True Blood 4.10 "Burning Down The House"

when you came in the air went out and every shadow filled up with doubt ♫  I think I'll miss the theme song most of all when True Blood goes bye-bye in a couple of weeks. We're nearly at the end of Season 4. You can tell because things get crazy crazier craziest craziestest (where we are now) before the wrap. Finales have a way of bringing most of the characters back together where they should be. Quoth Tara when Sookie, Jason, Lafayette and Jesus arrive at the Moon Goddess Emporium where ⅘ of the cast is by the time the credits roll...

Reinforcements!"

They've arrived to save Tara and assorted humans from being blown to smithereens when the vamps arrive to take out Marnie once and for all. But I've jumped ahead since we're doing this wrap up quickest-like.

"Burning Down The House"
The episode begins with an assassination attempt at the Dorchester, as possessed Eric and King Bill fight it out until Sookie finally intervenes with her fairy powers, saving Bill from death and accidentally curing Eric's amnesia. Nan confronts Bill about it later with the very sensible question:

What's the deal with your little dairymaid and her lightning trick?

Since Bill doesn't answer her, I will.

You see Nan it's like this. Sookie's powers are now True Blood shorthand for "We've written ourselves into a corner and plus we can't kill off the main characters so here is a blast of fairy dust power which Sookie doesn't understand and which we don't either but it sure helps us to advance the plotline!"  Done!

With Marnie/Antonia's assassination of Bill foiled, Nan and Bill go to war over what to do next "Bill. Image!" Nan reminds him and the glamouring of the town begins so that they'll forget all the bloodshed; what happens at the Dorchester stays at the Dorchester!

FORGETTING. We soon realize that dead necromancer Antonia who was possessing Marnie doesn't want to remember the bloodshed either. ZOMG, it's Marnie who is now running the show!!! Jason, as it turns out, would also like to forget the previous episodes fucking/fighting mess . Jessica doesn't appreciate his request to be glamoured, continuing her delicious character arc in Season 4 to embrace her inner vampire. "Fucking humans. I'm going to go find somebody to eat."

Feel Her Vibrations!

In other important developments: Sookie still loves Billzzzzz and Eric isn't happy aboutzzzzz; Terry stages an intervention to help Andy with his V addiction; Holly the witch (Lauren Bowles) continues to be a great addition to the cast and convinces Tara to trust her own fury - "There aint no spell that can't be undone if you got the juice" -- and lord knows Tara is overflowing with fury juice!; Tommy dies from internal bleeding (or too much skin walking?) which sets Sam and Alcides on a vengeance spiral against wolf-pack leader Marcus who is now hitting on Alcides ladyfriend (though no one knows this yet); 

But most of all Episode 10 is about Fiona Shaw's awesomeness and her delicious vocal control -- weird Spanish accent aside -- in displaying all those internal psychotic breaks and shifts from Marnie to Antonia. She's continuing the slow morphing from meek dim Marnie to superior why-do-people-question-my-awesomeness Marnie? Which results in all sorts of great line readings like the self righteous/needy "I have put my soul at risk to destroy the night beasts for you" and the delightfully boasty "We've got our very own vampires in the ladies room!" and the grinning madness "Have you ever seen me so happy?"... well, yes Fiona, like that time you were an even bigger loon in Black Dahlia; That Cheshire grin is scarier than any Jack-o-Lantern that's every come before. 

Line Reading Hall of Fame

Fate brought us together to fight evil. Did you really think no one was going to get hurt?

At episode's end Jesus has broached Marnie's protection spell, but not her dark heart and he's relayed the new sit'ch back to the other reinforcements. Marnie is the Big Bad, not Antonia the dead ghost possessing her. But then Marnie suddenly teleports everyone ... where? Cue the vampires arriving to blow shit up. Cue: credits.  

Body Count: 1 nameless vampire and 1 skinwalker (Goodbye Tommy! Goodbye rich comic opportunities for other actors to pretend to be him pretending to be them. Sniffle); Sex Scenes: 0 (what!?!); Best Sookie Moment: "I never promised that." Anna Paquin is good with the hard honesty and cleft heart; Funniest Moment: Nan's inner 5 year old tyrant comes out, every vampire pissing her off. "True Death for you, too!"; Episode MVP: Marnie; Episode Grade: B+

Previously on True Blood
4.1 "She's Not There"  MVP: Marnie; Grade: C
4.2 "You Smell Like Dinner"  MVP: Eric; Grade: A
4.3 "If You Love Me Why...?"  MVP: Eric; Grade: B+
4.4 "I'm Alive and On Fire"  MVP: Sookie; Grade: B+
4.5 "Me and the Devil"   MVP: Arlene; Grade: A-
4.6 "I Wish I Was the Moon"  MVP: Pam; Grade: B
4.7 "Cold Grey Light..."   MVP: Jessica; Grade: B- 
4.8 "Spellbound" MVP: The Fortenberrys (Hoyt & Maxine); Grade: B+ 
4.9 "Let's Get Out of Here" MVP: Sam; Grade: B 

Comments

[Derreck]

I think i laughed like a gleeful moron at the end with the vamp squad in black leather and bazookas getting ready to blow shit up. Oh, i'm going to miss my favorite ridiculous show.

Apart from that, even though it was such an unnecessary plot-line, i loved the scenes between Terry and Andy. Those two (especially Terry) rarely get a chance to shine through all the zaniness of the show. It is pretty much impossible to not enjoy a scene where Terry is involved. Plus, he has a pet armadillo.

I thought Tommy's story was pretty much a disaster. Why did he die again? because he was beaten to the point of vampire pulp or was it the skinwalking? because didn't Luna mention she skinwalked into her mother once? I guess repeated usage is fatal, but she seems quite fine. and WHY was Alcide there when Tommy was dying?!? once again, he's shoehorned into the plot. does Sam even know him? if some guy brought my dying half-brother to me, i'm going to ask that guy some questions. I'll miss Marshall Allman though.

and i love all the of the True Blood Big Villains. I swear, i'd hang out with Russell, Maryann, or Marnie/Antonia any day of the week.

and it has been four seasons. Sookie needs to take a break from cooling down her loins and learn what the hell she is capable of.

[Rebecca]

I thought this episode was pretty amazing. Anytime you give Terry something interesting to do, Chad Lowe manages to top his previous best scene. The Tommy storyline was heartbreaking and I was honestly pretty angry that he will be gone now - although a lot of fans dislike his character, I think he is so beautifully sadly tragic in the way he hates himself into becoming someone else. Seeing him and Sam together when he died broke my heart a bit, both of them love each other so intensely, but both of them are so broken and hurt they don't really know how to love one another.

[Robert Hamer]

I'm pretty sure Fiona Shaw actually had a full-on psychotic meltdown in The Black Dahlia and De Palma was just lucky enough to have a camera around for when it happened.

[Ryan T.]

A bit sad to see Marshall Allman go. One less eye candy sure, but like others have said, his story and character is truly tragic and I just wished that even if he had to die this season that he and Sam would've had more time to be "brothers." Tough luck.

Nan was hilarious when she went on her rant. Also funny to see all of them silvered and stuck in one room together... with Pam and Eric not getting a bed. It all looked so silly and perfect.

[Ivonne]

This is actually the first episode I liked Fiona Shaw playing Marnie/Antonia, she was too histrionic for me before. I was impressed how you could instantly tell that Eric is back, but also clearly see that he is not totally like before but some of the gentle Eric still there.