If I could have one thing for this season of True Blood, it would be an entire episode focused on vampires and werewolves--no Bon Temps, no side characters. The scenes in Mississippi are pushing forward, building up towards an eventual confrontation. Then, we're back in lazy ol' Bon Temps, and everything slows to a halt, perhaps the most undesirable outcome with a show like True Blood which feasts on drama and tension.
One of my favorite parts of the show is when it dives into the past or the hierarchy of supernatural beings. In "Trouble," we were treated to both. Like the vampires, there's a main werewolf in charge of a large group, called the packmaster. However, when Sookie and Alcide meet him, he's clearly not in control. He tells them to do nothing and let them pass, but Sookie hears his thoughts and he's scared as hell. Through another amazing flashback, we see Eric's family, specifically his father, a king, slaughtered by werewolves a memory brought on by one of Russell's crown.
We see more of what Russell is up to as he tries to find out more about Sookie and her lineage. Bill doesn't reveal much, but it's hard to deny anything when there are circled names on a paper from his house. After being absent for most of the second half of the episode, Bill shows up for a reunion with Sookie, a brief hug, before Russell's guys comes in.
Proving there is reality behind the interest in her powers, Sookie shoots a bright blue light to throw off her attacker. In turn, Russell exclaims in delight, "Fantastic!" And indeed it is fantastic. This is one cliffhanger that will have to stick.
Franklin's psycho-act with Tara is amusing, and I laughed out loud at him texting Lafayette, but it goes on and on without end. Franklin is quite literally out of his mind and his actions consists of him declaring his devotion to Tara and declaring Tara's devotion to him while Tara stares on, confused and on edge. It is revealed that wants to make Tara a vampire and should be enough to break out of the cycle. Either she becomes a vampire and is eternally sucked into the world or his doesn't become a vampire, in which case, she's still stuck with them, but Franklin will be very unhappy and dangerous.
Back at Bon Temps, more languid, uninspired plots. By now, something should happen, but nope--it's business as usual. And as a town running smoothly isn't exciting, neither are the numerous scenes in Bon Temps. I hope something to bind Bon Temps to the vampires and werewolves eventually comes up, or else we are in for a long ride.
Jason's interspersed idiocy has a great cathartic effect, but it's hard to take Jason seriously in scenes with Crystal. We're reminded, once again, that Jason is too stupid to pass the police test which would allow him to patrol out on the streets. You'd think that he'd have to sense to stay low, especially after shooting a mostly innocent Eggs, but he's practically worthless. He has nothing to offer. What would Crystal see in Jason? OK, he's pretty and that's about it.
I'm trying to see the positives in Sam's storyline, but really, are there? His brother is working in the bar and wants to stay with him, the first time we've seen him not off the rails. His father acts like a typical drunk (again), ranting and raving about how he owns Sam's brother. Is there any point to this madness?
While Sam's family gets a couple scenes, Jessica gets one. One scene! Sadly, all she does is show how immature she is by glamouring a couple, so they won't give Arlene tips and pining over Hoyt as he's with another girl. Luckily for us, however, we can see Jessica's and Deborah Ann Woll's charm on Jessica's blog.
Meanwhile, Jesus shows up and hangs out with Lafayette for a while. Someone's got a new boyfriend... Lafayette has been incredibly isolated this season, so it's good to him with someone who can interact full-time. However, there's not much else going on with him
In a world filled with all sorts of mystical creatures, regular people aren't interesting and there are so many characters, they all get lost in the shuffle. As we near the halfway point of the season, I'd like to see some of the loose ends come together
Score: 8.8/10
