True Blood, 3x02, “Beautifully Broken”

Episode Title: Beautifully Broken
Writer: Raelle Tucker
Director: Scott Winant
Originally Aired: 06/20/2010
Grade: A+

I can’t even remember the last time I enjoyed an episode of True Blood this much! Every single established character was in this one, and they all had something interesting and/or fun to do. The funny moments didn’t fall flat, the sweet moments weren’t too saccharine, some moments were both funny and sweet (especially anything involving Terry), suspense and gore abounded, and the screen time was once again finely balanced. Sometimes I wonder if Raelle Tucker works harder than some of the other writers to achieve these levels of perfection, or if it just comes naturally to her.

The introduction of Russell Edgington, the vampire King of Louisiana, was fabulous. I couldn’t help but snicker at him galloping up on a white horse in what looked like an English fox-hunting getup, but I was snickering a good way. This, along with the courtly-with-an-edge musical track, was the perfect level of campiness. And yet despite the campiness, and despite the King’s genteel persona, he has a dark undercurrent. I definitely wouldn’t mess with this guy.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the three-course dinner at the King’s estate, during which Edgington’s effete Greek houseboy served up “chilled, carbonated blood” with a “citrus-y finish,” “warm blood bisque infused with rose petals,” and blood gelato. The idea that vampires would want to add a little variety to their unchanging diet was a nice detail, though these tame, domesticated blood dishes grossed me out more than any of the gory vampire feeding scenes ever have.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at Sookie asking Eric, “You think I’m that stupid?” when he told her that her reckless pursuit of Bill would put her in danger. I certainly think she’s that stupid, and I feel justified in that opinion considering that the first things she did after Eric’s warning to be careful and keep the werewolf info on the downlow was to a) run off into the woods after the seriously creepy guy who was obviously a were, and b) clue both Terry and Jason in to the existence of werewolves (though they both handled it pretty calmly). The other annoying Sookie-ism of the episode: bestowing a precious kiss on Terry’s cheek.

I have a hard time taking this new vulnerable Eric at face-value. He seemed to slip up and let down his guard around Sookie several times, and while I understand that her support and sensitivity re: Godric meant a lot (plus the blood bond connection, whatever that’s worth), but it still feels like too much too soon. I think of Eric as a very controlled, cautious person, for the most part, so it’s hard for me to accept that his awkward pauses, near-reveals, and softened expressions aren’t part of a manipulative attempt to woo Sookie into boinking him. He also feels more like Sookie’s dream version of him, but I’ll wait a bit longer and see how that pans out before I offer up any criticism.

I may be a bit weirded out by vulnerable Eric, but I did enjoy his flirty porch scene with Sookie. For one thing, I thought Paquin and Skarsgård finally had some chemistry. For another, I loved the eleven minutes of missing time in their conversation. He told her to invite him in, she refused and put him off by flashing her engagement ring, then we were whisked off to another scene. When we finally came back to Sookie and Eric eleven minutes later, they were still on the porch arguing about marriage! Hee, they’re both so stubborn.

We also met a new vampire named Franklin Mott in this episode, and I’m guessing he’s a spy for Edgington, as well as responsible for Jessica’s missing dead body. The scene with Mott pawing through Bill’s personal papers threw me off, because the room he went into was to the left of the front door. I didn’t even know there was a room there because we’ve never seen that side of the house before, so I had to rewind and look again to figure out that it was Bill’s house.* If I remember correctly, the Queen heavily implied last season that she sent Bill to Bon Temps to keep an eye on Sookie, and the fact that Mott found a hidden file on Sookie in Bill’s house certainly backs that up.

*(Minor nitpick, but I also thought the already-lit kerosene lamps in that room were odd. I can’t imagine Jessica having any interest in lighting that room, so I have to fanwank that Bill lit the lamps before he left for his date with Sookie in the finale, and Jessica just hasn’t bothered to put them out in the day or two since then. If they are indeed kerosene lamps, she may not even know how.)

