True Blood Season 4 (spoilers)

[CaptainChewbacca]

Well the Fairies might still be interested in Sookie, but Queen Mab sealed up the door between their world and ours, so they can't get to us.

[Alferd Packer]

I think they're trying to close down plotlines so that they can cherry-pick from the remaining source material. I would suspect that they're going to abandon the whole one-book-per-season structure next year and start mixing and matching.

[FaxModem1]

What do you mean? How would that work? Consider that I'm not familiar with the source material at all, so I'm wondering what all that would entail and what it would look like.

An example would be great.

[Dread Not]

Well the Fairies might still be interested in Sookie, but Queen Mab sealed up the door between their world and ours, so they can't get to us.

So did Claudine have special access privileges as Sookie's fairy godmother or something?

[CaptainChewbacca]

I figured she was stuck in our world when the door closed.

[Dread Not]

I figured she was stuck in our world when the door closed.

Possible, but she was telling Sookie to come with her, and it was heavily implied that she wanted to take her back to the fairy realm. Sookie did question the Queen sealing the portals between the two worlds but didn't get an answer. I suppose Claudine was maybe just going to whisk Sookie off to a safe house or something. Oh well, time will tell. Maybe.

[Alferd Packer]

What do you mean? How would that work? Consider that I'm not familiar with the source material at all, so I'm wondering what all that would entail and what it would look like.

An example would be great.

Well, off the top of my head, Queen Sophie-Anne is dead-dead, right? So that means book six needs to be significantly altered, as pretty much the entire plot revolves around the Queen of Louisiana marrying the King of Arkansas, and takes place in New Orleans. It also means that the reason for Sookie even going to New Orleans in the first place is no longer valid.

The seventh book then deals with the fallout of said marriage, taking place mainly at a massive vampire convention up in Illinois somewhere. Without Sophie-Anne, there needs to be some hefty rewriting to have a main plot.

I'm sure they could do the rewrites easily enough, but since they're straying further and further away from the source material, the idea that they have to cover one book in the single season is making less and less sense.

[Faqa]

So close to examining a real societal issue of vampires and humans.... and yet so far, as the show takes Antonia to cackling evil villain. Can I get an Andy Bellfleur-style "FUCK" here?

Beyond that -

- If you can't afford Deborah Ann Woll's tits, then you can't afford her tits. That's fine, Jessica's plotlines typically don't need fanservice to be interesting. But for god's sake, blatant cover-ups like the sex scene in Jason's truck just look ridiculous. And on that note, I am very disappointed in Jason as a character. Hope this ends up blowing up in both their faces. I'm still clinging to the idea that this plot will develop the characters.

Also: HOYT IS A GODDAMNED PUSSY. I'm not condemning for him for what he threw in Jessica's face last episode, but he could fucking man up and not send other people to return boxes because he's too afraid to look at her. Instead, he chooses to write his opinion on a box and courier it to her. This is like the textbook definition of pussy.

- "I wish I was dead - but then I AM dead and it's not helping!"
"There were times when I thought of setting aside my career to become a Maker. You have permanently made me decide otherwise".
HA! It's good to see someone take up the snark quotient with Pam absent.

- Sookie, just let those two snarl at each other. It's way more entertaining than your TWUE WOVE with either of them. Also more entertaining than your threesome fantasy. If the show takes this development past her fantasies and into a real plot, I will be impressed, for the first time since Season 2, with a Sookie plotline.

- Lafayette plot is goddamned mess, it. He no do interesting stuff, him. All ghost talk and no character focus. Why bother keep Nelson Ellis for dis shit, show?

- Andy, Andy, Andy. Your V addiction and the complexes behind it could be interesting if handled properly - ie, not as a comic sideline to Jason doing stuff. The scene where Terry explodes at him is... poignant. And visceral. Then again, so could Jason's issues with being an ex-football star, and we all know how much attention THAT got.

- What is Tommy trying to do by getting the shit beaten out of him? A sort of penance for his actions? A death wish?

