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True Blood: I Will Rise Up

Sookie: "You big lying A hole!"
Eric: "Bill, you're right. I believe I can sense her emotions."

Eric, Eric, Eric. What is it with me and those blond bad boy vampires? We saw two distinct sides of him here: a deeply emotional side, as well as an extremely naughty side.

Godric's suicide was surprisingly moving, as well as terribly painful for Eric. I even cried a little, as much for Godric himself as for Eric's pain at losing him. Eric may think he doesn't know what love is, but he is certainly capable of depth of feeling. And I'm sure he was grateful that Sookie was there for Godric in the end.

It's difficult to tell what Eric truly feels for Sookie. He did cover her with his own body so that she wouldn't get hurt, no matter what his motivation was. (And could anyone, even a vampire as devious as Eric, think several chess moves ahead that quickly? As in, omigod a grenade is about to go off, I'd better jump on top of Sookie so that I can get her to suck debris out of my chest?)

Was it dirty pool on Eric's part? Absolutely. Is all fair in love and war? I guess it depends on whether or not Sookie still has free will, erotic dreams about Eric or no erotic dreams about Eric. (And hey, could I have one of those? Really? I actually watched that scene eight times, hoping to give my subconscious some hints.)

Seriously, though. Rewind that scene and listen to what Sookie and Eric are saying to each other. It was like a real conversation, not a dream conversation. They were so tender and honest with each other, so loving. Eric talked about it being their beginning. (And about how much he wants to turn her.) But note also that Lorena was sitting in the corner directing the whole thing. I don't think that dream was all Eric. I think Lorena was using their new blood bond to get Sookie away from Bill.

In fact, this blood bond thing made me wonder if Sookie's relationship with Bill was actually real. She drank a lot of his blood, not once but twice. Are any human/vamp romantic relationships real? Does this explain why vampires are so sexually attractive to humans -- is it just a mere chemical reaction? Does it explain why Jason had that weird dream about Eddie? Is Lafayette currently having erotic dreams about Eric, too?

I doubt that Sookie hates Eric as much as she says she does; it feels like she doth protest too much. It's common for two characters fighting a strong attraction to each other to spar with words, after all. She touched Eric's hand when he was leaving the roof, too. I don't think she would have done that if she genuinely hated him. (And good on her for being sharp enough to realize what Godric was going to do. Sookie is no brainless cupcake.)

Love triangles are good. I'm all for love triangles. In fact, this one is intriguing me so much that I almost wished the wanton destruction of Bon Temps would just go away. But I really did love two things about this week's installment: Lafayette storming in to kidnap Tara, and Sam literally as a fly on the wall. What clever writing. (The fly, I mean.) Andy didn't even blink an eyelash when Sam showed up stark naked. He must be getting used to the crazy.

Finally (Hoyt and Jessica seem to be constantly relegated to the end of my reviews, even though I love them) I knew bringing Jessica home to meet Mama was going to be a huge mistake. Maxine tried, but she just couldn't resist being nasty to Jessica. That's not love, that's smotherhood. Not a surprise that the toasted cheese and potato chip sandwiches just aren't working any more. It's rather sweet how good Jessica has been for Hoyt. What a lovely little subplot this has been.

Bits and pieces:

-- Eric's black tank top was perfect for bullet-suckage. I should have realized they had Alexander Skarsgard wearing it for more than just my viewing pleasure.

-- We got a truly lovely Sookie/Jason moment. He apologized for everything, and that couldn't have been easy for him.

-- Stan was killed, along with two other vamps and two humans. And goodbye, Luke MacDonald. He had the mentality of a fanatic, and Steve Newlin literally used him to death. It's hard to feel sorry for him, but it shouldn't have happened.

-- Maryann noted that it was easy to take Bud over. I think that explains why there were so many orgies that we got tired of them: she was using them to gradually take over most of the town. (It was also easy to take over Hoyt's mother, Maxine. Maybe it's a simple minded thing, huh?)

-- Tara is an adult child of an alcoholic (ACOA), like me. She doesn't like being out of control and I think she's starting to fight it. Despite the circumstances, it was fun seeing Tara attack Lettie Mae.

-- I thought a small dog and an owl were both pushing it as far as body mass is concerned, but a fly? Okay, it's magic, I just need to adjust and move on.

-- Merlotte's is becoming a sort of sick tourist attraction. The murder capital of northern Louisiana.

-- Isabel is now Sheriff of area nine in Texas. I like Isabel. The now late Stan was an idiot. Especially since he admitted to killing papa Newlin.

-- The Newlins were wearing matching outfits again. Red and black this time. Were they deliberately wearing vampire colors?

-- What sort of position does Nan have? Bureaucrat? A representative of the vamp kings and queens?

