Before we get into the recap/analysis of last night's episode, a bit of news: HBO officially picked up True Blood for a fourth season today, which I believe was previously hinted at by Alan Ball at Comic-Con last year. Yay and woot.
After a reasonably enjoyable but undeniably messy Season 3 premiere, Sunday's episode of True Blood was more focused, violent, and campy... a formula the show used to great success. It had everything True Blood fans have come to enjoy: ooohs from a dirty-talking Eric, some stellar Jason Stackhouse moments, Lafayette kicking ass and taking names, a mysterious (and sexy) stranger, and a new menace on the horizon.
If the season premiere had me slightly concerned about this season, "Beautifully Broken" pulled me back in. And it did so simply by being fun. There is a growing True Blood backlash on the horizon, and that's fine. Because even though I like the show, I know that, deep down, it's basically trash. Trash that I don't mind sifting through.
Let's get back to the program: "Beautifully Broken" gave the season direction, a story for us to latch onto. And it involves Nazi werewolves (indication number one that we are indeed watching something wonderfully campy and trashy). Okay, so they're more than just Nazi werewolves, but let's still label them as such because c'mon... Nazi Werewolves! I'm in the minority when I say I enjoyed Season 1 more than Season 2, but the reason I preferred Season 1 is pretty basic: It had a solid plot. Someone was murdering people, and we tried to solve the mystery. Season 2 was a bit crazier, with the maenad business and its divided focus. But Season 3 is looking like it's going to be more streamlined. Sure, there's Sam's storyline of finding his family and Jessica trying to dispose of a body (the chainsaw was a nice touch) and some other stray plots, but most of Season 3 seems to be about werewolves. And I'm hoping it stays that way. Give us one main plot to focus on, thanks.
We got an answer to one of the questions that has plagued mankind forever (but mostly teenage girls these days): Who would win in a fight between a werewolf and a vampire? Answer: Vampire, in a slaughter. Bill Compton sent those hounds to "a big farm where they will have lots of room to run and play," or whatever other excuse parents give their kids when the family dog gets hit by a truck.
Bill is now a captive of the gayest person on television, the vampire queen king of Mississippi, who just wants some dirt on Louisiana queen Sophie-Anne and a scoop of blood sorbet. Meanwhile, a handsome British-accented vampire stranger (the leader of Operation Werewolf?) is helping Tara let her feelings out, Andy and Jason are buddy cops, and Eric is watching over and macking on Sookie.
But this week's MVP award goes to Lafayette, who slapped some sense into nonsensical Tara. Lafayette was voted TV.com's best new supporting character of 2008, and is really proving himself when it comes to the unenviable task of dealing with Tara's insane behavior. Also, it's pretty obvious that he's going to be a Jesus (as in his Mom's caretaker) freak anytime now.
If he and Hay-Zeus do get together, it will be another cog in what is turning into the gayest production on television. Seasons 1 and 2 were filled with sex, but largely leaned heterosexual and fairly traditional. In other words, there were a lot of boobs. Season 2 pumped up the hot guy factor, and Season 3 is full-blown. From Sam's "let's take a shower" dream to the gratuitous bare male butts and chests we've seen so far, it appears that Season 3 of True Blood is all about pleasing randy females and homosexual men. And even though I, as a heterosexual male, am going to miss the show's Cinemax moments, it's nice to see someone on television putting the shoe on the other foot for once. Why shouldn't men be exploited just as women have?
Other bloody good notes:
... Alfre Woodard as Lafayette's mom. Has there ever been a better casting choice, ever? I expect great things from her this season.
... "Family junk." Another Jason Stackhouse gem.
... Will Tara's mom ever get it together?
... Terry Bellefleur is great, he needs more screen time.
... Where did Jessica's dead guy go? Zombietown?
True Blood Power Rankings
Where I rank this season's episodes of True Blood.
"Beautifully Broken": Solid episode, and certainly sets things up for the rest of the season as compared to the very busy season premiere. Hopefully the rest of the season stays on par.
1. "Beautifully Broken" Ep. 2
2. "Bad Blood" Ep. 1
True Blood Boob Count!
Where I tally the number of scenes in which sets of bare breasts are unnecessarily put on display. Because I can.
Season Total: 4 (only one pair this week, courtesy of our Nazi Werewolf—you had to look closely. Last week: A Fangtasia dancer twice, and an NYU vet school student once).
Question of the day: Who do you think the mysterious girl Jason saw toward the end of the episode was?
