Open Thread: TV

Carmen is working on the Ugly Betty post.

Arturo just sent in his Heroes updates.

So, the floor is open to anything that is not covered there.

(And yes – I too can’t believe that they had the nerve to kill Lafayette!)

Share and Enjoy:

Comments

Madame Zenobia wrote:

I’ve yet to catch onto Tru Blood, so will refrain and wait patiently for Arturo’s “Heroes” post as I was on the verge of throwing my television out the window on last night.

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 9:36 am ¶
Vanessa, Michigan wrote:

Lafayette is not dead…..he is probably unconscious I hope but they say that it was going to die according to the books.
SOOKIE was just annoying last week….BILL was gone for only 3 days and she was already bitching and moaning and making out with Sam. I don’t know why she was making out with Sam who she know is kicking it with Tara.
I feel so sad about Tara and her mother is such a evil bitch…how can you abandon your daughter when she asks you for help. Tara needs a hug…I hope that they give her one episode where she is happy and not being burned by someone.
EGGS and JASON ARE hot.

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 10:08 am ¶
Jess wrote:

I have to say I was a bit irritated that Lafayette appears to be dead, though I wonder if that is really the case (yeah, wishful thinking) as his scene takes place two weeks before the end and if that’s his body in the detective’s car it would have gotten a bit ripe, no?

More importantly (and this thought is not original by any means) the biggest issue with True Blood seems to be that the minor/supporting characters are more interesting than the main characters.

I mean, there were all sorts of storylines that the writers introduced and dispensed with that wre really cool. Like the gay, closeted vampire played by Charlie Root. His was the most interesting monologue of the season, I thought. And I would have loved to know a bit more about Amy, the hippie/psycho/sociopath. What the hell made her such a closeted bigot?

Tara had a lot of interesting ideas associated with her, but they were dropped like nothing happened. Every chance to get away from “angry black friend” was missed.

And Eric is the best thing about the scenes he’s in. I mean, Saarsgard seems to e the only actor in the room having any fun at all.

Anna Paquin seems to have only two modes, one of which is being inexplicably angry at everyone around her and the second is pining for Bill. The way she plays Sookie makes her seem just dumb.

Bill has several really interesting bits to his character — I think one idea that got touched on was his relationship to the old Confederacy, which promises to illuminate a lot (and might offer some insight as to his desire to mainstream). He repudiates the Confederacy, tries to answer Tara about slave ownership, and then is shushed by Sookie and her grandma. (Maybe I read too much into this, but it felt to me like the writers were shushing him too, when he himself is quite willing to have that conversation).

Sam is a shapeshifter — wow are there some really cool things you could get into here — but his dialogue as written is so purely expository (last episode) that it clunks.

Lafayette was the best supporting character of the lot. I love the scene with the Senator — he looks all dapper int he suit, the picture of conformity, and the way Ellis played that was brilliant. Lafayette was Not To Be Messed With.

Now he might be gone. Arg.

I must say, I found this whole thing disappointing. Maybe better in season 2? I wanted to like it more, I really did.

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 10:13 am ¶
noah wrote:

Hey, one of my favorite Bajorans is on the show: Ro Laren! Sorry, I meant my favorite lesbian Battlestar Galatica Admiral: Cane!

Sorry, I meant to say Michelle Forbes has joined the cast as Sam’s shapeshifter/metamorph associate!

I doubt Lafayette is dead. He’s far too interesting of a character to kill like that.

As for the anti-vampire sentiment by many humans, I think the show is trivializing and underplaying the real fear most humans would have if they discovered vampires were real. A mythical, murderous group that eats humans exists? OK. So, before Trueblood synthetic blood came to be, how did these people live?

Given the culture of the vampires that puts them on top of the foodchain and thinks of humans as cattle, do you think that the world’s governments wouldn’t be more than leary? Look at how governments treat threats who live amongst their populace.

The FBI, NSA, CIA, MI5, Mossad, etc. would have vamps in labs and prisons to poked, prodded, and tortured to understand them.

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 10:48 am ¶
jen* wrote:

I one of those who doesn’t have HBO…so…I join MZ in waiting for the Heroes update. Last night’s episode was enough to make me post my own mini-blog about it. As Charlie Brown would say, “AUGH!”

