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Episode Recap: “Fleur de Lis”
Wow. You guys are amazing. I haven’t had a chance to read through too many comments yet but I want to thank you for treating Jeannine so well. I’m so happy she was able to blog on the show while I was on vacation.
The opening scene packs a big punch. I’m surprised and a little disappointed in Mick, considering the state of his undress. And clearly Beth is upset too. Upset enough to stab Morgan/Coraline through the heart with stake. Normally all that would do is paralyze her…
But let’s start at the beginning with some facts about Coraline:
• Coraline was turned in 18th century France
• Coraline was a courtesan
Beth kind of grills Mick about his ex while they are staking Morgan’s apartment out. In a way I’m pretty glad Mick’s seeing Beth’s jealousy. I feel like it puts them on somewhat even ground in terms of their strange relationship. Even though Beth still seems to be with Josh (he’s been out of town for the last few weeks? lame), I think she’s getting more and more possessive of Mick. Even tough he keeps telling her it won’t work Beth’s trying to find a way. After this week she might want put those plans on hold.
Mick takes a case while Beth decides she has to know once and for all if Morgan is really Coraline. In order to keep Morgan close so Beth can do her digging, Mick offers Morgan a job on his case. He entices her with 10K for a few days works. They just need to get photographic and audio evidence of Mr. Haggans young wife, Tina, having an affair. Mick and Morgan have to stay very close to Tina and her mystery man. Mick thinks he’s been made but Morgan manages to get a money shot of the couple kissing. He’s having trouble hearing anything on the mic he’s got on them so he uses his overdeveloped sense of hearing to pick up on their fear for their lives should Haggans catch them.
During the course of Beth’s investigation into Morgan’s past she discovers that courtesans in the 1700s were branded with a fleur de lis, “a permanent scarlet letter.” Beth, schooled by a college boyfriend in the art of picking locks, gets into Morgan’s place and barely has time to hide before Mick and Morgan show up. Mick smells her there and gets Morgan out of the apartment quickly. Beth stays and stumbles upon a picture of Mick from 1952. Armed with the photo, Beth decides to see Josef. He’s the one who tells her how volatile Mick and Coraline’s relationship was back in the day. They were not very good for each other, apparently. It was very intense and Mick left Coraline repeatedly, but he always came back.
And Morgan seems to have the same pull on Mick that Coraline did, which makes sense considering they’re the same person. They have to get a little close in the elevator in Haggans’ building when they spot Tina’s mystery guy in the elevator. Then Tina gets in. Morgan wants to follow them but Mick knows where they’re going. They get set up to get the photographic and audio proof they need and during the deed Mick and Morgan kiss. They also find out Tina’s lover is Haggans’ son.
Mick sets a meet with Haggans but just to talk. He makes sure all the evidence of the affair is safe in his office. When he’s stood up he returns home to find his office in shambles. He thinks Haggans Sr. is behind it but when he goes to see Haggans Jr. he learns the truth and gets shot for his trouble. Morgan finds him and they chase Haggans down. Just as he and Tina are about to kill Haggans Sr. Mick shows up and saves the day. He literally uses his vamp skills to save Morgan.
Back at his place Mick finally has proof that Morgan is Coraline. He sees the brand/tattoo on her shoulder and things start to get hot and heavy between them when Beth interrupts. Having found evidence that Morgan/Coraline is the woman who kidnapped her as a child Beth’s ready for a little payback. And if that room in the basement didn’t stoke her need for revenge enough she finds evidence that Coraline’s been watching her and Mick for months. She stabs Coraline through the heart with the remnants of a rocking chair from her childhood prison thinking it will only paralyze her. The problem is that Coraline is now human. Mick sees his chance for reversing his affliction slipping away.
Sorry for so much straight-on recapping but I wanted to get that all out there so we could discuss. What did you think? Considering how stoic and sometimes distant Mick tends to come off it was very interesting to see him so conflicted. Well, more conflicted I guess. He’s been fighting his feelings for Beth all this time and now he’s also fighting his feelings for Morgan/Coraline. I think we’re learning a lot about Mick here as well. We know he despises Coraline for turning him but we also know their feelings for each other are so intense that nothing but death can keep them apart, and they’ve now overcome that. No matter what Coraline does to him or for him, Mick just can’t seem to stay away from her.
