Three years since Sonata: Some thoughts

[librarian_7]

I've waited a couple of days to post here, to give myself a chance to sort out my thoughts.

I think the first time I watched Sonata, I was in serious denial. Surely they'd realize they made a mistake...surely our beloved show, that meant the world to so many, would be back.

Still, there was that philosophical moment, of thinking that was one of the best eps of all. And that IF...IF... we didn't get more, that the ending was something I could live with. At least for then, and maybe forever, Mick and Beth were together. We got that. We really, really did get a lovely, romantic ending to the season. If Moonlight had ended episode 16 on a different sort of cliffhanger--say, Mick didn't stop and bang his head against the wall, or didn't go back to Beth's door--I'm not sure our love for this show would have survived in the way it has, these past three years.

I loved Sonata for a lot of reasons besides the ending, though. Josef was particularly sparkling in this episode (although I regret, to the point of pain sometimes, that the last glimpse of him we got was at Emma and Jackson's execution). The glimpses into freshie life, through Simone, were fascinating, and so in line with what we'd already theorized, I've always wondered if the writers didn't do a little more checking out of the boards, and the fic, than they'd ever admit to. The broadening scope of the vampire community in L.A. --surely something that would have come more to the fore in season 2. Personally, I loved the gathering of vamps at Mick's place, and the elaborate heist plot to free Emma. (Those things NEVER go as planned, but there you are.)


Oddly, I think I've felt the pain of the cancellation more these past few months than I have since the early days. I don't know why, and it certainly has never affected my love not only for Moonlight, and our wonderful characters (and cast), and the amazing community of friends we've built around this show. I regularly tell people that Moonlight changed my life. And that will remain true forever.

Love to you all,

Lucky

[allegrita]

I just want to say how much I've enjoyed reading everyone's posts. It makes me feel close to all of you. (Well, even closer.)

Oddly, I think I've felt the pain of the cancellation more these past few months than I have since the early days.

I have too, Lucky. Maybe for me it's been partly because of the Watch and Chats we've been doing on Moonlight Fridays (and although we didn't plan on it, I love that we watched Sonata together very close to the anniversary of the first airing). This is the first time that I've regularly sat down and watched the show in order from the first episode to the last, in a long time. And by doing that, I think I recaptured a little of the rush of first discovery... and also recaptured a little of the profound loss we all felt when the show didn't get renewed.

Maybe it has a little to do with all the excitement over Hawaii Five-0 maybe (now, definitely, yay!) getting a second season. As happy as I am for Alex and his new TV crew and family, it just breaks open those old wounds. We were all so confident. We believed in the show so deeply... it seemed impossible that our love and faith and determination wouldn't win our show a reprieve. (And I can't help but still be resentful of the Jericho fans who won their show a reprieve, and then didn't watch it, thereby making it much less likely that Moonlight would be saved.)

But being the perpetual optimist that I am, I don't stay sad or mad for long. I love this board and I love my Moonlight extended family. I'm still following the careers of the stars, writers, and even guest actors to an extent that some might call ludicrous. Recently I've been able to write more, and that makes me so very happy.

And... much as I wish we'd had more, I will always be humbly grateful for what we did get. It was a magical, beautiful, inspiring show - and part of that magic, I think, was the show's fragility. It was a beautiful soap bubble of a dream, and it lasted an amazingly long time, considering everything that was working against its success.

What a special thing it was. And what an incredibly special group of people were brought together because of it.

[jmc]

I have said it before and I will say it again, given my age I really doubt I will ever feel for a show the way I did for Moonlight. I never was involved in a fandom, I never read fanfic, and I never did some of the crazy things I did for Moonlight and for Alex. It's been a real "thrill ride that never ends."

Tonight is a full moon. Every full moon that I have seen since Moonlight was on the air made my heart so sad/happy/full (depending when).

What you have said sums up how I feel and what Moonlight will always mean to me.
I must confess I spend hours every year trying to find the right kind of light & funny birthday card to send to Alex, something I have never done for anyone else I don't know and never will. I sign it the same way: 'Thanking you always for Mick and Moonlight.' His assistant or whoever opens his mail these days might think I'm crazy but I feel so grateful that Moonlight existed and that I found this fandom to continue it.
And I don't think I'll ever catch up with Jericho or Chuck because I'm jealous, resentful too, that their fans were deemed worthy and got what we never did.