True Blood casting news-We'll see Eric's sister in Season 5

It may be over half a year until the fifth season of True Blood hits screens, but production has already recently begun, and with that comes the yearly barrage of new characters and cast members. Causing much excitement and intrigue last week was the news that British actress Lucy Griffiths (also seen in the BBC's television series version of Robin Hood) has been cast as the vampire sibling to...Eric Northman! And by sibling we mean that like Eric, she is a progeny of the sadly departed Godric, and not a sister from his human life. 

In addition to being stunning, the character of Nora is reported as being intelligent and gifted in the art of deceit, which I guess would come in handy if you're a double agent in the Authority, which is apparently what she is. Whether or not that turns out to be true come all the way next June we'll have to see, but the idea of Eric having a sister is a very entertaining prospect, the character sounds interesting and I look forward to seeing Lucy on the show!

American Horror Story begins tomorrow on Eleven

Here's something to tune into tomorrow night if you're in the mood for something different. And by different, I mean unsettling, slightly perverse, scary as shit and completely cuckoo bananas. Truth be told, I have fallen behind on my viewing of AHS (it's four episodes in now) but I did watch the pilot episode and it certainly was all those things and more, and from reviews I've read it's continuing to become even more disturbing and bizarre. 

 So not for the weak of stomach or those seeking a bit of light entertainment! But it's got a cracking cast with dramatic (Nip/Tuck's Dylan McDermott, Friday Night Lights's Connie Britton and Jessica Lange as the seriously evil Constance) and genre cred (True Blood alums Denis O'Hare and Alexandra Breckenridge), and a couple of talented young actors (Taissa Farmiga and Evan Peters). It's also created by the same dudes behind the not-at-all-similar-seriously-are-you serious Glee. 

Intrigued? The Story begins tomorrow night (Tuesday 11/1) at 9:30 on digital channel Eleven.

Courtney Ford guest stars on Big Bang

You're all already watching The Big Bang Theory, right? a) Because it' a great show and you have excellent taste and were already watching it, or b) I'm such fantastic writer that my inaugural review of last weeks episode converted you into an instant fan. But in case you weren't, I'm gonna give you a little more incentive to in the form of some glorious crossover goodness. Courtney Ford, who has previously been seen as Christine Hill in Dexter and Portia Bellefleur in True Blood (when I said 'crossover goodness' I meant 'has appreared in my other fave shows') is going to be guest starring in this weeks ep as a hot comic book artist and potential romance for Leonard. Comics, Courtney, comedy. Whats not to look forward to?

Supernaturals to scrubs for Alan Ball

HBO hearts Alan Ball. The creator of Six Feet Under and True Blood has been named as the executive producer of the new medical drama series Wichita, based on the life of Dr. George Tiller, a Wichita, Kansas, doctor who was one of the few physicians who provided late-term abortions. Tiller was shot and killed by an anti-abortion activist in 2009. 

Ball inked a multiyear deal with HBO in July and told The Hollywood Reporter at the Television Critics' Association's summer press tour that he had a "couple pilots" in development.

So Alan's going to be a busy beaver for some years to come. Wonder if he'll now hand over the showrunning duties of True Blood to one of the executive producer/writers? Will the show suffer as he divides his attentions, or will a sheriff rise to be King or Queen and shake things up in a good way?

'Christian Quarterly gave it their highest rating, five thorny crowns.' The Big Bang Theory 5.06

If you haven’t been watching Season Five of The Big Bang Theory (it’s one of the few shows that is fast tracked to Australian commercial television, think it’s only a couple of weeks behind) then do start, because every episode so far has been marvellous.

This week’s ep, the sixth of the season titled ‘The Rhinitis Revelation’ was centred around the visit of Sheldon’s bible-bashing, ultra-conservative, politically incorrect, stereotypically Texas mother. She’s the type of woman who goes on Christian cruises to shoot clay pigeons with sins written on them, calls Asians ‘ching chongs’ and spends her sightseeing time in Hollywood dragging her son’s friends, including a Jew and a Hindu, into various churches. The fact that her character is based on people who really are that closed minded and just don’t realise it’s ass-backwards makes her both deeply cringe-worthy and completely hilarious, especially when you add her super-awkward interactions with the gang and her relationship with Sheldon, who still wants and needs to be coddled by his mommy despite being an arrogant genius. 

 All the episodes that have featured one of the gang’s parents (see Keith Carradine as Penny’s Midwestern man’s man dad in Season Four and any appearance by Leonard’s amazingly blunt psychiatrist mother) have been great, mostly for the same reason. The parent, usually wildly different in opinions and lifestyle to the child, visits Pasadena and spends the whole time humiliating their poor baby with harsh truths about everything from their love life to their infantile obsession with their own genitalia (I’m looking at you, Leonard’s mom) while also making their friends hideously uncomfortable.

