True Blood -episode 2 - You Smell Like Dinner.

[shadowkat]

Exhausted, thinking about going to be around 9:30 or 10, since barely slept a wink last night. Note to self - don't write posts after 9 pm, it's so not worth it.

Just watched True Blood S4 - Episode 2, You Smell Like Dinner on HBO on Demand. They are naming the episodes after songs - then playing the songs at the end. And the songs really do fit the episode perfectly or this one did. Also..an aside? The song from last week "She's Not There" by Nick Cave and Neko Cage - is available on itunes for $1.29 - I know, I downloaded it, along with the soundtrack from S1. I'm serious - this show has the best soundtrack - rivals Buffy in soundtracks.
(Another soundtrack that I want and can't find is Supernatural's. Also The Wire - really good soundtrack. Game of Thrones has a great score. A good soundtrack really does make tv better - I'm sorry, but it just does.) Rather like Nick Cave - should get more of him.

This episode was much better than episode 1 (which says a lot since episode one was pretty entertaining - if a little slow in spots - that's the problem with soap operas, there's always going to be a storyline or disconnected subplot that you wish you could just fast-forward through) - and truly hilarious in places. I'm also enjoying the witch/wiccan storyline a heck of a lot more than I expected. It's not written cliche...which is sort of surprising. Also Fiona Shaw, a classical actress, who was in Harry Potter, amongst other things, is rather good as Marnie. Jessica Tuck is equally good as The Vampire Authority - Nan.



Eric rocks in this episode. His by-play with both Sookie and Bill is hilarious. Sookie goes to Bill to ask him to get Eric to give her back her house. Eric doesn't appear to understand why Sookie doesn't come with her house. She tells him that just because he bought her house doesn't mean he bought her.
But, he tells her, it gives me power over you - you can't get me out of your house. Bill suggests Sookie go somewhere else. Sookie bulks and states, why bother, Eric would just buy that too.

Eric fixes Sookie's door and installs a new Microwave. (Eric isn't a bad landlord, I'll give him that.) Sookie hates the microwave (the woman is an idiot but we already knew that), but loves the new antique linen cabinet - this I'll keep, until she opens it up and discovers that it has a ladder that leads straight down..

Sookie to Tara: That motherfucker (now Sookie, language, also while Eric's admittedly an ass - I seriously doubt he's a motherfucker, well at least not his), built himself a cubby hole in my house.
In my house.

Tara: You want to leave?

Sookie: Yes.

Tara goes to see Lafayette who has been roped into being a wiccan by Jesus (although it feels more like ancient Navjaho and Native American magic - which is a bit stronger and scarier), and thinks, you know I'm beginning to remember why I hate this place.

Sookie goes to wait for Eric.

Eric has been sent by Bill to take out the local coven, that Lafayette is a member of - before it raises something ugly - from Bill's pov this is basically two birds one stone. If the coven takes out Eric? Win. If Eric takes out the coven? Win, and Bill can get the Authority to take out Eric - win-win. (This is soo going to backfire on Bill. Rubs hands together and laughs evilly). Bill does try to get Eric to give up Sookie's house - which Eric refuses to do. Am curious though - who above Nan, has a liking for Eric?? Because Bill tells Sookie - he can't just get rid of Eric, Eric has friends above him. Eric is older than Bill, which he reminds Bill when Bill tells Eric about the coven.

Bill: Will you sell Sookie back her house?
Eric: No.
Bill: Will you at least consider selling it to me?
Eric: No.

Eric: Are we done? We still okay?
Bill:Yes. Go be sheriff.
Eric ( Bows mockingly.)

Bill - there's coven in town, meeting at Mother's Emporium Palace...or something, take care of it.
Eric - I'll have Pam see to it.
Bill - no, I need you to do it personally. Sheriff. Eric, their necromancers - do I need to explain what that is? They rose a bird from the dead.
Eric - No, remember the Inquisition? I was around back then. (Far deadlier time than the Civil War.)