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 11:13 am ¶
JustChad wrote:

Jess, you mean Stephen Root, but I agree with your points about the side characters.

And I didn’t read the books, so I didn’t know about LaFayette. But I don’t think he’s gone just yet. This is honestly the best show on television when it comes to ending the episode and teasing the audience, so I believe he’ll live to vamp (no pun intended) another day.

And I’m sorry, but is it some type of new thing to have a show where the main character is the most annoying person on it that inhabits that world (JD on “Scrubs,” Jax on “Sons Of Anarchy,” and Sookie on this)? Because Sookie annoys me more by the week.

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 11:26 am ¶
MJN wrote:

I read all the books before I started watching the series – and Lafayette does die in those.

However, what I’ve found most interesting about the series is that while the first episode stuck fairly closely to the books, it’s departed rather drastically from there. In the books, the POV is through Sookie – so you never see any characters unless they’re interacting with her. The series has taken advantage of that to create characters and plot elements that could have taken place without Sookie’s knowledge; makes for a fascinating interpretation, I think, and makes the books way more interesting. For example, Jason is a playboy but he never (as far as you know) takes drugs, keeps a vampire in his basement, is the sane one in the relationship with Amy, etc.

Also, in the books Lafayette is a flamboyantly gay black male who wears makeup, but only has a few lines and is interesting but unimportant to plot or other characters until his death. I doubt they will leave out his murder and still continue with the twists that take place after – but it’s entirely possible for them to manipulate the story to do so.

The downside, however, is that the True Blood Sookie seems to be sort of wooden and one-dimensional; I’m hoping they find a way to better balance the plot additions with her character next season.

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 11:54 am ¶
Cara wrote:

OMG!!!!!

I missed the last episode of True Blood…….THEY KILLED LAFAYETTE!!!! Now that’s a deal breaker for me. Even though it plaid heavily on stereotypes…he was one of, if not THE, strongest character on the show.

Maybe that’s why they killed him…The actor stole a lot of ppls thunder and dominated every scene. MAN, I’M UPSET. And I really liked that show, never missed an episode until Sunday.

My day is ruined (

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 12:37 pm ¶
jvansteppes wrote:

Yeah, why kill your best character? One thing I find interesting about Bill choosing Lafayette to consume is the notion of him drinking the blood of a gay black man to bring himself to good health again. While Lafayette would be legally forbidden to donate blood to other humans his blood manages to save a vampire from BBQ face.
I can’t seem to remember any other black people being eaten which I’m willing to attribute to the fact that their bodies are not coveted, in high contrast to that of Sookie, who all the vampires seem eager to eat or drink from. Her whiteness no doubt influences this desirability as prey as did the fact that she was initially a virgin, the most sexually ‘innocent’ of all characters.

I find it interesting as well that the women targeted by ‘Renee’ for murder as penance for sexual deviance are white; is this because as white women their alleged destruction of their own purity is a far graver sin? Would he have noticed women of color ‘fangbanging’? My guess would be no seeing that Tara’s sexuality isn’t exactly valued up to this point…

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 12:44 pm ¶
EvilAngelfish wrote:

@jvansteppes, why do you think Bill fed on Lafayette? A bunch of people over on the TWOP forum believe this as well, but I didn’t get any indication from the ep that he did, other than Bill admitting to having fed (but not on whom) and Lafayette being MIA and the brown leg with red-lacquered toes sticking out of Andy’s car. I don’t even think all of these things add up to Lafayette being dead. The show runners would be idiots to dispense with such a charismatic character. Of course, there’s a new black male regular signed on for next season, so maybe they think they only need one at a time…
Also, since Tara was not sexually involved with any vampires, I’m not sure how we’d be able to comment on whether Rene would have targeted her. One could argue that since in general the sexuality of black women is undervalued (or ignored), Rene might not have bothered with killing her had she been a fangbanger, but since she wasn’t… in addition, what made you conclude that Tara’s sexuality wasn’t valued? It would be soooo interesting to talk about her (IR!) relationship with Sam and to what degree he valued it…

I’m an unabashed fan of this show and while certain characters got on my nerves at certain times (Sookie!), I’ve been really entertained throughout the series. Tara, who has gone far beyond the ‘angry black woman’ stereotype in my opinion, is one of the most compelling characters (and Rutina Wesley is phenomenal). Of course, there are lots of aspects of her character to explore, analyze and critique (not to mention some of other characters) and I could talk all day about it but that’s probably not suited to a light open thread like this…

