This is my idea for a way Moonlighting could come back as a one-off on Netflix or something similar...Please leave a comment and let me know if I should continue it. *
MOONLIT
DING! The elevator doors on the 20th floor of a modern-day Los Angeles high-rise open and we see the expensive high-heeled shoes of a young woman as they hurriedly exit the elevator, make a sharp right turn, down a long hallway, to a sharp left down another hallway and glide into the offices of Blue Moon Investigations and Technology Securities.
Lily: (wide shot from inside the office, she searches, calls out): John!? John…!?
She rushes to the office to her right and throws the door open with a bang.
Lily: John!
A ray of bright light streams into the dark office. A crumpled form barely resembling a human, moves on the couch.
John: (Covers his already-sunglass-covered eyes with his arm to block any light) Ouch! Pull a shade, would ya?
Lily: (exasperated) John…what are doing?
John: (raspy voice.) Doing? If I have to explain Lily you're not the detective I thought you were…
Lily: I've been looking all over for you. Why are you here?
John: That's a big question for this time of the morning…see, there was this bird and this bee…
Lily: Why haven't you checked your messages?
John: (rolls to sit up looking way hungover.) I may have left my phone in the back of a Lyft…
Lily: Again?
John: Don't worry, I won't put this one on the Blue Moon expense account…(scratches his head and ogles Lily's perfect form up and down over his sunglasses with bloodshot eyes…) and what are you doing here…looking so put together…this (checks his watch) early on a Sunday, Ms. Addison?
Lily: Mr. Johnson….
John: (saunters to his office washroom) Lily…I told you, you don't have to ask…I'll show you my Johnson anytime…
Lily: No…John, would you be serious…Rebecca Johnson…she just called me…her husband left for the airport this morning, he's about to skip town…
John: (pokes his head out of the bathroom.): Skip town?…Mr. Johnson…?
Lily: Mr. Johnson…
John: The embezzler?
Lily: The extortionist!
John: (quips back.) The security hacker?
Lily: The cyberbully!
John: The man who never tips his barista at Starbuck…now serving half-price Frappuccinos after 3pm? (looks at the camera) they paid me to say that.
Lily: The man who's committed crimes all over Los Angeles! The man we've been following for weeks…the man we were going to have arrested tomorrow!
John: (Rushes out of the bathroom to where his jacket lays in a ball on the floor.) Well, why didn't you say so…? Come on…we've got to stop him!
Lily and John rush out of the office together.
CUT TO: LAX airport, Lily and a scruffy-but-more pulled together John flash badges at airport security and are let through. They scan faces as they move through the crowded airport.
Lily: You see him?
John: No…let's divide up. Give me the signal if you find 'em.
Lily nods and they rush in separate directions and desperately search for the elusive Mr. Johnson. After a bit of a search Lily's sure she spots the guy…who is partially disguised…in line for a Starbucks coffee. She presses a button on her phone that buzzes John's phone three times. (cut to a buzzing phone lying under the seat of a Lyft across town.) Not receiving a response she remembers John doesn't have a phone. She scans the crowd and spots John's tall frame 10 gates away. She resorts to signal number two, slips behind a post, keeping one eye on Mr. Johnson, places her two fingers between her teeth and lets out a loud whistle. Half the heads in the crowd turn…but peeking over at John she sees he's oblivious.
Lily: Come on Sloan.
Stepping behind the pole she lets off a louder whistle. Every head in the crowd turns but John's. His back is to her, he continues to walk further away. She lets off a third whistle attracting even more attention…this time he turns…spots her and is on the case. Lily breathes, relieved. He moves closer to her, keeping eye contact and she nudges her head in the direction of Mr. Johnson. John heads in his direction, Lily slips beside him and the two approach flashing badges.
John: Edwin Johnson. Can we have a word?
Edwin: (Looks around innocently. Stepping back.) What's this about?
Lily: (Stepping forward) Oh, I think you have a pretty good idea…
Edwin: You've got the wrong guy… (Stepping back again)
John: (Stepping forward.) Time for you to fess up, Johnson.
