has had “that good sex” with Coraline even after all she’s done to her. “It’s not want you think” he responds. But honestly, it is exactly what she thinks (see best quotes below).

The Funny: There were some good yucks to be had—Hari Krishnas dancing on the sidewalk, Mick stumbling over a baby carriage and the scene outside of Morgan’s apartment earlier in the episode—Mick and Beth dropping down in the car seat? Funny stuff.

Best Quotes:

Mick: “Okay, does this seem healthy to you?”

Beth: “Oh, she was a hooker!”

Beth: “Was the sex good?”

Mick: “You understand that, right?”

Beth: “You were on and off for like 33 years. Was it the sex that kept you coming back?

Mick: “Fidelity wasn’t our problem.” (Speaking to Morgan about his relationship with Coraline).

Mick: “I tend to work alone.”

Morgan: “I mean there has got to be something for Beth to do, right? We could make it a threesome or something.”

Beth: “I would love that, but I’ve got my own investigation going on.”

Morgan: “Hi Beth.”

Whether you allow Mick St. John his flaws or not, you’ve got to admit the writers of Moonlight aren’t playing it safe. I hesitate to give them too much credit so early in a series (they might backslideJ), but if I were writing this show, I’d want it to be as complex and dark and funny and surprising as it appears they are trying to make it. So a big shout out to the writers – please get that new contract signed to your satisfaction and get back to work on Moonlight.

There is too much fun here for it to end.

Yours in Vampire Solidarity

Denny S. Bryce/denny_dc

MOONLIGHT: "12:04 A.M."

Moonlight “12:04 AM”

Episode 1.08

Original Air Date: November 16, 2007

Writer: Jill Blotevogel

Director: Dennis Smith

Starring: Alex O'Loughlin, Sophia Myles, Shannyn Sossamon, Jason Dohring

Guest Star: Sarah Foret, Gideon Emery, Paul Keeley, Mark D. Espinoza, Lorena Segura, Aisha Kabia, Christopher Guyton

Plot Summary: When the followers of cult target a young woman based on their belief that she was responsible for their leader's death by execution, Beth gets Mick to help.

Review: Writers define a mystery as a story that elicits an intellectual response from its audience versus a thriller, which is all about getting to an audience’s raw emotions. So a thriller is like a tragic romance in that way—it gets under your skin.

   In “12:04 AM”, the writers of Moonlight chose to follow the highly anticipated and well-  received episode seven, “The Ringer”, with a scary, bloody, violent thriller that got a couple of squeals from a number of seasoned thrill-ride enthusiasts, including moi. However, it was a risky episode to throw into the mix. Loyal Viewers had been treated to the Mick/Beth relationship growing stronger each week in spite of interference from Josh (Beth’s boyfriend) and Morgan (Coralline), and Josef’s warnings. But what do the writers go and do? They up the tension between our hero and our heroine and leave out the rest of the familiar cast. Now, there’s no one in their way, just Mick and Beth and an evil sadistic killer and a young woman in need of protection, which sounds like our non-couple, except Mick’s not sadistic. (But did you see that bathroom scene, or the vampire priest in the confessional?)

   After some big fights scenes, crashing glass, Beth’s life on the line and a beheading, we are suddenly on a rooftop with Mick and Beth, with nothing standing between them. All of Mick’s secrets have been exposed and the audience knows Beth isn’t thinking about Josh. They’ve vanquished the bad guy and saved the girl, too. But our exhausted hero (he did roll down that hill) still walks away from the woman we know he loves. Why? Beth not only tells him, but shows Mick (more on that later), how deeply she cares about him, vampire or not. That’s a lot of story arc to throw into a thriller. Honestly, I don’t know if it worked, but I enjoyed it.

   I also liked Beth in this one, too. She was heroic (not just the over the top reporter girl), brave, and surprisingly capable of keeping it together. As vamp Donovan said, she wasn’t begging for mercy. She was going to freeze him with a stake in the heart (but spitting in the face works, too).

