Home Featured TV Shows All TV Shows Movie Reviews Book Reviews Articles Frequently Asked Questions About Us

True Blood: Death is Not the End

Pam: "I hate Shreveport."
Eric: "Oh, come on. It'll be a trip down Memory Lane."

And what a trip it was. Maybe having an end in sight is giving the writers creative juice, because this was an absolutely excellent episode.

Although they probably couldn't miss with an episode centered on Eric and Pam that included flashbacks to the founding of Fangtasia. I am loving how they keep bringing old friends back. Let me amend that. I wouldn't call the despicable Magister an "old friend," but I was surprisingly happy to see him. And what a surprise that Fangtasia was a punishment, back when it was a skeezy video store with Twizzlers, not Red Vines.

Eric was made the Sheriff of Area 5 in 1986, and he and Pam ran that video store for twenty freaking years. I laughed out loud when our beloved screaming Ginger showed up in 1996, looking like a completely different person who was just deeply into the vampire movie genre. I laughed when Eric came in with big hair and said "Good evening," just like Bela Lugosi. And 2006, when Ginger burst in with Eric's throne and her idea of making it into a nightclub, I grinned like a loon. How perfect that Pam stole the idea and the name of the club from Ginger, and glamored it out of her. Pam is such a bitch, but just like Eric, we love her.

In fact, most all of the episode was a trip down Memory Lane. We got Jackson Herveaux in Jackson, Mississippi, receiving the unfortunate news of his son's demise. And then "poor sweet fucking Hoyt" in Anchorage, Alaska learning of his mother's death from his best friend Jason, whom Hoyt doesn't even remember, and that was sad. I've always been fond of Hoyt and I hope we'll be seeing more of Jim Parrack in the final six episodes. Something tells me that he and Jessica might get back together, now that they've had time to learn and grow and experience the world separately. Except that he won't remember her. Maybe they'll get back together, anyway.

Can I say how relieved I was that Jessica wasn't healing simply because she was starving herself out of guilt, and how happy I was that James made her drink Lafayette's blood? And speaking of the inevitable (although I could be wrong), Sookie offered herself to Bill because she knew he needed to be strong for the Battle of Fangtasia, and there were heavy romantic vibes going on there.

Surprisingly, there were also heavy romantic vibes when Eric showed up and Sookie threw herself into his arms and they obviously reconnected in a big way. Thank you, True Blood writers, for not ignoring the Sookie/Eric shippers. Even though Eric's weakness during the final scenes made it look like they're still planning to kill him off.

This last season is about our humans and our vamps coming together as a community, and the Battle of Fangtasia was a blast: Sam infiltrating as a rat, Eric and Sookie undercover with her as his human, all of our vampires coming in via the Underground Railroad tunnel (no, no symbolism there), the humans backing them up, slomo action, and a lot of bad vamp puddles and bad vigilantes on the tarmac. I thought we were going to lose Arlene for sure, especially when she saw Terry coming for her, but we didn't, and that scene was a lovely goodbye to Terry. And then there was a terrible moment when I thought Eric was gone, but no – he was just busy eating Kevin's widow.

The only thing wrong with this episode was that it was so good that it had the impact of a series finale, and there are six episodes to go. Let's hope it's not downhill from here.

Bits:

-- Hoyt (Jim Parrack) is back in the cast. I really do hope it's not just for this one episode.

-- I've said it before and I'll say it again: nearly everything Pam says makes me laugh out loud.

-- Sam wanted to fly (or gallop) to Fangtasia immediately to rescue Nicole, but was smart enough to listen to reason and wait for the vampires.

-- Along with death notifications for Jackson Herveaux and Hoyt Fortenberry, Jason also had to tell Kevin's widow Rosie that he was dead. And he held her, just like Andy held Holly. I was glad that Holly made it, because Andy has had enough grief.

-- Lafayette still feels responsible for Jesus's death, even though it wasn't his fault. I noticed that James was interested and affected by that revelation.

-- I wonder if Jane Bodehouse is thinking that she just has a particularly bad case of the DTs?

Quotes:

Jackson: "He loved the fuck out of you, Sookie."
Class with a capital K, Jackson.

Magister: "This place smells like sperm and piss and bad hair dye, and it's all yours."

