MOONLIGHT 1.16 – "Sonata"

Writers: Ethan Erwin & Kira Snyder
Director: Frederick E.O Toye

Cast: Alex O'Loughlin (Mick), Sophia Myles (Beth), Jason Dohring (Josef), Jacob Vargas (Guillermo), David Blue (Logan Griffith), Eric Winter (ADA Benjamin Talbot), Heather Stephens (Emma Monaghan), Erika Schaefer (Lisa), Ryan Caltagirone (Hank Bishop), Matt Riedy (Hearst College Chancellor), Jonathan LaPaglia (Jackson Monaghan), Abigail Spencer (Simone Walker), Claudia Black (The Cleaner), Vince Pavia (Guard), Mitch Eakins (Troy) & Jacleen Haber (Cleaner #4)

When a man is killed by a vampire in the throes of passion, Mick and Beth have to find the killer before all vampires are exposed...

Beth: Do you realize this is
our fourth official date?

Mick: Define official.

Beth: Any outing that doesn't
involve dead bodies.

Mick: You are such a romantic,
you know that?

The premature demise of a US television show isn't anything to write home about. It's almost becoming the norm to be yanked off air after a handful of episodes, so getting to episode 16 is something of an achievement. Sonata isn't much of a season finale, let alone a series climax, although at least it ends on a note of optimism for Mick (Alex O'Loughlin) and Beth's (Sophia Myles) relationship...

Sonata begins with Josef (Jason Dohring) donating money to Hearst College (a Veronica Mars nod for Dohring fans) at a glitzy party, with Mick and Beth attending as a couple. Josef introduces them to his date Simone (Abigail Spencer), a human lawyer who knows Josef's a vampire and willingly lets him suck her blood. The party turns into a crime scene when the college's famous basketball alumni Dominic is found dead in a bathtub, with Simone the only other occupant in the restroom.

So it's up to Mick and Beth, with help from A.D Talbot (Eric Winter) to solve Dominic's murder, as Simone professes her innocence, and Mick comes to realize the Dominic was killed by a vampire during sex. Mick investigates Dominic's husband and wife managerial team, Emma (Heather Stephens) and Jackson Monaghan (Jonathan LaPaglia), then snoops around Dominic's jealous team-mate Hank Bishop (Ryan Caltagirone) – who claims he saw Emma having sex with Dominic before his death. Matters are complicated when Mick realizes Emma and Jackson are both vampires, so imprisoning Emma would inevitably lead to vampires being exposed when she can't control her urge to feed behind bars. After being taken into custody, Emma also threatens to expose vampires unless she's released in 24 hours.

The Monaghan's marriage also gets Beth thinking about her own relationship with a vampire, as she learns how Jackson turned his lover into his vampire bride – rather than see her age and die. Is it inevitable that, to be truly happy with Mick, Beth will have to be turned?

Eventually, it's decided that to the only way protect the world's vamps from exposure is to free Emma from police custody before she's locked up behind bars. Mick arranges a meeting of his vampire friends to think up an escape plan: Josef, computer nerd Logan (David Blue), mortician Guillermo (Jacob Vargas), The Cleaner (Claudia Black) and her PVC-clad staff. Their plan to kidnap Emma from a police transport vehicle doesn't quite go to plan, but an improvised Plan B results in a vehicular crash that enables them to smuggle Emma away.

Unfortunately, vamp justice dictates that Emma must die for threatening to expose vampire kind, and her loving husband decides to join her in death – as she's incinerated by a vampire woman wearing a skin-tight cat-suit, wielding a flamethrower. What a way to go!

The episode closes with Beth convincing herself that a relationship with Mick will never work, as perhaps they really do live in such different worlds after all. She breaks things off with him, and he walks away dejected. But as Beth sobs alone, Mick reveals he isn't ready to give up on them – and returns to insists their love isn't based on what they are, but who they are. They kiss.

Meanwhile, the seed of a story that will never be told is sewn, when Talbot receives a list of every vampire in L.A from an anonymous source, together with a mysterious phone call. Obviously, Talbot doesn't know what every name has in common right now, but he's still left wondering why Josef and Mick's names are included... while audiences are left to muse over who sent the list and clearly wants to expose vampires with Talbot's help. For what it's worse, my guess would be nerdy Logan -- but we'll never know.

Overall, Sonata was pleasant and entertaining (helped by the sight of Farscape babe Claudia Black in tight leather), and I enjoyed seeing Beth think deeper about what it means to fall in love with a vampire. The plot wasn't as convoluted as usual, the "vampire task force" was good fun to see in operation, while the late development of a vampire turncoat hoping to expose his/her own kind would have been nice to see play out.

As season finale's go, it wasn't that great. The Coraline storyline was season 1's spiritual end for me, and this subsequent batch of episodes were just bonuses. It's a shame Moonlight didn't bewitch a sizeable audience to justify its return, but I can see why it failed. I personally found enjoyment in O'Loughlin, Myles and Dohring's well-balanced performances, but the overall vampire detective concept was well-worn, while the writing lacked impact and rarely took chances. I tend to think it appealed to young adults with Anne Rice crammed on their bookshelves, but it was only really a pale shadow of Angel. I'm sure O'Loughlin, Myles and Dohring will go on to bigger and better things, though.

Fangs for the memories.


3 June 2008
LivingTV, 10.00 pm