Moonlightaholics

redwinter101 wrote:
And I'm sure I'm not the only one who, every time I see the helicopter/missile shots thinks, "You could afford a missile and a helicopter but no decent ice cubes? WTF?".

Red

That was addressed when the writer for that episode said that they had to decide how to
make the best use of the budget--they decided to go with more $$ for the heli scene, and less for the ice cube one--I can't remember the exact amount, but for the more realisitic looking cubes, it was ridiculously expensive. I recall being shocked at how much it cost for the tofu cubes that they ended up using. I am pretty sure it was several thousand for the fakey ones.

Fleur de Lisa wrote:

redwinter101 wrote:
And I'm sure I'm not the only one who, every time I see the helicopter/missile shots thinks, "You could afford a missile and a helicopter but no decent ice cubes? WTF?".

Red

That was addressed when the writer for that episode said that they had to decide how to
make the best use of the budget--they decided to go with more $$ for the heli scene, and less for the ice cube one--I can't remember the exact amount, but for the more realisitic looking cubes, it was ridiculously expensive. I recall being shocked at how much it cost for the tofu cubes that they ended up using. I am pretty sure it was several thousand for the fakey ones.

Like most people (I think) I've seen all the reasons behind the crappy ice cubes. Doesn't change the fact that they were crappy. And for such a pivotal scene it just wasn't really good enough. Okay so they couldn't afford the megabucks lucite, but there had to have been a better solution than the ones they ended up using. Such as ditching the OTT heli scene.

Red

Believe me, red, I agree. Not justifying their decision at all.
Since the pivotal moment of that episode occured in the bathtub, they needed to focus on making that scene the best it could be. I would have rather laughed at a lame heli blow-up scene, then the stryofoam cubes.

Mick and Leni get to the motel.



And enter the room.



Mick ain't doing to good.



Leni thinks maybe Mick should lie down. He tells her to go get ice. A lot of it. She leaves and he enters the bathroom, runs cold water in the tub and gets in.



Leni gets lucky. There is an ice machine and it works! Boy is she relieved.



She exchanges her small bucket for a larger one and schleps it into their room. That scene always makes me wonder if she should be carrying that heavy load being pregnant and all. Oh well. Mick indicates she should poor the ice on him.



He pulls the ice to himself.



Leni is really worried. She feels his face and he's burning up. She knows it's not just dehydration - something is seriously wrong.



She thinks he should go to the hospital. Mick says no hospitals and asks her to keep trying the phone and to call the number he gave her. Ask for Beth, only Beth.



Leni asks if Beth is his girlfriend. Mick says no, it's complicated.



Leni asks if there is anything else she can do. Mick is thinking 'oh yeah' and zeroes in on her neck.



But he tells her to go.



Leni leaves the room and calls Beth. Just like with the ice machine, Leni gets lucky. Beth picks up. Beth wants to know if Mick is okay. And she's on her way.



Leni goes in to tell Mick she got a hold of Beth. Mick's in a stupor.



Leni leans over him to get his attention.



Mick imagines himself biting her.



Mick yells at Leni to get out.



Leni leaves. Mick is worried.



Mick imagines Beth there in the bathroom with him.



And biting her.





His VO asks, what would happen if you put a vampire in the desert. The answer? Maybe no more vampire.

Yeah, well, sorta the same thing that happened when you put a vampire on CBS... but it was a great line, Mick!!!!

Oh, grace... *sob*

Josh looks for his leak. He calls his team in and tells them that Mick and Leni are fine and that Victorville PD will be babysitting them until the morning.



Beth arrives at the motel



She asks where Mick is and Leni leads her to the bathroom. Beth rushes in to Mick.



She pulls Mick up out of the water. He doesn't respond at first but then comes to. Beth notes that he's burning up. Mick thinks he bit Leni. Beth tells him that Leni is fine.

http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a319/ ... isFine.jpg

Mick tells Beth that he guesses he is a delicate flower.

http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a319/ ... Flower.jpg

Mick tells Beth that she has to take Leni back and protect her now.

http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a319/ ... ectHer.jpg

Beth says no. Mick is dying and she isn't going to leave him there. She knows what he needs and prepares herself.



Mick is horrified. He says no, tells her to get out. Beth tells him he needs blood. Mick says not hers, not like this.

http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a319/ ... rified.jpg

Beth says she wants to do this.



Mick gives in. He really doesn't have much choice. Mick's VO asks what do you do when the one thing you need to save your life is the one thing that would make life unbearable.

Beth moves back, once again pulling at her blouse, preparing herself for a bite. She tells Mick she trusts him, that he won't kill her or Turn her.



Mick slowly reaches for her.



It's her arm that he takes.



He tells her that at some point.....



...you're going to have to stop me.



He bites.



And feeds.



Fayed's lackey shows up outside the motel.



Josh follows his team out. Josh watches one guy and he has someone follow the other. They watch to see if either make a move.





Josh catches his guy making a call, letting Fayed know that Leni will be brought in in the morning.



Josh moves in.



And punches the guy.

Beth leaves the bathroom. She doesn't see the guy hiding in the dark corner.



He grabs her from behind, holds a gun to her and tells her not to scream.



Mick breaks through the bathroom door.



He grabs the guy, breaks his neck and throws him to the floor. Mick comes out and asks Beth if she's okay.



Beth Nods.



Leni comes out of hiding and asks Mick if he's alright.



Mick says he's feeling better.



Leni runs up to Mick and hugs him.



Beth and Mick look at each other. Neither are unmoved by the experience.





Cut to later that night. Josh and Beth are home listening to the news.