The art of sitcoms is taking situations that in the real world would be very unpleasant or even tragic, and somehow making them funny, and Big Bang excels at this. We shouldn’t be laughing at this stuff, but we are. This week Raj has yet another bout of self-pity and borderline alcoholism brought on by chronic loneliness, Sheldon’s mom is so un-PC it hurts, she basically calls Penny a slut, and Sheldon is forced to compete with his friends for his mother’s attention, is robbed of his fried chicken and is forced to endure the absolute of horror of, wait for it: getting around like a common man. A common man! And it’s all comedy gold. Even if the laughing is sometimes a bit painful because it’s done through a cringe at Sheldon’s mom.

Dead Space-The Walking Dead 2.01 'What Lies Ahead'

The pressure was on for The Walking Dead in its second season. Not only is it following a brief (6 episodes) but intense debut run that was both highly acclaimed and successful, but it comes after an ugly battle between showrunner Frank Darabont and the AMC network ended spectacularly with Darabont being fired from the very show he adapted for television. Even in Hollywood, with it’s reputation for fickleness, a creator being booted is kind of a big deal, and there was much anxious speculation from cast, critics and viewers alike on what kind of an impact Darabont’s departure would have on the series.

But it appears, in the eyes of this fan anyway, that the show is safe in the hands of promoted producer Glen Mazzara, as the season premiere, ‘What Lies Ahead’, delivered everything that made Season One’s best bits so good: terror, suspense, drama and of course buckets of gore; and also seemed to really grow into the slow-burn-followed-by-an-explosion pace style that sometimes missed the mark last year. Actually, perhaps the slow-burn parts are working too well, because after the obligatory catch up and setting the scene, things move along quite slowly indeed as the group move out of Atlanta towards Fort Benning. But it turns this was all just to lull us into a false sense of security (which I should have realised) as just as I was about to say to myself ‘Maybe I got a little bit too excited for this’, the undead bodies hit the fan and shit gets serious.

The episode revolved around the search for Sophia (Carol’s young daughter, who was chased from the group and lost) with a couple of hold-your-breath suspenseful near misses with the unfriendly neighbourhood zombies to fill out the action. The first appearance of a large group of Walkers is the first of these moments, as what becomes known as a ‘herd’ (c’mon, everybody knows the collective noun for zombies is a ‘shuffle’) close in on the group. Everybody scuttles under the cars for safety, except T-Dog, who is bleeding all over the place after cutting his arm, and Andrea, who is cleaning her gun inside the caravan and it is totally oblivious to what’s going on inside. Y’know how in Zombieland they always had those rules for survival popping up? Well, right then would have been a good time for ‘Rule 27: It’s never a good time to clean your gun’ to pop up. The whole sequence is edgy, scary as shit and really awesome. Daryl saves T-Dog with his trusty crossbow and covers them with dead bodies to avoid detection (a much less disgusting version of the stomach-churning guts bit from last season), Andrea saves herself with a screwdriver slipped to her by Dale, and all the under-car dwellers think the coast is clear, which it is until Sophia gets chased away by a couple of extra slow zombies at the tail end of the herd. Lull = officially over. Andrea actually wanted to die back in the CDC when it was blown up anyway and now resents Dale for taking away her choice to do that, so now we have Andrea and Dale conflict in addition to the Lori and Shane conflict. Oh, and Shane wants to leave, and now Andrea wants to leave with him.

Events along the way in the hunt for the missing child range from the icky (cutting open the body of a Walker and sifting through the innards to find out what it’s last meal was) to funny in a creepy way (a bunch of zombs in church, still sitting on the pews, all turning around in unison as the group enter.) And about that church: is absolutely every show right now doing some sort of storyline with religious overtones? Sure seems that way to me. Rick gives a guilty glance at JC on the cross as he’s braining a Walker, and both he and Carol get big prayer monologues. I’ll accept it, since it is Georgia and there probably would realistically be a Southern Baptist Church anywhere you wander.

The ep has an extremely shocking ending SPOILER ALERT as Carl (he’s Rick and Lori’s young son) is shot as he’s approaching a deer in the forest. How’s that for a massive ending to a premiere! After a teaser for what’s to come (which looks incredible), it’s all over, leaving me stunned but excited for future episodes of zombie drama (zombrama?) goodness.

Kill of the Week:

Rick caving in a face with a big-ass rock.

Blood Blogs have moved

Vampire vs. Fairy staring contest

In case you missed the (non-existent) memo, my True Blood recaps have moved over to the Nest.

Go here on Tuesdays/Wednesdays, or here if you missed the recap of 4.02 and want to read it.

