Writers: Erin Maher & Kathryn Reindl
Director: Scott Lautanen
Cast: Alex O'Loughlin (Mick St. John), Sophia Myles (Beth Turner), Jason Dohring (Josef Kostan), Zane Copeland, Jr. (Clint), David Blue (Logan), Eric Winter (A.D.A. Benjamin Talbot), Jacob Vargas (Guillermo), Marc Vahanian (Partygoer #2), Lindsay Heston (Paparazzo), Greg Pitts (Grant Lewis), Eddie McClintock (Jason Abbott), Alex Sol (Dean Foster), Robert Okumu (Paparazzo #2), Sean Wing (Scott Walsh), Martin Spanjers (Marshall), William Christian (Ryan Gold), Bryan Rasmussen (Paparazzo #1) & Peyton List (Tierney Tate)
Director: Scott Lautanen
Cast: Alex O'Loughlin (Mick St. John), Sophia Myles (Beth Turner), Jason Dohring (Josef Kostan), Zane Copeland, Jr. (Clint), David Blue (Logan), Eric Winter (A.D.A. Benjamin Talbot), Jacob Vargas (Guillermo), Marc Vahanian (Partygoer #2), Lindsay Heston (Paparazzo), Greg Pitts (Grant Lewis), Eddie McClintock (Jason Abbott), Alex Sol (Dean Foster), Robert Okumu (Paparazzo #2), Sean Wing (Scott Walsh), Martin Spanjers (Marshall), William Christian (Ryan Gold), Bryan Rasmussen (Paparazzo #1) & Peyton List (Tierney Tate)
Mick has to investigate the death of a teenage actress he was hired to bodyguard...Beth: You are going to get sooo
tired of watching me eat.
Mick: I hope so.
tired of watching me eat.
Mick: I hope so.
It's always a bit disheartening to watch a show you know has been cancelled. I sometimes wish there was a rule somewhere that says you can't reveal a show's fate until the last episode has aired. Moonlight's death gives the remaining few episodes a bittersweet taste. It was never a particularly brilliant series that demanded a second season, but there are always little moments and ideas that make me disappointed it hasn’t been given a chance to reflect on its highs and lows over the summer, and come back with a fresh take (stake?)...
The second episode written by Erin Maher and Kathryn Reindl focuses on the cutthroat world of Hollywood, with Mick (Alex O'Loughlin) now working as a bodyguard for teen film star Tierney Tate (Peyton List). It seems his time spent living as a human has given him a thirst to step out of the shadowy world of private investigation and into the glare of paparazzi camera flashes. Whatever the reason, it delivers a bit of freshness, although it's not long before Mick has to use his detective skills when Tierney is found murdered during a party aboard an ocean liner.
There are signs of change elsewhere in this episode, as BuzzWire gets a replacement editor in the unscrupulous shape of Grant Lewis (Greg Pitts), whose work ethic is to publish first, think later, and retract any stories that turn out to be false. This is obviously a practice that goes against Beth's (Sophia Myles) journalism training, and she's always been a cut-above a low-rent gossip website anyway. I still think the show's attempt to be fresh by revolving around an online magazine has never quite worked, as I don’t know anyone who would trust or even watch news reports streamed from a website. Particularly ones that involve serious murder-related stories Beth typically deals in.
The investigation into Tierney's death, which Mick takes to heart (well, he was her bodyguard), soon gets complicated with the arrival of Dean Foster (Alex Sol), a bloated paparazzo parasite who might be involved in her death. Other suspects include Tierney's musician boyfriend Scott (Sean Wing); the producer of her latest film Jason Abbott (Eddie McClintock); and her manager Ryan Gold (William Christian).
This was a strong episode, blessed with a storyline that actually had some depth and subtleties to it. It was refreshing to see a few new elements injected into the show, following the arrival of A.D.A Talbot (Eric Winter) last week – which suggests the show is trying to keep evolving. By the end of the episode, it's even revealed Beth has decided to leave BuzzWire. Of course, these changes ultimately won't have much bearing on the show, now it's been axed.
It was also interesting to see a subplot where Dean Foster managed to take snapshots of Mick "miraculously" surviving a car accident, before trying to blackmail Beth into giving him BuzzWire exclusives. I'd hoped this threat from Foster would develop, but it's unfortunately wrapped up within this episode – as Beth makes the grave decision to eliminate Foster by going to Josef (Jason Dohring), who has two vampire kids attack the slimy pap in an alley. Ordinarily, I'd be disappointed this subplot wasn't allowed to continue into future episodes, but maybe Maher and Reindl sensed the show wasn't likely to return for the 08/09 TV season.
There were also some amusing moments sprinkled throughout Click: Mick has a Facebook page, was involved in a seafaring disaster that inspired The Poseidon Adventure, and Josef dated Jean Harlow? These little amusements were worked into the script nicely, and the general tone and vivacity of the dialogue helped give the episode some punch and spirit. It even opened with an exciting car chase -- which was ultimately unnecessary, but welcome.
It was also nice to see that Mick and Beth's relationship is continuing apace, as the show seems determined to avoid the cliché of the having two love-struck people never quite getting it together. Even the vampire/human "incompatibility" issues have been swept away. Still, if Moonlight could continue into a second season, would a boyfriend/girlfriend (and possibly husband/wife) double-act work? Possibly. It's certainly a dynamic that's grossly underused on TV -- with good reason? The only other example I can think of is Hart To Hart! A big part of Moonlight has been the love-chase between Mick and Beth, so losing that might lose a big part of its appeal for all the romantics out there. It's all academic now, anyway.
20 May 2008
LivingTV, 10.00 pm
