True Blood Sucker Punch: Episode 6
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.
Um... remember last week, when I worried the show was slowing down? Well, "Heard-Hearted Hannah" has settled my hash. There are so many sucker-punchy scenes in this installment that I could get carpal tunnel syndrome writing about them all.
But before we begin... have you noticed that on the bottom right side of the screen, there's an automatically generated ad leading you to the books I supposedly wrote? Well, I am not that Mark Blankenship. He's a celebrated composer of Christian hymns, not the dude watching vampires have sex and then writing about it. Or at least, he's not writing about it on The Huffington Post. However, if he writes a hymn called "Lord, Thy Sun Shalt Kill Bill Compton," we'll know why.
Speaking of church... let's start with the Fellowship of the Sun. Sarah giving Jason a beejer in the choir loft is crazy, if unsurprising. After she anointed his bishop last week, her advances were bound to get more intense, and doing it in the church certainly ups the trash factor. Also trashy? Convincing poor, witless Jason that his trampy behavior is mandated by God.
Ryan Kwanten's performance makes me believe Jason is gullible enough to fall for Sarah's "God told me to get freaky" routine. If he actually believes what he's doing is consecrated, then he could feel wounded later, which gives this storyline more electricity. (And if Sarah believes her own nonsense, which I think she does, then the inevitable fallout will be even worse.)
I also enjoy how the Fellowship scenes in this episode swing so easily between blatant stereotyping and creepy scheming. On one hand, we've got Luke spouting kneejerk rhetoric about how gay sex is the worst sin of all, and on the other, we've got Reverend Steve getting googly-eyed about building a giant platform so that his followers can watch a vampire get burned alive by the sun. Meanwhile, everything is tinged with ludicrous sincerity, so that when Sarah explains her horror over Steve's behavior, she's as outraged by his desire to provoke a vamp-human war as she is by the fact that he says "the C word."
The mishmash of tones lets True Blood play a fascinating game with these characters: We're simultaneously invited to fear them and laugh at them, which means we can't totally brush them off or totally take them seriously. And when characters keep you off balance like that, they feel more dangerous.
Speaking of danger... look out, Sookie! Her failed church infiltration is a strong Sucker Punch candidate: It's just so over-the-top and exciting, watching as she and Hugo, her pretend fiancee, get surrounded and captured by 'Shippers who hip to their game. (And did Steve scream that Sookie is "probably on V?" Awesome.)
Also, who told the Rev that Sookie's a mind reader? And since he knew that, does that mean his goon was waiting for her, and not some random human, at the airport? And doesn't it seem like Lorena knew that Sookie was going to be in trouble, which is why she showed up to restrain Bill? And wouldn't that mean that Eric, who called Lorena to Dallas, also knew about the danger at the church? Is Eric feeding information to the Fellowship? Or is it that Texan vampire from last week? Or Barry? The mind reels.
All those questions form their own Sucker Punch candidate, because you've got to admire a series that will drop so many bombs in fifty-four minutes. Kudos to writer Brian Buckner for flipping his script again and again.
Out of all those revelations, one of the tawdriest is Daphne's other life as Maryann's pig. When she lures Sam into Maryann's latest orgy---which is so powerful that even Eggs and Tara are in the black-eyed sex club---she gives new life to the season's most repetitive plot device. Now it's not just fornication: It's fornication and the horrifying sacrifice of a major character.
I can't quite call this the Sucker Punch, though, because we've known Maryann was up to something awful for weeks.
For unexpected gaudiness, nothingnothingnothing tops this episode's flashback to the late 1920s, when Bill isn't a tortured, reticent vampire at all, but an enthusiastic killer. Watching Bill and Lorena have grunting sex next to the bleeding, still-living body of a woman they've just attacked, stopping only so Bill can steal the necklace from the poor girl's oozing throat? It's.. it's...
... it's terrifying. It has the cold maliciousness of Grand Guignol, and it's even worse because Bill is such a willing participant. It's like that time I was seven, and I saw my cat rip the head off a shrew. I was shocked to learn that Tucker wasn't always as gentle as he was with me, and now Bill is Tucker. And the shrew has a mother who will miss her.
For being gory, lusty, and upsetting, the murder-tryst is our Sucker Punch of the Week.
This flashback gets bonus points for having Bill sing the big band classic "Hard-Hearted Hannah," which calls its title character the "vamp from Savannah, GA." Way to retroactively inject vampires into the American songbook!
For more, please join me at The Critical Condition.
Follow Mark Blankenship on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CritCondition
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
Being the horror fan that I am, I found the scene between Bill and his maker, having sex on the bloody sheets, while the woman they just attacked is bleeding to death distribing, but done very well, as I suspect it was meant to envolk that reaction. Bill is seems to be a willing participate. I hope we get a flash back on how Bill has evolved and become the vampire that Sookie love.
