Following the suicide bombing by the Soldiers Of The Sun, Godric's (Allan Hyde) apartment is reduced to a bloodstained mess of bodies and vampires are strewn around with deadly silver stuck in their flesh. Sookie (Anna Paquin) has been protected from the blast by Eric (Alexander Skarsgård), who threw himself in front of her, but his noble act is tainted when he feigns sickness and persuades Sookie to suck poisonous silver from his wounds -- actually a means for her to share his blood, thus providing a permanent psychic link to her whereabouts and emotional state. Bill (Stephen Moyer) isn't happy when he calls Eric out on his deception, to put it mildly...As everyone convalesces, Sookie is told that she's now irreversibly part of Eric and symptoms include finding him sexually attractive. Indeed, she soon has an erotic dream about sleeping with the golden-hued Viking poster-boy, awakening next to the decidedly greyer Bill. In some ways it felt a bit cheap to have Sookie charmed through supernatural means, as it would have been dramatic if she'd genuinely started having feelings for Eric, but I guess we'll have to put up with this paranormal complication.
Jason (Ryan Kwanten) apologizes to his sister for being so easily brainwashed by the Fellowship Of The Sun, as they both watch Steve (Michael McMillian) and Sarah (Anna Camp) engage in a televised war-of-words with vampire spokeswoman Nan Flanagan (Jessica Tuck). Strangely, it's made abundantly clear that the Fellowship have taken responsibility for the bombing of Godric's apartment, which killed a few humans, yet there's no sense that they'll be arrested for this crime! Are the Newlin's above the law? Why don't the police arrest them for an atrocity they've owned up to on TV? Again, considering the fact True Blood's supposedly tackling the idea of vampires co-existing with humanity, this is another example of the premise falling down somewhat. It all felt a lot more plausible in the early days of season 1.
At Bon Temps, Tara (Rutina Wesley) and Eggs (Mehcad Brooks) continue to provoke viewer patience by being so blind to the fact all their problems revolve around beatnik guardian Maryann (Michelle Forbes), and now Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) suspects Eggs of domestic violence (after noticing the bruises Tara received during their brainwashed fight), and enlists the help of Tara's mother Lettie Mae (Adina Porter, sorely missed this season) in getting his cousin to safety.Sam (Sam Trammell) is still stuck in jail with half of town, all the victims of Maryann's influence, who arrives to charm Sheriff Dearborne (William Sanderson) into letting her see Sam, still determined to have him as her ritual sacrifice. Luckily, Sam manages to shape-shift into a fly and escapes through an air-vent, later appearing on Maryann's kitchen table to eavesdrop on her conversation, before arriving to form an alliance with the only man who'll believe his story: cashiered Deputy Sheriff Andy Bellefleur (Chris Bauer).
The sweet story of puppy love between vampire Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) and Hoyt (Jim Parrack) also continues, with Jessica bemoaning the fact she'll spend eternity as a virgin (biologically). Here, Hoyt goes to see his bigoted mother Maxine (Dale Raoul), to arrange an official meeting between her and his new girlfriend, which results in a predictably tense and frosty dinner at Merlotte's. The nice thing about the Jessica/Hoyt storyline is how it avoids being utterly superfluous because theirs is a more relatable situation than vampire-hating cliques and brainwashing goddesses. But I remain convinced it's going to end in tears and tragedy, as such a lot of effort has been put into making us really feel for these characters and their blossoming romance. Or am I just too cynical and the course of true love will slowly untangle itself for these love-birds?
The biggest surprise of this episode was how Godric's status was revoked by Nan Flanagan, making me wonder if Flanagan out-ranks Godric or just carries more sway in vampire circles because she's on TV (which she kind of infers to Eric.) Whatever the reason, Godric appears happy to relinquish his power and decides to end his own life after growing tired of his existence after 2,000 years. There's a really nice scene between "father/son" Eric and Godric on a rooftop as dawn approaches, although it wasn't given enough time to breathe and felt a bit rushed in the end. Finally, Godric was kept company by a teary-eyed Sookie as he embraced his final moments, going out in a flash of blue fire as the sun planted its morning kiss.
Overall, "I Will Rise Up" contained some attention-grabbing moments, but I couldn't shake a mild feeling of disappointment that some storylines appear to have ended prematurely (Jason, Godric), are still stuck in a holding pattern (Maryann), or haven't flourished as they might have (the Newlin's, Barry the bellboy.) There's still time for a more committed, invigorating dash to the finale, so hopefully episode 9 will be considered a necessary adjustment in retrospect. Incidentally, is anyone else a little sad the Jason/Sarah story appears to have been flushed away? I really enjoyed the actor's chemistry and the uncomfortable nature of their character's relationship, so still hope there's a chance Jason will help give Sarah some redemption.
16 August 2009
HBO, 10pm
written by: Nancy Oliver directed by: Scott Winant 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), William Sanderson (Sheriff Dearborne), Adina Porter (Lettie Mae Thornton), Todd Lowe (Terry Bellefleur), Jessica Tuck (Nan Flanagan), Simone Bargetze (Dirt Girl In Jail), Patricia Bethune (Jane Bodehouse), Alice Ensor (Customer #1), Shaun W. Loser (Soldier Of The Sun) & Dale Raoul (Maxine Fortenberry)