- And as for Debbie, I'm just goddamned confused.

[loomer]

Just think of Debbie as a methhead and it'll make more sense. Even she doesn't know what she's doing half the time when she's strung out.

[Dread Not]

I found this to be a damn good episode. Andy and Terry's scenes were terrific, and I particularly liked Terry's line about joining the military to go to college but simply being too fucked up to go afterwards.

I also like where Sam's storyline is going. Tommy preferring death over consuming some V tells me he had a death wish when he confronted Marcus. His death seemed rather abrupt though story-wise. I wonder if there's going to be any followup with the natural gas subplot.

Those parts really made the episode which was otherwise meh, though I enjoyed the fight in the beginning if only for seeing Nan get her hands dirty. Otherwise it seemed a bit contrived how Eric and the others took their sweet time killing Bill. If Eric hadn't happened upon a stake would he have just tossed Bill around the room for the rest of the night?

[Meest]

Definitely got the sense they're trying to stretch out the witch thing, both sides seemed to just put up defenses and stick it out for some reason. Unless they're not showing the whole thing with the end, 4 vampires and the 17 year old one with an RPG/rocket, where are all his security forces? Sookie showed she can undo witch magic or is comparable in power and they still treat her like a frail little girl. Sure she still doesn't understand it or call it on demand but why isn't that a personal thing for her to get a handle on or why isn't Bill or anyone with a bit more knowledge at least try something to help her.

Marnie/Antonia better be going crazy as a side effect of the possession because she makes no sense, gets a conscious yet holds the witches against their will. She's also doing nothing during the day unless she tries her summon into the sun every day, just seems they had a lot more to show or tell but instead it seems like filler and delaying. Just want the A plot to match the B and C plots which I find more interesting for the most part.

[TheHammer]

Definitely got the sense they're trying to stretch out the witch thing, both sides seemed to just put up defenses and stick it out for some reason. Unless they're not showing the whole thing with the end, 4 vampires and the 17 year old one with an RPG/rocket, where are all his security forces? Sookie showed she can undo witch magic or is comparable in power and they still treat her like a frail little girl. Sure she still doesn't understand it or call it on demand but why isn't that a personal thing for her to get a handle on or why isn't Bill or anyone with a bit more knowledge at least try something to help her.

I don't think Bill or any of the vampires has any idea about fairy, or how magic in general works. While it seems like she may be learning how to use her powers better than before, they still seem primarily instinctual involuntary responses rather than something that can be reasonably relied upon. So she is very much still a frail little girl compared to vampires and a witch who can control her powers.

As for Bill's security forces, I think they've taken quite a beating over the previous couple episodes. I don't know if he lost any during the graveyard encounter, but many and possibly all of them were killed at the "tolerance event".

Marnie/Antonia better be going crazy as a side effect of the possession because she makes no sense, gets a conscious yet holds the witches against their will. She's also doing nothing during the day unless she tries her summon into the sun every day, just seems they had a lot more to show or tell but instead it seems like filler and delaying. Just want the A plot to match the B and C plots which I find more interesting for the most part.

I think in her mind Antonia/Marnie feels like she is doing it for their own good/protection. And lets be frank, I don't think either Marnie or Antonia were ever the most mentally stable to begin with.

Since her circle is no longer cooperating, I don't think she can do the "summon into the sun" thing, so she has resorted to other more direct methods in the interim. Of course Bill doesn't know that, so he can't take chances.

One thing I've wondered about is why they've resorted to conventional weapons, when it would seem that their speed alone should be enough to subdue atonia. Its possible she has some sort of protection around her immediate person preventing this, thus the need for ranged weaponry. It also seems that her ability to take control of a vampire may be range determinate too, hence the need to be within a few feet of every vampire she has taken control of, and thus another good reason not to take a hands on approach to attacking her.

