'True Blood': If everybody's supernatural, then nobody is

 Usually, after a big, game-changing event like last week's Russell newscaster massacre, a TV show like "True Blood" will take a breather episode, figuring out a way to slow things for a week or two before heading in for another big episode. Part of the fun of the second season of "True Blood" was that it never slowed down, but that also meant that it ran out of story around Episode 10 and then dragged out the revelation of how the gang got rid of Mary Ann over the last two episodes, which were truly terrible. This season, the show has interspersed slower-moving episodes among all of the other ones, and the pacing is working better. But it still feels weird to go from an episode that ends on such a huge note and head into an episode where the big event is barely even mentioned. 

Still, we got plenty of developments in this one, enough to make it mostly enjoyable, even if it felt patchy in places. There was definitely a sense at points of the writers realizing they had only three episodes to wrap up all of the storylines they've set in motion, and that led to scenes that felt disjointed from everything else. (I'm still not sure just why we had to keep flashing back to Sam's adventures as a con-man drifter type in 2003 other than as an oblique promo for Fox's excellent new series "Lone Star.") The whole season has felt disjointed in places — that's been its biggest problem — but this episode felt especially ADD, because we learned that Sookie's a fairy, Lafayette's some sort of shaman voodoo king dude, and Crystal is, uh, a were-panther. Now that's the sort of reveal you don't get on just any other show.

The Sookie reveal was the most satisfying. I know I said a few weeks ago that I would be disappointed if she turned out to be a fairy, since that seemed so predictable. While that's still the case, I liked all of the backstory that got filled in here. Fairy blood is so delectable to vampires that the fairy "race," as it were, was hunted to extinction or at least the brink of it by the vampires. That would explain why all of Sookie's newfound fairy friends thought that Bill would steal her light, and it would also explain just why he was able to stumble around in sunlight after drinking her blood. It also explains why all vampires seem to find the merest drop of Sookie's blood irresistible and keep following the girl around with hangdog expressions. Frankly, it's a reveal that could have been built to better, but aside from the initial disappointment of how predictable it was, everything hung together in the end. It's not my favorite moment in the show's history, but it also didn't rub me the wrong way like I thought it would. (Just why is Sookie a fairy? Well, a fairy seduced one of her female ancestors, and the "fairy gene" has been passed down, apparently. I'd say it was on the X chromosome, since Jason seems blissfully and completely human, but her little boy cousin had fairy powers last week. So the fairy gene must just be recessive.)

On the other hand, the other two reveals were fairly laughable. The lengthy sequence where Jesus and Lafayette wandered through some kind of video collage of their mutual ancestries was just strikingly poorly filmed, looking like something out of a shoddy student film or something. I liked some of the touches in it — like the two speaking with each other's voices at one point — but most of it just felt clumsy and overly expository. I get that Lafayette died in the books, so they have to figure out something to do with the guy, who was one of the most vital characters in Season 1. However, there's no reason to make him yet another person uncovering a secret origin story filled with powers he was only half aware of. It didn't help that this weird dream sequence seemed to go on forever.

I honestly don't know what to say about the Crystal revelation. At one point, Jason was shouting. Then he looked back over his shoulder, and there was a panther where Crystal was. Then the panther turned back into Crystal, and she gave him a cagey smile. I'm sure we'll get more fallout from this next week, but it was another reveal that was handled in a graceless, poorly directed fashion. Now you see her; now you see a panther. I did like the kiss between Jason and Tara and his informing her that he was the one who killed Eggs. Both of those developments have been a long time in coming, and both of them felt fairly natural coming in the context of this episode. But the whole were-panther thing? That could have been much, much smoother.

Honestly, it's starting to feel like the show is just giving everyone supernatural powers for the heck of it. I suspect that Jason will never get powers, but the world of "True Blood" works better when we're seeing the vampires interact with SOME humans, and I'm worried the show is losing that central core as we turn even old stalwarts like Lafayette into shamans and stuff. In addition, the show returned to its trudging political allegory, because it tried to make the argument that what one vampire does should not stand in for what all vampires do. This is an argument I guess I'd buy if vampires could subsist on something other than human blood (and yeah, yeah True Blood exists and they can eat that instead and so on), but the show's political allegory has always been one of its weakest points, and I had hoped last week's revelations would blow that up.

