'TRUE BLOOD' 3.7 - "Hitting The Ground"

[SPOILERS] This episode worked because it wasn't congested with tedious subplots and focused on the storylines that are of prime interest, with just a few forgivable slips. "Hit The Ground" just felt closer to the early days of True Blood, and hopefully marks a turning point for season 3 with the writers delivering what audiences want, without exerting so much effort just to keep its ensemble busy.

Don't feed the vampire, honey...

To recap events: Sookie (Anna Paquin) staked Lorena (Mariana Klaveno) to escape Edgington's compound with the frail Bill (Stephen Moyer), thanks to Tara (Rutina Wesley) and Alcide's (Joe Manganiello) help; the anemic Bill's survival instinct caused him to drain Sookie of so much blood that her life was endangered, prompting Tara to abandon Bill in broad daylight and rush her friend to the hospital, only to discover a blood transfusion's impossible because Sookie doesn't have a blood type; Jason (Ryan Kwanten) started to investigate Crystal's background by interrogating her jailbird cousin, who says he'll cooperate if Jason gets him some meth; Sam (Sam Trammell) went undercover as a pit-bull at an illegal dog-fight, to put an end to his parent's scheme of using his shape-shifting brother Tommy (Marshall Allman) to make money; Hoyt (Jim Parrack) was asked by Summer (Melissa Rauch) to become her boyfriend; and after learning the truth about Sookie from Sophie-Anne (Evan Rachel Wood), Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) and Edgington (Denis O'Hare) arrived at Fangtasia to stop the Magister (Zeljko Ivanek) torturing Pam (Kristin Bauer)...

This was a particularly gruesome episode, with fountains of blood, copious fang biting, and a decapitated head that exploded into a squelchy mess when it hit the ground. I have to applaud True Blood's use of gore, which never fails to impress me in how it's portrayed, and often has a rejuvenating effect on my attention. True Blood's not a particularly clever or subtle show, so whenever the screen's being splashed with blood it feels like the show's just embracing what it does best: television grand guignol and vampire erotica.

Unexpectedly, we learned a lot about Sookie's true nature this week. She doesn't have a blood type, she's never been in a hospital (she wasn't even born in one), her blood is apparently an effective sunscreen for vampires, and there are very clear signs that she's some kind of "fairy" (for want of a better word) when she's mentally transported to an idyllic meadow full of prancing youngsters that contains an impossibly deep pond of golden light. She even meets a young woman called Claudine (Lara Pulver) there, who appears to be a friend/mentor, so there are definite signs Sookie's mystery is about to be answered conclusively. I think it's safe to assume the telepathic waitress is some kind of fairy, nymph or dryad, and I must admit there's a part of me that's worried about that development.

In fact, Alan Ball has confirmed that True Blood's going to explore witchcraft next season, and as the show's supernatural menagerie swells I can't help feeling nervous about that direction. While I understand a TV show needs to evolve and grow or risk stagnating, what attracted me to True Blood was the concept of a show about how the world would deal with the existence of vampires, used as an allegory for various minorities. A few years later, it's closer to becoming a Deep South Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which isn't what I originally signed up for. When Bigfoot becomes a regular, I think I'll be done.

Anyway, for the most part this was an effective and largely enjoyable episode. Even the general tedium of Sam's storyline is beginning to develop some humanity because it's essentially a struggle for a long-lost brother to help his less-fortunate sibling escape abusive parents. In fact, there's more sympathetic emotion in Sam's subplot than anywhere else on the show right now, which is a help. I just hope it's leading somewhere interesting, because I'm still not seeing Sam's parents as a dangerous threat. They just come across as bullies, really.

"Chain necklace? I asked for pearl..."

It was a shame Edington wasn't more prominent, only really turning up for some last act fun with the Magister, renouncing the vampire "Authority". O'Hare is such fun as Edington it's always a pleasure when he's around, and I love what they've done with Sophie-Anne (Evan Rachel Wood) this year (she's less annoying and far more sympathetic as a relatively young vampire who relied on her status to keep her subjects in order).

Overall, "Hit The Ground" was the best episode of season 3 we've had so far, because it had a focus and schlocky appeal that felt more balanced and adroitly paced than usual. Brian Buckner tends to write episodes I respond to better than most, and that was certainly true here. By simply refusing to shoehorn in the weak storylines for, say, Lafayette and Arlene, the episode was helped immeasurably. I just hope the writers take heed that we don't need a crush of plots and characters every hour, as the show works much better when its attention isn't split a half-dozen different ways.

Asides

• How great to see the UK's own Lara Pulver on True Blood as Claudine, having really enjoyed her Disney-esque villainy in series 3 of Robin Hood.
• Did anyone else have flashbacks to Lost when Sookie was being shown the pool of golden, magical water?
• I didn't get the logic of Edgington renouncing the Authority to the Magister's face, yet requiring he marry him to Sophie-Anne using that same authority. It felt extremely hypocritical to me.
• So what's the deal with Sookie's people? Why do they reside in this radiant limbo, while she's alive on Earth? Was Sookie's "dream" actually of a real place she can get to in the waking world? Can Claudine and the others visit the real-world, or be born into it? What is the significance of the "darkness" that fell over the meadow, forcing everyone to flee into the pool of water? Was is significant that the shadow only appeared when Bill arrived at Sookie's bedside in the waking world?
• Will we get to see the vampire elite behind this "Authority" Edgington places no stock in? It would help give us some clarity about the vampire culture, because there must be someone making the big decisions for their race and assigning state royalty, etc. Who actually decided they should make themselves known to mankind, for instance?
• The lack of Jessica is sorely disappointing, and one of season 3's biggest blunders.

WRITER: Brian Buckner
DIRECTOR: John Dahl
GUEST CAST: Marshall Allman, Mariana Klaveno, Denis O'Hare, Jim Parrack, Grant Bowler, Joe Manganiello, Brit Morgan, Evan Rachel Wood, Chris Bauer, Zeljko Ivanek, Kristin Bauer & Melissa Rauch
TRANSMISSION: 1 August 2010 - HBO, 9PM