Beth can now stop blocking out the memories of her abduction because she’s found the woman responsible. Her payback wasn’t as sweet as she’d hoped though. I was upset when Mick shoved Beth out of the way after she stabbed Coraline. Coraline deserves to be punished for what she did and there’s no way Beth could have known she wasn’t a vampire anymore. If Coraline dies, which is probably unlikely for now, Beth and Mick’s relationship will be even further complicated. He’s so close to a cure for his condition and if Beth prevents Mick from getting that cure I don’t think it’ll be good for them.
I know you have theories and reactions so let’s hear them. If you need a Moonlight fix check out our Online Video Guide.
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Nov 24, 2007 2:55 AM
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I love this show, but tonight there seemed to be a flaw. Beth came right out and told Josef that she believed that Coraline was now human, had found a way to change from being a vampire.....yet she goes to Mick's, stabs Morgan/Coraline and tells Mick it's ok because since she's a vampire she's only going to be paralyzed. A bit of a lapse on the writer's part or did she really want to kill Morgan?
I also don't think it's Beth's jealousy that was driving her in this episode. She is so full of hate and revenge for what Coraline did to her that she can't believe that Mick would still be attracted to the monster that was/is Coraline.
I personally hate to see him attracted to her, too! But I'd watch him do anything. Wow, AOL is a real "lady-killer".
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Nov 24, 2007 3:34 AM
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Glad to have you back, Kara. Didn’t mind the full recap at all.
OMG, OMG, OMG!!! Wow! First off, Beth doing the voiceover was a different touch, but I have to admit I missed Mick’s sexy, silky voice telling us what was going through his head.
Okay, I don’t know what the kiss between Mick and Morgaline was all about in the hotel room, but I’m really glad it appears that at the end he wasn’t “falling” for her again so much as looking for information from Morgaline. He just wanted to confirm that she was really Coraline and desperate to know how she became human again. Whew!
Hooray for Beth fighting the woman that kidnapped her, but talk about bad timing! Damn! If Morgaline dies (this time), Mick will never know the secret of how she turned human again. But although I am pulling for Mick and Beth, Morgaline sticking around makes it that much more interesting – as long as she doesn’t get too close to our favorite PI! Plus, Shannyn is doing such a good job, I’d hate to see her go so soon. I really liked Beth talking with Josef as Mick’s friend. And Beth finding all those pictures of her with Mick at Morgaline’s house was kinda creepy. So now we know Morgaline’s been up to this for a couple of months at least!
Hate to nitpick because I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this show, but after Haggan’s wife shot Mick at Haggans son’s house, why was he in the leaves outside when Morgan found him? Did Haggan’s wife and son put him there to “bury” the body? How dumb were they? And what happened to the blood on Mick’s neck when he confronted Haggan’s goon at the office?? And last but not least, last week Mick assured Beth and Audrey how burglar-proof his apartment was, yet his office is not as secure? What? Small details, I know, but just wondering . . .
This 3 week break is going to be a tough one. Maybe I will reclaim my life again until mid-December . . . or not!
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Nov 24, 2007 4:16 AM
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Thank you for leaving us in Jeannine's more than capable hands while you were on vacation. I hope you had a great time! Welcome back, Kara *smile*
I think Fleur De Lis was the most anticipated and debated episode thus far. For me, it definitely lived up to the hype. As soon as I heard Beth doing the voice over this week, I was on the edge of my seat. You could tell the difference in her right away! Her character has been growing and changing ever since she met Mick... or ... re-met as an adult.
Shannyn does an amazing job as Coraline. You guys know that I like the bad girls! Many hate her, but not me. I would not have as much respect for Mick if he didn't have feelings for the woman he married. Conflicted feelings to be sure, as Kara pointed out.
Mick was obviously happy to discover that Morgan is really Coraline because that means she found a way to become human again. Will he take the "cure?" The show is about a Vampire after all. *grin*
So many thoughts are swirling in my head right now. I haven't even written a full recap for my blog yet. That is what I enjoy about Moonlight. It always makes us think and long for more info. The writers know what they are doing!
