Boink
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Post by Boink on Apr 8, 2021 18:08:49 GMT -5
Sandra, I added my thoughts on TLTL and Perfetc to the existing "MADDIE'S TURN TO WAIT" post above. And now for...
MY RETURNING DAVID
8. In 'N Outlaws Like every other Moonlighting episode, INO fails to answer any questions about the fate of the Paris-bound olive branch that David extended to Maddie in the final minutes of Perfetc. Did Blue Moon ever go international? If so, what happened? If not, why not? Were all Parisian plans perhaps thwarted by the sudden and unexpected arrival of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to finally solve and close the long-festering Anselmo case forever? Although David and Maddie's appearance in this Bert and Agnes adventure is brief, it does provide clues that such a corner may indeed have been turned in mending their relationship, if only professionally. David seems to be much more present at the office by this time, back in the long-established white shirt and tie he had traded in for business casual in both BAYAAHP and TLTL and bowling team uniform of Perfetc. All signs suggest that he no longer has the 'round-the-clock distraction that "justified" his recent workplace approach, in terms of both attire and attendance. The Anselmo case will be addressed in greater detail in TCOM below, but for now, INO does provide a well-placed passage of time that heals some, but not all, wounds... and a bridge to better days.
9. The Color of Maddie "You know, David," said Maddie in TLTL, "After you get through with this Anselmo case, I think you should take a vacation. You know, go to a beach somewhere, work on your tan, maybe go fishing. How about a deep-sea fishing trip?" She was in lavender and fine spirits as she mistook Richard Addison for David and gave him a wholly encouraged back rub. And now, three episodes later, Maddie is visibly even happier as she, wearing a different lavender outfit, presents David a bonus check and explains, "We finally got the rest of the money on the Anselmo case. That was your share." Does it make any sense that, in season 5's original broadcast/air date order, Maddie gave David his bonus check from the "rest of the money 'we finally got' on the Anselmo case", before suggesting five episodes later what he might do "when you get through with this Anselmo case", and then telling him nine episodes later that, "Sergeant Donnigan has a lead on the Anselmo case... Our first real lead."? The simple fact is the Anselmo case validates entirely that the shipper's order is chronologically superior to season 5's hopelessly scrambled original broadcast order. And much like David's share of the money, to observe the Anselmo case gradually adding to the tension between David and Maddie over the course of five consecutive episodes in this way is just an unexpected bonus, the proverbial icing on the cake of finally seeing their relationship progress logically in a season viewed for decades "out of order." Moving on to those more personal matters... The Anselmo excuse he used to justify "checking out" has been resolved in a manner worthy of payment, and David is back in the office, at least as much as he ever was. With the long overdue return of some semblance of normalcy, Maddie has found a relaxed happiness in her life and relationship with David in a way not seen since her season 3 return from vacation in TSAR. She has come a long way since the loss of Baby Hayes, her PTSD nightmare, and her increased harping on a "detached, remote, and unfeeling" David. "Getting mad takes too much time and energy," she tells him. "If I'm going to be in business with you for the long haul, I'm just going to have to learn to accept you for who you are, once and for all, finally and forever, warts and all." Whether or not responding to David's recently cold/now cool detachment with a warm detachment of her own had any intentional or even subconscious motives, Maddie might have guessed that dropping the "pals" bomb would turn him around as swiftly as his "you're not worth it" assessment did her in IACM. David's panic is immediate and evident. "Pals is a blast," he sarcastically declares. "I've even heard of pals exchanging amusing stories with each other," he laughs as if to keep from crying. "Heard any good jokes lately?" Although his return to being truly open to Maddie will take time, this is the moment when David stops moving in the opposite direction. It is also the episode in which Maddie finally admits that she and David really did have the type of relationship she had claimed was missing during her self-described, ATTTM/season 4 "small nervous breakdown." As was felt by all around them through seasons 1-3, David and Maddie will for the remainder of season 5 once again share, "something that starts small and builds, grows, and goes somewhere." This time, however, they will do so with broader life (and death) experiences behind them, and more honest, cordial, and constructive dialogue between them.
10. Plastic Fantastic Lovers Notes coming soon...
Coming up next: INSEPARABLE WE STRONGLY SUSPECT
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Post by Marlena on Apr 8, 2021 21:43:40 GMT -5
This is wonderful, Boink. I love how you have put this together by looking at the progress on the Anselmo case. It makes me wonder, all those years ago...what were the writers thinking? Was anybody in charge of continuity?