Quotes:

Eric: "Suck it out."
Sookie: "Eric, I can't. It's too gross, and it's... you."
Eric: "Dy... dying."
Sookie: "Son of a mother..."

Sarah: "We are fighting for God's green earth. And daytime, and Christmas, and Easter Eggs, and all that is sacred and good. We are fighting for..."
Steve: "Human rights. Human rights!"
Sarah: "May I finish my thought?"
Steve: "What? You were done."
Sarah: "If he's not the center of attention, he just flips out."

Arlene: "It was a walk-in refrigerator. And you are one sick buzzard. Go find some road kill 'cause you ain't eating here."

Arlene: "Oh, come on. Coby will eat cat food if you put mayo on it."

Arlene: "Terry, please quit being so much more peculiar than you usually are."

Maxine: "Who do you think you're talking to?"
Hoyt: "My mama. Who hates Methodists."
Maxine: "I got my reasons."
Hoyt: "And Catholics."
Maxine: "Just priests and nuns."
Hoyt: "African Americans."
Maxine: "Hush. That's a secret."

Dream Sookie: "There's love in you."
Dream Eric: "Only for Sookie."

Maryann: "The god who comes demands his sacrifice. Where is Sam Merlotte?"

Godric: "A human with me at the end, and human tears. Two thousand years, and I can still be surprised." Quite a memorable character. Good job, sir.

Four out of four stakes,

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

28 comments:

  1. First of all, its a pleasure to be watching a Billie-reviewed show again. I've felt so lost since the end of the tv season :-)

    I may be one of the minority out there, but I do NOT like Eric with Sookie, and its not just b/c I am madly in love with him myself. I don't feel the chemistry between them. The dream scene felt... contrived. I like Sookie as a character, and I like Eric too. Just not together. I know, I know - feisty little human who is not afraid of vampire. And yes, I know that's the way it is in the books. But frankly they just don't feel right to me.

    I also thought the blood sucking - while amusing - was kind of a cheap way to edge forward the Eric/Sookie deal. I would have preferred that the sexual tension or emotion build over time, if they were determined to make that happen. So, me no likey.

    The Newlins scene was pretty funny. I actually cried during the Jason/Sookie scene.

    Re: Bill and Sookie - I thought about that too, when he told her. I do feel that the chemistry was between them even before she drank his blood.... from the first time they saw each other at Merlotte's, there were fireworks. They are well suited as a couple. But it also makes me wonder if Bill is not a little deceptive by not telling her that little tidbit?

    Thoughts?

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  2. If it helps any, the blood-sucking scene happens exactly the same way in the book and at exactly the same point in the story. And it does change their relationship. I was waiting for it to happen, and hoping they'd do it. So maybe my anticipation colored my reaction. Very woo and may I say hoo.

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  3. OK, I guess that's fair then. And, well, Eric is evil and manipulative - in a really hot way. Props to Charlaine Harris for expanding the vampire lore.

    I guess I won't be able to read the books, for fear of spoilers/anticipation :-(

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  4. Part of me wishes I hadn't read the books, too, so that I could see the series with fresher eyes. I'm glad you're posting comments. It's good to hear what people are thinking, people who don't know what's coming.

    Yes, Eric is cold, smart, arrogant and manipulative. They used his relationship with Godric (which was *not* in the books) to show us there is more to him than that. He's a complex character, my favorite in the books, and I think they're doing right by him in the series.

    The automatic ads that pop up on my blog make me laugh at times. Right now, I'm looking at an ad for Cord Blood Banking. :)

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  5. Too bad we don't see more of Pam, but i guess someone has to run Fangtasia. ;)

    As for Maryann i can't wait for our vampires to return and kick her ass. :) Her plot seems to stretch out to allow just for that. :)

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  6. I loved this episode, there was so many elements that worked for me. The Eric/Sookie scenes (including the wonderful 4th wall moment that Eric had) were sexy and silly and totally cool. The stuff with Godric was touching and even though Eric cried like a girl it didn't color him as a character, which was quite a triumph IMO.

    I love the Hoyt/Jessica stuff and desperately hope they don't kill her off for stupid plot reasons. Maryann is cool I suppose but she is my least favorite element of this season, except that I simply loved Lafayette kicking Egg's ass. I thought Sam turning into a fly was a, "thank god he is finally exploring his powers moment". It is about time he realized he is powerful.

    As a book adjacent person, I am frequently asking my roommates who have read the books what is different. It surprises me how much I am turned off by the book versions of the same scenes. I love the show, but I don't think I would love the books.

