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Moonlight 1.5: "Arrested Development" |
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Friday, 26 October 2007 |
By John Keegan
Visit Critical Myth for an archive of John's TV Review archives, with more than 1100 entries.
Most new shows lose viewers after initial interest. “Moonlight”, on the other hand, has slowly but surely gained a significant following, and the ratings are creeping up, inch by inch. After so many poor reviews from the critics, particularly for the pilot, word-of-mouth appears to be working wonders. If CBS can be patient, this could be a strong performer (or at the very least, a consistent one).
This particular episode is still devoted to fleshing out the world of “Moonlight”, cementing many of the rules and pushing the Mick/Beth romance just a little further. The writers are letting the two of them fall into a slow spiral together, still apart but bound together more and more tightly with each new situation. This fits the general “paranormal romance” novel, as one would expect, and underscores their mutual importance to one another.
In terms of the premise, it’s always fun to delve into the implications of vampirism in each new incarnation. By loosening the prohibition on sunlight while still setting limits, the show breaks out of the need to set the action exclusively at night. It also blurs the line between the worlds of human and vampire, allowing for more believable overlap and concealment. That is used to strong effect in this episode.
Now we have another example: the human desires and conditions of the body at the time of turning remain with the vampire, with the specific vampiric desires and demands layered on top of what was already there. The villain in this episode was a teenager struggling with severe acne and raging hormones. It’s no wonder that this would be a problem. Mick suggests very strongly that sexual behavior is possible, but it seldom ends well; the lust for blood must become overwhelming under such circumstances.
Mick St. John was a strong character from the start; the rest of the cast is quickly getting up to speed. Josef continues to be one of the best elements, and Sophia Myles is much better in this episode. She’s becoming more comfortable with the accent, and the chemistry between Mick and Beth is gaining ground. Even as a male viewer, this is the most compelling aspect of the series, which is a testimony to the success of the premise. |
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