Frenzy, Episode 11

"Finding your frenzy" is definitely the theme of this episode. In the scene outside Lafayette's house when Sookie is describing to Lafayette what was inside Tara's mind, she says it feels like your insides are being queezed out. Lafayette replies, "That would be nice." Some foreshadowing? Hmmmm....

The frenzy also takes place at Queen Sophie Anne's palace. The Queen played by Evan Rachel Wood (come on, ERW, do better next time -- you're a better actress than this!) is drinking Cousin Hadley's blood (Sookie's first cousin mentioned in Epi 6 of Season 1 as having disappeared after her drug rehab paid for by Gran) and teasing Bill by not giving him the 411 on defeating the Maenad Marianne right away. I was so nervous that we would find out that Bill was a double agent or he fell in love with Sookie under the Queen's orders but unless I'm missing something, I could see no such thing. This is a big departure from the books! Yay! The only juice Eric could pin on Bill was that he knew about him giving Sookie is blood in Epi 2, Season 1. How did he know? Perhaps he was flying through Bon Temps? Spies? So with much relief, Bill is still a good guy and wants to save the town. He even lets Sookie know where he is via text. I wonder what his text said? Soookie, it is required that I must stay an extra day. Miss you, Love Bill :< Is Eric the one who works for the Queen? They're doing some wheeling and dealing next episode.

Eric is not a nice fellow and I don't what you Team Eric people think (although he's a great antagonist to Bill) Eric's form in Lettie Mae's dress terrorized poor Lafayette as we also learn Laf is having some sexy Eric dreams and he was nasty to Arlene's kids. One of the best lines of the show was Eric saying "teacup humans" when referring to Cody and Lisa who accompany Sam to Fangtasia to ask for Eric's help. I hope it'll soon be revealed why Eric is making Laf sell v-blood.

Can you believe Jason and Andy know Sam's secret and they all act like it's no big "thang." I just love the way Andy pronounces "thang." I know you all are also wondering why Andy's not affected by Marianne. I believe he's also a supe and perhaps Jason is as well (part were-panther, according to the book lore). I also loved Jason and Andy's exchange in the truck when they talked about pussy, Jason's popularity and Jason's knee issues. Good stuff. I loved the part about Jason wondering if Sam would eat his own egg if he turned into a chicken. (more foreshadowing!)

The show did drag a bit when Sookie and Laf go after Tara and Andy and Jason raid the sherrif's office for weapons. How stupid is Tara? and how stupid is Sookie and Laf for going after her? I guess that's what you do for your friends. You go into a stinky, vile house with guys playing with intestines in your sink. I have to say I didn't feel bad when Karl got the ricocheted bullet when Marianne pulled a "Darth Vader" and when Jane Bodehouse cut off her finger. Poor Laf -- he's now under the influence just like he wanted to be at the top of the episode.

So what's up with the giant egg in Gran's room? From the preview, we know that Bill has made Sam the sacrificial dog and Jason shoots someone he doesn't mean to. Marianne is wearing a wedding dress and Sookie has on a bridemaid's gown. Can't wait till the 13th -- a little less than 2 weeks and then we won't see a new episode till June 2010 -- it's almost as bad as waiting for Lost to start.

Till next time!

A New World in My View, Episode 10

In last week's too-short episode (45 minutes -- come on, Alan Ball! So that means this post will be short as well), we saw what happened when Sookie returned home and when Bill tried to fight off Mariann. Sookie has some sort of zapping power (could be from a fairy..hmmm....) and when Bill bit into the maenad, he vomited black bile -- not good. We also had the cliffhanger of Jessica biting Maxine Fortenberry as Hoyt is flung aside like an old gym sock - will Maxine be drained? Will Hoyt want to save his mom? Good stuff. Also, Jason goes Rambo to save Bon Temps at Merlotte's where everyone is gathered for another orgy. Jason temporarily saves Sam by faking the "God who comes" and after Sam shifts into a fly and then extinguishes the flare's flames only wearing an apron, Andy declares, that's the last drink I'll have.

