Eric offers himself for sacrifice in place of his creator, later bound by silver on a stone table, until things get serious with the arrival of Godric's followers and lines are drawn in the sand for a full-on human/vampire war. Bill (Stephen Moyer) finally arrives to rescue his beloved Sookie after escaping the clutches of bunny-boiler Lorena (Mariana Klaveno) by smashing a plasma TV over her head while she was distracted by Barry the bellboy in his hotel room. Jason (Ryan Kwanten) also arrives to help, having only been shot with a paintball-gun by an emotionally-unstable Sarah (Anna Camp), by posing as a gung-ho Soldier Of The Sun to gain access to the church and blast a few pellets into smug Steve. The tense face-off is calmed by Godric, who proves himself an unlikely peacekeeper and demands his brethren leave the human congregation unharmed, although his offer of peaceful co-existence to Steve falls on deaf, prejudiced ears.Over at Bon Temps, Sam (Sam Trammell) finds Daphne's corpse in his cold storage locker with her heart torn from her chest -- apparently left there to frame him as the culprit. It works. Sheriff Dearborne (William Sanderson) has no choice but to jail Sam when they receive an anonymous tip-off, despite the fact pie-eyed former-deputy Andy (Chris Bauer) vouches for him. Trouble is, Andy instead blames a dress-wearing bull with claws. Interestingly, Sam discovers that he's sharing jail cells with other residents of the town caught doing antisocial activities, like sodomizing a tree(!), while doubtless under Maryann's (Michelle Forbes) sinful influence.
Speak of the she-devil, Maryann cooks Daphne's heart to create a mouthwatering pie, which she has Tara (Rutina Wesley) and Eggs (Mehcad Brooks) devour in voracious bliss that feeds into capricious domestic violence and brainwashed sex. Quite why Tara and Eggs have yet to suspect the overtly-odd Maryann of recent, unusual events (like Eggs' "missing time") is one of the more frustrating elements of True Blood this season, though -- and perhaps one tug at plausibility too far. Tara's not the sharpest tool in the box (remember the exorcism scam last season?), but it's a little ridiculous to believe she doesn't at least consider the possibility Maryann may be behind things.
There's also another small subplot for Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) and Hoyt (Jim Parrack), who are caught popping their cherries by an embarrassed Bill and sent home out of harm's way. Picking up where they left off on Bill's couch, Jessica comes to the mortifying realization that her vampiric powers of healing extend as far to her hymen, meaning she's cursed to be a biological virgin for ever. A twisted, darkly humourous development (familiar to geeks who hypothesized such a thing regarding Heroes' regenerating cheerleader), but sold beautifully for its painful and embarrassing truth by the excellent Woll.
"Timebomb" concludes in Godric's luxury apartment, where the victorious vamps are celebrating the safe return of their Sheriff. Godric himself proves to be a more fascinating character than expected, particularly after his rather frightening introduction via that 2,000-year-old flashback. He's a tranquil, demure, boyish-looking, merciful peacenik, it seems. A vampire who understands why humans fear his kind (well, they ARE scary) and perhaps someone with the power to forge a lasting peace between the two species. But there are already signs his followers don't agree with his diplomacy, so I'm guessing a coup d'état may be on the cards if his minions lose faith in their Sheriff's ability to lead them. Or does Godric's pro-human views have other motives we're not aware of yet?
Bitchy Lorena arrives at the party to antagonize love-rival Sookie face-to-face, much to Bill's fury, but she's sent packing when Godric intervenes after things turn violent, embarrasses her in front of everyone, and forces her to leave. So, now that Lorena has a definite reason to hate Godric, Bill and Sookie, might she soon be knocking on Reverend Newlin's church door with an offer of partnership?
Regardless of conjecture, Steve's clearly not going to take his defeat on the chin and mend his ways, as the best cliffhanger of the season arrives when churchgoer Luke becomes the ultimate party-pooper -- strolling into Godric's apartment, his body wrapped in silver chains and explosives, which he promptly detonates like a good suicide bomber...All told, "Timebomb" was a good episode of solid development and memorable scenes. I particularly enjoyed seeing Alexander Skarsgård get to flex his acting muscles when Eric tried to escape the church by pretending to be an ineffectual underling. Indeed, Skarsgård is beginning to steal the show whenever he's around through pure ominous charisma, as Moyer and Paquin continue to slide into irrelevance at times. But I'm a little worried about how things are developing in other areas -- particularly Maryann, who had a lot of her mystery stolen away last week, but we're still waiting for many of the characters to catch-up with the audience and actually do something about her. And would the authorities really be so dismissive of Andy and Sam's stories, in a world where vampires aren't confined to the page? Still, I quite like the theme of brainwashing this year: Maryann enchants people against their will for her own reasons, while Steve Newlin uses more traditional methods to do the same.
Overall, "Timebomb" (thankfully titles aren't on-screen, spoiling this episode's climax!) didn't quite pack enough into its hour to make me respond to it with more enthusiasm, but it was still enjoyable. A soppy part of me hopes Jason gets back with Sarah (anyone else?), I remain anxious about the slow-burn Jessica/Hoyt storyline (is it just sweet character-based respite to savor, or are we being primed for heartbreak when something terrible happens to divide these lovers?), I hope we get decisive movement with Maryann's storyline, and please give Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) something to do! Oh, and will the Dallas contingent come back to Bon Temp and have to deal with the situation there, or are both stories going to stay entirely separate this season?
9 August 2009
HBO, 10pm
written by: Alexander Woo directed by: John Dahl starring: Anna Paquin (Sookie Stackhouse), Stephen Moyer (Bill Compton), Sam Trammell (Sam Merlotte), Ryan Kwanten (Jason Stackhouse), Rutina Wesley (Tara Thornton), Anna Camp (Sarah Newlin), Michelle Forbes (Maryann), Deborah Ann Woll (Jessica Hamby), Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette), Carrie Preston (Arlene Fowler), Alexander Skarsgård (Eric Northman), Mehcad Brooks (Eggs), Ashley Jones (Daphne), Jim Parrack (Hoyt Fortenberry), Michael McMillian (Rev. Steve Newlin), Valerie Cruz (Isabel), Chris Bauer (Andy Bellefleur), Mariana Klaveno (Lorena), Allan Hyde (Godric), Ed Quinn (Stan), Chris Coy (Barry) & Christopher Gartin (Hugo)