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  7. I have read the books and I must say, I LOVE the show even that much more. There are subtle differences, then there are huge differences. I wasn't sure that I liked the part that Godric was Eric's maker in the series, but now I see why. We all needed to know a few of Eric's layers that you can only get on TV by adding such scenes/plot twists.

    I, for one, am all into the "Sookie loves Eric" thing. ALL FOR IT! And I can't wait to see how this all pans out, the seeds have already been planted and I am pleased as a peach about it!

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  8. I also agree about wishing they gave Pam more screen time. I adore that vamp. Maybe because her personality is so much like my own and her sense of style too. I see her as a vampire version of me lol.

    I love BOTH the books and the show. I love that Alan has changed enough of the plots to keep an avid book fan like me still sucked in and wondering what is going to happen next. And the anticipation of certain scenes that you would kill to see played out is great. (like Eric nude). Now I would kill to see that more often. That man is sex on a stick.

    I have noticed for the most part that those that are Team Bill are mostly made up of people who have NOT read the books. They don't know that Bill is not as nice as he seems to be yet . . . but someday hopefully they will. Those that are Team Eric are def mostly book readers. And he is smokin hot in those too.

    I am always amazed every week at how well the actors have nailed the essence of their book characters . . . They have all been cast perfectly. I could not have imagined a better Sookie than Anna Paquin's version, and Kristin is dead on as Pam, and then there is Alexander . . . seriously can one man be SO hot????? He has made body parts sexy that I never thought were (his shoulders, hands, legs, hands, etc.) Let's just face it EVERYTHING about that man is sexy. And he KILLS Eric's character every episode. He plays such a good, devious character. I love it and him . . . obviously.

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  9. I've read all the books 2 times at least. I've also noticed that my friends that have not read the books are all for Bill too. I've also wondered if Ii would have liked Bill more if I had not read the books. But then again Eric is just hot and manipulative, and everthing you could ask for in a vampire. But I do wish they would make Sookie more like she was in the books. In the show she tends to get on my nerves alot and whine too much. She wasn't like that in the book.

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  10. OK, just to clarify - I'm not Team Bill. I think Bill is kind of a yawn, and partially because he's "nice". All I'm saying is that between the actors, there is better chemistry between Sookie and Bill (for obvious reasons) than with Eric and Sookie.

    And I agree that Sookie can be a little grating on the show. Perhaps that's why I don't want her with Eric - he's such an awesome character, I think that he deserves more of a match.

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  11. Hey all,

    For all of you who have read the books and add a comment with spoilers can you guys please add SPOILERS at the beginning of the spoilers.

    I specifically refrained from reading the books as so not to ruin the show.

    Thanks in advance

    WhyMe.

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  12. I just re-read all of the comments and I honestly don't think any of them were spoilers. Possibly very *minor* spoilers. And I do keep book spoilers out of my reviews. Hope that's enough.

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  13. How did Godric die in the books? Was it like the show,on the rooftop with Sookie? Or was it with the fellowship like her orginally intended in the show?

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  14. Godric did commit suicide by meeting the sun, and he was alone with Sookie when it happened. He did it on the lawn outside the Fellowship instead of on a roof. But Godric was rather an evil character who was tired of being evil, not the paragon we saw on the show. And he he wasn't Eric's maker.

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  15. I have never read the books, I have only heard about them second hand. I do like Bill and Sookie together, but to me it screams of Buffy/Angel. Eric is much more of a Spike character, and I always felt that that dynamic was far more interesting then the straight romance. I think there is definitely chemistry on both sides and I'm looking forward to seeing what unfolds.

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  16. Hey billie,

    I wasn't sure there were spoilers in there because of the "minor" spoilers, so I didn't read all the comments.

    I know the review itself doesn't contain any spoilers, at least any that I can remember.That said , and even though I am aware that it is very hard not to mention the books, I would greatly thank you all if you just write spoilers before the spoiler parts so it would be easier to recognize them and skip them. For me, it doesn't matter if the spoilers are there I just need to know where they are so I can avoid them.

    In any case, I enjoy reading these reviews and rerunning the episodes in my head, thanks Billie.

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  17. WhyMe,

    I appreciate where you're coming from, but I don't have control over the comments that are posted. All I can do is promise that there won't be book spoilers in the reviews. I do sometimes mention after the fact that something was the same in the book, but that's the extent of it.

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  18. It was LONG past time that Hoyt told Maxine off!!!

    It was LONG past time that Sookie and Jason had their heart to heart!!!

    It was LONG past time that Lafayette got his mojo back!!!

    It was LONG past time that Bill clocked Eric!!!

    It was LONG past time that Nan put in an actual appearance!!!

    I am torn between Eric and Bill for the hand of Sookie .

    I loved how Nan just told them straight up and did not back down!!!

