Don't worry, those of us who have read the books are left wondering why the queen has Eric selling blood for her or what Hadley has to do with anything.
@Snowbunny: By selling her V all over the place, she gains the ability to get inside the heads of and read an entire region of humans. Vamps have a connection with those who have their blood. Soooo, by ensuring a province consumes your blood means you have an element of control. Think the CIA or NSA of vampire moves.
ok, that was a little dorky. It sounds like I'm a step away from writing fan fiction. hahaha
@Truna: The problem I have with the selling of V storyline is that it seems to come and go when it's convienent for the writers. One minute a vampire and a human are bonded when the human drinks their blood and the next minute it has no effect on them or it is not mentioned at all (i.e. I assume Sam will not have sex dreams about Bill).
Man, I wish I could be more into this show, in spite of all it's serious narrative problems. I want to love it BECAUSE it's ridiculous...like a B movie. But mostly I just get frustrated.
The finale was...hm. Well, I think it's interesting that Ball is choosing to treat it as an on-going narrative, where each season basically picks up in real time after a cliffhanger. For a viewer, though, the pacing feels odd and then it just gets frustrating.
I mean, I like long narratives that have a lot of themes and threads. But I'm not a fan of dropping them for an entire season so you can "surprise" people with them later. And there are way too many convenient coincidences and characters making stupid choices just to force the plot.
But personally, I'm more concerned with larger inconsistencies like the fact that, apparently, vamps, shifters, werewolves, maenads, and other things have been existing alongside humans since forever and no one seems to know about each other...unless they're really old like Godric or the Queen (in which case they end up being Captain Information). And there's probably a reason, but it's the end of Season 2. We should have some inkling of an answer or more of what is going on in this "world" by now. Too much is left dangling for the sake of a "surprise" later...and it's an odd storytelling choice.
@Snowbunny: Yeah the cliffhangers are annoying plot device. Used sparingly, it can build anticipation and excitement but continually using cliff hangers and then failing to deliver just makes it annoying.
Oh yeah, words cannot describe how disappointed I was to find that Jason doesn't have any "supe" powers like Sookie's fairy powers. :/ I seriously always thought they were setting him up as someone slightly more extraordinary, what with how easily he fucked up Sookie's would-be rapist and.. everything else. Anyways, the FOTS plot and all its offshoots were by far the most engrossing ones this season. Really, LOVED them.
Yeah, I totally felt the finale fell short. And I completely agree about the whole Jason killing Eggs thing-- I HATED IT, it just didn't feel well executed or it just straight up didn't fit at all. As this show goes on, it just feels like everything is put in so haphazardly. I like watching it, especially when it's vampire stuff.. but otherwise, I sort of get bored and give it a ton of leeway. It's the perfect antidote for Mad Men, I suppose.
One major inconsistency they always gloss over: if Vampire Blood makes you high, and you consume large portions of it to 'heal', then how come Sookie/Layfeyette/Sam seem sober after they injest it?
@NotChoinski: My take on it is that they 'used up' the potency of the blood when they healed. Like a car burning up its gas -- so they 'came down' a lot faster.
Jason wasn't using it for health reasons, so he got more of the drug side effects from it. And let's not forget how Lafeyette reacted to Eric's blood -- I believe his little dance was pretty energetic. And Sookie mowing her Gran's lawn and having those naughty dreams about Bill and/or Eric.
Their reaction seems to depend on how much they 'needed' or 'used' the blood they drank + the blood potency.
@SlayBelle: I think it's fair, though, that there does seem to be some inconsistencies that make the audience rely on a lot of assuming. I'm fine if vamp blood has different effects on different folks (as it clearly does) but they show it inconsistently.
If the blood sexually effects folks from humans to supes, then that should be consistent, like the other effects. And if different people react differently, that should be clear, too. Especially since V is being farmed out as a drug. If having vamp blood "connects" you to them, in any quantity, that seems important. I suspect that's coming next season, but, I'm a little disappointed at how threads like that are dropped/handled. It shouldn't become a non-issue just because you're building towards something.
