True Blood Sucker Punch: Episode 4
Warning: This Post Contains Spoilers
Welcome to Sucker Punch, the only blog post that ranks the gaudiest moments on this week's episode of True Blood.
I'd probably have guessed that series creator Alan Ball wrote this installment, "Shake and Fingerpop," even if I hadn't seen his name in the credits. Like American Beauty and many episodes of Six Feet Under, it unites multiple plot lines with a single theme.
In this case, the theme is "unexpected vulnerability." Almost all the major characters are weakened in some way, which creates a queasily exciting energy: We can sense a bomb's about to drop, but we can't quite tell where it's going to fall.
It makes sense for everyone to be vulnerable, of course, since we're entering the second quarter of the season. The first three episodes defined this year's major arc -- Maryann is powerful, there's a beast ripping out hearts, etc. -- and the next three will probably prepare everyone for the climactic conflicts in episodes six through twelve.
In other words... now that we know something crazy's going on, we need to understand that the Bon Tempians are susceptible to it.
And so we get Jason moving in with Reverend Steve and Slutty Sarah. We're clear on the Newlin's pure-yet-vicious personae, and we've seen how they use them to fuel both vampire hatred and their seduction of Jason the Golden Boy.
And in this episode, Jason takes the bait. The scene where he fantasizes that Sarah is fellating a beer bottle totally makes him vulnerable to whatever mind and/or sex game the Newlins want play on him. Suddenly, in the very place he thought he could escape them, Jason is tempted by his horndog impulses, and that makes him a target. The next time he takes off his shirt, he may get "Fellowship of the Sun" branded on his abs.
Jason's fantasy sequence is a strong contender for Sucker Punch, as is the, um, "practical joke" that starts the episode. I mean, seriously: Luke pounces on Jason and threatens to have sex with him and kill him, only then he says it's all just a joke, ha-ha-ha. That's so... dirty. And sick. And weirdly hot. Thanks, Alan Ball. I'm sending you the therapy bill.
Sookie has an over-the-top moment, too, when she learns that she's not the only one who can hear thoughts. Who is Barry? And why is working in a hotel? Is he spying on Sookie for the Fellowship? Whatever he's up to, he certainly makes our heroine vulnerable in a new way.
And speaking of "I know who you are," I'm frothing to find out who Daphne is. Why doesn't she care that Sam sees the claw marks on her back? And why does her "aw-shucks-I'm-a-bad-waitress" personality disappear when she sexy whispers that she knows Sam is a shape-shifter? His triple vulnerability -- Daphne knows his secret and she's seen his softer side and she's seen him naked -- makes Sam a candidate for something unpleasant.
It's also interesting that Daphne has suddenly gone from bumbling barmaid to one one of the few characters with power. At the moment, she knows more about other people than they know about her, which gives her the upper hand.
Personally, I think she's in cahoots with Maryann, who's newly-revealed Krazy Klaws suggest she is the one who slashed Sookie in the woods.
Things also get trashy after Lafayette agrees to drink Eric's blood, then starts dancing like a freak machine. Now Lafayette is tethered to a vampire with an agenda.
But isn't it interesting that Eric is vulnerable, too? When he tells Bill about Godric being kidnapped, he expresses real fear and raises serious questions. How did a human capture such a powerful vamp? And what will that mean for the rest of the undead?
(Sidebar: Eric mentions a vampire queen. Can we cast Rue McLanahan now, or do we need to dummy up an audition process before handing her the role?) (Update: Thanks to the readers who pointed out that Evan Rachel Wood will play the queen. She's cool, too.)
The silver Sucker Punch medal goes to the scenes between Bill and Jessica, who are acting out a charming family comedy. I love watching Bill show fatherly pride when Jessica learns how to glamor, and I double-love seeing Jessica abuse that power to make her glamored human shout rumors about a trampy girl who went to Jessica's church. Those are just such human moments, you know? Of course a teenager is going to push limits, just like she's going to swoon for the first boy she kisses.
But as weirdly sweet as those scenes are, the Sucker Punch comes from Tara and Eggs Benedict. As I said in the comments for Episode Three, I do not trust Eggs at all. At all! He's just too perfect to be real. And in this episode, it's clearer than ever that he's in cahoots with Maryann to exploit Tara's loneliness. It's so creepy when they show up at Sookie's house, where Tara is crying, and just happen to have a wedding cake.
And boy, does Tara fall for it! The Sucker Punch comes when she and Eggs have lusty sex in Sookie's place, while outside, Maryann whips the townsfolk into such an orgy that they screw, fight, and eat dirt. The whole montage reeks of terrible consequences, namely because on television, no one gets to party that hard without getting impregnated with a Greek god's baby. Here's to seeing the aftermath!
