True Blood season finales have not been all that impressive, with the majority of the action earlier in the season, and "And When I Die" follows this pattern to a degree. The big bad of the season, Marnie, is defeated rather easily about halfway through the episode after killing Jesus and almost burning Eric and Bill. It's a largely anti-climactic scene, fitting in with the defeats of previous big bads.
What makes this finale work better than the others, however, is that the large majority of filler content bodes well for the next season. We learn that Russell has escaped, Steve Newlin is a vampire, Bill kills Nan, and Tara gets half her head blown off. No more crying, useless Tara, more supervillains from the past? Sign me now.
I have one last thing to comment on. I'm not one to ask for more True Blood subplots, but I gotta wonder where the fairies and werepanthers went. As pointless as the two groups were, some follow-up would be nice to show their significance. Or we will never see them again--that would actually be fine for me.
Score: 8.4/10
Showing posts with label True Blood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label True Blood. Show all posts
Monday, September 12, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Review - True Blood Season 4 Episode 11 Soul of Fire
There is plenty to dislike about "Soul of Fire"--the hilariously bad scene where Bill and Eric offer to sacrifice themselves to save Sookie, the usual random subplots--but the increased focus on the vampires and witches is far better than the alternatives, making the episode somewhat stronger than the previous offerings. The vampires are always funny when they are together and Jesus was awesome, pulling Antonia out of Marnie. The episode ends on a cliffhanger, Marnie taking over Lafayette's body, so that should be good, though it's a tad lame that the same thing happened to Lafayette only three episodes ago. But still, more Nelsan Ellis is always good.
I'm glad the stuff with Marcus and Debbie is over. Marcus turned out to be a wacky guy who actually sucked at fighting, and Debbie turned out to be... Debbie. Hopefully this is the last time we see either of them. Andy and the faerie didn't seem to be a logical follow-up to the V plot, but we barely got to learn anything so I'll withhold judgment.
Score: 8.5/10
I'm glad the stuff with Marcus and Debbie is over. Marcus turned out to be a wacky guy who actually sucked at fighting, and Debbie turned out to be... Debbie. Hopefully this is the last time we see either of them. Andy and the faerie didn't seem to be a logical follow-up to the V plot, but we barely got to learn anything so I'll withhold judgment.
Score: 8.5/10
Monday, August 29, 2011
Review - True Blood Season 4 Episode 10 Burning Down the House
Towards the end of each season, True Blood should be focused on the main plot, witches vs. vampires in this season. All the threads should draw towards a climax as a culmination of a season's worth of building. Instead, "Burning Down the House" is just like most episodes this season--some decent material and the rest crap.
Once again, a fight between the vampires and witches is stopped after a few minutes with Antonia fleeing the scene. Everyone is back where they started, with the vampires deciding what to do and the witches holed up. There are a few positives outcomes, however. Bill's insistence on blowing up Moon Goddess Emporium and all the occupants clashes with Sookie's desire to save Tara, and highlights the obstacles that lay between them due to Bill's position, even if Sookie still loves him. Eric gets his memories back and there is instant trouble, as Sookie doesn't know what to do with this Eric.
It seems like main plot has hit a dead end. What more is there to tell? Marnie is crazy, Antonia likely crazy, and they're trying to kill vampires. Meanwhile, the vampires are trying to kill the witches. Surely they'll stop their mini-clashes eventually and get it over with.
Even though Tommy dying was horribly cheesy and insincere, I'm glad he's gone. That means one less character with bad plots. Victory! Terry and Andy spend a lot of time out at this fort where Andy finally realizes what he's become. It's not bad, actually, but the overall plot, beginning with Andy taking V, was so stale that I still don't care. Jessica continues to be awesome and she had a great line about just wanting to kill people, but her stuff with Jason and Hoyt is one of the most boring plots.
Score: 8.0/10
Once again, a fight between the vampires and witches is stopped after a few minutes with Antonia fleeing the scene. Everyone is back where they started, with the vampires deciding what to do and the witches holed up. There are a few positives outcomes, however. Bill's insistence on blowing up Moon Goddess Emporium and all the occupants clashes with Sookie's desire to save Tara, and highlights the obstacles that lay between them due to Bill's position, even if Sookie still loves him. Eric gets his memories back and there is instant trouble, as Sookie doesn't know what to do with this Eric.
It seems like main plot has hit a dead end. What more is there to tell? Marnie is crazy, Antonia likely crazy, and they're trying to kill vampires. Meanwhile, the vampires are trying to kill the witches. Surely they'll stop their mini-clashes eventually and get it over with.
Even though Tommy dying was horribly cheesy and insincere, I'm glad he's gone. That means one less character with bad plots. Victory! Terry and Andy spend a lot of time out at this fort where Andy finally realizes what he's become. It's not bad, actually, but the overall plot, beginning with Andy taking V, was so stale that I still don't care. Jessica continues to be awesome and she had a great line about just wanting to kill people, but her stuff with Jason and Hoyt is one of the most boring plots.
Score: 8.0/10
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Review - True Blood Season 4 Episode 9 Let's Get Out of Here
Aside from another cool cliffhanger, this time with Antonia mindcontrolling several vampires to wreak havoc at the hotel, "Let's Get Out of Here" was a pretty bad episode, filled with lots of random scenes outside of the main plot. I don't want to get caught up on the negatives, so this review will be short.
First off, the Mavis plot wrapping up was stupid and random. The writers have been hyping Jesus and Lafayette's powers since the third season and after Lafayette learns he's a medium, he starts seeing a ghost. Meanwhile, Arlene continually freaks out about her baby and instead it looks like something is wrong with him. But all these problems came from Mavis, who lost her baby long ago. A few episode later and poof, she's disappears into the heavens after they dig up the remains of her baby. Um... okay. Sure there was lots of agonizing towards the end, but the build-up was nowhere near the eventual resolution.
The rest of the plots are almost stagnant and the episode doesn't included any new dynamics. Alcide gets in trouble with the pack, Tommy pretends to be Sam, Sookie cooks up a hairbrained scheme, Andy's weekly V craze, Jason and Jessica, and so on. The witches and vampires are largely put on the sidelines for this episode and it makes for a boring time.
Score: 7.7/10
First off, the Mavis plot wrapping up was stupid and random. The writers have been hyping Jesus and Lafayette's powers since the third season and after Lafayette learns he's a medium, he starts seeing a ghost. Meanwhile, Arlene continually freaks out about her baby and instead it looks like something is wrong with him. But all these problems came from Mavis, who lost her baby long ago. A few episode later and poof, she's disappears into the heavens after they dig up the remains of her baby. Um... okay. Sure there was lots of agonizing towards the end, but the build-up was nowhere near the eventual resolution.
The rest of the plots are almost stagnant and the episode doesn't included any new dynamics. Alcide gets in trouble with the pack, Tommy pretends to be Sam, Sookie cooks up a hairbrained scheme, Andy's weekly V craze, Jason and Jessica, and so on. The witches and vampires are largely put on the sidelines for this episode and it makes for a boring time.
Score: 7.7/10
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Review - True Blood Season 4 Episode 8 Spellbound
In comparison to the previous season, season four is shaping up quite nicely. There is a clear main conflict between vampires and witches, and the rest of the plots are related in some way, or have some interesting supernatural thing at work (as in the case of Lafayette). With four episodes left in the season, there seems to be a lot left to be resolved.
The coolest part of the episode, of course, was the battle at the end of the episode. True Blood doesn't have the budget for blockbuster special effects, but the final scene had a frenzy that was exciting nonetheless. Let's recap what happened. Bill offers Antonia a deal, but she refuses and then the shit storm starts. Bill saves Tara from Pam, Sookie gets shot but Alcide saves her, Debbie sees what Alcide did despite him explicitly saying he wouldn't get involved with the vampires and witches, and finally Antonia puts a spell on Eric. Damn, that's a lot of plots colliding. Lafayette, possessed by the ghost, could have strolled in, baby in hand, and fit in perfectly.
Also impressive was the way the writers handled Jessica's plot. There's no waffling this time, as Hoyt throws her out of the house and then Jason does the same. It's a mighty turnaround for Jessica who had both Hoyt and Jason but know can't even enter their houses, and we can see how detrimental all this is to her.
I don't really want to comment on the next thing, but the dialogue for Sookie and Eric was so melodramatic and sappy that I want to believe that the writers had a contest to see who could come up with the cheesiest line. Yeah, I don't have much more to say about it.
