It’s funny – I’ve been begging True Blood to kill off characters for years now, and while the writers seem to have gotten all trigger-happy this season, I’m still not satisfied. I guess the show’s problems are bigger than I thought.
Alcide was always a void. It boggles my mind that he’s been with the show since the third season and he’s still so devoid of a personality. The writers failed to make him a relevant character at every turn; instead, he always felt like a plot contrivance that could be conveniently inserted into the story whenever needed. Even his relationship with Sookie was mismanaged, as their coupling mostly happened off-screen and thus garnered very little emotional investment from the audience. All of these reasons contributed to his death being a tremendously unemotional and vacant affair. I literally rolled my eyes as Joe Manganiello’s final scene unfolded, and I doubt that’s what the writers were going for.
Much more successful was the return of Sarah Newlin, one of True Blood’s greatest villains. I’ve always adored Anna Camp’s performance on the show, and bringing her back for the final season is definitely a decision I can root for. In addition, making her a target of the Yakimono corporation effectively brings the show full circle, as the flashbacks revealed that the Tru Blood manufacturers targeted Eric in the past. I wasn’t exactly on the edge of my seat as Mr. Northman was faced with the decision of saving either Pam or Sylvie’s life, but it’s always good when Alexander Skarsgard gets some screentime, particularly when he gets to bond with Kristin Bauer (Pam). More of these two please.
And finally, it must be reiterated that Sookie is still a horrible, horrible protagonist. I can’t remember the last time a show had such an unlikeable and idiotic lead character. I hate to say it, but it really is time for True Blood to come to an end. What’s left of its legacy depends on it.
Bloody Bits
– Always awesome to see Nan Flanagan again. She reminds me of the show’s glory days.
– Funny moment: Sookie’s “I have a boyfriend” to Bill while sucking his blood.
– Does anyone care about LaFayette and James’ budding relationship? Didn’t think so.
– Honestly I was more shocked by Miss Fortenberry’s death than Alcide’s demise. I’ll surely miss her more because she was consistently funny in all her appearances. Thanks for nothing Violet. But hey, at least Hoyt’s mama got to shoot Jessica before getting her heart ripped out.
– Painfully boring scene with the Reverend and Willa. Why do these two even have a storyline?
– How fantastic was it to see Eric regain his drive after Pam revealed Sarah Newlin was alive?
– I kind of wish Sarah’s yogi wasn’t killed off so soon. Watching the two endless bond over double orgasms would have been hilarious.
– The final fight was pretty fast-paced with a ton of exploding vamps and Sookie getting splattered with blood. Whenever Sookie suffers, I’m happy.
– Haunting moment for Andy as he refuses to call the ambulance at the end. It would do the show good to give serious material instead of the usual lighthearted fare.
True Quips
Pam: I am as big a fan of the French vagina as you are Eric, but come back to Earth. She’s just a human.
Eric: For more than a thousand years the world has been my oyster… I’ve lost my taste for oysters Pam.
Jessica: I didn’t realize we still had a problem.
Violet: It’s Pollyanna shit like that that makes me hate you.
Bill: Love isn’t always equal Sookie. Maybe you’ll grow to love him even more.
Kenya: Your daughter shot me with lighting that came out of her hand.
Andy: I know and I’m very proud of her.
Conclusion
While this episode was better than the season’s first two installments, True Blood still needs a lot of work before it can reclaim its former glory. I’ve sort of lost hope.
Nad Rating
C+
Great minds think alike. I felt nothing when Alcide died and felt the same when Tara died. In another site, I compared this season of True Blood to the kill-happy final season of the HBO series Oz. I just hope this isn't leading towards some afterlife ending like the end of Lost. I also share your loathing of Sookie. Elena Gilbert and Buffy Summers will always outshine her as true female protagonists in spite of their flaws. There are times I wish the show was all about Eric and Pam.
Roman again,
You kind of just get the feeling that they just want to get the show over with it. I agree about Alcide, I felt nothing, and if you've read interviews with the actor, he seems pretty bitter about how he was on the show. Maxine was a minor character, but she was also the only fun character in the vigilante group.
You forgot to mention that this episode confirmed what you weren't sure about a few episodes back, that Tara is indeed dead. I read that there was a scene in the first episode that showed Pam feeling her death, but they cut it, and they didn't explain why other than time issues. That's funny isn't it? There has been so much excess fat on these episodes, yet they couldn't make time for Pam's reaction, which I think is pretty important, because I don't think they intended us to question whether Tara was possibly alive.
Really, the only thing I look forward to is Eric and Pam's hunt for Sarah Newlin, and their possible revenge against this Japanese corporation. The show won't return to it's former glory, because the writers don't want to restore it to it's formers glory, they just want to get it over with.