More things I liked: – I’ve always enjoy the music on Moonlight, but the entire score for this episode was a WOW, especially in the opening execution sequence. (What’s the name of that tune?)

   This episode also had a  few snappy, pop-culture lines, and Hollywood digs. There was great chemistry between Alex and Sophia as well. Not that there hasn’t been in the past, but they had a lot of emotion to deal with in that rooftop scene and they made it work there as well as in the lighter scenes (Me casa, su casa).

Things I didn’t like so much: The scene leading up to the reveal of the DA’s blood-covered office – the screaming executive assistant just didn’t do it for me.

   We could have had a more original look for Donovan. Admittedly he was creepy, but the longhaired blond vamp? Well, been there, done that.

Things that made me go, huh?: Vamp Donovan picking up Mick’s iPhone and immediately knowing how to use it. I mean the man was in prison for 14 years. It came out less than six months ago and it took me at least three days to figure out how to turn it on.

Continuity: The bullet Mick removed from his forearm in the opening sequence was from “Fever” (1.04) when he was shot in the desert. Enjoyed that refer back…

   How come the priest didn’t know Mick was a vampire when he walked into the confessional? He should have smelled vamp Mick.

Best lines:

Mick (voice over): “Sometimes I hate living in Hollywood.”

Mick (voice over): “I thought about being an actor back in the 70s, but I think I really just wanted to be Steve McQueen…there is a difference.”

Mick: I would recommend not going into the office.
Beth: Okay.

Mick: Okay…or upstairs…or through the gray door.

Beth: Wow! This all sounds so Alice in Wonderland.

Mick: Beware of the bottles that say Drink Me.

The Funny: Torture by nose pulling – seriously, folks. That was funny.

Kind of sad, but necessary: No Josef, no Josh, and no Morgan/Coralline.

The Ending or Stepping in Front of the Sun: Some might say it was heavy-handed, and I might agree, except my review is based on the idea that the emotions in “12:04 AM” had no place to go but up, and in the last act, that’s where these characters needed to be. Mick might have been prepared for Beth’s anger, but not her forgiveness. He doesn’t forgive himself for any number of things and only more episodes will show us the depth of Mick St. John’s self-loathing. But it was the intensity of Beth’s forgiveness that forced Mick to walk away. His laugh when she called him her “guardian angel” wasn’t about the funny. Plus, Beth wasn’t just blocking the sun, she stepped in front of it to protect him. What sacrifices will Beth Turner make for Mick St. John? He doesn’t want to have to find out.

But I for one, Loyal Viewers, am looking forward to it!

Until next week, yours in vampire solidarity,

Denny S. Bryce/denny_dc

CATCHING UP WITH SUPERNATURAL: EPISODES 3.4-3.6

It would be great to blame unnatural forces for the delay in updating this season's reviews of Supernatural episodes, but a far more earth-bound explanation is all that can be offered: behind the scenes situations that have settled down and allowed us to play catch up. What follows is Voices From Krypton's Gloria Atwater's take on the episodes "Sin City," "Bed Time Stories" and "Red Sky at Morning."

RAY WISE ON PLAYING THE DEVIL ON "REAPER"

MOONLIGHT: THE RINGER

Moonlight

Episode 1.7

“The Ringer”

Written by Josh Pate

Directed by Chris Fisher

Guest Starring: Tami Roman, Brian Maillard, Roddy Jessup, Rhomeyn Johnson, Stephen Jackson

Plot Summary: Mick arrives at a fire that is burning down a historic Hollywood hotel and sees a woman he believes is Coraline. But the dead ringer for his X-wife, and the vampire who turned him, is a professional photographer (and Beth’s colleague) who ends up asking Mick to find a thief who has stolen her expensive cameras.

Review: My fascination with vampire stories centers around how long they can exist and what that very long life can do to them emotionally.
   Viewers of Moonlight have been getting hints about the toll vampirism has taken on Mick St. John from the very first episode. But let me stress – we’ve only received hints. Mostly, we’ve seen Mick as a self-assured, intensely private, highly competent and hard to rattle vamp detective. Outside of his pesky blood habit, Mick has been the perfect primetime hero — and his story has been moving at a fast clip.

