| “ | I’m an artist formerly employed by The New York Times. A serial killer is haunting the streets of New York City, and I was recruited by an Alienist to capture these gruesome crime scenes. These horrific murders are bringing out the darkness in this city. Perhaps it’s bringing out the darkness in all of us. | ” |
| — John Moore [2] | ||
John Moore is a newspaper illustrator who finds himself involved in his friend Dr. Laszlo Kreizler's investigation of some mysterious murders in 1896 New York City. He later starts a new career as a news reporter at the New York Times.
John Moore is a major character in ‘The Alienist’ and ‘Angel of Darkness’. He is portrayed by Luke Evans.
Official Description[]
The Alienist
"JOHN MOORE is "handsome and indolent," according to his friend Sara Howard, and prone to melancholy as a result of a broken engagement and the loss of his younger brother. He is a society illustrator for the New York Times and a longtime friend and former Harvard classmate of the Alienist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler and Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt. To distract Moore from salving his emotional wounds with alcohol and prostitutes, Kreizler involves him in his investigation of the brutal murders of child prostitutes. While seeming to lack drive and a meaning to his professional pursuits, Moore’s social skills and charm make him an ideal accomplice to the more cerebral doctor’s methods and style." [3]
Angel of Darkness
John Moore has found sobriety and purpose in his new career as a news reporter for the New York Times, and he is engaged to Violet, the goddaughter of newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst. Moore rejoins Howard and Kreizler in the hunt for this new serial killer using the access and resources the New York Times as well as the “pulpit” it provides him to draw attention to the case as well as the institutional corruption it reveals.[4]
Character Overview[]
John Schuyler Moore is a handsome man in his mid to late thirties with an athletic built, broad shoulders, light blue eyes, black greying hair, and a fair complexion. A member of the upper-middle class, John wears very elegant and refined clothes, accompanied by accessories such as hats, precious rings and tie-pins, silver pocket watch, and cufflinks. His suits are often in shades of blue, matching his eyes and complexion.
The external beauty, however, hides a profound inner sadness that has afflicted John on a very intimate level, making John a slave to different vices – drinking and frequenting prostitutes regularly. According to his close friend, Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, John exploits vices to avoid facing his problems. When not drunk, John has proven to have a kind and caring soul, almost fragile in the face of the macabre and horror of a deviated mind, along with the uneasiness that comes with witnessing the squalid lives of the lower classes.
His sensitive soul is clearly visible in his artistic flair and in the creativity with which he manages to capture details in his portraits. In order to prove to himself and his close friends that he is a better person, John quit drinking and visiting prostitutes but now has light tremors in his hand.
Biography[]
The following contains plot details – read at your own risk.
Early Life
John Moore is the scion of one of the wealthy families of the upper echelons of the New York society, including Sara Howard's family. He studied at Harvard, along with Theodore Roosevelt and Laszlo Kreizler with whom he remained a close friend. [5] Following the death of his younger brother, he became increasingly restless and tormented, much to his father's disappointment that sent John to live with his grandmother, since he became a pariah among acquaintances and relatives. At some point, he got engaged to a wealthy woman named Julia Pratt, but the engagement was broken after she fell in love with another man, thus leaving John even more suffering and inclined to drink and seek for the company of prostitutes to alleviate his pain. [6]
At one point in his career, John portrayed Miss Howard for a fashion magazine where she was merely reduced to something beautiful to look at, described as having "especially rosy mouth" and "sparkling blue eyes." Sara, then, distanced herself from John because she was annoyed at having been objectified. [5]
Peeking into the Abyss
New York City, March 3rd, 1896. [7] John Moore found himself involved in the investigation of heinous murders to help his old friend, Dr. Laszlo Kreizler. The victims were all horribly mutilated young boy prostitutes. After renouncing to his evening with Flora at a brothel, Moore went to the crime scene on the under-construction Williamsburg Bridge, where he found hostility from both Captain Connor and Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt. There, Moore sketched the body of the victim, a boy named Giorgio Santorelli on behalf of Kreizler. Dissatisfied with John's work, Kreizler decided to go to the Bellevue Hospital when Moore said a man had already been arrested for the crime. After the unsuccessful visit to the psychiatric ward to question Henry Wolff, the two men decided to directly consult Commissioner Roosevelt.
At the New York City Police Department, Moore met Miss Sara Howard, who was now working as a secretary to the commissioner at the department. After an impromptu and unsuccessful meeting with Roosevelt, Moore was then commissioned by Kreizler to ask Miss Howard to get the file of the investigation. The woman initially refused until she decided to help her old friend by meeting him that same night outside a brothel of which John was a regular customer.
