True Blood season 3 - ep8
Aug. 9th, 2010 04:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shapinglightWell, that was very entertaining.
Spoilers behind cut, obviously.
I'd be hard put to find anything I didn't like in this episode. Even the Jason/Crystal story is beginning to intrigue me just a little, and I'm thrilled to see the last of Ma and Pa Mickens (for the moment, anyway), and beginning to enjoy Sam's relationship with Tommy.
However, I could do without Debbie Pelt. She's pointless and annoying, and I honestly cannot for the life of me think what Alcide could ever have seen in her - not that I find him very interesting either. Shan't miss him if he disappears for a few episodes.
But apart from the crashing bore that is Debbie, the episode was packed with the usual mix of terrific stuff and stuff that makes you go, huh?
In the first category is everything to do with King Russell, Eric and Talbot - though poor Talbot! I shall miss him, and Eric is one cold bastard to kill him like that - and after being so convincing in the kissing scene. I knew we could rely upon Alexander Skarsgard to give it his all there, rather more convincingly than the actors playing Lafayette and Jesus, though of course I much prefer that relationship and love the characters together, even though there is obviously more to Jesus than meets the eye.
I suspect that the m/m sex scenes may well have worked out this way (ie. Lafayette/Jesus fade to black, Eric/Talbot a lot more graphic as far as it went), because of the comfort zone of the actors involved, but I could well be wrong. Just never thought I'd see True Blood shrink from showing any kind of sex scene so looking for an explanation.
I also loved the Bill/Jessica scenes. I've enjoyed them together right from season 1, first because it made me laugh that Bill was such a hopeless parent and Jessica such a typical sulky teenager, but now because her reaching out to Bill for guidance and companionship and him finally accepting her was poignant and sweet. I'm just disappointed that, having made sure Sookie was safe, Bill didn't then go looking for Jessica, who could have been torn apart by the werewolves, just as Russell said, for all he knew. As it happened, she didn't need rescuing, but Bill didn't know that. Bad Bill!
However - and this is one of those moments that make you go, huh? - after all the hoohah! at the beginning of the episode, I do think Bill and Sookie got back together way too quickly. Also, was that sex scene at the end, where Sookie was pretty much holding Bill down supposed to show that Sookie's big fight with Debbie had 'destroyed her light' or whatever it was the fairies (?) were trying to warn her about in the previous episode, or was it supposed to balance out the forcible blood-drinking scene? I'm not sure.
Then there's my favourite character, Tara. I thought Rutina Wesley was terrific in this episode - first trying to hold it together in her scenes with Lafayette and Sookie, then finally breaking down in Sam's arms when the flashbacks became too much for her. And it's really squicky that she's stuck having sex dreams about Mr Franklin Fruit-and-Nutcase Mott after what he did to her, just because she drank his blood. At the moment, I think her story's been handled quite well and quite realistically (for a show about vampires) this season while allowing her to get some of her old fire back. I'll suspend final judgement on it for now.
Nice cameos for Arlene and Terry (I've missed him), Hoyt, and the late but unlamented Rene. And who else thinks there has to be something weird about the new waitress at Merlotte's? Very odd indeed.
Great episode that advanced the plot pretty well. Though the season is still divided into a number of discrete plots featuring the various characters, I feel now that it's beginning to come together quite well without having any of the longeurs of the Maryanne plot. Plus, there's still hope for the Eric/Sookie 'shippers, who may be feeling a bit fed up after Bill and Sookie got back together so quickly. At least Eric's attempt to warn Sookie via Hadley shows that he didn't mean what he said about not caring about her.
Unintentionally silly moment: okay, so I don't usually mind the OTT blood tears in True Blood. They are daft, but that suits the show IMO. However, when Bill started crying in the opening scene in the hospital, he looked like a rather hideous vampire clown. Yuck! That can't have been deliberate, can it?
Spoilers behind cut, obviously.
I'd be hard put to find anything I didn't like in this episode. Even the Jason/Crystal story is beginning to intrigue me just a little, and I'm thrilled to see the last of Ma and Pa Mickens (for the moment, anyway), and beginning to enjoy Sam's relationship with Tommy.
However, I could do without Debbie Pelt. She's pointless and annoying, and I honestly cannot for the life of me think what Alcide could ever have seen in her - not that I find him very interesting either. Shan't miss him if he disappears for a few episodes.
But apart from the crashing bore that is Debbie, the episode was packed with the usual mix of terrific stuff and stuff that makes you go, huh?
In the first category is everything to do with King Russell, Eric and Talbot - though poor Talbot! I shall miss him, and Eric is one cold bastard to kill him like that - and after being so convincing in the kissing scene. I knew we could rely upon Alexander Skarsgard to give it his all there, rather more convincingly than the actors playing Lafayette and Jesus, though of course I much prefer that relationship and love the characters together, even though there is obviously more to Jesus than meets the eye.
I suspect that the m/m sex scenes may well have worked out this way (ie. Lafayette/Jesus fade to black, Eric/Talbot a lot more graphic as far as it went), because of the comfort zone of the actors involved, but I could well be wrong. Just never thought I'd see True Blood shrink from showing any kind of sex scene so looking for an explanation.
I also loved the Bill/Jessica scenes. I've enjoyed them together right from season 1, first because it made me laugh that Bill was such a hopeless parent and Jessica such a typical sulky teenager, but now because her reaching out to Bill for guidance and companionship and him finally accepting her was poignant and sweet. I'm just disappointed that, having made sure Sookie was safe, Bill didn't then go looking for Jessica, who could have been torn apart by the werewolves, just as Russell said, for all he knew. As it happened, she didn't need rescuing, but Bill didn't know that. Bad Bill!
However - and this is one of those moments that make you go, huh? - after all the hoohah! at the beginning of the episode, I do think Bill and Sookie got back together way too quickly. Also, was that sex scene at the end, where Sookie was pretty much holding Bill down supposed to show that Sookie's big fight with Debbie had 'destroyed her light' or whatever it was the fairies (?) were trying to warn her about in the previous episode, or was it supposed to balance out the forcible blood-drinking scene? I'm not sure.
Then there's my favourite character, Tara. I thought Rutina Wesley was terrific in this episode - first trying to hold it together in her scenes with Lafayette and Sookie, then finally breaking down in Sam's arms when the flashbacks became too much for her. And it's really squicky that she's stuck having sex dreams about Mr Franklin Fruit-and-Nutcase Mott after what he did to her, just because she drank his blood. At the moment, I think her story's been handled quite well and quite realistically (for a show about vampires) this season while allowing her to get some of her old fire back. I'll suspend final judgement on it for now.
Nice cameos for Arlene and Terry (I've missed him), Hoyt, and the late but unlamented Rene. And who else thinks there has to be something weird about the new waitress at Merlotte's? Very odd indeed.
Great episode that advanced the plot pretty well. Though the season is still divided into a number of discrete plots featuring the various characters, I feel now that it's beginning to come together quite well without having any of the longeurs of the Maryanne plot. Plus, there's still hope for the Eric/Sookie 'shippers, who may be feeling a bit fed up after Bill and Sookie got back together so quickly. At least Eric's attempt to warn Sookie via Hadley shows that he didn't mean what he said about not caring about her.
Unintentionally silly moment: okay, so I don't usually mind the OTT blood tears in True Blood. They are daft, but that suits the show IMO. However, when Bill started crying in the opening scene in the hospital, he looked like a rather hideous vampire clown. Yuck! That can't have been deliberate, can it?