True Blood – “Night on the Sun” – review

For an episode that was essentially everybody realizing what they’ve been through and crying about it, it was surprisingly action-packed.  And it had a very clear theme, namely, “Really?  That was all it took?”  Observe.

1.  Sookie dumping Bill.  As promised in the preview for this episode, she gets upset at him because she keeps “waiting and waiting to start our lives together, but that’s never going to happen for us, is it?”  Bitch, please.  You have been dating Mr. Compton for approximately two months.  You had a good solid two-three weeks in there between season 1 and season 2, and it hasn’t even been that long since shit hit the fan with the Maenad and then Bill getting kidnapped.  There is no “waiting and waiting.”  Waiting and waiting is he’s in prison for 14 years like Joe Lee was, or you’ve been dating him for two years and he still hasn’t said “I love you.”  So one week in Mississippi against his will is all it took for you to get tired of waiting?  That was just lame.

2.  Jesus gives Lafayette another chance because Lafayette tells him he wants to stop dealing drugs but it’s harder than he thought to get out of it.  That he “had no choice” but to do it.  Really?  Words were all you needed there, Jesus?  Way to forgive. 

3.  Jason and Crystal get it on and he invites her to move in.  Just like that, huh, and it’s true love?  Also, Crystal getting punched makes Jason forget he’s on the warpath for Bill over him almost killing Sookie…kind of shows where Jason puts his sister on his priority list.  Either that, or that he has the world’s worst case of ADD.  Now that I think about it, probably that.

4.  “Do you want me to get behind?” was all it took Eric to get Talbot in position to die.  Pretend to be all gay and bothered (no pretending about being hot!) like the Viking you are who will stop at nothing to get his revenge, and it’s done.  “Russell took my family.  Now I take his.”  Nicely played, Northman.

This was another very quotable episode.  My favorites:

• “There’s a were bitch in your office.”
• “But she’s a special cunt.”
• “They washed my brain.”
• “I’m bored.  Take off your clothes.”
• “I just need a towel…and some whiskey!”  Yes.  Because a towel and some whiskey is all an abused woman needs to pick herself back up.

Favorite points that came up either as resolution or disproving my theories:

I guess Franklin’s really dead, if Talbot complained about his brains not coming out of the sheets.  Darn.  I quite enjoyed him.  Speaking of enjoying him—Tara’s Franklin sex dream.  Just because she’s hopped up on his blood, and V does that, or is she actually missing him?

Finally Jessica confronted Bill about what a shitty job he’s done as her Maker.  I hope that his helping her learn to kill werewolves signals the beginning of a continued responsible father (“father”) role for him with respect to Jessica.  I also thought their discussion about love was quite interesting, that Bill was saying Sookie deserves someone better than himself, and Jessica says the same about Hoyt.  It seemed to me that Bill looked at Jessica and thought that she was certainly good enough for Hoyt and deserving of love…and that maybe that turned something over in his own mind, that maybe being loved isn’t about whether you think you deserve it but whether the person who loves you does. 

Sookie needs to discover the internet and youtube already, and start her own internet equivalent of a cable-access show:  Scrapbooking with Sookie.  That prophetically empty scrapbook, except for the cover and the one picture, was great—I loved that they didn’t try and pretend like she’d had time to do all this elaborate scrapbooking and fill up a book (or have all that time to take enough pictures with Bill to fill up a book).  Also, I want to see Sookie scrapbooking and talking about it the whole time.  That would be awesome.  Postmortem, HBO! 

Sam has trouble on his hands with his brother.  Tommy thinks the way to solve everything is through fighting.  Also, Crystal’s people can tell Sam and Tommy are shifters, so they’re obviously not that, but just as obviously something.  One of my commenters suggested were-pumas.  Makes sense to me….

Random character thoughts….Eric went back to his Viking roots with that leader speech.  Hot.  Eric went even further in his willingness to get revenge.  Hotter.  Big points to Lafayette for being the one taking up for Sookie and corralling everyone else out of her space, then to sit with Tara and make sure she’s fine.  Also.  What Jesus said about his mother being right, that he had power…did he just mean charisma, or is Lafayette going to turn out to be something like a real voodoo mojo man?  And how’d Jesus know—is he like a fairy or something?  The other kind of fairy, I mean, in addition to that kind?  Holy crap Debbie got all cut up…she’s gonna be even more angry evil ex now.  Alcide better watch out! 

So (1) thank GOD Sookie and Bill couldn’t make it past 12 hours of being broken up.  They belong together!  (2)  With Bill knowing what Sookie is and knowing every vampire with power will want her, he no longer has the luxury of staying away from her because he doesn’t think he’s good enough.  If he loves her, he’ll stay and protect her.  So no more Edwarding, okay Bill?  Thanks.  (3)  What the hell was Eric thinking, sending Sookie a message not to trust Bill?  Why would she trust Eric instead? 

In all a good episode, and a great turning point to head into the final act of the season.  This is the end of the second third, so we’re probably about to hit the time warp where every episode covers a shorter and shorter time span to keep the tension high and the big show-down just on the horizon….