Movie Info:
Writer: Various
Director: Various
Cast: Alex O’Loughlin, Sophia Myles, Jason Dohring, Shannyn Sossamon, Tami Roman, Brian J. White
Rating: N/a
Studio: Warner Home Video
Release Info:
Theatrical Release: 2007-2008
DVD Release Date: January 20, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $25.99
Yet another victim of the 2007-2008 Writer’s Strike, I never actually had the chance to see Moonlight when it originally aired on CBS. This is one of those shows I remember being interested in watching, but it either conflicted with one of the other shows I’d been watching for multiple seasons or I just kept missing it. I can’t remember which. Either way, Moonlight and I just never connected.
When this complete series DVD rolled into my lap I remembered how badly I’d wanted to see this series. It’s kind of sad that this wasn’t renewed. Well, technically it was, but once the writer’s strike happened, the first season never even finished. It was originally supposed to have 13 episodes, but only 12 of those filmed. Then, four more were made, just to wrap things up. In the end, this show went down in television history as a casualty. The second season was cancelled before it could even come to fruition.
Moonlight is a supernatural type of television series. It is about vampires, and the actual mythology behind the vampire power/life is unique to this show. It takes a little bit from all of the universal vampire truths. Fire can kill vampires, sunlight weakens them, and silver is usually toxic. Their ability to heal is increased as is their strength and speed. Still, other truths from many old vampire legends are not truths on this show. For example, stakes through the heart only paralyze and garlic does nothing to vampires.
I’ve always been in love with a good vampire tale. This one is occasionally amusing. The acting is decent. The storyline isn’t too out there and the show has almost a cult-ish feel to it. I know that the show did develop a following and once it was cancelled many fans felt betrayed by CBS for cutting this show loose. Unfortunately, we’ll only have this 12-episode set to remember all that Moonlight could have been.
The Moonlight: The Complete Series Plot
Sadly, Moonlight only had one season (well one season + 4 episodes). This makes up the complete series. The show was originally supposed to have 13 episodes, but it only ended up having 12. It was then commissioned for four additional episodes, once the writer’s strike ended, but by then the show was pretty much over. This show could have done so much more, but, unfortunately, it remains something unfinished, that could have been a regular series.
What is here is engaging and entertaining. Though some of the stories are a little far fetched, this is a series about vampires, so you will have to stretch your imagination just a bit. Of course, being a fan of these kinds of stories, it didn’t take much for me to get into each episode.
Here is a list of the 16 episodes, with a brief synopsis of each:
Episode #1.1 – “No Such Thing as Vampires” – Meet Mick St. John (Alex O’Loughlin). He’s a relatively good looking guy, a PI and oh yeah. He just happens to also be a vampire. This episode introduces the world of vampires to the audience. When it looks like a vampire is draining women of their blood, out in the open, Mick’s on the case, if nothing else, to protect his own kind. He ends up meeting Beth Turner (Sophia Myles), a reporter also investigating the case, who happens to be a part of his past. With Beth in his life, memories of his Sire/Ex Wife, Coraline (Shannyn Sossamon) begin to surface.
Episode #1.2 – “Out of the Past” – A case Mick covered several years back comes back to haunt him. A convicted murderer he helped put away, who knows Mick is a vampire, manages to overturn his conviction. Back on the streets, he has only two things in mind; get back to killing women and find Mick St. John and kill him with the knowledge of vampires he’s managed to gain while in prison.
Episode #1.3 – “Dr. Feelgood” – When a vampire is hit by a car while crossing the street, he ends up feeding off the doctor who stops to help him (a motorist passing by). Instead of killing the man, the vampire makes him another vampire. Afraid, he leaves him, calling in The Cleaner to handle the situation, but when the Cleaner arrives, the vampire is gone. Without guidance from his sire, this new vampire sets out to terrorizing the city. It’s up to Mick to stop him before the secret of vampiric existence is revealed.
Episode #1.4 – “Fever” – When two officers are killed while undercover protecting a witness, Beth’s fiance, Josh, hires Mick. He wants him to find the witness and bring her to safety. Mick has to go to the desert to find her, and the massive amounts of sunlight are toxic to him. His only hope is to find a blood source. In the meantime, Mick’s car has been destroyed and Beth worries that he is dead. It’s up to her to find a way to save him before its too late.
Episode #1.5 – “Arrested Development” – The intimacy of Beth saving him is too much for Mick. He sets out to avoid her at all costs. A couple’s estranged daughter Mick is meant to find, a dead prostitute Beth is investigating and a teen vampire who is killing escorts he meets via the Internet all intertwine in one case. The two (Mick & Beth) have no choice but to work together.
Episode #1.6 – “B.C.” – Josef (Jason Dohring) wants Mick to find a friend of his, who has also been his girlfriend. In the midst of his search, he is brought together with Beth who is investigating the overdose of a model, who died by taking a new drug. The drug ends up leading back to a vampire, and it’s created by, what else, the blood of a vampire!
