Warning: Full spoilers for the episode follow...
"I hate this goddamn town"
I hear you, Sheriff Andy. Well, mostly. True Blood star Stephen Moyer directed this week's overly-absurd episode, "Somebody That I Used To Know," which saw Sam tenderly reconcile with a Sam-shifted Luna, Hoyt ponder shooting a chained up Jessica and Bill fall in line with the Saguinistas.
Yes, most of this episode was off its rocker, and I'm sad to see Russell regulated to comic relief, but in the midst of all the madness came, possibly, the first inkling of a driving, directional plot point this season; the destruction of the True Blood factories. Most people were excited about Season 3 until Russell's plot fizzled and the wolf stuff went nowhere. And as much as people roll their eyes at the thought of Season 4, it, at least, had a central adversary in play. This season just seems so arbitrary, with people bouncing around from story to story; mixing their chocolate in each others' peanut butter.
Take Lafayette. Who went from dealing with turning Tara into a vampire, to almost killing Sookie with his Brujo powers, to getting his lips sewn shut by Don Bartolo to...being a paid medium for Arlene and Holly. Look, as much as I crap on Terry and his smoke monster story, at least he's only had one story. Not four. By episode eight. And one of the things that bothers me with the show is how it uses its own cheekiness to explain away/shrug off all the frivolous things. As in, all Sookie or Lafayette have to do is say "You wouldn't believe the last couple of days I've had." Or even having Andy, as funny as it was, say "I hate this goddamn town."
Luna turning into Sam. Why? I mean, everything can't be played as a goof here, right? Yes, I liked seeing human-shifting brought back, but it still has yet to pay off. Luna didn't do anything as Sam. Nothing came of her being Sam. And it forced us to watch what could have been a touching scene as farce. As Sam Trammell acting opposite an effeminate Sam Trammell. So terrible.
I actually liked Hoyt and Jessica's scene, as dark and misogynistic as it was. In fact, anyone who think Hoyt is still a good guy simply because he didn't choose to shoot Jessica in the head needs to have their head examined. This whole thing was still about a guy who almost considered shooting his ex-girlfriend because she broke his heart. And when he put the gun to her head, he didn't say "I'm just doing this for dramatic effect because a camera's right there." He put it there to scare her; maybe even contemplating pulling the trigger. So, at his best, Hoyt opted to not kill her at the last possible second. And that's fine, but I think it really changes his character. And while I know that I'd like to see this show kill off about half its cast, it would have been a great end for Hoyt if the mystery driver had shot him. Because that scene between him and Jessica felt final. And it really closed off the most important story regarding his entire character.
I liked Pam's little gift to Tara, in the form of a ex-high school rival/glamoured food slave. Still, as much as I enjoy Pam being Tara's maker, their story is still stagnant. And Tara, after her big life change, is still just a bartender who has to watch her mouth around patrons. I know the show has made several references to that fact; earnestly trying to even make it the point of her story. But it's still lazy. The upside here is Tara finding Pam to be a better mother to her than she's ever known. I just hope none of this becomes a retread of the Maryann/mother story.
I like Eric's confrontation with Nora about how Godric was sickened by their display at the karaoke bar. It was funny watching Eric tell Nora that Lilith is a figment while trying to convince her that he saw Godric. Also, it would seem that Nora has no sentiment left for Godric. In fact, I'm wondering if there is an extra underlying power at work here since everyone seems brainwashed. Even before they drank the blood. I mean, something made Bill kill that woman with Salome. He had second thoughts about it and then...he didn't. I even thought he might become a double-agent until he suggested bombing the True Blood factories. So, I'm just not sure why he wasn't able to resist Salome this time around, when he could see through her agenda back in "Whatever I Am, You Made Me." Are we still blaming the blood?
Sookie's entire story last week was about how she didn't want to be a fairy. She had a heart-to-heart with Sam. She blasted off fairy blammos into the sky. This week? They took it all back during her first scene with Jason. So that was that, apparently. They only good part of her story this week was that it introduced a new vampire into the picture. And that the monster who killed her parents wasn't Russell or Bill or Eric or some other pre-established character that we'd now have to retcon.
Oh yeah, Alcide did some s*** too.
In the end, given the title of the episode, at least we were spared having to hear that Gotye song. Yes, an Elliot Smith song did just fine.
Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and IGN.
Source : ign[dot]com
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