You deserve all the awards for doing this research, Boink. 👏👏🏆🥂👏👏
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Boink
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Post by Boink on Apr 9, 2021 10:37:20 GMT -5
Thanks, Marlena! My best guess is that the network and/or producers felt liberated enough by the absence of GGC's quality control to just "crank out" the season 5 episodes randomly, without regard for the broader continuity that was lost as a result. To have "In 'N Outlaws" suddenly appear following WGC's "To be continued..." suggests this even at first glance. The producers could have been encouraged to follow the "resolution" of Baby Hayes as quickly as possible with lighter, case-based episodes to recall the simpler times of seasons 1-2 and hopefully catch "Moonlightning in a bottle" again. Note that BAYAAHP is followed in broadcast order by TCOM (whose investigation leads David and Maddie into a seedy bar à la GATSSC) and PFL (whose masked client recalls TLITIM). As a result, anything perceived to be less "safe" or universally accepted (such as relationship-oriented drama or a Bert/Agnes episode) would have been postponed or shelved until later. It seems they even started airing the "Annie episodes" without taking into account that INO was waiting in the wings. This is all just speculation, of course, but continuity was clearly not priority #1 at the time. I've judged season 5 very harshly over the years, and I still think it lacks some of the heart of the other seasons (again likely due to GGC's absence), but the shipper's order and its Anselmo revelation have now proven beyond any doubt in my mind that Moonlighting's final season was unfairly sabotaged by its original broadcast order.
A few more thoughts on Maddie's "PTSD NIGHTMARE" now that the Anselmo case IS solved:
The relegation of WGC/EKNM/LE to "PTSD nightmare" may have begun as a mere coping mechanism for us shippers, but the Anselmo case has now validated its "nightmare" status beyond my wildest dreams. Taking place in Maddie's mind between AWWAV and BAYAAHP, these episodes not only add real depth to Maddie's post-Baby Hayes sense of loss, but they also align perfectly with other events and factors that would have been on her mind at the time:
- Considering how David kept Blue Moon afloat while she was in Chicago, among other things, should Maddie offer him equal partnership in the business? What good or bad might that cause? (This is yet another way to interpret her EKNM "Partners, eh?" comment/question, which has recently been discussed on this board.)
- Bert and Agnes had recently moved in together (HLWYK), and Maddie envisions their seemingly inevitable engagement (whose announcement perhaps symbolically blasts her in the face with champagne) and wedding (where she, among others, is shoved into a pool). Bert and Agnes are succeeding in their relationship, while she remains alone and lost in her emotions.
- Still not ready to truly open her heart to David, Maddie shuts him out yet again and copes with the loss of her baby on her own. By this time, David has had enough of such treatment and "checks out." Has Maddie pushed him away one time too many, she wonders? Might he move on and find a more accessible "substitute", without all of Maddie's complicating inclinations (an "Annie", for example)?
- In the midst of David's use of the Anselmo case as a getaway, Maddie dreams up a "real detective" not only to protect her from a sudden sense of vulnerability, but also to turn up the "first real lead", hopefully solve the case, and therefore passively bring David back.
Maddie's grief is so deep and her sense of loss so overwhelming, though, that she lets Donnigan slip away like everyone and everything else. Blue Moon falls, Maddie's world collapses, and she is left in her very last moment holding onto all that really matters - David's hand - before her life "flashbacks" before her eyes. Final thought: "The Anselmo Case was never solved... and remains a mystery to this day."
And then she wakes up (BAYAAHP), life goes on (TLTL and Perfetc), the Anselmo case IS solved (sometime before INO), and with his bonus check in hand (or torn up on the floor, TCOM), David is still there for Maddie to accept, as she says, "for who you are, once and for all, finally and forever" (the remainder of season 5 and beyond). I think GGC, who clearly had no aversion to dream sequences, would approve.
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Post by sandra on Apr 9, 2021 12:57:48 GMT -5
I don't have the words today, Boink. However, I think a simple thank you should tell you everything you need to know.
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marta
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Post by marta on Apr 9, 2021 19:41:59 GMT -5
Your flying pigs are going to crush badly in Perfetc as it contains extensive references to the Anselmo case, as well as references to a post-mortem on the relationship, talking it to death and unwillingness on both sides to invest in it. But not to worry, we can always follow the example of the three monkeys...
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Post by Marlena on Apr 9, 2021 23:35:42 GMT -5
The Season 5 Shipper's Order does require some willing suspension of disbelief. Obviously not all of the puzzle pieces are going to fit perfectly here. But compared to the order in which the shows were aired, the Shipper's Order does make a lot of sense.
Assuming Perfetc is the finale - I can accept the fact that M & D are still figuring out there relationship, rehashing what went wrong. Maybe that was just a bad moment for them in the car. But in the end, they are smiling, happy, and are willing to go on an adventure together in Paris. I can believe that, had there been a Season 6, the relationship would have been going somewhere. M & D would have still been climbing up that ladder.