[Faqa]

King Bill is a fucking retard. That is the only explanation I've got here. Having seen proof that Antonia can exert control over at least 4 vampires, what does he see fit to send for his big Antonia-killing squad, who, BTW, has two tame vampire sheriffs on her side? 4 fucking vampires. Idiot. And Sookie isn't even in danger, so he doesn't even have an excuse. The vamp is legally retarded, and should not be in charge of his fucking bowel movements, let alone other people. He really plans to blow the shit out of that place with 4 vampires? Why on earth not just send his security forces with explosives? I do not buy that he lost all his forces at the graveyard, even if he brought them all - men with guns are not extinguished by retards with silver trays.

At least the rest of the plotlines focused on were fairly good. Alexander Skaarsgard did some excellent work showing us the difference between Eric and amnesiac Eric, reminding me of why I put up with the retardation of this show at times. Bill's argument with Nan sounds really interesting - a shame we don't actually know the source of the conflict between them, otherwise it could sound something other than random.

Line of the episode goes to Jessica, though- "Oh, FUCK humans. I'm gonna go find somebody to eat". Jason's suggestion that she glamour him was so very.... Jason. Characteristically stupid and thoughtless, but with good intentions. And Jason's guilt with Hoyt's wallowing ass was fairly funny, honestly. Shame it got swallowed up by the Antonia plot.

The Bellfleur end of this episode, though? REALLY fucking good. Out of nowhere, but good. It's the sort of thing I've been hoping Andy's plotline would do all along. I'm a bit disappointed that they chose to write off Andy's motivations as being a "fucking junkie", as opposed to his long-standing inferiority complex, but we got to see some wounds opened between the Bellfleur cousins, which at least explain a lot about where Andy's general attitude came from. And, of course, Terry's empathy - rare on this show, really - was very touching to watch.

Two good actors, one cheap set, no boobs, no blood, no blur-action-extravaganza. And it's one of the best scenes this season. Show, keep this in mind.

I must admit to being surprised at the Antonia/Marnie thing. Pleasantly, though. Antonia's backstory makes a modicum of sense, and I can see how Marnie would be riding the pissed-off train to Revengeville after the way Bill and Eric treated her. Though what her end-game is without a circle to pull her tricks with on any sort of scale, I'm sure I don't know.

[Faqa]

And, since I forgot - you actually killed Tommy, show. Bravo. Granted, he wasn't a main character, but he was a major one. I wouldn't have guessed the show had the balls to do it. Even though Tommy really was a self-destructive kid with no prospects and no future - he would have killed himself someway, or somehow at some point in the not-too-distant future. Nevertheless, the brothers' final farewell was suitably sad - I won't say poignant, but it did feel sad. And Sam on the warpath could get all kinds of interesting, really.

[TheHammer]

King Bill is a fucking retard. That is the only explanation I've got here. Having seen proof that Antonia can exert control over at least 4 vampires, what does he see fit to send for his big Antonia-killing squad, who, BTW, has two tame vampire sheriffs on her side? 4 fucking vampires. Idiot. And Sookie isn't even in danger, so he doesn't even have an excuse. The vamp is legally retarded, and should not be in charge of his fucking bowel movements, let alone other people. He really plans to blow the shit out of that place with 4 vampires? Why on earth not just send his security forces with explosives? I do not buy that he lost all his forces at the graveyard, even if he brought them all - men with guns are not extinguished by retards with silver trays.

He may not have lost many at the graveyard, but remember we saw many of them killed during Marntonia's attack of the "tolerance" event. It is also possible at this point that he's not thinking clearly at this point. Curious to see how the next episode played out.

At least the rest of the plotlines focused on were fairly good. Alexander Skaarsgard did some excellent work showing us the difference between Eric and amnesiac Eric, reminding me of why I put up with the retardation of this show at times. Bill's argument with Nan sounds really interesting - a shame we don't actually know the source of the conflict between them, otherwise it could sound something other than random.

Line of the episode goes to Jessica, though- "Oh, FUCK humans. I'm gonna go find somebody to eat". Jason's suggestion that she glamour him was so very.... Jason. Characteristically stupid and thoughtless, but with good intentions. And Jason's guilt with Hoyt's wallowing ass was fairly funny, honestly. Shame it got swallowed up by the Antonia plot.