Sam’s blood family is like the Southern redneck shapeshifter version of the Sackville-Bagginses. They seem nicer on the surface, but they’re definitely just as trashy. I’m betting they’re also expert manipulators, and thus just as greedy as the Sackville-Bagginses under the surface. Maybe Tommy won’t turn out to be as much of an ass as Lotho, at least, although it did look like he might have tried to lure Sam to his death.

I don’t really blame Tucker for this, but I’m incredibly tired of the world of shit Tara’s life has become, and the way that affects her behavior. She’s always sad, depressed, or mean, and it’s getting old. I really liked her in the first season, but the girl hasn’t had a real reason to even smile since then. Now it looks like they’re going to hook her up with Edgington’s Brit spy vamp, who is most likely bad news. If she absolutely must have a love interest, or a sex interest, or whatever, can’t he at least have some semblance of decency and/or a personality? I’d even accept Jason at this point, even if he did kill her last boyfriend.

Or even better, leave her single for a while and let her find some happiness simply from reconnecting with Lafayette and rebuilding her identity. Tara was in transition for most of last season, and Ball has said that this season is about identity, so I’m really hoping that she’ll finally have the time and energy to work on healing and grounding herself this season. I hope Lafayette’s love and determination helps her do so, and that’s a storyline I’d like to see, because it might balance out some of the other craziness.

And speaking of craziness, Alfre Woodard was perfect as Lafayette’s institutionalized mother, Ruby Jean. Between the accent and the affect, the character could have easily come off as too cartoonish and over-the-top, but Woodard dialed back the batshit crazy and emphasized the character’s sincerity. I was happy to see Kevin Alejandro as her nurse, too, and I’m assuming they will both be back.

Overall, this was a wonderful episode, from beginning to end, big moments to little moments. I don’t have high hopes for next week, though, because I find that Alexander Woo’s scripts tend to focus heavily on the show’s campy/trashy/over-the-top aspects and rarely have much in the way of subtlety. At least I have the introduction of that ginormous hunk of manbeef Alcide to look forward to!

Other Stuff

-Hee at Jessica’s googy-eyed glance at Eric before being dragged away by Pam. Yes, he is dreamy.

-I loved Tucker’s meta teasing in having Jessica call Bill “Beel” and having Sookie imitate Bill’s “Sookeh” pronunciation of her name.

-We’re supposed to assume that Edgington was the head of the Nazi werewolf crew in Eric’s flashback, yes? Considering that the werewolf Eric and Godric killed in the ‘40s said that her leader was a vamp, and that Edgington is in charge of the branded werewolves in the present, I don’t think the writers are tossing us a red herring.

-I can’t help but agree with Edgington’s assessment of Sophie-Anne’s incompetence, at least so far. Although to be fair, we still don’t know why she sent Bill after Sookie or why she’s having Eric distribute vampire blood. Maybe she’ll be proven a brilliant mastermind in the end.

-I wonder if Jason stabbing his burger with the handle of his fork was a Ryan Kwanten ad-lib? Poor Jason, he’s such a fuck-up that he can’t even stab his food with the right end of the fork.

-Terry’s list of reasons why Arlene should trust him around her kids was one of those aforementioned funny and sweet moments. He has a baby armadillo named Felix who sleeps under his bed? LOVE!

-I have no idea what to make of Jason seeing that strange girl near the meth lab, but she’s probably going to be his new love interest, and considering the way his last few romances went, I’m not dying to find out what’s up…

Friday Night Lights, 4x07, “In the Bag”

Episode Title: In the Bag
Writer: Ron Fitzgerald
Director: Stephen Kay
Originally Aired: 06/18/2010
Grade: A

I’m starting off with a bit of a retrospective: I didn’t notice until this episode that the Matt’s storyline with Sherman was dropped at the end of the third episode. The last time we saw the guy, Matt had come to confront a piss drunk Sherman about his little talk with Julie, and ended up being dumbfounded by his lovely, symbolically perfect sculpture. I actually assumed that we’d still get some interaction between those two, with Matt coming back to talk to a sober Sherman, but in retrospect, their final scene is a lovely ending to that relationship. Matt is intelligent and thoughtful enough to at least intuitively understand how that sculpture represents Sherman’s world view, and that’s what Matt needed to learn from him—your life and your art are unavoidably intertwined.