All in all, this episode had the feel of a giant faucet being opened, to let out all of the plot points the show's been holding back for a few weeks. Sookie and Eric kissed, first in a dream, then in real life. Then he locked her in a basement. Sam ... did some stuff. Hoyt attempted to reunite with Jessica, and then Sam's younger brother (whom I keep wanting to call LJ, after his "Prison Break" character) attacked him in dog form. Russell's outburst was all the talk of the 24-hour cable news networks, but it seemed to have little-to-no effect on the characters on the show. Eric signed some paperwork and tried to get everyone on board with his plan to take out Russell, with little effect. Other stuff happened, washing over the audience with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. I know I said above that this episode was slow-moving, but it also wasn't. It was an episode where a lot happened, but it all happened in the most boring and expository fashion possible. It was the worst episode of the season.

Other thoughts:

• One of the best things about "True Blood" is the way it suggests this whole other supernatural world that's been going on behind the scenes of human history. I dearly hope we get to see some of the history of the fairies next season.
• Listen, I'm just going to say this: If you hook up with a guy in an alley, and that guy has been all over the TV for MURDERING SOMEONE BY RIPPING OUT THEIR SPINE, you deserve what's coming to you. I get that things are heady when you're young and in love, but, c'mon. Current events, people!
• Congratulations to Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer on their recent nuptials (assuming they ever read this).
• I didn't watch tonight's episode on DVR for reasons you won't care about. So if I messed anything up above, let me know, and I'll correct it. (DVR is definitely helpful on a show that moves as quickly and among as many storylines as this one does, and I was missing my rewind button tonight.) Me messing things up does NOT extend, however, to my overall opinion of the episode, which would have been terrible if I had watched it frame by frame.
• Or you can let me know just how wrong I am in comments, via e-mail, or via Twitter.
• "Fairy blood is delectable and intoxicating to vampires."
• "I may be skinny, but I ain't evil!"
• "I can tell you're a sexual person, Hoyt Fortenberry."
• "It's not respect when your employees think you're a psychopath."
• "All you see is the quirky vampire girl who bites her nails."

--Todd VanDerWerff (follow me on Twitter at @tvoti)

Photo: This didn't actually come from tonight's episode, but everybody likes Pam (Kristin Bauer van Straten)! Credit: HBO.

Related articles:

'True Blood' Saturdays: 'We will eat you after we eat your children.'

'True Blood': Finally, a 24-hour news channel I'd watch

Complete Show Tracker 'True Blood' coverage

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Comments

[Gilda]

In the books Sookie was revealed as being part fairy, and yes, Crystal was a were-panther there as well. Sam's being a shifter was also a part of that pot.

The Lafayette as baby voodoo king storyline is more than a bit much. It's like Bon Temps and the area around it are some hotbed of supernatural people and activities. It's like Ball feels that everyone's got to be "special", and that's just plain stupid.

At this rate, the only human they're going to have in Bon Temps is Tara, and she is only a peripheral character in the books. Alan Ball made the part much much bigger when he got hold of the story -- and turned her into the series train wreck.

[Tyler]

The were-panther reveal, though clunky, is not quite as you remember it. Crystal was MIA, having run off after her father yelled at her; right after Jason kicked Bill out of his house - an actually affecting moment, allowing Jason to do more than look sexily confused - he heard a noise from another room. He discovered the panther, which became Crystal.

[firsties]

FIRST. no escape 4 u VanDerFirst.

[Annie]

As a History geek I need to point out that Pam's name is 'Pamela Swynford de Beaufort'. Katherine Swynford de Beaufort was the third wife of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (son of King Edward III) and thereby the ancestress of every king and queen of England since Henry VII. Interesting.

[Allen]

Great recap... here's another question about the HBO show causing controversy

Is True Blood really TOO gay?

Check out the debate currently raging about the HBO vampire saga… and weigh in with your own thoughts…

http://www.remotepatrolled.com/2010/08/is-true-blood-too-gay/

[mm]

Did anyone notice Sookie has a flat screen on top of a floor model tv? I havent seen that in a movie in a long time. This episode focused on the couples and less about killing. Love the kissing between eric and sookie though.

[John K.]

Jason heard crystal in were-panther form break into his bedroom window and then she turned into a human. She didn't come in as a human and then turn.

[misty madonna]

Love your current events gripe. hahaha

Love reading about True Blood every week on the LA Times.

[Sandy]

I love your comments every week on True Blood. That said I have to add that right from the beginning I was thinking "Set up show." The V dream sequence did go on forever and it felt like a cheap amusement park ride. I did like Jason's reaction to Crystal... "Oh Mamma!" Finally in the previews for next week we see Eric walking in the sunlight.

[JW]

The drink is Tru Blood there's no e.