A crowd starts to gather.
John: (Looking around. Talks to the crowd.) It's ok everyone…we've just got the wrong frequent flyer number for this man… (some in the crowd shrug and move on...)
Edwin: I'm just going to visit my son in Philadelphia, I'm not who you think I am.
Lily: Oh, we know exactly who you are…(steps forward again) and what you've been up to…
John: (Steps forward.) Let's go…nice and easy. (Starts to grab for the man's arm.)
But just then Johnson grabs for the Starbuck's display case and tips it over sending mugs, bags of coffee beans and other tchotchkes flying, and runs. The chase is on.
John: (Looks at Lily.) I knew it! Nice and easy is never how these crooks want to do it…(gestures ahead) After you partner…
Lily: (Scoffs) Partner?
John: Colleague...associate…subordinate? (Lily's rolls her eyes)…whatever…this isn't the time to mince words Lily…(points in the direction of Mr. Johnson.) GO AFTER HIM!
Lily runs and John follows. They chase Mr. Johnson through the airport…into a gate, down a boarding ramp and out onto the tarmac where he hijacks a luggage cart and drives off…Lily and John jump in another airport vehicle and chase after him with Lily driving…but every time they get close, Mr. Johnson pushes a piece of luggage out of the cart throwing them off. They race down a runway swerving around bags and chase him across to an airplane hangar. When they reach the end of the road Mr. Johnson runs out, brandishes a gun and begins to climb a ladder on the side of the building that leads to a rooftop. John and Lily pull out their guns and crouch behind their vehicle as Mr. Johnson haphazardly shoots in their general direction and climbs higher.
Crouched together John and Lily confer.
Lily: Whadda we do now?
John: Let me think…
Lily: We haven't got that kind of time…
Scans the area. He sees an open hangar and gestures Lily to follow him. The two run into the open hangar…climb onto the wing of an airplane, grapple to the top, helping each other along the way and pop up through the roof of the building, cutting off Mr. Johnson, catching him off guard and hold him a bay by gunpoint just as airport security closes in and the crook is caught.
CUT TO: A couple of hours later John and Lily walk away from the scene of flashing lights and police cars having put the case to bed.
John: (Dances happily.) Score another one for Blue Moon… (He playfully punches Lily's shoulder.)
Lily: (Walks coolly next to him. Smiles.) There's a reason we were voted L.A.'s premier Investigation company…
John: The premier-est.
The two walk up to their company car, stop and face each other. John puts his hands in his pockets and gives Lily a sideways glance.
John: So..
Lily: So?
John: Whadda you doin' now?
Lily: Now? (checks her watch, it's just after 4pm.) My usual Sunday routine I suppose…
John: Mud Mask…bubble bath…some awful reality show and bed by nine-thirty, huh?
Lily: (Looks down, laughs. Looks up into John's eyes.) You know me too well.
John: (Holding her eye contact and then lightly scans her with his eyes. Laughs.) Not well enough.
Lily: Keep dreaming Sloan. (gives him a look like she hears this all the time.)
John: (Clears his throat.) Right. (Puts his hands in his pockets. Looks around.) So…you wanna grab a bite?
Lily: A bite?
John: A bite…you know…the action the proceeds chewing…followed by swallowing…(he goes on) which leads to filling the stomach…and eventually emptying your...
Lily: (Puts her hand up and cuts him off.) I get it Sloan! (pauses.) I think I'm gonna head home.
John: (Nods his head.) Ok. (pauses. Kicks a pebble with his foot.) I just want to make sure you're….getting out.
Lily: (Slightly uncomfortable and irritated. Gestures around her.) I'm….OUT!
John: And you're not too upset about…
Lily: (irritated. Overlapping.) I'm not upset…
John: (Overlapping…) …Because he's not worth it…
Lily: (overlapping…) I'm fine.
John: Fine.
Lily: Good.
John: Good!
(They stand in silence.)
John: (Nods his head towards the car.) Ok,…Go. (Pauses. They look at each other.)