Score: 8.8/10
The coolest part of the episode, of course, was the battle at the end of the episode. True Blood doesn't have the budget for blockbuster special effects, but the final scene had a frenzy that was exciting nonetheless. Let's recap what happened. Bill offers Antonia a deal, but she refuses and then the shit storm starts. Bill saves Tara from Pam, Sookie gets shot but Alcide saves her, Debbie sees what Alcide did despite him explicitly saying he wouldn't get involved with the vampires and witches, and finally Antonia puts a spell on Eric. Damn, that's a lot of plots colliding. Lafayette, possessed by the ghost, could have strolled in, baby in hand, and fit in perfectly.
Also impressive was the way the writers handled Jessica's plot. There's no waffling this time, as Hoyt throws her out of the house and then Jason does the same. It's a mighty turnaround for Jessica who had both Hoyt and Jason but know can't even enter their houses, and we can see how detrimental all this is to her.
I don't really want to comment on the next thing, but the dialogue for Sookie and Eric was so melodramatic and sappy that I want to believe that the writers had a contest to see who could come up with the cheesiest line. Yeah, I don't have much more to say about it.
Score: 8.8/10
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Review - True Blood Season 4 Episode 7 Cold Grey Light of Dawn
"Cold Grey Light of Dawn" marks the beginning of the second half of the season, and it's a pretty eventful episode. Setting aside the mountain of plot holes, Antonia coming back to kill vampires is exciting, and she actually casts the spell by the end of the episode. Of course, Jessica won't actually die, but the final scene, with Jessica clawing her way out as Bill yells at her, was spectacular.
Crucial to the episode is how Antonia's spell is used as the instigator for deeper looks at the characters--and pleasure for Ginger atop Pam's coffin. Bill decides to order all vampires out of the state and those who remain to chain themselves in silver. It's a painful experience for everyone, but the alternative would be getting dragged into the sun and burnt to a crisp. In the pain, there are some key character moments--between Bill and Jessica, and Eric and Sookie. The Eric and Sookie stuff is the sappy love dialogue we've seen, ending with Eric saying that he doesn't want his memories. After a fun start to Eric losing his memories, I'm getting tired of the constant melodrama.
Bill and Jessica's conversation, on the other hand, is the sort of thing that I wished there was more of. Their relationship is platonic (one of the few on the show), but there is a warmth to it that isn't seen in almost all relationships on the show. On the eve of potential death, Jessica expresses her thoughts to Bill about her condition and of Bill himself, assuring him that he did good by making her.
What was problematic about the episode was the morality behind the coven's actions. At the beginning, True Blood had this message that vampires weren't monsters and should be treated equally. As we've seen through the seasons, however, they can be vicious, dangerous, and vengeful--perhaps more than humans in comparison. Clearly, Tara and Antonia both have legitimate points to make about vampires and the vampire culture which ignored or even encouraged abuses.
But if we are to follow the "big bad" pattern of the show, Antonia would indeed be the big bad, the person everyone gangs up against in the final episode. To me, she seems on par with the vampires. She's angry and wants revenge, not unlike Pam earlier in the episode. The troubling aspect is that she's going after all vampires in the state, and everyone else there seems fine with it, knowing there are innocent vampires they will kill.
The episode didn't spend too much time on the other plots, which was a plus, but, as expected, they were disposable. Sam figures out what Tommy did and throws him out. Please, please, please, please, please make this the end of Tommy. Please? More Alcide and Debbie drama. Lafayette sees the woman that the baby saw last week. And... ?
Score: 8.7/10
Crucial to the episode is how Antonia's spell is used as the instigator for deeper looks at the characters--and pleasure for Ginger atop Pam's coffin. Bill decides to order all vampires out of the state and those who remain to chain themselves in silver. It's a painful experience for everyone, but the alternative would be getting dragged into the sun and burnt to a crisp. In the pain, there are some key character moments--between Bill and Jessica, and Eric and Sookie. The Eric and Sookie stuff is the sappy love dialogue we've seen, ending with Eric saying that he doesn't want his memories. After a fun start to Eric losing his memories, I'm getting tired of the constant melodrama.
Bill and Jessica's conversation, on the other hand, is the sort of thing that I wished there was more of. Their relationship is platonic (one of the few on the show), but there is a warmth to it that isn't seen in almost all relationships on the show. On the eve of potential death, Jessica expresses her thoughts to Bill about her condition and of Bill himself, assuring him that he did good by making her.
What was problematic about the episode was the morality behind the coven's actions. At the beginning, True Blood had this message that vampires weren't monsters and should be treated equally. As we've seen through the seasons, however, they can be vicious, dangerous, and vengeful--perhaps more than humans in comparison. Clearly, Tara and Antonia both have legitimate points to make about vampires and the vampire culture which ignored or even encouraged abuses.
But if we are to follow the "big bad" pattern of the show, Antonia would indeed be the big bad, the person everyone gangs up against in the final episode. To me, she seems on par with the vampires. She's angry and wants revenge, not unlike Pam earlier in the episode. The troubling aspect is that she's going after all vampires in the state, and everyone else there seems fine with it, knowing there are innocent vampires they will kill.
The episode didn't spend too much time on the other plots, which was a plus, but, as expected, they were disposable. Sam figures out what Tommy did and throws him out. Please, please, please, please, please make this the end of Tommy. Please? More Alcide and Debbie drama. Lafayette sees the woman that the baby saw last week. And... ?
Score: 8.7/10
Monday, August 1, 2011
Review - True Blood Season 4 Episode 6 I Wish I Was the Moon
As cliched as the love triangle between Sookie, Eric and Bill is, it's one of the only parts of True Blood that has even a hint of complexity. At the end of the episode, Bill lets Eric go free and Eric seals the deal with Sookie, while an out of place song plays over the scene. So we have Bill going easy on Eric, but also letting Eric have Sookie, all because Sookie asked him. At least this plot went somewhere, unlike the other plots in the episode.
After a week of the Sam and Tommy plot not being antagonistic, it reverted back to the the thing it's always been. Tommy turns into Sam, confirming Luna's story, and proceeds to be a dick. Great... Arlene's baby sees a black woman who quickly disappears and we're left wondering what's going on. Debbie wants to join the pack and reluctantly drags Alcide in. Jesus and Lafayette enter mystical world and Lafayette even gets possessed. Marnie gets possessed by Antonia and will probably escape and wreak havoc soon. Jason freaks out in the woods, but Jessica finds him and comforts him. Tara and her girlfriend..... Yeah, there was lots of filler this week, setting up the rest of the season.
Score: 8.1/10
After a week of the Sam and Tommy plot not being antagonistic, it reverted back to the the thing it's always been. Tommy turns into Sam, confirming Luna's story, and proceeds to be a dick. Great... Arlene's baby sees a black woman who quickly disappears and we're left wondering what's going on. Debbie wants to join the pack and reluctantly drags Alcide in. Jesus and Lafayette enter mystical world and Lafayette even gets possessed. Marnie gets possessed by Antonia and will probably escape and wreak havoc soon. Jason freaks out in the woods, but Jessica finds him and comforts him. Tara and her girlfriend..... Yeah, there was lots of filler this week, setting up the rest of the season.
Score: 8.1/10
Monday, July 25, 2011
Review - True Blood Season 4 Episode 5 Me and the Devil
"Me and the Devil" is the most well-rounded episode of the season, without anything that was bizarre for bizarre's sake, the biggest problem that plagues the show. The episode gets off to a splendid start, as Tommy kills his parents, ridding us of some of the most grating characters on the show, and it gets better from there. Almost half way through the fourth season, True Blood is once again kicking into high gear.
Bill makes his move on Marnie, locking her up and interrogating her, only to find that she knows nothing. After a bunch of teasing, the writers decide it is finally time for Sookie and Eric to kiss while Pam accidentally lets slip about Eric, which leads Bill to Sookie's house. Sookie meets Marnie for the first time and gets a reading. Interestingly, when Sookie reads Marnie's mind, she hears Gran talking, and is told that her growing love for someone and Marnie are dangerous. As the two plots intersect, there will be definite fireworks next week.
Alcide got something new this week outside of Sookie's world when local pack leader shows up and wants Alcide to register, something he doesn't want to do given his earlier experience. I'm not sure why Alcide had to have this new plot, but it was only one scene, so it wasn't a big deal.
The subplots which usually grind the show to a halt were pretty good this week. Terry getting the Reverend and Lettie Mae to do the exorcism in their house was cute and what presumably is the evil doll can set things on fire. As much as I'd like to complain about the way Tommy's plot got from point A to point B, him and Sam working together to rid the body was much better than anything they've done before. It ties theirs fates together with regard to breaking the law which can lead to plenty of other things. And no Hot Shot!
