Reaction to seeing this show for the first time in 38 years

[ihatebadmoviesdotcom]

I still haven't gotten used to saying that I remember anything for 30+ years, but that's a story for another board.

I was 12 years old when the show first aired, and I was instantly hooked.  Some of it was that I loved David's humor and spirit, but if I am being honest, it was all about Maddie.  For a boy of that age, she was magnetic in so many ways.  She was probably my first crush.  I don't know that I truly realized the effect that the show had on me until I sat down to watch it from the beginning for the first time since I was a boy.  I was a little bit curious as to whether or not the show held up (it does).  What I was not expecting was the visceral reaction that I had.   The episode started and the music came on and then the visuals in the intro.... just magic.   I was instantly transported back to that time, which was.... odd and a bit overwhelming.  I didn't expect it at all.  I still sit through the credits just to hear the song again. 

I am halfway through season 2 at this point. 

The Good

- Them.  Them!  Seeing them together.... there is just such a warmth there.  It feels like home.

- I think what separates this show from any others is that the tone of the episode is set right at the beginning.  It usually involves the crime or the setup of the crime.  They usually have some kind of quirky or foreboding sense to them. .

- The music.  In particular, that foreboding score used in many episodes that seems to cast a shadow over the scene.  Do you know what I am talking about?   I watched "Portrait of Maddie" last night - that was a great example. 

- DiPesto.  I love her!  I've always had a thing for quirky characters (especially women). 

- Drama. As funny as the show could be, it was at its best when it was dramatic.  For example, the episode with Maddie's parents. 

The Bad

- The mysteries.  Don't get me wrong, the setups are often very very good.  The problem is that if you pay attention even a little bit, you can see what is coming.  Sometimes it is something that someone says, but it is most often who has been introduced to us.  Because the show is only 40ish minutes long and we have to get our dose of whatever it is they disagree about in today's episode, the resolution often falls by the wayside.  If the bad guy hasn't been revealed, you know that there is a very tight window to land the plane.  There are only so many possible resolutions when you have limited time, and it is easy to pick which one is the actual ending.  The episode with Dana Delaney is a great example of this.  It wouldn't have been much of a story if her ex was the bad guy, so that tells the viewer who is as there weren't any other logical endings.

- Slapstick endings.  Sometimes they work, other times they detracted from the drama that had been built up.

- The later seasons.  I remember the show getting so bad that I stopped watching towards the end.  I am trying to put this out of  my mind as I go through the earlier episodes. 

 

[isyou]

Hello, Ihate!!
I'm glad to see someone else has found this site and is posting. I agree that the show holds up! I enjoyed reading all the previous re-watching comments. I even scroll through the comments while watching the episode on Hulu.

I was so surprised to see what a presence Bruce Willis immediately had as David Addison. Also, how much more I liked the Allyce Beasley character Ms. Dipesto and Cybill Sheapherd as Maddie Hayes. I'm still trying to warm up to Curtis Armstrong's Bert Viola

I hate to admit that I have watch all seasons several times already. In some strange way hoping that the next time there is a different ending and the romance is back!

If you really want to get transported in time you can watch the pilot on youtube, it includes the original commercials.

[marta]

Hi guys, must tell you that there is another fan site which is currently very active. You may like to check it out moonlightingstrangers.com/.

I prefer this one, but this is just me (I am odd, seriously).

I love ML (Moonlighting). I rediscovered it at the end of 2020 and could not get it out of my mind for a good year. I still think about it more than I like to admit. My interest in it is a bit different, perhaps, than most people and I am unusual too in that that I quite like seasons 4 and 5.

be seeing you, I hope...

[ihatebadmoviesdotcom]

Feb 8, 2024 20:57:00 GMT -5 isyou said:

Hello, Ihate!!
I'm glad to see someone else has found this site and is posting. I agree that the show holds up! I enjoyed reading all the previous re-watching comments. I even scroll through the comments while watching the episode on Hulu.

I was so surprised to see what a presence Bruce Willis immediately had as David Addison. Also, how much more I liked the Allyce Beasley character Ms. Dipesto and Cybill Sheapherd as Maddie Hayes. I'm still trying to warm up to Curtis Armstrong's Bert Viola

I hate to admit that I have watch all seasons several times already. In some strange way hoping that the next time there is a different ending and the romance is back!

If you really want to get transported in time you can watch the pilot on youtube, it includes the original commercials.

Thanks so much for the response!  I haven't gotten to the episodes with Viola, but I do recall thinking that they were necessary given the turmoil in the star's personal life.

It is interesting that you mention the romance because I think that is part of what sent the show on a negative trajectory.  Television is littered with shows that were never the same after the leads hooked up.   We all want it, but they shouldn't give it to us.  I think X Files was the only show that got this right.

The full pilot is online?  Thank you for that information.  The funny thing is that the commercials might be more interesting than the show itself.  The pilot was easily the worst episode of the first few years. 

[ihatebadmoviesdotcom]

Feb 9, 2024 4:40:11 GMT -5 marta said:

Hi guys, must tell you that there is another fan site which is currently very active. You may like to check it out moonlightingstrangers.com/.