Lunar Eclipse was a disastrous nightmare of an episode, both literally and in Boink's Shipper's Order. Writer Ron Clark said in an interview that he had already started writing the episode when he found out the show was being canceled. We'll never know what he originally had planned, but I have to believe it would have been the demise of the David/Annie affair and at the very least a spark to rekindle M & D's romance.
I have no doubt that the second half of LE was written at the last minute, when the cancellation was announced. Moonlighting is a masterpiece. But it is a masterpiece that was deserving of a better ending, an ending written by someone who had a heart for the show and its characters.
Maddie and David deserved better. We all did.
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Boink
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Post by Boink on Apr 10, 2021 0:05:45 GMT -5
Fear not, friends! NJJ made a valid point some time back that led to adjustments, and now Marta has done the same. Although it is disappointing not to end with the promise of Paris (which remains unaddressed regardless of episode order), my first viewing of "Perfetc" in years confirms that, from D&M relationship (top priority) and Anselmo case (good for supporting continuity) pespectives, it actually fits quite flawlessly between TLTL and INO. I have already re-ordered and re-numbered the episodes in my "shipper's order" posts, and I will add and/or modify my notes shortly.
Thanks to Marta, for your contribution, and to everyone for your continued support of this ongoing project!
Cheers, Boink
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marta
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Post by marta on Apr 10, 2021 5:11:41 GMT -5
Please do not thank me for a contribution (however tongue in cheek) as (first) it was as mean spirited as it sounded and (second) I have no wish to contribute to this tomfoolery.
I was politely ignoring the S. order for a while until I remembered that I was to exercise my shadow a bit more and there was a perfect opportunity to be less agreeable than I usually was. Another prompt was my coming across a note I made, which reminded me that the Anselmo case was mentioned in Perfetc (which I do not watch often), which made me realise that you, Boink, quite obviously did not apply ‘order and method’ diligently enough in your project. Shame on you. I mean… how could you…?
Now, since none of you wants to know what I think about the Anselmo case I am going to tell you in Ramblings.
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Boink
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Post by Boink on Apr 10, 2021 11:03:48 GMT -5
You, Boink, quite obviously did not apply ‘order and method’ diligently enough in your project. Shame on you. I mean… how could you…? Having some time ago completed "Boink to the Future" entirely on my own before sharing it, I might have done the same with the shipper's order. Instead, I openly announced that it had been years since I'd seen most of season 5 and encouraged input from everyone here as I started from scratch and continue to work through it, one episode at a time. Even if this approach might cause me some re-work along the way (it has), I thought it might just be more fun, rewarding, and worth it to allow this fine group of fans to contribute (it is). I thank everyone for their feedback and/or support, and if I could go back and start over, I wouldn’t do it any other way. Please do not thank me for a contribution (however tongue in cheek) as (first) it was as mean spirited as it sounded and (second) I have no wish to contribute to this tomfoolery. Regardless of tone or intent, you have indeed contributed and been helpful to the cause. You know it, and I know it. You feel it, and I feel it.
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marta
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Post by marta on Apr 10, 2021 18:09:24 GMT -5
Yes, serves me right. It was announced as an open source project, so I must apologise for my mean comment on your methodology.
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Boink
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Post by Boink on Apr 10, 2021 20:50:39 GMT -5
No apologies necessary. Perfetc has now taken its rightful, fully-documented place in my shipper's order posts, with notes on surrounding episodes adjusted to accommodate.
