True Blood – “Hitting Ground” – review

This episode marks the start of what might be a game-changer in my relationship with this show, i.e., they might be about to push the supernatural fauna and the soap opera reactions too far for me to keep my disbelief suspended.  Why?  I’ll get into that in a bit.  First, the main points:  Bill grabs Lorena long enough for Sookie to stake her, so farewell and good riddance to that plot device; Tara and Alcide help Sookie get a collapsed Bill into Alcide’s moving truck and escape Russell’s estate; Bill wakes up enough to react instinctively and go for Sookie’s blood but not enough to realize who she is or that he’s killing her; when Tara and Alcide check on Sookie and find her almost dead, Tara kicks Bill into the sunlight and they haul ass to a hospital, where Sookie rejects the blood transfusion because she “has no blood type” (wha?); Sookie has an out of body experience with a pool and a glad and a bunch of people in Ren Faire “fairy” costumes who all disappear when Bill comes into the room and give Sookie some blood to save her life; Eric, Russell, and Sophie Anne save Pam from the Magistrate, whom Russell intimidates into marrying him to Sophie Anne before he beheads the Magister; Sam saves his brother from the dog fight and convinces him to return to Bon Temps and leave his folks behind.

So the whole thing with Sookie.  Is she one of those little prancing fairy girls?  What are they?  What did Claudine mean when she said “Don’t let him steal your light!” about Bill?  Are Bill and Sookie the metaphysical Romeo and Juliet?  Or is it a part of her heritage that Sookie can deny?  Remains to be seen.  But this is where I’m starting to get a raised eyebrow at all the supernatural shit that’s popping up.  I know, I know, if I can accept vampires and werewolves and shapeshifters and a Maenad, why not fairies?  Or nymphs or angels or whatever they were.  But…somehow it’s just getting to be too much.  My belief is coming unsuspended.

Also coming unsuspended?  My belief in my ultimate enjoyment of the story of this series.  This is based as much on the flash forward as on anything in this episode, but it looks like Sookie’s about to dump Bill, and that he’s being set up either to be or at least appear to be even if he’s not really, a complete asshole.  I don’t like that.  I also don’t buy that–I don’t care what his agenda is, he would not have risked dying in order to save her from Rene at the end of Season 1; I can’t believe he doesn’t truly love her, but it sure looks like the show is trying to go full soap opera and say that he doesn’t.  Or at least mightn’t.  Now, if the whole point is to make me think they’re not necessarily going to end up together, I guess it’s bravo for making me wonder.  But I’m not sure I like it.

I’m having an issue with the timeline again.  Jason is “completely in love” with Crystal now?  I guess all he needs to fall in love is to have a girl get down with him in the woods, a la Amy on their first V trip?  I initially thought Crystal might be some kind of wood nymph, but one of my friends said shifter or werewolf given how she was sniffing, and I think that may be more likely.  Still–what is she, because I’m sure she’s also something Other?

I loved Sam going after Tommy.  Wondered what he was going to accomplish with his handgun–nothing, beyond having to buy himself a new one–but going in as a dog allowed him to infiltrate.  And have a sexy nekkid in a dog collar moment, lol!  I am so glad that Tommy came with him.  I’m sure we’ll see more of their deadbeat folks, but I’m glad that Sam has decided to take up for his brother and take Tommy under his wing so that the kid at least has a chance at coming out of the situation all right.

Thought the Russell/Magistrate scene was pretty great.  The King forcing him to choose between his principles and his life, and then killing him anyway, to send a message to the Authority of his challenge.  And Pam was fabulous, so cool and sangfroid in the face of torture–clearly a child after Eric’s own heart.

Speaking of Eric, is it bothering anyone else (besides my friend, and me after she pointed it out) that he’s not reacting to Sookie’s distress signals?  They made a big deal last season of Sookie drinking his blood and him being able to track her emotions…so why isn’t he?  I mean, I’m not saying he needs to be running to her side–obviously he’s a man on a mission, and I’d lose respect for him if he did give that up for her.  But shouldn’t he at least be having moments of distraction where he hears her screams or her terror or her pain or whatever, and then obviously chooses to ignore them? 

Also, what did he learn from Hadley about why Sophie Anne is interested in Sookie?  Does it have to do with Sookie’s being a fairy or whatever she is?  Or is it something to do with the family tree that has no relation to her abilities, like the Stackhouses are the last human descendents of Sophie Anne’s human sister from however many centuries back or something?

Best line of the episode wa from Jason:  “I never thought I was smart enough to get depressed.” 

Second best from Eric:  “Not now, Pam; you can always taunt later.”

I don’t have much else.  Thought it was a good episode–lots of gore and tension and action–but it also has made me afraid this show is about to come unraveled, at least for me.  Still, HBO is doing their job for another week, because I sure can’t wait till next Sunday to find out what happens!