Well, I’m not surprised True Blood stumbled a bit this week.
Fuck The Pain Away was admittedly a tad weaker than the rest of the episodes this year. That’s not to say this season still isn’t immensely focused (it is), but this hour focused a bit too much on subplots I could care less about. Does anybody out there even care about Alcide’s adventures in the slightest? Or how about Terry and his sudden death-wish? And let’s not forget the annoying duo that is Sam and Nicole. It still boggles my mind sometimes how oblivious the writers are to certain characters and their utter uselessness.
Nevertheless, everything going on at “Vamp Camp” is outstanding, from Pam’s therapy session, to that fantastic cliffhanger with her and Eric facing off gladiator-style. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, True Blood is a show that greatly benefits from concentrating all of its its characters in one location. It’s much more satisfying to watch than having everyone running off with seperated subplot of little significance to the overall story arc. Thankfully the writers have recognized this, and we’ve now got Pam, Tara, Eric, Steve and Sarah Newlin, and the Governor all in one spot. Naturally Sookie, Bill and everyone else will find themselves there soon enough, so I’m undoubtedly pleased with where this is all going.
As for Sookie, we discovered this week that Warlow in fact saved her from her parents after her psychotic dad tried to kill her. It’s a surprising retcon, but does an adequate enough job of lessening Warlow’s villainy, which I imagine was the point as he’s going to be quite integral to this season’s narrative.
Can I just say that I still adore Sarah Newlin and I’m so happy she’s one of this season’s baddies? Her duplicitous (and highly sacrilegious ways) are ridiculously amusing, and I especially enjoyed her using God’s name to get Jason into bed. Please writers, don’t kill her off anytime soon.
Bloody Bits
– Did anyone else cringe when Jessica made out with Bill while high on faerie blood? Shudder.
– Loved the little scene with Pam walking through the camp as we see vamps being treated like hamsters, having sex while under observation, and having their fangs extracted. Creepy.
– The original flashback with Lilith turning Warlow in 3500 B.C was beyond bizarre. The one with him killing her however was quite cool.
– How the hell did Sarah rescind Jessica’s invitation? It’s not like she owns the house. Perhaps it’s a product of one of the camp’s findings? I do hope this plot point is revisited.
– The undeniable highlight of the episode for me was Pam’s speech to the therapist. My God it was spectacular (you can find it in its entirety below). Kristin Bauer Van Straten deserves an Emmy for that scene alone. And I loved the LDP concept (Living Donor Program).
– Not that we need new characters, but Tara and Jessica were saved this week by a mysterious female vampire who looks like the women’s leader in the prison. I’m somewhat intrigued…
– Lafayette summoning “dead folk” really cracked me up.
– Eric seemed genuinely unsettled when he discovered the Governor put his own daughter in the camp. Since when was Northman so optimistic about the human race?
– I have major issues with a possessed Lafayette drowning Sookie in the end. What the hell? Why didn’t she fairy-blast him into oblivion? It’s plot contrivances like this one that piss me off to no end. Surely they could have constructed a good cliffhanger without sacrificing Sookie’s common sense. Unacceptable.
True Quips
Sookie: Fuck destiny.
Sarah: When a woman comes to you in black lingerie, you unwrap her.
Sarah: I truly believe God wants you to fuck me
Jason: (as they have sex) How’s God feeling now?
Sarah: Righteous.
Sarah: (to Jason) My body is a fucking temple and you have defiled it with your vampire-fucking pecker.
Pam: You humans love your pain don’t ya? You just love being in it. You even consider it a virtue. Cry the most at a funeral – you must be the best person. You promise to never forget each other, you promise to feel the sting of loss forever. Because for y’all, forever is just the blink of an eye. Your lives are pathetically brief. When we say forever, we have to mean it. So we move past our pain, we heal, we move on, because pain is a worthless emotion. For a while, my maker was everything to me. He released me, IT HURT. But now? I’m over it. He’s nobody to me.
Governor: (to Sarah) Your gay vampire ex? That’s my surprise.
Sarah: Haven’t you seen Gladiator? Fucking fight!
Conclusion
Although it’s hampered by a few mundane subplots, Fuck The Pain Away is still a solid hour of True Blood.
Nad Rating
B-
Few, but not many are saying Pam was stupid for revealing way too much as some have put it. I think that's stupid, because the only relevant thing she revealed was the maker bond, but even that was twisted up. Everything else was stuff she would've said to anyone. Pam has been a little whiny this season, but she was phenomenal on this episode, and I hope nothing happens to her on the next episode.
I agree with you criticisms on some of the plotting. Alcide is boring, Sam is boring, Nicole is as pointless as Terry's friend Patrick, and nobody cares if Terry dies. That would suck if he was the big death of the season, because that would have zero impact on us the viewers. I do hope the season doesn't stray into Alan Ball/Ryan Murphy plotting territory where everything becomes disconnected and messy. All that aside, I do feel this season has been an improvement, and I am intrigued to see where it goes. Keep up the great reviews Nadim!
I am loving this season so far and this was a great episode disregarding the useless subplots of shifters and werewolves that are really just slowing down the show.
And why the hell are Terry and his story resurfacing? I really wish this new guy would just kill him and get it over with!!
And here's the buzzfeed link for this episode: http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/omg-moments-true-blood-season-6-episode-5-fuck-the-pain-away
Thank you so much Anonymous 🙂 And I totally agree about Pam. Simply amazing this week! Keep dropping by and commenting!
Hahah thanks for the BuzzFeed link. I always forget to check that site although I absolutely love it! I do hope this season stays on the right track!
No problem Nadim. I post as Roman on Doux Reviews, but I'm only able to post as Anonymous on here. So if you see an Anonymous comment on here about True Blood, it's likely me, Roman. lol