Moonlight Friday 5th Anniversary: No Such Thing as Vampires

[allegrita]

I don't know about you all, but somehow it feels entirely appropriate that the fifth anniversary of Moonlight's first episode is going to take place on a Friday. Because let's face it, Friday will always be "Moonlight Friday" in my mind, and I bet a lot of you feel the same way. (At least those of you who watched Moonlight on CBS in the US.)

In honor of the fifth anniversary of Moonlight's debut, we are hoping that all of our members will take some time to watch "No Such Thing as Vampires," the episode that started it all, on Friday, September 28th, and post their thoughts in this thread. We know that it's almost impossible for all of us to watch the episode at the same time, so don't worry about trying to watch it at any particular time. (Although, if you have a group of friends who would like to watch and chat together, we'd LOVE for you to do that!)

We will open this thread on Thursday, US time, to give our Aussie friends a chance to post on their own September 28th. And we hope very much that you will take the opportunity to watch this special episode, and post your feelings here, on the fifth anniversary.

[allegrita]

Opening this thread up so that people can post their thoughts. I really hope to hear from lots of you.

[allegrita]

I'm going to cheat by quoting what I posted as my first impressions of NSTAV, when we did our wonderful watch and chat threads when Moonlight aired on The CW in the summer of 2010.

I'd seen the ads in the late summer of 2007. Yeah, yeah, *yawn* another vampire private eye. Been there (Forever Knight), done that (Angel). The guy's cute, but so what? Hollywood's full of cute guys. Whatever. If I don't have anything better to do, I'll watch, I guess. After all, I already watch Numb3rs... that's what went through my mind.

So hubby and I watched the first episode. The interview didn't thrill me--I thought it was a kinda cheesy way to give us a bunch of basic facts about the way their vampires differ from others. But the twists on the traditional vampire mythology were cool... these vamps can go out in the sun? Stakes don't kill them?

Then the guy was sleeping naked in a freezer. Wow. And he shot up blood?! Hmm...

And then he saw the girl in the fountain. No, not the dead girl. The live girl--barefoot, wearing jeans and a white-striped shirt and that bad-goat-cream-colored jacket. He had this... look on his face...

And then he did a little B&E, and the girl was there again. She looked nervous, something went "whoosh" in the dark, and suddenly she picked up a vase and broke it over the guy's head. And he said, "Ouch."

I was hooked.

The blonde reporter was spunky, the cameraman was believable, the M.E. was cool, the rich vampire best friend was-- and he took that beautiful girl's wrist and just... crunch... and she made a face like she was... well, you know...

There was this amazing dialogue... some weird new term--did he call them "freshies"?!? Oh my gosh! The homes that those vamps lived in were... well, spectacular is the word that comes to mind... there were aerial shots of LA landscapes that made my city look like somewhere magical and wonderful... and a story that really caught my attention.

And after all the excitement was over, the vampire guy was watching the reporter sleeping off the drug she'd been given, and he had such tenderness in his eyes. And when she woke up, all she wanted was reassurance. So he let her hug him... and it was like watching a glacier melt. He was so stiff... and slowly, slowly, he tightened his arms around her, put his head down, and touched his nose to her shoulder. It was like she was a stove, warming him... bringing him to life. And he had this heartbreaking voiceover: "Sixty years is a long time to deny yourself the touch of another. But you do it because you just can't bear the thought of seeing yourself as a monster in someone else's eyes."

I was seriously intrigued by this show.

Yeah, there were some pretty obvious flaws: the cheesy special effects, Beth's accent being all over the place, the kinda clunky writing. Yeah, I saw (and heard) all that. But it didn't matter to me. There was just something about that episode that really piqued my interest.

Then, in Episode 2, a hurt and vulnerable Mick told Beth he was a vampire. And in Episode 3, she came back, determined to learn more about him and his kind. Then in Episode 4, he bit her!!

Then she took Black Crystal, and the high was them. (Boy howdy, was it.)

And then Coraline showed up, and everything got even more difficult, dangerous, and complicated.

And Josef revealed that he wasn't just a slick, snarky rich guy...

And Josh died...

And Mick became human again, for a precious week...

And Coraline sacrificed herself for Mick, despite the fact that she knew he wouldn't go away with her...

And Mick asked his friend and brother to turn him back, so he could save "my Beth"...

And Mick walked on the sunny side for a while, till he found out that the glare of camera flashes is even worse than that of the sun...