I do not know how I'm gonna last through this silly 3 week break. *sigh* The next episode centers on my boy Josef. From the promo photos, it is going to be another emotional show. I can not believe they are making me wait for it!
XO ~
Kandye
"First I murder my wife, then I stalk you. It just gets better and better, huh?" ~ Mick St John
Please, remember to vote daily for Moonlight as Favorite New TV Drama
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Nov 24, 2007 5:10 AM
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Wow! Such an amazing episode.
pinkie - I totally forgot about Beth admitting to Joseph that she thought Morgan/Coraline was human. Good catch. I think I was just so enamored with Joseph that I wasn't paying as close attention as I should be.![]<img border=](http://community.tvguide.com/images/emoticons/devil.gif) ">
Kara - nice recap, and welcome back! You said there was no way that Beth could know she was not a vampire, but both Mick and Joseph told her she wasn't. (at least highly unlikely) I agree with pinkie and that it came down to hate and revenge, with a tinge of jealousy.
What I see happening now, is that Mick will have to turn her into a vampire in order for her to survive. There is no way they can take her to the hospital, 'cuz even if they could save her Beth would go to jail for attempted murder. (murder if she dies). I love that twist possiblity. That is going to tear Mick up. Will he let her die, or turn her? He will prolly have to turn her to find the cure.
And now, his relationship with Beth has to change. There is no way it can continue down the path it was headed. She has destroyed his hope to turn human again, and she didn't trust him. Though, you know, Morgan/Coraline wanted Beth to think they had done the deed.
I wonder what M/C woulda said to her had she not been stabbed.
I really want more Joseph in these shows. Jason Dohring is a wonderful actor and they need to utilize him more. I would feel that way even if I wasn't in lust with him. Glad to hear the next epi will center on him. I loved when he just snapped his fingers and all those guys left (Beth was impressed too).
I loved all those lines from M/C that teased Mick about who she was ("I've never almost been killed before"), and her eating food and asking him if he wanted some.
Loved the waiter at the restaurant telling him that he shouldn't make dates at restaurants if he wasn't hungry, then clueing him in that his date wasn't showing.
I jumped when he was shot in the head, and also laughed when he was found in the leaf pile. That was a dumb place to hide a body.
I sure hope this show gets picked up because even though it was a slow starter for me I am completely hooked on this fantastic show now. I want many blissful seasons of this.
I also want to add that this seasons shows even draw my honey in when he is in the room while I'm watching. He was laughing and talking about how jealous Beth was acting, and having me fill him in on some of the back story. I can't remember when he has actually watched my shows with me like he has this season. (usually he watches a minute then heads off to do other things) What a bummer that the strike is going on now, when so many new shows are so excellent. I just hope people are like me, and won't forget. I'll be back for them when they are (God forbid, even in late 2008/2009). I do think the writers deserve the money too - great acting is one thing, but these actors would have nothing to act out if it wasn't for the writers.
Sorry I got winded. It's my curse.
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Nov 24, 2007 8:02 AM
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My guess is that Mick will have to turn Coraline back to a vampire in order to "save" her. And she is not going to want to reveal the cure just so he can be with Beth.
Alane
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Nov 24, 2007 8:02 AM
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Well, I thought someone would have jumped all over this, but since they didn't...
Did no one else notice that the main plot (surveillance thread) of this episode was derived almost verbatim from Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 film The Conversation?
I won't spoil that movie for anyone who hasn't seen it, but it is a great movie and the Moonlight writers did a great job of paying it homage.
To address an earlier poster's concern that Beth knew that Corraline was human and yet stabbed her through the heart anyway, I think Beth wanted Corraline dead at that moment no matter what she was. She was consumed by rage (and maybe a dollop of jealousy) and was staking to kill.
"Morgaline" -- I LOVE it!
Anyway, I am really starting to get into this show. Where they go from this point I think will determine whether it is going to be able sustain its current momentum.
Carry on.
