True Blood

[Lucky]

Wow, I didn't think it could get worse than last week. They're really derailing this train fast. The Lafayette possession could have passed for a Ghost Whisperer episode. Sookie's dreaming felt straight out of a bored housewife's fan fiction for the show. And yes, where is Pam? And why the hell is Tommy still around?

Positive - I enjoyed the brief inclusion of the Taylor Swift track to the soundtrack haha.

[Milky Joe]

I guess I'll just shut up.

[[ETM]]

I loved this episode as much as any this season.

[number8]

That dream sequence did not go where I wanted it to go.

[Milky Joe]

Where did you want it to go? It went exactly where I wanted it to.

[amberlita]

Where did you want it to go? It went exactly where I wanted it to.

I was hoping for some Eric on Bill action. Eric and Bill on Sookie action? Yawn.

[number8]

Such a damn tease. Bill kisses Sookie. Eric kisses Sookie. Bill and Eric turn to each other and... bite Sookie together.

My face: :|

[Milky Joe]

Ah, of course. Yeah, I was sort of expecting that too. Wasn't really surprised it didn't happen though.

[number8]

Tent sex and truck sex were hot, though. Despite not having the je ne sais quoi of:

"Why is there a bed?"
"Can we make love in it?"
"Like, maybe never stop!"
"Why would we ever want to?"

[number8]

Also, Jessica reads Twilight?

[Milky Joe]

"When you guys role play, does Lafayette ever turn into a woman named Mavis?"
"I'm going to forget you ever said that and just head on in."

[[ETM]]

Also, Jessica reads Twilight?


"When you guys role play, does Lafayette ever turn into a woman named Mavis?"
"I'm going to forget you ever said that and just head on in."

Loved both of these.

Also, if I may - isn't Janina Gavankar simply breathtaking?
http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/wennpic/janina-gavankar-premiere-true-blood-season-4-01.jpg

[Henry Gale]

;368877']Also, if I may - isn't Janina Gavankar simply breathtaking?

Yes. Finally someone to give Deborah Ann Woll some competition as being the most gorgeous girl on the show.

[Lucky]

Yes. Finally someone to give Deborah Ann Woll some competition as being the most gorgeous girl on the show.

The most gorgeous girl to ever walk on the set of True Blood was Lynn Collins (Dawn from S1) who I also just realized was Wolverine's girlfriend in the Origins movie.

http://www.pinstripemag.com/images/old/6a00e5537d9662883301156f60046e 970c-350wi.jpg

[[ETM]]

Lynn Collins is pretty to look at, but Woll and Gavankar have that... raw quality that appeals to something basic in male psyche. Woll is so... full, and... firm, fiery and explosive, while Gavankar is delicate and simply painfully beautiful. I like her neck and shoulders more than the whole of Sookeh.

[Lucky]

Woll can definitely be stunning. It has to be the right lighting and she has to have the right look in her eye. She's TV pretty, though. In red carpet photos and even sometimes on the show I just find her average. I think I'm more attracted to her character than her in general. Pale redheads are completely not my type. I will say I think she has a real shot at being a major movie star, though.

Sexy:
http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/7900000/True-Blood-S2-Still-deborah-ann-woll-7927601-634-314.jpg

Pretty, but not my type:
http://img.listal.com/image/738383/500full-deborah-ann-woll.jpg

Gavankar I understand completely. She is definitely hotter than Anna Paquin, although Sookie might have her beat in a lingerie competition.

[Lucky]

I was also a huge fan of Lizzy Caplan on the show. For two reasons in particular...

[Henry Gale]

Sexy:
http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/7900000/True-Blood-S2-Still-deborah-ann-woll-7927601-634-314.jpg

Pretty, but not my type:
http://img.listal.com/image/738383/500full-deborah-ann-woll.jpg

See though, despite her expression in the second picture, I think I entirely prefer her like that, when her looks seem more understated. But either way I don't think there's ever been a moment in the show where she was on screen and I thought she didn't look great, so it's not a circumstantial thing anyway.


