In defense of the sanctimonious women's studies set || First feminist blog on the internet

Tuesday True Blood Roundtable: I Got a Right to Sing the Blues

frau sally benz

Spoilers Below

Screencap from True Blood. The Queen is wearing a white suit and facing Russell, who is down on his knee holding a rose up to her with his right hand and has his left hand to his chest.

This week on True Blood, we got enough blood, guts, and gore to make up for any tame episodes we’ve ever had. Bill and Sookie might die for each other, vampire politics are front and center, and Tara gets gruesome. Discuss with us!

Many are calling this the bloodiest episode yet. What’s your reaction to all the blood and gore?

LAUREN: This was more than bloody, this was blood, bits, gore, kibble, and offal. Holy shit, it was gory. I’ve never wanted a battle axe more in my life.

SALLY: I was surprised at how gruesome it was, yet also happy in some ways? Like in a weird, “I think there’s something wrong with me” way. Actually, more like a “for a show called True Blood, I always thought there’d be more blood” way.

LAUREN: Let’s say I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the gore this week. Any concerns I had that this was going to turn into the “Everyone Make Mooney Eyes This Is a Romance Show” show were alleviated.

SALLY: In the end, isn’t that all that really matters?

Lorena has to kill Bill and there are some interesting scenes between them. Bill says he wishes he’d known her when she was happy; Lorena points out that Bill did at one point enjoy their twisted relationship; Bill says he welcomes death and not having her in his life. What did you think about their interaction in this episode?

LAUREN: Bill’s conception of vampirism has only swung between two extremes — the amoral, wicked killer and the hyper-moral assimilated citizen. I’m glad Bill was finally compelled to admit that he was once morally and emotionally aligned with Lorena, because if he’s ever going to be an interesting character, he’s going to have to find an authentic middle ground. BE YOURSELF, BILL.

SALLY: These scenes were an interesting turn of events. Seeing Lorena confronted with the task of killing someone she’s in love/obsessed with was already intriguing. Then seeing it actually play out in a complex way was satisfying. Not only do we have Bill admitting that he was once as flawed as Lorena, but we have her showing some sort of feeling other than Bill-loving.

LAUREN: She’s kind of acting out what every audience member has been thinking for the last two seasons.

Also at Russell’s, Franklin tells Tara Sookie is there, so Tara communicates to Sookie that she has a plan to escape. She convinces Franklin to untie her, then turns him on by biting into him and drinking his blood. The next morning she wakes up and bashes his head in and makes a run for it. Does this make up for Tara’s misery this season?

LAUREN: …yes? Ha, I would say that I might have stood up in my living room and cheered, but that would be really, really nerdy, so of course I didn’t. Psssssh.

SALLY: I just kept saying “holy crap, is this actually happening?!” I could not believe that after this story playing out as it was, it would suddenly be over by her BASHING IN HIS HEAD. I’m still kind of in shock and waiting for next episode when they’re like haha, jk!

LAUREN: HA. Yes, because vampires are self-healing, right? It would be awesomely B-horror if Franklin just popped up all furious right as Sookie, Tara, and Alcide were making their getaway — with a terrible headache.

SALLY: That would suck for poor Tara.

When Sookie goes looking for Bill, Lorena finds her there and tries to kill her. Did anybody NOT see this coming?

SALLY: So, Sookie kept annoying the crap out of me in this entire episode. Like, so much more than usual or than I expected. When Eric told her to shut up and she didn’t, when she was talking to Russell, when she told Tara she wasn’t leaving without Bill, it was just building up. And then she goes into that room and doesn’t even really look around that much and I’m like “geez Sookie, where’s your brain?! you’re about to DIE!”

LAUREN: Her unquestioning allegiance to Bill is genuinely troubling. If I were her BFF, I’d need to talk with her about the importance of independence and good choices in romantic relationships. Also, how relationships shouldn’t be a string of dangerous dramas. DTMFA.