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Nov 24, 2007 8:31 AM
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first of all, i think i was as conflicted about this episode as mick is about his feelings for beth and morgaline (i was gonna say cor/mor but i like morgaline better) as much as i want mick to admit his feelings for beth and push morgaline out of this picture, the story line w/her adds a lot to the show. i don't know if i'd be as hooked on the show if beth and mick just automatically hooked up. but with that said, i really hope mick doesn't decide to hook back up w/morgaline.
i think beth was totally justified in her actions in stabbing morgaline. ugh, it made me wanna puke to see morgaline walking down the stairs saying, "hi beth." like she won! aaahhhhh!
i'm wondering if morgaline really did find a "cure" for vampirism or if this is just a ploy. i'd be more likely to believe she's up to something than her actually finding a cure. i just say that b/c when beth was snooping in her her apt she came across some drugs (naproxen i think) and it just made me wonder if she could suppress her vampirism w/drugs or meds. it's a long shot i know. i just don't like her!!!!!!
my biggest fear is that mick is going to totally fall her all over again forgetting about her evilness and forgetting about beth (it's ok to fall for human morgaline but not human beth???). i do not think that is something that can just easily be forgiven, even if she's been made human again and might have a cure.
i'm done ranting. ugh, 3 weeks til the next ep? i think you guys are gonna have to help me though this, lol.
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Nov 24, 2007 9:08 AM
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I LOVE THIS SHOW AND WILL NOT STOP WATCHING UNTIL THERE IS NO MORE.....that said, I didn't like this ep whatsoever! It moved too fast, too many holes in the story line, the dialogue too short & choppy and down right stupid.
My theory is this: CBS never thought the show would be a hit and have such a diligent fan base, albeit, mostly women. Can it sustain without some men to "up" the numbers? And they just threw it in the Fall schedule "to just see what happens". Anyway the last 4 eps were requested a few weeks ago, and maybe written hastily just to get it filmed.
I have read every interview with Alex & Sophia on every site out there. Alex said he can't get a definitive ans from Nina Tassler, Pres of CBS Entertainment, about whether the show will be renewed, but he was going to conduct himself and Mick as if the show was going to be "picked" up. Alex said (and I'm paraphrasing here) the last few eps don't close the door completely but just enough to satisfy the story if it doesn't come back. And that's why I feel the way I do about being hastily written.
Sophia doesn't mention anything about the show being renewed but she does say she thinks Beth will have to be "turned", which I mentioned in a post about 2 eps ago.
Anyway, I'm going to watch it again and probably again after that.
I've read ahead the synopsis of the upcoming eps and I don't like what I'm reading about what will happen.
Mick & Beth forever, whatever it takes!
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Nov 24, 2007 9:22 AM
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Was it just me or did this ep whiz by? Sure didn't seem like an hour.
I'm still not sold on the idea that Morgaline has found a cure. Mick WANTS to believe there's a cure because he doesn't want to be a vampire. Josef insisted to both Mick & Beth that there IS NO CURE. Doesn't anyone else think that with Josef's money and obvious connections that, if there really was a cure, he would at least know about it? Granted, he enjoys being a vamp and, thus, wouldn't want to be cured.
Just how evil is Morgaline? Yes, she kidnapped Beth. She wanted a child, primarily as a way to keep Mick. Did she set up the murder last week of the girlfriend in the fire? What other evidence of evil have we seen? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Mick should be with Morgaline. Obsession makes people do some pretty crazy things, sometimes really bad things. I just don't see her as consummate evil.
So questions remain for me: is she human or still a vamp? Is she evil or obsessed with Mick? Will she live or die? Whatever the answers are, she's added a new level to the show and she's a very talented actress portraying a very intriguing character.
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Nov 24, 2007 9:40 AM
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First off, I love this show! Second, I wanted to puke when Mick kissed Morgan/Coraline! But that is what makes this show so great.
I know that some of you think the writers screwed up about Beth still thinking Coraline is a vamp when both Mick and Josef said that she wasn't, however I want to point out that Josef was adament that there is "no cure" for vapirism so I could see Beth believing that Coraline still had to be a vamp. I do agree with another poster that I think that Coraline is masking her scent more than anything. She eats and isn't supposed to taste anything but a vamp could easily overcome that. Also if she isn't a vampire then why hasn't she aged in the last 22 years? I know that this show has changed some of the common thoughts about Vampires but to make a cure possible would really be stretching things! I really think Coraline/Morgan is still a vamp, it is easier to believe that she is masking here scent than that she has found a cure.