    I DID NOT like what Maryann's influence made Tara do to Lettie Mae!!!

    I will miss Godric . I don't understand why he died so easily in the sun.

    Is it because it was the first light of day? Or is it that as they age and become stronger and need less blood, do they also become more susceptible to the sun?

    Lesson learned from this episode: DO NOT mock a brutha's eyelashes!!! YOU WILL get beat down!!!

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  19. TRUE BLOOD is an excellent series!!!!

    This is one of those rare series (like LOST, BUFFY, FARSCAPE and the original DARK SHADOWS) where I LOVE all the actors and I LOVE all the characters that we're meant to love and I love to loathe all the characters we're meant to loathe!!!

    Although, after this latest episodes, I am really shkeeving Eggs!!!

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  20. Skeeve means I wouldn't drink out of the same glass as someone. That persona makes my skin crawl.

    When you shkeeve, it means I don't even want to be in the same room with that person!

    It's sort of South Philly cant. :)

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  21. OOPS!!!

    Skeeve means I wouldn't drink out of the same glass as someone. That person makes my skin crawl.

    When you shkeeve someone, it means I don't even want to be in the same room with that person!

    It's sort of South Philly cant. :)

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  22. Godric says (in the TV series)just before he meets the sun that at his age his death won't take long. I suppose once you are 2,000 years old (and as he mentioned, older than Jesus) you just go in a blue blaze of glory!

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  23. During the scene I was momentarily afraid of what they were going to do. Form a purely logistical stand point you can argue that from the information we have already gained that he wouldn't go up in a big blue ball of flame that quickly. But if you think about the aesthetics of it, how could you make his exit graceful if he became a charred mass of flesh. That was a beautiful scene, not a horrific one. And I think they managed to pull it off with a good effect, and to be honest it doesn't really matter to me if that continuity was altered slightly.

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  24. Maybe it is just because I did not read the series past the first book, but I am having a hard time getting excited about the Sookie/Eric connection. Granted, Eric could set whatever he looks at in fire, and Bill is about the most boring individual in the show. But if all of Sookie's attraction to Eric is given by drinking his blood, I think the setup is creepy. The scene felt like a story of child sexual abuse (he deceived her to get her to comply), and there is something that irks me about that. The way the Bill/Sookie affair has been presented has been romantic from the beginning (she saved him because she liked him even before she drank his blood). Maybe I'll change my mind as the series moves through, but right now I have my doubts (although if Eric needs some more silver sucked out of his body, I'll gladly volunteer without coercion ;)

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  25. As much as I loved this episode, and interesting as the Eric/Godric relationship is, there were two big problems for me:

    1. Godric looks like the love vampire-child of Elijah Wood and Danny Strong.

    2. Whenever I hear that medieval Swedish/Dutch/Old Norse (obviously, I don't really know what it is), I think of the Buffy episode "Selfless" and Olaf the troll.

    As a result, I kept wanting to laugh every time Godric came on screen. I feel downright guilty for my free-associations.

    "Hit him with various fruits and meats!"

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  26. I was surprised by how good this episode was and I loved the final scene. I really buy Godric, he really feels like an ancient vampire but full of wisdom. But one thing that is starting to bug me is Tara. I am not liking her very much.

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  27. Josie -- your love child comment had me in stitches. When you're right, you're right!

    I loved this episode -- easily my favourite of the entire series. A lot of it seemed to be pairs of siblings, in all stages of that relationship.

    Sookie/Jason seem almost at the beginning. They have put aside their past mistakes, apologised, forgiven each other and grown up. I loved them lying on the bed bitching about the Newlins together. I could sense the newly formed bond between them. Plus, I know the mark on Steve's head was from the paint ball, but all I could think about was the mark of Cain.

    Tara/Lafayette are in the middle. They have always had each others' backs, and that is not going to stop now. Loved seeing Eggs getting beaten and Lafayette literally throwing Tara into the car. He will be there to see her through this.

    Eric/Godric are at the end. I wept when they were on that rooftop. Eric's pain and sense of loss was palpable. I'm sorry to see Godric go so soon. I was really enjoying his character and the dynamic he leant to the group.

    Eric! Eric! Eric! Love him! The 'dream' was erotic as hell and I say let's get AS naked as often as possible. I always, always, always go for the bad boys (I was shipping Spike from his very first episode) so put me down for Team Eric. He is better looking and more interesting than Bill. Yes, we all have a soft spot for our first love, but our Sookie needs something a little wilder. Not to mention the fact that I want more scenes of them in bed.

    On a softer note, I have loved the Jessica/Hoyt story. It's lovely in a warm, romantic first love fashion that makes me smile. I'm sure it's not going to last long, but I am enjoying it while it does.

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