Moonlighting was a TV Comedy show that aired on ABC from 1985 to 1989. The focus of the show revolved the Blue Moon Detective Agency and it’s two owners, David Addison (Bruce WIllis) and Madeline “Maddie” Hayes (Cybill Shepherd). It was stupidly popular at the time and looking back on it, pretty groundbreaking in a lot of ways. I’m not sure if the world was really ready for Moonlighting at the time.

It’s hard to count just how many ways this one TV show changed the face of TV. It’s probably one of the first TV shows to be called a “dramaedy”  among other late eighties TV shows such as The Wonder Years and Mash. The show would constantly break the fourth wall with the characters regularly talking to the audience or referencing the scriptwriters. It’d film an episode in black and white forcing the producers to hire Orsen Welles to explain in an introduction. And, well the list goes on and on. If you’ve have an interest then I recommend doing some research into Moonlighting and the history around it.

In the dying embers of the shows final season we’d be introduced to Lorraine Anne Charnock, or Annie as she liked to be called. Enter Annie, enter Virginia Madsen. She’d debut her appearance in the 14th episode of the 6th Season, “When Girls Collide”.

Annie comes to town amid the final throws of the final breakup between David and Maddie, at this point in the story the pair have been split up a while and are both well on their way to being OK with it. Maddie is finally beginning to realise she’s over David once and for all.

David meets Annie in the elevator on the way to his office, unaware of who she is at the time.(Yes that is Demi Moore stood next to Virginia Madsen, no she wasn’t a character, it was just Moonlighting being Moonlighting as she was married to Bruce at the time.)

Maddie and Annie go out for a boozy lunch and the pair have a great time, they tease each other about relationships in the past and Annie tries to set up Maddie with anyone she can think of to help her get out of singledom. The two laugh their way back to the Blue Moon Office where Annie is introduced to David properly and he agrees to take the two women out on the town for a night of fun and frolics.But, while they are out Maddie soon sees that David might be more over than she might like when his fun and frolics with Annie get a little too real. In a fit of jealousy and mad that David actually seems to be over her she tells David that Annie is married and he should leave her alone.

This of course does nothing to help and David ends up sleeping with Annie.

The story misses the next episode, mostly due to the episodes been shown in the wrong order, but it’s picked up again in “Eine Kleine Nacht Murder”, briefly. Maddie witnesses a murder and is almost a victim herself. Not that David seems to care that much. Maddie lies to Annies husband about what her cousin is up-to causing further tension.

For what it’s worth, David and Annie do seem to be getting along well. I mean, we know the relationship is ultimately doomed but it’s nice to see that Annie gets a fair go at it.

And, then the Season and Series Finale rolls around, “Lunar Eclipse”. I don’t know if it’s because of the need to wrap things up quickly or not but the whole Annie thing is over and done pretty quickly.

Annies husband turns up to find out for himself what’s going on, David realises that he shouldn’t be with Annie and orchestrates a plan where she catches him in bed with someone else. The plan goes off perfectly and Annie storms off, back to her husband. It turns that David didn’t do the dirty deed with the lady in question, she was paid to be there and pretend.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnd. The End of Annie in Moonlighting as the show comes to an end.
The rest of the episode is Moonlighting being Moonlighting. As the show is coming to an end then sets start being dismantled around them, the two main characters wonder what’s the point being of their existence and set off to find answers. And, well… Yeah.

It’s actually really fun watching Virginia Madsen in this one, Shes a lot of fun, she’s full of sass and fits in perfectly with the rest of the cast. Nothing too dramatic for her to do other than be pissed at David at the end, but you know. It works.

Availability:
Eeeeh. It’s EXPENSIVE to pick up the show on DVD, but it can be found if you look hard enough.

HULU have the show to stream, if you’re in the right area, or have access to a VPN.

Weirdly, there doesn’t seem to be any dodgy copies you can find to watch online. There are bits and pieces but nothing consistent and certainly nothing to get your hopes up about.