'If you start telling people you time traveled to a land full of fairies, they're gonna put you away.' True Blood Episode 4.01

After another agonising wait where I’m sure we were all suffering from more True Blood Withdrawal than ever before (making for some great faux-PSAs, see Youtube here), Season 4 premiered this week with ‘She’s Not There’, and writer Alexander Woo had the extremely unenviable task of covering the approximately 157 different cliffhangers that ended last season, all of which concern about 300 characters. In case you haven’t noticed, this cast is getting huge. A quick note on the credits: A. Skars has been bumped up to a principal cast member (something that clearly should have happened, like, 2 seasons ago), Jessica Tuck (Nan Flanagan) and Lauren Bowles (Holly) are now in the credits as regulars, and the two newbies making the credit cut are Aunt Petunia…excuse me, Fiona Shaw (Marnie) and Janina Gavankar (Luna). So now we know who’s who and who’s new, just how did they do?

So, recap package rolls, HBO logo snaps crackles and pops, and we’re…in Fairy Land! It’s as naff looking as ever and all the fairy folk are still dressed like hippies and looking like they’re on ecstasy when Claudine and the Sookster beam in from Bon Temps cemetery. Sook barely has time to berate Claudine for being such a sucky fairy godmother (yes, that’s actually what she is) before a familiar face from all the way back in ancient times (that’d be Season 2) shows up. It’s Barry, the adorable telepathic bellboy from the vampire hotel. His godmother, a dude, is all like ‘Haaiiii’, he’s all like ‘This place is unreals, yo!’ the fairies are all like ‘Eat our glowing fruit, it’ll make you feel reaalll special!’ and Sook is all like ‘WTF? Oh snap, double WTF, cos there’s my granddaddy, and he’s Lumbergh from Office Space!’ Turns out Granddaddy Earl Stackhouse, played really well by the uber-prolific Gary Cole, ain’t dead after all, he’s been floating around in Fae World for 20 whole years, having a grand ‘ol time and scarfing down luminescent produce (Barry: ‘It’s like biting into pure happiness!’)

Which is all fine and dandy, until MAB (just pronounced Mab and not em ay bee, but the way this woman said it definitely calls for capital letter emphasis and she will always be MAB to me) shows up. She’s a tall, slightly scaring looking fairy queen I guess, and she does not have good intentions for all the humans that have been lured into their world. She and Sook have a hilarious little exchange where they talk all over each other and then…ok guys you’ll have to tell me what happened next, because the copy of the episode I watched for some reason turned into another show here. Not sure what it was, but it was something in the sci-fi genre. And…oh! They got Anna Paquin to guest star!

Hmm, what’s that? That wasn’t another show? That was still True Blood? To quote the great Zack Ryder, are you serious, bro?! Ok, I’m being silly as usual. But damn, the whole landscape really did turn into another planet, and the fairies turned into ugly-ass troll/alien thingies. They’re slinging glowing balls of pure destruction at Sook and Granddaddy, and it all looks very cool even if I was totally confused at this point. MAB starts yelling something like ‘Close the portal!’ or something similar that was giving me some serious Thor vibes, and all looks doomed for the Stackhouses until a small group of rebel fairies come to the rescue, led by…Claudine’s brother! This is the point where I tell you all that not only will I not bitch about TV Claude being a million miles from book Claude, but that no comparisons to the books will be made by me in any of my reviews. I only mildly enjoy the books while I’m crazy about the show, they are two separate entities by two separate creators to me, and book nerds who take up forum space with their rants are by all means entitled to do that, but quite frankly get on my fucking nerves. Ok…glad we got that out of the way!

First two trailers for True Blood Season 4

Well, I think they look pretty damn awesome. Could this be the best season yet?

'It's pretty. But not the story it tells. ' Dexter Episode 5.02

In episode 5.02 ‘Hello, Bandit’, Dex is back on the hunt despite still dealing with the aftermath of Rita’s death and being a single dad.

Luckily he has one less thing to worry about (well, for the time being anyway.) After bailing on his interview with the FBI in last week’s ep, he sat down with the same smarmy agent from the crime scene and his bespectacled partner to get it over with. It was a well done little scene that quickly and seamlessly transitioned through several stages: Dexter being incredulous and angry at being accused, one of those smart fake outs that this show does so well (‘We know you were at Arthur Mitchell’s house…working the raid’) and ending with some trademark dry humour (‘Why would he go after your wife?’ ‘Because he’s a serial killer?’)

But he’s still not completely in the clear, as the dreaded sketch artist has struck again, and this time they didn’t whip up a perfect portrait of Jesus Christ like in Season 1. Miami homicide interviewed Trinity’s wife and kids, who obviously spilled that he was spending a lot of time with a certain Kyle Butler before he disappeared. Apparently none of them could agree on exactly what Kyle/Dex looked like, and the sketches are rather featureless and creepy looking. But that nosy Doakes wannabe Quinn is still on Dex-alert and seems to maybe see something in the combined sketches that nobody else does. And Quinn has a kinda-sorta nothing happened-but actually it did relationship with Deb going on, so I really hope they aren’t going for a total rehash of the season two angle where somebody Deb is having a relationship with (back then it was Lundy, now Quinn) is the one investigating Dexter.