After meeting Detective Sergeants Marcus and Lucius Isaacson at the Kreizler Institute, John and Laszlo chased a shadowy man in the streets of Manhattan, but could not catch him. Instead, they found traces of a severed tongue, probably belonging to the latest victim, young Giorgio.[5]
In addition to the investigations, John Moore also continued his work as a portraitist for wealthy clients, such as Charlotte Tinker. The sense of justice towards the young victim, however, won his interest and John was convinced by Sara to continue a parallel investigation in Little Italy. The two friends went to visit the Santorelli family and tried to find some clues. They discovered that the family had been told to be silent by some corrupt policemen and a priest.
The investigations led to further murders with accentuated similarities, which were covered up by the police in recent years. The two friends updated Dr. Kreizler with their discovery and decided to have dinner together after John and Laszlo spent an evening at the Metropolitan Opera House.
Although John did not particularly like the work, he accepted the alienist's invitation and, during the intermezzo, the two tried to convince Commissioner Roosevelt to grant them access to the files in a parallel investigation.
At Delmonico's, John and Kreizler met Miss Howard and detectives Isaacsons. The dinner topic immediately turned to the heinous crimes and the two scientists briefed their colleagues about their recent discoveries. the Killer used a particular knife, an Arkansas Toothpick, and left a bloody fingerprint on a pocket watch of one of the victims, Benjamin Zweig. Moore found all this aberrant and didn't want Sara to get involved. After a brief argument with Kreizler who deemed him useless for their purposes, John decided to go to the Paresis Hall and investigate on Giorgio Santorelli on his own. The boy used to work at the brothel under the alias of “Gloria”. There, John was seduced by Sally, a young prostitute from whom he had tried to buy information, and drugged by the bartender, so that Paul Kelly and Captain Connor could decide what to do with him. Paul Kelly ordered some prostitutes to rape John, who was under the influence of a powerful narcotic. [8]
The next morning John had a hangover and had vague memories of the previous night. He woke up at the Kreizler Institute and suffered an altercation with his colleagues when they suggested that he had had sex with a boy. John, however, had important information about Gloria's demise but decided to return home.
Catherine Moore was not very pleased with her nephew's drunkenness because she had arranged a tea with Abigail Bell and her daughter Caroline so that John could get to get acquainted with the latter during the date. John was easily irritated by the afternoon and drowned his sorrows in alcohol, including the memory of his dead brother after the subject was inadvertently raised during tea.
The following morning, John had an epiphany on the meaning of Sally's words. Giorgio Santorelli had been kidnapped, flown out of the window by a man with a “silver smile”. Laszlo was not very inclined to believe John's reasoning and so the two decided to look for Sally for more details, concluding that the killer secured his victims' trust before kidnapping and killing them.
In the middle of the night, John Moore and Miss Howard went with Kreizler's valet, Cyrus Montrose, to an abandoned Immigration Station to meet the rest of the team. A new crime had been committed and Commissioner Roosevelt had managed to gain a window of time before the news spread. The team then began to collect data and make assumptions but soon had to escape from the scene when hordes of journalists, onlookers and policemen came to the crime scene. In the escape, John lost his sketchbook.
Back at the Kreizler Institute, John and Sara argued with Kreizler when the latter made insinuations about their private lives and past traumas. On the carriage headed home, John apologized to Sara and revealed to her some details of Kreizler's past as well as of and his handmaid, Mary Palmer. [6]
John Moore and Marcus Isaacson visited the Golden Rule brothel to investigate the past of the latest victim, Ali ibn-Ghazi, also known as Fatima. Here they met Bernadette — whose real name was Joseph — another boy prostitute who revealed an important detail; Ali had made the acquaintance of a man who had promised to run away together to a Castle in the Sky. John was touched by the boy's naivety and wiped his face from make-up, warning him to stay away from any such man.
Headed to Kreizler's house with the intention of informing the alienist of the recent discovery, John discovered that he was at the park with Sara. Enraged by jealousy, John decided to invite Mary to go to Edison's Projecting Kinetoscope. This seemingly romantic date then caused another heated argument between John and Laszlo after the latter found it out.
Moore decided to investigate again on his own and discovered by a dentist that the “silver smile” could be caused by the intake of mercurial salts, used to alleviate the symptoms of syphilis. This new discovery was immediately shared with Dr. Kreizler and the two friends went to an appointment with the rest of the team, only to discover that it was set up by the killer himself when Sara showed the rest of the group a letter addressed to Mrs. Santorelli, written by the murderer. [9]
Opening a Can of Worms
The team gathered at the Kreizler Institute to study the handwriting and the message of the letter, which was full of foul language and rantings. After Sara and Laszlo had a heated discussion about their divergent opinions about the identity and gender of the murderer, John followed Sara outside and asked her to marry him. The woman refused, taking the proposal as a joke.