I was also a huge fan of Lizzy Caplan on the show. For two reasons in particular...

Oh it goes without saying, but it's been so long that I barely associate her with the show anymore, same with Lynn Collins. Wait, two things... her boobs and her willingness to show them, right?

But see guys, the show is at a point where there's nothing to talk about but this.

[[ETM]]

But see guys, the show is at a point where there's nothing to talk about but this.

Nothing wrong with that.

[number8]

Dude, all I've been talking about since S2 is how much I want to fuck Skarsgard. This ain't new.

[number8]

:lol:

I wish they'd adapted this scene faithfully now.

oZiTrrZPVSE

[Henry Gale]

Alright, I enjoyed that more than a lot of the recent episodes, but I still think the central conflict has been a lot weaker this year compared to the ones in the last couple of seasons.

Season 2 had all of Bon Temps locked into a state of horny mind control, Season 3 had Russell Edgington maniacally declaring war, and even if Season 1 mostly forgot about its serial killer plot until the last minute, it was still doing a lot to build the world of the show and all of the characters. In Season 4 we have... a bunch of the non-vampires held hostage by a lackadaisical witch character, trapped by a giant, sometimes deadly (and mostly invisible) wall surrounding them. It just didn't have the same excitement or potential peril attached to it.

[[ETM]]

It just didn't have the same excitement or potential peril attached to it.

I put it above S2 and S3 overall. They played around with all the characters equally, introduced a large number of subplots and developed them simultaneously, and even though it should have been a HUGE mess, it's insanely entertaining and the pace is much, much better than what we had with larger central season arcs.

Tonight's episode had more single moments of awesome than 3 or 4 combined from previous seasons. It's way more trashy, but it's doing it with delicious irreverence.

[number8]

God, I adore Jason.

[Lucky]

Godammit. I was so close to giving up on this show next year and then that happens.

[Ezee E]

Spoil me.

[amberlita]

Glad to see the show doing a little bit of house cleaning. Trim that fat, Alan Ball!

[amberlita]

SPOILERS...

Well, as exciting as all the deaths and cliffhangers were, I'm overall bothered by the finale. The season was enjoyable for the most part but ultimately sloppy and unevenly written, with the finale being no different. It was all over the fucking place and instead of creating a narrative that makes sense for some of the finale's events (Nan's death, Steven fucking Newlin coming back as a vampire), it was all just thrown together for shock value. Extend some of these stories over the season and ditch the boring pointless shit (e.g. Hotshot) and this would be a better show. But we've had fantastic season finale cliffhangers before only to be disappointed with where they take it all.

I'm irritated. The finale introduced a lot of stuff I'm eager to see play out, but I'm pretty sure they'll screw up about 80% of it.

[Lucky]

Spoil me.

Well, like Amber already said...

-Preacher man from S2 found Jason and he's now a vampire
-Bill killed Nan
-Jesus was killed
-Tara was shot through the freaking head by a shotgun
-Subsequently, Sookie shot Debbie in the neck with a shotgun
-But best of all...Russell has apparently escaped his cement prison

...and Pam proclaimed, "I'm tired of Sookie's fairy vagina!"

[Lucky]

But we've had fantastic season finale cliffhangers before only to be disappointed with where they take it all.

I'm irritated. The finale introduced a lot of stuff I'm eager to see play out, but I'm pretty sure they'll screw up about 80% of it.

I know, and you think I would have learned this by now. But I need Sookie's fairy vagina in my life.

[Russ]

My overall impression of this season can be summarized thusly:


http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/8/2011/09/tumblr_lr23vj3pbf1r1pxbgo1_500 .gif

[number8]

You know, if a season of True Blood could be about as awesome as their season finale cliffhangers, it would be the best show on television.

Highlights, in order of YES-ness:

1. Jessica's red riding hood outfit.
2. Russsellllll Edgingtoooooooon!
3. "I am so over Sookie and her precious fairy vagina!"
4. Bill and Eric wearing matching bathrobes.
5. Bill and Eric chained together shirtless.
6. "Baby, don't leave!" "Dude, I'm dead."
7. Rene's ghost still faking a cajun accent.
8. "We are nawt pahppy dawgs!"
9. "You can't trade magic like fucking Pokemon cards!"
10. "I get it. It's like hookers and kissing. Not that I'm saying you're a hooker."

