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True Blood: Save Yourself

Pam: "Nice plan."
Tara: "Sure beats yours."

And I thought last week's episode was a bloodbath.

Holy Billith! I honestly thought it was curtains for Bill. I was thinking, Wow! did they actually, really, truly, no take backsies just kill Bill? But then he arose from the puddle, and to be honest, I was a little disappointed. So he isn't dead? He's transformed? Is he the bad guy now? Is the old Bill even still in there? Hey, does that mean Eric gets a clear path to Sookie, now?

Eric staking Russell before the opening credits was a shocker. But you know, I think they'd gone as far with Russell as they could have. I wasn't all that wild about Russell's role, or non-role, in Authority this season; his comeback could have been better. But it was worth it see him and Steve Newlin as a couple.

And Eric finally got his revenge. It had to be Eric. It feels like Eric was on character vacation all season, and we just got him back. And he has a much bigger family now. By far, the coolest part of this season (surprise!) turned out to be the expansion of the Northman vampire family and Tara falling for Pam. That rescue kiss was just terrific. Who knew? And I loved the rescue, with Eric, Nora and Tara teaming up with Sookie and Jason.

This was a gruesome episode, and Sam exploding out of Rosalyn's head was the gruesomest scene of all. But I have very much enjoyed Sam as a naked undercover good guy this season. It was a nice comeback after the character assassination he previously endured, and Luna and Emma had a lot to do with it. I like Luna, and I really don't want her to be dead. And hey, she shifted on national television. Are the shifters out of the closet now? What about the werewolves?

The tiresome werewolf plot was finally resolved when Rikki's victimization pushed Alcide into taking a stand and taking over the pack, with Martha and his father as backup. Did Martha turn out to be a freaking cool character, or what? Surprisingly, so did Jackson Herveaux. I just thought it took too long to get to this point.

The human stuff was a bit more confusing. Did Jason sustain brain damage? Why are the senior Stackhouses whispering anti-vampire rhetoric in Jason's hallucinations? I just have no idea where they're going with this. I'm also wondering where on earth they're going with Morella giving wildly weird fairy birth in Merlotte's. "My light broke"? She's had 73 babies? I guess if you give birth in squads while having an orgasm, that might not be as bad as it sounds. How is Andy going to deal with four daughters? Will Holly stick around to help, or is that relationship over?

So wow. What an outrageous finale. Authority is gone, and Russell is dead. Shapeshifters may be out of the closet, Andy has fairy quadruplets, Alcide is packmaster, Eric is back, and Pam and Tara are an item. And Bill may be our villain next season. Didn't see that coming.

Bits and pieces:

-- "Life sucks" was a common theme in this episode. Nearly all of the characters said something along that line. Even Jason said it was good to expect the worst.

-- Eric and Nora did a riff on "Godric always loved you best." I'm glad Nora survived the season. I rather like her.

-- So much for Salome. She was a believer until the end. "Lilith chose wisely." Hey, Lilith didn't choose at all; she just tried everyone available until Bill fell for it.

-- Lafayette was seriously underutilized the second half of the season. But I did enjoy him, Arlene and Holly drinking alcoholic "candy" and dancing together.

-- This episode was written by Alan Ball, who is stepping down as show runner. This was his swan song, then. He certainly went out with a bang.

Quotes:

Eric: (after staking Russell) "Well, that felt even better than I thought it would."

Nora: "What is she?"
Eric: "She's a waitress."

Tara: "You sure this thing is light tight? It looks like Tupperware."

Eric: "Sweetie, don't be a fool."
Jason: "If I want to be a fool, then I will be a fool. That is my God given right as an American."
Did Eric actually call Jason "sweetie"? I ran that three times, and I think he did.

Pam: (re: religion) "I guess this proves we're just as fucking retarded as they are."

Jason: "Before what? Things spin out of control? That train has already sailed."

Arlene: "Who knew watching an alien give birth would be so comforting?"

Holly: "It's a girl. With no umbilical cord."

(Pam and Tara kiss)
Sookie: "Oh, okay."
Jessica: (gleefully) "I knew it!"

So it wasn't perfect. I thought last season was much better. But season five was a lot of fun to watch, and things most certainly got shaken up. And I'm looking forward to next season. Waiting sucks!

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

12 comments:

  1. I loved it!

    Well, I mostly loved it. The wolf stuff, Martha aside, is still boring. I really hope that, since that story reached quite a solid conclusion here, Alcide and the wolves are relegated to occasional guest stars from now on.

    The fairy baby stuff... urgh. I'd rather watch Spock's Brain on a loop than see any more fairies. The only interesting plot point they've raised is Sookie apparently belonging to Warlow, whatever and whoever he is. That could actually be interesting, if it leads to Eric and Warlow having to compete over Sookie or similar (I noticed Eric pointedly claimed her again, albeit as part of their cover).