At the same time, I did have a little empathy for her because she is clearly being toyed with by all these pushy, arrogant, authoritative people, all the while figuring out that she has confusing super powers she’s never been aware of. She’s dealing with a serious mindfuck, and all the while anyone with the power to help her, physical or otherwise, is mocking her or trying to kill her. At this point in the story, if I were Sookie I’d be a big puddle of blood and tears all over the linoleum.

SALLY: Great imagery! I suppose that’s true. Maybe I would’ve felt bad for her if she wasn’t annoying me so. But in reality, she really is sort of at the mercy of these people who don’t tell her the whole story and keep using her as a pawn.

LAUREN: See, usually I’d be irritated with her, but I really feel her confusion, and how helpless she feels trying to bootstrap through all this impossible shit.

In the not Bill/Sookie world, Eric’s getting on Russell’s good side, and the King and Queen will be wed. Thoughts on how this is playing out?

LAUREN: I was as amused by the vampire politics as I was enthralled with Tara’s amazing propensity for violence.

SALLY: This whole storyline had my favorite moment of the night, when the Queen, in her beautiful suit and perfect hair, is sitting in a pile of scratch-offs, excited at winning another $100. It was so great! And just led to more greatness when Eric shows her not to mess with him, when Russell proposes and the smug look on his face when she’s forced to accept. Why can’t we get more of this and less of this Sookie/Bill crap?

LAUREN: Word. Our fellow fans were discussing this in the comments last week and it was interesting to entertain the thought of how this group has been able to organize a power structure over centuries of human change, and how it borrows from the current democratic ideal and from darker feudal times as well, and how things like racism and classism would play out among a group of outsiders who are ageless and without need for some of Maslow’s basics.

Anyway, it was interesting to see how intensely Eric turned on Russell because of a human desire for vengeance. And how Russell sees himself as some kind of environmental purist. And how the queen, despite the assimilationist movement, thought she couldn’t be touched by human legal interventions.

On a sad note, Lafayette and Jesus are done even before really getting started. This can’t possibly be the end already… can it?

LAUREN: Sigh. I sure as hell hope not. The Kiss! The kiss they shared in the car was so sweet and sexy, and then for them to turn around and collectively kick some bigoted ass. There was so much delicious ass-kicking. Having such wonderful characters on TV in your living room every week is cathartic, so I would be terribly disappointed if it was over.

SALLY: I also hope not. Having this be over so soon would be even worse than having it continue and just blow up in Lafayette’s face letter. Better to have loved and lost or something.

LAUREN: Should I point out that almost every new love interest on this show turns into supe gore by the season finale, so maybe Jesus’ days were numbered anyway?

SALLY: Hmmm, good observation. Well, if he must have a gore-licious death in order to give Lafayette some loving, so be it.

The other storylines are rather forgettable. Any other moments that stand out?

LAUREN: What storylines? The only story was Tara bashing Franklin’s head in with a friggin’ MACE. Maybe Jessica, aka Baby Pam, who is suddenly learning to get along by herself. I’m tickled that Jessica’s turning plays out thematically almost like a typical adolescent coming-of-age story — she feels like an outsider, has to learn how to play well with others, and deal with all these weird changes happening to her body.

SALLY: I must say, I kinda love Jessica more each week. Aside from that, I really only have a vague memory that there were other people in this episode besides the vampires and Sookie.

LAUREN: Anyone think Sookie is going to wise up soon? Me neither.

21 thoughts on Tuesday True Blood Roundtable: I Got a Right to Sing the Blues

  1. I LOVED the shot of the Queen and the scratch cards too. I also love how there’s all this intrigue and power-playing amongst the vampires because of something as banal as taxes.

    What I did not love was that the super-amazing scene from a few weeks back where the Queen pinned Eric up against a wall was completely negated by Eric pinning her to the floor, threatening to rip her head off and being all ‘actually I’m massively stronger than you because I’m “older”‘ (read: male). It’s like the writers were like ‘wait, we portrayed a WOMAN as being physically strong and dangerous to men? UNDO IT, UNDO IT!’