   In only six episodes, we’ve seen him get close to a human (our girl Beth), bite her, kiss her, and share some of his deepest secrets with her (like he’s a vamp). We also learned that he’s not ready for a loving and/or physical relationship, but he is willing to move, albeit slowly, in that direction. So, even with its obstacles (Beth’s boyfriend and Mick’s trust issues), the Beth/Mick love train has been rolling right along. And guess what? That’s exactly the way the writers wanted it until they went for our respective jugglers (no pun intended) and flipped the script.

   In the “The Ringer,” we learn that Mick St. John is not so together after all. Even before he was turned into a vampire, he was an obsessive guy. Throughout the episode, we see Mick unraveling, teetering on an emotional ledge. Then he jumps off in the final act when he attacks the photographer, Morgan, accusing her of being Coraline (okay, she is Coraline, but he has no proof).

So, in my humble opinion, this dramatic character reveal is at the heart of what makes “The Ringer” the best episode of Moonlight’s young season.

   It has it all: The first real appearance of Shannyn Sossamon as Coraline (aka, Morgan) was a great twist to the highly anticipated arrival of Mick’s sire. I really liked Shannyn in this episode. She stripped our hero bare (metaphorically) and played with his head without mercy. And by the way, Alex O’Loughlin owned Mick St. John in “The Ringer.” It was well acted and Alex had great chemistry with Shannyn, too.

Things I liked a lot: The relationship between Mick and Josef took a leap up on the intensity scale. I loved the scene where Mick and Josef teamed up to search Hank’s house. Also Josef’s growl…Josef jumping on the bed…Josef, period, was excellent.

Things that concerned me (in a good way): Mick and Josef both referring to Mick’s obsession with Coraline as crazy and insane, and that Mick was out of his mind over Coraline, both when he was human and a vamp. How wild can Mick get? Are the writers trying to warn us about something?

Another pearl: The scene in which Mick asks Beth whether she’s had an intense affair — he admits he has, she doesn’t know if she’s had one – yet. He describes his affair with Coraline as a fever, “It’s like an infection. It burns you up. It makes you do things you wouldn’t normally do.” Besides being fabulous dialog, was it also foreshadowing? Will Beth’s relationship with Mick become that kind of affair for her? (Is that why she hid the vile of Black Crystal in Episode 1.6—B.C.?).

Things I didn’t like: Not much, but the opening scene in front of the burning building with all three main characters was awkward. The actors looked uncomfortable and the writing was choppy.

   Beth’s jealousy didn’t click for me in all of her scenes. She’d underplayed that emotion a tad too much for my taste.

Things that were “hot”: Not much, seriously – not even the Body Heat (1981 Lawrence Kasdan thriller with William Hurt and Kathleen Turner) rip off scene was hot to me (chair crashing through window, man “takes” woman in angry sex). It was just another example of Mick St. John under emotional duress (and too much booze). The only heat in this episode was Mick reaching his boiling point.

More good: All flashbacks, all good. They are unique to the vampire genre in that they don’t stop plot or slow down story. They reveal character and motivation, adding context to our main characters’ behavior in the present.

Best Stunt: Mick fighting Hank at pool’s edge. That was Alex (doing his own stunt) arching up, wrapping his legs around Hank, flipping the vampire onto his back, and then pushing Hank’s face into the water. Way to go Mick/Alex!

Worst Stunt: Mick and Josef “flying” up to the rooftop. I saw the harnesses, I swear.

Pop Culture/Historical: Mahalia Jackson’s photo on Mick’s wall near the entrance showing up after the scene mentioning “The Devil’s Music,” a reference to black jazz in the 1920s (and beyond to early rock and roll days). Mahalia was an American gospel singer whose renowned career spanned from the 1920s through the 1960s.

   Can’t wait until next week!