Josh turns it off, sits next to her and kisses her wrist.



Beth is uncomfortable. Josh apologizes for not being more understanding when Beth was upset about hearing that Mick was dead.



Beth apologizes for blowing up at him. Josh says it all worked out and that they make a good team.



Beth realizes that she's in trouble. Josh loves her but she can't deny her connection to Mick.



Cut to Mick, sitting at home, thinking.



He hears someone and goes to the door. It's Beth. She knocks.



Mick seems undecided on what to do.



But decides not to open the door.



His VO explains that he could feel her, the beating of her very living heart. Or maybe they were always connected. Either way, being near him puts her in danger.



So it has to stop.

Fade.

Lisa, at no time do they show what Mick is wearing on his feet when he enters the bathroom so I think we should assume he's wearing what he had on all day and traveled through the desert with. I guess it's possible he took off his shoes before getting into the tub but since he left everything else on, including his torn shirt and the rush he was in to get cooled off I doubt it.

This is what he's wearing when he leaves the bathroom.

GA, thank you for the wonderful summary. To me, the bathtub scene remains the most beautiful in the whole season. The way Mick and Beth look at each other, the way the scene is lit (I've learned how to block out the ice cubes.....), the need, the care for each other, the sense of crossing a boundary, the knowledge that nothing will ever be the same again. It's just wonderful - and done with such subtlety and also never dodging the issue that Mick is a vampire, that his instinct is strong, and that he cannot necessarily control his actions as a result. I loved that - there was always the risk of making him a white knight, flawless and perfect; by avoiding that, we got the flawed, heroic Mick we love.

And Beth, well, this is her moment of glory IMO. So fearless, motivated by care and a burgeoning love.

This clutches at my heart.

Red

ITA, Red... the ice cubes do not bother me and this is the big moment in Moonlight! Yes their relationship will deepen and other cool stuff will happen, but this scene reveals the essence of these two individuals and their bond.

Fever was such a great episode because it got the closest to getting everything right... it did a better job with the procedural than so many eps did; the guest actors all fit and played their roles well; the MickBeth relationship was highlighted and, due to this scene, moved forward in a significant way; and it highlighted the vamp really well... it was all about HIM being a vampire, what he COULD do and what he COULDN'T do and, for Mick, his mental struggle against what he HAD to do to survive.

And for that reason, even those silly pool shoes in the motel scene don't bother me... tho one wonders that SOMEONE didn't think to at least make him barefoot in that scene! (Even the actor.. did it not occur that no star motels don't provide shower shoes... or mini bars for that matter?).

I think it was the camera and editing people that screwed that up. They were probably not suppose to get Alex's feet in the shot. After lying in that grungy tub he probably didn't want to walk barefoot on that floor.

I agree with you guys - they got SO much right in this episode it was nonstop goodness.

Speaking of guest actors, I wanted to add that there is one more character in this episode - the sun. When making the screencaps I couldn't help but notice the addition of sunshine in so many of the scenes. It's not just bright but beaming. The sun is one of the characters.

How about discussing one of Mick's lines; it's a really heavy one. He says "What do you do when the one thing you need to save your life is the one thing that will make life unbearable". What do you think that 'one thing' is exactly? Is he referring to Beth's blood? Will that make life unbearable? Or do you think it's that she will see him for the monster he believes himself to be? Or do you think that he believes, in his state, he might actually kill her?

I was hooked on Mick after "I'm a vampire" at the end of OOTP. I fell completely in love with him in Fever.

I have to agree...everything was RIGHT in this episode (barring the helicopter and the fake ice). Mick's willingness to die rather than take from an innocent girl and endanger her baby, Beth's resolve and strength in offering herself up to someone (something?) that could easily kill her, and that glorious ending scene when they both realize they're connected to each other on some very deep level. The two of them on either side of that door...gets me every time.

How about discussing one of Mick's lines; it's a really heavy one. He says "What do you do when the one thing you need to save your life is the one thing that will make life unbearable". What do you think that 'one thing' is exactly? Is he referring to Beth's blood? Will that make life unbearable? Or do you think it's that she will see him for the monster he believes himself to be? Or do you think that he believes, in his state, he might actually kill her?

That's an excellent question. At first glance, the "one thing" seems to be blood - not just Beth's, but Leni's as well. The vampire's survival instinct is going to do whatever it needs to in order to live. Thinking about it more, I wonder if it means Beth herself. This is one instance where he won't be able to hide what he is from her - he's a vampire and he needs blood to survive. So far, all she's seen is the "nice" side of vampirism - immortality, super strength, etc. Now she's going to see the "dark" side - the animal that's going to bite into her skin and suck her blood.

I think all the questions posed were parts of the answer. I think Mick is far enough gone that he could possibly kill her and that terrifies him. Her death at his hands would make his life unbearable, but if she's repulsed by the vampire, it would almost be worse. Then he'd have to watch her live her life knowing she thinks he's a monster.

GA~~That's what I wanted to see--the pool shoes. I heard that he was wearing them in the scene, but had never seen them up close and wondered if it was true. Not a big deal, but what a silly mistake to make!!

Well it is the blood sucking that he hates the most about being a vamp... in FTP, when Beth bemoans the loss of the sexy vampire jumping thing, Mick responds that that kinda goes with the whole blood sucking thing... it's the blood sucking that he hates about himself the most, I think.

So I think he was extremely embarrassed and horrified to have her see him defeated, delicate, near death and needing blood, her blood... and I mean to SEE it... not just to KNOW he needed it, but to see and feel him doing it. He was crushed.

To him, this was him at his worst, most vulnerable, and most worthless...