Copyright © 2011 by Sarah Stegall
True Blood
HBO, Sundays, 10PM
“Run”
Written by Brian Buckner
Directed by Romeo Tirone
Warning: this review contains some spoilers. If you’d rather not know what the episode is going to include, bookmark this page and read it after viewing.
“I’ve always been this self-conscious good little girl who’s too scared to think outside the box.” —Sookie
I don’t know which is worse: inserting a fantasy sex sequence into the middle of a bloody war, or doing it with hoary clichés like “think outside the box.” If I had any doubts that True Blood has become a sex romp, rather than a reflection of Charlaine Harris’s paranormal mystery series, this episode would have killed them. The nadir of its descent is surely reached in this dream sequence, where Sookie shows more self-awareness than she does in real life. Addressing both Eric and Bill while wearing a red nightie, she refuses to choose between them and delivers herself of a wholly uncharacteristic, stilted manifesto about free love and double standards. We are then treated to some three-way kissing, fade to black. A more awkward scene is difficult to imagine. I’m sure there are hordes of fans who loved it, but for me it was way out of character and highly unnecessary. And confound it, if they were going to do this scene, they should not have chickened out at the beginning of a makeout session. Neither sexy nor enlightening, the scene wasted screen time that could have been better spent elsewhere. It’s clear, however, the producers have other goals in mind for Sookie.
“What a decisive leader you’ve turned out to be.” —Nan Flannigan
The odd thing about Bill Compton this season is that he has turned into a much better king than lover. Forceful, clear-headed, and mostly very much in tune with the current media position of the vampire community, he has emerged as a more independent and effective leader than Nan ever expected—or wanted. But when it comes to Sookie, he lapses back into the same old inCompton (incompetent Compton) he always was. When Bill starts a shooting war with Martonia, he places Sookie in the line of fire. He abandons the field to his enemy to rescue her, and infuses her with his blood. Which of course acts as an aphrodisiac, and here we are with red nighties and three-way fantasies. Yawn. Meanwhile, his whole campaign against Martonia has backfired, and he’s in trouble with Nan.
“Blame the witches. America’s had no problem doing it in the past.” —Bill
Having spun the war for the media, Bill and Nan now gang up to present “Tolerance Night”, where they attempt to undo some of Russell Edgington’s damage. This media event, which seems to guide Nan’s every decision, has never been mentioned before. (A little foreshadowing would not have hurt, but then we would not have had time for Arlene’s hysterics.) Martonia the witch sees this gathering as her great opportunity to take out the vampire King as well as the face of the Vampire Authority, Nan. She chooses Eric as her weapon, which Sookie finally figures out. Trying to rescue him, Sookie teams up with Debbie Pelt to break into Martonia’s shop. This was a bizarre alliance; I am absolutely not convinced that Debbie Pelt is anything but trouble, and it sure looked like Debbie betrayed Sookie to Martonia. Tara came to Sookie’s rescue, however, faking out the witch and the rest of the coven because she (alone, apparently, in Bon Temps) remembered that Sookie can read minds. This was another opportunity to show Sookie being stupid; as she put it herself, Debbie tried to kill her once. She’s an idiot to trust her again. Meanwhile, Martonia is as strong as ever, even as her coven turns against her. Bill knows this but now has no effective strategy against her. She’s certainly not going to negotiate with vampires again.
“Now I need my Lafayette back.” —Jesus
This week the secondary stories were more interesting and more intense than the primary one. Lafayette, having been possessed by the ghost of Mavis (Nondumiso Tembe, NCIS: Los Angeles), steals young Mikey and holes up in Hoyt’s house, which used to be hers. We’ve already got one possessed human (Marnie) in the mix, so adding Lafayette seems a little like gilding the lily. Nelsan Ellis and Kevin Alejandro gave first-rate performances, with Ellis crooning maternally, and Alejandro as the brujo desperate to save his lover. Lafayette and Jesus are the most appealing magical couple in Bon Temps right now. I urgently, but probably futilely, hope that this is the last we see of the overheated Arlene and her mysterious baby. I enjoyed Todd Lowe’s unleashing of Not-Befuddled Terry, going mano-a-mano with his cousin, but as I’ve said before, this family is cluttering up the landscape. Now that Lafayette’s back, I hope they fade into the background where they belong. We cannot have too much Lafayette on this show, but I’ve had more than enough of Arlene.
“It’s either both of you or nothing at all.” —Sookie
Having betrayed his brother last week by becoming Sam, Tommy now seeks absolution doing the one thing he knows best: fighting. He intercepts an invitation to a beat down from Marcus, the boss of the local werewolf pack. Marcus is angry at Sam for moving in on Luna, his ex, and enlists Alcide as backup for the confrontation, despite Alcide’s reluctance. I cannot get too much of Joe Manganiello (clothed or naked), so I found his participation the only attraction in this scene. Tommy (as Sam) taunts Marcus into attacking him, and Alcide intervenes, finally showing a little fang and a lot of ferocity. Which is too bad, because I’d be happy as a pig in mud if the Packmaster and his dogs took Tommy out. I know it’s supposed to be a noble end, but Tommy is not a noble character, has done nothing to fix the problems he’s caused Sam and Mama Fortenberry, and generally does nothing but whine like the kicked dog he is. If this is his exit, I’m happy. I don’t think I’m that lucky, however.
“War can sound a louder call to action.” —Bill
True Blood continues to ride high, with ratings topping 3.0 in the adults 18-49 category. This is pretty much where it sat last week, with around 5.5 million viewers, a record for the show. With numbers like these, it’s clear that viewers’ appetite for blood (and sex) and magic (and sex) remains true.