As far as chemistry goes, I think their best chemistry was in the first three seasons. By the fourth season, they were more like robots than people who were lovers--or even friends. When the dust cleared and season five started, it just didn't feel the same. Anyway, here are some episodes that come to mind where the chemistry was at it's most potent.

• The Pilot: You can feel the tension and build up right off the bat!
• Money Talks... Maddie Walks: The power of their friendship in this turns into a nice time in Buenos Aires.
• The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice: Naturally, a dream episode would incorporate a degree of off-character chemistry so the shippers could see what they wanted.
• Witness For the Execution: More great friendship scenes overtaken by instinctive love. The kissing in the parking garage was intense.
• The Son Also Rises: This one is more like anti-chemistry. I listed it because of the repellence they have for one another. Maddie's disappointment in David for how he handles his problem shows less chemistry and more distance in this one.
• Big Man on Mulberry Street: Probably near the top of the chemistry episodes.
• Maddie Hayes Got Married: Finally after all the chaos of the fourth season, we see something reminding us of what they had in the first few seasons- arguing, yelling, and carrying on, but caring for each other deeply.
• Between a Yuk and a Hard Place: Nice chemistry during their elevator scene. Great way to come to terms with their loss and accept each other back.

After going through each episode, they are the only ones that pop out at me to comment on. There was nothing in seasons four or five that showed any sort of chemistry, just two people having a bad relationship and then after the resolution, getting on with their jobs and friendship. This isn't to say any of these episodes were bad. Like I said, the acting was good, the cases were good, and they were trying to get back on track with things.

While I prefer the first three seasons of Moonlighting the best, I do feel strongly about the last two seasons because of the things that hit which affected the show. It wasn't their fault people tuned out because of too many repeats and such. If people could only have stuck around, they'd have seen that by season five, they were trying very hard to get back to the original format. They knew what people wanted to see, and when the show moved to Sunday night, their fate was sealed. Opening scenes like David commenting on how the audience wanted to see less clothes was classic as was the opening titles without Al Jarreau because he didn't know the show moved to Sunday night.

Because of certain dramatic themes in my own life, season four (as much as I criticize it) has a personal place in my mind and I would like to interest all those friends and family members into watching seasons four and five with me to give the show another chance since they gave up so soon during the 80s. So far, my mother will not watch season four because she simply hates the drama. We have been watching season five and she does like it so maybe there is hope for others? This said, maybe once the DVD of the series is out, all the people who gave up too soon will look again and find something more special in the remaining two years because I know, I for one, did.

~~Steve L. Greenfield (Greenie007, a forum regular at BruceWillis.com)