As for Julie, her breakdown on stage at the “Smackdown” was poignant without veering too far into “only-on-TV” melodrama. I can somewhat understand why Matt hasn’t called her (because he’ll miss her and want to come running back), but there’s no way Julie understands that yet. She just feels abandoned, and his refusal to call makes her wonder if he ever loved her at all. I would think that the always-wise Tami might have some understanding of Matt’s motivations and try to help Julie understand, for the sake of making her feel better, but I’m not a mom. Maybe Julie just needs to wallow in her pain for a bit longer before she can listen to a rational explanation of Matt’s seemingly heartless behavior.

Landry seemed to imply that Matt hadn’t called him, either. That might have been a show Landry was putting on for Julie’s benefit, but Matt and Landry have been besties since they were five, so talking to Landry could carry just as much emotional weight for Matt as talking to Julie. Girlfriend of three years vs. best friend of thirteen years? They’ve both got plenty of motivation to feel hurt and betrayed, and I hope the writers continue to give us some glimpses into them supporting each other. I really enjoyed seeing them interact so much, especially since Landry was one of the reasons Julie gave for wanting to transfer to East Dillon.

I was also happy to see Julie pay Matt’s grandma a visit, even if it took on a bittersweet note. I hope that’s not the last we’ll see of Grandma and Shelby.

I wasn’t sure whether Tami’s Blue Ribbon school storyline was intended to show her being welcomed back into the fold, or whether the people doing the congratulating and celebrating were never pissed at her in the first place. Was it someone from the school board who chastised her before, when she was trying to discuss the school library? And these were just the teachers and administrators who never blamed her at all? It’s too bad I’ve been deleting the episodes after my second-viewing!

I’m assuming the point of Glenn kissing Tami was to show us (again!) that she’s cool under pressure, because surely she’s not going to embark on a steamy affair with Glenn. The scene with the two of them talking about it the next day, on the school stage, out in the open for anyone to see and overhear, was really odd. I was so uncomfortable, wondering who could be listening. (Glenn’s dialogue, however, was hilariously perfect. Hee, “mouth-raped.”)

There’s no way the strippers’ baby shower/kegger/fundraiser was legal, especially with all the underage drinking (including a drunken 19-year-old Tim serving the booze), but it’s not implausible that they might have gotten away with it.

The stuff with Tim, Becky, and Becky’s dad was pretty straightforward—Tim over-identified, saw his own father in Becky’s, and now he totally relates to her daddy issues on a conscious level. I wasn’t exactly riveted by that storyline, but the scene at the end with Tim naming the dog was like some kind of divine intervention, with the dog yawning at “Julian” and perking up at “Skeeter.” I wonder if Kitsch and “Skeeter” miraculously ad-libbed that, or if the dog was following training cues of some kind. Although now that I think about it, maybe it was just good editing? I can’t remember if Tim’s lines and the dog’s reactions were in the same shot, or if there were cuts. Whatever the case, it was perfect. Tim’s so charismatic that he even has good chemistry with dogs!

The most jarring aspect of this episode was Luke’s storyline vs. Vince’s storyline. In my experience, a town is either the sort of place where kids have to miss school to help their parents on the farm, or it’s the sort of place where a kid can see three of his friends gunned down on the way home from school over a ten year period. In moderately sized cities with surrounding farming areas—places like Nashville, Sacramento, Austin—I could see both things happening, but I’ve always been under the impression that Dillon was a pretty small town, and not particularly prone to excessive violence outside of drunken redneck squabbles and domestic abuse.

