So, let's be honest. I struggled to appreciate this episode. Out of the previous five, this one seemed boring by comparison. Sure, we find out what happens with Sookie and Russell, and learn the fates of both Sam and Luna. But everything else seemed...sloppy. Oh, just read on. I'm sure you'll see what I mean.
Episode 6: Hopeless
Fun
fact! About ten minutes into the episode, my power went out!
Fortunately, it came back on within the hour. Don't worry, I saw every disappointing minute.
We
pick up right where we left off. Wolves! It’s wolves! They attack
our intrepid group, but they’re easily routed. Eric wants to stake Russell,
but Bill stays his hand. And it’s a good thing, too. They can’t
bring Russell back in a bucket. But before anyone can react,
Authority troops file in and take over.
Vampire
from Spartacus is concerned that Bill and Eric are at the asylum with
a couple of humans. The boys cover for Sookie and Alcide as best they
can. Spartacus Vamp orders B + E to glamour them. Bill fakes it with
Sookie, since she can’t be glamoured, but he tells her what she
needs to hear (and reminds us of all how cute they were together back in
the day). Eric pulls a bit of fuckery with Alcide, making him believe
that he finds Sookie disgusting.
The
Authority leaves Sookie and Alcide to go home. Oh, and remember Doug
and all those poor human captives? Yeah, they’re all totally dead
now. Meanwhile, Bill tries to play along with the Authority (“all
hail Lilith” or some shit), but Eric would rather have Lilith blow
him.
The
next morning, Alcide wakes up at Sookie’s house.
Don't get excited. No sex was even remotely had. |
She’s in the
kitchen, feeling bummed out after getting dumped by Bill again (and
they weren’t even dating this time!). She takes his hand and he
recoils. But Sookie’s not an idiot. She uses her faerie mind
powers to un-glamour him. Alcide is pissed, now that he remembers
that wolves from his own pack (kinda-sorta) were helping Russell once
again. He storms out, and Sookie couldn’t care less.
Alcide
goes back to his new pack and declares he’s looking to take over.
Thing are never that easy, though. Turns out Bonnie Raittwolf’s
cheating husband is the self-proclaimed leader now. Fortunately,
Alcide has some allies, including that one werewolf woman from
earlier in the season (does she have a name?).
Sookie
goes to work and bitches about men with Holly and Arlene. I feel like
they recycled this scene from an earlier episode. Then Jason shows up
and fills her in about Hadley and the faerie burlesque house. They go
back to the empty field, and Sookie finds the entrance easily. We’re
treated to some slutty dancers, probably to distract from the fact
that there hasn’t been a single decent sex scene all season.
Sookie meets that Brit faerie from last season, I guess (did anyone
pay attention to that stuff?). He and Hadley fill Sookie and Jason in
on the night their parents got murdered. Apparently a vamp was hungry
for faerie blood, and he found some in the Stackhouse family car.
We’re left to assume that the vamp killed the Stackhouses and
staged the death as a drowning. Sookie wants nothing to do with it,
tries to zap Brit faerie, but some other faeries get the drop on her.
OOPS. |
Sam and Luna, thankfully, both arrive at the hospital. And they both seem to be okay
for the moment. Luna is frantic about Emma, who has since run to
Grandma Bonnie Raittwolf’s house. Sam tells the nurse to fuck off
as he’s up and about and standing at Luna’s side. Luna
asks an important question: Who would want to kill shifters? Sam
knows that they’re human, which just complicates things further.
As
Sam and Luna heal from their wounds, Grandma Raittwolf brings Emma to
see Luna and Sam. Luna reluctantly asks Bonnie to keep her daughter
safe. I wonder how long this kinder, gentler Bonnie Raittwolf will
last. I think she has ulterior motives.
I
guess Sam healed much faster than Luna, cause next thing we know he’s healed and
helping Andy investigate the shifter murderers. Andy is reluctant to
have Sam along, but Sam’s resolute, and has that vigilante look in
his eyes.
They
go to Stakeland and question Junior, the skeevy shop owner. Andy asks
him about wooden bullets with silver cores (the ones that killed
Sam’s shifter friends, remember?), when Junior pulls a gun. Sam
shoots him with a crossbow, and says something about “smelling him
go into survival mode.”