Episode #1.7 – “The Ringer” – When Beth’s new photographer, Morgan, steps onto the scene, Mick freaks. She looks exactly like his dead Sire/Ex-Wife, Coraline (Shannyn Sossamon). When he starts to investigate the fire where he meets Morgan as well as the disappearance of her camera equipment, he begins to find some creepy similarities between this fire and the one that killed Coraline.
Episode #1.8 – “12:04 AM” – A convicted murderer who killed a young girl’s parents is executed. At his execution, he vows to come back, and threatens the girl who was the star witness at the trial. Beth takes the girl to Mick for assistance, but unfortunately, it seems that the man has come back from the dead, when several of the people associated with his trial and life end up dead.
Episode #1.9 – “Fleur De Lis” – A rich man is worried that his wife is cheating on him. He hires Mike to provide surveillance on her. Wanting photo proof of her infidelities, Mick hires Morgan to get photo evidence of the affair. With the two of them working together closely, Beth gets jealous. As a result, she begins investigating Morgan, who she soon discovers may not be the person Mick or her believes she is.
Episode #1.10 – “Sleeping Beauty” – After discovering Coraline is alive, Mick and Beth take her to the hospital, her body nearly dead. In the meantime, Josef’s apartment is attacked by a contract killer. Amidst the investigation, Mick learns that the person who hired the killer must have known Josef was a vampire. With Beth by his side, the two investigate the case, learning something shocking about Josef, as they travel to New York to discover the truth.
Episode #1.11 – “Love Lasts Forever” – It’s the case of a lifetime for Josh, who is prosecuting a drug lord. The only problem is the drug lord likes to take on the prosecutor and their love ones with intimidating methods. When Beth’s life is threatened, Mick stays nearby to keep an eye on her. However, this was just a distraction for their true plan, kidnapping Josh. As Beth and Mick search for Josh, Mick makes a decision that changes his relationship with Beth, indefinitely.
Episode #1.12 – “The Mortal Cure” – In mourning, Beth surprisingly discovers that Josh was most likely cheating on her. Still, she can’t deny his devotion. With Coraline missing, Mick is contacted by a vampire who wants him to find his ex-wife. At first, he refuses, but upon starting his own investigation, he soon realizes some shocking secrets Coraline has been keeping.
Episode #1.13 – “Fated to Pretend” – When Beth’s editor, Maureen, is murdered, it’s up to Beth and Mick to find her killer. The new assistant D.A., Benjamin Talbot, is investigating it, as well. He gives the two a fair warning not to interfere with his investigation. Mick is having to face the truth about life and mortality. Beth and Mick must make decisions about their relationship and Mick finds a connection with a teenager named Bonnie, who has her own secrets.
Episode #1.14 – “Click” – Beth is having trouble getting along with her new boss at Buzzwire. In the meantime, Mick is supposed to protect a Hollywood actress who is being harassed by the paparazzi. When the woman is murdered, Mick must investigate, but it is hard when he too is plagued by the paparazzi. His only assistance comes in the form of Beth.
Episode #1.15 – “What’s Left Behind” – When a child is kidnapped from his bedroom, Beth is asked to investigate the crime. She has been investigating other kidnappings and Talbot thinks those cases may be linked. When Mick finds out that he may be related to the family, via his pre-vampiric days, things turn quite interesting. The connection is linked to one of his old WWII buddies, whose grandson is the one who has been kidnapped.
Episode #1.16 – “Sonata” – When a star athlete is murdered by a vampire, it soon becomes clear that it was done in the heat of passion. Mick must catch the vampire who did it, but when the vampire is taken into custody, he threatens to reveal the vampires’ existence. It’s up to Mick, Josef and the rest of the vampires in Los Angeles to band together to make sure that doesn’t happen.
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Audio/Visual:
Moonlight has some small visual issues to work out though there aren’t too many things that I noticed enough to truly bother me. The DVDs sport a 1.78:1 transfer with a nicely formed set of colors and a good level of detail. Things look good though occasionally you may notice some blur or apparent line shimmering. You have to be looking for something wrong with this to find it and be seriously annoyed, so the average viewer shouldn’t have a problem with this at all.
The audio comes in with a Dolby Digital 5.1 transfer and it sounds pretty good. For a television show this sounds about on par with what you would hear on television today. It’s not the most amazing sound you’ll find, but television usually isn’t. The important thing is that the dialogue is crisp and clear and the music sounds decent. There really is not a big problem here.
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Bonus Features:
I was incredibly disappointed to discover that there were no special features here. It would have been nice to see a commentary or some interviews or something. At the end of the day there were no special features to speak of and that’s pretty sad since this was an awesome show.
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Bottom Line:
I actually quite liked Moonlight. I am sad I didn’t get to watch it when it aired. I’m also quite sad that this show never got the second chance it deserved on CBS. This show is a surprising, guilty pleasure. The only reminder of this is in Moonlight – The Complete Series. I recommend picking this up. If you like stories about vampires this is well worth the purchase. If you aren’t sure you’ll like it, rent it first! Otherwise, Moonlight – The Complete Series is highly recommended.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Moonlight: The Complete Series, TV on DVD, DVD Review, TV Review, Sophia Myles, Alex O’Loughlin, Vampires, Warner Bros Home Entertainment