Score: 9.0/10
Bill makes his move on Marnie, locking her up and interrogating her, only to find that she knows nothing. After a bunch of teasing, the writers decide it is finally time for Sookie and Eric to kiss while Pam accidentally lets slip about Eric, which leads Bill to Sookie's house. Sookie meets Marnie for the first time and gets a reading. Interestingly, when Sookie reads Marnie's mind, she hears Gran talking, and is told that her growing love for someone and Marnie are dangerous. As the two plots intersect, there will be definite fireworks next week.
Alcide got something new this week outside of Sookie's world when local pack leader shows up and wants Alcide to register, something he doesn't want to do given his earlier experience. I'm not sure why Alcide had to have this new plot, but it was only one scene, so it wasn't a big deal.
The subplots which usually grind the show to a halt were pretty good this week. Terry getting the Reverend and Lettie Mae to do the exorcism in their house was cute and what presumably is the evil doll can set things on fire. As much as I'd like to complain about the way Tommy's plot got from point A to point B, him and Sam working together to rid the body was much better than anything they've done before. It ties theirs fates together with regard to breaking the law which can lead to plenty of other things. And no Hot Shot!
Score: 9.0/10
Monday, July 18, 2011
Review - True Blood Season 4 Episode 4 I'm Alive and On Fire
The fourth season of True Blood has some interesting dynamics in the vampire world--setting it apart from the previous seasons--but I groan at the constant retread of the stereotypical crazed white trash portrayal. Jason finally gets away from the Hot Shot people, who are so weird that they can neither by empathized with or feared. We're free from the crazies, right? Nope. Tommy is grabbed by his father, beginning another cycle of wacky people doing wacky things. It's not funny, emotional, scary, grotesque, or even interesting. It's plain weird. But Alan Ball seems content on these plots, so it's probably better to ignore the plots altogether than complain about them.
The vampire stuff remains interesting which is the good part (and really, the only thing I care about). Bill's new position as King of Louisiana is wrought with difficulty. He wants to do things his way but Nan makes sure he knows the Authority is keeping a close eye and isn't afraid to threaten him. At the same time, he's torn between his professional duties and Sookie who he clearly still cares about. By separating Bill and Sookie, the writers have more freedom, allowing for Sookie to get help from Alcide, drudging up further problems. The intersection between the witches and vampires is the strongest part of the season. With Pam looming over them, Jesus, Lafayette, and Tara manage to get Marnie on board, but Marnie is clearly out of her league and only knows that a powerful spirit performed the spell on Eric. The episode ends with Pam's skin falling off and Marnie falling over, making this the second time witches were able to fight off vampires.
Score: 8.0/10
The vampire stuff remains interesting which is the good part (and really, the only thing I care about). Bill's new position as King of Louisiana is wrought with difficulty. He wants to do things his way but Nan makes sure he knows the Authority is keeping a close eye and isn't afraid to threaten him. At the same time, he's torn between his professional duties and Sookie who he clearly still cares about. By separating Bill and Sookie, the writers have more freedom, allowing for Sookie to get help from Alcide, drudging up further problems. The intersection between the witches and vampires is the strongest part of the season. With Pam looming over them, Jesus, Lafayette, and Tara manage to get Marnie on board, but Marnie is clearly out of her league and only knows that a powerful spirit performed the spell on Eric. The episode ends with Pam's skin falling off and Marnie falling over, making this the second time witches were able to fight off vampires.
Score: 8.0/10
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Review - True Blood Season 4 Episode 3 If You Love Me, Why Am I Dyin'?
I realized that I was spending far too much time reviewing True Blood, so I decided to cut down on my reviews by not fully recapping the stuff I didn't like or didn't care for. For "If You Love Me, Why Am I Dyin'?" there was very little I liked, so I'll keep it short. The episode displayed True Blood's normal tendencies to a high degree, with many, many storylines but only a few that actually have something to look forward to. Basically, half the episode is relegated to the "this again?" or "why does this matter?" categories while the other half keeps us interested and has actual content to work with in future episodes.
The spell Marnie put on Eric last week led the episode in a fun direction. Without his memory, Eric is a nice, innocent guy who doesn't know what to do with himself. Alexander Skarsgard is quite good in this role, extending his charm from bad guy Eric to good guy Eric. This makes for lots of funny scenes, as Sookie slowly realizes that this Eric is much easier to control than the old one. Of course, Eric still has his base urges, biting and killing Sookie's fairy godmother who, to be honest, didn't seem like much help anyway, and the episode ends on a hilarious, "Sorry."
Since Eric is in trouble, Pam got a lot to do, first explaining to Sookie that Bill likely setup Eric and then trying to deal with the Wiccans. In the end, she cuts a deal with Tara and Jesus to not go after the group as long as they bring Marnie to reverse the spell. But given the way Marnie was so invested in this spirit that possessed her, that likely won't happen without a big fight. As always, Pam had the funniest lines, so it was a pleasure to have more of her than usual.
There was one last thing I liked in the episode, Jessica's talk with Bill to begin the episode. It's a sweet moment, the vampire version of a father-daughter talk, and it allows Bill to reflect on his deception with Sookie. Also, Jessica's plot finally moves forward a bit when she glamors Hoyt, who is upset that she drank someone else's blood. This opens up a dangerous can of worms which I'm sure will be opened further as the season progresses. And that doll business seems pretty spooky too.
Sadly, the rest of the episode was mired in irrelevance: Hotshot people being crazy while Jason dies, Andy being addicted, Tommy being bad, random meetup with Alcide and Debbie, Bill and Portia hooking up, Arlene worry. All this stuff is probably relevant later on, but right now it all seems like a big chore to watch these snippets of plots which hardly seem important. What I would prefer is if they concentrated these plots in one episode for once so we get lots of development in one week instead of waiting half a season to see what happens.
Score: 8.4/10
The spell Marnie put on Eric last week led the episode in a fun direction. Without his memory, Eric is a nice, innocent guy who doesn't know what to do with himself. Alexander Skarsgard is quite good in this role, extending his charm from bad guy Eric to good guy Eric. This makes for lots of funny scenes, as Sookie slowly realizes that this Eric is much easier to control than the old one. Of course, Eric still has his base urges, biting and killing Sookie's fairy godmother who, to be honest, didn't seem like much help anyway, and the episode ends on a hilarious, "Sorry."
Since Eric is in trouble, Pam got a lot to do, first explaining to Sookie that Bill likely setup Eric and then trying to deal with the Wiccans. In the end, she cuts a deal with Tara and Jesus to not go after the group as long as they bring Marnie to reverse the spell. But given the way Marnie was so invested in this spirit that possessed her, that likely won't happen without a big fight. As always, Pam had the funniest lines, so it was a pleasure to have more of her than usual.
There was one last thing I liked in the episode, Jessica's talk with Bill to begin the episode. It's a sweet moment, the vampire version of a father-daughter talk, and it allows Bill to reflect on his deception with Sookie. Also, Jessica's plot finally moves forward a bit when she glamors Hoyt, who is upset that she drank someone else's blood. This opens up a dangerous can of worms which I'm sure will be opened further as the season progresses. And that doll business seems pretty spooky too.
Sadly, the rest of the episode was mired in irrelevance: Hotshot people being crazy while Jason dies, Andy being addicted, Tommy being bad, random meetup with Alcide and Debbie, Bill and Portia hooking up, Arlene worry. All this stuff is probably relevant later on, but right now it all seems like a big chore to watch these snippets of plots which hardly seem important. What I would prefer is if they concentrated these plots in one episode for once so we get lots of development in one week instead of waiting half a season to see what happens.
Score: 8.4/10
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Review - True Blood Season 4 Episode 2 You Smell Like Dinner
"You Smell Like Dinner" is as frustrating as an episode can get, which is about where True Blood has been sitting for an entire season. My complaints are same as they have been (and the same could be said about Dexter). The conceit of the show--a story about vampires in a human world and vice versa--is by far the most interesting part of the show, and continues to be to interesting as the world is expanded. But the writers are always plugging in other characters into the episodes, characters who have nothing or little to do with vampires. What results is a show which builds up all this momentum and then slows to a crawl once its attention is diverted to the secondary characters that aren't nearly as interesting. Still, most of the plots are new and have some potential to grow, so we shouldn't count them out yet.
This problem is immediately evident in Jason showing up at the beginning of the episode, tied to a bed post, before Felton shows up. The plot soon goes to a wacky place with Crystal, hopped up on V, showing up to be crazy. And the final twist? Felton and Crystal want a baby but can't, so they're turning Jason into a werepanther and then Crystal can have his child. WTF. Hopefully, this doesn't turn into another season-long tied to the bed plot a la Tara from last season. But it seems like the writers are already rehashing things, like Andy's V addiction which is awfully similar to previous seasons' V addictions.
