The biggest thing Lost Cause has going for it is the fact that it packs True Blood‘s entire cast in one location. That brilliant move focuses the hour, and allows all of the characters to interact with one another instead of wandering off on their own useless subplots. And as a result, True Blood produced a surprisingly excellent hour for the second week in a row.
I’m not usually a fan of relationship dramas this close to the end, but the various couplings going on at the Stackhouse residence proved to be immensely amusing. Not only did we get Jessica walking in on Lafayette and James doing the dirty deed, we also witnessed Violet overhear Jessica and Jason getting it on. The former hookup had been brewing under the surface for a while, but the latter is bound to create some explosive fireworks (knowing Violet’s highly unstable behavior). I’m not exactly shocked that the writers decided to reunite Jason and Jessica, but perhaps it could have been executed with a bit more finesse? But let’s be honest, finesse has never been True Blood‘s modus operandi.
Speaking of couples, the writers have evidently realized that they want Sookie and Bill to be the show’s endgame couple. Honestly I would have preferred Eric, but since it looks like he won’t be getting a happy ending (I’d love to be proven otherwise), I guess we’ll have to make our peace with Bill and Sookie. Now if only we didn’t have to suffer through those horrendous Civil War flashbacks. Can anyone tell me what those were about? Because I’m pretty sure I zoned out. Here’s hoping they tie to the last-minute reveal of Bill contracting the virus.
My favorite element of this week’s hour was watching Pam and Eric infiltrate the gala and hunt down Sarah Newlin. It’s always great to watch Alexander Skarsgard and Kristen Beaufort play off each other, and this week was certainly no exception. Plus, we got some thrilling action with the Yakuza crashing the party and slaughtering everyone in sight (including Sarah’s parents), culminating with Eric facing off with Sarah before marvelously (and gruesomely) tearing a guy’s face off. Now this is the True Blood I fell in love with.
Sadly, something prevented this hour from being truly great, and that’s my completely and utter detachment from Alcide’s death. I’ve rambled on before regarding how pointless his character was, but Lost Cause really needed us to care about his loss. Since he was nothing more than a useless pair of abs, Sookie’s loss ended up being a terribly unemotional affair for viewers. I know I should have felt sad, but I felt anything but. And that’s an egregious failure on the writing team’s part.
Bloody Bits
– Utterly hilarious teaser with Ginger wanting to fuck Eric. I would pay to watch a spinoff featuring these two and Pam.
– Lafayette tucking Sookie in was surprisingly touching.
– Violet’s condolences to Sookie were hilarious as she recounted the pain of losing her “first hundred boyfriends.’ And her insulting Grams’ wedding ring? Priceless.
– Lettie Mae’s speech about Tara being a hero actually kind of convinced me. And her stabbing Willa made me laugh – what a nutcase.
– Lafayette’s strongest scene in years: berating Jessica with that fantastic speech as we realized just how lonely he’d been.
– Andy got two powerful scenes this week: the first was his forgiving Jessica, and the second was his wedding proposal to Holly. I honestly can’t remember the last time I enjoyed his character this much.
– As always, Carrie Preston is the show’s MVP. Arlene’s speech to Sookie about dealing with death was a thing of beauty.
– It was refreshing to see Sookie hear positive thoughts from people from once. It was a nice contrast to all the slut-shaming we’ve heard throughout the seasons.
– The twist with Sarah’s sister being a vampire provided a nice hypocritical counterpoint to the villain’s devious ways.
– Nicole’s outburst would have been more effective had it been delivered by a character who had an actual personailty. Why is she even still on the show? Some things never change.
– Sookie wearing Alcide’s jacket at the end should have brought us to tears. Not.
True Quips
Pam: (after Eric releases Willa) Like being kicked in the cooch by a wallaby isn’t it?
Ginger: I have been your sex slave for 15 years, Eric Northman, and we ain’t never had sex. Blowjob. Handjob. nothin’. Do you know what a sex slave is without the sex?
Pam: A slave?
Ginger: Now you are takin’ me with you to Dallas, and if you can’t fuckin’ take me, then you had better fuckin’ fuck me before you go.
Jason: You look really pretty Sook.
Sookie: Thanks so do you.
Jason: Thanks. It’s a miracle when you can finally shower.
Sookie: I was talking to Violet.
Arlene: Nothing’s gonna help heal this pain you’re feeling but time. And tequila.
Pam: Oh my god. I’m a republi-cunt.
Lettie Mae: People think I’m crazy, because I used to have a drinking problem.
Lafayette: They think you’re crazy because you just stabbed somebody Auntie!
Sam: Here’s your knife.
Sookie: Thanks.
Conclusion
Another engaging hour from an invigorated season. Let’s hope True Blood doesn’t fumble the final stretch.
Nad Rating
A-
Just how many of Bill's flashbacks do we have to endure? But the ones in this episode are by far the worst. I still can't see the point behind them either.
Loved the review!
I consider Bill's flashbacks pointless too. It's probably the show's way of getting the audience care about him as a character again. That hasn't been the case for me. The idea of Sookie and Bill being the endgame couple bores me to tears. I felt whatever they had truly ended in Season 3. There's been some lingering sparks here and there but there is too much baggage between them compounded by the past few seasons. I wish I could say she and Eric hook up because I like the Eric character but I honestly don't care because I'm not invested in Sookie's story as much as I was back in Season 1. I enjoyed Eric and Pam's storyline just as much as you, Nadim, and I was almost convinced by Lettie Mae's speech about Tara. It seemed like Tara's mother was coming out of her craziness and becoming a more sympathetic character. That was before she stabbed Willa. I see the Lafayette-James hookup coming from a mile away. But I was hoping a Jason-Jessica hookup wouldn't happen. I actually like the Violet character and I think she sometimes has a positive effect on Jason.
Thanks Tagouga 🙂
“The idea of Sookie and Bill being the endgame couple bores me to tears. I felt whatever they had truly ended in Season 3”
Perfectly stated! Thanks for commenting suncore 🙂