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 1:37 pm ¶
Jess wrote:

Thanks JustChad, I stand corrected and reveal that I am more a baseball fan than TV fan, I guess.

jvansteppes has a point — what effect does HIV (if any) have on vampires? (Not that Lafayette has it, I was just thinking). They mention that there are varieties of Hepatitis that are dangerous to (or at least weaken) vampires. Another interesting bit that was never developed…

And why Lafayette? Jeez.

Interesting note about no black people getting eaten… all the vampire tropes I know of focus on virginal white women getting bit. (Just a wee bit ‘o metaphor, yeah). I can’t recall seeing a black woman getting bitten though we have seen a black female vampire on this show.

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 1:50 pm ¶
Mogs wrote:

@ jvansteppes: Rene kills women who remind him of his sister, who was his first victim; this is likely why he kills young white women. and do you really think Bill is the one who killed Lafayette? i don’t want to have a reason to hate Bill! he’s so cool.

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 1:54 pm ¶
Brigitte wrote:

I just can’t deal with this show if Sexy Cajun AND Lafayette are gone.

The only thing that makes me think Lafayette is still alive is the fact that he would never let his heels get crusty like the heel on that foot we saw in the car. My brother always kept his situations well moisturized.

Maybe it was the body of the drugstore hoodoo woman? Tara’s momma?

I am in denial.

I am hoping that Tara will find love with the guitar strumming emo black guy at House of Pig. I miss seeing that guy shirtless on “The Game.”

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 2:19 pm ¶
Naomi C wrote:

i cant wait for the ugly betty post! it’s one of my fave shows, and it’s been so good this season.

the last episode on race in the admission process was ’specially thought-provoking..

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 2:29 pm ¶
Vanessa, Michigan wrote:

HIV has no effect on the Vampires

ONly HepD…which just weakens them and thus much more easily to kill.
They said that in the 3rd episode or something.

The women that Renee killed where all fangbangers…which Tara was not.
IF tara was sleeping with a vampire…she most likely would have been dead if he had found out.

The only relationship that she has with Sam is the FWB kind of relationship or the person you fuck when life get’s you down.
She is only using him for sex.
Sam himself said that he has a huge crush on Sookie but since that isn’t going anywhere he is trying to move on.
Tara has told him that she only wants to sleep with him b/c of the fact that she is lonely …he is lonely and since they both are friends they might as well bang each other.

The only sexuality that the show really delved in would have been Jason who is a complete hoe and that of the gay vampire.

But, from what I hear…she might have a relationship with Eggs.

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 4:34 pm ¶
Phil Deeze wrote:

Guys,
Didn’t Eric mention that vampires had an innate sense of who had wronged one of their kind in a previous episode (when they came to the bar and took Bill with them to be judged for killing another vampire.)
Let’s not forget that Lafayette had been in an illicit deal with a vampire (sex for vampire blood) and how upset Lafayette was at Jason when he found his ID at the scene where his supplier had gone missing (sign of a struggle.)
Maybe Bill or another vampire had taken vengeance against Lafayette for what he’d done. That could mean that Jason Stackhouse could be at risk since he was sort of involved in the kidnapping and murder of a vampire just before Rene murdered his girlfriend.
And does anyone think the shape-shifter story arc is sort of jumping the proverbial shark ?

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 7:44 pm ¶
jvansteppes wrote:

The reason I think Bill killed Lafayette is that the point of view of the person attacking him is followed by that same horror movie camera surge to Sookie’s door and it was Bill there. Also, I haven’t read the books but I imagine this would make sense in terms of creating more drama with Bill claiming he needed to eat to live and Sookie and Tara being angry that he killed Lafayette. But I could be wrong. I guess that in a morbid way I’m hoping it was Bill that did it because symbolically speaking that would mean that Bill, a consumer of human blood, came back to health through the ingestion of Lafayette’s blood, blood that is considered racially polluting and sexually toxic. It has potential to resist racist and homophobic narratives.