Arlene goes crazy about her baby for the fiftieth time and does her usual frantic act. Until the baby actually does something obvious (the blood vessel popping could have been a coincidence), this plot will be the weakest. Arlene has been doing the same thing for a season now and it's high time something actually changed.
Likewise, Jessica is still doing her thing, trying to stay with Hoyt and manage her cravings while dealing with her nature and the Light of Day nuts. When is she going to do awesome things like the other vampires? On the positive side, she crosses paths with Sookie, and their interactions reveal both to Sookie and the viewer that Bill was really messed up when she disappeared, while also showing us what Jessica thinks of Sookie. Finally, the writers intersect two plots in a meaningful manner--which is what they should be doing all the time when half the plots are very mediocre.
I'm not sure where I stand on Sam's plot so far, though I'll say I like it better than his plot last season which was all sorts of awful. While the idea of other shapeshifters getting together is intriguing and Luna seems interesting, nothing much has happened yet and there isn't indication where things are going. The return of Tommy is somewhat bothersome since he was such an unlikable character last season, but maybe he'll finally turn around.
Now onto the good stuff! The vampires and witches remain the most interesting part of the show, with the two sides crossing path. The witches are a danger, explains Bill, because they can raise the dead--and that means they can control vampires as well. Indeed, when Eric decides to deal with the coven, he drains Marnie, presumably killing her, before the other members do some spell which brings Marnie back, and she does her own spell which leaves Eric with no memory.
This is a good development in its own right since Eric's amnesia could bring about a change in character that makes him more appealing to Sookie. But the fact that the coven can hurt vampires is a big deal that has to be addressed immediately. There are several questions looming, notably how much the coven members know. Are all of them as well-versed as Marnie and the woman who took over? Are some of them only enthusiasts? Marnie remains an enigma, seemingly knowledgeable and wise, but maybe she's in a little too deep. Here's a screenshot of the woman she turned into for a brief moment, an indication she may not have full control over herself.
In a series of flashbacks, we learn how Bill came to be King of Louisiana and the general power structure of the vampire community. Nan, part of the American Vampire League, hired Bill to infiltrate the kings--I'm guessing the old vampires who were in charge for centuries. The League wanted a new, modern order and we see Nan lend Bill her special forces team to dispatch Sophie-Anne.
Although True Blood could use significant retooling (getting rid of several characters for starters), it's still early in the season and the plots are developing. At this point, we can't really call any plot a dud until they've been fleshed out a bit more. This may be optimistic, but I remember that half the plots from season three fizzled out midway through the season, so I'll keep a close eye on the plots this season.
Score: 8.9/10
This problem is immediately evident in Jason showing up at the beginning of the episode, tied to a bed post, before Felton shows up. The plot soon goes to a wacky place with Crystal, hopped up on V, showing up to be crazy. And the final twist? Felton and Crystal want a baby but can't, so they're turning Jason into a werepanther and then Crystal can have his child. WTF. Hopefully, this doesn't turn into another season-long tied to the bed plot a la Tara from last season. But it seems like the writers are already rehashing things, like Andy's V addiction which is awfully similar to previous seasons' V addictions.
Arlene goes crazy about her baby for the fiftieth time and does her usual frantic act. Until the baby actually does something obvious (the blood vessel popping could have been a coincidence), this plot will be the weakest. Arlene has been doing the same thing for a season now and it's high time something actually changed.
Likewise, Jessica is still doing her thing, trying to stay with Hoyt and manage her cravings while dealing with her nature and the Light of Day nuts. When is she going to do awesome things like the other vampires? On the positive side, she crosses paths with Sookie, and their interactions reveal both to Sookie and the viewer that Bill was really messed up when she disappeared, while also showing us what Jessica thinks of Sookie. Finally, the writers intersect two plots in a meaningful manner--which is what they should be doing all the time when half the plots are very mediocre.
I'm not sure where I stand on Sam's plot so far, though I'll say I like it better than his plot last season which was all sorts of awful. While the idea of other shapeshifters getting together is intriguing and Luna seems interesting, nothing much has happened yet and there isn't indication where things are going. The return of Tommy is somewhat bothersome since he was such an unlikable character last season, but maybe he'll finally turn around.
Now onto the good stuff! The vampires and witches remain the most interesting part of the show, with the two sides crossing path. The witches are a danger, explains Bill, because they can raise the dead--and that means they can control vampires as well. Indeed, when Eric decides to deal with the coven, he drains Marnie, presumably killing her, before the other members do some spell which brings Marnie back, and she does her own spell which leaves Eric with no memory.
This is a good development in its own right since Eric's amnesia could bring about a change in character that makes him more appealing to Sookie. But the fact that the coven can hurt vampires is a big deal that has to be addressed immediately. There are several questions looming, notably how much the coven members know. Are all of them as well-versed as Marnie and the woman who took over? Are some of them only enthusiasts? Marnie remains an enigma, seemingly knowledgeable and wise, but maybe she's in a little too deep. Here's a screenshot of the woman she turned into for a brief moment, an indication she may not have full control over herself.
In a series of flashbacks, we learn how Bill came to be King of Louisiana and the general power structure of the vampire community. Nan, part of the American Vampire League, hired Bill to infiltrate the kings--I'm guessing the old vampires who were in charge for centuries. The League wanted a new, modern order and we see Nan lend Bill her special forces team to dispatch Sophie-Anne.
Although True Blood could use significant retooling (getting rid of several characters for starters), it's still early in the season and the plots are developing. At this point, we can't really call any plot a dud until they've been fleshed out a bit more. This may be optimistic, but I remember that half the plots from season three fizzled out midway through the season, so I'll keep a close eye on the plots this season.
Score: 8.9/10
Monday, June 27, 2011
Review - True Blood Season 4 Episode 1 She's Not There
I became disillusioned by True Blood during the third season. The vampire parts of the show were great, as is expected, but the writers kept putting in more, trying to fill in time with the multitude of other characters who are nowhere near as exciting as vampires. The result was as show which fluctuated from one minute to the next, from vampires doing awesome things to characters I don't care about doing usual soap-y things. Whether the writers planned this to reduce the load for the stars or genuinely thought the other characters should have equal standing with Sookie and the vampires, a lot of the previous season didn't click for me.
That's why I'm hesitant to say too much going things about the season premiere, "She's Not There," which I did enjoy. Like the previous season premieres, it's a cool episode because it shifts the show in a substantial way. Characters are in new situations and roles, and there are new enemies and supernatural stuff. With all this new stuff going on set in the mystical world of True Blood, it's hard not to get excited. That said, do the writers have enough material to carry the excitement for an entire season? Their track record says no, but maybe they have something new this time around. Just maybe.
And if the format stays the same, oscillating between the relatively boring residents of Bon Temps and the vampires, I guess that would be okay. The first 15 minutes are probably the tripiest minutes of the show since Maryann's first orgy. Sookie is surrounded by fairies in their glowing splendor, and even finds the bellboy from last season and her granddad. But the illusion is popped, fairies turned into wrinkled hags who want to close the divide to the human world. Sookie returns to the human world where she finds her home being sold and her brother who informs her that she's been gone for a year!
In that year, a lot has changed. The vampires are making outreach to the community, and of course everyone was consumed with finding Sookie, who they presumed to be killed by Bill. There actually isn't too much in the episode, but by the end of the episode, there are some startling new developments. Bill is apparently king of Louisiana now, he's infiltrated the witch group Lafayette and Jesus are in, and sleeping with the lawyer Portia whose last name indicates a relation to Andy and Terry.
One of the most surprising parts of the episode was that Lafayette and Jesus are doing something interesting. The witches can actually do things and the leader even makes contact with Eddie, the vampire from the first season, and it makes for a good shock. But it's outdone by the final ceremony--which has the gravitas Supernatural Latin stuff never has--the group holding hands and momentarily possessing a bird. Out of all the non-vampire plots, this plot was the only one which got a big reaction out of me, so hopefully it pays off in the end.
Now on to the stuff I didn't really like or don't care about. Andy is addicted to V and is out of control, something we've seen time and time again, and has little potential. Tara is off in New Orleans doing MMA hooking up with girls, and trying to create a new identity--probably better than her plot last season and Andy's this season, but I want to see more first. Sam is part of some shape shifter anger management group, which is almost an afterthought. Jason is still trying to help the people at Hotshot, but they toss him in the refrigerator. While Jessica remains as cute as ever, her problems this season, fighting the urge to drink others' blood, is pretty much the same as her problems last season, the only difference being that she's living with Hoyt now. Arlene's baby apparently rips heads off dolls... but who cares other than Arlene?