And we learned more about Mick's past, and what kind of man he was, way back when...

And then, he said "Because I love you," and it was over.

But no, it wasn't over. Not for us. Even though the show was canceled, we went to the Moonlight Con and met each other, and some of the writers. We shared knowledge and swapped stories. We banded together, for good or bad, and fought like mad to save the show. We wrote stories and letters and poems and episode analyses and snarks. We made movies and banners. We had the Gala in Chicago, and met Jason, Brian, and Jordan. (And more of one another!) We went to BBM in England and made even more happy memories.

It wasn't all good, though. There was controversy and cheating and anger. We saw our once-happy home turn into an ugly, angry place filled with spite and uproar, and we moved. And moved again. But we struggled on together, because we have this amazing bond that is so much more than just a TV show. We've lost some wonderful friends along the way... people I miss dreadfully. But we're still a community. A home.

Maybe part of what makes me love this board so much is my experience of upset and controversy on other boards.... of horrible fights and meltdowns among Moonlight fandom. We've found a pretty comfortable haven here, and I love that I've been a part of giving our community an anchor in stormy seas.

In my dreams, I hope that some of our lost friends will remember us, and come back. But even if they don't, the contributions they've made to this home will be here. And their spirit will live on in the spirit of this family. In the stories we read, the art we look at, the insights we re-read and smile at.

Now I've gotten all schmaltzy. But to me--what this anniversary means, most of all, is that we are a true community. We help each other through the tough times and we celebrate the good times together. We're still creating, still discovering, and still enjoying one another's company after five long years. That's pretty freaking awesome when you think about it.

[darkstarrising]

I missed the premiere of NSTAV on Friday, even though I had meant to watch it. Fortunately for me, CBS re-aired the premiere episode the next night on Saturday. I wasn't sure what to expect....I hadn't heard of any of the actors before (even Jason) and hadn't watched 'Buffy' or 'Angel' not being of age of the target audience. But I had been 'into' vampires for many years, most recently enjoying Anne Rice's Lestat novels.

The very opening of the episode had me ....the interview with the suave, witty and ungodly handsome Mick St. John couldn't have been more perfect. And then, you find it's all fantasy. Mick St. John is still suave, witty and ungodly handsome, but he is also alone, separated from his vampiric brethren by his lifestyle and yearning to return to the human fold. The use of voice over also let you inside Mick's mind and you got to understand that that face he showed the public wasn't all there was to this man. In the first five minutes of the show, you knew who this guy was and your heart bled for him. That's a pretty impressive bit of both writing and acting that I've yet to see duplicated.

I think the first scene with Josef and Mick at Josef's house was one of their best....Josef is on the phone, alternately doing business, threatening who's on the phone with him and talking with Mick. If you watch this again tonight, watch Mick's face as Josef walks and spins. No wonder there is a slash universe for these two.

At the end, after Mick rescues Beth and they hold each other, my heart broke a bit. Beth was his path back to the man he wanted to be, a dream he believed impossible. She has no fear as she embraces him, but he is tentative.

Sixty years is a long time to deny yourself the touch of another. But you do it because you just can't bear the thought of seeing yourself as a monster in someone else's eyes.

And yeah, some of the 'special effects' were cheesy, and Moonlight math is notoriously all over the board, but still, for a first episode, this one just grabbed me and five years later, I haven't let go.

Maybe part of what makes me love this board so much is my experience of upset and controversy on other boards.... of horrible fights and meltdowns among Moonlight fandom. We've found a pretty comfortable haven here, and I love that I've been a part of giving our community an anchor in stormy seas.

And alle, you and the other mods offered us a haven and for that, I thank you

[PNWgal]

I remember seeing the commercials in the late spring and summer and saying to Mr. PNW, "Hey check it out - CBS is gonna have a vampire show!" As devout Buffy and Angel viewers, we were beyond excited about a new show about vamps - and the lead guy was CUTE, so why not check it out?

We'd just discovered the joys of DVR in Casa de la PNW, so this was sitting on the DVR because I had gone overnight east of the mountains with my mother, to a wedding we ended up not going to. I caught about 30 seconds of the middle on television and quick changed the channel because I wanted to watch it from the beginning. Saturday, I got home, we settled in and started watching.

After it was over, we looked at each other and went, "WTF was THAT??" Mr. PNW's comment was the only thing that redeemed the first episode was the fact that he got to see Beth in her bra. Me, I was still getting over the fact that vamps can go out in the sunlight, that stakes don't turn them to dust, and they sleep in freezers. And live in really nice apartments.

