It's not that I didn't believe it. I just like my romantic flights of fancy to have a sturdy underpinning, and so far all I've gotten are longing looks and anvils that Mick and Beth are FATED! But Episode 2.06, “B.C.” changed that.

The episode opens with Beth reluctantly covering a fashion show for her web-based news station Buzzwire. It must be a slow news week in LA, because she spends her time snarking on the pencil-thin models and their Haute Couture outfits, while bemoaning that her talents are being wasted on a fluff piece.

That changes when one of the models collapses in front of the camera. Suddenly, Beth has a lot to investigate when boyfriend Josh shows up, hot on the heels of the ambulance, and orders Beth off the case.

Meanwhile, over at Mick's place, a lovelorn Josef shows up with a missing person . . . er, vampire case for Mick to solve. An off-again, on-again lover named Lola vanished recently, along with a tidy sum from one of his bank accounts, and Josef wants Mick to find her.

It doesn't take rocket science to see that Mick and Beth are working two sides of the same case. And predictably, in one of those we've got to stop meeting this way moments, the two of them bump into one another at the coroner's office.

While on the surface, B.C. is a straightforward story with a straightforward message. (Kids, don't do drugs. They might just be the crystallized form of vampire blood. And if you do them, it'll cause you to make questionable fashion choices and embarrass yourself in front of the vampire you have a crush on. Also? Silver kills.)

But on a deeper level, B.C. is also about what happens when relationships unravel.

The most obvious example of this is Beth and Josh. Although from Josh's point of view, Mick takes a lot of heat for the distance that seems to be forming between himself and Beth, their relationship is really one of those star-crossed affairs that is doomed from the start.

The problem at the heart of their relationship is that Josh and Beth are natural enemies. He's a prosecuting attorney. She's a crime reporter. Like Romeo and Juliet, they're from two houses, both alike in dignity, yet set at odds. And like Romeo and Juliet, this relationship just can't end well.

Sure, it might implode more slowly if Beth wasn't spending her time with a sexy vampire of mystery and Josh wasn't whining about it. But sooner or later, Josh would order her off a story like a chest-thumping Neanderthal, she would not listen (Because she listens so well. Just ask Det. Davis.) and that would be the end of things.

Yet Josh and Beth aren't the only imploding relationship in this show. We also see the vampire version of love from Josef and Lola (Although the two never share a scene together, you get a feel for the nature of their relationship thanks to skillful performances by Jason Dohring and Holly Valance.) Josef values Lola for the excitement she brings into his life.

“When I met her, she was building a pirate army,” he tells Mick.

Josef obviously cares more for Lola than she does for him. Although he knows that she's up to no good, he gives her $1 million simply because she asked.

Overall, B.C. was a good, solid episode. The relationships were handled well, and I finally got to see the quiet building of affection between Mick and Beth that I craved.

The good:

Beth made a mistake. As far as mistakes go, it was a 'we-don't-need-no-stinkin'-lifeboats! This-is-the-Titanic!' mistake. She took a drug, and there were consequences. Embarrassing consequences. Consequences that were difficult for me to watch. I'm glad that, if a show must show recreational drug use, there are consequences.

Another mark in the good column was the Mick and Beth interaction. I've said in my past couple of reviews that the show needs to try harder to show me why these people like each other (instead of trying to hit me over the head with the anvil-of-fate, like they did last episode.)

This time, they did so beautifully. There were subtle moments of dry banter between them that were so very cute. Then there was Mick's gentlemanly chivalry. When Beth shows up at his doorstep high on Black Crystal, Mick nurses her back to her senses. Afterward, he is kind enough to not make a big deal out of her behavior when he could easily have rubbed her nose in her own foolishness.

This is what I've been waiting for. Keep this up, show, and I'll be on the Mick/Beth bandwagon.

Also, my fangirly little heart cheered to once again see Kevin Weisman as Steve Balfour.

The bad:

I would have liked to have seen more of Josef. Given the way that the show has promoted him as one of four main characters, it would be nice if he served as more than Mick's fortune-cookie wisdom spouting guru. In B.C., his main purpose was to provide the macguffin that propels Mick to action.

The uncomfortable:

I have this weird quirk where occasionally I feel empathy for the characters of a show. As a fun side benefit, I have a lot of trouble watching characters in embarrassing situations. The scene with Mick and Beth in Mick's apartment after Beth got high on vampire blood was excruciating for me to watch.

The conclusion:

The quality of Moonlight seems to be picking up as the show progresses. B.C. is a strong addition to the series, and holds up especially well against some of the earlier episodes. I hope this trend continues.