But Deb could probably be forgiven for spending time at Quinn’s pad, cos hers was a little overcrowded this week with Dex moving the kids in temporarily to get them away from the bad-vibes family home. Cody seems to be doing ok, and baby Harrison seems to enjoy the soft glow of a blood-detecting blacklight just as much as his daddy does. I found that storytelling scene in the moving truck very cute despite it being quite disturbing when you think about it, which is a testament to how likable Dexter’s character is. But Astor is still all ‘This is all your fault, you ruined everything!’ And honestly, I got a little annoyed with her. It’s not that I don’t understand that a 13 year-old is going to be angry about their mother getting murdered and be looking for someone to blame, but something about all her dialogue is not hitting the mark, and all my sympathy is actually for Dexter rather than her. It could possibly be that, as great as the young actor Christina Robinson is, that she just doesn’t have the maturity or the acting experience to deliver the necessary emotion.

'It was me.' - Dexter Episode 501

Everyone’s favourite serial killer with a code is back for the fifth season of one of the smartest, most well-written, and consistently brilliant shows around. And this time, Dexter Morgan will need to deal with death in a way he never has before, considering that the last body we saw as Season 4 ended was his wife Rita in a bathtub full of blood, and his baby son crying on the bathroom floor being “born in blood” just as Dexter himself was. The bathtub kill was a signature of the Trinity Killer, aka Arthur Mitchell, who Dexter killed before he returned home and discovered the body. Did Trinity strike earlier, or was this a copycat kill?

This episode picked up immediately afterwards, and I think it did a great job of setting up many major conflicts that will continue to be important throughout the season.

Dexter as a suspect – As the first police arrive on the scene, Dexter is clearly still in shock and, not thinking about what the consequences may be, says ‘Rita’s inside. It was me.’ He could have been referring to many things: that he did not kill Arthur when he had the chance, that he was not there at the moment Rita returned home, that he knew his life as a serial killer would eventually cause this. Whatever he meant, it sounds iffy to Deb, and even iffier to the swarming FBI agents. Throw in the uber-suspicious Quinn, who looks like he’s going to become the new Doakes and be Dexter’s antagonistic co-worker, and it looks like Dexter may be the most intensely scrutinised for the one murder that, ironically, he did not commit. If or when this happens, it will be very interesting to see how his friends such as Angel, LaGuerta and especially Deb deal with him being a suspect, as well as what actions Dexter will take to clear his name.

Who really did it? – The bathtub murder was done many times by Trinity in the past. But it’s not set in stone that the was he perpetrator, and knowing that this show loves to shock and nothing is ever what it seems, there’s a good chance it wasn’t him at all. Rita was married with kids, which doesn’t fit with his other bathtub victims who were always young single women. Looking up Dexter’s address led Arthur to Dexter’s old apartment, the one where Deb now lives. Did he find Dexter’s real address? Also the neighbour Elliott, the one who made a move on Rita, looked a little suspicious to me, and it also could be someone completely different who hasn’t been introduced yet. So many possibilities, so much to keep us guessing!

Dexter the family man – As a viewer I was sitting there dreading the moment when Dexter would have to tell his step kids, Astor and Cody, that their mother was dead. Of course it was gutting to watch those kids have to take such awful news, but as this show sometimes does, black comedy worked very successfully and did not take away from the tragedy of the scene. With the kids having just returned from Disney World, Dexter finds himself having to break the news while wearing a Mickey ears hat, and Michael C. Hall also got to temporarily channel David Fisher with the line ‘I’m sorry for your loss.’ Older daughter Astor does not take the news well at all and lashes out at Dexter, and Dexter later toys with the idea of fleeing to give the children a better life before being urged to return by the ever-present ghost of Harry. Now that they’ve got that out of the way I really don’t think they’ll return to it again, which means that we’re going to see Dexter as a single father to three kids. What kind of father will he be? Will Astor accept him or will things get worse? Just how hard will it be to balance work, killing and kids without Rita? Will baby Harrison have psychological damage from the time spent at the crime scene?

'You are mad as a f**kin' hatter.' True Blood Episode 312.

After 12 hours of berserk, mostly brilliant television, True Blood season 3 is done and dusted. The season finale, while not being particularly earth shattering or even the best episode of the season, did keep to the consistently high standards of the rest of the season. 3.12 ‘Evil Is Going On’ did a good job of wrapping up certain storylines, leaving unanswered questions in others and also setting up new ones for the much-too-long-away fourth season.

Staying true to his impeccable form, Denis O’Hare as Russell Edgington was once again the most entertaining part of the show. Even after being singed to a toasted mashmallow-like black crisp, he was still a delectably devious little power hungry potty mouth. This episode was definitely one for a language warning. Russell set the bar for f-bombs early, but nearly every character got in on the sweary action. King Crispy’s back and forth exchanges with Sookie inside Fangtasia were a lot of fun, and full of the snarky wit that is to be expected from an Alan Ball penned episode. Seeing Sookie lash out at every vampire she is associated with was both expected and somewhat out of character: her swift and ruthless disposal of Talbot’s gooey remains down the garbage disposal, then cackling maniacally at Russell’s anguish was something I didn’t think she was capable of, and I couldn’t help feeling for Russell in that moment despite all horrible shit he has put so many people through. And, oh my god…ric. Oh my God, Godric came back! As a ghost/spirit/figment of Eric’s imagination, but he appeared in all his wisdom-dispensing glory, and it sure was great to see that talented young Allen Hyde again.

