Customer Reviews

Moonlighting: Season Four

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Season 4 may be the show's weakest season. Yet, it gets unfairly panned. It stands up fairly well after 20 years.

After Season 3, which most fans and critics consider the best of all 5 seasons, the expectations for Season 4 were extremely and unfairly high. Also, Cybill Sheperd's pregnancy kept her from putting in more than a few cameos for several months, and a Hollywood strike disrupted many network shows. As a result, Season 4 was short (only 14 episodes), had long gaps between new episodes, and had too many episodes in which David and/or Maddie had very little screen time. Which meant an increased presence of Herbert Viola and Miss DiPesto, something that not all fans thought was consistently a good thing.

Despite these obstacles, Season 4 managed to bring some of that Moonlighting magic that fans love, and remains better than most television, despite being perhaps the weakest season of Moonlighting.

Season 4 continued the Moonlighting tradition of lots of great music and great guest stars, including: Ray Charles, Dr Joyce Brothers, John Goodman, Pat Boone, and Terry O'Quinn (the guy that plays John Locke on "Lost").

In a very strong episode, David butts heads with Maddie's overprotective father, well-played by Robert Webber, who was in the original "12 Angry Men", and a guest on such shows as Rockford Files, Outer Limits (the original), Ironside, and Kojak.

Another great Season 4 episode is "Fetal Attraction", in which David takes a Lamaze class with foxy future single mom Brooke Adams (who was also in Frasier, Thirtysomething, Kojak, Police Woman, and the Lords of Flatbush). David is doing this so he can be there for Maddie, who in Chicago is oblivious to his sacrifice; meanwhile, the healthy way David and Brooke Adams's character get along is such an amazing contrast to the rocky roller-coaster relationship David has with Maddie. Great episode!

Serious fans and completists will want to pick up the Season 4 DVD set. Casual fans might be better off renting the individual discs from Netflix.

Stay tuned: Season 5 (with "A Womb with a View"!!!) is coming soon!

I got hooked on this show from watching the DVDs so I had to watch season 4 despite its bad reputation. There are some fun moments here and there, but they're pretty scarce overall; in fact, there are entire episodes where not one funny thing occurs or is said. Most of the season consists of David and Maddie ruminating over their relationship's shortcomings, which gets old on the very first episode, but it continues. For much of the season, Maddie is away with her parents, so some episodes show her with them and in others she does not appear at all. The point, though, is that after the first episode David and Maddie are not in any scenes together until much later in the season. Since the success and popularity of the show owed to the chemistry between the two of them, the tone of the show was altered immensely due to their lack of scenes together, and not for the better. The producers of this show made the decision to send Maddie away temporarily in order to give Cybill Shepherd time off to have her child. They could have handled that much more creatively, however, (maybe by delaying the production so D&M wouldn't have to be separate) and you can easily see how the series suffered. Overall it's quite dull, slow-paced and laugh-free. Even when D&M actually are together, the dialogue between them isn't as snappy and clever as before. A lot of it consists of one character repeating the other's words ("I'm ambivalent about our relationship." "Ambivalent?" "Yes, ambivalent." "Well, I'm ambivalent about your ambivalence" etc., etc., etc.) and that really drags. The writers weren't exactly giving it their all.

There are a few good points, though, such as the "Honeymooners" homage in the first episode. We get more DiPesto and Viola, both of whom I find charming. And once you get to disc 3 (there are THREE discs to this set, not four as listed) things start to pick up. The last episode of this season is actually quite charming, I think, and contains one of the best, funniest climactic chase scenes of the series altogether in my opinion.

As for special features, the set just contains a few commentaries. Those involved admit they made some poor decisions that damaged the show for its viewers. So, again, there are some good moments in the first episode and near the end, but if you go for this season just know that you're in for a few nonsensical and uninteresting plotlines and a lot of depressing analyzing-of-one's-feelings that should belong on Dr. Phil (well, if the Dr. Phil show had existed then), not a fun, witty show like Moonlighting.

Season 4 sometimes gets a bad rap because Cybill was gone for so many episodes and it had some surprise plot twists that fans didn't always like. But it has some great episodes! Some of my favorites are:

A Trip to the Moon - the season opener features a great Honeymooners parody, David declaring his love for Maddie to the office, and one of my favorite scenes of the series in a laundromat.

Come Back Little Shiksa - David trashes Maddie's BMW to Jimi Hendrix while working on a case with Bert that parallels his own situation. Look for the claymation scene that has Bruce and Cybill's characteristics down to a tee.

Fetal Attraction - David asks Bert to be his Lamaze partner, then meets Terri and tells her about him and Maddie.

Father Knows Last - A fan favorite! Mr. Hayes comes to find out David's attentions towards Maddie. The scene on the airplane where David declares his love for Maddie to her father may be Bruce's best scene in the entire series.

Tracks of My Tears - David and Maddie's reunion! Love the look on Bruce's face as he hugs her. But first, we get the great "Body Heat" dream sequence between them.

Maddie Hayes Got Married - One of my personal favorites! David throws a wedding for Maddie, Bert fills in as the stripper at Maddie's intended's bachelor party, and a madcap scene at the hospital where Maddie and David go at each other while Terri gives birth.