All in all, "She's Not There" made for an excellent season premiere. Even if the other characters still don't interest me, I still think the episode had enough good parts to make up for it. My philosophy with True Blood is that it is watchable until the vampires are no longer interesting. Each minute wasted on a boring plot about some random person is actually a minute closer to something good. Optimistic, yes, but that's how I get through each episode.
Score: 9.0/10
That's why I'm hesitant to say too much going things about the season premiere, "She's Not There," which I did enjoy. Like the previous season premieres, it's a cool episode because it shifts the show in a substantial way. Characters are in new situations and roles, and there are new enemies and supernatural stuff. With all this new stuff going on set in the mystical world of True Blood, it's hard not to get excited. That said, do the writers have enough material to carry the excitement for an entire season? Their track record says no, but maybe they have something new this time around. Just maybe.
And if the format stays the same, oscillating between the relatively boring residents of Bon Temps and the vampires, I guess that would be okay. The first 15 minutes are probably the tripiest minutes of the show since Maryann's first orgy. Sookie is surrounded by fairies in their glowing splendor, and even finds the bellboy from last season and her granddad. But the illusion is popped, fairies turned into wrinkled hags who want to close the divide to the human world. Sookie returns to the human world where she finds her home being sold and her brother who informs her that she's been gone for a year!
In that year, a lot has changed. The vampires are making outreach to the community, and of course everyone was consumed with finding Sookie, who they presumed to be killed by Bill. There actually isn't too much in the episode, but by the end of the episode, there are some startling new developments. Bill is apparently king of Louisiana now, he's infiltrated the witch group Lafayette and Jesus are in, and sleeping with the lawyer Portia whose last name indicates a relation to Andy and Terry.
One of the most surprising parts of the episode was that Lafayette and Jesus are doing something interesting. The witches can actually do things and the leader even makes contact with Eddie, the vampire from the first season, and it makes for a good shock. But it's outdone by the final ceremony--which has the gravitas Supernatural Latin stuff never has--the group holding hands and momentarily possessing a bird. Out of all the non-vampire plots, this plot was the only one which got a big reaction out of me, so hopefully it pays off in the end.
Now on to the stuff I didn't really like or don't care about. Andy is addicted to V and is out of control, something we've seen time and time again, and has little potential. Tara is off in New Orleans doing MMA hooking up with girls, and trying to create a new identity--probably better than her plot last season and Andy's this season, but I want to see more first. Sam is part of some shape shifter anger management group, which is almost an afterthought. Jason is still trying to help the people at Hotshot, but they toss him in the refrigerator. While Jessica remains as cute as ever, her problems this season, fighting the urge to drink others' blood, is pretty much the same as her problems last season, the only difference being that she's living with Hoyt now. Arlene's baby apparently rips heads off dolls... but who cares other than Arlene?
All in all, "She's Not There" made for an excellent season premiere. Even if the other characters still don't interest me, I still think the episode had enough good parts to make up for it. My philosophy with True Blood is that it is watchable until the vampires are no longer interesting. Each minute wasted on a boring plot about some random person is actually a minute closer to something good. Optimistic, yes, but that's how I get through each episode.
Score: 9.0/10
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Review - True Blood Season 3 Episode 12 Evil is Going On
In the last review, I speculated that Alan Ball was building up the plots of all the random Bon Temps characters for the fourth season. And that was confirmed in a series of cliffhangers I could care less about with few exceptions.
The vampire plot was by far the most entertaining and the only thing that kept the episode going, though Russell came to a disappointing end, encased in concrete with silver around his neck. His great moment on camera, sadly, did not go anywhere.
But Bill made a couple spectacular moves to protect Sookie. He also encases Eric in concrete and confronts the Queen. However, Pam saves Eric and he's younger than the Queen, so he's probably much weaker and has no chance. Nice try though! After breaking up with Bill, Sookie runs out to the grave, touches hands with a fairy and disappears.
Worst of all subplots was Tara's. At first, we're given the oh so cheery prospect of Tara slitting her wrists, but it turns out she just wants a new 'do and a fresh start. The extremes with Tara go from having all this crazy shit going around her to nothing at all, and the screen time for both circumstances are approximately the same.
Lafayette's visions continue and Jesus reveals himself as a witch. I have absolutely no desire to know what happens next, but we'll have to bear at least a few episodes of the plot next season.
Jason, as usual, acts like an idiot, tipping off the people at Hotshot and ruining his chances to become law enforcement. No blood is shed, though from the number of people there and their condition, I'm guessing a raid wouldn't have ended in deaths either. The result is Crystal taken away by her brother, Jason promising to look after the people of Hotshot, and more subplots I don't care about.
Tommy wreaks havoc, destroying many of Sam's possessions, the last straw for Sam who finds Tommy and takes a shot, although we don't know if the bullet landed. I was hoping for some kind of redemption for Tommy who was horribly abused, but his behavior fits in with the theme that people can't escape who they are.
If I had to choose one subplot over the others, it would probably be Hoyt and Jessica, simply because I think Jessica is a great character. Unfortunately, like most residents of Bon Temps, she's isolated in her own world along with Hoyt, his mother, and Summer. Hoyt's mother toting the big gun certainly isn't a viable answer to give Jessica something do since it's unlikely she'll be phased, but it's a start.
After the disappointing second season finale and third season of True Blood, I'm no longer as interested in the show as I once was. I'll continue to watch, but I'm surely not going to spend over 10 minutes reviewing an episode when the majority of time is spent complaining about Bon Temps and how boring it is. What I would like to see in the fourth season is a return to the basics. True. Blood. Basically, a bloody mess with wild plot twists all over. If that means dispensing half the characters, I'm all for it.
Score: 8.2/10
The vampire plot was by far the most entertaining and the only thing that kept the episode going, though Russell came to a disappointing end, encased in concrete with silver around his neck. His great moment on camera, sadly, did not go anywhere.
But Bill made a couple spectacular moves to protect Sookie. He also encases Eric in concrete and confronts the Queen. However, Pam saves Eric and he's younger than the Queen, so he's probably much weaker and has no chance. Nice try though! After breaking up with Bill, Sookie runs out to the grave, touches hands with a fairy and disappears.
Worst of all subplots was Tara's. At first, we're given the oh so cheery prospect of Tara slitting her wrists, but it turns out she just wants a new 'do and a fresh start. The extremes with Tara go from having all this crazy shit going around her to nothing at all, and the screen time for both circumstances are approximately the same.
Lafayette's visions continue and Jesus reveals himself as a witch. I have absolutely no desire to know what happens next, but we'll have to bear at least a few episodes of the plot next season.
Jason, as usual, acts like an idiot, tipping off the people at Hotshot and ruining his chances to become law enforcement. No blood is shed, though from the number of people there and their condition, I'm guessing a raid wouldn't have ended in deaths either. The result is Crystal taken away by her brother, Jason promising to look after the people of Hotshot, and more subplots I don't care about.
Tommy wreaks havoc, destroying many of Sam's possessions, the last straw for Sam who finds Tommy and takes a shot, although we don't know if the bullet landed. I was hoping for some kind of redemption for Tommy who was horribly abused, but his behavior fits in with the theme that people can't escape who they are.
If I had to choose one subplot over the others, it would probably be Hoyt and Jessica, simply because I think Jessica is a great character. Unfortunately, like most residents of Bon Temps, she's isolated in her own world along with Hoyt, his mother, and Summer. Hoyt's mother toting the big gun certainly isn't a viable answer to give Jessica something do since it's unlikely she'll be phased, but it's a start.
After the disappointing second season finale and third season of True Blood, I'm no longer as interested in the show as I once was. I'll continue to watch, but I'm surely not going to spend over 10 minutes reviewing an episode when the majority of time is spent complaining about Bon Temps and how boring it is. What I would like to see in the fourth season is a return to the basics. True. Blood. Basically, a bloody mess with wild plot twists all over. If that means dispensing half the characters, I'm all for it.
Score: 8.2/10
Friday, September 10, 2010
Preview of Week 9/12/10 - 9/18/10
I'll be gone from Saturday to Tuesday, so I'm posting this early. That also means I probably won't be able to review the finales of True Blood, The Closer, Lie to Me, and every other show airing in the four days. I'll try my hardest to watch a few episodes and write a few reviews, but don't count on it.