[[ETM]]

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/comment/8/2011/08/1a4d10d892bdfbcd1d1898df595495 93/original.gif

[EvilShoe]

Haven't seen season 4 yet, but season 5 should be good:
http://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/vulture/2012/05/06/06_cmeloni.o.jpeg/a_560x0.jpg

Meloni, back on HBO. Can't go wrong.

(In all likelihood: it probably will, as True Blood tends to do that. But let's remain positive.)

[amberlita]

Bored now.

[Milky Joe]

Well I'm engaged.

[Lucky]

The werewolves have been lame for two years now.

[Henry Gale]

Maybe my memory has only retained the most unique and entertaining moments of seasons past, but has this show ever had a premiere this boring?

I mean last year's wasn't particularly good, but it at least threw us in and out Fairy World in the first fifteen minutes and then followed that up by telling us Sookie had missed a full year in Bon Temps. Tonight we were introduced to Eric's "sister", the reverend guy from Season 2 showed up to express his love for Jason (who otherwise just has Hoyt and Jessica issues), we saw almost every other character either grieve or get blamed for killing someone else, and then it just ends by following through with what the first five minutes had us assume was going to happen to Tara.

Aside from the levity of things like Eric's fast-forward clean up, Jessica picking that Foreigner song to play in Guitar Hero, and a handful of funny Lafayette and Jason lines, everything just kind of slogged along. Even worse, I read that Russell Edgington barely shows up at all for the first four episodes.

This show realizes it can just be dumb fun, right?

[Milky Joe]

This show realizes it can just be dumb fun, right?

I would modify this and say, "this show's fans realize it can just be dumb fun, right?" It's the same story every year, seems to me that TB fans are incredibly hard to please. And yet they continue to watch? I don't get it.

[Henry Gale]

I would modify this and say, "this show's fans realize it can just be dumb fun, right?" It's the same story every year, seems to me that TB fans are incredibly hard to please. And yet they continue to watch? I don't get it.

Well I mean it used to at least feel like a intelligently crafted horror-soap with campy thrills and a humourous liveliness infused in almost every character. Now it sort of feels like it's veering towards becoming more and more self-serious, unconsciously moving away from, or maybe just slowly forgetting, what used to make it work.

I didn't hate last night's episode, but for the kick-off to Season 5, it was considering more dull than I would've hoped, and didn't really lay the groundwork for storylines that seem all that interesting.

Also, so many butts! Where have all the boobs gone!?

[number8]

God, I love this stupid shitty fucking show. And I never realized how much I missed it until it's back.

[[ETM]]

Here I was, rolling my eyes, when... *pop* naked werewolf chick!

And all is good.

[EvilShoe]

I was excited about this season because it seemed like
Tara would finally get written off. Alas, that doesn't seem like the case. Bah! Awful, awful, awful character.
I'd like this show better if Lafayette was the lead. Just have a love triangle between him, Eric and Bill. (Chemistry between Lafayette & Eric during season 2 was quite good actually.)

[Russ]

I don't think there's any doubt that humor has always been this show's strongest suit, and in that regard, last night's episode delivered in spades.

[Henry Gale]

I don't think there's any doubt that humor has always been this show's strongest suit, and in that regard, last night's episode delivered in spades.

As much as I agree with that for the show in general, I just didn't think this newest episode showcased that side of it very well at all. If anything, I thought it fell further victim to my fears about it starting to take itself too seriously, particularly with the ongoing wolf pack, Terry, and even the Tara storylines, along with big, wacky Authority scene at the end.

But it wasn't completely devoid of humour. I liked scenes like one with Jessica and Newlin, and the brief, hilarious moment where Jason sees him on TV and leans forward when he talks about being in love, only to look oddly betrayed when he lies about it being with a woman. There was probably a couple more, but not sure what parts you might be referring to.