Sam came out to Tara…as a shifter. Yep, just like that. Clearly he’s sick of hiding who he really is or what have you. A little while after being hit with this little gem Tara then walks in on her mama and the married reverend committing a certain sin, and decides she has had alls she can takes with Bon Temps and it’s cornucopia of supernaturals, rednecks and assholes. She gives herself a fetching new hairdo, acquires Lafayette’s old car and apparently drives off into the unknown. Considering the only time I enjoyed her character this season were her scenes with Franklin (which had everything to do with him and nothing to do with her) I certainly wouldn’t be heartbroken in the slightest if she sits out the first part of next season while Ball and his minions think of something interesting for her to do, or better yet, a way to bring back the type of Tara we saw in season 1. And poor Sam is all over the place like a bipolar on V: unloading the shifter secret on Tara (good), patching things up with Terry (also good), but then realising that Tommy has cleaned out his safe (bad) and possibly shooting his own brother in the back (very very bad!) Exactly what or where Sam shot was not shown, thus providing I think the only real cliffhanger of the episode. But needless to say, Sam is in a pretty dark place now and I’m actually very intrigued to see where it goes. The character of Sam has always had little subtle shades of darkness and anger below his sweet, dependable nice guy surface, and Sam Trammell does a wonderful job every week with such a complex character. I’m sure he’ll do great whatever he has to bring to the table next season.

'Do you think I would have noticed if there were fairies bouncing around in the world?' True Blood Episode 311

3.11 - Fresh Blood

So this is late. Very late. But it doesn't matter because due to Americans celebrating their Labour there is no new episode this week. Really, could the timing of that public holiday be any worse, the week that should have been the season finale? Anyway, I'll keep this review to a brief dot-point version since I think it's probably too late to be relevant anyway.

-The episode had a great beginning with Bill and Pam in fisticuffs. Not to mention Yvetta getting some lines. Her Estonian accent is hilarious.
-Jesus and Lafayette coming down from their V trip was just as uninteresting as the trip itself. Keep this shit up and the usually entertaining Lafayette will end up just like...
-Jason. He and Crystal are just leaving me cold, not to mention bored, every week. There is a major flaw going on with this pairing, and I don't know it's the acting or directing but not for one second have I bought that they are in love. And I don't give a rat's about her hillbilly freakshow were-panther clan in Hotshot.
-Jessica and Hoyt back together is seven million kinds of win, and the scene where she drank his blood was hot.
-The much anticipated Northman v Edgington showdown was an ok scene, but way too civil all the way through. They should definitely have had some sort of brutal vamp fight before making the deal, although now that I think about it it may have been too unrealistic to expect Eric to stand a chance. Big thumbs up for 'To lose the only man I ever loved because you miss your mommy and daddy.'
-Sam was a fucking jerk and I was so disappointed in him. Then I watched it again, and laughed my ass off. Now I think I like drunk Sam.
-Maxine Fortenberry! Shitfire!
-I actually liked the scene with Bill and Sookie fantasising about their 'normal' lives in the car, which seems to have been pretty unpopular. I think it was supposed to be viewed with a wink and a nudge, with both the characters and the audience knowing that all the things they were saying could never possibly happen. And even though I was expecting Russell and Eric to swoop in (literally) it was still really cool.
-My biggest problem with the episode: why in the san hell did they spend so much time on Arlene and her demon-spawn baby? This is the 2nd last ep of the season ferchrissakes, use the time to wrap up the main angle well! Grrr, boo, hiss, angry Jess.
-For example, they could have spent longer on Bill and Eric's fake fight (which was great while it lasted, I'm a sucker for those two tiffing physically or otherwise) and their cunning scheming to take down Russell. But everything after this inside Fangtasia was excellent, and the ending was one of the best ever. I have no idea what's going to happen in the season finale and am super excited for it. Here's hoping they don't kill off Russell, he's too amazing to die! Just let him disappear for now so he can pop up in future episodes, still hauling around Talbot-in-a-jar and delivering a slew of memorable lines.