Skarsgard has the most expressive blue eyes on the planet - he's also oddly capable of making them emotive, vulnerable, and innocent. Plus it helps that they are so big. Like saucers.

Eric goes off to take down the coven - he's doing pretty well, until he attacks Marnie, then Tara tries to help and he attacks Tara - which results in Lafayette agreeing to join hands and powering up Marnie to do her mojo - and up pops what appears to be a Navjaho Skin Walker (a deadly witch) that Luna was talking about. This witch wipes Eric's mind clean and frightened - Eric races away. (I love how fast the vampires move - it is wickedly funny. In the scene with Sookie and Eric in her house, she keeps walking away from him, only to have him dash in front of her.)

There's more, but it is getting late and I'm tired. Will state that Arlene has a creepy baby - what are we doing Damien meets Skinwalkers from hell meets Cat People meets Mab's wild ride? Sometimes I feel like Ball wants to throw everything including the kitchen sink into this series. Jason has two panthers, cousins, trying to turn him into a werepanther so that they can have him breed with Crystal - yes, Jason has literally become little more than a stud for werepanthers. Feels like a scene out of Cat People (the version with Malcolm McDowell that features the David Bowie tune putting out fire with gasoline...or Eyes of Red.) Sam's storyline is dull at the moment, but Sam's storylines are always a bit on the dull side. I was admittedly wondering if Sam was going to end up killing Tommy and become a skinwalker...

What a fun episode. Can't wait for episode 3 - which unfortunately is now going to be two weeks away instead of just one - that's the down-side of watching these episodes early. Which begs the question, why show it early?)

Oh, and it turns out that I was right - Sophie-Anne is did, Bill just wasn't the one who killed her, Nan was. Nan warns Bill not to lie to her or get too uppity, or what happened to Sophie could just as easily happen to Bill.



Can't watch The Wire tonight, even though was looking forward to doing so - too bloody tired. Mind is mush, feel zombish. This is why I like True Blood - it's like cotton candy for the brain. (Except for the second season - which did have that whole satire going on about the Christian Right.)

My re-watch scenes from True Blood or maybe In Plain Sight.

Comments

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

I am a weak, weak person. Had to read your spoilers instead of waiting for next week. Eric is a master manipulator in the best sense of the phrase, Bill is in the worst. I've recently realized that brooding characters like Bill and Angel are repugnant to me because they trigger my depressive tendencies - what is brooding if not depressive behavior? - and so I find their other negative characteristics exponentially worse because of my already settled dislike of them. So I'm definitely Team Eric for this show, and I eagerly await Bill's fall.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Sorry about the typos.

I've recently realized that brooding characters like Bill and Angel are repugnant to me because they trigger my depressive tendencies - what is brooding if not depressive behavior? - and so I find their other negative characteristics exponentially worse because of my already settled dislike of them.

Interesting. Hmmm. That may well be part of my problem with them as well. I used to like these sorts of characters, but somewhere around 2003 or thereabouts, I suddenly despised them. No clue why. I had admittedly fallen into a depression at that point, and came out again around 2005, so it's possible that was the reason.

Bill/Ned Stark(Game of Thrones) /Angel/ Mitchell (Being Human) and Stefan Salvatore - all well-intentioned, incredibly self-righteous, ex-soliders (well except for Stefan), noble, and ...brooding - seem to
be beloved by many people in those fandoms, but I find that after a few episodes or a few seasons of their continuous whining, that I can't stand them. They are whiny, often the cause of most if not all the violence and upheaval but blame other people for it or their addiction or their parents, do these noble things that ironically make things much worse, judge other characters who are actually no worse than they are, and take it upon themselves to do what is best for "heroine" or "the world"
when in reality it is merely a projection of their own pride and vanity, and ironically causes the exact opposite of what they so..heroically intended.

