Diary of a Moonlight virgin: OK, I might be cheating just a little

(Season One, Episodes 1 & 2)

So compared to the grand scheme of our Virgin Diaries series, I feel I should be completely honest. I actually started watching Moonlight when it premiered. I was intrigued by the comparisons to one of my favorite shows, Angel, and, well, it looked pretty cool. However, as I watched, I don’t think I was able to stop comparing it (Noir-ish L.A. based vampire private detective. Nope, no similarities whatsoever). So I gave it up, even when I heard the show got a lot better as it went along. Well, I gave it up until now.

Truthfully, it was tough not to watch at first. Not because of any loyalty to Jason Dohring (As I’m a fan from the Veronica Mars days), but because I had a little bird in my ear telling me what I was missing. And by telling me what I was missing, I mean bugging me at every turn. I had always suspected her appreciation and dedication had a lot more to do with Alex O’Loughlin than the actual quality of the show. I hope to be proven wrong as I go through these sixteen episodes that constitute the first and only season. (And no, I’m not talking about my mother. I promise.)

“No Such Thing as a Vampire”

As we enter a new fantasy world with vampires, we have to be taught all of the rules. Vampires can be in sunlight, it just makes them sick (more so the longer they are exposed). Super-speed, check. Super-strength, check. Fire and beheadings are bad, but the standard tropes of crucifixes and garlic are laughable annoyances (and sources of bad breath, says our hero Mick).  Our hero is a private eye by trade, and has been one for a while.  We’re also introduced to Beth, an investigative reporter for a internet-based news program. Obviously, they’ll have tons of time to meet over cases, and, you know, compare “notes.”

The case of the week involves a string of vampire-like murders, and a rather creepy college professor. The case is secondary, though, to the introduction of the characters and the world, and is rather straightforward (though it tried to be a little twisty at the end, but not so much). More important was the glimpse we got of Beth’s back story — kidnapped as a child by a vampire (our hero’s Ex, apparently), and saved by Mick. So, if he saved her as a child, and is being setup as a possible love interest. I have to be honest and say that it feels kind of creepy. Oh, and Josef is totally Logan Echolls as a vampire, which isn’t a bad thing.

“Out of the Past”

This episode’s plot was a bit more interesting, and to me marks where this is will be a different kind of show. Not every story has to be based in the world of vampires (though, this one still kind of is, but kind of isn’t). Mick is involved in a case where a convicted murderer is being released after spending years in prison. The catch is that Mick tried to kill him before he was caught (for murdering his client), and the convict, Lee Jay, has pretty much sussed out what Mick really is.

I liked this storyline because, while it was about Mick being a vampire, it was the second time the show was about a human crime and a human murderer. It feels, weirdly, more real than immediately drilling into the vampire subculture in a major way this early on. What I don’t like is Beth’s boyfriend. First off, the character is vanilla, and we’re talking fat-free, completely boring vanilla. It seems he’s just there to be another barrier to the Mick/Beth relationship. As if the whole creepiness factor wasn’t enough. I hope they get rid of him soon. As much as I don’t like Mick and Beth as a couple (at least yet), the boyfriend needs to go regardless.

Clacked by Ivey West
on Jun 01, 2009 @ 14:00 EST5EDT