AUGUST 16, 2011 3:47PM
Spellbound - True Blood S4 Ep 8
I apologize readers, I’m a little creatively tapped and thus didn’t have much to say about Episode 7. I do have plenty to say about Episode 8, though. Especially when there’s a….
RUMBLE IN BON TEMPS!
See Marnie-Antonia above, rocking the Doctor Strange spellhands?
The Marvel Comics fans know that Doctor Strange spellhands are awesome psychedelic mysticism. Or perhaps a way to express your Iron Maiden fandom. As a medieval torture victim, I don’t see Antonia loving Iron Maiden – perhaps more Judas Priest. In
any event, I keep repeating myself, but Fiona Shaw chews up screen time
in grand fashion, and has become one of the things worth watching this
season for.
And the witches and vampires throw down. FUN!
Now, there are other plot threads to consider. Let’s get Sookie, Eric and Bill out of the way. Eric
and Sookie blabla lovemaking fantasia vomit….No one backs Sookie into a
corner, she joins the rumble with her superfairy powers…Bill spares Tara
for Sookie’s sake (and thus will Tara learn the lesson that nuking the
entire vamp community is wrong?)….Eric is still cavity-inducing sweet,
but will he stay that way when Marnie-Antonia is through with him?
But most importantly, will Sookie’s ‘Mary-Sue’ powers destroy the recovering relationship of Alcide and Debbie Pelt? Readers, I hate bringing up terms like ‘Mary Sue’ to your attention. But consider this definition of a Mary Sue, from wikipedia:
A Mary Sue (sometimes just Sue), in literary criticism and particularly in fanfiction, is a fictional character with overly idealized and hackneyed mannerisms, lacking noteworthy flaws, and primarily functioning as a wish-fulfillment fantasy
for the author or reader. It is generally accepted as a character whose
positive aspects overwhelm their other traits until they become
one-dimensional. The term is also associated with clichés such as exotic hair and eye colors, mystical or superhuman
powers, exotic pets, possessions, or origins, or an unusually tragic
past …The term is more broadly associated with characters who are
exceptionally and improbably lucky. The good luck may involve romance
("Mary Sue" always gets her man); adventure ("Mary Sue" always wins a
fight or knows how to solve the puzzle) and popularity (the "right
people" seem to gravitate towards the character). These characters have
few problems while attempting to achieve their goals. "Everything goes
her way" is a common criticism regarding "Mary Sues", the implication
being that the character's inability to fail makes her insufficiently
humanized or challenged to be interesting or sympathetic. I’m in trouble with legions of Sookie fans now, aren’t I? So
be it, but because Sookie is automatically irresistable to hot
supernatural men, Alcide Herveaux is going back on his word to his wife
and allowing his concern for her to intrude on their intimacy. From this we get a striking Debbie Pelt image, a scene where she’s all dark eyed stormy hurt and madness:
Couldn’t say I’d blame her if she goes for Sookie’s throat again. (As an aside, last year OSer Juliet Walters noted the name Debbie Pelt in connection with ‘70’s wereporn’, and that has stayed with me).
Speaking of werewolves, pack leader Marcus is confirmed as the baby daddy of Sam’s new girlfriend Luna. Said baby daddy walks in on Sam having dinner with Luna and her daughter, and swaggers, threatens and rages. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but couldn’t a Siberian tiger easily take a wolf? Or a rhino? Why exactly would a werewolf be a threat to someone who can spend a little time at the zoo and imprint any big dangerous animal into his shifting repertoire? There are ways to work that out plotwise, of course, but if you’re talking immediate testosterone chest thumping, sorry. Tiger trumps wolf. Marcus has nothing.
Now Jessica has to follow her desire through to its messy conclusions. Her lust is overwhelming her love for Hoyt. It’s sad but honest. Her dream of bashing Hoyt’s head in when the latter got needy after her attempt at a breakup was an important scene. Has anyone trapped in a relationship they didn’t want with a good person ever secretly indulged such a violent, taboo thought? If so readers, don’t be afraid to post in the comments section. It’s either a phase, or Jessica’s just not wired monogamous deep down. Her actual breakup with Hoyt led to natural consequences of pain and sorrow for all involved (Jason Stackhouse commendably rejects Jessica after the breakup). Cheer up, Jessica! You will soon find your bliss in the arms and throats of several different fangbanger boys as you rock your vampy outfits in Fangtasia. Hoyt? Well, maybe he’ll find a nice girl.
Arlene and Terry’s baby is no Bad Seed (bummer!), he’s just being haunted by a mysterious woman from Bon Temp’s past who has now possessed Lafayette and is set to cause a little mayhem. I’m waiting to see who in the present day is tied to her back story of a tragic interracial relationship and dead child. Tommy continues his ‘Serena/Jeannie’s Sister’ act with increasingly edgier consequences.
Episode 8 closed with Siouxsie and the Banshees’s excellent single, “Spellbound”, and so do I.
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Comments
And THANK YOU for ending with "Spellbound." HUGE Siouxsie & the Banshees fan here (not exactly surprising, is it?) and I've always thought that "Spellbound" was one of their best singles. Tapping thee toe to it right now as I type.
VA - you should thank the True Blood producers for using "Spellbound" in the closing credits. No suprise you're a Siouxsie fan...but I can't decide which are my favorite singles! Do you know, I got gipped out of seeing them at the very first Lollapalooza (because Siouxsie was purportedly sick).
I'm having mixed feelings about this season. Although I enjoyed Eric's "cavity-inducing sweet" at first, not so much anymore. Even the earnest Vampire Bill has some edge to him lately. Surely, Eric's nice could have been tempered just a bit to make him more interesting. Oh and that extended, dreamy love-making scene made me gag. I do love me some True Blood, but sometimes the writers can get way off track.
At the moment, Marnie-Antonia is the best thing going. Now that Eric is under her spell, the Sookie romance may be dead altogether. For the most satisfying conclusion here, I actually hope they stick with what happened in the book. Oh and the Alcide, Debbie, Sookie-- Marcus, Sam, Luna complex might just turn into something interesting as well.
Thanks for the write-up Chiller!