I don’t think its a matter of coincidence that all the women who have sex with vampires and are thus Renee’s targets are white. There could easily have been a black woman [like one of the other 3 women Jason dated who got killed] filling this position as well. So I do think its worth making the point that 1. the rage Renee feels at [white] women who sleep with vampires is because they are supposed to be virginal or at least too virtuous to sleep with a vampire. 2. women of color are all too frequently discounted from sexually ‘virtuous’ categories in the white imagination. I realize here that I’m assuming Renee is white because his real name was Marshall and he adopted an accent and that just strikes me as something a white person would do.
There’s also the matter of the girl who Bill turns into a vampire: she is a white, religious virgin teen, which makes her most coveted by the vampire government or whatever they are. Vampires covet innocence. It’s not coincidental that on this show this is embodied by white girls and women. We could say that this was about forgetting or accidentally excluding women of color but I’m going to say it’s about actively selecting white women characters for these storylines.
On the matter of Tara’s sexuality: I guess maybe I’m missing something here and I’ll admit that sometimes heterosexuals confuse me. I just kind of thought that Sam and Tara were having an affair as a matter of convenience and he got over it pretty fast as he rushed back to his obsession with Sookie. Plus, she’s invisible to Jason and in my opinion he might be pretty but he’s not worth her effort.

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 7:48 pm ¶
EvilAngelfish wrote:

Lafayette also threatened his closeted politician lover/client with exposure of the hypocrisy of his platform against gays (which he is) and vampires (whose blood he illegally drinks). If someone did kill Lafayette, it seems like it would be that guy, not Bill, who knows that he’s a friend of Sookie’s.

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 9:33 pm ¶
ACTINGDRAMA wrote:

I agree with Vanessa. They didn’t kill Lafayette. It wouldn’t make sense.
-He is a lead character.
-He has open story lines.
-He is also a popular character.
-The leg that was in the care didn’t look like a mans leg.
-I think it is Tara’s mom.

I refuse to believe he is dead. lol nooooooo

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 10:02 pm ¶
timarasa wrote:

i don’t think bill killed lafayette (it does not make any sense for bill to dump lafayette in bellefleur’s car, especially since bellefleur/compton rapport seems more or less neutral or positive…compared to his antagonism with jason. plus bill would have hid the body for no one to find). yes, i think another vampire or supernatural being attacked lafayette, but who? maybe some vamp who’s wise to the closeted gay vamp’s (eddie’s??) murder and anyone remotely involved (watch out jason!), maybe the teenager bill turned into a vamp recently…but honestly i think it has to do with the senator/governor dude lafayette had been sleeping with on the side and procuring “v” for. politicians don’t take veiled threats lightly, and i wouldn’t be surprised if he did everything in his power to keep lafayette quiet about his private life. and even if he’s posturing publicly on the side of denying vampire and gay rights, i wouldn’t be surprised he had some powerful vampire associates behind the scenes…

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 10:58 pm ¶
timarasa wrote:

to clarify: when i said “his antagonism” i meant bellefleur and jason (though bill and jason didn’t really get on too well either).

Posted 25 Nov 2008 at 11:00 pm ¶
chanita wrote:

i don’t think that bill killed lafayette… he said he fed, but he could’ve been starting to tell sookie about that annoying chick he had to turn into a vamp…

if they are going to kill lafayette off on the show, maybe it was b/c of the confrontation he had with the senator? vamps aren’t the only way people die on this show. there have been more deaths by human hands than by vamps, and we know how “trustworthy” those politicians can be =]

i effin love lafayette.

Posted 26 Nov 2008 at 1:35 am ¶
yc wrote:

Naomi C- cosign!!

Posted 26 Nov 2008 at 3:36 am ¶
Adrianna wrote:

I think it might be another supernatural being that did it! that Marianne girl looks like she could do some damage. Or maybe it was that strange pig she has with her who did it! I hope Lafayette is not dead!

I’m happy where things are going with Tara.

Eric is awesome ! It’s like he knows something we don’t ! plus he is one hot Vamp!

Posted 26 Nov 2008 at 6:43 am ¶
Mammith wrote:

Can’t wait for the Ugly Betty post, it’s one of my favorite shows but I’ve never been one to dislike criticism.

I’m actually halfway through some articles on TV I’m writing myself which though doesn’t have a focus on race, does go into the dynamics of television if anyones interested!

