Moonlight Episode Discussion - Ep 10: Sleeping Beauty

[allegrita]

Poor Beth! It's not her fault, it's just that particular screencap.

Yeah, that scene where Mick told the cop to be careful and he said, "Yeah, yeah, don't tell us how to do our job?" I knew they were toast.

As for the combat boots... I had a friend who'd been in the Army and he always wore combat boots. He said they were the most comfortable shoes he'd ever owned. So maybe Martan feels the same way...

[GuardianAngel]

Beth’s home, packing for the trip to NY (I’d love to see exactly what she did pack - was she hopeful?)


There’s a knock at the door. Mick there to pick her up?


Nope. It’s Josh! (remember him? The boyfriend?)


She suddenly remembers it was their movie night.


He doesn’t respond to that but, with a serious expression and tone, tells her they have to talk. (I admit, my heart really went out to him. The poor guy is totally outgunned.)


He comes in and sees her bag. He asks if she’s going somewhere.


Beth says she’s going to NY to finish up on the Kostan case...err...story. I didn’t get this slip the first time around. But Josh picked up on it. Mick works cases, not Beth. And now he knows and voices the conclusion. Beth’s going to NY with Mick.



He wants to know when she was going to tell him. Her response is that she was going to call him from the airport. Okay, out loud that sounds pretty damned bad.


Josh takes the bull by the horns and states that this (they) aren’t working.


He wants Beth to look him in the eye and tell him she doesn’t have feelings for Mick (gulp!)


Beth looks at him and there’s a pause (I REALLY wanted to hear what she had to say).


But she’s saved by a knock at the door. And we ALL know who it is this time.


Mick wants to know if Beth’s ready. In answer, she opens the door to let him see she has company.


He offers to come back. (What a gentleman)


Josh says ‘no’, to have a good time in NY and leaves. (My gut really twisted for him here)


Mick tells Beth he’ll understand if she wants to stay and not go.


She’s going. Mick looks like he’s got a lot going on in his head.

[allegrita]

What a brilliantly acted scene that was. I absolutely believed in the truth of those few, uncomfortable minutes... and my heart broke a little for Josh there. Really, looking at that scene, I'm not surprised that Beth made the decision she did later on...

[darkstarrising]

I found that scene one of the best Jordan did in the series....when she opens the door and he's standing there, hoping beyond hope that there's a good reason she forgot it was movie night, you're heart just breaks for the guy. When he sees the evidence, he knows he'll hate the answer, but he asks Beth to tell him that she has no feelings for Mick.

That pregnant pause was telling. He knew that if she didn't have feelings for the PI, she wouldn't have hesitated. Her non-answer told him everything he didn't want to know.

One other thing. When Beth opens the door and Mick asks if she was ready, he came across as if her coming with him was perfectly natural. Once he sees Josh, his demeanor changes and he looks like a little kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.....

[Luxe de Luxe]

Agreed. this was a really fantastic scene. Beth looks so guilty. About bloody time! And Josh, yes, another decent man shafted. Mick's face when he sees the tension between the two is great - that awkward 'I'm backing away slowly' face.

[r1015bill]

Is now the time to remind everyone that Jordon did suggest that, from his point of view, it would have been interesting if Mick had turned Josh. With Josh now on a level playing field with Mick with the same powers and the same "bad boy" effect, who would Beth pick then?

Oh, I see it's too early. I'll mention it after Thursday's episode...

[wpgrace]

He offers to come back. (What a gentleman)

Tho probably not the adjective that Josh woulda used...

[PNWgal]

I love this scene. Finally, Beth's faced with what she's been dancing around for awhile - sooner or later, she's going to have to make a choice between two men that love her.

I felt for Josh here - and I understood Beth. On one hand, you've got Josh - handsome, good job, law-abiding. Security wrapped in a suit and tie. On the other hand, you have Mick - handsome, mysterious...vampire. As far away from security as you can get. So...hmmm. Running off to NY with Handsome Vampire, or movie night with Handsome but Boring Boyfriend?

And I have to think Mick felt just a SMIDGE of smugness that Beth chose to accompany him to NY, even at the expense of upsetting her boyfriend.