The following day, John and Laszlo embarked on a train journey to Charlestown State Prison, Boston, Massachusetts, to interview Jesse Pomeroy. The man was a dangerous criminal and Kreizler had contributed during his trial to ensure his imprisonment. The alienist hoped to better understand the killer they were chasing through a conversation with Pomeroy, but with no avail.
On the return journey, John had a nightmare and dreamed of not being able to save Laszlo from drowning, transferring the mourning for his brother on his friend, of which he was unconsciously worried.
In the following days, John tried to overcome the desire to drink and to remain sober. Together with Kreizler, he discovered a new piece of mystery: the killer killed during the holy days of the Christian calendar. [7]
The team decided to plan a trap to be implemented on the upcoming Ascension Day. While the Isaacson brothers, Sara and Laszlo finished the final preparations together with Kreizler's servants Cyrus and Stevie, John warned Joseph about the mysterious murderer after meeting the boy in a gelateria shop.
The night of the ambush came and ended in failure because the killer did not fall for the trap. The team actually intended to use Stevie Taggert as a bait, dressing him as one of the boy prostitutes.
The following afternoon, John and his grandmother attended a Gala and Secret Auction at the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty on Children. At the auction, John bought a typewriter and once at home, he revealed to Sara Howard his desire to become a journalist. [10] The team attempted a new ambush at The Slide brothel, but the killer managed to deflect the trap by sending the team on a false track and kidnapping another boy, Rosie, who had just befriended DS Marcus Isaacson that same night. [11]
The following day, John tried desperately to portray the killer by following Stevie's directions but as everyone was shaken by the recent failure, they couldn't think clearly. The autopsy conducted by Lucius on Rosie's mutilated body revealed an escalation in cruelty on the part of the killer who this time had even removed the heart, as well as genitals, intestines, eyes and hands.
These brutal mutilations led Dr. Kreizler and Moore to head to the Natural Sciences Museum to learn more about ritual mutilation and anthropophagy, or ritual cannibalism. Before leaving, however, John and Laszlo were approached by Paul Kelly outside the Police Department. The gangster warned them about some members of society who wanted to obstruct their investigation.
The two men were, in fact, kidnapped a few hours later and led secretly to the Manor of J.P. Morgan, a New York magnate. Bishop Potter and former chief police officer, Thomas Byrnes were also at the secret meeting. They threatened Laszlo to interrupt the investigation at once, but the vehemence with which Laszlo criticized the church and the police struck J.P. Morgan's interest. The man sent Byrnes and Potter away and proposed to Laszlo to help him, but the alienist refused. When John asked him for explanations on the way home, Laszlo revealed he wanted to be independent in his investigation.
During the evening, John met Sara and discovered that she had had a bad fight with Laszlo during the killer set up. John rushed to the Institute with the intention of asking his friend for explanations and the two ended up arguing as well due to Laszlo's presumption.
John ended up venting his frustration in a tavern, where he was attacked by Connor in a dark alley. [12]
Closer to the Darkness
Time was running out and the team separated in different cities for parallel investigations. John Moore and Dr. Kreizler made their way to Washington, DC, to investigate Native American crimes in which the victims had been brutally mutilated. The research led to Japheth Dury, a former soldier who went rogue and was hospitalised in a psychiatric ward at the St. Elizabeth's Hospital.
The two friends then went to Newton, Massachusetts, to talk to Japheth's brother, Adam Dury. They discovered that when Japheth was a child, he was brutally traumatized by his parents and raped by an older boy, George Beecham. John and Laszlo came to the conclusion that Japheth Beecham was the killer they were searching.
During the return journey, their carriage was attacked by a sniper and ended up in a crevasse. Both wounded, the two friends sought shelter and were able to put aside some recent misunderstandings. In fact, Laszlo revealed that he intended to ask Mary to marry him, while John was convinced that he was in love with Sara. [13]
At Mary Palmer's funeral, John recited Christina Rossetti's “When I am Dead My Dearest” and tried, in vain, to console a heartbroken Laszlo. The handmaid had been brutally killed by Captain Connor when he and his accomplices had raided Kreizler's house while Laszlo and John were on their journey to find out about Dury.
Although the alienist had decided to abandon the investigations, the team reconvened in a new headquarters and continued the investigations. With the approach of a new holy day, they were absolutely intent on stopping the killer. The team began to study all the documents and certificates until they found a certain John Beecham, enumerator. A quick visit to the census offices and they managed to find his old address, along with the rotting corpses of some cats under the floorboards of the rented room. John took advantage of the recent discoveries to warn Joseph about the killer.