   Yours in “Moonlight” solidarity,

   Denny S. Bryce/denny_dc

SUPERNATURAL: BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK

SUPERNATURAL

Episode 3.3
Bad Day at Black Rock
Written by: Ben Edlund
Directed by: Robert Singer
Guest Starring: Jim Beaver, Lauren Cohan, Sterling K. Brown

Plot Summary: The boys get a call that a hitherto secret storage room Dad kept in New York has been broken into.  What they find missing is only marginally less surprising than who did the stealing, and why.  Chaos shortly and enthusiastically ensues.

Review: Supernatural Season 3 is finally hitting its stride.  This episode opens with a properly brooding mood inside a gloomy prison block.  The prisoner is none other than Gordon Walker, locked up since "Hunted" (2.10).  Now another hunter visits to tell Gordon that the Devil's Gate in Wyoming is open and the Winchester boys were there.  "Track him down, Kubrick," Gordon orders. "Sam Winchester must die.”

   But that's about the last serious moment we see.  An argument between Sam and Dean assures us the boys are still brothers - Sam has come clean about the demonic Mystery Girl, now named Ruby, and Dean thinks Sam shoulda put her on an express elevator back to Hell. Sam insists they can use - literally - someone with an inside track to Hell's plans, but in the middle of all this sibling affirmation, a phone rings.

   Not theirs, but Dad's, which Dean kept (secretly) charged in the glove box because, you know, things might come up.  Like secret storage lockers.  Yes, turns out John kept a special storeroom in a secret place he never told his sons about.  Oh, come on, you know John too well to be surprised.  Clearly, he never thought his boys would need to know where he stored stuff like extra guns, land mines, and curse-proof boxes.  And Sam's sixth grade soccer trophy and Dean's sixth grade sawed-off shotgun and...

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, ALEX O'LOUGHLIN ON "MOONLIGHT," PART 2

Interview Conducted by Ed Gross

In the concluding part of our exclusive interview with Moonlight's Alex O'Loughlin, he discusses the challenges of doing the series on a limited budget, the appeal of playing Mick St. John and shares his feelings about the   relationship between Mick and Beth Turner.

Check out part one of this interview by clicking HERE.

