Tune In Next Week, He Says: The Racialicious Roundtable For True Blood 5.11

As Alan Ball said in the bonus material, the penultimate episode is when the audience is supposed to put their tray tables up and prepare for landing. Trouble is, with all these random plot arcs running around, we have no idea where we will end up. Joe, Carly, and Tami join me to discuss the set up for the bloodbath season finale.

Lilith Plays Mind GamesLatoya: So Lilith appeared to Bill as the savior. Why are these people so quick to trust their drug-induced hallucinations?
Joe: Because with religion, anything and everything is possible. The problem is, for a lot of folks, they take that fact and they run with it. Cue Bill.
Carly: I like that they have tied in this large part of religious history–people using drugs to become closer to God and often going way off the deep end. Doesn’t hurt that it makes for interesting visuals.
Joe: It makes you wonder why he’s so religious now, all of a sudden. He was a Christian in his human life, and I remember the episode where he goes to Gran’s church, but then there was no mention or hint of it, unless I’m forgetting something. Not even a “this might be why he’s gone all Jim Jones” flashback. Maybe it’s the power that comes with this particular religion? That, and the only rule seems to be to eat people.

Speaking Of Bill…Latoya: Bill’s speeches are like religious demagoguery 101. He even pulled the super villain “take her somewhere else to accomplish this dastardly deed instead of bringing him to our amazingly safe fortress because clearly Jessica is acting suspicious but would never try to escape.”
Tami: Bill is really being a dick. I really need there to be some consequences for characters’ actions this season. Bill has done some heinous stuff. I hope they show the fall-out from that next season. For instance, showing the fractures in his relationship with Jessica. They cannot have him go back to being noble Bill Compton after this. (Ditto for murderous Terry Bellefleur.)
Carly: As much as I would love for all the people on this show to be held accountable for their actions, I will be shocked if that happens. Not that TV characters can hold onto their ‘history’ for very long, but how quick did they all forget about the panthers and Jason’s endless rape?
Joe: Especially since that happened like four days ago in their world.

Random Aside #1

Tami: Members of the Authority security force are comically easy to kill. I mean really.
Joe: Seriously. They’re all vampires, too. Don’t they receive some type of training? Like, I know that even if a suspect is incapacitated, you remove all firearms from his or her person. They need more Law and Order in their lives.

What The Fae
Latoya: This fae elder is doing her best Alanis-Morisette-as-God-in-Dogma.
Carly: Yeah! And this ageless, ancient fairy sounds like… a real housewife? American? I mean, make up an accent like Fez for all I care, but give me something here. Take some cues from Russell.
Tami: When you tell me I’m going to meet a fae elder, I expect someone with more gravitas than Coco Hernandez from “Fame.” I imagined someone like Newt from the Kim Harrison Hollows series–someone whose impairment was more menacing than annoying.
Latoya: OMG Yes! And while we’re at it, Sook needs an Al, like yesterday.
Tami: Also, what does Sookie have against my fellow Hoosier John Cougar Mellencamp? The man is a treasure–Bruce Springsteen of the Heartland.
Latoya: “The reason you slut your heart out to every guy with fangs?” Again, the extra digs from the writers are so not necessary. Sookie is the woman you made her. The fae queen said “I got this?” And you knew that was her death knell. Seriously, all them fucking faeries can’t kill Russell?
Joe: There’s like 30 of them. They have money, I assume. Can’t they buy silver bullets and silver plated arrows like everyone else? Or at least hire a sharpshooter as a bodyguard. They may have age, but they seriously lack wisdom.
Tami: Fairies. Not the rocket scientists of the supe world.
Latoya: Maybe that explains Sookie’s lack of common sense for all these seasons.
Carly: Why did they all just stand there!! Augh! Side note: I cannot get over how much I love Denis O’Hare’s readings. They have written that character so well, it makes so much of the show pale in comparison. It’ll be a sad day when he’s written off.
Joe: Hopefully, for all those coward faeries, that’s next week. I mean, if an ageless faerie isn’t threatening (like seriously, at all) then what hope do any of them have? You would expect her to at least maim Steve a little. I think the lesson here is that faerie powers suck.