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It's SO VERY BAD this year. Mystery? There is NONE. Suspense? Nope, all out. Sexual tension? Ho hum.
A freaking MINOTAUR? I'll watch Legend of the Seeker for Xena retreads.
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Word. I was calling it "True Minotaur" last week. Super lame, and I LOVED season 1.
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This season of the show is WEAK.
Last year SOMETHING HAPPENED in EVERY episode. This year it's like Gossip Girl for the scruffy set.
"Oh, is this a present from Tara's mother? Well, now I HAVE to go to the BIG PARTY. What WILL I wear?"
Any scene which DOES NOT advance the PLOT is WASTED. This season's underlying theme must be "wasted time".
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But arguably, all of these things DO advance plot or character knowledge. The fact that Lettie Mae is still trying to connect to Tara or check up on her means she could become relevant when Maryanne brings on the evil and may even help Tara get loose from her. The gift was a convienent plot device that allowed Sam an excuse to do something ( go to the party) he might not otherwise have done.
As for clothing. Clothing is very culturally important. As a society we take a lot of our clues about how we treat people and what we expect them from how they are dressed. Personally, I love the way Sookie dresses, because it is EXACTLY how a girl from a rural background with a small budget, limited shopping choices, and a frilly, girly personality would dress. Once Tara started hanging around Maryanne ( who has had several hundreds of years -minimum- of culture to absorb) Tara's clothing became more sophisticated. Jason's clip-on tie is so sweet- to Jason Stackhouse, a clip-on tie is the epitomie of getting dressed up for a fancy afternoon barbecue at the Newlins. Jessica dressed as a sweet, pretty teenage girl is a thousand times scarier than Jessica dressed up in black leather and spikes- because no one will suspect what she is or see it coming from a sweet pretty girl. I think all this stuff is fascinating.
This whole "this season is bad" thing smacks of the hipster nation--the people who think something is cool until more people like it. Then it's terrible.
Nothing structurally has changed from one season to the next. Character arcs have deepened and non-Harris plotlines have been introduced. Who says that a scene doesn't advance the plot? It could advance the plot of epi 8 or 9 or season three even.
This is so not true. I LOVED season one and could not wait for this season to start. I want the show to be successful, but a MINOTAUR? I just can't deal with that. It has just completely destroyed the vibe for me. Get rid of Maryanne and the Minotaur and I'll be back on board.
My favorite part is when Sookie reads Barrys mind and chases him down the hall in her robe I had to rewind it three times .I was still laughing about it at work .
I think Barry's going to be a major conduit for a lot of info in helping Sookie get info to help Bill now that they're in Texas. After all, Barry workls at the hotel and comes across a lot of people who's minds he can read.
Oh man, I hate the way that Ball is cherry-picking the books in this series. Barry showing up now? He's peripheral character in "Living Dead in Dallas" and doesn't show up again for a sizable part until "All Together Dead". Lafayette supposed to be dead in Andy's car at the end of season 1? He's =supposed= to be dead, =period=. I don't know why viewers like him so much. And Mary Ann? I've read every book in the series (except the one that addresses hurricane Katrina) and I sure don't remember a maenad character. Not to mention a minotaur for that matter. But I guess were-creatures are just too boring for Mr. Ball. And I hate that this religious cult is getting so much visibility, especially with what it has to do with Jason. Let's just totally forget what actually happened to him why don't we. This is the problem with taking a book with a first person singular POV and turning it into a TV show.
The show and the books are two different mediums. There are no rules saying that the show can't deviate from the books. In all honesty, I prefer the show BECAUSE it deviates! The books are not the best things I've ever read, and honestly, there are many better options. The show, however, always keeps me entertained and wanting more.
If you don't like the way the show is going, then there's a simple solution. Don't watch it.
Callisto was the character in the books that Mary Ann is based upon; loosely of course.
I didn't read the books so what I know about the show is only what I've seen but If Maryann is based on a character called Callistro, I wonder if that Callistro character's name came from Caligiostro, the 18th century gypsy or Romanian magician/hypnotist/charlatan involved with the DIamond Necklace affair and Marie Antoinette's scandal, the same man who charmed and delighted those at the french court but then disappeared after the scandal.
No. MaryAnn is a maenad! In the books AND the show!
I think its fair to say that the books are just source material. I don't think they are bad books, I've read the,. But I didn't fall down in love with them and I felt there was a lot of room for improvement and change with their plotlines. Alan Ball said right from the start he was not going to be 100% faithful to the books. The books are one thing, the show another.
I am also speculating about Daphne. How did she live having been scratched? Is she under MaryAnn's influence? Is she bad news or good news for Sam?
My favorite moment that I had to go back and replay:
Jason: VAMPIRES...(rips off clip-on knit tie)...ARE NOT...A JOKE!