The problem for me is those lighter moments just don't add up to much and seem like they've almost become afterthoughts instead of being the consistent, self-conscious diffusions of all of its preposterousness that they used to be.

[number8]

I haven't seen Meloni that engaging on screen since his Oz days.

Well, maybe the first Harold & Kumar.

[number8]

Apparently Alan Ball is leaving the show after this season? This is news to me.

[Henry Gale]

Last night's was probably my favourite of Season 5 so far, which wasn't a surprise to me since I saw Alexander Woo wrote it. He (along with Nancy Oliver, who's seemingly left the show) usually scripts the strongest episodes. But it still had its share of weaknesses that seem to stem more from the overall mechanics of this season than where this episode took it, but things like the hilarious death near the end is right up there with the stuff he came up with in Season 3 like Bill's head-twist sex and Edgington's news interruption.

I also liked this episode's way of finally putting Sookie in her place, even if it seems to apologize for it by the end of the hour.

[Raiders]

God I hope Meloni isn't a one season-and-done character. He's easily the best thing about this season so far, even only averaging about five minutes per episode.

[number8]

This show has way too many subplots going on at once. Weird that I usually don't mind that in David Simon shows or Game of Thrones, but here it just feels all over the place.

And I second the motion to keep Meloni. He's been absolutely fucking awesome (not surprisingly).

[Raiders]

This episode was batshit strange.

[Milky Joe]

I thought it was great. That ending montage with Meloni's voice-over was top-notch. Really glad they offed Luna, another crap holdover from last season. Now we get to watch Sam try and be a dad to cute were-puppy!

[Henry Gale]

See, this episode was probably no better than anything else this season, but it upped the creepiness with all the Russell-hunting and the amount of unexpected hilarious / bizarre moments like Jesus' ghost head enough to at least have it feel more exciting.


That ending montage with Meloni's voice-over was top-notch.

Also really enjoyed this. Feels like it's been a while since the show did something like it, bringing all the plotlines together, even if it's just through editing and voiceovers. Now we just need more moody, night-time scenes of discovery like the ones back in the early seasons. Even the ones with just two characters talking by a lake managed to be good.


Really glad they offed Luna, another crap holdover from last season.

I mean, she often seems to act more realistically than most characters on this show, and she's probably second to Jessica in terms of gorgeousness for me, but overall, also not sure what she really could contribute to the series going forward. Then again, they also gave Terry one of the biggest stories this year.

[Lucky]

Well I certainly didn't expect that.

[Russ]

Well I certainly didn't expect that.
Neither did I. Best part of a really, really poor episode.

Fairy nightclubs? Get the fuck out of here.

[Henry Gale]

I'm assuming you guys are referring to Chris Meloni's last scene, which in the moment I wasn't even positive was an actual death. I mean, I know we already saw one big, messy vampire death in the hour, so doing another one might have looked redundant, but having Roman's face do such an odd, prolonged morph upon being staked didn't look much like any dying vampire we've seen.

Personally, I would have ramped it up with Russell and him a bit longer, had the staking go the same way, do the same true-death disfigurement, and then just as he popped like a vampire-shaped blood balloon, do that same abrupt cut to Eric's "sister" in her cell, instead of the confusing way they decided to show it.
But yeah, another not-so-good episode this week. The whole build-up of searching for Russell last week ends in a boring, non-confrontation between him and Sookie, leaving her back with nothing to do. Also so glad we got so many reminders of exactly what the Terry stuff is supposed to be about, especially those same flashbacks we already saw last week. Not to mention more unnecessary (and now less funny) Jason dreams, return of the fairy carnival night club, more wolf pack politics, and Tara advancing from Pam calling her a "slave" last episode to a "dog" this week. And glad to see Sam and Luna are completely fine...

This show seems set on doing the complete opposite of fan service.

[Milky Joe]

I thought it was overall a good episode. I hope Meloni's not dead though. He was hilarious in his Nike golf shirt. "The blood of a 18th century hemophiliac... interesting."