Lily: (Looks towards the car.) You want a ride?
John: (Shakes his head.) No, thanks…I'm gonna head across town…(pats his pockets.) But…uhhhh….will you… call me an Uber?
SCENE ENDS.
CUT TO: Camera pans in on the Blue Moon Investigation window from inside. We see a figure move past the window holding a package…and…then…dropping the package outside the door of the business…and…then…moving away.
A BIT OF A TIME LAPSE EVIDENT / LIGHT CHANGE
DING! The elevator rings on the 25th floor and a beautiful, clean-shaven, slick-haired, impeccably dressed John Sloan skips out of the elevator moving at a good pace, to the right, down the hall and to the left…sliding into the door of Blue Moon.
John: Morning Amber!
Amber: (The office secretary with the phone to her ear, tablet in hand, taking information from a potential client.) Morning Mr. Sloan!
Sloan breezes past her heading towards his office when…
Amber: Oh! Mr. Sloan!
He stops in his tracks and turns on his heels to face Amber. She gestures towards the odd shaped, dusty, beat up looking package sitting on the desk clearly marked "MADOLYN HAYES: BLUE MOON INVESTIGATIONS"
Amber: This was left outside the door this morning. (Gestures to the package with the tablet she's holding.)
John: (Steps forwards and glances sideways at the package. Reads) Madolyn Hayes?… It's for Lily's mom.
Amber: Should I save it for Ms. Addison?
John: (Glances towards the closed door of Lily's office.) She's not in? (Glances at his watch, 9:15am.)
Amber: (Mindlessly) She has a meeting with her account downtown this morning, she won't be in until after noon.
John sweeps up the package and heads to his office.
John: I'll hold onto it for now.
He disappears into his office and the door shuts firmly behind him.
CUT TO: Lily Addison, phone to ear, taking the last bites of oatmeal, rinsing the dish, sticking it in the dishwasher and grabbing her designer briefcase to head out the door.
Lily: Everything's fine mom. I've just been busy, that's all. Of course, I have time for you…I'll be driving for the next half hour, so you've got a captive audience.
CUT TO: The car. Lily drives in her BMW through L.A. traffic and we hear her mother, Madolyn Hayes' voice comes over the car speaker.
Maddie: ...New York was great…(Cut to: We see Maddie Hayes, sitting on the outside veranda of her same LA Mansion sipping tea with a beautiful garden view behind her) saw a couple of old friends…made a couple new ones…
Lily: That's great mom. How's Davie doing?
Maddie: Oh…he and Lisa are wonderful. And the kids are getting so big.
Lily: I know…I get daily facebook updates…
Maddie: You really should take a trip out there to see them.
Lily: I'd love to get to New York…but… no time.
Maddie: How's business? How's John?
Lily: Crazy…overwhelming…(Thinks. Shrugs.) but pretty great all around!
Maddie: Is this, John or Blue Moon…?
Lily: Definitely…
Maddie Lily (together): Both
They laugh.
Maddie: And nothing from Byron since the breakup? Three years is a long time…I thought this one might go somewhere.
Lily: Nothing…no, that is over.
Maddie: As long as you're happy, honey.
Lily: Sure…I'm…happy…well, not all the time, but…I'm ok Mom.
Maddie: Relationships aren't easy…
Lily: That's for sure.
Maddie: (getting worked up.) Not just relationships…men…men aren't easy…I've been divorced from your father for…what is it?
Together: Four Years…
Maddie: Yes, four years, and do you remember…the last time I saw him at Caleb's baptism?…how he went out of his way to humiliate me…to embarrass me…to…to…
Together: Mortify…
Maddie: Me…ugh, that man!
Lily: I know mom. (Lily's heard it all before.) You and Daddy just can't be in the same room anymore.
Maddie: There are not many times we ever could! I'm telling you honey...don't ever date anyone you work with...you will regret it.