The tie was killing me. I thought it made him look so little-boy like. Hilarious.
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Yes, JimMan35! The clip-on tie! That killed me. That, and Jason's insistence that evil is a "premedicated" choice to be a d**k. He's so sincere, but so ignorant and immature... you've got to love him.
I thought I heard Jason say "premedicated" but wasn't sure! And he does look like a little boy in those buttoned up shirts and ties. I love the weird little quirks the writers add that aren't necessary for the story line (like Eric getting highlights) but are very funny.
".... premedicated..." I had forgot all about that. When he said that my husband and I just looked at each other and busted out laughing. Yep - you gotta love Jason. He honestly means no harm, but 'harm' follows his everywhere he goes.
I'm liking him a lot better this season.
So many people on other forums complain about Sookie's clothes ( esp. on the Dallas trip) but you know, the clip-on tie just expresses perfectly that she and Jason are nice people, but they just grew up in this little hick town in the middle of nowhere (so did I, so don't yell at me for saying it!) and for Jason, putting on a clip tie was the height of getting dressed up for the Newlin's special 'cue. I found it really touching that Sookie had totally gotten dressed up, did her hair- and sort of had a glam moment stepping off the plane! It was her BIG TRIP to Dallas! It was an occasion for her! And she had 10 bottles of doll-size vodka! lol- she must have slipped some in her purse. No way AP can drink 10 shots of vodka without falling over...
Yes, yes True Blood is so good. There's too much to take in. I have so many favorite characters I don't know where to begin with accolades.
Ah man Mark, Rue McClanahan? Bingo! There's your vampire queen. Say hello to Blanch.
There were so many scenes last night that made me think that I couldn't wait to read this article this morning. It was really a great episode. Lafayette's dance after drinking Eric's blood cracked me up. I want to see him back to being his snarky, fabulous self and being linked to Eric will certainly liven things up. I can't wait to see what comes next.
Also, I'm not sure if this is a spoiler or not, but from what I understand from Entertainment Weekly, the Vampire Queen will be played by Evan Rachel Wood.
Hard to pick the sucker punch this time, Mark. With absolutely everything going crazy at the same time, I see why you chose the one you did with Eggs and Tara. But, my head started spinning when Lafayette flew back into the scene with his out of control libido dance, after Eric's remedy. That scene was quick, to the point and was carried out by just one guy. Eric's blood truly IS powerful, which I guess explains why Sookie didn't recover with the vim and vigor as Layafette did.
The show ended and as always, I couldn't believe a full hour has passed.
The series seems to be following the books*. There are variations in the story lines the writers seem to be taking are rather interesting. Chief of which is the development of the Jessica character (I LOVE HER...but she better not hurt good ol' boy Hoyt). The Maryanne thing is pretty much in line with the books (Greek Maenad's according to the myths are pretty nasty creatures). And I am loving how Eric is moving slowly closer to Sookie's inner circle (sorry Bill... but Eric becomes the focus, not Bill (the reveal should be wicked fun if it is near what was in the books) down the road if they continue to follow the novels in principle). Oh and BTW Mark, Queen Sophie LeClerq is defined in the book as a young, demure but radiating palpable power (but the key word in that is YOUNG so sorry, unless Rue does a 65 year about face timeline-wise, she's outta the running...think more Michelle Tractenberg or someone of that age bracket (Sookie doubts her being a Queen of anything because she appears so young). Am LOVING Barry's arrival. The writers are playing with some characters and introducing new one's to keep it interesting for those of us who read the books. I am glad they saved Lafayette (he was supposed to be the dead body in Det. Andy's car at the end of season 1). Love your article BTW, keep up the Sucker Punching... Peace!
The Queen has been cast - and she's young...
With a show like this, the the queen could also be hung. :)
I Love hearing that Eric becomes more of the focus of the story!
He is one of my faves, by far.
One thing that has always bugged me about this show, is that I just don't really care about Bill one way or the other. I don't know if it's the actor or the character.
I'd much rather see Sookie with Sam.
Or Eric!! *smile*
Thanks for the quick recap. Love to see who has one out as soon as the program is over.
Wish Alan would finish up the Maryann thing. I'm tired of all the or gies. Would like to get back to the main story. Tonight's party (or gy) looked like the Mo jito commercials. Laffayette, Terry, Arlene, Bill, Sookie, Jessica, Eric are great. Would love to see more of Pam. She always has a funny line to add to any situation. BTW,Eric and Pam need to improve their Swedish.
Alexander Skarsgård(Eric) IS Swedish.
The actor who plays Eric is Swedish. As in, he was born in and lived in Sweden until really recently.
But I agree that I'd like more of Pam, love her little quips.
Pam is such a great character in the books, and they've really downplayed her role in the TV series. They don't even give a character bio for her on the HBO official website.
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