8/10

My Emmy Award Predictions

The ceremony is tomorrow, so lets see how many I can pick! (doing the main categories only)

Supporting Actress, Comedy - Jane Lynch, Glee
But I really want to win - Jane Lynch, Glee
Supporting Actress, Drama - Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
But I really want to win - Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Supporting Actor, Comedy - Ty Burrell, Modern Family
But I really want to win - Chris Colfer, Glee

Supporting Actor, Drama - Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
But I really want to win - Michael Emerson, Lost
Lead Actress, Comedy - Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
But I really want to win - Toni Collette, United States of Tara
Lead Actress, Drama - Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
But I really want to win - Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights
Lead Actor, Comedy - Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
But I really want to win - Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Lead Actor, Drama - Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
But I really want to win - Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Outstanding Comedy Series - Modern Family
But I really want to win - Modern Family
Outstanding Drama Series - Mad Men
But I really want to win - True Blood or Dexter

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series - The Daily Show with John Stewart
But I really want to win - The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien

Post-Ceremony Update- 8/11 right, not too shabby!

'What is the f**king truth for once?' True Blood Episode 310

***SPOILER ALERT***

As the end of the season sadly fast approaches, many storylines are beginning to wrap up, while others that are being set up early for next year are only just starting to be teased. This episode, 310 ‘I Smell A Rat’, was certainly big on revelation.

Now you might think it’s simply a coincidence, but I think that someone on the TB writing team read my blog last week. Either that or they’re all a bunch of telepaths like the intrepid heroine of this show, because, after having alls I could take with their constant leaving us on a cliff edge last week, this week they open the episode with the big reveal of just what Sookie is! Ok, so I knew already, and everyone else probably figured it out too, but I’m glad they just spat it out already. And her reaction was just perfect, because lets face it; fairies aren’t really all that cool. They’re also apparently rapists (they liked to breed with humans without the humans always agreeing) and all supes believe they were wiped out by vampires. Which explains everybody in fae-land being afraid of vamps when Sookie took her little visit there while in the coma, and Claudine’s ‘he will steal your light’ mumbo jumbo. But it doesn’t explain how she could say it. You know…if they’re wiped out and all. Do they mean wiped out on earth, but not in that alternate universe type deal where everything is pretty and sunny and everyone wears white linen?

Despite this quite baffling little slip, this opening scene was great and got the necessary information out concisely and with a good deal of humour. I’m also very glad that they then right away tackled the issue of Bill possibly being with Sookie only because of her ‘delectable and intoxicating’ fae blood. Lately Sookie has been ignoring far too many of Bill’s questionable actions and excuses, to the point where the audience is starting to see it less as love and more as stupidity. Well, maybe it was stupidity caused by love, but nevertheless I think it’s a positive for the character that she was the one who bought it up and not, say, Eric, who also had an extremely juicy scene with Bill. Stephen Moyer and Alex Skarsgard always work well together, but their scenes together this season have been greatly improved by the fact that the good guy/bad guy lines between their characters have been far less cut and dry. We’ve seen that there’s good and evil in both of them, and who appears more trustworthy is constantly shifting, even during this one scene. Bill certainly came off as the more elusive one I thought, and Eric hinted even more strongly that Bill did not return to Bon Temps and pursue Sookie on a whim. Actually, they seem to have answered one big question and replaced it with another-instead of asking ‘What am I?’ every 5 seconds Sookie now seems to constantly be asking ‘Why can’t I trust Bill?’

'And now time for the weather. Tiffany?' True Blood Episode 309.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Review might be a little boring (and shit) this week because I’ve been sick for days and the brain is still kind of on lazy-time. This weeks episode, 309 ‘Everything is Broken’, was up, down, sideways and all over the place like a yo-yo gone berserk. Here’s what was what in my humblest of opinions.

The bad:

Jason, Crystal and the Hotshot ferals- Snoooore. I’m sorry, but these two have a complete lack of chemistry and aren’t doing anything for me. There are no interesting characters to come out the Hotshot family/cult/whatever, just scummy redneck after scummy redneck. Jason is one of the best characters on the show, and right now he’s being wasted in this storyline. And what their deal is has been drawn out almost as much as the whole ‘What is Sookie?’ question. Just do the big reveal so we can get to the action!
Tommy Mickens turns into a little prick- Every time Tommy showed up on screen this week I just wanted to clock him in the face. I don’t want him to turn into one of those characters that you just hate, rather than love to hate.
Holly showing up everywhere already- Call me old fashioned, but I kinda like being introduced to my brand new characters gradually, not having them in lengthy scenes and all up in everyone’s business right away. I suspect we were given a Holly-overload because she’ll be a major character in season 4 and they want to get as much of her backstory out as possible, but I would have preferred a more subtle approach. That, and she’s not all that interesting yet.
Gratuitous boob shots- Show Anna’s in the shower, fine, we’ve seen them before. But topless, huge breasted gals in Tommy’s apartment and Nan Flanagan’s limo? Unnecessary. Don’t shock just to shock, TB, you’re better than that.
‘I know what you are…’ cut, end scene- FFS, JUST SPIT IT OUT ALREADY!!!!

