Monday, September 12, 2011

post mortem: "And When I Die"

True Blood Season Finale!!!!
(note - includes spoilers from both the series and the books. Can't say I didn't warn you.)

Was it me, or did this one seem to drag a bit in the beginning? I feel like Jesus was a little slow in discovering Lafayette's altered state - he didn't even seem to have thought about the possibility of Marnie the crazy witch seeking out Lafayette, the powerful medium. Really, senor brujo? He should have figured it out WAY before he got stabbed in the hand with a fork (as we'll see later, Tara, who's about as magical as a corn fritter, figures it out just from seeing Jesus's body). I feel like the moment that he agreed to give Marnie his brujo juju should have been BIGGER. Instead, it was like, slurp, slurp, done and done, ding dong the brujo's dead, Marnie's got the head of a cage fighter and the body of a fry cook. Awesome. It felt a bit like the part when Bill and Eric blithely agreed to kill themselves in exchange for Sookie's freedom. It was too easy, and it should have been a big moment, but it just felt lifeless. And then Jesus was lifeless, and it was like, oh, okay. Is it because there's so much going on that we don't have enough time to get really invested in these characters?

And, oh, it's Halloween, and Merlotte's is fully staffed (!) and decorated for the holiday. The employees, too, are all decked out in costume (although zombies wearing thumb necklaces? Not what I want my server to look like!). Sookie got unfired, once Sam figured out what the heck had happened. It's weird though that Sam didn't try to figure out why Sookie was missing so many shifts in the first place. If she hadn't come in, he'd still be hanging around wondering where the heck she was (although she's rarely at work, so maybe he hadn't noticed? He's been kind of busy lately, after all). Some other stuff happens - one of Terry's war buddies comes into the bar - because what this show needs is more characters who are all mysterious and kind of shifty. Holly comes to work dressed as a fairy (and she looks truly terrifying) and smoking a joint. Tara shows up and tells them both that Marnie's back. And that she's taken over Lafayette. See? She's really firing on all cylinders tonight!!

Sookie can't get Bill or Eric by phone - so the three of them go running off. They find the two vampires, divested of their shirts (thanks, Marnie!) and chained together, on top of a pyre. Someone's planning a vampire bonfire. (Are you ready for this witch crap to be over yet? Because I totally was, by this point in the episode.) Holly, Tara and Sookie start chanting. It's Halloween, and, as Holly told us, the barrier between our world and the spirit world is especially thin. Hmmm, huhhh, wonder what's going to happen now? Gran and Antonia emerge from beyond the veil, spouting fortune style platitudes like "change is hard" "follow your heart" and so on. They leave again and take Marnie with them (after Lafayette puked a bitch out). Again, this should have been a Big Moment, right? But it was kind of anti-climactic.

After that, Sookie's helping to heal the rather crispy vampires (clad in matching robes) with her magical fairy blood. Choosing between Bill and Eric is, like, super hard for poor lil' ol' Sookie, and so she decides to choose.... herself. I don't understand her sudden wishy-washiness. Why on earth did she go and forgive Bill? He didn't deserve it!!! He had his chance and he blew it. Arrghhh, whatever. She cries for a while and then goes home. Can I pause for a moment here and say a big Brava to Pam for saying what all of us are thinking? How can somebody named "Sookie" come between her and her maker? It is a totally ridiculous name. Is it a Southern thing or something? Are there tons of "Sookies" running around Louisiana? Is it short for something? A nickname? It's never been explained how her brother is "Jason" while she got saddled with "Sookie".

Speaking of Jason, he got the tar beaten out of him by an enraged Hoyt (cuz well, duh. But he really was trying to do the right thing. And telling him would have been better than sneaking around, right?) and he was comforted in a very special way, by Jessica, wearing an awesome cape. But she doesn't want to be his girlfriend. So they're basically the vampire version of the movie Friends With Benefits (and maybe sometimes a little blood too?). Anyway, Jess left, and Jason was visited by Steve Newlin, flashing a pair of fangs (did he die in the earlier season? Or were the fangs a Halloween gag?)

Bill & Eric get a visit from Nan, who has left the Authority, blah blah blah. The two of them save us from having to listen to her anymore by killing her and her guards. Thanks, guys!

Alcide is visiting a parking garage (I don't remember what he has to do with this), which has a big old hole in it, like someone was buried in there and has just busted out. Oh, wait, that's exactly what happened. Looks like we're going to see Mr. Edgington again real soon.

Finally - Sookie returns home, alone (instead of bringing along a big burly Viking Vampire. Stupid, stupid Sookie.). It's dark and quiet. She calls for Tara, but... it's Debbie who steps out of the shadows. With a gun. They fight. Tara appears, trying to help, but gets shot when the gun goes off during a struggle. Sookie then shoots Debbie.

Well. That part was expected, since it does happen in the book (not as if that matters, but they were using the source material for some of this season). I had expected other deaths, and was especially worried about Lafayette. Cuz, if we're going by the book(s), he would have been the body in Andy's car in season 2. I don't want him to die, since he's a great character. He's always the one keeping it real, you know? But still, in terms of usefulness, he could have gone with Jesus. Anyway, I was real.surprised. when Tara was shot and (presumably) killed. In the books. she owns a clothing store. She's had some brushes with vamps, and she stays away, but generally, despite her childhood, she's happy and successful. She marries JB du Rone and has twins. Why can't we have introduced JB into the series and given Tara a little bit of happiness?Can't anybody in this dang town be happy? Clearly, Tara had jinxed herself by daydreaming with Sookie about their (vampire free) twilight years (har har) on the porch, watching the sunset with their grandbabies. So, goodbye, Tara. Oooh, I just had a thought - maybe Tara's angry spirit will take over Lafayette next? Ick, ick, ick, no, no, no.

I wonder who will come to Sookie's rescue (or who she thinks is going to come to her rescue - her house is out in the middle of nowhere. Who's gonna hear you, Sook?) My first thought was Eric, since he's the one who helps her with Debbie in Dead to the World. But that's unlikely, since she just broke up with both him and Bill. My other thought was a fairy - they could introduce us to Niall, her fairy prince great grandfather. Or maybe Sookie has another fairy godmother kind of creature lurking around?


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