This East Dillon storyline came out of nowhere, doubled the size of Dillon, and added gang violence, and none of those things are far from my mind when it comes to Vince’s storyline. When he tells coach about his hard-knock life, I think two things. 1) Since when is Dillon the kind of town where people get shot going to and from school? 2) If East Dillon is troubled by such violence, why had not a single character even so much as mentioned that side of town until midway through the third season (or whenever that redistricting storyline began)? The writing is still sharp, the acting is still top notch, but the way they set up the season abruptly changed viewers’ understanding of Dillon in a pretty extreme way, and that feels contrived.

I was also confused about what actually happened with Vince’s gun storyline. When the cops initially came to search the locker, I assumed the “tip” was called in by one of the McCoys or some other Panther-ite as a racist power-tripping prank, and that interpretation was supported when Vince did not, in fact, have a gun in his locker. Then it turned out that he did have a gun, and I’m not sure if it was just a coincidence—a prank turned into a classic trickster move where an action with negative intent ends up with a positive outcome—or whether someone Vince knew narced on him.

The only person we’ve seen Vince interact with who might do that is Angry Necklace Guy (as he’s commonly referred to on the interwebs, although I think his name is actually Calvin). He’s seemed be both missing Vince’s friendship and resenting Vince’s second chance at life, but only the resentment part could have motivated the betrayal, because getting Vince tossed into juvie wouldn’t exactly get him his friend back. In any case, someone called that in to the police, and surely the writers had some idea who did it when they came up with it, so maybe we’ll find out in a later episode.

Other Stuff

-Seeing Becky try to adopt a shelter dog, I feel pretty validated in my interpretation of her as a “lost puppy” type.

-Vince’s sobered-up mom kind of broke my heart. She’s seems to be a capable and thoughtful person without the substance abuse, and the actress was so good that I found myself rooting for the character despite her sparse screen time.

-Between ooh-ing and ah-ing over Luke’s leftover French fries and helping Luke and his dad build the fence, Tink just hit a new level of awesome.

Quotes

Glenn: “I practically raped you.”

Tami: “No you didn’t.”

Glenn: “No, not literally, but like, with my mouth. It’s like I mouth-raped you.”

True Blood, 3x01, “Bad Blood”

Episode Title: Bad Blood
Writer: Brian Buckner
Director: Daniel Minahan
Originally Aired: 06/13/2010
Grade: A-

I have to admit that my thorough enjoyment of the first season of The Vampire Diaries really dampened my enthusiasm for the return of True Blood. I went into the third season premiere with pretty low expectations, but I ended up pleasantly surprised. Sookie is less annoying, Bill is sexier, Eric is still Eric, the werewolves are actually wolves, and Maryann is gone (though the aftershocks are definitely still wreaking havoc in Bon Temps). I also thought the screentime felt pretty equally parceled out amongst the cast, which I hope can continue.

I’ll start where the episode does, with Sookie. She was surprisingly, and admirably, restrained while talking to Kenya about Bill’s disappearance. I expected her to be downright hysterical, but she was really rather calm (for Sookie, anyway). She’s continuing to adjust to the craziness that is her life, and my eardrums are grateful. I also liked the classic Sookie hair toss and flounce after Jessica told Sookie there’s a head ‘possum under Bill’s house. I’ve always said I was fine with her having flaws but wanted it toned down—have her act like a twat once per episode, not three times per episode, y’know? This episode felt like they got that balance right, for the most part.

Bill was sexier in general in this episode, but Sam’s sexy blood bond dream with Bill was awesome. Stupid me, I was actually sitting there thinking, “What’s up with all this weird hoyay? Does Bill have a bisexual streak that we’re only just now finding out about?” Most vampire fictions have some homoerotic kink to them by nature, but this was undeniably blatant, so I probably should have known it was a dream. Then again, I think about 50% of the casting info and minor spoilers for this season involve homosexual relationships or experiences, so I’m not too terribly embarrassed to have fallen for it. And damn, Stephen Moyer really, really went for it.