Aside #2Tami: I have been immune to Joe Maginiello’s were charms since he admitted to being an Ayn Rand fan. But if they’re going to keep him shirtless for those not turned off by mindless libertarianism, I’m gonna need him to quit waxing his chest. A freaking werewolf should be hirsute. I mean…he’s a wolf and all. Also, acting range beyond nostril flaring and flexing would be good but not required.
Carly: Yeah, the chest waxing and the skin tight skinny jeans do not read rough Were. He may need a few lessons from Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation.

Oh, JasonLatoya: Oh snap–Jason is really being a grow-ass man on this show. This is clearly not related to Hoyt’s grown-ass man.

Tami: But not a terribly smart grown-ass man. What’s he going to do against Russell with that shotgun?
Latoya: I thought the bullets were loaded for vamp. He dispatched the Authority buffoons fairly neatly.
Joe: Yeah, but he could see them clearly. A 3,000 year old vampire on this show could mow the lawn, snap his neck, and do taxes in the time it would take Jason to lift and shoot that thing.
Carly: Couldn’t he have just waited inside and not invited them in? Ah well. I love some Jason being manly. He’s just too adorable.

Should We Take That “Fucking Baby Vamps” Comment Literally?Tami: Okay so are we assuming Tara is a lesbian now? Because she’s never really talked about her sexuality and we have seen her with both men and women. But the show seems to be deciding she is a lesbian and that, since the only two gay people in any given space must partner, she should be boo’d up with Pam.
Latoya: I could see that. But alternatively, I could also see an abuse dynamic where you start loving your abuser because they are all you have.
Carly: Haven’t they already set the precedent that regardless of sexuality, vampires more often than not have sexual relationships with their relatives, especially with their makers? They didn’t get into that with Eric and Godric, but it may be a safe assumption. But like was noted last week, we’ll cut out or take a wide shot of men kissing, but get within inches of women kissing.
Joe: Well, now that they’ve mentioned it, we will be seeing a Pam and Tara love scene.

YawnthorityLatoya: And the black vamp dies with no backstory.
Tami: On second thought, all vampires are becoming comically easy to kill. First, Sookie does one in with chopsticks. Baby vamp Jessica and dim bulb Jason take out trained vampire security. Alcide and his daddy go on a shooting spree, killing vamps without using their own super-powers. And Bill, who isn’t even 200 years old, murks an Authority council member with one swipe.
Carly: Yeah, it’s a bit ridiculous. It seems like everyone except for Russell is easy to kill.
Latoya: Man, I really wish this season had gone differently. This part about Bill possibly eating Sam is actually a great plot twist. I would have been on the edge of my seat a couple seasons back.
Carly: I think they’ve been neglecting Salome, so I’ll keeping my fingers crossed for an epic meltdown when she drinks all that blood. I don’t know how else they’d write her off. And of course, Eric will have to save Bill, because it’s Bill. *sigh*

Random Aside #2Latoya: So Alcide’s pops does give a damn about something?
Carly: It took me until the end this episode to realize his dad is Terminator 2. Now I won’t be able to stop thinking about him and that gooey metal icicle…

And FinLatoya: Bonus material–so they intentionally made Bill a villain. And it’s another Angela Robinson episode. Notice the lack of casual racism.
Carly: I was noting that a big theme this season seems to be vulnerability to violence–mental and physical. We had all those Iraqis murdered, fairies murdered, weres under Russell’s (V’s) thumb, the hate group attacking supes, the countless humans devoured by the authority this season…even as Tami noted the vampires are now being slaughtered, via “Lilith The Mad God,” baby vamp bloodlust or sheer stupidity. I’m not sure what the message is here, but they are really digging in on it.