True Blood 4.2 "You Smell Like Dinner"
Wednesday, July 6, 2011 at 7:08PM Last week on True Blood I bemoaned the scattershot expository-heavy nature of the season 4 premiere but Holy Recovery. This show must have taken a hit of "V" last week because it came on supernaturally strong in the second episode of the season. If they keep this up we could be looking at a peak season. The show managed to pull at least a third of its characters (can we hope for two thirds?) back into a central plot (the emergence of a powerful new witch coven) in organic ways. It's the kind of braided multi-strand narrative that the best television series thrive on and which newly fanatical Game of Thrones watchers are going to eventually realize will never ever happen again on their new favorite show ever -- unless the production team ditches the source material for original stories -- but let's not get sidetracked!
What were those vamp whores up to this week?
'You want to call me that again?'
"You Smell Like Dinner" covers as much recap ground in its first half as "She's Not There" did in its entire hour while actually advancing the story. Jason is being held captive by his were-panther community and we learn why. The vampires at Fangtasia are still beset by Right Wing Christian groups -- Pam gets a particularly choice zinger in before hot-headed Hoyt gets a pumelling. Sam's shapeshifter friends become more interesting, particularly Luna. Eric continues his takeover of Sookie's house and life. He calls her "saucy" which is an impressively perfect word choice on behalf of the screenwriters given that it's 100% accurate, a bit old fashioned (he's hundreds of years old) and English isn't his native tongue.
We also get several sorely needed reunions that don't interrupt the individual story threads but use them -- that's how it's done television, take note -- like all of Tara's scenes (she's back in town and gets woven into not one but two stories, Sookie's living situation and the witch coven) or the scene when Sookie reunites with her workmates at Merlotte's and unintentionally pushes all of Arlene's unspoken buttons about her "rotten" baby. That scene is particularly strong because it ends with this beautiful coda from Terry (Todd Lowe).
I am your daddy. I ain't rotten and neither are you. Your momma just gets a little crazy sometimes which means we just gotta love her a little harder that's all.
Given that this is True Blood, her baby probably is rotten with evil BUT with the absence of normal or innately good human beings on this show, Terry is a much needed presence.
But the scene that really pushes "You Smell Like Dinner" over into top tier True Blood is the finale when Jesus brings a reluctant Lafayette and Tara to another witch meeting just as Bill sends Eric over to shut the coven down. Marnie announces they're going to bring a dead person back to life -- say, what? -- and Tara and Lafayette both reinforce and complicate the action / confusion with their 'oh hell no' spirit.
Eric's "cease and desist" starts out threatening with a deliciously mocking southern accent.
Excuse me, y'all looking for a dead body?
And the scene escalates in terror and confusion as Marnie doesn't behave at all like anyone, least of all Eric, is expecting. Eric attacks. Tara and Lafayette take sudden heroic action and Marnie's coven lends her some pretty frightening room darkening mojo. When her stormy supernatural weather recedes Eric, fangs withdrawn and threats forgotten, bolts from the room in what seems to be terror. Eric afraid? Marnie's shift back to meek and bumbling "Is he gone?" is just as chilling as Eric's initial entrance. The only thing bad you could say about the scene is that the show insists on cutaways to two other stories during it (when something this exciting is going down, we don't want or need the breaks.)
Draining It Dry...
Body Count: 1. Say goodbye to Evan Rachel Wood's Queen Sophie Anne, Louisiana has new royalty. T'was Bill that done her in by Nan's orders "Go clean yourself up. You're covered in queen."; Sex Scene Tally: 1. Bill and Katarina, his new "security detail" Katarina. (Bill is such a bad liar); Line Reading Hall of Fame:
Pam: With what you are, fairy princess, you need to be somebody's our you won't be at all. Eric is handsome, he's rich and in his own way he cares about you. He really does.
Sookie: Thanks for the advice but i will never be Eric Northman's puppet.
Pam: Shame for you, then. He pulls good string.