    On a similar note, I was really happy (and pretty disturbed) to see Tara bash Franklin’s head in, but again it seems pretty likely that he’s not actually dead – otherwise he would have done the exploding thing, surely? This also kind of annoys me as Tara was confronted with a whole freaking wall of axes and other weapons with which she could easily have finished him off properly – thereby avoiding the now inevitable scenario that he will heal himself and come after her, pretty pissed off – but again it’s like the writers don’t want to let any of the female characters be seen as posing a real, lasting threat to the male characters.

    Ditto, sort of, with Lorena. Here is a woman who HAS been given physical power over a man (Bill) by both being his maker and being tasked with torturing and killing him, but while she does so all she does is sob hysterically and whine about how she wants him to love her.

    The message the writers seem to be giving with all this is that men who commit violence do so with a level head and are actually pretty cool, whereas women who do the same are a) totally useless at it and / or b) only do it because they’re neurotic, fucked-up bitches, who are only doing it because they’re bitter about some guy – as that, apparently, is all women care about.

    / massive rant

  2. I’ve come to actually like Jessica. She has a lot of potential.

    It is pretty clear now that Tommy is on the dog-fighting circuit. And that his mom was. And that she’s the one he’s really afraid of, Joe Lee being mostly just pathetic.

    Franklin isn’t dead. Tara’s escape was great, but we all know she had to stake him, right?

    Eric’s animating forces are honor, loyalty and desire. In the current situation, all three are in play, and he has to figure out how to kill Russell and Sophie Anne, get Pam out alive and end up with Sookie. He will get three of those things, and his crown back.

    Bill and Sookie will be taking a break. I’d like to see Lorena dead, but I don’t know if we get that. Jesus will be back, I hope.

    Does anyone not know Crystal is a wolf? Jason is too stupid to live. It’s not even funny anymore.

  3. Thomas, I’m usually the last to deal out spoilers, but…Crystal’s not a wolf. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

    I agree that Franklin’s not dead. A staking would’ve been satisfying, but that storyline is obviously unfinished. And as much as I’m jonesing for Franklin to be dead-dead, I have to admit that I’m looking forward to seeing Bashed-Head Franklin up and talking in the next episode. And THEN seeing him good and staked, of course.

  4. Well, another story line (that I don’t like, btw- y’all already covered the interesting stuff) is Jason’s complete abuse of power. I hated the scene when he showed up at Crystal’s house (wtf with that attraction? and his utter disregard for everything she told him?) and I hated the scene when he threatened the annoying football player even more. I have no idea where the writers are going with that, but I don’t like his personality change.

    Hmm, and Jessica continuing the process of living without her maker’s guidance (a storyline I actually like). I hope Arlene stops being such a bitch to her, though I liked Jessica’s ‘no tipping’ strategy. Also, it looks like Lauren was right a few weeks ago and that Tommy’s family uses him for dog fighting. Gross, and poor abused, kid. I hope he and Sam can form a stronger alliance.

    I’m curious if the Queen knows that Eric hasn’t really betrayed her, as there’s no way he would ever ‘serve’ Russell. I cannot wait for them to resolve Eric’s quest for vengeance. BTW, did y’all see Eric’s reaction when he saw how strong Russell was after Russell kicked Bill’s ass? Alexander Skaarsgard is such an amazing actor.

  6. I love Evan Rachel Wood. Very very much.

    I turned away so many times during this episode. When Lorena was torturing Bill, when Tara was gnawing on Franklin’s neck (GROSS), and when she was bashing his skull in. The gore has definitely ramped up since the beginning of the season.

    I love Lorena’s style. Have to admit she looked awfully chic while being a bloodthirsty villain.

  7. I don’t think there really is a Jason character change: he used to be really hot shit. Over the last couple of months, he’s been brought really low and seen people he used to think he was much better than (His sister, Andy, even Hoyt) are going somewhere and he’s still the has-been who works the road crew. He’s acting out badly and trying to find a place i n the world. He keeps trying on different roles to try and find one that fits, but he’s doing it with no guide.

    In a lot of ways he’s a study in alternate masculinities.