John, Sara and the Isaacson brothers were getting closer to rooting out the monster and after careful research in the slums, they managed to locate his current home. An old attic in an infamous neighbourhood where they found old photos of corpses belonging to Beecham's father — and that were used by the preacher to scare Japheth as a child — a map of the city with the points of the murders and some organs partially eaten or preserved in jars, including what Lucius identified as the calcified heart of John Beecham's mother in a heart-shaped box. [14]
John's fears became a harsh reality when he discovered that Joseph had been kidnapped. Irreparably, John took responsibility for what happened. Sara tried to comfort him and the two shared a kiss, but Sara rejected John's feelings once again.
Moore was pleased to know that Laszlo had decided to take part in the investigations again, so much so that he was immediately briefed of the recent discoveries and developments. In the evening, Moore and Kreizler head to the Metropolitan Opera House, using the soirée as a decoy for Thomas Byrnes and his henchmen. After using the fireworks used on stage as a diversion to escape from Byrnes's eyesight, the two friends headed to the Croton Reservoir where they found Joseph and had a violent struggle with John Beecham. Unfortunately, they were unable to make the man confess or capture him because Connor, who had followed them, shot him dead. Meanwhile, John had fainted following the fight with the killer and briefed on the incident only later. He also discovered that Sara had killed Connor and the two friends met with Roosevelt at the Kreizler Institute where Laszlo, Lucius and Marcus conducted an autopsy on the body of Beecham to discover, unsuccessfully, the source of his wickedness.
To celebrate the success of their fruitful partnership, the team dined at Delmonico's where John dedicated a short poem to his friends during the toast. While the rest of the group was immersed in cheerful conversations, Laszlo gave John the ring destined for Mary, so that he would propose to Sara to marry him. However, the two decided to remain friends, even though Moore felt more than friendship for the woman. [15]
Investigating the Napp and Linares Cases
John called in a favor from Theodore Roosevelt, hoping that he could stop the execution of Martha Napp, however, it seemed that not even he could reprieve the execution. John then informed his fiancée Violet that he had to leave. She expressed her concern — hoping that one day he would agree to work for her godfather at the Journal. John then joined Sara, Bitsy, and Milly in the carriage headed for Sing Sing prison.
Bernie Peterson complemented John on his Martha Napp article, though he wasn’t sure at the time if he would run it. In the article, John made a lot of statements that would make a lot of important folks angry. John retorted that he was angry. He couldn’t believe that society would wrongly execute a woman. Bernie reminded John that he would need facts to support his claim otherwise they couldn’t run the article. Maude then informed them that a dead baby’s body had just been found at Siegel-Cooper.
John and Sara met with Lucius and Marcus at Siegel-Cooper to get a closer look at the crime scene, during which time Sara informed John that another child had gone missing. The child had only just recently died. Sara noticed the markings on the eyes, similar to that of the doll at the Linares’, but fortunately, the dead child was not baby Ana. Lucius and Marcus suspected the child was poisoned.
John, Sara, and Laszlo went back to the agency to discuss their findings. The markings on the eyes of Martha’s child were reminiscent of posthumous portraiture. Grieving parents would have the eyes painted on the eyelids of their dead children to give the illusion of life. Sara described their suspect as being someone with a Pandora’s box of emotion with diabolical intents. The doll was simply a repository of the evil within that allowed the killer to dissociate from the cruelty of the act.[16]
Bernie wasn’t convinced that the Linares case was connected to the Napp case, though John would like to accompany Sara throughout her investigation. If he was indeed right, they’d have the scoop of the century. Bernie reluctantly agreed to allow John to work with Sara, but not without noting that his future godfather-in-law wouldn’t like it.
John and Laszlo attended Dr. James Markoe's public lecture and confronted him with their latest discovery surrounding the Napp case; how a body was found in a department store after Martha Napp was executed. Dr. Markoe retorted that those were nothing more than outrageous accusations.
John, Sara, and Laszlo learned from Lucius and Marcus that they’d managed to identify one component from the poison. Nightshade, most likely Hyoscine. Easily accessible, but medical training was required to be able to administer the correct dose. They also found powdered carbon in the black substance from the Napp child’s mouth. Which was sometimes used as an antidote to poison. The amount of poison ingested by the infant was only enough to render it unconscious. It’s official cause of death was asphyxiation. From what they gathered, someone poisoned the baby, changed their mind, and then gave the baby powdered charcoal. Only to eventually smother the child.
John and Sara decided to investigate further into the Siegel-Cooper Department Store. Sara was friends with the owner, Sterling Hessler, and asked for his help. Sterling informed them that the doll that was left behind at the Linares’ was called Ruby Red. However, the buyer only signed their initials E.H. They purchased the doll on at least five occasions. The first time being from July last year, which was the only time they gave an address. Which happened to be on Hudson Street.