Was on vacation and just got to see the episode. I have one word for this episode - "depraved". Shocking things happened. Can't wait to see the next episode. The scene with Bill, Lorena and their two friends really sticks with a person. Just had a thought of the terrorists and of their beheading and torturing in the name of religion. At least the vampires come by it "honestly".
Yes, that scene with Bill and Lorena and their victims was horrific. Now THOSE are vampires. Reminded me very much of the opening scene in The Hunger.
I'd love to know how they come to pick the priceless songs they use during the show. The Old time version of "Hard Hearted Hannah" playing during the closing credits was fab!
Question for all- I know the show is filled with inside jokes and nods to the books (which I have not read) while Sookie was looking at the porn selections available at the Vamp hotel, the guy in the middle movie looks so much like Rev Steve...Could it be?
MB, I really love your recaps. This series is beyond amazing, and it takes you to so many places the books do not. I loved the "Hard Hearted Hannah" segment, Stephen Moyer is a great singer (those years spent singing at his Anglican church really helped). I too, cannot wait to see what happens next, and to find out the sucker punch for Episode 7. I have to differ with you on the sucker punch for Episode 1. I though the Bill and Sookie sex scene was both hot and disturbing and the same time, and that would have been my pick, but hey, who am I to quibble?
This article had me laughing all the way through! Thanks Mark for the great laughs!
Brilliant sucker punch showing pre revelation vampires, just when we though Bill was comfy to be around! Fabulous. Nice voice too.
I used to be a huge Bill fan but watching him and Sookie doit is just weird. I liked seeing him with someone new. Please end the Marryanee story. Its getting boring. Eric is sexy as hell but still has not grown on me. Anna Paquin needs to get acting lessons.
Ummm... yeah. Someone should tell the Acadamy Award winner to get right on that.
Ok so I was right thinking that Daphne was in on Maryanne's scheme.
But why is SAM talking to her in the previews of the next episode, why didnt he kill her?!
And as for Jason and Sarah?! Thats just dumb, she just wants attention and Jason is the one to give it to her. Plain and simple, yes I like her wayyy more than her husband, but still she is just as dumb as Jason.
And now Sookie and her "fake fiance" are trapped in this stuff.......ummmm of course... this is obvious... and I think ERIK is the one letting this on, because he wants Sookie, and he knows Lorena wants Bill, it all works out perfectly to him..
WHYYYY when Tara and Eggs walked into that weird freaky orgy, did they not run away?!
NO....They apparently stayed and joined?!
WHAT IS GOING ON?!
SOOOO ANNOYING!!!!
daphne & sam gonna have puppies ?
Agree 100% on the Sucker Punch...and the episode's most humorous moment was undoubtedly 1920's Bill introducing himself to his soon-to-be victim with " I am Guillaume" in a French accent that is even more ridiculously bad (is it possible? Yes, it is!) than his Southern accent!!
I think the snitch is the "ranchero poser" -- I forgot his name (Ed Quinn character). I saw the Comic-Con exclusive trailer and to me it looked like it was him to tipped off the Newlins.
Barry is also another candidate for snitcher.
Daphne as Maryann's pig was a total surprise. I knew when Daph and Sam were talking and heard the drums what was coming, it just seemed obvious, but I didn't think Daph was under Maryann's spell.
Hoyt telling his mom off was great. Even greater, Hoyt going to Dallas for some Jessica time.
Yes- I was very surprised that Daphne was the pig. I thought the pig was Carl the way Maryanne treated him.
Yep. Carl as the pig had crossed my mind, too.
See Holly Cara Price's Profile
it was a great episode filled with many stunning moments. always love your recaps MB and i look forward to them sometimes even more than watching the show! for me one of the great moments this week was when Jessica woke up in the Vamp Hotel - the windowshade snaps up on eventide, and she bounces up and grabs her cellphone to see if Hoyt had called. that was SO 2009.
Agreed times infinity, Mark. The genuine hurt in Sarah's voice when she told Jason "And he uses the 'c word'..!" (which is one of my least favorite insults, as well) - now she's seen the 'other side' of Steve, and it ain't pretty. Much like watching Hoyt's mean ol' mama's behind balanced on that poor, straining wooden chair, right before Hoyt arrived to read her the riot act (and in front of every gossipy girl in town, no less)..I loved it! But my favorite of all this week was seeing the look on Jessica's face when she opened the door..and there was Hoyt, with flowers, even! Between that, and Bill's golden voice serenading my ears, it was a awesome night of True Blood, indeed..! ;) ...
It was awesome (and yep, terrifying) to see Vampire Bill as he used to be. No wonder he feels so guilty all of the time. I loved the episode.
Great recap. Thanks. Love to read it right after the show.
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