And are EXTREMELY adorable.

Between the clunky dialogue, the cheesy effects (Mick driving STILL makes me roll my eyes), and plot holes big enough to drive Mick's Mercedes through...I was charmed. The ending - and every episode of ML had a GREAT ending - kinda grabbed me, but I was still really "meh" about the whole show.

But - I give all new shows three times to impress me, so on to the next week. Then I saw Out of the Past, and that was it. I fell in love. Head over heels, stupid in love with Mick, a love I've never gotten over and one I never want to. I found myself practically holding my breath every Friday, waiting for 9:00 pm to roll around so I could see Moonlight again - and that Alex O'Something-or-Other. I needed to know more about this guy so I went to the Google and started searching...and stumbled into moonlightfans.com.

I haven't been the same since.

I discovered what a fandom is. I discovered what fanfiction was. I learned more about ratings and demographics and television scheduling than I ever wanted to learn. I met new people, and learned more lessons.

I learned what it felt like to have my heart broken by a television show. I learned what betrayal felt like when fans turned on fans after the cancellation. I learned to love many and trust few.

I got my groove back and found my love of writing again, something I'd lost decades ago. I dared to dream of being published someday. I helped make a home out of a new board, and have learned what community really feels like. I've built lasting friendships and have traveled all over because of Moonlight.

And...I discovered Alex O'Loughlin.

Because he gave me Mick, I will be an Alex fan for life. I'll glady follow anywhere his career path takes me, but in a little corner of my heart, Alex will always be Mick St. John to me. And even if it ended too soon, I am thankful for being able to get to know Mick and Beth and Josef and Coraline....and ML has become a part of who I am.

[Lucy]

Summer of 2007 was crazy....RL was rocky, I was bored with TV and the only thing that drew me back to the sofa was the ad for Moonlight. I didn't know who this guy was but the minute his eyelashes caught the light I was stuck. I hushed everyone in the room and commanded the remote control. By the time Mick was at Josef's home I wanted to be young and lean and offering a wrist to Josef Kostan.

I was hooked..... from the very first night. (No DVR and No 'On Demand' at the time so I had to watch it while it was there and I DID!!!!!) My insanity goes on..... no matter who AOL plays I will watch and support him....but my favorite role is MSJ.

[cassysj]

I just finished NSTAV. Even knowing what happened I got lost in the episode again. Mick was so charming, Beth really worked my nerve in this episode and Josef made me smile. Vampire Solidarity Rah Rah Rah. When I first saw it I thought it was okay but it took a little for me to know it was my show. When Fever aired I was on a religious pilgrimage in Alabama. I'm a pretty devout Catholic and had been looking forward to this trip to EWTN for a long time. The fact that I was very annoyed we didn't get back to the hotel till the last ten minutes of the show says a lot.

I'd been a fangirl for years and actually went into Moonlight expecting it to be my new "show". My first love was when I was 8 years old and saw Star Wars and fell for Han Solo. The first show I read fanfiction for was Quantum Leap almost 25 years ago.

I'll follow Jason, Alex, Shannyn and Sophia anywhere. I haven't always enjoyed all their other roles but I give them a whirl


What's interesting is despite the fact that I'd been in fandom for years attended conventions since I was 13 I had never written a word of fanfic and didn't even imagine doing it for another human being to read I had written stories for other shows in my head but never put them on paper but Moonlight changed that for me. I have another passion Barbie dolls and in 2008 the most beautiful Barbie I have ever seen came out and my first thought was......She's a freshie. The doll gave me the courage to write a story to publish. I thought I could do something original with photos to make up for my lack of writing ability. My earliest attempts were very rough but with a little encouragement I kept writing and I got better.

I just checked the date and my doll series was born on September 24, 2008. Being involved in Moonlight fandom has given me a lot of confidence that has spilled over into real life and I've met some wonderful people and I love coming to the board every day.

[LoveBite]

Five years seems so long ago, and yet not that far away at the same time! I, too, watched the first episode "live", no DVR, VCR, On Demand, etc. I was hooked from the first moment with that "Voice". By episode 3 I was in love (not sure if it was Mick or Alex at that point). What a roller coaster those first few months were - CBS ordering another 4 episodes to give us a grand total of 12 before the infamous writer's strike. Watching with bated breath in Jan '08, wondering if my beautiful show would be back. And then it was three months later with 4 more brand new episodes. Even though it all came to a crashing halt the next month (black May), Moonlight has stayed in my heart and mind all this time. I'll never forget it. A little 16 episode mini series with the most beautiful man playing a vampire after my own heart.

