Bill is being held captive in the Hotel Carmilla by his covetous maker Lorena (Mariana Klaveno), who is preventing him rushing to the aide of Sookie. More flashbacks (this time to Los Angeles, 1935) reveal the breakdown in their relationship, when Bill's guilt over their murder spree caused him to sever contact with her and resolve to find his lost humanity to atone for his sins. Unlike last week, the flashbacks here felt a bit tedious and sapped the energy from the episode's more interesting present-day plots, and there was nothing here we couldn't have just assumed happened. Indeed, Lorena's arrival now feels like one of few ways to nullify Bill so Sookie can appear to be in real jeopardy without an easy saviour to hand.
Sookie herself is locked up in the Light Of Day church's basement by Reverend Newlin (Michael McMillian) and his burly henchman Gabe, with claustrophobic Hugo (Christopher Gartin). She soon comes to realize that Hugo was the traitor who tipped the Newlins off about their secret plan to snoop around for missing vampire Godric, although it doesn't make much sense that Hugo's thoughts didn't betray himself to telepath Sookie sooner. Likewise, there's a moment when Steve realizes Sookie is the sister of his "favourite" Jason (Ryan Kwanten), and the scene ends with Sookie screaming to be told how he knows about her brother. But can't she hear what he was thinking when the penny dropped? Clearly, having a mindreading character gives rise to storytelling problems for the series, but it's disappointing when Sookie's powers are temporarily "lost" just to keep a sense of mystery intact.Last week's climax is returned to, with Sam (Sam Trammell) about to be sacrificed as part of Maryann's (Michelle Forbes) sex orgy ritual, although Sam manages to escape when a drunk Andy Bellefleur (Chris Bauer) interrupts proceedings, by turning into an owl and flying away from Maryann's clutches. The morning after, Tara (Rutina Wesley) and Eggs (Mehcad Brooks) wake up indoors on Sookie's sofa, unable to remember how they got there. Indeed, it seems that all the residents of Bon Temps involved in Maryann's orgy are waking up with "missing time" -- including Arlene (Carrie Preston), who confides in Tara that she thinks she may have "date-raped" her boyfriend Terry (Todd Lowe). The fact Arlene's also unable to remember last night's events unsettles Tara and, coupled with seeing Maryann return home carrying a dead rabbit with bloodstained bare feet, it seems she's about ready to start putting this mystery together.
In one scene of pure exposition, Sam confronts fellow "shifter" Daphne (Ashley Jones) at the lake with a gun for protection, and she reveals that Maryann is a Maenad (translated as "raving one") -- an immortal follower of the Greek God Dionysus, who has the power to intoxicate and control people, to feed off their sinful behaviour. It's also mentioned that her mind-control doesn't stretch to other "supernaturals", although she can affect them in other ways -- like force a transformation on shape-shifters, as we've seen. It'll be interesting to see what she can do to vampires and telepaths, should she cross paths with any.
Back at the Light Of Day church, Jason's nervous about pious Sarah (Anna Camp) after she makes plans to tell Steve she's fallen head-over-heels in love with another man. Later, Jason's status comes crashing down now that Steve and Gabe believe he's involved with his sister's mission to spy on their congregation. Well, it's admittedly a big coincidence! Jason's led away into the surrounding woods to be butchered by Gabe, but he manages to escape and run back to the church as night falls, only to be discovered by Sarah -- who, rather than help him, shoots him with a strange-looking gun. Sarah's supposedly been told about Jason's treachery by her husband in an earlier scene, so thinks he's just been using her to get close to Godric? None of it was really clear, so it came off like a tacked-on twist.
In the smattering of small subplots and sequences: Hoyt (Jim Parrack) admits he's a virgin to Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) in their hotel bedroom, in lovey-dovey scenes that are now edging closer to becoming sickly sweet (but I can forgive it for that shot of Woll in her underwear); Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) is skeptical that the Fellowship Of The Sun could have captured a vampire as powerful as Godric, without some supernatural assistance (any guesses?); Andy finds himself being disbelieved by the Sheriff and "devil-worshippers" of Merlotte's after witnessing the town's debauched behaviour with Maryann; Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) is back in business selling V blood; Maryann uses a hypnotized Eggs to kill Daphne with a dagger to the chest, possibly because she failed in her task to get Sam; and Sookie "broadcasts" her thoughts to fellow telepath Barry the bellboy (Chris Coy), who duly arrives to inform Bill that his girlfriend's in trouble, just as Godric makes a surprise appearance to save Sookie from Gabe's attempt to rape her.
Overall, "Release Me" me wasn't as structurally sound as last week, or as dramatically compelling, but it eased by because it answered some big questions and we're now invested in the season's storylines. But the ordinarily excellent Jason/Sarah and Jessica/Hoyt scenes were rather dull this week, while watching Bill handle Lorena just felt like a good idea is being wasted purely to keep Bill out of action. The episode just felt a bit rough in places, really, while the direction from Michael Ruscio turned awkward at times (Jason's fight with Gabe, Sarah shooting him.) Still, Raelle Tucker's script contained enough plot progression, revelations, and fun scenes to keep you entertained -- for the most part.
2 August 2009
HBO, 10pm
written by: Raelle Tucker directed by: Michael Ruscio 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) & Todd Lowe (Terry Bellefleur)