Agreed on Skaarsgard. Eric seems to have re-gained his ability to be a smartass, but at the same time he seems changed before as he reconciles his new feelings with his old ones.

The Bellfleur end of this episode, though? REALLY fucking good. Out of nowhere, but good. It's the sort of thing I've been hoping Andy's plotline would do all along. I'm a bit disappointed that they chose to write off Andy's motivations as being a "fucking junkie", as opposed to his long-standing inferiority complex, but we got to see some wounds opened between the Bellfleur cousins, which at least explain a lot about where Andy's general attitude came from. And, of course, Terry's empathy - rare on this show, really - was very touching to watch.

Two good actors, one cheap set, no boobs, no blood, no blur-action-extravaganza. And it's one of the best scenes this season. Show, keep this in mind.

I thought they were showing his motivations as being his long standing inferiority complex. His view of Terry having always been the favored one in the family - up until his mental break after going through combat.

I must admit to being surprised at the Antonia/Marnie thing. Pleasantly, though. Antonia's backstory makes a modicum of sense, and I can see how Marnie would be riding the pissed-off train to Revengeville after the way Bill and Eric treated her. Though what her end-game is without a circle to pull her tricks with on any sort of scale, I'm sure I don't know.

I wonder if fairy blood is of any use to a witch...

And, since I forgot - you actually killed Tommy, show. Bravo. Granted, he wasn't a main character, but he was a major one. I wouldn't have guessed the show had the balls to do it. Even though Tommy really was a self-destructive kid with no prospects and no future - he would have killed himself someway, or somehow at some point in the not-too-distant future. Nevertheless, the brothers' final farewell was suitably sad - I won't say poignant, but it did feel sad. And Sam on the warpath could get all kinds of interesting, really.

Anyone else kind of taken aback by Alcede though? His loyalty seems to flip pretty quick.

[CaptainChewbacca]

I had a thought: A Shifter gains the power to become a 'skinwalker' by killing another shifter. Now Sam didn't kill Tommy, but he was in close contact (actually touching) his brother when he died, so does anyone think it would be that much of a leap for Sam to start shapeshifting into other people?

[Faqa]

For this show? No, not really. And possibly the fact that he chose to not call an ambulance can count as 'killing' him.

[The Yosemite Bear]

hell he probably got that qualification when he killed maryanne....

[CaptainChewbacca]

Watched tonight's ep.

Fuckin Sookie.

[loomer]

Didn't mind Andy's bit.

"Wait, WHO THE FUCK AM I TALKING TO? Pull it together, Andy, don't go all lost in nature retarded..."

[Crown]

Oh Pam, my beautiful, cold, hard, heartless, goddess Pam; "Holy shit gentlemen! Do not tell me you'd put our whole species at risk, for a gash in a sun dress".

If this show gets rid of Pam, it looses me as a viewer.

Also props on Jason getting over protective of his sister (after Bill and Eric said 'fucking Sookie!'); it's one of the enduring moments in the show that's played out in some fashion in nearly all the seasons that I always love.

[The Grim Squeaker]

Fuck the ending was so predictable that it was PAINFUL.
Pam's comments on Sookie were a delight though .

[Meest]

Lots of teases of who's going to die, just hope it's not Lafayette now. Just me or did Jason heal real fast, trying to remember how it was in earlier seasons but seems like it was fast for the injuries he suffered. Some good examples of comedy without losing too much serious tone overall, hope that's a trend without getting too cheesy again. Know it's way off the books now but that fairy going to have an evil fairy baby, or some saviour for their war? That the focus of next season?

[CaptainChewbacca]

Jason healed because he drank Jessica's blood.

[Flagg]

Jason healed because he drank Jessica's blood.

Yeah, that's what he's commenting on.

And Sookies internal injuries seemed to heal pretty fast in season 1 when she was paralyzed by the Rattrays.