Moonlight Episode Discussion - Ep 7: The Ringer

[librarian_7]

It's in Beth's report at the very end of the ep.

Lucky

[allegrita]

Man, Lucky--you are made of awesome.

[wpgrace]

It's in Beth's report at the very end of the ep.

Lucky

Thanks, Lucky, and that explains my ignorance... Mick isn't in that scene...

[tecc]

Yep, grace, Mick was right...and nobody believed him!

It's a tribute to Shannyn Sossomon and Alex that Morgan/Coraline ended up being as sympathetic a character as she did. As written in the script, she could have come off as simply evil and cold-blooded. But that's not the impression I got...and I was a total Mick/Beth shipper at that point. (I am now compartmentalized into Mick/Beth on one side and Mick/Coraline on the other. My two sides are even friends!) Because of the amazing acting of those two, the relationship of Mick and Coraline came to life. Shannyn played Morgan utterly differently than Coraline, and Alex portrayed the confused and fascinated Mick to perfection. Coraline definitely came off as a vampire with no scruples, but somehow still she was a sympathetic character...despite everything she did in this episode, and in the past (not to mention the future, but that's for another discussion).

Still tryin' to play catchup with all the wonderful analysis of the episode but I did want to stop and mention that a lot of people still don't find her sympathetic....just sayin'. Off to read more.

[wpgrace]

Tho it's no stretch to have sympathy for Morgan... as I agree that Shannyn did a really good job ACTING like Morgan... I think that is a cool challenge for the actor... to play a role of someone playing a role...

Alex did a not dissimilar thing in Feed... Michael was always Michael, but at one point he "played" crazy... tho of course he was crazy playing crazy... if you can follow that...

And I've always felt empathetic to Cora... She noticed, as we see here, that there was something special about Mick... even well before he became perpetually cool (and arguably looked stoopid in that shirt... and notice I said arguably, Pgal!)... and she wanted him. Sorta like an art connoisseur who started collecting Picassos before they were worth a lot of money...

[Phoenix]

If I say what I wanna say, it'll blow the entire plot of the fic I'm writing. (Very. Slowly.)

Gah! *bites tongue hard*

[wpgrace]

If I say what I wanna say, it'll blow the entire plot of the fic I'm writing. (Very. Slowly.)

Gah! *bites tongue hard*

Don't you DARE ruin that fic for me... I have waited toooooo long to have it spoiled NOW!!!!!

[Luxe de Luxe]

If I say what I wanna say, it'll blow the entire plot of the fic I'm writing. (Very. Slowly.)

Gah! *bites tongue hard*

Its just plain wrong to taunt us like that Phoenix! C'mon.... give us something!

[Phoenix]

If I say what I wanna say, it'll blow the entire plot of the fic I'm writing. (Very. Slowly.)

Gah! *bites tongue hard*

Its just plain wrong to taunt us like that Phoenix! C'mon.... give us something!

OK, the title is Masquerade, it's a multi-chapter story, and it's Morgan-centric. Oh, and it's a blend of canon and "Phoenix canon", put it that way.

Poor Grace has been waiting so patiently - for this one, among others - that if I spoil it now I fear she really will hunt me down and hurt me.

[wpgrace]

If I say what I wanna say, it'll blow the entire plot of the fic I'm writing. (Very. Slowly.)

Gah! *bites tongue hard*

Its just plain wrong to taunt us like that Phoenix! C'mon.... give us something!

OK, the title is Masquerade, it's a multi-chapter story, and it's Morgan-centric. Oh, and it's a blend of canon and "Phoenix canon", put it that way.

Poor Grace has been waiting so patiently - for this one, among others - that if I spoil it now I fear she really will hunt me down and hurt me.

Yep... and in order to do that, I would have to go to Oz... where the Alex-like men are playing on the beaches and the parks and the rugby fields and the bars and the construction sites... it's a long way to go to extract vengeance, but there do seem to be side benefits...

[eris]

The woman in the fire was named Diane Apple. And when you think about it, Beth had found a trail of photo credits for "Morgan Vincent" dating back a couple of years, plus, she had to have had university records (which may have been how Beth was able to find an address to call representing herself as being from an alumni board...) In short, too much evidence of a real Morgan Vincent for the whole thing to have been a false identity. Much more likely that it's a case of murder, followed by identity theft.

Lucky

This is pretty close to the convo happening on MLF lately...

It wouldn't surprise me if Coraline was actually Morgan's roomie at the University - OR - that she was a created identity for Cora to use to attend school. We know Cynthia had been back in school, why not Coraline, too. (and it would hardly be the first time a TV show set up a "look-a-like roommates" scenario).

Coraline's track record suggests that she didn't have a problem taking out people when she needed to. Her plans were thought out well in advance and made provision for collateral damage.... where else do you think she found all those "rogues" for her cure research?

I think she was very much an old school vampire. In a hundred years, the human would be dead either way, so what difference did it make if she killed one before old age did it?

[GuardianAngel]

Mick goes to Josef's office to talk to him. Josef tells him it better be good because he's 15 minutes away from going home and hitting the icebox.



Mick goes right for it. He tells Josef he saw Coraline last night.



Josef seems a trifle confused and asks if Mick means Coraline Coraline.



Umm, yup, that would be the one. Mick says 'yes.' Josef asks if she was dead. No. Being the voice of reason Josef points out that it can't be Coraline. Mick killed her. Remember?



Mick's aware of that (like he could forget?!) He tells Josef about the fire. How the photographer was a dead ringer for Coraline.



Josef tells him everyone has a twin somewhere. Mick turns on him, telling him it wasn't a twin - it was her. She moved the same, talked the same.



Josef asked if Mick talked to her. He did. He says her name is Morgan and she works with Beth. UhHuh. Josef asks if Beth recognizes her as Coraline. Mick says no. She doesn't even remember him.



Mick asks Josef what he remembers from when he's four. Josef says that was in 1603 so its hazy.





Beth's repressed the whole trauma.



Mick says he knows it sounds crazy but Josef has to see her.



Josef wants to know if this Morgan person has a history of drinking blood. Mick says no. She's not a vampire.





If she's not a vampire than she can't be Coraline.



How can Mick refute that? He stares at Josef for a couple seconds and then walks out.

[wpgrace]

Oh BOB I love rattled Mick!! He is nearly hyperventilating telling Josef about this...

I also love Josef's hazy 1603 line...

And I think it is interesting how Mick says COR a leen and Josef says Cora LEEN.

[cassysj]

Oh BOB I love rattled Mick!! He is nearly hyperventilating telling Josef about this...

I also love Josef's hazy 1603 line...

And I think it is interesting how Mick says COR a leen and Josef says Cora LEEN.

What's also interesting is neither one pronounced it like the new kids movie Cora LINE.

Names that end in line are a special interest to me. My sister is Madeline pronounced MADA LYNN

To try to stay on topic I also LOVED the 1603 line. It was actually that line that made me use my Queen Elizabeth I doll in a story where Josef was talking about his sire.

[Luxe de Luxe]

Oh BOB I love rattled Mick!! He is nearly hyperventilating telling Josef about this...

I also love Josef's hazy 1603 line...

And I think it is interesting how Mick says COR a leen and Josef says Cora LEEN.

oooh.... good pick up grace. I'd never noticed that before. I tend to use Josef's pronunciation. Everyone else???