It always thrills me to discover young fans of "Moonlighting," especially those who were too young to have seen the show during its original run on ABC and have only recently become fans. These younger fans are proof that the series and its characters have universal appeal and hold up in time as pop culture icons. So, here as a representative of the youth audience, I present the newest featured fan, Miss Steph Manfredi, a high school senior from New York.

This introduction is also very special in that Steph has agreed to take on a staff position here at DavidandMaddie.com as our new Junior Editor. We will be counting on her to provide the eyes and voice of the new generation of Moonlighting fans and are very excited to see what viewpoints and fresh ideas she brings to our appreciation of the series. So without further ado, we give you Miss Steph Manfredi, the Junior Editor of DavidandMaddie.com and our newest featured fan for the month of October 2003.

~~Cindy K., Webmaster

Tell us a bit about you: Yes, I'm employed. Besides a Blue Moon Detective, I'd say I have the best job there is...I scoop ice cream, and decorate ice cream cakes. It's a great chance to be creative, and the people are too much fun. I'm currently a senior in high school, and I've got a few extra curricular activities under my belt. I'll be applying to colleges soon, and I'll probably be going for a communications major. I hope to end up as an editor or creative writer someday.

How long have you been a Moonlighting fan? How and when did you discover it? I've been a Moonlighting fan since July 2001, when they started to air the show on Bravo again. To be honest, I was just goofing around online in my keyboarding class and the Moonlighting Madness site came up when I searched "Bruce Willis." That summer they started airing the show again, and I was hooked from the first episode.

Tell us about your favorite episode(s), and why: I can't pick a favorite, so I'll just go with a few of the ones I never get tired of watching:

• "Brother, Can You Spare a Blonde?” was one of my favorites from the first time I saw it. I'm a David nut, and I love any episode that deals with his family or his past. Its also one of the funniest episodes in the series.
  
• "The Son also Rises” makes the cut for the same reasons. I think I've seen this episode more times than any other. The acting is brilliant, as is the writing. I love the scene at the wedding, where David comes, with tears in his eyes, to "beg his father's forgiveness”, and the only response he can get out of him is "No crawling.” It's a great look into what the Addison family is really like. To be completely honest, the episode reminds me of me and my dad a little too. (Note to him when he reads this: David's father was played by Paul Sorvino...) That should make him smile!
• "The Man Who Cried Wife”: I think that this episode is the most important in the build up to the secret we find out in "Big Man on Mulberry Street”. It creates this amazing tension, and gives us a lot of insight into David, Maddie, and their views on relationships. Let's not even get me started on the fight scene...
• And, finally... "Take My Wife for Example”. I know its a strange choice, one of those (gasp!) season 5 episodes, but I'm drawn to it for some reason. It's not overly serious, it's got some great banter, and some great kissing in it. It's a breath of fresh air for Dave and Maddie, because they seem to be on the road to recovery relationship wise. They talk about each other, their lives, their relationship, sex, love, gifts...they just seem so normal. They even solve a great case. It's the only season five episode I'll watch, really.

If you could have had the final episode end anyway you wanted, what would it have been? (Steph has written her ending as fanfiction):

After the wedding. We see Bert and Agnes standing in front of Blue Moon. A huge "Cancelled” sign sits in the window. They just stare.

Agnes: Some wedding present.

Bert: How do we tell them?

Agnes: We don't Herbert. We let them find out for themselves. They didn't even have the courtesy to figure things out and save us...why should WE tell them?

Bert: Maybe they already know. Mr. Addison and Ms. Hayes are pretty smart with these things...with most things.

They look at each other.

Bert: I think we just ran out of lines.

Agnes: That's OK, Bert, there isn't much more to say.

They slowly turn toward the camera and give us a brave smile.

Agnes: I think we'll be OK...

They walk down the hall, holding hands.

Cut to elevator: David and Maddie are alone. Standing away from each other. The tension is palpable. They elevator doors open, and we see their feet headed down the familiar corridor one last time. We pan up to them staring, reminiscent of Bert and Agnes moments before.

