Sassy senior wisdom with Sean
I have returned from the land of the dead - aka a 10-day-bout with what the kids are calling the H1N1. I ended up going home to stay with my parents - like any responsible college student would do.
When I was awake, I had no motivation or drive to do anything but cough and feel sorry for myself. The only thing I could do was watch TV and do my best to stay awake for a few consecutive hours. Since I couldn’t accomplish anything actually important, I figured I could pick a TV show and work through a season or two on DVD. Without my DVDs and Blu-Rays to keep me busy, I consulted my parents’ collection and found an intriguing television prospect: “Moonlight: The Complete Series.”
For those unfamiliar with this gem of a show, Mick St. John is a private investigator working in Los Angeles. He is also a vampire. He frequently partners with investigative reporter Beth Turner to solve crimes. As a child, Beth was kidnapped by Mick’s wife and vampire sire Coraline. Mick rescued Beth and killed his wife to save the young girl, but Beth has blocked the trauma. Mick has been keeping watch over Beth for years and when he becomes part of her life again, the sparks fly. Will the two embrace their love or will they be kept apart by Mick’s vampire lifestyle? Well, WE WILL NEVER KNOW BECAUSE THE SHOW HAD A SHORTENED SEASON DUE TO THE WRITER’S STRIKE AND IT WASN’T PICKED UP FOR A SECOND SEASON!
Vampires + mystery + impossible but-still-kind-of possible love + creepy make-up effects = a winning TV show! Too bad no one else is aware of this winning formula! That formula in mind, imagine my dismay when I came to the last episode and mystery after mystery was left unsolved. “Moonlight” had a solid two or three seasons’ worth of stories to tell and it was cut short. With little to no resolution, I am left with a pervading sense of loss. I committed myself to this show for 16 episodes. I fell in love with these characters. I praised the production design and writing. What do I get in return? A world of hurt!
I know that my feelings are not taken into account when networks decide to pick up or cancel a show, but they should. I’m not asking a lot. I just want stories to be resolved. Every television show should conclude with a fan-pleasing episode a la the series finale of “Gilmore Girls.” Lorelai and Luke got back together. Rory broke up with Logan and began work as a youth correspondent on Barack Obama’s campaign for president (how smart and timely “Gilmore Girls”). When Rory accepted the position, she cut her summer short by more than a month so the episode consisted of Lorelai and Rory saying good-bye to the residents of Stars Hollow and each other. The episode was a fitting, if heartbreaking, conclusion to the show. I was able to bid Stars Hollow a finale farewell with Rory. I cried for probably an hour (keep in mind, each episode is only 43 minutes), but that was what I needed to say good-bye.
I DIDN’T GET THAT WITH “MOONLIGHT!” There were no final farewells, there was no sense of resolution; there were only unanswered questions and feelings of betrayal. I invested a great deal of myself into that vampire-detective show and I deserved better.
What can I take from this situation besides hurt feelings? I could write my own fan fiction to create a sense of resolution for myself. If I did that, I would steer clear of the creepy but surprisingly popular sub-genre of erotic fan fiction. Think “Legolas’s long bow quivered with desire,” or “Buffy sure knew how to work a stake.” The more I think about it, this route seems phallic, very creepy, and less satisfying then I originally thought. I’m not into that sort of thing, but whatever floats your boat.
I could engage in an existential thought experiment: Just like “Moonlight” came to an end, so will my life one day. No, that’s morbid and best saved for philosophy classrooms. I guess my story can serve as a cautionary tale. There is a difference between “The Complete First Season” and “The Complete Series.” This distinction is important and can only be made by reading. Read the box people. Be informed. Don’t set yourself up to be hurt like I did.