SUPERNATURAL: THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

SUPERNATURAL
Episode 3.2
The Kids Are All Right
Written by: Sera Gamble
Directed by: Philip Sgriccia
Guest Starring: Katie Cassidy, Nicholas Elia, Cindy Sampson
Plot Summary: Dean pays a visit to an old flame, only to find her precocious son seems oddly familiar.  But a social visit becomes a supernatural case, when a rash of fatal accidents points to something weird going on with local children.
Review: This season's second episode sets off with a bang - or more rightly a grisly splash, as the Victim du Jour falls on his own power table-saw.  I warned of the Creep Quotient ...
   We find Sam continuing his now-clandestine search for a means to break Dean's deal, while Dean, though somewhat less manic than the last episode, is still on his crusade to live life to the fullest.  Here he has been seized by the urge to look up a girl he met nine years ago - a really bendy yoga instructor in Cicero, Indiana.  Bless the boy; one wonders if Dean lives in a time warp of his own making.
   Of course, the girl, Lisa, has moved on since her wild days, and now lives in an upper middleclass neighborhood as the single mom of an eight-year-old son.  Anyone surprised at the math, there?  Didn't think so, but Lisa firmly denies that Dean is the dad.  Though rather ham-handed in its execution, there are some grin-worthy moments with Dean and Ben the mini-Dean, who is a precocious kid played by a wonderful child actor.  Mainly, we are led to ponder just how much of Dean's behavior is genetics, while fandom's view of Dean's rapport with children is now cast in stone.
   That, however, is the light side of the story.  The rest turns dark in several disquieting ways, not the least being in the disconnect between Sam and Dean.  They are on parallel paths, but not remotely the same page, and rarely even in the same scene.  Dean is preoccupied with tying loose ends and with Ben, and Sam ... well.
   Sam sits in a diner continuing his research, when who should slink in but the mysterious knife-wielding girl from 3.1.  Sly and smirking, she knows precisely what Sam is up to, but what really interests her is the whole "Anti-Christ celebrity death-match" thing, of which Sam is the sole survivor.  She says Sam must still be a pretty big deal among the demons, after all that happened to Mom - and Mom's friends.  To which we get Sam's "bzuh?" face, so Mystery Girl suggests Sam go and get up to speed, and she slinks back out again.  Just who is this chick, anyhow, that she knows so much about Sammy?
   While we chew on that, Kripke launches us into the only thing I find scarier than evil clowns: evil kids.  From smarmy little urchins cooing how much they "love you, Mommy", to blank stares at interlopers (read, Sam in a truly atrocious suit), to ghastly reflections of the real monsters in various mirrors, this episode rang the bell on my creep-o-meter.  I thought it really tipped off into Stephen King territory when one of the distraught moms drove her car - and her evil child - into a nearby lake.  Art imitates life to disturbing effect, reminding us once again that Kripke doesn't play by the usual rules.
   Changelings: that's what Sam and Dean face, evil creatures who steal children and hide them underground, leaving behind a life-sucking replica to feed off the mother until she dies.  The guy on the table-saw was only one of several victims, the fathers of other children having recently died gruesome deaths.  Dean's instincts kick into overdrive when he thinks of Ben, his might-be son, but he arrives at Lisa's house too late: the boy with whom he had bonded so well is now whining for Mom to "make him go away."
   The resolution to the tale seems a bit rushed, and we get to see Sam and Dean having their asses handed to them in the big showdown.  But we only have 43 minutes and so what if the changelings' "mother" wore a human female form?  I loved watching the Bad Thing throw these two strapping guys around like sofa cushions, physically demonstrating what a proper monster can do.  Though I gotta say, Sammy and a homemade flamethrower is a thing of beauty.  I was also charmed by Ben's coolness in helping the other kids escape their basement prison.  The little guy really pulled it off.
   Finally, regardless how the rest of the Dean-and-Ben stuff played, the last scene with Dean and Lisa won me.  Jensen Ackles knows how to break our hearts with just a look, and I ached for Dean as he walked away from her and Ben with grace and a wistful smile.  Oh, Dean, what you might have had, if the road were different.
   Sam's concluding scenes are equally compelling, but for different reasons.  One, we get to see him in uber-geek mode, as he crams a jillion phone calls and net searches into a what could only be a couple hours' time.  Sam soon reaches a chilling realization: his Mom's uncle, her doctor, and all her friends are dead since 2001.  The Yellow-Eyed Demon must have begun laying his plans about the time Sam was preparing for college.
   Two, listen closely as Sam confronts Mystery Girl for some answers.  When he demands for the third time that she tell him who she is ... his shout carries a subtle but distinct echo effect.  Does this mirror when Andy in "Simon Says" projected his powers of compulsion on other people?  Mystery Girl doesn't react beyond a sort of measuring pause, but then ... she closes and opens her eyes. Which turn jet, glossy, black.  A demon's eyes.  A demon who wants to help Sam Winchester for reasons we can only imagine.  WHOO-YA!  Kripke, you magnificent bastard, I take back every doubt I had about this character.  She has, in one stroke, become delicious.
   Plus, she's offering Sam the one thing he wants: help saving Dean in exchange for her helping Sam.  All of which leaves us with new worries for Sam, since keeping secrets among the Winchesters never ends well....  Stay tuned, kids!  Supernatural is underway.

Peace, out.

~ Gloria Atwater / ErinRua

"MOONLIGHT'S" SHANNYN SOSSAMON

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: ALEX O'LOUGHLIN, STAR OF "MOONLIGHT"

One of the shows that critics had written off sight unseen this season was CBS' Moonlight, which stars Alex O'Loughlin as vampire private eye Mick St. John and explores his not-quite-requited  relationship with Internet reporter Beth Turner (Sophia Myles). Well the surprise is that Moonlight has done well for itself, even going so far as to win its timeslot last week. What follows is an exclusive interview with Alex O'Loughlin in which he discusses the evolution of Mick St. John. For more on Moonlight, check out our Vampires & Slayers page by clicking HERE.