And the Flesh Was Made Word - A great season ender, which was cut short by a writers' strike. Watch Maddie chase David for a change! The real Moonlighting writers fill up the short episode, dancing with their picket signs as Bert sings the Wooly Bully!

All in all, a good season that finished strong!

This is the season that began the slump and eventual demise of "Moonlighting." After teasing viewers with the potential romance between David Addison and Maddie Hayes, the final shows of Season 3 finally got them between the sheets, which created a problem of having the sexual tension between them relieved. So, what does one do after that? Well, this season should be held as an example to all shows on what could happen if you tease audiences with sexual tension between two characters and have them finally give in and get together.

The reason for the slump is because Maddie had, as Agnes Dipesto rightfully put it, de-Daved David Addison. Instead of the fun loving, often breaking into song, making the slightest sexist comment Dave that we loved, he became a love sick puppy. He spent most of the season sulking and depressed after Maddie left to spend the season with her folks in Chicago. Both of them reverted back to adolescence and thus why the show often sucked this season. It's like the writers couldn't figure out what to do with the characters after they had done the deed. Besides that, there were stories of Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd not getting along, so it's like the show accommodated them both by having them not work together. In the end, fans of the show suffered for it.

However, all is not lost. I'm a true fan of the show and own all three DVD sets. This season does have a few gems worthy of the "Moonlighting" brand: a peppy guest appearance with Ray Charles, a two-parter where David Addison goes off to jail, which allows him to play his antics with a new group of people, we get to see Burt Viola in drag as well as serenade his love Agnes DiPesto with a strangely appealing version of Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" (hilarious!), and the episode in which David and Maddie are turned into clay-mation figures. Those are the highlights. But all in all, this show turned towards second fiddles Burt and Agnes romance, and they simply weren't meant for the spotlight.

Although they can't rewrite Season 4 to make it as good as Seasons 2 and 3, this set is still worth owning for any "Moonlighting" fan. Even when it was bad, it was still better than most shows in the 1980s. I'm glad to have it as part of my collection.

As a big fan of this series I can remmember how the frustration from constant repeats in Season 3 turned even worse the following year when most of the new episodes only included one(or none)of the main stars. As good as Miss Depesto and Mr. Viola were, they were never meant to carry a whole episode by themeselves.
These are the reasons why I'm passing on Season 4. Personally I'd rather re-watch the episodes on the previous seasons and remmember Moonlighting at its best.

Some fans feel Season 4 wasn't as strong as the first 3-- mainly because Bruce and Cybill weren't together on screen for all 14 episodes...only for 6). Nevertheless, I will be buying S4 because of these gems, just to name a few:

*A Trip to the Moon (great "Honeymooner" dream sequence)
*Father Knows Last (emotional scene with David professing his love for Maddie to her father)
*Fetal Attraction (hilarious lamaze scene between David and Bert)
*Tracks of My Tears (sexy dream sequence/love scene between Maddie and David, inspired by the movie "Body Heat")

All of these episodes have interesting behind-the-scenes insight published in the online magazine "Moonlighting Strangers". If you really love "Moonlighting," you will want to check out what the cast and crew had to say.

[...]

Moonlighting as a whole was a great TV series that was groundbreaking in many ways. However, after finishing season three at an all time high, the writers delivered a non-stop disappointment from beginning until end with season four. Many blame the consummation of David and Maddie's relationship (in season three) for the eventual decline in interest among viewers. However, the real problem was quite simply due to horrible writing and the two main leads being absent (or separate from each other) for most of the entire fourth season.

Once you finish watching the endless and often unfunny adventures of Burt and Agnes (because of "missing in action" lead actors), and wade through the extremely depressing atmosphere of season four, season FIVE will be an uplifting surprise. While it never quite attains the same level of creative writing found in the first three seasons, season five really shines and finally delivers the laughs and honest substance that should have been found in season four!

This is the only season of the series that I would consider a disappointment.

JM

From one episode to the next, Moonlighting kept surpassing itself, doing the unexpected and getting more dramatic, funnier and sexier.
Therefore, the expectations for season 4 were unrealistically high after season 3, which to my mind remains the very best season of all television history. Moreover, the show had to deal with the absences of its main actors due to pregnancy, accidents and a movie deal (as well as a Hollywood strike). Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis carry the show and when one of them is missing, the dynamic of Moonlighting is clearly not the same.

The show handled those absences by having Maddie and David behave uncharacteristically, implausibly and by being something they never were before: uncaring towards each other. To my mind, this is the principal reason for the frustration of Moonlighting fans with season 4. In his commentary, Bruce addresses the bad decisions regarding Maddie's pregnancy and complains about the lack of romance and comedy in the scripts.
Nevertheless, I enjoy watching season 4 - and even more so, when focussing on the voices and gestures between Maddie and David. Cybill and Bruce use their acting to betray some of the bad words, keep the flirtatious romance alive and stay as true to their characters as possible.

