Lafayette: "It ain't possible to live unless you're crossing somebody's line."When Gran was alive, she protected Sookie from Uncle Bartlett. Bill took on the job. He was just a bit more proactive about it.
For a vampire, Bill is quite sweet. He's a yummy, considerate lover, and he made Sookie's first experience very special. In fact, I thought pretty much everything Bill did in this episode could be considered romantic. Yes, murder is a little extreme, but Bill isn't human; he is vampire, as he said. He's "mainstreaming," but still accustomed to living outside of societal rules. And no one will mourn Uncle Bartlett. If there is any justice in the universe, there is a special place in Hell for people who sexually abuse children.
Sookie has exorcised her grief, her demons, by transferring her love and allegiance to Bill. She has started identifying with the supernatural world. Vampires, yay. She told everyone in the bar that she was having sex with Bill, painting a great big target on her back. (Not that it matters, since she was already a target.) Bill can't be dead, or Sookie now has nothing. I don't believe he is. He's the male lead, after all; it seems unlikely that they just wrote him out.
Jason further endeared himself to me (I'm being sarcastic) by stealing Gran's valuables in order to buy more V. Gee, he hit bottom awfully fast. At least he has a more interesting sex partner now: Amy Burley from Connecticut, new age-y environmentalist, V addict and drug dealer. She's fun, and she can think rings around Jason. But she's trouble, isn't she? She feels like trouble.
Sookie has pushed Jason away. Tara needs to do the same with her mother, no matter what happens with the so-called "demon." Of course, on a show that has vampires, there actually could be demons. Maybe Lettie Mae really is possessed by a demon. Is she going to get rid of it and then go home and bake cookies?
The Sookie/Bill romance is quite hot, and this show is starting to consistently amuse me. But I still feel like it's not clicking on all cylinders. I still resent every moment I spend with Jason. Ah, well. At least we had some brief fun at Fangtasia. Less Jason and more Fangtasia, please.
Bits and pieces:
-- The opening scenes in front of the fire and in the bathtub were very sexy. Now this is what HBO is for.
-- Vampires encouraged (and/or spread) the stories about mirrors, holy water, and crucifixes because they were easy ways to prove they weren't vampires.
-- Tara is living at home again. She's been living in a different place in nearly every episode.
-- Randi Sue (what an appropriate name) believes people who associate with vampires will go to Hell. The three heckler rednecks think Sookie is contaminated. Gee whiz. Murder suspects all over the place.
-- I liked Miss Jeannette's trailer.
-- Andy and Terry Bellefleur saw Sam Merlotte running naked through the woods. Can't wait to hear about that one.
-- Loved Andy's Hawaii 5-0 ring tone.
Quotes:
Tara: "I don't know how to be with somebody. I never... maybe I'm unboyfriendable."
Bank manager: "I'm sorry, Mrs. Thornton, but it is against bank policy to extend a loan for an exorcism." Hey, they're not bigots; they have a new client who is Vampire-American. Must be Bill.
Arlene: "Oh, my Lord. Suppose she gets pregnant? How in the world can she nurse a baby with fangs?"
Pam: "Your mama know you're out in the big city?"
Jason: "My mama's dead."
Pam: "So am I."
Jason: "I don't like how they keep taking stuff away. Like Pluto's not a planet any more, and a brontosaurus stopped being a dinosaur. You can't just say something's stopped being what it's been."
Vampires aren't people any more. Right?
Amy: "Vampires, they don't need oxygen. Everything just runs directly off the blood."
Jason: "Like those cars that run on corn."
Amy: "We honor Gaia and seek the deepest relationship to her."
Jason: "Oh, yeah. Me, too. And Pluto can start being a planet again, connected to stuff."
Not as good as the last one, but then again, how could it be?
Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.
You know, for someone who doesn't like Jason, you sure quoted him a lot. :)
ReplyDeleteRohan, do you like Jason? If you do, could you tell me why? I really hate it when I have a strong dislike of a major character in a series I'm reviewing.
ReplyDeleteI can't stand Jason either. I keep hoping he'll wise up but he never does.
ReplyDeleteAnna
I don't exactly "like" Jason, but I think he is an interesting, very flawed character that adds something to the show.
ReplyDeleteThey say you don't get to pick your family, and that's an important theme of the show. He's Sookie's brother, and you can see that she loves him, but she's really unsure about liking him. And that's a good, entertaining dynamic.
Plus, Jason is an interesting counter-point to the vampires. The vampires are larger than life, are epic in their virtures and epic in their vices. Jason, in contrast, is so very *human* in his flaws, so trivial, shallow, and mundane.
In some ways, Jason fills the "Xander" role on the show, just not as likeable as Xander was. He is the "normal" person, representing humanity as a whole.
Thanks for your comments, Rohan. And you're absolutely right. I think the character of Jason does exactly what you said -- in the books. But there is something about the translation to the screen, or the way they're writing him, or the actor playing him, or possibly all three that doesn't work for me in the series.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they'll improve the situation in season two.