Writer: Jill Blotevogel
Director: Chris Fisher
Cast: Alex O'Loughlin (Mick), Jason Dohring (Josef), Sophia Myles (Beth), Mercedes Conner (Lilah Fordham), Justice Leak (Ray Fordham), Anthony Starke (Ken Verdolino), Todd Giebenhain (Leo), Bonnie Burroughs (Julie Fordham), Erika Ringor (Detective Theresa Novak), Robin Thomas (Robert Fordham), Eric Winter (ADA Benjamin Talbot) & Daniel Goldman (Jacob)
Director: Chris Fisher
Cast: Alex O'Loughlin (Mick), Jason Dohring (Josef), Sophia Myles (Beth), Mercedes Conner (Lilah Fordham), Justice Leak (Ray Fordham), Anthony Starke (Ken Verdolino), Todd Giebenhain (Leo), Bonnie Burroughs (Julie Fordham), Erika Ringor (Detective Theresa Novak), Robin Thomas (Robert Fordham), Eric Winter (ADA Benjamin Talbot) & Daniel Goldman (Jacob)
When Mick learns that the grandson of a friend he knew in WWII has been kidnapped, he immediately offers his assistance...Quite a contrasting episode this week, as the storyline is another Moonlight script that barely rises above lukewarm temperature, but you can take solace in some intriguing back-story for Mick (Alex O'Loughlin) and present day family heartache. It's just a shame the series lacks the bite to do a story about child abduction justice...
The kidnapped child in question, Jacob (Daniel Goldman), is plucked from his bed after hearing strange noises come from his bedroom walls, before a pair of hands descend from the ceiling and steal him away. Mick becomes interested in the case after hearing about it on the news, supposedly because he grew up in the same neighbourhood before he was a vampire, but actually because he knew Jacob's grandfather Ray (Justice Leak), as they both fought in WWII.
Of course, the Fordham family Mick knew have long since died. But Mick vows to help Jacob's distraught parents Robert (Robin Thomas) and Julie (Bonnie Burroughs), even if they’re unaware of the underlying motivation. Matters are complicated when Mick gradually begins to realize (aided by some clunking sepia-tinted flashbacks every few sentences) that he might actually have fathered Robert, meaning the missing Jacob is his grandson. It turns out Mick returned from service in Europe after Ray was killed and ended up falling in love with his best-friend's widow Lilah (Mercedes Conner). But is he Robert's father, or did Ray get his wife Lilah pregnant before leaving for war-torn Italy?
It puts a nice spin on the mystery of Jacob's abductor, and making things personal for Mick certainly squeezes more drama from a generally routine plot. Meanwhile, Beth (Sophia Myles) no longer works for BuzzWire and handsome Talbot (Eric Winter) is still circling her, eventually suggesting she become a civilian investigator under his guidance. I'm not convinced about this development, as giving Beth the same occupation as Mick seems like a waste of time. Why can't she just become a journalist for a traditional newspaper? Or, if the investigative aspect if something she wants to pursue, how about joining forces with lover Mick? It all seems a bit contrived to develop some Talbot/Beth chemistry.
The knock-on effects of Mick realizing he might have living relatives is the episode's strong points. The show hasn't tackled the idea of what a vampire has to leave behind when they're "turned", so this was a welcome aspect to the storyline. The only disappointment is that, after a DNA test is rushed through at a lab, the episode ends with Mick knowing Robert isn't his son – his best-friend Ray really did father a son back in the '40s. So the status quo is maintained, sadly. It might have been nice for Mick to have a family to watch over secretly, but the opportunity was passed over.
The mechanics of Jacob's abduction storyline wasn't all that interesting, although once Mick deduces that a workman called Ken Verdolino (Anthony Starke), who helped renovate the Fordham residence, planned and executed Jacob's kidnapping, it at least built to a satisfying conclusion in an underground chamber. Of course, being a romantic supernatural drama at heart, the motivations of the kidnapper and experience Jacob suffered is kept pretty vague. While I never expected anything with the grit of CSI in a vampire detective show, it's sometimes a shame Moonlight can't be edgier.
Overall, What's Left Behind does what it set out to do. A few of the flashbacks to Mick's life in WWII are a bit awkward and sometimes unnecessary (scared to let the imagination of the viewer fill in the blanks during a monologue at one points), the general sweep of the idea worked nicely. I was never gripped by the missing boy storyline, but the ramifications of a vampire's pre-bitten life was interesting to consider – even if this episode ultimately opted to brush everything under the carpet by the end. Still, the closing scene – where Robert realizes his son was rescued by a man (ghost?) who was in his father's army photo – was worth whatever issues I had.
27 May 2008
LivingTV, 10.00 pm
