Now we’re talking.
That’s not to say this was a perfect episode – far from it. But at least this hour restored a sense of fun to the proceedings, while sustaining the show’s signature wit. There’s a long way to go before True Blood can reclaim its luster (it probably won’t though I’d love to be proven otherwise), but this was the season’s first truly effective hour.
Simply put, I attribute this episode’s success to the epic flashbacks featuring Pam and Eric. It was fantastic to see the beginnings of Fangtasia (an adult video store no less), and the defining moment of Eric becoming Sheriff. The fact that the writers managed to tie the bar’s history to Ginger was just icing on the cake. It’s subplots such as this one that supply the show with a sense of gravitas and weight after seven seasons worth of storytelling. However….
Why are we still wasting time on sequences as pointless as Jason and Sam visiting Kevin’s wife Rosie? And if you don’t know who the latter two are, I don’t blame you because they’re enormously superfluous characters. It boggles my mind that True Blood‘s writing staff is still so oblivious to the screen-time they waste on useless characters and subplots. I guess some things will never change and I need to make peace with that.
Bloody Bits
– Jason calling Hoyt and telling him about his momma was kind of touching I guess.
– Laugh-out loud moment: the Magister throwing the keys at Pam who blankly stares at him instead of catching them.
– The green screen effect with Sam and Jason driving was shockingly horrendous. Really HBO? You can’t afford something that looks marginally believable?
– Sookie getting through to Jessica with her speech was probably one of the character’s better moments. She still sucks as a protagonist.
– I can’t get over the fact that Ginger came up with the idea for Fangtasia. Her entire pitch with Eric on the throne was beyond priceless and awesome. Naturally, Pam stole her idea.
– Hilariously sad sight with Eric struggling to punch through the wall.
– Fascinating moment with Pam telling Bill that it will never work out for him and Sookie.
– The fight sequence wasn’t bad huh? Could have been longer though.
– Badass moment: Jason blowing the vamp to bits and saving Sookie.
– As if I needed further proof that Carrie Preston was a exceptional actress, she went on ahead and delivered that brilliant hallucination scene as she reconnected with Terry before almost-dying. Wow.
True Quips
Jackson: He loved the fuck out of you Sookie.
Pam: (about Sookie) She’s like a fucking fungus that just won’t go away.
Ginger: Eric Northman is nothing if he is not pure fucking sex on a throne.
Sookie: (as Bill feeds on her) It’s just lunch.
Pam: Ginger, look at yourself and look at me. Who has better taste?
Conclusion
Although it has its flaws, Death Is Not The End is the strongest episode of the season thus far.
Nad Rating
B+
I admit this wasn't a bad episode largely because of Eric and Pam. The scene with Sookie and Jessica was one of the few moments on the show that I actually liked Sookie. I wish she was more like that. It would make her a more compelling protagonist.
Roman here,
After the first three episodes, I was prepared to hate this one. But it was the first and maybe only good episode of the season. In large part, it's because of the amount of Eric and Pam we saw. The flashbacks, which some have called unnecessary, were great.
I do agree about the Rosie scene being a waste of time, but one good thing did come out of it, something nobody has mentioned. Jason told her the plan to raid Fangtasia, which was extremely stupid, but come on, it's Jason we're talking about here. This led to the vigilantes arriving at Fangtasia to be killed, so we don't have to endure them anymore, including Rosie who was killed by Eric.
Definitely 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
You're right they did come to the rescue at the end (I totally forgot). Let's hope the show keeps it up!!
Finally a decent episode this season and I can see we all agree that it was because of Eric and Pam, and Ginger as well. Sookie's scene with Jessica would've been much more powerful if it weren't for Sookie herself. And Lafayette is always fun to watch!
Arlene finally saying a proper goodbye to Terry was a sweet moment but please let us never see this guy again because he reminds me of this show's worst moments.
Another quote I liked was Eric telling Bill: “Pam says you wrote a book where you claim not be an asshole anymore”.. Eric and Pam had the best lines in this episode.
So true about Terry. He really does remind me of the show hitting rock bottom. Ugh.