Three weeks without Moonlight is going to be pure hell!
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Nov 24, 2007 10:24 AM
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OK, I'm not onboard with the Mick/Coraline thing, but I have to say I did love this episode! The pace and editing were a little different, and although I missed Mick's lovely and sexy voice-over, it was nice to hear Beth's thoughts, since really, this episode was about her.
I think the writers are being smart by creating a love triangle with Beth/Mick/Coraline (now that we know that's who she is, I have to call her Coraline!). As much as I want Beth and Mick's relationship to go forward, when the two main characters get together, it's usually the death of the show. Anybody remember MOONLIGHTING?? (ha ha). So I think it's good in the long run to stretch out the romantic suspense. Eventually, Mick is going to come around to Beth, provided the show gets the chance to continue after the strike. (and I think it will!! Positive thinking, everyone!)
Anyway, for the next long, three weeks of waiting for Episode #10, I'll be re-watching the other 9 episodes over and over, you can bet on that.
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Nov 24, 2007 11:22 AM
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OMG I was not aware that there would be a three week break after this episode! What am I going to do? I didn't catch the preview for the next episode so I'm losing my mind anyway. You all brought up some very good points, things I didn't think of. I just love this show and I really hope that they keep it! Every new show I like, they pull!
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Nov 24, 2007 11:25 AM
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I really enjoyed this episode even if there were a few plot holes. I like Coraline and can't wait to see what this will bring to the mick/beth relationship. I don't think that is Beth and Mick got together it would ruin the show. If Mick and Beth got together there would still be plenty of things that they would have to overcome.
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Nov 24, 2007 11:52 AM
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Just caught up on the blogs for this show.
First re: comments from "12:04 AM"
Posted by Sheldon:
Almost as much as I didn't care for Beth's snooping.
Posted by Cobby and endorsed by Jeannine Rochon-Burkart:
Hey Sheldon, I'm guessing you're a guy by how your post was signed. I know Mick told Beth not to go upstairs, office, behing the grey door, etc., apparently you don't know women. We like to snoop and find personal things. I bet you didn't even notice Beth found his shirt laying on the back of the chair in his office and she had to pick it up, hold it and breath in his scent. That's the kind of stuff she's looking for. She wants to KNOW him, be with him....what better place than in amongst his stuff. How the hell else is she going to get close to him.
Gotta say that I agree completely with Sheldon’s viewpoint on this. Yeah, I caught the girly shirt thing. Nice touch by the writers.
BUT, wanting to be close to someone doesn’t give you the right to search their homes or offices. That’s called STALKING in the real world. I was both surprised and appalled that the women on this blog seemed to be 1) okay with this behavior and 2) okay with the characterization of said behavior as something *ALL* women endorse.
And finally from pinkie:
I just have one little comment about Beth searching through Mick's office. Of course all the reasons given here are correct, but also, she's an investigative reporter. That alone would make her unable to resist looking.
Pinkie - I could *ALMOST* agree with the investigative reporter argument. The problem with using that argument here is that Beth wasn’t acting as a reporter. She supposedly was there to help protect the girl, not write a follow-up story about her.
I might have been able to cut Beth some slack if the writers had taken a moment -- some hesitation by Beth OR perhaps a line of dialog (Beth asking herself “Do you really want to open this file?”) -- that indicated that Beth realized she was crossing a line.
************
Re: Fleur de Lis
Did no one else notice that the main plot (surveillance thread) of this episode was derived almost verbatim from Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 film The Conversation?
That makes it two obvious movie thefts .. ahem homages .. this season “Body Heat” and “The Conversation”.
When “The Ringer” episode aired I seriously wondered whether this show would be able to deliver on the dark premise embodied by the obsessive/torturous Mick/Coraline relationship and the way it continues to inform Mick's behavior.
For me: Fleur de Lis fails to do that. I was really disappointed that Mick couldn’t/didn’t figure out that Morgan was Coraline before the shower scene. Agree that Beth was driven to stake Morgan by anger, revenge and jealousy.
Aside from the appearance of the much missed Vincent Webster, I absolutely hated this episode.
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Nov 24, 2007 12:15 PM
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