Then after Bill and Sookie work in tandem to save Tara's soul Bill tells Sookie he knows of a vampire who might help them defeat Mariann. Our last scene has Bill strutting (he's gotten his mo jo back!) to see a naked leg full of blood inside the Queen's palace.

I can't wait for tonight episode to reveal Bill's relationship with Queen Sophie-Anne and I know this relationship will do something to wreck Bill and Sookie's relationship. I guess it has to happen in order for the show to stay interesting. I just hope Bill will return for Episode 12.

I took an image of the figurine that seems to hold Mariann's power. This blog has done an excellent job of researching this figure and its meaning in the show -- Enjoy!

I Will Rise Up, Episode 9

This episode completed the cliffhanger from last time -- the bomb does go off and everyone is OK, except for Stan the Dallas Sheriff (no great loss) and Sookie's independence from Eric. Now that Eric has tricked Sookie into drinking his blood they are forever linked. I know that the Team Eric fans are loving this and that they can't wait for Eric to be Sookie's boyfriend. Now wait a minute: this is still the same Eric that imprisoned and tortured Lafayette and who called Bill's maker to torture him so he couldn't rescue Sookie. Still, Eric is very charming and he's fun to watch, but that doesn't mean I want Bill to stand aside. TV Bill is the good guy and is the moral force of the show. He is the guy who could be us if we turned into a vampire; he was turned against his will and he is fighting tooth and nail for love and for his humanity. Book Bill is not the same as TV Bill and I think almost everyone out there knows that. Book Bill wasn't as developed as Book Eric and he doesn't think of Sookie's feelings when his own needs come first. If we had a main character of wishy washy morals (wait, that's Eric) we'd have another Mad Men and Don Draper on our hands and one is enough, thank you. Our Bill played by Stephen Moyer is a gentleman who didn't yell at Sookie when she drank Eric's blood. He could have! Instead, he says, you did so because you are so tender-hearted and Eric took advantage of that. Book Bill kills the humans after the lair bombing, while TV Bill shows mercy. I hope that Bill continues to fight hard for Sookie's love and humanity. I believe that Eric wants to turn Sookie into vampire.

Another great point in the episode was when Lafayette and Lettie Mae confronted Marianne to get Tara back. Lafayette: "I'm feeling you and you a soulless bitch!" Again, Nelsan Ellis was beyond perfect and I was mad he didn't get enough screen time. I also loved Jason and Sookie's heart-to-heart and Hoyt's confrontation with his mom who hates everyone, especially women who wear red shoes. Just when you think this show is too crazy, the real emotions the characters feel ground everything. Way to go, Alan Ball, et al! Of course, the greatest catharsis was Godric's death by sun at the episode's conclusion. Thanks to Sookie's courage to stand by his side till the end, Godric is still surprised after 2,000 years and he meets the sun without fear.

Next week: our good guys return to Bon Temps and find it's been hit by Hurricane Marianne (not Bill!). I guess everyone will regroup at Bill's or Jason's house since Marianne has taken over Sookie's place. Next episode will also bring the characters who don't spend a lot of time together in the same frame -- as usual, can't wait till Sunday!

Timebomb, Episode 8

This was the episode where our favorite characters finally came together (OK, minus Lafayette and the vampires) and interacted. Godric saves Sookie and Eric must do his maker's bidding. A great line from Eric in tonight's episode was him telling Sookie, "Don't use words I don't understand," in reference to love. Sookie must be wondering why Bill didn't swoop in and save her, but she knows something's amiss. It seems she's smartened up since last season (and she's definitely not like Book Sookie).