  8. Sally said ” And just led to more greatness when Eric shows her not to mess with him, when Russell proposes and the smug look on his face when she’s forced to accept. ”

    Seriously? the power being taking away from a woman ( the queen) by a easy and quick force of a man ( Eric) and a women being forced to marry was “greatness?”
    Im confused cause I hated that scene because of all the reasons Agnes has stated already… It was also weak writing to have her “fall from power” so easy. Seemed like there was too many women doing powerful things so the writers had to show “men still on top though”

    Sookie is annoying cause she didnt care for one moment that Bill refused to help her. she just screamed excuses at Tara. lame, tara need better friends.I’m rooting for them both to go to afterlife together! Since, their love is all that matters ( not friends, morality,etc)

  9. I really liked this episode. Tara and Russell (obviously not his original name, I wonder if we get to find it out?) are fast becoming my favorites along with Lafayette.

    I think it is interesting how people really dislike Sookie for not realizing that she is in an abusive relationship and making excuses for Bill. A lot of women would do the same, and she has hardly had time to digest the recent revelations about Bill. I guess that most viewers are assuming that they would just leave him and not rationalize his behavior. It just seems like a really unrealistic standard especially for a woman in her first relationship.

    There are a lot of reasons that Sookie can be annoying, but the fact that Bill is manipulating her is hardly an inexcusable character flaw. By biggest problem with her is that her background as a white southern woman from a “good old family” leads her to expect other people and especially men to do things for her if she is nice. However, I do think that it is realistic based on her background. Tara on the other hand is easier to identify with because she doesn’t expect anyone to help her.

    I think this episode showed just how little Sookie, or Tara for that matter, know about the vampire society they are now in the thick of. And it really reinforced just how much Bill and Eric have used Sookie for their own purposes while leaving her entirely in the dark about just how dangerous supernatural world is and how little power either of them has to actually protect her.

  10. Well, about Sophie & Eric. Eric *IS* older than Sophie ( in the books too) and the older the vamp, the stronger they are. As you can see, Eric will align his loyalty to those who won’t kill him, so when Sophie dominated him last season, it wasn’t a brute strength thing.

    However, Sophie is older than Bill and had that been Bill, he’d be ash by now. Also, I think Eric was taking out more than a little anger on Sophie b/c she framed him for the V thing and now Pam might die.

    Power isn’t always strength and loyalties will shift with political prowess.

    I think Lorena & Bill’s conversation last night was startlingly real & honest and gave some dimension to Lorena’s character–as well as keeping Bill honest.

    If you ever pay attention to what is on the cap that Jason wears when he’s working the road crew, there’s a hint about what Crystal is.

    Eric’s flirtations just reminds me how very ruthless he can be. I know Talbot is falling for it, but will Russel?

    I want to think Franklin is dead b/c parts of his skull & eyes have painted the walls. I don’t think he isn’t dead b/c he didn’t explode (lots of ppl are saying that’s why they think he’s still “alive”), b/c I think they only bloodsplode when staked…The only thing that makes me believe that he is NOT finally dead are the scenes shown for the next half of the season where Tara is looking up at someone who is white, male, and clearly terrifying–but they are very careful not to show his face.

  11. Eric’s animating forces are honor, loyalty and desire. In the current situation, all three are in play, and he has to figure out how to kill Russell and Sophie Anne, get Pam out alive and end up with Sookie.

    Eric doesn’t necessarily need to kill Sophie-Anne. Indeed, I think he would avoid that kind of direct exposure. Eric is a survivor first and foremost. Its why he made Pam and its why he’s to be grooming Lafayette. Sophie-Anne is a small problem, but ultimately he doesn’t need to deal with her directly. Now that Russell knows about Sophie-Anne’s V dealing (and you can bet he’s recorded that somewhere) all Eric needs to do is bring Russell down, report Russell’s arrangement with the werewolves to the Magister, and Sophie-Anne ends up dead without Eric being in the blast radius. The other possibility is that Eric kills Russell, keeps his records, blames it all on Russell to the Magus, and then uses the information he has as leverage against Sophie-Anne.

  12. Wow, okay, I really had Chrystal pegged for a werewolf. But somehow I knew that seemed too simple. Now I really am curious. Fairy? Yeah, I’m gonna go with fairy of some sort.