True Blood - HBO, Sunday, September 12, 9:00pm ET
The third season of True Blood has largely been a disappointment to me. Sure Denis O'Hare has been electric, but the Bon Temps stories, which take up good part of each episode, have been a train wreck since the beginning. Without the action centered around the townsfolk, I have no desire to see what boring thing they're up to each week.
Lie to Me - Fox, Monday, September 13, 9:00pm ET
It's weird that the 22-episode season ends in September, right before all the other shows come back and then Lie to Me returns in November with another 13 episodes, but that's the way Fox wants to play it given their lack of 10pm programming. From the description of the season finale, it doesn't look like the episode was be anything special, but we'll see.
The Closer - TNT, Monday, September 13, 9:00pm ET
Will Brenda become Chief of Police? Will she withdraw? Honestly, I don't care and she won't get the position for creative purposes. Without Brenda in the interrogation room, there's hardly any show left, meaning she can't be Chief.
Covert Affairs - USA, Tuesday, September 14, 9:00pm ET
The first season of Covert Affairs ends with two episodes, filling the slot usually occupied by White Collar. As is expected of all USA shows, the last episode will be the culmination of the ongoing thread, in this case, the mystery behind Ben. I'm very interesting in seeing how the writers explain Ben's decisions and how if they are willing to make some key characters like Arhur and Jai look like bad guys.
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia - FX, Wednesday, September 15, 10:00pm ET
Wild, reckless, and somehow funny, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia returns for its sixth season.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Cartoon Network, Friday, September 17, 9:00pm ET
Yeah, I like a cartoon for kids. It's actually not a bad show to watch if you're doing something else since the plots are absurdly simple.
True Blood - HBO, Sunday, September 12, 9:00pm ET
The third season of True Blood has largely been a disappointment to me. Sure Denis O'Hare has been electric, but the Bon Temps stories, which take up good part of each episode, have been a train wreck since the beginning. Without the action centered around the townsfolk, I have no desire to see what boring thing they're up to each week.
Lie to Me - Fox, Monday, September 13, 9:00pm ET
It's weird that the 22-episode season ends in September, right before all the other shows come back and then Lie to Me returns in November with another 13 episodes, but that's the way Fox wants to play it given their lack of 10pm programming. From the description of the season finale, it doesn't look like the episode was be anything special, but we'll see.
The Closer - TNT, Monday, September 13, 9:00pm ET
Will Brenda become Chief of Police? Will she withdraw? Honestly, I don't care and she won't get the position for creative purposes. Without Brenda in the interrogation room, there's hardly any show left, meaning she can't be Chief.
Covert Affairs - USA, Tuesday, September 14, 9:00pm ET
The first season of Covert Affairs ends with two episodes, filling the slot usually occupied by White Collar. As is expected of all USA shows, the last episode will be the culmination of the ongoing thread, in this case, the mystery behind Ben. I'm very interesting in seeing how the writers explain Ben's decisions and how if they are willing to make some key characters like Arhur and Jai look like bad guys.
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia - FX, Wednesday, September 15, 10:00pm ET
Wild, reckless, and somehow funny, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia returns for its sixth season.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Cartoon Network, Friday, September 17, 9:00pm ET
Yeah, I like a cartoon for kids. It's actually not a bad show to watch if you're doing something else since the plots are absurdly simple.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Review - True Blood Season 3 Episode 11 Fresh Blood
In two weeks (no episode on Labor Day), the third season of True Blood will end, and without a doubt there's going to be an epic showdown between the vampires. The main plot has been building to that, so I'm expecting a better finish than the whimper that ended the second season.
The rest of the plots, however, remain as detached as ever, and I wonder if Alan Ball is creating a base for the fourth season. Season two had a distinct and recognizable plots--Maryann in Bon Temps and the Fellowship of the Sun. Eventually the Fellowship of the Sun plot was wrapped up, and everyone joined up to take down Maryann. Season three was vastly different. There's still a compelling vampire main plot, but Bon Temps is a loose collection of individual stories, never really coming together towards a unified ending.
In terms of things happening to people, "Fresh Blood" doesn't fall short, but I can't help not liking particular characters or plots which have dragged down this season.
Sam breaks down in a drunken rage, throwing everyone out of his bar, and evicting Tommy. Tara, however, stays to have a drink, having spent most of the past week crying about one thing or another, and they end in one of the most raw, uninhibited sex scenes of the series. But they're both characters I can do without and sex together adds to nothing to the overall plot, putting little relevance of their scenes.
Similarly, Jessica sucks Hoyt's blood-their version of a hot sex scene--but it was slightly more satisfying, because I actually like Jessica, who isn't mopey all the time, and would like to see her have more material in the next season.
For me, Arlene is the most insufferable character. She's always put in situations which make her uncomfortable, and we never see another side to her, so I have little opinion of her proceedings. The Wiccan Holly offers to do an abortion, which turns out to me a bland, drawn out ceremony in a ring of salt, ending with Arlene drinking something. The catch, however, is that the spirit behind all of it may choose to keep the baby. The procedure succeeds, given that Holly was telling the truth about the choice, and Arlene has blood all over herself the next morning, but the doctor tells her that the baby is still alive.
Jason's battles with the high school football quarterback seemed misplaced every time it came up, because it was unrelated to everything else in the episode, but there was finally a connection--albeit a tenuous one--to bring relevance to the quarterback. As a former user, Jason realizes he's doing V and toppling Jason's records by cheating. The quarterback explains that V is undetectable and that professionals are using it as well. Before we can learn more, he leaves. What annoys me the most is that we never get to see the outside world other than Bon Temps and selective locations with heavy supernatural influence. Are professional sports rampant with V users? How has it affected society? These are the questions I'd like to see answered, but three seasons in and it's unlikely that will ever happen.
Like every episode, "Fresh Blood" ends on cliffhanger which is nothing short of brilliant. The final tension-filled scene had my on edge, as Eric and Bill played Russell, goading him into drinking Sookie's blood and walking outside. Russell takes the bait on the condition that Eric do it first, and the episode ends with Eric and Russell handcuffed and smoldering in bright daylight. We see that Eric has no wish to live anymore once his human goal of defeating his family's murderers is complete. In this moment, Eric is the most human he's been more centuries, and is willing to die to regain his humanity.
Score: 8.5/10
The rest of the plots, however, remain as detached as ever, and I wonder if Alan Ball is creating a base for the fourth season. Season two had a distinct and recognizable plots--Maryann in Bon Temps and the Fellowship of the Sun. Eventually the Fellowship of the Sun plot was wrapped up, and everyone joined up to take down Maryann. Season three was vastly different. There's still a compelling vampire main plot, but Bon Temps is a loose collection of individual stories, never really coming together towards a unified ending.
In terms of things happening to people, "Fresh Blood" doesn't fall short, but I can't help not liking particular characters or plots which have dragged down this season.
Sam breaks down in a drunken rage, throwing everyone out of his bar, and evicting Tommy. Tara, however, stays to have a drink, having spent most of the past week crying about one thing or another, and they end in one of the most raw, uninhibited sex scenes of the series. But they're both characters I can do without and sex together adds to nothing to the overall plot, putting little relevance of their scenes.
Similarly, Jessica sucks Hoyt's blood-their version of a hot sex scene--but it was slightly more satisfying, because I actually like Jessica, who isn't mopey all the time, and would like to see her have more material in the next season.
For me, Arlene is the most insufferable character. She's always put in situations which make her uncomfortable, and we never see another side to her, so I have little opinion of her proceedings. The Wiccan Holly offers to do an abortion, which turns out to me a bland, drawn out ceremony in a ring of salt, ending with Arlene drinking something. The catch, however, is that the spirit behind all of it may choose to keep the baby. The procedure succeeds, given that Holly was telling the truth about the choice, and Arlene has blood all over herself the next morning, but the doctor tells her that the baby is still alive.
Jason's battles with the high school football quarterback seemed misplaced every time it came up, because it was unrelated to everything else in the episode, but there was finally a connection--albeit a tenuous one--to bring relevance to the quarterback. As a former user, Jason realizes he's doing V and toppling Jason's records by cheating. The quarterback explains that V is undetectable and that professionals are using it as well. Before we can learn more, he leaves. What annoys me the most is that we never get to see the outside world other than Bon Temps and selective locations with heavy supernatural influence. Are professional sports rampant with V users? How has it affected society? These are the questions I'd like to see answered, but three seasons in and it's unlikely that will ever happen.