Posted 26 Nov 2008 at 8:43 am ¶
Lyonside wrote:

>>The FBI, NSA, CIA, MI5, Mossad, etc. would have vamps in labs and prisons to poked, prodded, and tortured to understand them.

Noah – my guess (show only, no books) is that Blonde Akasha didn’t allow vamps to be “out of the coffin” (i.e. providing scientific evidence of vampiric existance) until those groups were well and truly bought and paid for. I mean, really, the vamps come out exactly when (or right before) TruBlood is designed? How… convenient….

>I can’t seem to remember any other black people being eaten which I’m willing to attribute to the fact that their bodies are not coveted,

To be fair, we haven’t SEEN enough black humans around Bon Temps. With the exception of Tara, her mother, The Church Lady, and Lafayette, the other black people have been scattered around the parish/county, not seen in daily life. Honestly, Bon Temps seems like it used to be a sundown town – most of the regulars and all the local cops are white.

>Her whiteness no doubt influences this desirability as prey as did the fact that she was initially a virgin, the most sexually ‘innocent’ of all characters.

Totally. The “visability” of white women vs. black women, etc. is always a factor, intentional or not. But in this case, it’s likely deliberate.

>I find it interesting as well that the women targeted by ‘Renee’ for murder as penance for sexual deviance are white; is this because as white women their alleged destruction of their own purity is a far graver sin? Would he have noticed women of color ‘fangbanging’?

AS others said, the only women we’ve seen so far as “fangbanging” have been white. I don’t find this extrodinary for the simple reason that serial killers often have a “type.” In Drew/Rene’s case, it would be thin white women like his sister. He keeps repeating that, even to the extent of targeting waitresses (which is certainly changing my view of my local diner waitstaff Gran was an abberation (he wasn’t expecting her home), the cat… well, I have no idea about the cat. Maybe as a warning?

But yes, we are back to the visability/ invisability thing. Actually, did “Rene” have much/any interaction with Tara at all? As as others noted, Tara has no sexual history w/ vampires.

Vanessa: I think you’re taking Tara’s ( and Sam’s) original statements about getting together at face value. I think they’re both conflicted, Tara’s a little too damaged to accept someone who cares for her back, Sam… is just Sam. But their relationship is messy and inexact and awkward, which is actually fairly realistic, and goes a little beyond FWBs. I kind of loved Sam’s repeated messages on Tara’s cell phone, “Come on, if you’re going to break up with me, at least call me back and tell me you’re OK!” cause a lot of us, we’ve been there.

Re: the body in the car…

If it’s Lafayette:
– I don’t think it was Bill, unless he was a bit feral after coming out of the ground and didn’t realize. He’s clueless about people, but not THAT clueless.
- makes sense because we SAW him painting his nails in Marlottes
- I’d put bets that it was unrelated to the Senator
- I really hope he’s not dead.

If it isn’t, then
– that’s a damn good red herring
- it’s someone Tara knows – that scream, that was recognition and hysteria.

Re: shapeshifters and whatever RoCaine is- I don’t think they’re jumping the shark. Both Bill and Sam have indicated that there is a LOT more in this universe re: critters of the night than we’ve been told.

Posted 26 Nov 2008 at 11:03 am ¶
fruitoftheloon wrote:

I wish the writers would stray from the books a bit more than they already do. They create awesome characters who didn’t exist in the books (Lafayette in the books is a bit-player, Tara is white and a minor character, and the vampire Jason met never existed) but then for the sake of keeping to the original plot lines they just get rid of those characters or ignore them when the time has come to move on.

Also, a few clarifications for those who are curious how much is from the books:

-The vampires do prefer Sookie over Tara, but it’s not racially-based (Tara being white in the books.) Although the vampires have a good reason to prefer Sookie, the writers should have been aware that if they made Tara black it might look like a racial fetishization of whiteness.

-Sam being a shapeshifter is in the books.

-In the books, Bill is gone a lot longer, so Sookie’s anger is much more understandable.

Basically, as far as I can tell the books are problematic in that they’re mostly white, and while the tv show introduces more variety in terms of race and sexuality, they don’t always do it with enough subtlety or thought.

I really do hope they keep giving Lafayette more than in the books though; his character on the show is so freaking bad-ass.