John and Violet attend a dinner party, where they discussed the Spanish and bicycles. However, John didn’t stay for long, reasoning that some newspaper stories were unearthed under the cover of darkness. Hearst told John that once he married Violet, he’d have to come and work for him at the Journal. John parted ways and joined Sara outside in the carriage, headed for Hudson Street.
John and Sara arrived at 247 Hudson Street. St. Ignatius Boarding House. However, it was abandoned. They were forced to take cover in a den after nearly being spotted by Fat Jack and a group of Dusters. Afterward, they went to Cyrus and asked about the Hudson Dusters. Cyrus informed them that Goo Goo Knox was their leader but only Fat Jack and Ding Dong were present. As for St. Ignatius, Goo Goo owned the property. It burned down the year before. Sara and John then asked to be introduced. Ding Dong approached and asked why they were searching for Goo Goo. However, when they revealed they were looking for a missing baby and wanted to inquire about his property, Ding Dong claimed that he hadn’t seen Goo Goo in months.
John headed down to the dock after learning that the two men feuding with Goo Goo Knox ended up dead in the Hudson. There, he had a brief reunion with George, who used to be a bouncer at the Concordia Garden. Despite the police claiming that the murders involved Cubans, George revealed that Goo Goo Knox had an altercation with Chick Gillen and Mallet Murphy, the two murder victims. Goo Goo set them up and slit their throats. John then paid George to introduce him to Knox.
John suddenly found himself surrounded in an ally by Goo and the Dusters. Goo held John to the wall at knife point and demanded to know why he’d been asking for him. However, Sara joined them with her pistol drawn. She told Goo Goo to release John and then asked about his property on Hudson Street and if he knew anything about a missing child. However, Goo Goo maintained his innocence.
Lucius and Marcus revealed to Sara, Laszlo, and John the three poisons used to kill the child. Two of them readily available from the apothecaries. The third poison was a pain suppressant. If administered incorrectly, it could kill a child and would likely only be found in a maternity ward.[17]
John, Sara, Laszlo, Milly, Lucius, and Marcus questioned the motive behind their child abductor. They suspected that it was a woman who either lost a child or couldn’t bear one. And so she took what others had. However, she killed the child once it no longer fitted her fantasy. Bitsy then presented them with a way to get access to the Lying-In Hospital. The facility was a charity, meaning they had events to gather money. Gildersleeve was among the hosts. A family that John was familiar with. Sara proposed they ask John's friend Oggie Gildersleeve for a favor, to get an interview at the Lying-In Hospital.
Violet stopped by the New York Journal headquarters for John's invite list to the wedding. Sara was on the list. Violet wanted to put her down for two as she’d likely bring someone. Much later, John and his closest friends gathered for his bachelor party. Laszlo, Lucius, Marcus, and Oggie attended. They moved it to Cyrus’ saloon and picked up Sara along the way. With Joanna still studying law and having previously worked for the Philadelphia Tribune, John offered to get her a job at the New York Times, which Cyrus was grateful for. Laszlo then gave a toast.[18]
Joanna arrived at the New York Times after being recruited by John. Bernie wondered how a black woman would be able to gather stories for the society pages. John explained that he would apprise Joanna of the event, and she would write it up. Admittedly, Bernie was impressed with Joanna’s senior thesis "Suffragism and Emancipation: A New America."
John attempted to persuade Hearst against publishing a story that could potentially spook the kidnapper of the Linares child. However, Hearst suspected that the Linares were responsible for their own missing child. John asked that he not use this to drum up support against the Spanish for the war in Cuba. Richard Osgood argued that war was destined to happen.
Sara feared that John was being bought and seduced, accusing Violet of humiliating John. Sara told John that he deserved someone adventurous and curious — someone like her, but not her. John compared Sara to a yazoo tributary, which was a tributary that ran beside a main river. It flirted with joining it. It’d come very close, but never did, which Sara claimed to be the exact opposite of Violet. John argued that it was also the opposite of Sara as well, accusing her of being so full of judgement. Unlike Sara, John didn't want to be alone and childless forever.
After watching John with Sara, Violet lured John away from the party to have sex.[19]
After learning that Libby Hatch killed the Matron, John, Sara, Laszlo and Lucius regrouped. They presumed that Libby had been trying to replace a lost child. In her mind, that child would be frozen in time. Any growth beyond that of her own baby would be greeted with skepticism. Meaning the Linares baby may have already overstayed its welcome. And so John suggested running Libby’s likeness in the Times. Marcus joined them and shared that they found a photo of Libby in Byrnes’ mugshot book. She was in there as a known associate of the Dusters.
