Welcome ladies and gents to a very special lesson in “How to destroy a once-promising TV legacy”.
When True Blood first burst on to the scene in October 2008, I was completely enamored by the show’s wacky sense of humor and relentless combination of violence and sex. But over the years, the show deviated from its core premise and started subjecting its viewers to an onslaught of irritating supernatural creatures and dreadful subplots. Sure there were bright spots here and there, and I always found myself eager to spend time in Bon Temps, but the show eventually fizzled out. Somehow, a small part of me always had hope that the show could perhaps go out on a high note. Obviously, that was never going to happen.
Only one aspect of the series finale caught me off-guard, and that was the show’s willingness to actually go through with killing off Bill. I kept waiting for some last minute save throughout that painfully elongated cemetery sequence, but to my surprise, Sookie actually killed Bill in absolutely gruesome fashion. The visual of her straddling him and then getting splattered before making her blood-drenched way out of the cemetery was just wonderful. In addition, Sookie even got some character development in the process as she made the decision not to give up her own identity (her Fae-side), and ultimately decided to use a stake instead of her energy ball to kill her one true “love.”
As for Sookie’s personal journey, she ends the show pregnant and married to a random guy whose face we never see. I appreciate the fact that we don’t know the guy’s identity because he’s useless in the grand scheme of things. But pregnant? That’s all Sookie amounted to? It’s a pretty 1950s ending if you ask me. What did being a fairy ever really amount to? Was she ever a kickass protagonist? Nope. She was a passive lead who rarely gave us anything to root for. It’s a terrible shame.
Perhaps the finale’s biggest misstep is the absolute lack of attention given to Pam and Eric who only receive around ten minutes of screentime. Sure it was great to see them spearhead New Blood into a gazillion-dollar industry before making their return to Fangtasia, but they deserved a whole lot more. The two were Blood‘s consistent bright spot, and they could have easily carried the show with their special brand of lovable evil. It’s heartening to see their legacies as characters go out intact.
I can not stress how rushed Jessica and Jason’s storylines were. Are we really expected to root for Jessica and Hoyt (and their random wedding) after all these years, not to mention Jason getting married to a random blonde bimbette who only joined the show a couple of episodes back? Nothing about these two pairings coming together felt organic or satisfying.
Bloody Bits
– Finally, Pam and Erick tapped into their badass sides and back-flipped over the Yakuza before offing them. Also awesome: Eric blowing up Mr. Gus and hat hysterical dancing moment as he drives off with dead bodies in the back
– My favorite scene of the episode: Sookie’s flashback with Grams. I still remember the latter’s death as one of the most shocking TV moments of the year.
– Andy got his moment in the finale, as he agreed to give Bill’s house to Jessica and Hoyt. Too bad Arlene wasn’t given a similarly poignant moment.
– Requisite hilarious Jason moment: his use of the word “prescription” instead of “perspective”.
– I’ll admit that I loved the fact that Sookie could finally hear Bill’s thoughts for the first time. This was a great payoff to seven seasons. If only the rest of the finale’s script was as fulfilling.
– Even Sarah bored me in the finale. So now she’s destined to be fed on below Fangtasia? Well, Pam did proclaim that Newlin would never be more than a “hooker”, but this seemed unnecessarily harsh to me. And please, no more Steve hallucinations.
– Not that I was ever Lafayette’s biggest fan, but he didn’t get a single line in the finale. Way to totally disrespect one of your regulars True Blood.
True Quips
Arlene: She can’t be pregnant, can she?
Holly: Oh, I don’t think so.
Arlene: But wouldn’t that be cool if she was?
Holly: Cute little baby vamp.
Arlene: With his little tiny teeth.
Holly: Breastfeeding would be a bitch.
Arlene: Hell, yeah.
Eric: We all remember Miss Newlin. She was the televangelist’s wife who had a second career as an international mass murderer.
Sarah: I’m a horrible person aren’t I?
Pam: Yes dear you are.
Eric: I’ve tried trusting, I’ve tried sharing and it’s just not fucking working for me. Now are you with me or not?
Pam: Oh I am so fucking with you.
Conclusion
It’s going to be difficult to look back fondly on True Blood. This was undoubtedly a show that provided me with a whole lot of entertainment over the past few years, but it’s also been the subject of a hell of a lot of disappointment. I never understood how the writers could waste so much potential with their multitude of pointless subplots and unconvincing characterization. It’s a pity the ending had to be such a downer, further tainting a legacy that began with such promise. So long True Blood; I hate to say it, but you won’t be missed, and that is the greatest misstep of all.
Nad Rating
C-
Disappointing finale, disappointing season in general… I am just glad this show is over, and yes it won't be missed.
My favorite scene of the hour was Eric bopping his head to the music while driving around with the dead bodies. Actually Pam & Eric's scenes were the only ones worth watching.
I am also disappointed that Lafayette didn't get any lines, I think he was one of the best characters on the show.
I already shared this on the FB page but I will share it again here because it truly depicts the reasons why I actually stuck with this show until the end. http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/why-we-keep-watching-bad-shows?utm_term=3as95bh#27d6t11
Roman here,
This finale was a real kick in the nads. lol Sorry I had to.
I think you covered it. I won't miss the show, but I will miss Eric and Pam. One of the things that kept getting thrown around in the backlash of the finale was an Eric and Pam spinoff, since they were kind of the only two people worth watching this year. I keep hearing, “this season and finale sucked, but at least Eric and Pam stayed awesome.”
Well, I called it before this season began. I knew it would be disappointing on multiple levels. I just had no idea how bad it would get. In my heart, the True Blood I cared about ended around Season 1 or 2.
I'm glad the show had the balls to go through with killing off Bill instead of undoing it with a last-minute twist. But what I don't get is why Sookie had to be the one to kill him. I knew Bill wanted her to move on from vampires romantically. But Sookie didn't have to kill Bill to accomplish that. He could have done it on his own easily.
I was happy to see Grams again and the full return of Eric and Pam as their badass selves when they took down Gus and his men though I wonder, if it was so easy, why they didn't do it sooner.
Your description of Sookie's ending is perfect. In the end, Sookie didn't amount to anything meaningful beside being the carrier of some addictive blood that attracts vampires. That makes most of what she went through in the show including the various hot men's fight for her attractions a massive waste of time. I'm just glad the show is finally put of its misery.
Amazing article Tag. Thanks! So damn appropriate! 🙂
Hahah thanks Roman!
So true. After season 2, I never really loved the show. I did however love Russel in season 3 and I enjoyed a lot of the Authority stuff in season 5. The rest was just….
And you're right, why did Sookie have to be the one to kill him? So contrived. He COULD have done it himself.
I loved Russell too. He was such a delightfully unpredictable character. I hated how he got killed off the way he did. He deserved a better exit like the one Gus Fring had.
The Authority should have remained in the background. I liked the idea of them as this shadowy group overseeing vampire kind.
One of the reasons why I loved True Blood back in its first two seasons was that the conflicts were of a personal, local nature possessing some substance and the show increasingly veer away from that after that. They tried to correct that in Season 7 but the damage was already done.