[AT]

Having taken the series in a public and political direction after Roger's infomercial for authentic vamp cruelty, the writers for some reason decided to go private in this episode. The story line would have been much better served if they had continued in the same line. Roger's act is a political crisis for the entire mainstreaming vamp movement and needless to say, the originality of the show revolves around the success or failure of vamps to be human. The "authority's" attempt to control the crisis should have been at the forefront of the narrative mode, not simply a back story. Eric could have easily played a leading and official role in the anti-roger hunt. Instead we got 55 minutes of non sense about minor characters, when the heart of the show concerns the attempt of vampires to live in society. A venture which is in danger of failing and if it does then where does the show go from here?

[gorilla glue]

I thought Jason had the working tv on top of the older tv? Which fits into that old Jeff Foxworthy joke about, "if you have a working tv on top of a broken tv, you might be a redneck."

[Kathy]

I definitely agree with you the worst episode of the season. Even though a lot was revealed it just dragged.

One correction. Jason heard a noise went into his room and a black panther was sitting there and THEN it turned into Crystal. It didn't go Crystal, panther, Crystal.

What I think the series suffers from that fact that is there are many story lines and so little time to tell them, that we miss character development and motivation that would make viewing much more satisfying.

[Mel C]

The best line was delivered by Pam: "Blah blah, vampire emergency, blah." Coming from her, it was priceless.

I hated the sequences about Sam. Sam is a GOOD GUY! AAAArgh!!! I can't believe they made me see him in a different light. I am SO disappointed about that. I'M DISAPPOINTED, ALAN BALL!!! And there's no way to fix it now.

Todd, you got the Crystal sequence a little off. She busted through the window (or sliding glass door?) in Jason's bedroom, after Jason uninvited Bill from his house. So Jason went to check out the commotion, and lo and behold "there's a panther in my bedroom!" It was a beautiful panther, but I thought the American kind (in the south) was a sandy color, or is that just the Florida panthers? But I digress. I liked Jason's reaction "Oh, mama..."

Sookie's knowledge that she's part fairy came too soon on the series, so there must be something big brewing. If I caught the previews correctly... it seems that Eric is walking around in the sunlight. I hope I'm not spoiling it for everybody. Those of us who have DVR's and can slow the previews down a notch can see that's what he did... but it could be another dream sequence, who knows?

Annie, by the way, I LOVED your comment. Thanks so much for the history. That was amazing! :-)
It also makes sense that Eric would have chosen Pam with her royal bloodlines, if Eric is the son of a king himself, huh?

[lostfansincedayone]

Jason saw the panther in his room - then it turned into Crystal. She wasn't shifting back and forth. Also someone commented on Sookie have the flat screen tv on top of the floor model - it was Jason's house, not hers. Also, Jesus and Lafayette weren't dreaming - they were on "V" and that was causing the third eye type revelations....

[motywsuszarki]

I am most disappointed with Sookie being "just" a fairy. Alan Ball altered some of the best plotlines from the books supposedly to keep the show interesting for those who already read them. After the build-up that took almost 3 seasons, I would expect this great reveal to be a bit more surprising than showing us something that most of us already knew.

[Ashley]

And apparently the new waitress is a witch... not surprised there. Am I the only one who is super bored with the Sookie and Bill romance. More Eric and Sookie please!! Bill is so one-note and Sookie is so dumb, I feel like whatever horrible and untrustworthy thing Bill has done against Sookie still won't get her to leave him. I haven't read the books, so I don't know if the show is following them or not when it comes to the big love triangle. Hopefully the fact that Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer have gotten married won't affect the show. The way I understand it Bill is slowly written out of the books and Sookie's life anyway. I just don't know if True Blood and Alan Ball have the balls to do that to Moyer.

[TA]

Just a quick genetics refresher: Everyone has an X chromosome. You need it to survive. So the fairy powers could easily be X linked.

[Antonia deBarros]

I enjoyed reading your review but I have to tell you that I completely disagree with you. The worst episode of the season? I thought it was the best one yet! Yes, it can feel a bit disjointed but I believe that is the feeling the writers are going with this season. Everything will pull back together in the end and perhaps we will get a more cohesive season next year but I don't mind the way things are this time around. As for the La La/Jesus scene... hmm, I think I agree with you when you say it was too long. But I did enjoy La La's acting in that scene, even if it was a bit silly. I believe they showed Sam's dark past to set up a new side of his character. I feel like Sam is a broken man now and that sweet/caring character that we've come to love is about to disappear for a long, long time. As for the were-panther thing, it felt like they just needed to get that out of the way already- and the same for the fairy thing. I could go on and on but over all I think this episode was great. They threw a lot of information at us and I caught it all. I loved it and am excited to see what they hit us with next week! You can see how I felt about the episode on my youtube channel bloodlustbites =)

[Ann Non]

Read the books. Most of this follows the storyline.