I also found it interesting that this episode drew parallels between Bill and past villains. We see Bill clawing his way out of the earth, followed a few minutes later by a backlit silhouette shot reminiscent of our first glimpse of Maryann in maenad form in “Scratches.” Bill preying on the old woman was also reminiscent of the flashback to Lorena turning Bill, except Bill was playing both himself and Lorena this time. He was much kinder than Lorena could ever dream of being, but I do wonder if the writers are trying foreshadow an exceptionally dark Bill arc this season. Whatever they have planned, I’m looking forward to it, because Bill is already ten times more interesting out on his own, away from Sookie. (And the same is potentially true of Sookie, although I’ll be satisfied if she can just remain likable.)

I’m curious to know what was up with Pam’s insincere effort to stop Sookie from stomping into the Fangtasia basement looking for Eric. Did she really want a glimpse of naked Yvette that badly? Does she feel threatened by Eric and Sookie’s growing closeness, and thus hoped that seeing Eric jackhammering away at a silicon-enhanced dancer* would repel Sookie? Did she just want to see Sookie’s reaction, either to gauge it or because she thought it would be funny? Or were Eric and Pam working a plan?

I can imagine Eric sensing through the blood bond that an upset Sookie might be paying him a visit and thus setting up the little vamp sex display. Overloading Sookie with that imagery is kind of genius, because it keeps her at a distance emotionally, but also forcefully inserts his sexual presence into her waking thoughts (he's already in her sexy dreams, thanks to their blood bond). Personally, I think getting fucked at warp speed for six hours sounds incredibly boring, and I doubt Sookie found it attractive, per se, but still. You don’t witness that and not think about it later. I also think that scene supports what I thought the writers were doing last season with her mushy Eric dreams—her DreamEric isn’t RealEric, at least not yet, in any sort of tangible way.

I’m also intrigued by why Eric got so upset about Bill’s kidnapping. Was his blood bond with Sookie making him feel hysterical and crabby about it? Was he simply devastated that someone stole his favorite squeaky toy? Was he afraid of what the Queen might do if she finds out?

*(Considering that Yvette was introduced in one of the pre-season minisodes, and that Eric even bothered telling Sookie her name, I'm wondering if there's more to her than meets the eye. Eric, Pam, and even Queen Sophie-Anne were all enamored of her as soon as they laid eyes on her, which reminds me of Sookie's seemingly magical ability to attract supernaturals.)

And speaking of the Queen, she’s even more annoying this season. Both times we’ve seen her, she was putting on an act, but she’s a terrible actress. Which kind of makes Evan Rachel Wood seem like a terrible actress, but I don’t think she is. It usually takes a good actor to pull off a character who is a bad actor. Still, my ears almost bled at, “An act of self-loathing. So shameful. That whoever is responsible. Should fall on his own stake.” Sophie-Anne’s bad acting doesn’t endear her to me, because she’s a spoiled, petulant, pretentious, overly-dramatic twat. She’s kind of like early Blair Waldorf as a vampire queen, with all her worst qualities magnified by super-strength and political power.

A few other bits and pieces:

Everything with Jason and Andy was hilarious, as usual, especially Andy crawling in through Jason’s window to throw off anyone tailing him. Of course, I expect that storyline to get increasingly darker, but then again, maybe it won't.

On the one hand, I’m sad about Jessica’s first kill, but on the other hand, it was such an inevitability that I’m not exactly worked up over it. She’ll probably dwell on it enough for the both of us, so why bother?

Lettie Mae was her usual misguided, dense, self-absorbed self, seeing Tara’s devastation as a way to bind her daughter to her, and putting all her faith in the healing power of Jesus rather than dealing with reality.

And finally, using real wolves for the transformed werewolves was a fabulous idea. I love my Buffy and Being Human, but I’m not fond of the hybrid man-wolf creature. I much prefer the True Blood/Twilight take. Yes, I just complimented Twilight, although I think True Blood comes out on top because these werewolves actually look real. Because they are.

Overall, this was a good start to the season, and I hope they can keep it up. (Knowing this show, that sounds like a bad pun. It was unintentional, I swear!)