Happy 5th Birthday, dearest Moonlight.

Carol
~LoveBite

[librarian_7]

It's really difficult for me to explain just how profoundly this little vampire show changed my life. I was always interested in vampires, but since Forever Knight hadn't been terribly invested in any vampire tv show. (I know--it always comes as a shock to folks that I wasn't all that big on Buffy or Angel...but there it is. I was reading vampire books, but just didn't get into the tv shows.) I certainly had never been involved in anything like a fandom. Knew something about the concept of fandom, but didn't think I'd ever find anything that I'd be that engaged by.

Yeah, then Moonlight happened. I admit, the first episode I found entertaining, but not absolutely gripping. (That didn't happen until..."I'm a vampire.") In fact, my mom called after the show, and asked me if I'd watched it. "Yeah," I said, "but that's kind of a stupid vampire, to stay in one place so long." "He's awfully cute, though," Mom replied. Mom has good taste, yes?

And, you may ask, what about Josef? I do recall thinking he was very different, as a vampire, and I liked him. I'd never (to my knowledge) seen Jason in anything before, so he was a new experience, just like Alex.

Anyway, I'd never have dreamed of writing fic about a tv show. And while I'd done some academic work on vampires, that wasn't my main focus at the time. To indicate how all-consuming my interest became, however, I'll mention that I just today got back editorial comments on an essay for a book on "teaching the vampire"--a colleague and I have been teaching a course on vampires and fan studies, for the past few years, and wrote up our experiences.

So Moonlight not only changed my leisure time, but also had impacted my life outside this site (and the others before it).

And as far as the creativity associated with this site...well, I posted another story just today. And I have a file folder full of fics in progress, and ideas for others. My little notebook still goes everywhere with me, to write whenever I find a chance.

I came to love Moonlight, and Josef, and Mick, and Beth...and Jason, and Alex, and Sophia, and Jordan...and...and all of you, my dear friends.

Long live Moonlight, and long live the Moonlight fandom!

Lucky

[jen]

It has been months since I watched the DVD's and had forgotten so much.

There were elements that were absolutely exemplary. Really first rate. I haven't seen them equalled since. There were also some things that were just okay. There were a few that were well...cringeworthy but most remarkable is that the characters were so good, the relationships so satisfying and the acting so exceptional in the leads that the flaws didn't matter.

After viewing DVD's of other shows that are universally considered groundbreakingly good, I've noted the same factors present there that were in Moonlight. I guess the bottom line is whether you want to spend an hour each week with these people and situations.

Five years ago, I was totally unaware of the start of the Fall TV season. My working hours are a bit strange and so I rarely watched network TV. I discovered the show a little less than a year after it was cancelled and I, like so many of you, absolutely fell in love with it. I was charmed, intrigued and captivated by all things Moonlight.

The magic...lives. Largely because of MLA.

Jenna



...are we watching Out of the Past next week?

[jmc]

The first thing I remember is catching an ad with Guillermo saying "Thirsty boy!" I made a mental note to watch that show and promptly forgot all about it. Like dsr, I was flipping around the channels after watching the end of a football game I don't remember on Saturday and caught the second half of Moonlight. He had me with the hug and I never missed an episode again.

When I went to work on Monday, I started looking for something about the show on the computer and, after a couple of days, I found CBS had a website.
WITH PICTURES FROM THE SHOW I HAD WATCHED ON SATURDAY! Work has never been the same since.

Nor has life. Since finding and losing Moonlight: I have acquired a dvd player, Netflix, and bought a lot of dvds. I have cable now. I have a laptop of my own and wifi. I am still such a Luddite and I can't save pictures or post them to save my life. My niece even set up my e-mail account for me but somehow I joined many Moonlight boards and even found the courage to comment. I double and triple check my spelling and generally fret before hitting Submit but most of our community is kind and forgiving so I don't delete as many of my posts as I used to.

I love Moonlight and Mick St. John! Re-watching NSTAV tonight I was surprised at how many of the lines I knew and how much faster the scenes were than they are in my memory. The Hug - surely it used to be longer? Whatever, it still works for me and I'm very glad to be here.