1) Luna-Sam. At episode's start, a freaked-out Luna, recovering in the hospital, uncontrollably shifts into a Sam lookalike... and can't shift back. I rather enjoyed Sam Trammell's performance, if only because Trammell spent pretty much the entire hour in Luna mode, even when the episode could have allowed for Luna to attempt to impersonate Sam. It's a small touch, but it certainly makes for a more humorous episode. The episode also wasted very little time in getting Sam and Luna-Sam together, making not only for numerous freakouts from other cast members, but also that weird cuddling-on-the-couch scene near episode's end. (Let's just be thankful that the kiss on the forehead was as far as the scene went; otherwise... well, this is True Blood, so it wouldn't have surprised me if they decided to head down that path.)
2) Russell and Steve, sitting in a tree...? Our Authority members have returned from their New Orleans bender, decked out in beads and covered in blood. ("For the first time in a decade, I ate a CHILD!") And lingering in the background of this scene is the start of what appears to be some sort of connection between Russell and Reverend Steve. Has Russell found his new Talbot? Let's hope so.
3) Bill's daddy-daughter time. Later, Salome presents Bill with a young woman as a late-night snack. As Salome eggs him on to suck her dry, we flash back to 1910 Baton Rouge, as Bill visits his grown-but-dying daughter, who begs him to make her immortal before she fades away. Bill declines, saying, "Immortality is a curse!" It's a nerve-wracking flashback, full of saddening performances, and which helps us remember Bill's connection to humanity... which hints at Bill's possible deception as the rest of the episode plays out. Snapping back to the present, Bill proceeds to feast on the human... and, signaling further possible depravity, he also devises the end-of-episode plan for the Authority's next phase: by blowing up the TruBlood factories and forcing mainstreamers to feed on humans. It's a ballsy plan, sure; and it would be cool if this would actually come into fruition on the show... but I've gotta think that Bill has something up his sleeve.
4) The continuing adventures of Pam and Tara, Maker and Makee! And just like that, Tara's back to bartending... which is fine by me! Now, Tara meeting up with her old high-school classmate had the potential to get tiring quick, as her "buddy" quickly mocks her for being "a member of two minorities". But, Pam saves this plot thread by capturing Tracy and trapping her in the basement of Fangtasia for Tara to feed on. Awwww.... isn't that so cute (by True Blood standards)?
5) Lafayette in "I'm sick of this!" mode. Throughout this season, I've commented how numerous characters have been very vocal about how sickening and tiring their circumstances are. Well, having just returned from last week's close-call brain extraction, Lafayette is NOT in the mood to handle any wacky goings-on... so when he steps out of the car only to confront Arlene and Holly, who want him to convince Terry that his smoke-and-fire monster visions are horse-hockey, Lafayette shuts them down. ("I'm in the fuck-off-while-I-smoke-a-blunt business, and business is about to pick the fuck up.") But, for a nominal fee, Lafayette decides to proceed with the ruse... only to realize that Terry's threat is very real when the Iraqi lady who made the curse shows up to give a message: that either Terry or Patrick must die. (My money's on Patrick dying... wouldn't you agree?) Lafayette's transition from fake-medium to holy-crap-I'm-not-playing mode is a fun little exercise in performance contrast.
So, what didn't work this episode?
1) Who killed Sookie's parents already? Come on!!!! On Sookie's section of the show, we pick up where we left her last week, as she tries to deplete her powers. Jason talks her out of it. (Line of the night, after Jason gets accidentally blasted by Sookie: "I'm fine! You got me in the head!" Jason Stackhouse in a nutshell, ladies and gentlemen!) We then segue back into the "Who murdered Sookie's parents?" plot; with the help of Sookie's fairy friends, we're treated to a much more complete vision of the night of Mr. & Mrs. Stackhouse's murder, featuring an appearance by Claudine and the reveal of the murderer's name: "Warlow". But, we're nowhere close to a resolution, which is a shame... we've only got 4 weeks to get this settled - and if Alan Ball and company decide to table this to next season, so help me, I'll... Alright, breathe... breathe... there we go. :-)
2) Still not caring about the werewolves. Well, if you would've enjoyed an Alcide sex scene, full of man-butt, then there you go... but the whole "Who will become the leader of the pack?" plot didn't carry much of a punch, because we know Alcide isn't going to kill Mr. Track Star to take the reigns... speaking of which:
3) Hoyt, Jessica, and wooden bullets. Again, when the bigots reveal that they've kidnapped Jessica in order to let Hoyt "make things right", we know darn well that Hoyt's not going to go through with it. But, oh, no, someone's pointed a gun at Hoyt now? Whatever will happen? Oh, noes!!!!
Five good parts and three bad parts... that's not a bad ratio for a Season 5 True Blood episode, wouldn't you agree? As we enter the final third of the season, hopefully this pace will keep up.
Random notes:
- FREE MUSTACHE RIDES!
- Neat twist on the interrogation-torture scene by having Sam turn into a snake.
- I loved how Sheriff Andy tried to explain Luna-Sam to Jessica: "That's his girlfriend. She turned into him. Now, she's stuck." When crazy stuff is going on in Bon Temps, Andy's line deliveries are priceless.
- Pam Line of the Night: "My mad face and my happy face are the same."
- I enjoyed the little touch of Lafayette wearing Jesus' badge in memoriam.
- Based on tonight's episode title, I thought that we were due to hear the recent Gotye hit. But nope, according to HBO's site, the song used was from the late Elliot Smith.
- Next week: Russell and Steve meet with the werewolf pack! Will the werewolf scenes be interesting for a change? Let's hope so! :-)
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