Lily: Right. Well, you don't have to worry about me ever Dating John Sloan...he is so not my type...he is crass and crude and his dating life is like a merry-go-round...the girls get on...the girls get off. And then it's next, please! I'm beginning to think the only man I'll ever love is Dad.
Maddie: So…
Lily: So…?
Maddie: Have you talked to him?
Together: It's his birthday tomorrow.
Lily: Actually, he's my next call.
Maddie: Well… Tell him…(she stops.)…actually, never mind!
Lily: Sure mom.
Maddie: (Pauses.) Alright honey, well, give my love to everyone at Anderson Accounting…
Lily: Will do. I love you, mom.
Maddie: I love you Lily-bug.
They hang up and Lily speaks to her car:
Lily: Call Dad.
David: (We see the hand of David Addison, sitting at his desk, a view of the California seaside out his window, slide the bar of his ringing cell phone with the name "Lily-Bug" displayed. Well, if it isn't L.A.'s finest detective.
We see a headline displayed on the screen of his laptop: "BLUE MOON CATCHES CYBER SCAMMER" with a beautiful picture of Lily and John from the LAX scene the day before.
David: A chip off the old block, I tell ya.
Lily: Yeah? Which block?
David: 50/50's fair I think…One part brains, one part beauty…and then you've got some of me mixed in there too.
Lily smiles and laughs.
David: But you know I taught your Mother everything she ever knew about being a detective.
Lily: Yes Daddy, I've heard the stories.
David: Why when I first met her she hadn't worked a hard day in her life…well, unless you call holding a bottle of shampoo while some mook snaps your picture, heaving lifting? How is the old rod n reel anyway…?
Lily: Mom?
David: Yeah, her.
Lily: She's great Daddy…she just came back from visiting Davie and Lisa and the kids in New York.
David: Eh…New York…that's great, (scratches the side of his head with one finger.) that's great…well, in that case, I better call and talk to the kids, make sure they don't forget Grampa after "Glam-ma" spent all that time showering 'em with gifts up there…you know, gotta keep it even (a tone of sarcasm in his voice.)
Lisa: Sure Dad. (not sure what to say.) She said…eh… Happy Birthday, by the way.
David: Happy…what? (with disbelief) Now I know you're lying to me. The only thing she has to say to me would have to be bleeped on network television because she thinks I spilled holy water onto her white blouse…at Caleb's christening… on purpose!
Lily: Yeah…she certainly hasn't forgotten about that!
David: Is it my fault that Father Stern's blessing oils made the cup so slippery?
Lily: No Daddy.
David: No,…it is not, but that woman blames for everything…she always has, since the day I met her…which is why I am staying away, …from the likes of her… from now on. Period…fade out. Amen. End of story.
Lily: Yes, I really think that's best. It's tough on the rest of us Daddy, but your relationship is so hot and cold…in order to keep the peace…
David: Yeah…sure. It's best. (his mind slips into deep thought for a minute as his eyes drift up to a framed newspaper article of he and Maddie in front of the green building where they stopped that diamond heist on their first case. Then shakes it off.) I'm sorry Lily-bug…I shouldn't talk to you about all this. We should be celebrating your accomplishments! I gotta tell you…when you re-opened Blue Moon three years ago, I thought it was a bad idea…but you and Sloan are better detectives than we ever were I'll tell you that. Why don't I come and take the two of you out to dinner to celebrate this week?
Lily: Me and Sloan…I mean…Sloan and me…Sloan and I…, the two of us? Together?
David: Yes…the two of you…and me…you…he and thee…me…whatever, the three of us. Is that a problem?
Lily: No…?
David: you must have meals together all the time…
Lily: Well…yes, we do, of course…but it's just…for work…not with…my father.
David: Ah, come on…I like the guy.
Lily: That's because he worships the ground you walk on.
David: Yes, of course! What better reason…he likes to talk about my favorite subject…me! How about Tuesday?
Lily: Tuesday?
David: Tuesday, 9pm.
Lily: Tuesday at 9?
David: Well, I'd suggest Sunday at 8pm…but Tuesday's a better time slot.