[amberlita]

For some reason, I think he's not dead. Otherwise why wouldn't he explode? My guess is that it's the 18th century hemophiliac blood. Some made up shit about it being magical or something, I dunno. I have so little to say about this show anymore. Except that Skarsgard and Meloni, especially Meloni, were fantastic in their religion couch-chair scene.

[Henry Gale]

Well, Meloni, doing interviews last night about the episode, said he hadn't seen the final edit himself, but went on to talk about the death as if it wasn't meant to be ambiguous whatsoever. One such interview. (http://tvline.com/2012/07/16/true-blood-chris-meloni-roman-death/)

But yeah, as unexpected as it might have been, he's such a new character that was becoming a really enjoyable presence on the show. More disappointing than anything.

[Raiders]

I am officially done with this season. Russell is played out, good as O'Hare has been. Meloni was my one real stake (no pun) in this season, and so much for that.

[Milky Joe]

How is Russell played out? He's just getting started. He had the best lines of the night: "You're fucking worse than humans. You might as well be praying to leprechauns or unicorns, or the motherfucking Kardashians! That makes just as much sense!" He chews scenery like a tyrannosaurus.

But I guess it wouldn't be a True Blood season without everyone complaining about everything.

[Raiders]

How is Russell played out? He's just getting started. He had the best lines of the night: "You're fucking worse than humans. You might as well be praying to leprechauns or unicorns, or the motherfucking Kardashians! That makes just as much sense!" He chews scenery like a tyrannosaurus.

But I guess it wouldn't be a True Blood season without everyone complaining about everything.

All I meant was that he had already been the "big bad" for a season and his scene chewing has been noted and witnessed. We barely got into Meloni's character and now he's gone. Just imagine seeing many scenes with both of them. That would have been so much better.

[Acapelli]

why are you so sure meloni is gone? why else would they draw out a "death" scene like that and not show us the payoff unless they were going to have him live?

[Russ]

I'm guessing this show has nowhere to go but up...'cause, right now, it really sucks.

[Henry Gale]

Now see, this episode was a thing of insane beauty. Countless moments that caught me completely off guard or happened to do the most perfectly wacky thing to punctuate sequences (Russell's duet, Jason's headshot, Authority crew's "drug trip" through the streets), either ending in me laughing heartily or thrilled that the show was flexing its crazy-muscle again.

The episode still couldn't make the characters and story progression feel like less of an unsalvageable mess for this year of the show, but the more the writers can mask that by crafting hours of television with as much joyously ludicrous, bloody, wacky moments as this one did, then it'll leave me feeling much better about sticking with the show. Especially when compared to how much boredom and disappointment I endured for most of the season's first half, this episode felt like ideas from a long Season 2 or 3 script that they just re-worked to what's going on now.

This is the True Blood I love.

[EvilShoe]

Eric/Bill piggyback causes me to agree with you, Mr. Gale.

[Milky Joe]

Yeah, that was a good one.

[EvilShoe]

Another good ep. Ryan Kwanten, MVP.

[Henry Gale]

As much as I liked the last two week's episodes and their no holds barred attitude and constant hilarity, this was back to Bland-ville. The Obamas storyline with the reveal of the least threatening masterminds possible behind it, the thematically convoluted Ifrit wrap-up, and the Alcide/Wolfpack stuff; all just so lazily-written and not brought to life any better, the amount of screentime given to them is stunning.

Also, is it just me reading too much into little things or has the Authority storyline made it pretty clear that Lillith doesn't exist and they're really just drinking Salome's blood? It'd be a way to merge that storyline and Sookie's if we found out she was actually part faerie too. They made it seem like Bill only drank her blood this week when he saw Lillith in bed with him, and seeing as how Salome is behind most of this anyway with Russell, the person who wants Sookie's blood the most anyway, it just seems logical, if not particularly interesting.

But yes, Lafayette and Jason were awesome as always, and they are among my weaknesses for watching this show no matter what.