Like every episode, "Fresh Blood" ends on cliffhanger which is nothing short of brilliant. The final tension-filled scene had my on edge, as Eric and Bill played Russell, goading him into drinking Sookie's blood and walking outside. Russell takes the bait on the condition that Eric do it first, and the episode ends with Eric and Russell handcuffed and smoldering in bright daylight. We see that Eric has no wish to live anymore once his human goal of defeating his family's murderers is complete. In this moment, Eric is the most human he's been more centuries, and is willing to die to regain his humanity.
Score: 8.5/10
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Preview of Week 8/29/10 - 9/04/10
True Blood - HBO, Sunday, August 29, 9:00pm ET
The second to last episode of the season is here and hopefully it's a lot more interesting than last week's episode. The description of the episode, however, doesn't indicate anything exciting will happen, but we'll see.
Mad Men - AMC, Sunday, August 29, 10:00pm ET
The episode description is a bare, "Peggy clashes with her new creative partner; Don pitches under unusual circumstances." Hopefully, that means Betty doesn't show up.
Covert Affairs - USA, Tuesday, September 1, 10:00pm ET
It looks like Ben returns and Annie finally meets up with him again. Will we learn what Ben's up to? How will Annie react?
The second to last episode of the season is here and hopefully it's a lot more interesting than last week's episode. The description of the episode, however, doesn't indicate anything exciting will happen, but we'll see.
Mad Men - AMC, Sunday, August 29, 10:00pm ET
The episode description is a bare, "Peggy clashes with her new creative partner; Don pitches under unusual circumstances." Hopefully, that means Betty doesn't show up.
Covert Affairs - USA, Tuesday, September 1, 10:00pm ET
It looks like Ben returns and Annie finally meets up with him again. Will we learn what Ben's up to? How will Annie react?
Monday, August 23, 2010
Review - True Blood Season 3 Episode 10 I Smell a Rat
I smell a horrendously boring episode. I've had something positive to say about every episode of True Blood this season without thinking too hard, but with "I Smell a Rat," I can't single out anything I liked aside from Pam's "Blah blah vampire emergency blah."
After last week's eyeopening ending, I expected a lot to happen and action all over. Russell declared a literal war between vampires and humans on television. This has to send the world at large into overdrive, right? But True Blood has never bridged Bon Temps to the outside world where normal suburban families seemingly live without vampires running around all over the place and we see little fallout. A raid on Russell's mansion, Steve Newlin back on television, a hate crime, but certainly nothing dramatic to match the potential after Russell's actions.
The revelation that Sookie is a fairy and that vampires hunted out fairies in the past was my favorite part of the episode (still didn't really like it), but do we doubt Bill? He's done nothing to indicate he'd consciously hurt Sookie, nor has he been anything more than protective of Sookie. But Sookie doubts Bill and goes to Eric for the truth. He won't tell Sookie anything more, and at the end of the episode, chains her in the basement, presumably to help fight back against Russell.
Russell finally appears at the end of the episode and is full on crazy. He picks up a guy, substituting him for Talbot before staking him. Looks like we have an old, powerful, insane vampire on the loose.
And then there's the useless Bon Temps minutiae.
Lafayette and Jesus's V trip. It was so long that I tuned out and ignored most of what they were saying, not that it was pertinent. Apparently, their ancestors were into weird stuff. Who cares?
Tara should be put in a box. She's more annoying than Arlene and that's saying something. She spent another episode quivering and crying.
Arlene spills the beans to Terry and then goes to the Wiccan waitress to get rid of the baby.
Crystal reveals herself as a werepanther to Jason. However, there is no follow-up which was disappointing.
There is a boring flashback of Sam using his shapeshifting ability to steal gems, getting conned, and then killing the two con artists to get his stuff back.
The second season ran out of steam in the final few episodes and while it appears that Alan Ball is rectifying that mistake by leaving more plot at the end of this season, he hasn't balanced the rest of the episodes to make them comparably exciting. It seems like the show would be much better if it were squeezed into 10 episodes per season instead of 12, allowing for quick paced episodes each week instead of an occasional boring one here and there.
Score: 8.0/10
After last week's eyeopening ending, I expected a lot to happen and action all over. Russell declared a literal war between vampires and humans on television. This has to send the world at large into overdrive, right? But True Blood has never bridged Bon Temps to the outside world where normal suburban families seemingly live without vampires running around all over the place and we see little fallout. A raid on Russell's mansion, Steve Newlin back on television, a hate crime, but certainly nothing dramatic to match the potential after Russell's actions.
The revelation that Sookie is a fairy and that vampires hunted out fairies in the past was my favorite part of the episode (still didn't really like it), but do we doubt Bill? He's done nothing to indicate he'd consciously hurt Sookie, nor has he been anything more than protective of Sookie. But Sookie doubts Bill and goes to Eric for the truth. He won't tell Sookie anything more, and at the end of the episode, chains her in the basement, presumably to help fight back against Russell.
Russell finally appears at the end of the episode and is full on crazy. He picks up a guy, substituting him for Talbot before staking him. Looks like we have an old, powerful, insane vampire on the loose.
And then there's the useless Bon Temps minutiae.
Lafayette and Jesus's V trip. It was so long that I tuned out and ignored most of what they were saying, not that it was pertinent. Apparently, their ancestors were into weird stuff. Who cares?
Tara should be put in a box. She's more annoying than Arlene and that's saying something. She spent another episode quivering and crying.
Arlene spills the beans to Terry and then goes to the Wiccan waitress to get rid of the baby.
Crystal reveals herself as a werepanther to Jason. However, there is no follow-up which was disappointing.
There is a boring flashback of Sam using his shapeshifting ability to steal gems, getting conned, and then killing the two con artists to get his stuff back.
The second season ran out of steam in the final few episodes and while it appears that Alan Ball is rectifying that mistake by leaving more plot at the end of this season, he hasn't balanced the rest of the episodes to make them comparably exciting. It seems like the show would be much better if it were squeezed into 10 episodes per season instead of 12, allowing for quick paced episodes each week instead of an occasional boring one here and there.
Score: 8.0/10
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Preview of Week 8/22/10 - 8/28/10
Rubicon - AMC, Sunday, August 22, 9:00pm ET
The mystery has been nothing more than a mundane tromp through useless symbols and names, but the intelligence analyzing side of the show continues to impress me and is reason alone to keep watching. Hopefully the writers figure out a balance soon.
True Blood - HBO, Sunday, August 22, 9:00pm ET
This up and down season of True Blood comes to an end soon, so we'll see if Bon Temps redeems itself and manages to live up to the excitement of the vampire plot.
Burn Notice - USA, Thursday, August 26, 9:00pm ET
Michael versus Jesse versus T-1000. Should be interesting.
The mystery has been nothing more than a mundane tromp through useless symbols and names, but the intelligence analyzing side of the show continues to impress me and is reason alone to keep watching. Hopefully the writers figure out a balance soon.
True Blood - HBO, Sunday, August 22, 9:00pm ET
This up and down season of True Blood comes to an end soon, so we'll see if Bon Temps redeems itself and manages to live up to the excitement of the vampire plot.
Burn Notice - USA, Thursday, August 26, 9:00pm ET
Michael versus Jesse versus T-1000. Should be interesting.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Review - True Blood Season 3 Episode 9 Everything is Broken
Nine episodes into the third season and there is one imperative: Bon Temps will have the worst plots. It stayed true in "Everything is Broken," another mixed bag to throw with the other mixed bags this season. By now I think it's safe to say this season has been marred by inconsistency. It can go from the interesting vampire world to the insipid, dumb Bon Temps residents instantly, nearly ruining the episode.
Ignoring Bon Temps, "Everything is Broken" was a brilliant push to bring the vampire world into open. It begins with Nan Flanagan and her squad detaining Eric and Pam. However, we soon learn that the Authority is a useless band of newbies who are too stupid to realize that a threat like Russell has been operating unchecked for over a thousand years. When Eric tells his side, they brush him off. Nan's main line of argument is that Russell donated a half million dollars to the American Vampire League, a silly notion considering that Russell rejects humans and has little need for money.
They're too dumb to listen to Eric then, but the next night she allows Eric to move ahead and take out Russell without official Authority support.The final scene is a pure genius. Traveling in car, we see Nan chowing down on a human--rejecting her own credo--while watching a news report on the Vampire Rights Amendment. Russell bursts on screen in a flurry and shoves his hand through the reporter's chest, ripping his spine out in a garish display. He delivers a chilling speech explaining his hatred for humans and vampires' superiority.
We've seen vampires kill and kidnap before, though it's never a big deal when it should be. But Russell comes on television and announces to the world that vampires will eat their children and then the rest of the humans. If this isn't the breaking point, what is?