The neutral:

Lafayette and Jesus- It’s good to see Lafayette in a different situation where he seems genuinely happy, but for me it’s the same deal with these two as it is with Jason and Crystal: not feeling it.
Sam turns into a bad guy- While seeing a darker side of Sam would be…interesting, I just don’t want it. I want the only nice guy left in Bon Temps to stay nice, not beating people almost to death! The fact that this is probably because of his aggro shit of a little brother makes me hate Tommy even more.
The Authority and Eric’s looooong statement- The Authority are a fairly normal looking bunch who have a nice shiny lair with a giant-ass TV? O-kay. And Alex, you were great and did I did enjoy these scenes, but they were maybe dragged out just a little too long. And bitchy Nan was getting on my nerves.

The good:

Werewolf corpse house cleanup- A lot of people seem to be down on Bill/Sookie at the moment, but I really liked this scene. There was some nice, sarcastic comedy, some drama and some plot development (Sookie telling Bill she knows about the secret file and him spinning more bullshit about it) all together. I know most are anticipating some change, but Paquin and Moyer do have more chemistry than any other couple on the show and I think this should be appreciated.
Eric and Pam- One of the best things about recent episodes has been seeing a softer side to Eric and Pam’s relationship, and they had yet another lovely moment this episode. Alex and Kristin seem very easy and comfortable with each other and it shows in their scenes. I do believe it was also the most openly vulnerable that we’ve seen Eric (he’s clearly not confident at all at being able to defeat Russell) and his character always tends to get much more interesting when he lets his ice-cool façade down.
Hoyt and Jessica- Hoyt surrounded by creepy dolls and admitting he hates biscuit-baking, antique-loving, disturbingly-chipper new girlfriend Summer was priceless enough. But then these two had such a sweet little moment and seemed to reconnect a little bit. Please please please please let these two get back together. At least a couple of people deserve to be happy, and these two are adorable as puppies.
Talbot-in-a-jar- TALBOT LIVES! Well, lives on on-screen is what I meant, in the form of gooey remains being carted around by Russell in a crystal decanter-type thing. Stroke. Of. Genius. Especially when Russell talks to the jar and even holds it up so Talbot can see all the guards protecting his murderer Eric.

The freakin' spectacular:

Russell f’n Edgington and his television debut- Wow. Holy grossness, I was not expecting that. Just when I thought I couldn’t love Russell or the incredible Denis O’Hare any more, he rips out the spine of a newscaster on live TV, then proceeds to give a shit-scary monologue warning all humans that vampires really don’t want to be their equals. They want to eat us. After they eat our children. And then, after he gets the entire audience (that would be us, not the poor sods watching the fictional news) positively terrified, he delivers one of the most pants-pissingly funny lines in the show’s history and instantly goes down in infamy. This man is just an insanely brilliant actor, and this was one of the best TB endings ever and probably saved a fairly inconsistent episode. Time for the weather, Tiffany?

Rating:

I’m tempted to give a 7 for that amazing Russell scene, but to be honest I definitely enjoyed this episode the least out of the whole season so far, so I guess it has to rate lower than the previous low of 7. So that would make it a could-do-better but still had it’s moments, respectable:

6/10.

'It's been one long, bloody fight.' True Blood Episode 308

***SPOILER ALERT***

Since this week’s episode, 308 ‘Night on the Sun’, was my equal favourite of the season so far and there are so many things to praise I’m just gonna get right into it!

Opening scene in the hospital: A heartbreaking scene superbly acted by both Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, Stephen especially who has been allowed a much wider range this season and has had many standout moments. Great dialogue which, for the most part, avoided being overly melodramatic, short and sharp like a jab to the gut, and some clever symbolism with the removing of the IV and the blood dripping onto the floor representing their separation and the resulting pain.

Russell and Talbot: Is there anybody who doesn’t adore these two? Both are fantastic characters, and their relationship has been a joy to watch, mainly because everything they say to each other is hysterically funny. They certainly kept that up with the multitude of brilliantly snarky lines they had for each other in their constant bickering, but we also saw glimpses of the love Russell has for Talbot, a little bit in the moment in the foyer and of course later when he screamed in anguish and flew off into the night. Which of course leads me to…

Talbot’s death: Obviously I’m not happy at the fact that he was killed off, since I’ve filled many a blog with Talbot-love (not to mention his lines always dominating the best quotes). But they had to set up his staking by getting him into a vulnerable position. Which involved Alex Skarsgard (Eric) removing his shirt slooowwwly and then the two of them almost having vampire man-sex. Which is of course an awesome thing. Yes, Talbot, his debonair silk robes, his amazing dialogue and his epic hissy fits will be sorely missed. But the first act of revenge has been committed, and the Russell/Eric subplot is going to kick into high gear.

Tara talking sense for the first time in ages: Even if you’re Team Bill, you have to admit that some of the things that dude has done (and the secrets he seems to be hiding) aren’t cool. Tara basically telling Sookie that she’s acting like a doormat, or in her words like a dumb bitch from a country song, was basically expressing through the mouth of a character on the show what many people were likely screaming at their TVs lately. To be fair, Sookie did make some good points about her telepathy being just as dangerous as Bill’s vampirism and knowing what’s it’s like to be afraid of what you’re capable of, but I’m just glad Tara seems to be getting back to her Season 1 style aggressiveness.