    I have to agree with some other commenters here: I do not like where Jason’s character is going. He is on a serious power trip, overstepping far too many boundaries. I just want to see what happens when Tara finds out that he shot Eggs, because I know the writers aren’t just gonna let that mystery hang in the air.

    Also, Franklin is definitely not dead. One of the previews, where Tara screams, “If you’re gonna kill me, just do it!” makes that perfectly clear. I, too, was quite pissed that of all the items on that door she didn’t pick up an axe. That seemed way too contrived. But, then, assuming she was filled with pure rage after all that he did to her, wanting to simply bash his head in seems quite understandable.

    As far as Sookie, I was more annoyed with her earlier in the season, when every time you turned around, she was heading willy nilly straight into trouble, not caring who she put in danger (i.e. Alcide….by the way, am I not the only one who wishes the writer’s would hook up Alcide and Tara. But it will never happen. sigh. Shoot…after Eggs and Franklin, Tara needs some to herself.) Now I just feel sorry for Sookie, left in the dark about the vampire world. She has no idea what she signed up for.

    I also don’t think Jesus is gone for good. At least, I hope not. (Also, how dumb was Jesus, to not think that Laffy might be into some not so legal stuff? He’s driving a ridiculously expensive non-American sports car, and working at a bar as a cook! Seriously, nobody’s that dumb.)

    Apparently Eric is supposed to have an intense sex scene with another male during this season (I read that somewhere, either in the comments here or at the Racialicious roundtable on Trueblood). Who wants to bet it will be with Russell? I have a burning suspicion that Eric will kill Russell during sex: I can picture him staking Russell midway…talk about phallocentric violence.

    Btw: I don’t feel sorry for the Queen. She’s a “bitca” (as Xander would say…sorry, Buffy nerd moment): force somebody to sell your dope and then frame them because you can’t pay your bills. What a selfish brat?

    Also: the slave quarters? They just keep building on that slave imagery. Seriously. But to what end, I wonder.

    Thank you ladies for this roundtable!

  13. And it really reinforced just how much Bill and Eric have used Sookie for their own purposes while leaving her entirely in the dark about just how dangerous supernatural world is and how little power either of them has to actually protect her.

    Not just how dangerous the supernatural world is, but about how anything works at all! It leaves you to wonder what on earth Bill and Sookie actually talk about for most of the time. If I’d just discovered that vampires were real and now had a boyfriend who was one, I would want to know EVERYTHING about how vampire-world worked. I did LOL though, when Russell was subtly threatening Sookie with torture and had just sent Bill off to be murdered, and Sookie’s first question was ‘Are you the King of all the vampires?’

    Alcide….by the way, am I not the only one who wishes the writer’s would hook up Alcide and Tara.

    YES! That would be amazing!

    I have a burning suspicion that Eric will kill Russell during sex: I can picture him staking Russell midway…talk about phallocentric violence.

    I think Talbot will kill Russell – he’s already getting pretty pissed off with him, what with all the covering the house with blood and flirting with ‘sycophants’ like Eric. Maybe Eric and Russell will have sex, and Talbot will find out and take revenge.

    I do love Talbot though, and actually I hope he doesn’t kill Russell – I think it’s kind of sweet that they’ve been together for almost 500 years. Their relationship is really the first time we’ve seen that vampires have (massively) long term relationships.

  14. Eric will probably try to get Sophie Ann killed rather than do it himself. He’s a result-oriented guy, though I suspect he’d rather stake Russell himself. The writers may prefer to keep her around, in which case William’s second scenario looms larger. Would Eric marry the Queen and be the power behind the throne? I doubt it. I see no sign that he wants it.

  15. SPOILERS

    I don’t think Talbot is going to last past this season, as one of the future ep sypnopses states that Russell is “grieving” and has to “commune” with Talbot. I’m thinking ouija board here.

    END OF SPOILERS

    Actually, it’s interesting to see the turnaround of sentiment regarding Tara now that she is a “strong, black woman” again. Some audiences need their tropes and a vulnerable black woman ain’t one of ’em.