[Russ]

lazily-written
My thoughts EXACTLY, not just this episode, but most of this season as well. Which really sucks, because I want to enjoy this show so much, but it's just getting more and more difficult.

[EvilShoe]

Hm, I think it's really picked up the pace in these last few episodes. And hey, Terry's storyline wrapped up! Finally.

[Milky Joe]

Yeah I liked last night's episode. I like the direction they're headed in. I love that Sam will now be invested in hunting down Russell, since Eric and Bill failed so miserably. He can save the day again like he did in season 2.

[EvilShoe]

Probably haven't enjoyed the show this much since season 2.
Really good send-off for Hoyt.

[number8]

Finally caught up. I gave up for a few weeks, then I just marathoned from episode 6 on. This season bizarrely got really awesome after the halfway point.

[number8]

Really good send-off for Hoyt.

Agreed. Shockingly emotional, given that they've dragged out that bullshit for too long, and Hoyt was becoming unbearable. But man, they did that justice.

[Russ]

In spite of some lazy-ass writing this season (or more likely because of), this show has lately become as thrilling and entertaining as it's ever been, which bodes well for tomorrow night's finale.

I think the greatest accomplishment this season was turning Tara into a character whose presence didn't make me want to claw my eyes out. Her rapport with Pam has been a consistent highlight throughout this season.

[number8]

This has become a pattern with them since Season 3. Coast lazily for the first half to the point of boredom, and suddenly ramp shit up so awesome in the last few episodes that you can't wait for it to come back the next year. It's textbook drug dealing, man.

[Henry Gale]

Yeah, I kinda agree. Aside from the episode that spent most of its time wrapping up the Ifrit and Obamas stuff, the second half has managed to merge the storylines in surprisingly exciting ways. I really liked the way they handled the Lillith apparitions "choosing" everyone one by one, and I too was shocked at how well the big Hoyt scene worked, especially since earlier this season all I could think was "Jeeez. Just kill him off already" as he mulled around Fangtasia as a bite-junkie.

Or maybe it's just since Breaking Bad came back I don't need to rely on this to deliver the entirety of my Sunday night TV fix and have just remembered to love it for the adorable, bloody mess it is.

[amberlita]

Agreed. I fell about 4 episodes behind but sped through them last week and the season really started humming. And I was surprisingly moved by Hoyt's send-off as well. I was disappointed at the end of the diner scene that it was so much about Hoyt and Jessica while Jason was relegated to an also-mentioned, considering they'd been life-long friends. Made up for in Jason's heartbreaking scene at the roadside. Such a great actor.

The fairy elder though? Laaaaaaame. Most disappointing confrontation of all time her "battle" with Russell.

[Lucky]

This show...

I've been pretty quiet about this season mostly bc I lost interest and it merely became background noise for me, but the past few episodes really ramped things up. They've absolutely cut all ties to reality, haven't they?

An improvement over the past two years. That finale was as thrilling as the show has ever been.

[number8]

Great fucking finale.

"Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in!"

[Milky Joe]

I thought it was mostly a big wet fart of a finale.

[Henry Gale]

Ahaha, this show. Never change.

Well, if you were to change in a way that shed all of your laggy storylines involving characters that don't really matter (*cough* Alcide *sneeze* Terry's haunted deployment), leading to a more concentrated flow of the sort of fantastic lunacy delivered in the best of this finale, then by all means.

Russell's death was a bit bullshit though. Either they could have reworked it so that Bill brought him down as a way of us seeing him officially slay his way through the chain of command as something of a mirror to Russell killing Roman (which they kinda managed to illustrate with him and Salome's final scene), or at least have thought up a more satisfying, emphasized way for Eric to get his revenge. The way it played out just made bringing him back feel like it didn't amount to much more than an occasionally hilarious victory lap.

But by the time Sam shifted out of the Cougar Town-woman's head, I had already started to forgive it.

[Morris Schæffer]

For the fans, Rutger Hauer will be a regular in season six!

http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/rutger-hauer-sinks-his-teeth-true-blood-season-6-59326

[Milky Joe]

wtf