    But the vampire stuff was brilliant. Not sure whether Bilith is a Fred/Illyria situation (which his imploding first would seem to suggest) or if there's anything of him left in there, and if I was a Bill fan I'd probably be pretty cross right now, but overall I loved it. The best thing was that the season ended, finally, on a scene (possibly the last?) between Sookie, Eric and Bill. Because really, that's what the show's about.

    (All praise will be rescinded if Jason, in his irritating season 2-regression, kills Tara, Pam or Jessica. But hopefully the writers aren't that daft).

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  2. I loved this episode!

    I cheered quite loudly when Eric staked Russell. I never liked the character and it was long past time for him to go.

    I did like Salome, most likely because she reminded me so much of Maharet. I’ll miss her.

    I will miss Rosalyn. I love the actress who plays her – she’s Diane from GENERAL HOSPITAL.

    Martha was quite a revelation overall. I assumed she would turn out to be all kinds of wicked and evil, but that hard exterior hides a (seemingly) good person inside. I wish she’d let the good shine a bit more. (I still think there’s more to her and that she may be some type of über-werewolf.)

    It’s always irked me that Sookie has faye powers, but it skipped right over Jason. Why couldn’t he develop some type of telepathy or other power? Maybe the bump on the head activated his latent mutant power to see and hear the dead, but because of the bump, he’s seeing a warped version of his parents.

    I can already see Alcide’s arc next year revolving around him becoming a V addict.

    I’m so glad they didn’t KILL BILL. I know I’m in the vast minority on this, but I prefer Bill over Eric. I want Sookie to be with Bill.

    I said from the beginning that Tara as a vamp would rock!!! I loved her kiss with Pam and Jess’ reaction was superb. I can’t wait to see where they take Eric and his family next year. (Tara also needs to forgive Lala and Sookie.)

    As for next season, I’m hoping it’s the last. I hope the producers decide to go for an extended 20 episode season and wrap everything up. Six years seems to be the limit for the classic HBO series – OZ, SOPRANOS and SEX AND THE CITY. TRUE BLOOD should follow suit.

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  3. Lafayette: "I did not see that s**t coming"

    And so say all of us!

    Sam exploding out of Antebellum Sharon Osborne was perhaps the perfect metaphor for True Blood as a show: it was unexpected, gruesome, funny in a sick kind of way and involved nudity. I've really enjoyed what they've done with Sam and Luna this series, it was an object lesson in how to use secondary characters effectively. Great to see someone who can actually make the most of their supernatural powers too (though I saw a hilarious comment that said Sam should have turned into a blue whale when he was above Salome and Bill: let's see the vampires fight an enormous cetacean appearing in their living room).

    The Northman family raid on the Authority was great, seeing Tara assume her place as one of them was cool. I loved the little look of delight when Pam saw Eric and his quiet 'Hello' as she entered the elevator. There's so much depth to their relationship and Alex Skarsgard and Kristen Bauer portray much of it so subtly. My only real issue with the Northmans was that Pam was given so little to do: she should have taken a bigger role in her escape.

    They might have had the time for more Pam awesomeness if it wasn't for the 15 minutes they wasted on the fairies and werewolves. The Mirella bit was played for laughs and it was pretty hilarious, just frustrating that it happened in the finale, but Alcide is a waste of time. Is there anyone with a good word to say about the werewolf plotlines? Joe Manganiello seems like a nice bloke and is stunningly handsome but I'm tired of the character and his lack of plots.

    I think this episode really encapsulated True Blood: it's an absurd spectacle and, whilst it has great moments of acting and writing, nothing more should be expected of it. For most of this episode and most of this series I've been entertained and appalled - that makes it a good series in my book. Cheers for the reviews Billie

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  4. I seriously love the relationship between Eric and Nora. They clearly love each other, but it isn't romantic like Eric and Sookie or Sookie and Bill. I really hope that we see more of Lucy Griffiths in S6. I always look forward to Eric/Nora scenes and loved the "It must kill you to know that he loved me more" "It kills me that you think he did" and the entire scene between them and Tara.

    I am really looking forward to seeing Bill as the Big Bad next season. It'd give Stephen Moyer more to do than longing after Sookie.

    And how adorable was Jessica's "Ew" when Tara shot the guard? I felt so bad for Jessica when Jason pretty much rejected her.

    Anna was looking very pregnant in her face this week; I say her face because we pretty much saw nothing else.

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  5. A thought occurs - if Billith is not Bill in some way (like Illyria, or he's possessed, or whatever) will it speak with an English accent? What accent did Lilith have?

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  6. When Pam said "I guess this proves we're just as fucking retarded as they are." I thought she was referring to "taking over the world" not religion ("humans have tried that several times, I guess this proves..." or smthg like that)

    EXCELLENT conclusion to the season! But damn do I hate endings... when we have to wait another bloody 10 months to see what's next! Waiting reall does suck! :o(

    I hope they take Bill the Fred/Ilyria direction... no going back people!