Maddie: This can't be right. They must have the wrong show. We can't be cancelled. We're part of American tradition. A staple to television.

David: I hate to be the one to break it to you, Blondie, but we ain't an American anything. They aren't too fond of you anymore.

Maddie whirls, and the fight begins: Me? Fond of me? After what you've done to us, David it's no surprise that we're cancelled.

They begin to yell at the same time:

David: After what I did? You've got some nerve, lady. You've always had some some nerve. Everything has always been "me" with you...me, me, me. Unless you needed to blame someone. Then I come into the equation, good ole Dave...just blame him. Of course it's me who screwed up Maddie, not you. It's never your fault. Or your idea for that matter. If anything is ever gonna happen between us, I'm gonna have to do it. I don't care though, as long as it happens!		Maddie: You have no right to even be upset about this. You brought it on us. You. That's right, David. You. You play it off like you're the victim, and I'm the selfish bitch. Well its not so. I've sacrificed, David, for you, for us, for the company. You've only made it harder. Every time I feel like we are headed somewhere, like I've opened a door, you slam it shut. Why can't we make it happen for us?

And with that, they are kissing, the way two people kiss after years of not seeing each other. It's intense, earth shattering, and unstoppable, the way it was meant to be. They both pull back, looking at each other in shock, not knowing.

Maddie: Oh, David, how long are we going to keep doing this scene over again?

David: About three more minutes, by my watch.

She glares at him, but with a much different look than we've grown accustomed too. This one says "I can't stand him, but he's mine."

David: We'll keep doing it until we get it right Maddie.

He kisses her again.

Maddie (uncomfortably): David. David! They're still here you know. (She nods towards the camera.)

David: So what, they've seen us do this before.

Maddie: But shouldn't we say something to them? Apologize? I think we've really done something wrong here...

David: Look, folks, once again I want to give you what you want to see. She wants to talk it out. I'm gonna wrap this up right now. No apologies from us, capisce? Life happens, and things don't always go the way we want. Right now I'm gonna get what I want out of this last ten seconds, and she's gonna get what she wants, cause you're not gonna get to watch.

As we watch David stretch Maddie across the hall floor, we hear the familiar drum beats of "Be My Baby." A montage begins, but there is nothing sappy about it. Its the best of the best, not only the tears, but all of the best laughs. A real representation of what the show was, and always will be.

What online Moonlighting activities are you involved in? I'm on the Mailing list, I've signed every petition out there, and I live at BruceWillis.com. Any topic on that forum that has Moonlighting in the title, you're guaranteed to find me posting there. Also, I'm an avid reader of Virtual Moonlighting. The writers there are amazing. They've brought the show back to life, sans the million-dollar budget. It's amazing to see the fans pull something like that together...they've given us such a gift by doing so.

Why is Moonlighting special to you? It's hard to explain, but I'll try my best. There is an old Rick Springfield song, called "The Solitary One." It has a verse that goes "Now she's hurrying home, oh God it's been one of those bad days. But with the flick of a switch and the click of a dial she gets love on the airways. They send her favorite lovers, to keep her satisfied..." That's me. No matter how terrible my day has been, a little Blue Moon can cheer me up.

Also, I think that Moonlighting is one of the few shows that doesn't get old. It appeals to everyone. It's always fresh. No matter how many times I hear certain lines I can't help but think "Can they really say that on TV?" Moonlighting is almost universal. I could watch it with my parents or my best friend. It appeals to adults for nostalgic reasons, as well as great writing. It appeals to people like me (who weren't even born when it started airing!) because of great writing, and of course a chance to see Bruce Willis with hair. There aren't any leading ladies like Cybill Shepherd any more, and that's depressing. Are we supposed to look up to Britney Spears?

Random Trivia:

• I was born in the beginning of the third season, between "Yours, Very deadly" and "All Creatures Great, and Not so Great".
• There was no episode the week I was born.
• I have answered the telephone at my job "Blue Moon Investigations" after a ML binge, but I swear it was an accident.
• The first episode I ever saw was "Maddie Hayes got Married." The last episode was "The Pilot."