@NotChoinski: Well, Sookie and Sam are "others," and Layfeyette got pretty fucked up. But remember when Jason did V and he drank the whole vial? He wasn't tripping he was just dangerously aroused and had to go have his penis drained. I think less is more with V.
@tiredfairy: "If having vamp blood "connects" you to them, in any quantity, that seems important. I suspect that's coming next season, but, I'm a little disappointed at how threads like that are dropped/handled."
Yeah, there is that. However we've really only seen the affects of two kinds of V: 1) from a realtively young vampire who can't even glamour people yet and 2) the Queen's, and we haven't seen anyone who has ingested her blood yet. (As V.)
I think that will become part of the Queen's storyline next season. Why would she need to be connected to so many humans (and presumably some supes)? Guessing here, since its not at all a plot from the books, that its going to be a political move.
So many things sucked about this episode. Where to start? The Eggs plotline seemed to be tacked on and a throw away plot. It was so random and contrived. The Queen and Eric's scene also seemed out of place. Why even put that in there? Please tell me they are not bringin back Evan Rachel Wood next season. The Maryanne plotline was anti-climatic. She takes over the whole town and they wrap up her story in what 15 minutes? Then there was the ever annoying Bill and Sookie love story. I'm so sick of them. When they went into to the romantic stuff, I rolled my eyes and was almost embarrassed for the actors having to do those scenes. Is this the same plot from the books? I thought he left her voluntarily. I am extremely disappointed with this season finale. And the new character they introduced (August, I think?) seems like she is going to annoy me next season too. True Blood seemed like a show with excellent potential, but unlike good shows they are really dragging their feet in story and character development.
@heywhat: Well, in the books he leaves because Loreana calls him and then she tells him to leave Sookie, which he agrees to and then kidnaps and tortures him after for another reason. Then Sookie rescues him and dumps him.
I don't know why they're dragging their feet so much, they have nine books to work through plus Harris is probably going to keep writing new ones every year with their continued success.
I had a random thought the other day: why couldn't the character of the Queen be someone a bit older? Is this something stipulated in the book? I just have such a problem with how she's portrayed. She's supposed to be sexy, but have gravitas an also be scary and capricious. If it is indeed necessary that the Vampire Queen appear to be young, wouldn't someone like Dominique Swain be a little more unexpected/ complex in the role?
Who do you guys think would make a better Vampire Queen?
@whynotshesaid: The only issue with that is it eliminates the sex factor. I don't think the American audience is too keen on seeing Dakota Fanning getting her fictional freak on with thirty year olds.
But it would make for a more interesting juxtaposition, and eliminating the outright sex (just for that one character!) could make for a fascinating power dynamic. Plus, Fanning is 100x the actress of ERW.
But I agree that either going older or younger than the current Queen would be a hell of a lot more interesting. There is nothing about a woman obstensibly in her 20s that is particularly polarizing to men. If anything, it comes off as bit laughable on the show, such as when she tackles Eric. Even her minions aren't impressed or even seemingly intimidated. Now, if she was in her forties or in her teens, it would throw the whole thing off kilter and push up against our most hidden yet obvious feelings about how much power women on the precipice of their childbearing years or in the twilight of them can have.
On that note, what if Sean Young or Courtney Love played the Queen? Not sure how that would turn out, but at least these women literally make people squirm a bit. ERW just pretends to.
@BetteD: That's a good point - I'm not sure I'd want to see DF have sexytimes with grown men. I guess that's one of the lovely things about the printed word - it lets you go places you otherwise can't.
@BetteD: I don't think age was really the main beef just that she's terrible as the queen-actingwise. Pam is a lot older on the show, she's a teen in the books or early twenties i believe. It doesn't really matter on the show though because her character is captured very well.
@Eric Northman is mine: That's one of my major issues with the show. The vamps are all so YOUNG in the books b/c they were turned in their teens or early twenties. But as you said it depends on the actor, Pam works for me. The queen as a 14 or 15 year old is far more terrifying, imo.