    I find myself looking forward to the new season more than before now that they've pretty much completely stepped away from the books and I have NO idea where they'll take us next! :o)

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  7. Salome´s last words reminded me of Indiana Jones and the last crusade. Nice touch. But Billith was a shocker to me. WOW!!! But I can´t wait to see where this will go and it must be an exciting challenge for Mr. Moyer. Is Bill irredeemable now? Are Sookie and Eric a given now?

    Well, I hate to see Russel go, but it was time. I wish his death would have been more spectacular, though. I´m excited to see what they plan to do with Steve the next season. Took me some while to realize it was Luna and not Steve who wanted to take Emma out of the HQ. Sam was fabulous this season and the outcome of Luna shifting on TV will be interesting.

    I´m not sure if I like the Tara/Pam romance, although they have great chemistry (the kiss, the flirting). Pam discovering her maternal instincts could have been fun and Tara could use a mother. Funny that nobody screams incest in this case. Glad, that Eric and Nora behaved like siblings again in this episode.

    Why Jason is seeing dead people is strange, but it´s so damn funny at the same time. He is so great. I love him and I´m glad he didn´t fall for Jessica.

    Alcide - boring. But seeing a healthy, strong pack (with an awesome Martha) in the next season could be good. Please no more wolf on V story (although it would be a more interesting story for Alcide).

    Andy - ridiculous. Waste of screentime in a finale. Seriously if they had done this nonsense in the episode before. But in the finale? NOOO!

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  8. Looks like it isn't a Fred/Illyria thing. Bother. But maybe they'll let him do an English accent anyway ;)

    (link contains spoilers for season 6, though given that it isn't written yet, I think they'll only be a problem for the deeply spoilerphobic)

    http://tvline.com/2012/08/26/true-blood-season-6-spoilers/

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  9. it's interesting to see that it seems that I'll be the only one to comment that I pretty much disliked the season finale, as much as most of the rest of the season, to be honest. What have they done to Bill? They killed the character! Ok, they didn't kill Bill, actually, but who is he? He was a good guy, one that cared and now what is he now? Where did that lust for power come from? I honestly didn't like it at all. Although it gives Eric and Sookie a clear path...
    What with Jason? He evolved so much as a character this season to become a version of despicable S2 Jason. I hated it!
    The subplots ended pretty well I guess. But my criticism goes to their absurd lack of relation to the main plot, which should be, Sookie and her relatioship with Bill and Eric. Or shouldn't it? I don't know, for pretty much the whole of this season it seems they shifted the focus. Or lost it, don't know for sure.
    One of the only things I truly liked in the whole of this season and in the finale was the growth of Northman's family. Pam, Tara, Nora and Eric are great together. Their scenes were the best ones in the show for me, and one of the reasons why I kept watching.
    I loved that Eric killed Russel, but come on,a 3,000-year-old-vampire didn't see Eric coming... Give me a break! Why didn't they work on that a bit more?
    I'm not sure where they're headed for season 6 but I know I'll be waiting to see some more of the good old true blood and the interaction between the characters and their plotlines which made seasons 1-4 so good and fun to watch.

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  10. What a spectacular finale..Tara and Pam? I can dig it. Eric taking out Russel was great. Bill is what? Evil or redeemable? Waiting does suck.
    Anna

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  11. Ya Im jumping on to the band wagon late but i need to ask this... How does everyone think that Sookie and Eric are going to get together with Nora around? Its not going to happen,no matter how much we want it to happen hahaha i don't think they have had enough time together (as a couple) and their relationship could be so much more, but now the network has hired a new love interested for Sookie... Does this mean that Sookie and Eric are never going to make it. This would be such a blow as there's no way Sookie and bill can ever make it now, him all being evil and what not.

    i kinda wish Nora would disappear so that Sookie has Eric all to her self because she never will with Nora around.

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  12. I really liked this season but it wasn't my favorite. I think it odd that Sookie and Jason's parents would be such vamp haters. After all they had a strange unsual daughtor you think they would be anti-fang. Or is it Jason's subconscience looking for a reason to re-fuel his hate towards them. I'm disapointed non the less. I don't want to see Jason back to hating them as we've already seen that from this series. I'm so glad they didn't kill of Tara. ANd her and Pam together is awesome. Makes sense as they are both so much alike. I am always split who I have wanted SOokie with. I was always a fan of the book and I fell in love with Bill from the books. THen seeing Eric casted as hot as he is I couldn't help but change my opinon. Hell this season I kind of wanted to see her with Alcide! Though he certainly has brought a fair amount of Drama to her life. I am sad to see Hoyt leave the show. He was a favorite of mine as well. Speaking of bubba :) Will they ever bring the Bubba of the book to the show? That would sure be fun. I am glad they didn't kill of BIll. That is to much of a central character to the show and I think it would have taken the show in the wrong direction. I am not thrilled with turning him into a murderous and crazy spirit guy either. Not sure I like where there going with this. GOod season though@ Look forward to June! I'm going to have a real problem figuring out what to watch first on Sundays... True Blood or Dexter!

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