For David's love declaration to Maddie, the dream sequence with Ray Charles and the Honeymooner parody, I suggest "A Trip to the Moon"; for the Maddie and David claymations bantering and making up "Come Back Little Shiksa"; for the amazing chemistry between Cybill and Bruce and the reunion "Tracks of My Tears"; for comedy at its best, sincere feelings and more chemistry "Maddie Hayes Got Married" and "And the Flesh Was Made Word". These episodes bring back the magic of Moonlighting!

Other highlights are the very believable family well-played by Cybill, Eva Marie Saint and Robert Webber and some hilarious scenes with Curtis Armstrong (standing in as David's Lamaze partner / singing and dancing at the bachelor party).

As a real treat, two of the most frequently asked and discussed questions regarding Maddie and David are answered in the commentaries. Bruce admits that he loves her from the moment he saw her for the first time. Cybill suggests that the baby must have been his. These truths may be not as spectacular and amazing as the long-awaited reunion of Cybill and Bruce in the season 3 documentary, but for many Moonlighting fans they are as important.

To quote a comment by Bruce "stay tuned for season 5" ("Shirts and Skins", "I see England, I see France, I see Maddie's Netherworld"..) which will be released in March 2007. It would be very nice, if some outtakes and deleted scenes could be added. Maybe Cybill and Bruce could comment about the present and future of Maddie and David answering the biggest question of all Moonlighting fans..

But disappointing for Maddie Hayes fans. Due to her real life pregnancy, Cybill Sheperd is hardly in this season at all, mainly appearing in small two minute scenes. If you are like I am, and a fan of Bruce Willis, this season is still worth getting. David is the main character in a lot of the episodes, so I was very satisfied with this season. True, there are a couple of episodes that were mediocre, but overall very pleasing. There is a great scene this season that involves David and Maddie's father. Overall, this is still a worthy season for this series if you don't mind not having Maddie on every episode.

MOONLIGHTING started to stumble during Season Four, arguably it's weakest season in terms of writing and overall performance standard. Things weren't helped by a long and messy writers' strike, and Cybill Shepherd's offscreen pregnancy limited the number of episodes she could appear in.

The characters of Maddie (Cybill Shepherd) and David (Bruce Willis) consummated their long-held sexual tension during the penultimate episode of Season Three. Given that writers chose to commit the "cardinal sin" of television writing by allowing that to happen, the bulk of Season Four's storylines fell on kooky receptionist Agnes DiPesto (Allyce Beasley) and her unlikely love interest, Herb (Curtis Armstrong). Beasley and Armstrong provide a solid anchor for this season's action, but Willis and Shepherd's screen magic is sorely missed during some of the weaker episodes.

Things returned to normal just in time for the fifth and final season, but fans of MOONLIGHTING should still enjoy this fourth chapter of magic, murder and mayhem.

COMPLETE EPISODE LISTING:

"A Trip to the Moon" - It's been one month since detectives Maddie Hayes and David Addison revealed their feelings for one another - and their relationship is worse than ever. Maddie has dreams that her life is a TV sitcom, while David receives imaginary advice from Ray Charles.

"Come Back, Little Shiksa" - When Maddie heads off for Chicago, David focuses all his energies on an impossible case: tracking down a mystery woman who left behind nothing except a single earring.

"Take a Left at the Altar" - As David tracks down a runaway groom, Maddie's parents must solve another mystery: What's the real reason their daughter came home?

"Tale of Two Cities" - David becomes increasingly frustrated with Maddie's absence and decides to return to his old partying, playboy lifestyle.

"Cool Hand Dave (Parts 1 & 2)" - When David learns that Maddie is pregnant, he desperately tries to catch a flight to Chicago to see her...and is tricked into switching identities with a wanted felon. David's typically wacky stay in jail involves a botched break-out, a murderous guard, a full-scale prison riot and an outrageous musical number!

"Father Knows Last" - The Blue Moon Detective Agency faces financial ruin, the employees are striking and the furniture is being repossessed. And as if David doesn't have enough problems - Maddie's father drops by to discuss his daughter's pregnancy.

"Los Dos DiPestos" - Ace secretary Miss DiPesto must solve a mystery of her very own: why are dangerous crooks pursuing her elderly mother?

"Fetal Attraction" - David's decision to prepare for the arrival of Maddie's baby has unintended consequences: he meets a pregnant woman who just might be his perfect match.

"Tracks of My Tears" - As Maddie finally heads back to Los Angeles, she begins to wonder if marriage and fatherhood will change everything that makes David special.

"Eek! A Spouse!" - When Maddie shows up at the office with her surprise new husband, everyone is confused by David's complete non-reaction.

"Maddie Hayes Got Married" - Maddie is frustrated by David's refusal to believe that she's really in love with Walter Bishop...and David offers to pay for a big church wedding so she can prove she means it.

"Here's Living With You, Kid" - Bored and lonely as he spends long nights guarding a top-secret grapefruit, Bert imagines his relationship with Agnes DiPesto as a topsy-turvy version of "Casablanca".

"And the Flesh Was Made Word" - David and Maddie finally reunite as partners to solve a case. A businessman wants them to find the mystery woman who is distracting his partner from the company's work.