Let's face it - I'm not a fan of the classical and tragic greek hero. It's a trope that currently annoys me. ;-)

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

Not a fan of the tragic hero, either. That fatal flaw just pisses me off, with me wanting to yell at him to get over it. Oedipus? So you killed your dad and fucked your mom? Too bad. Try harder next time. Hamlet drives me crazy, and King Lear I just pity.

I've really had to think hard about why I have such a strong reaction to these characters because people I love and respect like them, and I just don't get it. I figured it's due to my depression because I don't have that reaction to depressive!Buffy in season 6, so it had to be something else, and I figured it was because their very characterization is to be depressive, not a phase or a period of their lives. Their character depends on being depressive, whereas Buffy's character doesn't depend on being depressive - you can tell the depression she undergoes is a true Major Depressive Disorder, because her personality is affected but not dependent upon the depression.

This (http://vamp-mogs.livejournal.com/2616.html) post helped solidify the "Angel is depressive, period, and that's why I don't like him" stance. It's as if Angel were someone who doesn't get themselves help, and that's something that bothers me in the extreme, because that's not what you do with depression. You get that help, not try to nobly suffer through, and that's what Angel does. He clings to his suffering like it's an armor he wears to get away with his bullshit. It's never his fault because he's nobly suffering, and that armor keeps him from looking critically at himself. Spike is bare bones about himself. He knows his faults, but he's man enough to admit them, and that's why I'm so drawn to one character and so repulsed by the other. I don't know if the same's True for, say, Eric Northman or Damon Salvatore, but I think both of them are aware of their faults and admit to them rather than nobly suffering, which is what I can't stand.

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

Not a fan of the tragic hero, either. That fatal flaw just pisses me off, with me wanting to yell at him to get over it. Oedipus? So you killed your dad and fucked your mom? Too bad. Try harder next time. Hamlet drives me crazy, and King Lear I just pity.

I've really had to think hard about why I have such a strong reaction to these characters because people I love and respect like them, and I just don't get it. I figured it's due to my depression because I don't have that reaction to depressive!Buffy in season 6, so it had to be something else, and I figured it was because their very characterization is to be depressive, not a phase or a period of their lives. Their character depends on being depressive, whereas Buffy's character doesn't depend on being depressive - you can tell the depression she undergoes is a true Major Depressive Disorder, because her personality is affected but not dependent upon the depression.

This (http://vamp-mogs.livejournal.com/2616.html) post helped solidify the "Angel is depressive, period, and that's why I don't like him" stance. It's as if Angel were someone who doesn't get themselves help, and that's something that bothers me in the extreme, because that's not what you do with depression. You get that help, not try to nobly suffer through, and that's what Angel does. He clings to his suffering like it's an armor he wears to get away with his bullshit. It's never his fault because he's nobly suffering, and that armor keeps him from looking critically at himself. Spike is bare bones about himself. He knows his faults, but he's man enough to admit them, and that's why I'm so drawn to one character and so repulsed by the other. I don't know if the same's True for, say, Eric Northman or Damon Salvatore, but I think both of them are aware of their faults and admit to them rather than nobly suffering, which is what I can't stand.

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

Not a fan of the tragic hero, either. That fatal flaw just pisses me off, with me wanting to yell at him to get over it. Oedipus? So you killed your dad and fucked your mom? Too bad. Try harder next time. Hamlet drives me crazy, and King Lear I just pity.

I've really had to think hard about why I have such a strong reaction to these characters because people I love and respect like them, and I just don't get it. I figured it's due to my depression because I don't have that reaction to depressive!Buffy in season 6, so it had to be something else, and I figured it was because their very characterization is to be depressive, not a phase or a period of their lives. Their character depends on being depressive, whereas Buffy's character doesn't depend on being depressive - you can tell the depression she undergoes is a true Major Depressive Disorder, because her personality is affected but not dependent upon the depression.