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Boink
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Post by Boink on Apr 14, 2021 22:49:54 GMT -5
I've spontaneously decided to post images for every episode in the shipper's order, including those about which I have not yet had time to gather my detailed thoughts. I'm just having a joyous Moonlighting geek-out moment letting the images finish the story for me, so I figured I'd let you all get a sense of the shipper's order the same way until I can write it all up. Please note the lovely symmetry created by following SAS with ISEISFISMN. Maddie or David presents the other with paperwork at the end of each of these two episodes. More on that in my notes below. Long story short: The shipper's order is now set in stone, and I am seeing season 5 like I never had before. More notes coming soon... Boink INSEPARABLE WE STRONGLY SUSPECT11. Shirts and Skins While working separately from competing angles on the same case, David and Maddie have a warm, after-hours moment in which he offers to take her out for dinner and tells her, "Listen, I, uh... I just want you to know that all of this has been fun." "What?" she replies, somewhat defensively. "Well, this. You, me, all this." Though on the surface he is referring to their pending legal showdown, it becomes clearer as the convsersation continues that David is also opening up to comment for the first time in some time about their relationship on a broader, much more personal level. "Well, I wouldn't exactly call it fun," she answers, perhaps not yet grasping where he is coming from, or where he is going. "Thought provoking, challenging, stimulating, maybe a little infuriating." "Stimulating, challenging, infuriating," he considers... "Sounds like fun to me." If she hadn't already, Maddie now understands, and her simple, soft, and longing response says it all, "Yeah." As subtly as David plays it, this is his breakthrough moment of the season, and only from here forward is the restoration of David and Maddie's relationship on far more equal footing possible. He is really opening up here, while at the same time keeping her at arm's length – and therefore interested. He also has the confidence that he will soon be earning Maddie's full professional respect, which plays out through the remainder of the episode to the point where she finally offers to make him her "equal partner" at Blue Moon. This initiates a friendlly (to say the least) exchange of paperwork that will pay off in the next episode. 12. I See England, I See France, I See Maddie's Netherworld David tests his new "partner" status with his workplace 976 number antics. When Maddie expectedly calls him out on it and later, in likely retaliation, refers to him as her "associate", he replies, "What happened to partner?" Fun is clearly being had here with matters that would have been taken far more seriously, especially by Maddie, in early seasons. Later, some light-hearted yet meaningful conversation unfolds between David and Maddie, producing such comments from Maddie as, "I don't know what I'd do if you were the first to go", and from David, "It wouldn't be a heaven without you." When villains lead them into her bedroom at gunpoint, David can't help drift from the moment and reminisce, "It's been a while since I've been invited up here. The bed's a little smaller than I remember." And when he later suggests that Maddie and he get out of their wet clothes, she is perfectly comfortable in asking him, "Will you unzip me?" In an episode where death and darkness surround them, they find comfort in their connection, and the closeness they have established through the years really shines through. Things are on the right track, and I think Maddie has one more needed breakthrough moment when she wakes up from her nightmare, in which David, as the grim reaper, has pushed her into an open grave. Just as she is most panicked by the sense that he will abandon her, she instead wakes up to find him caring for and watching over her in the hospital (again). It might just be that she is overcoming the last of whatever remaining fear she has still been carrying about him - a necessary step for the future. Added "shipper's order" bonus/nice touch: The envelope David hands her at the end of this episode provides a nice, playful "payback" for the envelope she handed him at the end of the immediately preceding SAS. And even though each of them either staples or flips their pages differently (how appropriate is that?), I can't help but smile as it appears they are both looking at the same document. 13. Take My Wife, For Example Notes coming soon... And sometimes with shoes tied, sometimes with bare feet, they lived spontaneously, methodically, and happily ever after...
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Post by sandra on Apr 15, 2021 9:23:30 GMT -5
It has most certainly been a ride to watch this unfold, Boink. I'll go and see what your order does to my view on season 5.
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Post by Marlena on Apr 16, 2021 13:14:02 GMT -5
I've spontaneously decided to post images for every episode in the shipper's order, including those about which I have not yet had time to gather my detailed thoughts. I'm just having a joyous Moonlighting geek-out moment letting the images finish the story for me, so I figured I'd let you all get a sense of the shipper's order the same way until I can write it all up. Boink, I love the photos you added to the shipper's order. Without even watching the episodes, the photos show Maddie and David getting closer to that happy ending. I thought that was so funny that they used the same paperwork in the scenes at the end of S&S and ISEISFISMN. Great detective work on your part. A while ago I asked the question, If you could have any prop or article of clothing from the set of Moonlighting, what would it be? I'd like that paperwork, just to see what it really says. I know it was probably just something someone had on the set, but if you look closely, it does seem to say Agreement at the top. Wish I could see the rest. Actually, another item from the set that I would love to have is the note David wrote to Maddie at the end of Knowing Her. I know David crumpled it up pretty good, but I'd still love to have it. Sure it ended up in the trash though, along with the rose. Too bad.
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Post by Marlena on Apr 17, 2021 22:50:20 GMT -5
Hey Boink,
I've got my popcorn ready and tonight I am going to start watching the Moonlighting Season 5 Shipper's Order. To prepare, last night I watched ATFWMW. I wanted to get into the mindset that M & D were together since M said she was fielding offers for date nights with D. She definitely seemed eager to get the relationship back on track. They even shared that great kiss on the bridge, and were planning to attend Lamaze classes on Tuesday nights. So going into AWWAV, I am going to assume that the relationship is moving along nicely, the romance is there, but it is calm now. It is not all-consuming, which is why M is alone in bed on the morning of AWWAV.
This is me 😊 looking forward to a better, more satisfying Season 5.
Cue theme music...here we go...
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