John and Sara showed Cyrus a picture of Libby, who he explained was Goo Goo Knox’ girlfriend. Sara and John returned to the agency to find that Libby had stopped by. She stole Sara’s father’s gun from her office and drew eyes on the chalkboard. With Sara perhaps being marked as Libby’s next target, John invited Sara to stay at his place.
John, Violet, and Hearst attended a dinner party. Their dinner was unexpectedly interrupted by Joanna, who revealed to John that Sara was following Libby into Duster territory. Before leaving to meet with Sara, John instructed Joanna to call Laszlo and the Isaacsons. John then informed Violet he had to leave. She questioned why he couldn’t leave these matters to the police, to which he responded that it was the right thing to do. Hearst warned John that he earned the right to live above the rules and that it had better be a scoop that John was chasing.
John arrived outside of St. Ignatius. He noticed the cellar doors open and climbed down into the basement. He found Sara inside with baby Ana unharmed after she had scared off Libby.
After returning Ana to the Linareses, John apologized to Sara for being so cruel to her at the engagement party. Too often things said in anger came from a place of affection. And what should be spoken out loud was left unsaid. This led to a tender moment in the bed room, in which they had sex.[20]
Rekindled feelings
In the wake of their hookup, John expressed to Sara how all he wanted was to be worthy of her. However, with him engaged to be married, it was unfortunately not that simple. So Sara began focusing on Libby once more. Sara suspected that Libby had another hideout as the apartment that Sara tracked her to didn’t have a nursery or any necessities for child care. They returned to the scene of the crime, where they weren't permitted inside. So they turned their attention towards the building next door — St. Ignatius. Inside, they found Libby’s actual lair and the nursery where she had kept baby Ana and the Napp child. On the wall, they discovered photos of four children. One of which was the Napp child. Each with their eyelids painted. It would seem that baby Ana was next and that they found her just in time. On the dresser, they found a brush belonging to the Linares. Sara noticed a brush on top of the dressed with a family crest that not even John recognized.
Violet expressed her love for John and reminded him how that was no easy feat for someone like her. For someone whose family she wasn’t allowed to acknowledge, who was always aware of the whispers when she entered a room, who never had a place or name to call her own. And that was why she couldn’t wait to be announced as Mrs. John Schuyler Moore on their wedding day. In belonging to him, she would finally belong.
John and Sara turned to the New York Times and began looking through their archives in search for the family crest from the brush they found in Libby’s lair. They discovered that the crest belonged to the Vanderbilt family.
John, Sara, and Laszlo reconvened to figure out as much as they could about Libby Hatch after learning she kidnapped the Vanderbilt baby. While she may have lied, they believed that something she said to Sara during their initial encounters must’ve been truthful. Sara presumed the story that Libby told her about her father hanging himself on a bridge. Something that public would've been reported. And so Sara and John intend to look through the archives at the New York Times.
While going through the archives, they found an article from years ago that detailed a man hanging himself from Brooklyn Bridge. He was said to have been survived by his wife, Mallory Hunter, and their daughter, Elspeth Hunter, whose initials were E.H. Same as the doll buyer from the Siegel-Cooper department store. Given that she was on the run, they figured that she would hide in some place familiar. Mostly likely Brooklyn.[21]
John and Sara met with Sergeant Kelly of the Brooklyn police department to discuss Libby Hatch and whether or not she’s Elspeth Hunter. Sergeant Kelly was doubtful that they were one and the same considering the Hunters were a family of means. They soon discovered that Libby was in fact Elspeth and that she had a history of violence. She was confined at Blackwell’s Island for two years after nearly killing her mother.
John, Sara, Laszlo, and Byrnes paid Libby’s mother, Mallory Hunter, a visit. Mallory hadn’t seen her daughter in years. Laszlo asked why her husband killed himself, but she didn't know. Sara questioned why Libby tried to kill her all those years ago. Maloire revealed that Libby had a girl who the Children’s Aid Society took responsibility for. Laszlo realized that Mallory wasn’t being truthful. Libby never attacked her. Mallory was a woman of means, so the Children’s Aid Society would’ve never taken the child from her care unless they could prove Libby was a threat. So Mallory fabricated a story about Libby trying to kill her, which led to Libby being institutionalized.
John confronted Hearst for publishing that article about Libby’s daughter, whom he had put in danger. However, Hearst wasn’t concerned with her. His only concern was Violet. While John’s private affairs were of no concern to Hearst, his relationship with Sara was very public. Admittedly, there was a transactional nature to John and Violet’s marriage, but Hearst would not allow her to be hurt. He instructed John to cut ties with Sara. He lastly informed him that he was expected to attend the family dinner at Delmonico’s later that night to argue our summer plans in Newport.