Lily: Sure Dad. I'll talk to Sloan.
CUT TO: Lily entering the Blue Moon offices later that afternoon.
Amber: Good afternoon, Ms. Addison!
Lily: Good afternoon, any messages?
Amber: I uploaded them to your inbox.
Lily: Thanks, Amber. Is John here?
Amber: Yep.
Lily: Can you send him in?
Amber: Send him in where?
Lily: To my office.
Amber: Oh! Sure…when?
Lily: (Checks her watch.) Ummm, how about now?
Amber nods and picks up the phone to buzz John Sloan.
CUT TO: A few minutes later in Lily's office. Sloan knocks.
Lily: (From her executive washroom.) Come in!
John pokes his head into her office and sees empty space.
John: Yoo-hoo
No response.
John: (louder.) You hoo! (he creeps further inside.)
No response.
John: YOO- HOOO!
Lily: (pops around the corner drying her hands on a towel; they're nose to nose for a second…) You-hoo, Who?
Feigns fear at the sight of her. They separate.
John: You-who-YOU! (saunters to the chair across from Lily's desk carrying the package from earlier and kicks his feet up.) I thought I was in the invasion of the body snatchers for a minute.
(Lily scrolls through messages on her tablet not paying much attention to him.)
John: I thought they'd snatch the body before I'd had a chance to sample it.
Lily: (unamused.) Mmmmm, Hmmmmm.
John: I've got a package for you.
Lily: (really unamused.) John, can we knock off the innuendo? Haven't you ever head of times up? (Glances at him teasingly.)
John: (Smirks.) No innuendo…for reals…a package…(He holds up the paper covered box with her mother's name on it.)
Lily looks at John intrigued, and slowly takes the package from him reading the label.
Lily: What the…?
John: Open it.
Lily opens the package slowly and pulls out a stack of ledgers and reads the card taped on top.
Lily: Anselmo
John: Gesundheit
Lily: No John…Anselmo…the Anselmo case, these have to do with that old case my parent's agency never solved.
John: (Starts to register) Anselmo…Anselmo? The Anselmo case? That case from the '80s? That case is legend.
Lily: Yes…the unsolvable case…
Together: The Chupacabra of the detective world…
Together: What'd you say!?
John: You know what would happen if we solved this case!?
Lily: We'd be able to write our own ticket!
John: Yeah…we'd be able to get any client and charge any price we wanted, too…
Lily: Opens the first ledger. There's a letter…
John moves closer to her, and standing shoulder to shoulder the detectives read the letter silently together…
CUT TO: A Few minutes later. Lily paces and John sits on top of the desk, letter in hand.
Lily: They're giving us the clues…
John: But we need to reconstruct the scene, what happened, the places, the people involved.
Lily: We need all hands on deck…every wobblie out there needs to work overtime on this case.
John: But you know what we really need…
Lily: Really need?…what?
John: We really need the people who originally worked on this case, to help us rebuild everything from the beginning.
Lily: But, that would mean…
John: That your mom…
Lily: And my Dad…(Lily sinks down in a chair, downtrodden….) Well, forget it…it's over.
John: Forget it…?
Lily: Forget it…
John: Forget it how…why?
Lily: (Laughs ironically.) They can't work together.
John: Can't work together, what do you mean they can't work together? They worked together for years.
Lily: Worked together…John, past tense…they can't even be in the same room together these days.
John: What's the problem?
Lily: Problem? You want to know the problem…? My mother loathes my father…and he…delights in embarrassing her. They're impossible to be in the same room with. They'll go ten rounds about wood…and ring stains…the length of the grass…which chimney sweep to hire or who was the last person to fill up the gas tank…they'll argue about anything and everything, I've heard it my whole life…my brother moved to New York to get away from it…they've finally divorced…we have peace in the family, except for any major holiday…and I'm not inviting that into…this office…no way..!
John: There's a 3 million dollar reward.
Lily: Hand me my phone…
John reaches for her iPhone and slaps it into her hand.
Fade to black.