    Also, Franklin is definitely alive. I’m not sure Tara is aware of how to dispatch a vamp. As one of the posters noted, the woman was mad and grabbed the first thing to get her revenge. I don’t think she was thinking methodically b/c time was of the essence. Each whack she took at him was a statement…”this is for tying me to the fucking toilet, muthafucker…this is for biting my damn ass…this is for kidnapping me and dragging me to muthafuckin’ Mississippi (are u kidding me?)…this is for tying me up…this is for letting me go hungry…this is for choking me…etc, etc, etc.

    As for Tara’s “looking up at someone who is white, male, and clearly terrifying–but they are very careful not to show his face” I’m surmising that scene is an erotic dream Tara’s having of Franklin, the fallout of her drinking his blood. I initially wondered why the writers put that very gory scene in, but obviously they wanted Tara “psychically tied” to Franklin, notwithstanding he’s a psycho. Which makes me wonder about the possibility of James Frain doing upcoming cameos in other seasons – if Tara doesn’t finally dispatch him.

    AB knew he had a good thing with Lafayette’s character, which is why he didn’t kill him off a la the written series. He also knows that Frain is a phenomenal actor and could possibly really take off with the fans (which he seemingly has). Maybe AB plans to have Franklin drop in on occassion which would explain why the TB press labelled Franklin “Tara’s boyfriend”; otherwise, it doesn’t make sense that Franklin/Tara has been promoted so much if Frain is only lasting for 5 or 6 eps.

  16. Just wanted to list a few of my favorite lines from this episode:

    Tara: Untie me…two hands are better than none.
    Franklin: You wicked little strumpet.

    Eric to Sophie Anne: I will rip your head off and throw it in the pool.

    Russell to Sookie: Oh honey, there’s a fine line between feisty and delusional.

    Arlene to a soon-to-be-fang-drained Merlott’s customer: Where do you think you are, lady–Red Lobster?

    Musings:
    I laughed out loud to the first sequence of Bill jumping on to Russell’s shoulders and bouncing off the ceiling like a ping pong ball. What was he thinking? Russell to Bill: “Are you serious? I’m almost 3,000 years old!” Talbott’s temper tantrum about the mess Bill made in the foyer was pitch perfectly bourgeois.

    Am I right in assuming that Russell had quelled Talbott by having sex with him? Russell was buckling his belt when he came back in to talk to Sookie and said “Sorry to keep you waiting. A husband’s work is never done.” Just checking.

    I don’t trust Jesus. Lafayette got bad vibes off of him from the start. He even asks Jesus if he’s ever heard of the expression “Satan in a Sunday hat.”

    Russell is a vampire eco supremacist! Will he try to launch a human holocaust?

    Lastly, (and not that it would ever happen) but what if Franklin and Lorena hooked up? That would be the craziest fang bang ever!! They’re both crazier than june bugs on Sam Merlott’s mom’s fritters. And what else did she put in those besides bacon grease?

  17. I have committed to using ‘strumpet’ more frequently. Or just at all, as I’m pretty sure I’ve never worked that one into conversation.

  19. As much as I would love Alcide for Tara, it’s just not going to happen. He’s going to be all about Sookie :-/

    Also, Crystal is not a fairy.

  20. Sharon – that’s a good point you make about Tara not knowing how to dispatch a vampire. I forgot that even though the audience has seen a few of them die, I don’t think she ever has…? As to the her drinking his blood thing, I assumed she did it because she knew it would give her some temporary strength when she tried to escape.

    Xamonia Zish – I’m pretty sure Jesus is evil too. Ditto Crystal. Although the two scenarios I immediately suspect now whenever a love interest is introduced for any character (except Sookie) is that they’re evil, or they’re going to die, or both.

  21. I think Jesus made exactly the correct decision. No matter how cute, funny, and awesomely made up, the moment you realize a potential potential is dealing drugs, it’s time to get out.

    I was super pleased to see Tara taking control of the situation. Well done, madam. I was also super pleased to see Alcide’s ass.

Comments are currently closed.