'Say hello to the true death.' True Blood Episode 307

***SPOILER ALERT***

Yeah, that’s how this weeks episode of True Blood, 307 ‘Hitting The Ground’ started. So you just know it’s gonna be one wild ride.

Ding Dong, the witch is dead! Yes, much to the delight I’m sure of many viewers, Lorena got her ass staked. In a grand exit befitting her dastardly villainousness and undying love for Bill, she spread her arms while laying on top of him and getting choked by a silver chain, leaving her wide open for Sookie to sink a fence post into her. There have been a few vamps get staked on TB, so you’ll likely be familiar with the style of grisly disintegration that the show employs. But this would have to be the most awesome staking yet. Her eyes turned dead, she spewed forth a geyser of blood from her mouth, then said blood and what was left of her solid bits rained down all over poor Stephen Moyer, who has spent 90% of the last 2 episodes positively covered with red syrupy goo. And you know what? After wishing desperately for her swift demise just last week, I think I’m really going to miss her. Lets hope Franklin returns next week to fill the void of missing psycho.

Really, after starting with a death that’s what this episode turned out to be about. Death, and near death. Not content to kill just one villain, Coot also kicked the bucket, shot in the noggin by Alcide. Nooooooooo! I freakin’ loved that trashilicious redneck werewolf, and am lamenting the loss of future schoolboy trash talk between him and Bill. There is, however, a positive to come out his death: Debbie now wants to tear Sookie (and Alcide) to shreds even more. After hearing so much pre-season about what a crazy bitch she would be I’m very much looking forward to her going into total spurned ex-lover/wolfy predator mode. I think (or at least hope) that there’s going to be some action packed TV in coming weeks involving this little triangle.

'Are you the king of all vampires?' True Blood 306 Non-Review

So due to me being a poor prioritiser and probably just a poor student all around, my homework kinda backed up on me this week and I didn't get time to review this blood-drenched episode which marked half a season gone already. In a nutshell: both Tara and Sookie are either incredibly brave or monumentally stupid, Lorena needs to get offed, Russell is the best villain in TB history, and Joe Manganiello is beautiful in both white wolf form and naked man form.

In the absence of my rambling please enjoy the always entertaining Blood Work! vlog, and an exciting but definitely SPOILERIFFIC trailer of upcoming craziness.

Season 3: Second Half Preview 2

'It's too late. There's no hope for me. 'True Blood Episode 305

***SPOILERIFFIC GOODNESS COMING YOUR WAY***

Holy Toledo, I didn’t think it was possible to have that much fun in front of a television! My apologies if this weeks review isn’t quite as finessed as what you would expect from a writing student, but it was just sooo freakin’ entertaining that all I want to do is rave madly about how awesome it was. This week’s episode ‘Trouble’ simply had it all: drama, comedy, romance, violence. Stupidity, sexiness, tenderness…psychoness. And we all learnt a very important lesson (well, I hope most people learnt it): do not doubt Alan Ball and the amazing TB writing staff, they always have their shit together! While having a bazillion different storylines in two states going on simultaneously may have been difficult for our poor brains to compute for the last 4 episodes, the payoff is now that most of them have come together in a beautiful tangle. We now have our main storyline in Jackson, involving politics, vengeance, lies, secrets, vamps, weres, homoeroticism and practically everything else under the sun, and a couple of new romances and a disturbing family situation over in Bon Temps.

First things first. While there was not a dud performance or a flat moment anywhere in this episode, I really believe the show was stolen by two supporting characters: Franklin and Talbot. Throw Russell and Eric in with those two and you have one seriously amazing sitcom, just imagine it.
Franklin was…wow, I don’t even know how to describe him. Hilariously psychotic? Just a teensy bit possessive? How bout I just go with (to quote the episode) ‘FANTASTIC!’ There were things he did and said in this episode that I really think will remain some of the funniest shit that ever happens on this show. Bickering with Talbot, speed texting, tying Tara to the bed, having an emo-vamp moment that out emo’d even that drip from thatothervampirefranchisethatshallnotbenamed…every bit of it was over the top enough to be completely hilarious, but remain genuinely horrifying. I mean, he’s clearly a psychopath that would rip anyone’s head off without hesitation, but…loveably so? Whatever he is that’s making me love him, I tip my cap to you James Frain for just going for it.
And Talbot? Well, his one-liners just continue to get more gay and more amazing, and he is oh so fun. Not to mention the way he was staring at Eric like he was a triple cheese with curly fries at the end there. I don’t think a better visage of pure rapture and lust could have been done, and the possibility of what might transpire between these two in coming weeks is tickling me silly. (And btw, Alex Skarsgard did look so mesmerisingly beautiful this week that I may have skittled a little more towards Team Eric. That smile…)