[darkstarrising]

Only a smidge?

this is a perfect description of Josh

On one hand, you've got Josh - handsome, good job, law-abiding. Security wrapped in a suit and tie.

Yeah, I'd find myself on a plane to NY, too.

[PNWgal]

Ok, maybe MORE than a smidge.

[r1015bill]

And I have to think Mick felt just a SMIDGE of smugness that Beth chose to accompany him to NY, even at the expense of upsetting her boyfriend.

But the smugness had to have disappeared like smoke when he finally put himself out there as wanting to spend some time with her doing quinessential New York things and she chose to go back to Josh. That makes that overhead shot of him walking away from the cab so sad.

[GuardianAngel]

On one hand, you've got Josh - handsome, good job, law-abiding. Security wrapped in a suit and tie. On the other hand, you have Mick - handsome, mysterious...vampire. As far away from security as you can get. So...hmmm. Running off to NY with Handsome Vampire, or movie night with Handsome but Boring Boyfriend?

With Josh now on a level playing field with Mick with the same powers and the same "bad boy" effect, who would Beth pick then?

I think your description of Josh is perfect. I'd also add courageous. When it came to his job he was pretty fearless and didn't take sh*$. He had no problem putting people in their place (like with the detectives in Fever). I don't want to get ahead but he impressed me in Love Lasts Forever. Okay - now Mick. Handsome (check), mysterious (check), vampire (check). But I think there's more. And this, in my opinion, also answers r1015bill's question. Beth feels a connection to Mick. He saved her as a child and she's felt his presence almost all her life. He makes her feel safe even though she thrills at the danger. That's pretty heady stuff.

And anyone want to take a stab at what's going on in Mick's head with that expression in the last shot? My guess is a mixture of things. Yes, a (little more than a) smidge of smugness. A bit of guilt. Some apprehension. Although he knows he is falling for Beth he still wanted to keep his distance (at least he tells himself he does). If Beth is clearly choosing him over Josh then it definitely puts a new spin on things. If she does that, he's gonna have to make some decisions.

[PNWgal]

And anyone want to take a stab at what's going on in Mick's head with that expression in the last shot?

Smug? I think so. A little bit of masculine pride going on that Beth chose to go with him instead of staying home with Josh? Definitely. But...I think there's also a healthy dose of fear there. If Beth isn't afraid to upset her very real boyfriend by going to New York with him, what does that say about her and Josh's relationship? And what does that mean for Mick in the future? He's kept her at arm's length, but what happens if Beth actually CHOOSES him? He'd have to reassess every reason he's come up with for keeping that distance between them, and I'm thinking that terrifies him.

[allegrita]

Yeah, I see the fear, too. Until very recently, Mick had the upper hand in the relationship, because he had all of the knowledge. Now Beth knows about their shared past, so that levels the playing field in a whole different way. And as Pgal just mentioned, even after she's had to face Josh, Beth's not backing down from the trip to New York, so there's a very real possibility that the very real boyfriend is going to be out of the picture soon. AND that possibly angry, jilted boyfriend could be real trouble for Mick. I can see Mick's mind flicking through all these thoughts here. There are a lot of possibilities to consider, and a lot of 'em are bad.

Plus, don't forget, Beth just displayed a side of her that Mick's never seen before. Whether she intended to kill Coraline or not, Beth stuck a broken-off chair leg through Mick's shirt, and Coraline's breastbone. That's got to get a guy thinking, "Whoa... who is this girl??" And now Coraline may be dying, and the cure with her, so that takes his relationship with Beth right back to the "impossible" stage, at least in his eyes. Remember, he doesn't know about Sarah yet.

By the end of the episode, I think Mick and Beth will reverse attitudes, largely because of the experience of meeting Sarah. But that's jumping the gun a bit...

[PNWgal]

AND that possibly angry, jilted boyfriend could be real trouble for Mick. I can see Mick's mind flicking through all these thoughts here. There are a lot of possibilities to consider, and a lot of 'em are bad.

GREAT point, Alle. That thought never occurred to me, that Josh could cause some serious trouble for Mick if he starts really digging into his past. All Mick needs is for Josh to find out the truth and all JOSH needs is for Josef to find out he knows the truth.

And I agree about Beth. She's not that scared four-year old anymore, and Mick's going to have to deal with that.