Posted 26 Nov 2008 at 11:37 am ¶
Adri wrote:

I hope Lafeyette’s not dead he’s the shit!!His character is definitely my favorite on the show. Just don’t feel True Blood would be worth watching with him gone. I could see him being turned into a vampire somewhere down the line tho if he isn’t ‘dead” dead.

If Lafayette is in fact ‘dead’ dead, I don’t think Bill would’ve killed him, unless, like another poster mentioned, he was so out of it at the time he awoke from being baked in the sun earlier that dayand he just went for the nearest person to feed on. But I doubt it based on the fact that the visual point of view of whatever lafayette was very low to the ground. Lafayette jumped up on the dumpster to get away from whatever it was. If it was a vampire, I imagine the visual point of view would’ve been eye level.

The young girl Bill had to bite is going to be a major problem in the town of Bon Temps. “So, who’s good to eat around here?” Yep, major drama! I think Bill will have more trouble with Eric because of her too.

I don’t know how I feel about Anna Paquins character. Sookie is definitely annoying. But I feel like that was the intention of the producers, writers, directors, etc. I don’t know much about Sookie’s character in the books. From what I understand from those who do know about the characters in the books, tho the director of this show has kinda deviated from the actual characters in the book. I think thats a good thing.

I’m interested to see what Jasons character will be like, besides extremely man-whorish and dumber then a box of rocks. especially now that he’s joined The Fellowship of the Sun. It’s kinda predictable, I think. With, Erics mention of knowing when one of their own has been wronged, I imagine there’s going to be plenty of trouble for Jason regardless in the next season.

I would’ve like to have seen more of Amy. She was a MAJOR sociopath. Her character seemed sinister from the beginning. I found myself waiting for what else she was capable of. She had potential. But then Renee/Drew had to kill her. And I don’t understand that because I don’t recall anything about her being a “fang-banger” and she obviously wasn’t an accident like Gran was.

I liked Renee’s character also. I loved the fake accent. Don’t know what kinda accent it was supposed to be but ’twas kinda sexy.

As for Sam and Marianne and the whole shape-shifting thing, I’m curious to know what their history is. I want to know why he’s been hiding, why he’s been hiding from her and why he’s hiding all that $$$$$.

Tara – I love her character in the show too. Hate to say I’d rather see her mama’s character go before Lafayette’s. I think there’s going to be alot of trouble regarding her association with Marianne given whatever the history is between Marianne and Sam. Obviously Marianne is using Tara and used Tara to get to Sam. I think next season that’s going to cause a major struggle between Tara and Sam’s relationship, whatever it was and whatever is left of it. I’m sure by next season Tara will be more fond of, more trusting of, and feel more indebted to Marriane for helping her when her own mama wouldn’t.

And now there’s Eggs (who is super foiiine, btw) who feels Marianne is a “miracle worker.” If Eggs becomes a love interest for Tara, and they both trust Marianne, it will be harder for Sam to convince Tara that she shouldn’t trust Marianne or that she’s in danger.

Just my take. The producers definitely meant to tease and torment us. I’m definitely a fan.

All I can say is waiting until summer for the next season of True Blood is gonna suck, lol.

Posted 26 Nov 2008 at 1:43 pm ¶
wendi muse wrote:

wow…i am so behind that i have no idea who this lafayette guy is..

Posted 26 Nov 2008 at 1:44 pm ¶
ladymaati wrote:

Sorry…I’ve read the Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire series from Dead until Dark (1)to Definitely Dead(6). Lafayette’s gone, unless he was turned & risen in the last 2 books.

I loved his character. Haven’t seen Trueblood cause, frankly, I like the books. I’ll netflix for summer.

Posted 26 Nov 2008 at 2:15 pm ¶
Medbh wrote:

My guess is that when Lafayette jumped up on the dumpster he’s reacting to Marianne as the pig. He’s not dead. I’m betting the foot belongs to either Tara’s mom or the woman who did Tara’s exorcism. Marianne killed either woman to punish her for fucking with Tara.
I’m also guessing that Marianne will develop into some sort of Ayn Rand guru who thinks gifted individuals matter more than anyone else. She’ll be Rourke in a skirt.