Godric, the goodwill vampire ambassador in action tells Eric there will be no bloodshed and Eric complies, as do the rest of the cast of characters who come trouping into the FOTS sanctuary: Bill, Jason, Stan and his vampires, and lastly Godric who stops the madness. Jason has the best lines in the whole show, especially after he tells Rev Steve where he's seen heaven, "inside your wife!" HA HA!!! Good going, Jason. I didn't like you very much last season (well, I liked you better after you gave Vampire Eddie Tru Blood), but Jason is becoming more layered this season -- let's hope it lasts. Once everyone gathers at the nest we have more juicy conflict as Bill touches Eric to let him know Sookie is his and that he didn't appreciate being held against his will by that witch Lorena. Then we have a conversation between Eric, Bill and Sookie. Then Sookie wants to talk to Bill about why he's been withdrawing from her and then Jason interupts them to take Bill away and apologize to him for being anti-vampire. THEN we get the Lorena/Sookie confrontation the preview clips have been teasing us with. Sookie fights Lorena off and then Godric tells the pathetic creature to pack her bags out of Dallas. Bill has to escort her out, so he's safe when the Lukeinator joins the party with a ton of explosives. Not good...not good....

We can't forget about poor Sam. He gets caught with Daphne's body and the cops are looking for him. How's he going to get out of this one? Maybe Bill will come to his rescue. After eating Daphne's heart in the Hunter Souffle, Tara and Eggs are ready to kill each other (in a good way) while Mariann admires her work. Disgusting.

And Jessica can't get a break. She'll be a virgin forever, but Hoyt will be by her side, unless Mama Fortenberry decides to seriously intervene and you all know she will!

In the next episode Sookie and Eric will share a blood bond (it has to happen, I guess), Bill (or maybe it'll be Stan to prompt the Nan Flanagan visit) will fly into a rage and then they'll get to Bon Temps and find it in tatters. I can't wait to see the confrontation between Mariann and Bill.

till next Sunday, Trubies!

Alice

Release Me, Episode 7

At the end of last week's episode, I predicted that Andy Bellfleur would come and save the day since he was the only human in Bon Temps not "glamoured" by Mariann. And, yes, Andy distracted Sam long enough for him to fly high like an owl.
Great beginning to a very strong episode that gave us more background into the Bill/Lorena relationship, which happily ended in LA in 1935 after 70+ years. The show is named after Bill telling Lorena to "Release me," from her chains of love. The maker/makee relationship is apparently that strong. The maker wants her progeny, she can have him. Bill can't get out of his hotel room to save Sookie, thanks to Lorena's detention skills, but the good news is that Bill finds out who's behind all of this duplicity: Eric! The cad! He wants Sookie all to himself and doesn't want Bill to rescue her if she falls into danger. He also wants to insinuate doubt in Sookie's mind that Bill wasn't there to rescue her. I suppose Eric is OK with Sookie getting hurt, or believes that he can help her in the nick of time. Or maybe he thinks that the Fellowship of the Sun isn't that powerful, but, wait, they have Godric, the 2K-old vampire and I know that bugs him. I like Godric; he saves Sookie from an attempted rape by Gabe.
Back to Sam: He confronts Daphne at the swimming hole and sure says the F word a lot. We viewers really learn what Mariann is if we didn't know already: a maead, or a follower of Dioniysus. There is a Ancient Greek thread running through tonight's episode since Bill was reading "A History of Ancient Greece" in his 1935 flashback. Very interesting.
One of the funniest scenes tonight was when Andy comes storming into Merlotte's all mud-stained and stinky telling everyone that they are all devil-worshippers and orgy followers. They look at him blankly because Mariann has blacked out their memories of orgy. But, Arlene knows she had sex with the celebate Terry and Tara can't figure out how she and Eggs ended up on the couch after walking in the woods following the clothes trail.
Meanwhile in Dallas, Hoyt and Jessica make love for the first time for both of them as they listen to Leona Lewis's "Bleeding Love." How sweet! This interlude provides a little breather between scenes before we jump into Jason's escape from Gabe who calls Sookie a vampire whore. Unfortunately, Sarah stuns Jason. Rev. Steve makes the connection between Sookie and Jason, so that means Hugo the traitor never gave Sookie's name to them.
Barry the telepath catches Sookie's message and goes to Bill's room to rely the message that she's in danger. Eric hears the news and rushes out 200-mph to the FOTC church.

what will next week bring? Sookie gets out, Eric changes places with Godric, and hopefully Sookie has some choice words for Lorena. Can't wait for Sunday, Aug. 9th!

Tell me what your favorite scene was in Episode 7.