And of course the biggest CON of all- This being the final TB thread. What the hell am I going to on Monday afternoons, lol. Really the best part of watching the show was dissecting the campy goodness and badness here afterwards, I’m going to miss that. Oh well, see y’all next season.....or you know on other threads
@Eric Northman is mine: I'm so with you on that! This has been my favorite part of Mondays. I am sad about this being the last recap until next season.
09/15/09
[ausiellofiles.ew.com]
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ok, that was a little dorky. It sounds like I'm a step away from writing fan fiction. hahaha
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The finale was...hm. Well, I think it's interesting that Ball is choosing to treat it as an on-going narrative, where each season basically picks up in real time after a cliffhanger. For a viewer, though, the pacing feels odd and then it just gets frustrating.
I mean, I like long narratives that have a lot of themes and threads. But I'm not a fan of dropping them for an entire season so you can "surprise" people with them later. And there are way too many convenient coincidences and characters making stupid choices just to force the plot.
But personally, I'm more concerned with larger inconsistencies like the fact that, apparently, vamps, shifters, werewolves, maenads, and other things have been existing alongside humans since forever and no one seems to know about each other...unless they're really old like Godric or the Queen (in which case they end up being Captain Information). And there's probably a reason, but it's the end of Season 2. We should have some inkling of an answer or more of what is going on in this "world" by now. Too much is left dangling for the sake of a "surprise" later...and it's an odd storytelling choice.
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[ausiellofiles.ew.com]
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Jason wasn't using it for health reasons, so he got more of the drug side effects from it. And let's not forget how Lafeyette reacted to Eric's blood -- I believe his little dance was pretty energetic. And Sookie mowing her Gran's lawn and having those naughty dreams about Bill and/or Eric.
Their reaction seems to depend on how much they 'needed' or 'used' the blood they drank + the blood potency.
09/14/09
If the blood sexually effects folks from humans to supes, then that should be consistent, like the other effects. And if different people react differently, that should be clear, too. Especially since V is being farmed out as a drug. If having vamp blood "connects" you to them, in any quantity, that seems important. I suspect that's coming next season, but, I'm a little disappointed at how threads like that are dropped/handled. It shouldn't become a non-issue just because you're building towards something.
09/14/09
09/15/09
Yeah, there is that. However we've really only seen the affects of two kinds of V: 1) from a realtively young vampire who can't even glamour people yet and 2) the Queen's, and we haven't seen anyone who has ingested her blood yet. (As V.)
I think that will become part of the Queen's storyline next season. Why would she need to be connected to so many humans (and presumably some supes)? Guessing here, since its not at all a plot from the books, that its going to be a political move.
09/14/09
09/14/09
I don't know why they're dragging their feet so much, they have nine books to work through plus Harris is probably going to keep writing new ones every year with their continued success.
09/14/09
Sam, walking away from the annoying lady patron in the bar. The lady says, "God bless him in those jeans. I'd wear him like a scrunchie."
SO WOULD I, HONEY. SO WOULD I.
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Who do you guys think would make a better Vampire Queen?
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But it would make for a more interesting juxtaposition, and eliminating the outright sex (just for that one character!) could make for a fascinating power dynamic. Plus, Fanning is 100x the actress of ERW.
But I agree that either going older or younger than the current Queen would be a hell of a lot more interesting. There is nothing about a woman obstensibly in her 20s that is particularly polarizing to men. If anything, it comes off as bit laughable on the show, such as when she tackles Eric. Even her minions aren't impressed or even seemingly intimidated. Now, if she was in her forties or in her teens, it would throw the whole thing off kilter and push up against our most hidden yet obvious feelings about how much power women on the precipice of their childbearing years or in the twilight of them can have.
On that note, what if Sean Young or Courtney Love played the Queen? Not sure how that would turn out, but at least these women literally make people squirm a bit. ERW just pretends to.
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Anyone but Evan Rachel Wood. Seriously...her acting is the most painful thing in the show other than the dreadful accents.
Dominique Swain is a good call...although heaven help me I think it might actually be a perfect role for Miley Cyrus.
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