Air Date: Sunday, August 26, 2012, 9/8C on HBO
RATING:
“I did not see that shit coming.” – Lafayette Reynolds
As far as season finales go, this one disappoints. I don’t know how the episode can go from exciting to boring and more boring. There’s nothing to look forward to as one scene ends and another begins. I tell you, there’s something wrong with True Blood and it won’t get fixed by replacing the series executive producer. The show has gone down the toilet and is now being given a courtesy flush. You can count me out for next season because I’m honestly no longer interested in what happens to any of these characters. True Blood has gotten so campy, it’s now making fun of itself. And no one’s laughing.
Observations:
This is the Eric I’ve been waiting to see. Couldn’t he and Sookie have gotten a minute to talk?
Why doesn’t Luna (Janina Gavankar) just shift into a fly, go outside the cage, shift back into human form and get her daughter out of her cage? (At least to comfort her with a hug or something.) Reassuring words alone are not going to work for an eight-year-old. As an aside, let’s not forget the fact that Emma (Chloe Noelle) shouldn’t be able to shift yet anyway. Puberty is supposed to be the trigger for shifting. Don’t think you got that one by me, writers. Does Sam (Sam Trammell) always have to be Luna’s knight in shining armor? What’s up with Luna being able to hold her own? I know she isn’t the Luna from the Sookie Stackhouse novels, but damn!
Does anyone else find it odd that Jason (Ryan Kwanten) is now seeing the ghost of mama and daddy Stackhouse? Isn’t that Lafayette’s (Nelsan Ellis) job? Not sure where this is supposed to be going but making Jason a vampire-hating ghost whisperer is just weird.
Shouldn’t Merlotte’s be closed? I keep talking about Sam abandoning his business and two waitresses and a line cook keeping the place open, but really? With the state of the economy as it is now (since the show does run somewhat parallel to the real world), who’s stopping by for something to eat other than Andy (Chris Bauer)? Considering how vampires are running rampant and drinking anyone they come across, why would anyone venture out to an establishment where they are essentially gathered in one place for easy slaughter? Jane Bodehouse (Patricia Bethune) likes to drink, but the woman doesn’t drink enough to keep an entire bar operational. Let’s be real here and get rid of the things that aren’t working anymore. Like everything. Start from scratch. That would be better than the drivel we’re being fed as entertainment now.
Even Pam’s fiesty attitude couldn’t save this sinking ship. Killer outfit, though.
It was nice to see that Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) still holds some kind of emotion toward Pam (Kristin Bauer van Straten) since releasing her. Skarsgård does a great job revealing Eric’s true feelings with just a look or twitch of an eye. His presence on screen helps to quell my need to vomit while watching “Save Yourself” because he’s funny at times, as well as being the serious 1,000 year old Viking I’m used to seeing. Oh, and the witty banter the writers give Eric and Jason brought a bit of light to the darkness shrouding this season finale. Though I have to point out, that’s supposed to happen between Eric and Sookie (Anna Paquin). It seems like Sookie keeps getting the short end of the stick when it comes to her playful relationship with Eric. I wonder if she even noticed the way he looked at her when telling Nora (Lucy Griffiths) what she’s done for him. I’m not sure how to feel about the status of their ruined relationship since they’ve both had the opportunity (where Eric has taken full advantage, of course) to “see” other people. Do you think she’d be as forgiving of him as she was of Bill (Stephen Moyer)? And where would that leave them?
Just when I thought we were rid of Bill he turns into Lilith/Bill. (Did anyone else freak out and scream ‘NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!’ like I did? No? Just me then, huh?) I’m definitely not interested in how that story line will play out. This show has gone from weird to utterly ridiculous in zero point two seconds. But I know there are fans dying to see what becomes of Bill and what havoc he wreaks in the True Blood world. While the new role may stretch Moyer’s acting chops, I don’t get the point of it. Will he be as bad as Mary Ann (Michelle Forbes) from season two? That’ll be an excruciating experience.
After all the hype around Russell (Denis O’Hare) and his day-walking dreams, he’s taken out in an uneventful turn of events. Yes, he was distracted; yes, he was raving mad. Doesn’t O’Hare deserve a better send off though? Thinking about how quickly and easily Russell was dispersed, I kind of expected something more along the lines of Godric’s (Alan Hyde) demise since Russell was 3,000 years old. Oh well.
Isn’t he a smug bastard? It’s almost as if Bill knew he would become top dog. Guess he gets the last laugh.
Seriously, the Were story arc needs to come to an end. The wolves are a great tangent to go on when they fit into the main plot of an episode, but this V-addicted wolf pack is lackluster and I don’t see how it coincides with anything. What’s the point? Alcide (Joe Manganiello) comes across as a puffed up meathead, and I don’t buy his macho tough guy attitude. That could be because Manganiello portrays Alcide as such and he’s working with the material he’s given. It’s a sad day in the world of acting when even the simplest character comes across as a dimwit because of obvious overacting.
Funny lines:
The delivery from both Skarsgård and Kwanten is what slays me in this hilarious exchange. (Kwanten gets a pass for the horrible acting in the Authority shoot out scene. Do I even need to mention how bad that was?)
Jason: “Something funny, Fanger?”
Eric: “Yes, Bloodbag.”
Jason: “Leech.”
Eric: “Breather.”
Jason: “Dead fuck.”
Eric: “Meat sack.”
**
Eric: “Oh, sweetie… don’t be a fool.”
Jason: “If I wanna be a fool, then I will be a fool. That is my God-given right as an American.”
**
“Save Yourself” is not a great season finale. In fact, it’s one of the worst I think I’ve ever seen. I was bored. The only scenes I liked were the few that made me laugh, and even they couldn’t save this finale. I’m not sure what the writers were going for with this turn of events, but I think they missed the mark. There were too many predictable moments and the over-the-top faery birth scene made me cringe. I don’t typically turn away from my television, but I found myself getting very uncomfortable and praying for Merlotte’s to burst into flames or something just to make the nonsense stop. I’m glad the season is over and I don’t look forward to what may come.
For more information on the show, visit: http://www.hbo.com/#/true-blood.
Follow True Blood on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/TrueBloodHBO @TrueBloodHBO using Hashtags #trueblood #waitingsucks #tbmoments.
LIKE True Blood on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TrueBlood?ref=ts.
Photo credit: John P. Johnson/HBO © 2012 Home Box Office, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
[nggallery id=418]
Latest posts by Elle (Posts)
- The Walking Dead Season Finale – “The First Day of the Rest of Your Life” Review. It’s Showtime! - April 6, 2017
- The Walking Dead – “Something They Need” Review. Full of Guns and Surprises and Guns. - March 29, 2017
- The Walking Dead – “The Other Side” Review. Girl Power! - March 22, 2017
- The Walking Dead ― “Bury Me Here” Review. The End Is Near. - March 15, 2017
Follow Us!