It's like spider-sense, only, well, stankier, I'd imagine. |
That’s all fine and dandy, but it seems
like Sam has selective heightened senses this season. He can smell
“survival mode” but he can’t smell a werewolf pup a room away?
Terry
and Patrick get chased by the ifrit. Then they drive back from South
Dakota in like a day (I don’t claim to understand how time works on
this show). Terry freaks out. Again. Jumps out of the car, runs into
the woods, gets tackled by Patrick. They overact and get back in the
truck.
Terry
then shows up at Merlotte’s and breaks up with Arlene. I feel like we
should be sad about this, but I’m just nonplussed about it. Oh, and
Arlene doesn’t believe in curses? After everything that’s
happened to her over the past four seasons? Arlene pleads with him to
stay, but he hugs her, says “thanks for taking a chance on me,”
and leaves. And I thought this storyline was going somewhere, too.
Tara
and Jessica’s fight falls into Fangtasia itself. Pam breaks it up,
and offers Tara a backhanded compliment. Oh, and that song is “Bitch”
by the fabulous Plasticines.
Pictured: what everyone would like to do to Tara. Thanks, Pam! |
Jessica
later has an uncomfortable conversation with Goth Hoyt, who thinks
she’s still in love with him. The fighting with Tara aside, it doesn’t
seem that way. Plus, Hoyt basically gives Jessica carte blanche to do
anything to him, as long as it’s her. Oh, Hoyt. Desperation is so
not sexy.
The
last we see of Hoyt, he’s being drained by another vamp. But this
time, some suspiciously familiar hillbillies in masks kill the vamp
and take Hoyt with them.
Lafayette
visits his mom in the loony bin. She’s crazy and hysterical as
usual, and there’s some funny Jesus talk, but that’s it for La-La
this episode.
Bill
and Eric arrive at the Authority and—surprise—it’s a cocktail
party! Or something. The council is all smiles now that Russell is
safely imprisoned (aka pumped with a whole mess of silver). Molly
takes their iStakes off, and Salome gets them some...blood champagne?
Oh, those kooky vampires! Eric asks to see Nora, but Salome informs
him that she’s confessed her Sanguinista allegiance.
Roman
shows up with a jug of old vintage blood, and is all smiles. For the
moment, it seems as if Bill and Eric have gained his trust. He later
informs the council (and B + E) that he intends to execute Russell
that very night. Salome looks strangely concerned about this. Also note that
Roman tells her to fashion Russell with an iStake, cause he doesn’t
want to get his ugly polo dirty.
But my god, does he wear that ugly polo well. |
Eric
finally gets to see Nora, who is all kinds of crazy. She sees
Authority agents carry Russell away for execution, and is lucid
for the first time in as many episodes. She mutters something about
Lilith’s plan and how events are happening as they should. This
doesn’t bode well as Roman activates Russell’s iStake, and it
doesn’t work. Russell, who until now was supposed to be
incapacitated, gets the jump on Roman, and plunges a stake into his
heart. Roman’s face goes all wonky as Nora prays in her cell. She
best pray that Roman isn’t dead next episode or I will...well, I
don’t know yet, but it won’t be pretty.
Favorite Moment: Well, Sam and Luna didn't die, so that's a plus. And Alcide was shirtless in a scene or two.
Least Favorite Moment: Do I have to pick just one? So much of this episode made me question what the hell is going on with this show. Sookie was uncharacteristically gloomy. Sam's powers happen at the whim of the writers. I still don't quite get the whole Lilith/Vampire Bible/Sanguinista/Mainstreaming thing. If someone can sum that clusterfuck up, I'd be grateful. And the dialogue itself lacked the cleverness it usually has (which troubles me, since this episode was written by series creator Alan Ball).
OMG Moment: How about that ending? I am not entirely certain that Roman is dead, because we weren't treated to a blood-splattery explosion. Still, True Blood, Roman is by far the most intriguing character you've had on this show in a while. Killing him now would be a mistake (pun intended).
Bonus: Can we just talk about how they seem to be setting up Salome as the one who freed Russell? And how that seems far too easy. I'm thinking it was either the Southern businesswoman vamp or Molly. But I don't want it to be Molly, because I love her. How about it was the ghost of Sophie-Anne?
this picture reminds me of Waitress.
ReplyDeletewhat a good movie!