Eric: "Leave it to humans to make sex this depressing."

Pam: "A girl who knows a thing or two about good vampire cinema. It's rare."

Jason: "Kevin was a good man. With a funny voice."

Sookie: "It's just lunch."

Lafayette: "Wakey wakey, vampire homies."

Ginger: "You are never going to guess what I found!"
Pam: "Is it a shitty chair?"

Ginger: "Sex sells. And Eric Northman is nothing if he's not pure fucking sex on a throne."
I think most of us would agree with that sentiment.

Eric: "You didn't."
Pam: "I did."
Eric: "Such a bitch."
Pam: "But you still love me."
Eric: "Always."

Jason: "This is our Normandy. Who's with me?"

Eric: "Pam tells me you wrote a book in which you claim not to be an asshole anymore. Is this true, Bill?"
It was Skarsgard's delivery that made this line so funny.

Eric: "As your maker, I command you… later."

Pam: (re: Sookie) "She's like a fucking fungus that just won't go away."

Arlene: "I'm sorry. Were you just a rat?"

Terry: "Be happy."

This is what I was hoping they would do in their final season, but was worried they wouldn't. Four out of four Twizzlers,

Billie
---
Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

6 comments:

  1. A very emotional episode. If the series finale comes anywhere near as close, I'll be happy. Jason's conversation with Hoyt made me feel very sad indeed. Wouldn't it be great if Hoyt came back, fell in love with Jess (as you suggested), and started being friends with Jason anew?

    I like that the town's vamps and humans are mostly pulling together. (The ones we care about anyway.) Eric does look as though he's on his last legs, but I'd love to see him cured and end the series walking off into the sunset with Pam and Willa by his side. Or maybe they'll all die. I just can't stand the thought of Pam with no Eric.

    Just four episodes in and the body count this season has been phenomenally high: Tara, Terry, Alcide, etc. If it keeps going at this rate there'll be nobody left by the finale. I have a strong suspicion that the show will end with a massively depleted cast, and a few favourites left to pick up the pieces of a broken Bon Temps and start a new era afresh.

    People who must under no circumstances die: Jess, Pam, Lafayette, and Sookie.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This episode was so refreshing! It was engaging, had great scenes (both touching--such as Hoyt and Jason- as well as hilarious--the Fangtasia origin story). The pacing was great, the dramatic beats were perfectly timed...It nearly felt like I was watching an episode from the earlier seasons.

    Although I didn't tear up during Arlene's almost death scene, my heart ached a bit as Arlene was slipping away and Sookie kept trying to remind her of everyone she couldn't leave behind.

    This episode made it very clear (to me, at least) that Sookie/Bill is the end game. In all truth, I think their chemistry fizzled out some time ago. Meanwhile, all of the scenes between Sookie and Eric were intense even though they were bittersweet. What with Eric infected and all...I really don't want to think that he's going to die but, at the same time, I'm trying to prepare myself for it.

    Here's hoping that the remaining episodes are as awesome as this one!

    ReplyDelete
  3. There was so much fan service in this episode I actually thought the writers were going to show up at my door with chocolate chip pancakes when I was watching it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Aww Ginger was so cute in 1996, and I loved how Pam stole her idea for Fangtasia..
    Nice to see Hoyt. Hope we'll see him again.
    Eric and Pam and Jessica and Lafayette had better live. I think Bill and Sookie are safe.
    Jackson's comment about Alcide was priceless. Poor Alcide.
    Oh, the magister..I love that actor.
    Great episode.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I loved Ginger's backstory, and I loved that Ginger got a backstory. I kind of want to write that paper she was working on.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I know I'm posting late, but wanted to say anyway, that this episode was simply fantastic, this episode made me think that I will miss True Blood in a big way.... I didn't think I'd say this after last season.... Also, if Sookie and Bill are the end game, then they should have skipped this episode, because all it showed me that the bond between Eric and Sookie is that much stronger. I loved every single scene with those two. Their attraction is more obvious, whereas Bill and Sookie feel forced (which is surprising considering this is a real life couple).

    anyway, my two cents... thanks for the review, Billie

    ReplyDelete

We love comments! We moderate because of spam and trolls, but don't let that stop you! It’s never too late to comment on an old show, but please don’t spoil future episodes for newbies.