This (http://vamp-mogs.livejournal.com/2616.html) post helped solidify the "Angel is depressive, period, and that's why I don't like him" stance. It's as if Angel were someone who doesn't get themselves help, and that's something that bothers me in the extreme, because that's not what you do with depression. You get that help, not try to nobly suffer through, and that's what Angel does. He clings to his suffering like it's an armor he wears to get away with his bullshit. It's never his fault because he's nobly suffering, and that armor keeps him from looking critically at himself. Spike is bare bones about himself. He knows his faults, but he's man enough to admit them, and that's why I'm so drawn to one character and so repulsed by the other. I don't know if the same's True for, say, Eric Northman or Damon Salvatore, but I think both of them are aware of their faults and admit to them rather than nobly suffering, which is what I can't stand.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

That post you linked to? For a while - I thought the writer must be writing this tongue in cheek, it can't be serious? Must be satire or snark, then I realized, no wait, he/she is actually serious??? WTF? As a result, it has got to be the most unintentionally hilarious post that I've read on Angel in a long time - and even more so because the writer appears to be so completely oblivious to how well they've pin-pointed why Angel is so unsympathetic to many fans. It's also explains quite clearly why some people love the character and some despise him and the two groups just don't get each other. If your response to that post - was yes, that's exactly why I'm so sympathetic to Angel...then you aren't going to begin to understand my views on the character.

I love, love this line: "I now have a building full of highly intelligent law school graduates dogging my every move. Poor me." LMAO!!! (As an ex-law school graduate that is truly funny. Poor dear Angel...he can't handle a pesky lawyer.)

At any rate - I agree with you.

It's as if Angel were someone who doesn't get themselves help, and that's something that bothers me in the extreme, because that's not what you do with depression. You get that help, not try to nobly suffer through, and that's what Angel does. He clings to his suffering like it's an armor he wears to get away with his bullshit. It's never his fault because he's nobly suffering, and that armor keeps him from looking critically at himself.

Exactly. Angel never looks at himself. Spike - does,
and does try to change. Angel just nobly suffers - which in of itself doesn't seem to be that bad, but it actually is - because he hurts a lot of people in the process. Angel can't save anyone, because he can't save himself. He can't forgive anyone, because he can't forgive himself. He's the center of his universe - it's all about his guilt, his pain, his suffering. He can't see anything outside of that.

I figured it was because their very characterization is to be depressive, not a phase or a period of their lives.

I think that may be my difficulty as well. The depressive personality...I don't really understand. I've gone through what Buffy did - which is quite different - that's a physical depression brought about through post-traumatic stress disorder or sometimes a bad medical combination. A depressive personality disorder - sometimes "bordeline personality disorder" but not always, is quite different. This is an individual who has no self-esteem, who needs it supplied by an outside force.
They can't handle life...they are basically Sisphysis dragging the rock of their abused ego up that hill for eternity.

The nobel hero, who is a depressive personality, and is attempting to find happiness by bolstering an ego through outside forces...is unfortunately incredibly whiny, mopey, and passive. Life happens to him. He seldom propells the action. He is reactive not proactive. And incredibly manipulatable. Making him little more than a puppet - and from my perspective deeply dull and irritating.

eyes

[hankat.livejournal.com]

See what you've gone and done???? Now when I look at Eric all I can think of is the kitty in Shrek with his liquid kitty eyes.

Rufus

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

It was a fun episode and the Eric/Sookie/Bill storyline looks to be a lot of fun. Plus, seeing Bill in 1982 with the PunkSpike look was hilarious - all I could think of was Spike walking past- and now we know that Bill has been working all along for Nan and not Sophie.

The Wiccan storyline also looks to be interesting, especially afte what happens in this episode. And Ball has said that Marnie will be the Big Bad of this Season.

Jason and Sam's storylines are dull but hopefully they'll get more interesting. As always, Ball has so many storylines going at the same time something is always bound to suffer.