I prefer this one, but this is just me (I am odd, seriously).

I love ML (Moonlighting). I rediscovered it at the end of 2020 and could not get it out of my mind for a good year. I still think about it more than I like to admit. My interest in it is a bit different, perhaps, than most people and I am unusual too in that that I quite like seasons 4 and 5.

be seeing you, I hope.

Ah, thank you for that information!  Its also funny to refer to themselves as odd as I often see myself that way.  Once I realized that I was an introvert I felt a bit better about it.  If you don't mind, how is your interest different?  I have to admit that there are some movies/shows/books that follow me around in my daily life, but that hasn't yet happened with ML.

The other site does look more active - I'll register there.  Thanks!

[ihatebadmoviesdotcom]

Feb 9, 2024 4:40:11 GMT -5 marta said:

Hi guys, must tell you that there is another fan site which is currently very active. You may like to check it out moonlightingstrangers.com/.

So I went over to that site, registered, and waited for the admin to bless my account.  5 minutes later I get a message that I was banned.  

[marta]

What? What? Banned? There must be some mistake. You haven't read the rules and your name is too long or something trivial like that. That website is publicly accessible, how can you be banned?! I would much rather have you here but still...

[isyou]

Marta, I too like this site best. I've enjoy reading all the comments regarding the episodes. I really can't add to any of the comments as I agree with most of them. I like that everyone is so obsessed as I am. (no one on the outside is as interested as I am!) I also like season 4. Season 5 is OK too. For some strange reason each time I start season 5 I'm still hoping for a different outcome. I think that is the definition of crazy!

Ihate,

I a really like your take on the series. I hope you don't mind...if outside influence didn't interfere, I think that it was possible to move this romance forward with many a mishap towards a more rounded and mature relationship. Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. Could have worked? Maybe? Hey I'm a full on Rom Com girl. Don't get me started! The cases were just a frame work for the romance. Also, the minute David Addison/Bruce Willis hit the screen I was hooked.

[marta]

Oops... Isyou, you cannot know my take on the series unless you went through 50 pages or so of Ramblings... don't tell me you have done it? let's be clear about it otherwise it may end in tears! (I am joking, of course, but there is a grain of truth in it).

[isyou]

Well I have read the re-watch comments and even gone back to them when I see something new in my own re-watching. I can't say I can recall who said what, so I may have to go back and read only your comments!!

[marta]

Ihate, you said:

The episode started and the music came on and then the visuals in the intro.... just magic. I was instantly transported back to that time, which was.... odd and a bit overwhelming. I didn't expect it at all. I still sit through the credits just to hear the song again.

This is exactly how I felt when I rediscovered ML at the end of 2020. I am still watching the intro on UTube form time to time more than three years later. I think it is important that the ML themes are jazzy, because it adds to the sophistication of the feel that the series has. Music is such a big part of ML. Occasionally the lyrics directly comment on the story and tell us things we could not know otherwise. It is brilliant.

Isyou, my previous activity on the board is in the Ramblings not in the Re-watching. So you are not familiar with it. Since you say that you agree with most that is said in the Re-watching section, I must warn you I mostly feel like shouting: no, no, no!

Where we do agree, the three of us and the majority of fans is in that David Addison and Maddie Hayes are so hot that it hurts…

[ihatebadmoviesdotcom]

Feb 9, 2024 23:54:54 GMT -5 isyou said:

Ihate,

I a really like your take on the series. I hope you don't mind...if outside influence didn't interfere, I think that it was possible to move this romance forward with many a mishap towards a more rounded and mature relationship. Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. Could have worked? Maybe? Hey I'm a full on Rom Com girl. Don't get me started! The cases were just a frame work for the romance. Also, the minute David Addison/Bruce Willis hit the screen I was hooked.

I think that the interest in this show is kind of like a Venn diagram.  Besides the attraction to Dave and Maddie, I was / am attracted to the show because there was nothing else like it on tv.  They were bold!  I love when they would do a one-off episode such as Atomic Shakespeare or The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice.  I love when today's shows do the same kind of thing (there were a few in Ted Lasso that were amazing).  But for me, part of the magic was the attraction between the two.  I didn't recall it being so blatant in the early seasons, so that has been a bit of a surprise.

Magic aside, I am one that also watches things on an intellectual level.  I want to try to get my head around what the director and showrunner are aiming for.  I want to think about how the show is structured.  I love when a show or movie keeps me thinking about it for days.  So in that spirit.... I think there are some parallels to Cheers in this area.  It was never the same after Sam and Diane got together.  I wanted to see them bickering like love-starved teenagers.  In a weird kind of way I am also reminded of Dexter.  I wanted to see him in his natural habitat and not being a homemaker.  I want to see David smirking about making kids, not raising them.  I don't think this show could have been the same with the leads in a relationship.  Its been done too many times before, and since.  But I do completely get wanting to see it on a sentimental level.

Its funny that you say you are a rom-com fan because I am fascinated by them.  I review movies on the side (1500 reviews and counting) and I've always had a soft spot for a good rom com (which is usually an oxymoron).  I think some of that is related to being a child of the 80's - I learned that pop music isn't a bad thing, and a quirky rom com can be a delight. 