The middle section is a whole lot of Bon Temps bullshit. More Jessica and Hoyt angst, more Lafayette and Jesus fluff, Arlene fretting while her new co-worker seems to be feeding off her feelings, Crystal being secretive, and Tara crying. Even Franklin comes back only to be dispatched in a matter of seconds, a disappointing closure to his return.
And Sam's story returned to the god-awful crap is was. It's hard to feel anything for Tommy, despite his dogfighting experience. Punk teens on television can be good if they are very funny, but Tommy is a mean-spirited punk. Dogfighting made him that way, but can't the writers tamp his bad side with something positive? At least Sam finally reaches his breaking point and batters Crystal's father to the ground.
Bill visits dreamland and like Sookie's scene earlier, there's not much the audience learn. Is it literal or an allegory? Bill and Sookie's relationship is stuck in an eternal lovey-dovey phase which is a exceedingly boring, especially because they aren't involved in the vampire politics of the episode.
With three episodes left in the season, things will heat soon and maybe Bon Temps will be better (though it's doubtful). Russell made his big announcement to the world, initiating his public battle against humanity, so it's hard to imagine that the status quo won't change, including a huge reduction in Bon Temps.
Score: 8.7/10
Ignoring Bon Temps, "Everything is Broken" was a brilliant push to bring the vampire world into open. It begins with Nan Flanagan and her squad detaining Eric and Pam. However, we soon learn that the Authority is a useless band of newbies who are too stupid to realize that a threat like Russell has been operating unchecked for over a thousand years. When Eric tells his side, they brush him off. Nan's main line of argument is that Russell donated a half million dollars to the American Vampire League, a silly notion considering that Russell rejects humans and has little need for money.
They're too dumb to listen to Eric then, but the next night she allows Eric to move ahead and take out Russell without official Authority support.The final scene is a pure genius. Traveling in car, we see Nan chowing down on a human--rejecting her own credo--while watching a news report on the Vampire Rights Amendment. Russell bursts on screen in a flurry and shoves his hand through the reporter's chest, ripping his spine out in a garish display. He delivers a chilling speech explaining his hatred for humans and vampires' superiority.
We've seen vampires kill and kidnap before, though it's never a big deal when it should be. But Russell comes on television and announces to the world that vampires will eat their children and then the rest of the humans. If this isn't the breaking point, what is?
The middle section is a whole lot of Bon Temps bullshit. More Jessica and Hoyt angst, more Lafayette and Jesus fluff, Arlene fretting while her new co-worker seems to be feeding off her feelings, Crystal being secretive, and Tara crying. Even Franklin comes back only to be dispatched in a matter of seconds, a disappointing closure to his return.
And Sam's story returned to the god-awful crap is was. It's hard to feel anything for Tommy, despite his dogfighting experience. Punk teens on television can be good if they are very funny, but Tommy is a mean-spirited punk. Dogfighting made him that way, but can't the writers tamp his bad side with something positive? At least Sam finally reaches his breaking point and batters Crystal's father to the ground.
Bill visits dreamland and like Sookie's scene earlier, there's not much the audience learn. Is it literal or an allegory? Bill and Sookie's relationship is stuck in an eternal lovey-dovey phase which is a exceedingly boring, especially because they aren't involved in the vampire politics of the episode.
With three episodes left in the season, things will heat soon and maybe Bon Temps will be better (though it's doubtful). Russell made his big announcement to the world, initiating his public battle against humanity, so it's hard to imagine that the status quo won't change, including a huge reduction in Bon Temps.
Score: 8.7/10
Monday, August 9, 2010
Review - True Blood Season 3 Episode 8 Night on the Sun
After several explosive, exciting episodes, True Blood settled back down, using calmer downtime to prepare for the final act of the season. As such, "Night on the Sun" was low on plot and high on melodrama, ranging from annoying to fairly good. These episodes are necessary in the grand scheme of things and there are still four episodes left in the season, so we shouldn't worry too much.
The first half of the episode is mostly Sookie and Bill coming to terms that they can't be with each other. Sookie's friends are already up in arms about Bill even being near her, and Sookie is also apprehensive of Bill, knowing he was seconds away from killing her. Bill, back in his normal state, realizes what he's done, reinforcing what Lorena taught him--vampires can't be with humans. There was decent emotional depth in the scenes and within a slower paced episode, the #2 highlight, after the fight at the end of the episode.
With the elder Mickens finally out of the picture, Sam's plot was better than usual. It's wasn't as bad, though we're probably in for more of the same in later episodes. Tommy's been bred to fight and has instincts to confront anyone about anything, resulting in two near-scuffles, first with Hoyt and second with Crytal's father. Since the show is contained in such a short timespan, it's hard to see how Tommy will change when fighting is ingrained in his life.
Jason in large doses can be funny if he's doing tasks that don't involve hurting people or hurting himself, but when he tries to be heroic and possibly endanger people, he becomes very unlikable. Crystal shows up at his door for help and he closes the deal as expected. Afterwards, he decides to be stupid and have some words with her father. And he goes alone! Do we want see a moron who thinks he's a cop run around brandishing a gun? At this time, I'd be perfectly fine if he were shot.
Jesus probably has a darker side which everyone in Bon Temps has and Lafayette will get something to do eventually. For now, he's just Lafayette's bland boyfriend.
A couple of old, dead lovers entered the dreams of Arlene and Tara, more hints at the trouble to come. But neither are characters I care about, so my opinion is muted.
The last 10 minutes of the episode gave us an inviting glimpse at the rest of the season. It's an all-out brawl at the Stackhouse residence with Bill, Jessica, and Sookie versus Debbie, fodder werewolves, and Russell. The fight is in the good guys' favor until Jessica runs outside and is nabbed by Russell. Everything looks lost until Eric kills Talbot who he had seduced, alerting Russell who promptly flies away.
Bill enters, finds Sookie, and has rougher sex with her than we usually see. So much for the breakup, but there is something different between them. And Jessica who seemed to be in imminent danger when she was running and falling down earlier while chased by a werewolf? Oh... she's chowing down on him. So many werewolves have been dispatched that it's hard to take them seriously as a threat. Even Sookie can beat one. At least Russell can carry the entire enemy load.
Now that Eric made his move, things will once again heat up. The line has been drawn and the characters have taken sides. It's only time before they act.
Score: 8.7/10
The first half of the episode is mostly Sookie and Bill coming to terms that they can't be with each other. Sookie's friends are already up in arms about Bill even being near her, and Sookie is also apprehensive of Bill, knowing he was seconds away from killing her. Bill, back in his normal state, realizes what he's done, reinforcing what Lorena taught him--vampires can't be with humans. There was decent emotional depth in the scenes and within a slower paced episode, the #2 highlight, after the fight at the end of the episode.
With the elder Mickens finally out of the picture, Sam's plot was better than usual. It's wasn't as bad, though we're probably in for more of the same in later episodes. Tommy's been bred to fight and has instincts to confront anyone about anything, resulting in two near-scuffles, first with Hoyt and second with Crytal's father. Since the show is contained in such a short timespan, it's hard to see how Tommy will change when fighting is ingrained in his life.
Jason in large doses can be funny if he's doing tasks that don't involve hurting people or hurting himself, but when he tries to be heroic and possibly endanger people, he becomes very unlikable. Crystal shows up at his door for help and he closes the deal as expected. Afterwards, he decides to be stupid and have some words with her father. And he goes alone! Do we want see a moron who thinks he's a cop run around brandishing a gun? At this time, I'd be perfectly fine if he were shot.
Jesus probably has a darker side which everyone in Bon Temps has and Lafayette will get something to do eventually. For now, he's just Lafayette's bland boyfriend.
A couple of old, dead lovers entered the dreams of Arlene and Tara, more hints at the trouble to come. But neither are characters I care about, so my opinion is muted.
The last 10 minutes of the episode gave us an inviting glimpse at the rest of the season. It's an all-out brawl at the Stackhouse residence with Bill, Jessica, and Sookie versus Debbie, fodder werewolves, and Russell. The fight is in the good guys' favor until Jessica runs outside and is nabbed by Russell. Everything looks lost until Eric kills Talbot who he had seduced, alerting Russell who promptly flies away.
Bill enters, finds Sookie, and has rougher sex with her than we usually see. So much for the breakup, but there is something different between them. And Jessica who seemed to be in imminent danger when she was running and falling down earlier while chased by a werewolf? Oh... she's chowing down on him. So many werewolves have been dispatched that it's hard to take them seriously as a threat. Even Sookie can beat one. At least Russell can carry the entire enemy load.
Now that Eric made his move, things will once again heat up. The line has been drawn and the characters have taken sides. It's only time before they act.
Score: 8.7/10