John called Sara and asked if she had uncovered a new lead, but she hadn’t. She was simply at the office to avoid having the conversation with John regarding their relationship. Sara had trouble expressing her feelings. She very much enjoyed their time together, but they didn’t think it through. John wanted to know what the future had in store for them. And if Sara didn’t answer, he would make the decision for the both of them. When Sara didn’t respond, he told her goodnight and left to have dinner at Delmonico’s.
John arrived at the agency to find Libby holding Sara at gunpoint. He pushed the gun away from Sara just as Libby fired. A struggle ensued between John and Libby. He managed to disarm her, allowing for Sara to get the gun. However, Libby pulled a blade from her boot and held it to John’s throat, telling Sara to put the gun down.[22]
As Libby held a blade to John’s throat, she demanded that Sara tell her where to find Clara. In threatening John’s life, Libby realized that he and Sara loved each other. So she proceeded to run the blade across John’s throat, forcing Sara to reveal that Clara was at the Kreizler Institute. John managed to break free and subdue Libby while she was distracted. When Sara asked what Libby did with the Vanderbilt child, Libby replied that the baby wasn’t hers.
John is taken to the hospital by Sara to get patched up. She feared that John merely loved her as a friend and that all the qualities he liked in her as a friend, he would not want in a wife. John explained that he loved Sara for many reasons and that she shouldn’t worry. However, John wanted a family and a place to call home, and Sara wanted none of that.
John, Sara, and Laszlo arrived at the police station, where Sara agrees to conduct the interview with Libby and manages to get her to reveal the whereabouts of the Vanderbilt baby. John followed Byrnes and his men into Duster territory. They entered the butchery to find the Vanderbilt baby all alone and crying. John picked the child up and took him to a hospital.
While at Marcus' wake, after he was killed by Libby and Goo Goo, John recalled Sara asking him in the hospital if he wanted a family. He did. But in attending Marcus’ wake and realizing how fleeting life was, he realized that what he truly desired was her.
After realizing that Libby retreated to her childhood home, John, Sara, and Laszlo sneaked in through the back door, where they were caught by Goo Goo Knox, armed with a shotgun. Before he could shoot, Lucius killed Goo Goo after shooting twice in the chest. They followed Clara's scream to the main room, where they find Libby holding a shard of glass to Clara’s throat. Fortunately, Sara and Laszlo managed to convince Libby to release Clara. Byrnes and his men then entered and placed Libby under arrest.
John was congratulated by Bernie on a job well done and his promotion. Vanderbilt was even praising him. Bernie always figured John would eventually leave them and go on to bigger things, but John explained that he felt at home at the Times. John then informed Joanna of his promotion and offered her a spot on his team. However, she found a newspaper in Weeksville, Brooklyn. It was more progressive. John then received an unexpected visit from Violet, who revealed that she was pregnant.
John stopped by the agency to inform Sara that Violet was pregnant with his child. Admittedly, Sara was sad, but she was also happy for John as now he got to be what his heart truly desired — to be a father. John revealed that there had been an ache in his heart since his brother died. So he hoped that a small part of him would be born again with the arrival of his child.
John, Sara, and Laszlo had dinner together, where Laszlo revealed that he was moving to Vienna with Karen. They toasted to their friendship. Violet then arrived and John left with her.[23]
Memorable Quotes[]
- John Moore: “My God, Laszlo! Sometimes you can be as subtle as a blowtorch.”
- John Moore: “I'm afraid once seen, those images will remain forever in my head.”
- John Moore: “Gentlemen, there is a lady present!”
- John Moore: “Who?! You talk about him as if you know him.”
- John Moore: “She's not as strong as she'd like you to believe.”
- Dr. Kreizler: “John, please. Do not let your affection for Miss Howard get in the way of logic.”
- John Moore: “My affection?! My God. Do you never tire of the sound of your own voice?”
- John Moore: “I'm merely seeing myself through a rough patch.”
- John Moore: “Damn superiority. We're not free to ask questions, but he's free to go mucking around in our personal lives.”
- John Moore: “I, John Schuyler Moore, take thee, Sara Howard, to be my wedded wife from this day forward for better for worse, for richer for poorer. And to give you lots of little children who will be as lazy as me and just as stubborn as yourself.”
- John Moore: “What if I were the killer?”
- — Requiem
Appearances[]
|
The Alienist
|
Angel of Darkness
|
Notes[]
- Introducing John Moore, Luke Evans said:
"When you meet John Moore, you immediately see he's a broken man. He's been brought on to sketch. And all of the sudden he's been confronted by this very sinister part of New York City. He can fluctuate from the echelons of society and also the underbelly of New York City. John has a very big heart that has been broken, is fragile." [24] [25]
- Writer and executive producer E. Max Frye added:
"I think he gives the audience access to the story that Kreizler doesn't, but there's something about the two of them that form a whole human being." [25]
- In the novel, he is a reporter for The New York Times instead of a newspaper illustrator.
