True Blood 2×09 – "I Will Rise Up"

This episode seems to have marked several transitions for the show; the evolution of Jason, the closing of the Dallas storyline, and the ramping up of Maryann’s campaign in Bon Temps. It handled all three storylines fantastically, and one scene in particular stood out…

My hopes last week for Godric to be a long-running character in the show were cruelly dashed, but I can forgive the producers for that one, simply because his death scene was so beautifully written and performed. I had assumed last week that Godric’s blank, unemotional response to the events around him was part of some plan that he had concocted, but it seems that wasn’t the case; Godric was simply deeply depressed. 2000 years after being turned from a human to a vampire he finds himself in a church, stopping a war between the two races; and belonging to neither of them. No wonder he was so willing to hand himself over to the Newlins.

The reaction Eric had to Godric’s death was telling as well; it’s one of the few times we’ve ever seen any genuine emotion from Eric, and it’s entirely understandable given that he’s losing, in Godric’s words, a “father, brother, son”. The fact that Eric wanted to die alongside Godric says a lot about the bond between a vampire and his maker, considering how strong the vampire survival instinct seemingly is. Part of me wonders if the timing of this storyline is intended to soften Eric slightly for the audience; it’s becoming more and more clear that something will happen between Sookie and Eric, and perhaps showing a more vulnerable side to Eric’s character is an attempt to make such a relationship more palatable for the audience. (Though personally, I could quite happily see Sookie and Eric together; Bill has never been a particularly interesting character to me.)

Sookie’s finest interaction with a vampire this week was, however, with Godric. It’s scenes like this that remind me how much I like Sookie’s character; she can be incredibly sweet, smart, supportive and good-natured but so often those traits are sidelined for the soppy teenage damsel routine with Bill. Her few lines of dialogue with Godric were beautifully delivered by Anna Paquin, and in turn Allan Hyde gave an incredibly moving, memorable performance. For a character who was only in a couple of episodes, he’s certainly someone who will have had a great impact on the show.

I’d mentioned in my review last week that I’d love to see more of Nan Flanagan on the show and, lo and behold, up she pops this week! For once not just on a TV set, but actually with the main cast! And she’s… a total bitch. Well, maybe that’s unfair; as Eric said, she’s just a bureaucrat, and a fairly pissed off one at that. The political interplay between the vampires was very interesting though. It seemed that Flanagan didn’t actually have any jurisdiction over the sheriffs, or any power to directly oust one. She’s more of a political spindoctor; the Alistair Campbell of the vampire world. Just as human politics have embraced spin and the media, so it seems have the vampires, with media experts like Flanagan rising to positions of power outside of the typical structures. It’s interesting to wonder how Nan Flanagan’s modern world of media and filling out forms stands up against the sort of justice handed out by the Magister in Season 1, and whether there is a division growing among vampires who embrace the new ways and those who stick to the old.

Speaking of vampire justice, one of the best things to have come out of it this season is Jessica. I had my doubts about her character at the end of Season 1; however, my worries that she would simply be used as comic relief have vanished entirely, and she’s now quite possibly one of my favourite characters on the show. Putting her in a relationship with Hoyt was a stroke of genius on two counts. Firstly, that Hoyt was one of the most likeable background residents of Bon Temps who deserved a bigger role, and secondly for the way that Jessica and Hoyt contrast so well with Bill and Sookie. While the latter are very much your typical vampire romance couple, the former are just two young lovers with everyday problems; not being liked by your partners parents, becoming comfortable sexually, and so on. Even the vampire-related problems could simply be read as metaphors for common human problems. Isn’t a vampire not being able to have babies simply infertility? Isn’t the regrowth of Jessica’s hymen just a form of sexual disability? Whilst these aren’t simple problems for a couple to overcome, I’m hoping Jessica and Hoyt can do it, just so that there’s at least one happy couple in Bon Temps.

Happy couples who don’t get high on ancient god vibes and beat the hell out of each other, anyway. Tara and Eggs were showing the extent of their bruising in this episode following last week’s boink’n'bash fest, leading Lafayette to stage an intervention with the help of poor old Lettie Mae. Obviously the scene degenerates into a violent clash, but at least Lafayette and Lettie Mae succeed in whisking Tara away from Maryann (for now, at least; Maryann seems sure they’ll return.)

If I had to take a guess, it seems like Maryann is working to some sort of timetable; she seems to be growing increasingly frustrated by her inability to locate Sam this week, who escapes from her clutches by shapeshifting into a fly and fleeing to the motel room of Andy Bellefleur, the one person left in town who can help him. Especially when, having decided enough is enough, Maryann sweeps into Merlotte’s and (in an awesomely over-dramatic way) works her mojo over the diners, turning them into an army of Sam-hunters.

Obviously the Maryann storyline will reach its peak soon, but I really hope (given the timing of everything) that it isn’t Sookie, Bill and Eric who roll back into town and save the day; as supernaturals they would be immune to Maryann, yes, but it wouldn’t be particularly satisfying. If someone is to take down Maryann it needs to be Tara, or perhaps even Andy. God knows he needs to do something to get his reputation back.

Random Musing of the Week:

I loved the attention to some of the little details this week, such as when Hoyt’s mother says that Jessica will never be able to have babies and her eyes well up with a little crimson streak, or when Rev. Newlin appears on TV still bearing the impact mark of Jason’s paintball shot.