“True Blood” is definitely ramping up in ways that I never would have expected after that dismal third season and a rough start to this one. More and more, I get the feeling that the writing staff got together and enforced some brutal honesty upon itself. The results have been stunning to behold; this is shaping up to be the best season since the first, which is saying a lot.
I was a little leery of Sookie getting into a semi-needless love triangle with Bill and Eric, especially since Eric is not himself, but all of the drama leading up to this point really does lend itself to this sort of conclusion. And frankly, I loved Sookie’s little speech about how it’s high time she take a stand for women being allowed to love two men equally. Granted, it was only a dream, and it’s partially an excuse to let Sookie have the best of both worlds in every possible respect, but it didn’t feel forced at all to me.
In actuality, I’ve long been frustrated with Sookie’s tendency, especially in recent seasons, to be more reactive than proactive. It made a little bit of sense, given how little time actually passed between the first three seasons and how little time there was for her to adjust to all the various circumstances. But leaping forward a year into her relative future forced her to take charge of her own life, and this is just another step down that path.
It also sets the stage for maximum drama, since Antonia’s war with the vampires has led to an impending clash between Eric and Bill. I have little doubt that the two will survive, but it’s going to be ugly. The collateral damage is likely to be severe. And that’s part of the reason why this season is working out so well; very few characters seem safe, now that nearly everyone is neck deep in some sort of deadly conflict.
Even Tommy’s meandering subplot finally factors into things. I was hoping that Marcus would kill Tommy, especially since the intercutting with Luna’s exemplary writhing atop Sam would have been a nice callback to that infamous scene in “Cabaret”. But it served a purpose. Alcide is driven to challenge his current Alpha, and events may force him to work with Sam to take down a common threat. The end result may very well be Alcide taking control of the pack as the new Alpha, and thus cementing himself as a fixture in the local supernatural political state of play. (Which, in turn, could make him a third plaything in Sookie’s little man-harem!)
This episode ought to put an end to that ridiculous subplot with Arlene’s baby, and while the road to this point was all too coincidental, it accomplished two things. First, it provided a positive counterpoint to Antonia’s rather twisted actions, exploring two sides of the witch coin, so to speak. Second, it gives more insight into the Jesus/Lafayette power combo. If nothing else, Jesus is now primed to take on Antonia as the witch/vampire war comes to a head over the final three episodes of the season.
Similarly, the Jason/Hoyt/Jessica triangle is driving towards a bitter confrontation, especially now that Jason and Jessica have given in to their primal urges. Frankly, I like Jason and Jessica as a couple far more than either Hoyt/Jessica or Jason/Crystal, so I’m hoping that’s the way things turn out. (It doesn’t hurt that Jessica is ridiculously hot, and her Bad Girl persona has been suppressed for far too long.) While there may be some concern that Jason’s stubborn humanity may still present a problem for them in the long run, Jason’s utter lack of domesticity should mitigate that issue.
The best thing about Antonia’s latest move is that it takes whatever sympathy that might have existed for her side of the conflict and ripped it to shreds. And that makes sense; Antonia had lots of time as a broken spirit to work up the fervent thirst for bloody vengeance. It was just a matter of time before she made it clear that the Wiccans were just cannon fodder for her endgame, and that makes her no better than the vampires she would happily consign to the daylight. I foresee Tara making a move to help save her fellow soldiers, and perhaps finding some of that strength she’s been seeking all season long.
It all comes together in a cliffhanger that promises much more to come, now that the season arc is firmly in the resolution phase. I can’t see how the writers could possibly manage to falter at this stage of the game; they would have to make a massive error in judgment to derail this many strong plot threads. Unlike this point in the third season, I’m not just looking forward to how this story ends; I’m also more than ready to see them improve upon it in the fifth season.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10