Posted 26 Nov 2008 at 4:47 pm ¶
loveless wrote:

I have read all the Charlaine Harris books also. The “running gag” is that Merlot’s can’t keep a cook. A new one turns up in each book. Lafayette jumped up on the dumpster to avoid something. Vampires and shape shifters are just a glimpse into the supernatural world. We will be introduced to other beings.
The actor that brought Lafayette to life deserves credit for making the show watchable. I hope Alan “bends” the rules & has him back in a reoccurring role.
The books are not well written but they are a good foundation to build a series. I watch the show, have many criticisms but it has kept me coming back week after week.
I have been disappointed in the casting, especially with the lead, Anna Paquin. She is so wooden and the role calls for more nuance. The season finale hit the right note with enough questions to make us want to turn in next season but not enough to leave us tortured.

Posted 26 Nov 2008 at 6:24 pm ¶
la frontera wrote:

What is really interesting to me is that in the books Lafayette was murdered by Tara’s boyfriend Eggs and a few other people in the town. Tara and Eggs were white in the books and not related to Lafayette.
Lafayette’s murder, in the books was a hate crime. I wonder how the show is going to handle that.
Even though the circumstances of finding the body are almost identical, I really hope the writers dont take away such a dynamic and complex/loveable character.

Posted 27 Nov 2008 at 12:46 am ¶
JustChaz wrote:

I read an interview with Alan Ball, and he mentioned that they were going to pretty much stray from the books after the foundation has been laid, so I don’t know if it has been laid yet, but I sure hope so.

Posted 27 Nov 2008 at 4:42 pm ¶
Sharon Cullars wrote:

I am another one who hopes that the season’s finale is a red herring and that the body in Andy’s car belongs to someone else. Also, the Bill-killed-Lafayette play is indeed a red herring b/c why would Bill put Lafeyette’s body in Andy’s car two weeks after the deed? Also, vampires probably feed on animals as well as humans to regain strength.

A poster on another board introduce the possibility that Lafayette might have been “vamped” which would add an interesting texture to the storyline. Someone posted here that the body could belong to Tara’s mom (after all, plenty of women have big feet and as someone pointed out, Lafayette would never let his feet get that ashy, although Lettie Mae might).

Now if it is Tara’s mom body in the car, I’m thinking that MaryAnn the maenad (aka Michelle Forbes) did it. She might have resented Andy b/c of the way he spoke with her at the police station; powerful beings don’t like being belittled. And in a parallelism to Bill’s killing Sookie’s uncle b/c of his abuse of Sookie, MaryAnn might have gotten rid of Lettie Mae as retribution for Tara. Putting Lettie Mae’s body in Andy’s car would be sort of a twofer, then getting both Lettie Mae and Andy.

Just on a side note, below is a link to an interview with Nelsan Ellis, who portrays Lafayette. Ellis has gone through some sorrowful tragedy in his life, and has indeed come a long way (by the way, he’s a fellow Illinoisian). According to the article Alan Ball seems to really appreciate Ellis’ acting chops, which leads me to believe Ball’s not letting this young man go anytime soon.

http://www.trueblood-online.com/public/?p=587

Posted 27 Nov 2008 at 6:01 pm ¶
sfsinger wrote:

Lafayette will return. His character is way too popular to get rid of. It’s the classic season ender cliffhanger so everyone’s on pins and needles. You know we could also write to HBO and Alan Ball’s production company just to let them know how we feel.

Eggs is totally hot!!! But I don’t want Sam and Tara to end things quite yet. I like having an BW/WM interracial couple on tv.

Posted 28 Nov 2008 at 6:25 am ¶
Lyonside wrote:

>Alan Ball seems to really appreciate Ellis’ acting chops,

Speaking of, I checked the HBO site for the first time after the finale. I was impressed w/ all the Julliard alums on this show (and they’re my favorite characters, so I was doubly pleased). Gives me more to defend the show with as needed (and boy is it sometimes needed).

Posted 28 Nov 2008 at 9:01 am ¶
MsFeasance wrote:

Personally, I think that the writers on True Blood are floating somewhat of a trial balloon here, gauging fan reaction to the loss of Lafayette and seeing whether to go with the plot of Living Dead in Dallas or to chuck it entirely and make the decedent Lettie Mae instead.

Posted 28 Nov 2008 at 11:37 am ¶

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