- The original, and slightly different draft for John Moore's description read as follow:
"Handsome, easy going, easily distracted, and prone to melancholy, John Moore is a society illustrator for the New York Times and a longtime friend of alienist Dr. Kreizler and police commissioner Teddy Roosevelt. While drowning his sorrows and lamenting the loss of a former lover, Kreizler summons him to the scene of a brutal crime. Always lacking drive and a meaning to his pursuits, he throws himself into assisting Kreizler's investigation into the grisly murders and comes to face some hard truths about himself." [26]
Gallery[]
.jpg "Alienist-Official-Photoshoot-06-John Moore (Alternate Version).jpg (93 KB)")
Episode Scenes[]
Inside[]
References[]
- ↑ John Moore's birth date is approximately obtained from the birth date of Theodore Roosevelt, and from the newspaper article clippings on Dr. Laszlo Kreizler's childhood mentioned in "Ascension."
- ↑ ‘The Alienist’: John Moore's Promotional Quote on TNT Instagram account.
- ↑ Official Character Description for Luke Evans' John Moore — TNT drama Pressroom
- ↑ Angel of Darkness Character Bio: John Moore - Warner Media Group
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Hossein Amini (writer) & Jakob Verbruggen (director); (January 22, 2018); "The Boy on the Bridge". Episode 1. The Alienist. TNT
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Gina Gionfriddo (writer) & Jakob Verbruggen (director); (February 5, 2018); "Silver Smile". Episode 3.The Alienist. TNT
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 E. Max Frye (writer) & James Hawes (director); (February 19, 2018); "Hildebrandt’s Starling". Episode 5.The Alienist. TNT
- ↑ Hossein Amini & E. Max Frye (writers) & Jakob Verbruggen (director); (January 29, 2018); "A Fruitful Partnership". Episode 2.The Alienist. TNT
- ↑ Gina Gionfriddo & Cary Joji Fukunaga (writers) & James Hawes (director); (February 12, 2018); "These Bloody Thoughts". Episode 4.The Alienist. TNT
- ↑ This is a nod to the novel, where John Moore is actually a journalist and not an illustrator for the New York Times.
- ↑ E. Max Frye (writer) & Paco Cabezas (director); (February 26, 2018); "Ascension". Episode 6.The Alienist. TNT
- ↑ John Sayles (writer) & Paco Cabezas (director); (March 5, 2018); "Many Sainted Men". Episode 7.The Alienist. TNT
- ↑ John Sayles (writer) & David Petrarca (director); (March 12, 2018); "Psychopathia Sexualis". Episode 8.The Alienist. TNT
- ↑ Hossein Amini (writer) & Jamie Payne (director); (March 19, 2018); "Requiem". Episode 9.The Alienist. TNT
- ↑ Cary Joji Fukunaga, John Sayles & Chase Palmer (writer) & Jamie Payne (director); (March 26, 2018); "Castle in the Sky". Episode 10.The Alienist. TNT
- ↑ Stuart Carolan (writer); David Caffrey (director); (July 19, 2020); "Ex Ore Infantium". Episode 1. Angel of Darkness. TNT.
- ↑ Stuart Carolan (writer); David Caffrey (director); (July 19, 2020); "Something Wicked". Episode 2. Angel of Darkness. TNT.
- ↑ Gina Gionfriddo (writer); Clare Kilner (director); (July 26, 2020); "Labyrinth". Episode 3. Angel of Darkness. TNT.
- ↑ Alyson Feltes (writer); Clare Kilner (director); (July 26, 2020); "Gilded Cage". Episode 4. Angel of Darkness. TNT.
- ↑ Gina Gionfriddo & Karina Wolf (writer); Clare Kilner (director); (August 2, 2020); "Belly of the Beast". Episode 5. Angel of Darkness. TNT.
- ↑ Alyson Feltes (writer); David Caffrey (director); (August 2, 2020); "Memento Mori". Episode 6. Angel of Darkness. TNT.
- ↑ Tom Smuts & Amy Berg (writers); David Caffrey (director); (August 9, 2020); "Last Exit to Brooklyn". Episode 7. Angel of Darkness. TNT.
- ↑ Stuart Carolan & Karina Wolf (writers); David Caffrey (director); (August 9, 2020); "Better Angels". Episode 8. Angel of Darkness. TNT.
- ↑ It’s up to John Moore to capture the image of the killer. — @TheAlienist on Instagram
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 The Alienist Inside — Character Profiles
- ↑ Alternate Official Overview for Luke Evans' John Moore — TNT Pressroom