Forty-two words and each one of them Kristin Baur gifts with just the right amount of casual bitchiness, defeated truth-telling, righteous superiority, maker-love, or bored/taunting eroticism. (Someone give her an Emmy); Fresh Meat: Luna (Janina Gavanker) the shapeshifter laid out nude on the grass. Sam likey; Funniest Moment: Eric's elaborate period bow to Bill "my king" Trashiest Moment: Jason's adopted family are going to keep hogging this category aren't they? The episode open with Timbo licking Jason's "nasty gash" until Jason freaks out at the uncomfortable intimacy "I'm more of a bandaid guy."
Best Sookie Moment: Anna Paquin is nailing Sookie's perturbed recalibration to the new power structure. But I especially loved "Yeah, y'all stand down" to Bill's grounds security team in an attempt to reassert what little she has left; Episode MVP: This is a really really tough call. Fiona Shaw is an absolutely riveting unpredictable presence as Marnie but that final creepy-ass punchline gives the edge to Alexander Skarsgård, who was already having a great episode.
Why do you smell so good?
Episode Grade: A
Alexander Skarsgård, Kristin Bauer, Reviews, True Blood, vampires, witches
Reader Comments (9)
Actually, I would have given the MVP award for this ep to Fiona Shaw, but Alex Skarsgard is worthy as well. Shaw's shift from possessed badass entity to meek and frail ol' lady was astonishing to behold.
Good-bye Evan Rachel Wood. Too bad about Sophie Anne, though I guess Ball made the decision to kill the character based on fans' lack of love for the Queen/ERW (it the novels, the Queen is still alive).
blinking -- i think it's great that they're not feeling the need to do all the novels exactly. I know this isn't a popular opinion but i think it's absolute death to artistic vitality for movies and television to try to recreate novels exactly ... or for stage shows to try to recreate movies. everything should be recalibrated for its new life.
Good riddance Evsn Rachel Wood...who always plays her 13 character in every film.
So Tara has got to be about 4000 times more interesting this season than she's ever been on this show. Brava True Blood on the role reversal for her because she has been a complete drag from day one, and now she finally seems like she has a purpose to being on the show. Best surprise bisexuality ever!
And while I know Fiona Shaw or Alexander Skarsgård deserve MVPs for this awesome episode, I don't think I've ever laughed as hard watching True Blood as I did watching Carrie Preston freak out over that baby. She gets my personal MVP for the ab workout alone.
Oh, you misunderstood me, Nat. I have no problem with deviating from the novels. If Ball hadn't done that, Lafayette would have been killed in season one. I'm glad that Ball and co. are not following the novels slavishly and are injecting their own ideas into the series - it keeps things fresh and the viewers (that have read the novels) off-balance.
I was a tad sorry to see the end of the Queen (ERW), though. I was hoping that ERW and Paquin, both of whom had the great good fortune to have Holly Hunter as their screen mom (ERW in Thirteen and AP in The Piano), would have one scene together at least. But alas, it was not to be, and we are denied a scene between these pseduo-cinematic sisters.
blinking -- i wasn't meaning that you were against this, just that I am for it :) But ohhhhh, now you have me thinking of a Piano sequel. haha
Yes, now tara looks like she could be something other than painfully boring-who knows maybe she will even be interesting!
Scared Eric was awsome, as was his whole marnie duel!!! Very well played! I love pam! I want her to be my best friend and advisor! Since I dont buy eric's Love for sookie and never did, and since I love pam to death, am I the only one who'd like to see something happening between eric and pam???
Love Jessica as well and loved to see her put sookie in her own place!
Bill as kings is a lot more interesting than he hás been in a while. I dont hate Bill thought, never did, as it seems to be the major trend.
I know some people believe that this "has to follow the books word by word" thing has harry potter movie adaptations to blame, but I strongly disagree. Steve Kloves doesnt get the characters and most of the relationships. He doesnt get it at all, and never did!
I agree that the Marnie/Eric face-off was the best part of the episode. Probably the most powerful sequence since Russell Edgington's on-air breakdown.