by Chris Saccaro
“True Blood“” is finally starting to get the ball rolling on a many of its storylines this season, though there still seem to be some loose ends that are threatening the cohesion of the season’s narrative structure.
Last week’s episode ended with what could have been a dramatic yet appropriate end for Tara’s character, and it certainly would have been poetic if Tara killed herself after becoming the creature she hates most. However, the writers must clearly have something else planned for Tara, as Pam saves her at the last minute.
The Pam and Tara dynamic is a great relationship that I’m eager to see developed. It’s a fun pairing, but more importantly, it’s good for Tara’s character. If there is anyone that can help Tara become an independent (read: not whiny) character, it’s Pam.
The other benefit of pairing up Pam and Tara is that it allows Tara to rant to Bill about Sookie, pretty much summing up Sookie’s character flaws since the show’s pilot. I wonder how many people have nearly died to “save her sorry ass,” as Tara puts it.
Speaking of Sookie, she’s finally realizing the effects she has on people (she’s a life ruiner… she ruins people’s lives.) So, in a veiled attempt at getting revenge, Lafayette does some strange voodoo on her car, causing her to lose control and crash. I may be biased against the horrible special effects, but Lafayette’s demonic alter ego is one of the storylines I could live without.
After facing a potentially life threatening situation, Sookie gets plastered and makes out with Alcide (and he keeps his shirt on the whole time!). Now I might be a sadist, but I’m enjoying Sookie’s slow mental breakdown. She’s all over the place, and I love it.
Now, just as the storylines in Bon Temps become more unified, we are thrown into Terry’s solider storyline with flashbacks to Iraq. While “True Blood” has always used flashbacks to provide interesting backstory, this flashback just feels shockingly out of place. It may be because Terry is such a secondary character (and that’s being generous). This story is so disconnected from the main narrative that I’m having trouble seeing how it will ever connect. I’m holding my breath that it will have some bigger purpose, because for right now it just seems like unnecessary filler for a character that really doesn’t deserve a C-plot.
And poor Jason–he’s being tossed around without a purpose once again. After his strange pedophiliac teacher came into the picture, you’d think they would explore the emotional effects, but instead Jason goes to a Fairy Party, officially kicking off the reintroduction of the fairies. The dramatic potential of this return is lessened by the fact that the fairy storyline was handled so poorly last season.
Overall, “We’ll Meet Again” finally allows most of the season’s many story lines to come together, making the stakes so much higher and the stories so much more entertaining.
Chris Saccaro is a staff writer. Email him at entertainment@nyunews.