- Adam

[ihatebadmoviesdotcom]

Feb 11, 2024 5:12:05 GMT -5 marta said:

Ihate, you said:

The episode started and the music came on and then the visuals in the intro.... just magic. I was instantly transported back to that time, which was.... odd and a bit overwhelming. I didn't expect it at all. I still sit through the credits just to hear the song again.

This is exactly how I felt when I rediscovered ML at the end of 2020. I am still watching the intro on UTube form time to time more than three years later. I think it is important that the ML themes are jazzy, because it adds to the sophistication of the feel that the series has. Music is such a big part of ML. Occasionally the lyrics directly comment on the story and tell us things we could not know otherwise. It is brilliant.

Have you ever felt that way about another show?  I did a bit with Cheers - I don't know how much of it was childhood nostalgia.  I had a mediocre family life growing up (nothing tragic) so I think I found refuge in tv and music (movies didn't come until I was an adult. 

In an earlier post I said that I was bowled over with emotion when I first started my re-watch.  This may come as a surprise, but I don't know if I would be able to watch it again.  Yeah, I probably would like to hang with them again for a bit and get that warmth.  But one other thing that surprised me was just how much of the show I remembered.  Not necessarily plots or anything like that.  I mean the snippets of dialog (usually punchlines) - I'll be watching a scene and out of nowhere I'll blurt out the joke just as it is said on the show.  I suspect that some of this might be due to having seen the highlight show several times back in the day (laughing). 

[marta]

Ihate, 1500 reviews?! How impressive. Congratulations!

Have I ever felt like that about any other show? No. I felt like that about music. Hearing some pieces after many years and being overwhelmed by emotions which I no longer felt in everyday life. And not being able to believe how I could have forgotten about them both.

Comparisons with Cheers have been made many times on this board and elsewhere. I think there is more that is different than similar...

On the subject of how my interest is different: I’ve just realised that there is a book in me on it and especially on how my take on the show is different. Another one on why it is so…

Well, there it is in a synopsis. It will save you, Isyou, a lot of trouble in the Ramblings!

I joined the discussion on the board in January 2021. It was with a view to encourage other fans to share with me cultural and social references that they know about. I do not live in the US and I was aware that there would be many little gems that I was unable to spot or fully appreciate. There were some situations noted in the earlier discussions but I felt that there could be many more if we tried harder. This did not fly at all. We got sucked into my second issue in a big way.

This interest was to dissect the psychological arc of the story. Is the story - throughout all the 5 seasons (and I stress: all the five seasons) - psychologically coherent? Do we have a plausible explanation why people behave as they do, considering that, by and large, it is a whacky comedy and has not been written, or overseen, by the same group of people over the whole course of its run?

This is difficult to do in a group. People have a very different tolerance level to a statement: ‘I do not agree with you, because (...)’ when they read on the same subject for the n-th time. At the same time, you have to drill and drill otherwise not much would be learned. I was very lucky because my group, as it were in the first half of 2021, was very tolerant and accommodating. It had to end though, for me prematurely (I had so much more to say and discuss), because I was the only one who thought differently about practically every aspect of the show and it became very frustrating for me and obviously for others as well.

Anyway, my take is as follows: this is an absolutely brilliant piece of TV. All seasons are impressive and once I knew about the constraints and difficulties they had during the production I begun to admire it even more. I love it, among other things, because it is so unconventional and inventive. Even the very ending, to me, is a masterpiece and so in tune with the whole show I take my bow to the person whose idea it was. ML is not a romantic comedy - it does not have an ‘emotionally satisfying ending’ - but the ending as it is keeps us hooked! To me, D and M are not meant to be together, psychology-wise (ML deals more often with lust mis-management than with love). I could go on for hours about what is right with seasons 4 and 5. In my view, the writers did not screw up in any season. They were very talented and knowledgeable beyond their years. There are weaker episodes, which is natural and happens in every season. Each episode is loaded with layer upon layer of meanings and issues and references to other shows, films, books, music and culture at large. You can laugh at ML’s comedy, you can get drawn into the crime (and be disappointed by simplifications, true) you can get delighted with the romance or get off on the erotic charge. You can ponder the drama and have your heart touched and aching with sympathy. And still there is more there if you care to notice. I believe that one cannot properly understand what is happening between these two over the five years of ML unless some heavy sociology is consulted.

I know I am at odds with the majority of extant fans. I do not mind the Walter episode and can say: Annie and not have to wash my mouth afterwards and I do not believe the presence and portrayal of black people in Cool Hand Dave is racist. I think the most famous kiss at the end of ‘I am curious…Maddie’ (IACM, the one before rolling on the floor) is not done well. And so on and on...

I believe that the change in character of the show after they have sex is to the benefit of the whole because you can only have so much of the tension, it must be resolved and the relationship must progress. And it does progress but not in the way that children and adolescents can be interested in. So people who got hooked very young felt cheated then and they still do. No more passionate kisses between the principals!

So there you are, and quoting Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and prejudice): and now despise me if you dare!

[Marlena]

Oh, how I miss the Ramblings...

Hello Marta...