True Blood season finale (probably with SPOILERS)

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 10:07am

What an odd episode!

Thoughts?
Updated On: 9/13/10 at 10:07 AM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 10:23am

I never saw an episode of True Blood until June, when I watched the first episode of season one. I then watched every subsequent episode, including the finale last night.

In hindsight, I'm feeling like nothing really happened in Season 3. The formula seems to be, somebody new comes to town. They behave oddly. We learn they are a supernatural being. The person who has come to trust, love, or have sex with them has a heart to heart discussion with the supernatural being, who reveals his or her secret, and the person they reveal their secret to either rejects them or accepts them.

In the finale, I thought people made decisions that weren't particularly grounded in the way that character has behaved before. (Sookie with the garbage disposal, for instance.) And, also, the characters never seem to have seen a James Bond movie, where bad guys always wasted too much time explaining to Bond how they were going to kill him, then setting their killing machine in motion and leaving him there -- alone! -- to die. Deus ex Godric was kinda dumb.

I don't MIND that nothing happened, it was a fun enough ride, but I have to think Alan Ball's add-on at the end, "You are the BEST fans! We promise you more stuff next season!" was a rather honest admission. If you look at the model for this show, arguably Dark Shadows, and break True Blood down into half-hour DS-like segments, you get about 6 weeks of soap opera episodes. And about the same amount of slowly moving plot lines.

The problem is, not enough actually happens in 12 weeks. I am thinking they are going to have to rethink how little happens and start moving things along. I was wondering what it would be like when I was all caught up on the show and I had to wait 9 months for more. Frankly, I can wait. I'm sure it'll be fun, but there's not gonna be any True Blood withdrawal for me.

Updated On: 9/13/10 at 10:23 AM

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 10:31am

Well done, Namo; you summed up my thoughts better than I could.

As to not much happening, I guess the problem built in to a show like this is that it's literally about life and death every time; given the vampires' natures, it can't be anything else. But if you let every situation pay off, you'd run out of characters pretty quick.

The garbage disposal moment was shocking. Not so much that she'd do it, but how she did it. I liked it, though. But if that's not an incentive to find your way out of a block of cement, I don't know what is. So I don't think we've seen the last of Russell. Or Sam's brother, come to that.

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 10:36am

There was some odd "out of character" performances last night, especially with Sookie. I mean she was a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Perhaps that is what they wanted portrayed? I can honestly say it was the first time I did not like her. I like the Sookie who accepts things and stands strong to her beliefs. I felt this finale espisode Sookie and Tara changed roles. Something left me empty last night...not sure if that's a good thing.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 10:50am

I wonder what Charlaine Harris is thinking about how Alan Ball f*cked up Book 3? I wish he would stick more to her writing and less to his own.

[pli1018]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 11:00am

Yeah that finale left me feeling indifferent, exactly how I felt about this season as a whole. I mean Russell was amazing, a great character and obviously we haven't seen the last of him, but besides Russell and the introduction of new characters, season 3 felt like 12 filler episodes. Here's to season 4, which I can only hope will be better.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 11:07am

You're right, Boobs, but it's clearly intentional. Sookie's even aware of it, as she said at Gran's gravesite.

I did like how Sookie and Tara both got tougher and stood up to the various creatures this season. But I do hope Sookie doesn't lose her essential Sookieness.

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 11:17am

I know Reg, but like you said I'd hate for Sookie to lose her Sookieness...that is the character that we all have come to know and love. To me she was the glue that kept all the other characters in check. She's that friend you have that always sees the good in others.

[toanythingtaboo 2]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 11:17am

I don't quite think Russell was bad enough to be honest, he got taken down incredibly easily for the 'big bad' of the season and essentially it was over in the penultimate episode. After Marianne and even Rene, it was a bit lackluster. I was expecting a huge showdown between the Vampire order, Russell and his wolves and of course the principle cast.

I know TB's style is less about blockbuster moments and more about emotion, but there was so much more that could have been done there. Part of me wants Russell to come back and do it properly, but that'll mean dragging on the plot when really you want a fresh story with each season. New bad guy included.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 11:35am

I've only recently started watching TRUE BLOOD with anything like regularity, only because it is HBO right before the infinitely superior program for adults MAD MEN is on AMC.

I saw a few early episodes, and wasn't take with it, as I find the equation between vampires and gays to be deeply stupid, and deeply offensive. But that's just me. Also, the doings of vampires just have zero interest for me at all, I've just plain outgrown them. Now lycanthropes are another matter, especially when embodied by the glorious Joe Mangiello.

Here's another view of last night's season finale:


TRUE BLOOD Succumbs

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 11:40am

I like that Tara cut out her micro braids to reveal perfect adorable bouncy curls. lol Both were several hundred dollar salon jobs.

If I had any remaining love for Bill, it's gone. I don't like that he tried to kill Eric or Pam. He knew full well that Eric wouldn't hurt Sookie and because of that, Pam wouldn't either. I also hated the Matrix jump when Bill and the queen were about to fight.

Hoyt and Jessica and their young love, setting up home and bitch of a mother in law could be really fun to watch.

I really hope they pop back on the book track now. I think, with the introductions of the witch and wiccan, that they may, at least somewhat.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 3:09pm

I have to add that the two reasons I started watching True Blood were that I heard Denis O'Hare joined the cast and an NPR story that made a direct link from Dark Shadows to True Blood.

The more I think about last night's show, the more I think O'Hare's newscast scene should have been THE cliffhanger scene to end the finale. The fall-out from that event should have been much more epic, like September 11th epic, and would have been a hell of a way to start off season four.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 3:11pm

Yeah, that would have been good.

Even though I doubt we've seen the last of him, the seeming ease with which he was despatched--after he was set up as damn near invincible--was a bit of a let-down.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 4:14pm

What was with that doll on the floor in Hoyt and Jessica's new house?

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 4:17pm

Yeah, I noticed that. Who knows? Symbolism? To remind us they'll never have a child?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 4:20pm

Somebody on another site I read suggested a voodoo doll. Possibly belonging to Summer.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 4:24pm

Ooh, I love evil dolls.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 4:40pm

A real Trilogy of Terror moment.

[violet72]

Posted: 9/13/10 at 10:18pm

To me it was ok but I think it was hard to follow the Season 1(who was in the car) and Season 2 (who grabbed Bill) finale cliffhangers...if you read the books you would see that in Book 3 Sookie does change from book 1 and 2...she evolves and becomes a stronger women...she stands up to Bill and Eric at the end of the book and tells them both to leave her alone.It sets up her character for the next couple of books and something MAJOR happens to her in book 8. I really hope that the Eric/Sookie storyline from book 4 happens cause it is my favorite(trust me if they have the shower scene you all are going to love it)....I want to know where the hell Claudine is taking Sookie and I pray it was only a dream because we all know the cemetary does not have lamp posts in it...I also think Tara is running away from her friends and family and going to try to make a new life for herself (ala Sam)...my favorite line in the show was "here's the cooler uncle daddy Felton"

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 9/14/10 at 11:24am

I liked this season and and the finale but it was a bit slower than normal, however i think it has more to do with the fact that season 2 and the finale were so epic, maybe thats why we were all expecting again.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 9/14/10 at 5:23pm

"The more I think about last night's show, the more I think O'Hare's newscast scene should have been THE cliffhanger scene to end the finale. The fall-out from that event should have been much more epic, like September 11th epic, and would have been a hell of a way to start off season four."

I agree with all of this.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/14/10 at 11:16pm

Face it, we have a larger vision than Alan Ball.