Follow TV.com writer Tim Surette on Twitter: @TimAtTVDotCom
Comments (37)
lafayette did a good job this episode. i was impressed. occasionally this show has some good acting. i need more jessica though. nazi vampires & werewolves were cool especially because there was more full frontal female nudity! having bill torch his sire was good. santa?
jason saw two werewolfs, both girls. sweet
had to be Crystal, the were panther.
Claudine- Sookie's cousin (and Jason's).
I doubt somehow that the male gay scenes will get as far as the straight ones but I don't mind some Kevin Alejandro added to the mix
Yeah, it's probably Crystal. Though it is a bit premature, because in the books Crystal comes along later, but I'm glad that they don't stick too closely to the books. I read them all, adored them, but it would be nice to see a slightly different story, just to keep me interested. Not that Eric doesn't keep me glued to the screen. More nude scenes for him! I think I watched the nude scene a dozen times and counting.
If they go along with the books, the girl Jason saw is named Crystal. And most readers hate her.
Vampire fiction has certainly evolved since the days of Hammer films and Cristopher Lee...for old school horror fans, the caring, sensitive hip vampires of today's fiction are a little hard to take at times...
Boob count - now that's something. Yep the girl in the end was definitely Crystal - werepanther ;)
I, for one, am getting really sick of the condescending tone that every reviewer seems to take toward science fiction and fantasy. Exactly what is "campy" about True Blood? Yes, there are some campy characters, but that is true of most shows. Yet only series with an element of the fantastic ever seem to earn this moniker.And I'm sorry but this is far from being "trash". Replace the vampires and werewolves with rival gangs or feuding families and the reviewers would be saying that this is artistic and brilliant. Just have the guts to like what you like and don't try to make it acceptable by patronizing the series or the genre.
Crystal
You think you're in the minority liking season 1 more than season 2? Practically everybody I've talked to about this have said they liked S1 better and the message boards are no different. Anyway I thought this episode was much better focused and it had some awesome lines, mainly Sookie's impersonation of Bill "Sookeh!" LOL. Also loved Terry's list and his little armadillo Felix that lives undir his bed...aww I love Terry too.
I like the boob count. hopefully we can add Anna Paquin back in there before too long
I loved this episode it was way too short I was drooling for more at the end
Sophie-Anne is definitely becoming one of my favorites on the show. Beautiful redhead, too! Showing her and other hot redheads some love...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdb8nuMH1B0
"HBO officially picked up True Blood for a fourth season today" ..they better finish the series, how's this even news; it would totally suck, not to have a plan to completely film this entire story.P.S.Check this out.. truebloodwiki.hbo.com/page/Sookie+and+Eric+Relationship
I just want to say that it really sucks that those people who read the book and want to comment on things before it happens on the show. it would be much appreciated if you didn't ad spoilers into you comments. it's a bit rude.
i was surprised when woodard was cast as lafayettes mama. That was a good choice. I liked how lafayette took care of tara and showed her what she could up like if she dont get it together. I loved lafayette scene with tara this week. Jason is getting funnier and more enjoyable to watch with episode. And boobs is always good so i hope they keep having sex on this show
At first I was not happy that they had so many new cast members and so many that were not in the book but truly enjoyed Lafayette's mother. Alfre Woodard is a teriffic actress so anything she does is good. Also love Sookie/Eric together but then I love Eric in everything. While Eric is totally lovable on screen (look whos playing the role) for me the book Eric is the best character ever. Of all the characters Charlaine has created, Eric is the most believable even though vampires are not real.
i was a bigger fan of season 1 than season 2 too. But dont get me wrong, the whole meaned stuff with people going out of control was funny as hell to watch.season 3 is getting to me earlier than season 2 did since all the plots appear to be developing towards a interesting turn point. loved sookie's impersionation of bill, lafayette's foul mouth and sam's erotic dream from last episode (it just made the sookie-falling-for-eric part more belivable). Also 2 tumbs up for the whole dinner and its multiple blood courses, which seemed as endless to me (in a good way) as it must have been for billall in all, a good episode. much better than the first one.
Boob Count. Classy.
Where did Jessica's dead guy go? Zombietown? No there is a new vampire in town who will help Jessica.
i think eric and sookie are right for each other... go sookie
so far this season is going well. Lafayette is back and i is loving it! i like the fact that we get to see moreguy butts and gay dreams. I completly agree with you that if they are going to exploite women than throw the men in there too. The mysterious girl is most likly a warewolf but i hope she is a different kind of supernatural but that might be a little too much.
I'm with KevinG87.. Sookie and Jason's kitchen scene was hilarious... and Sookie's impression of Bill was definitely the funniest moment on True Blood so far.
I feel the exact same way. Jason and Sookie's scene was hilarious! I liked Terry getting more screen time. He's awesome. Which brought me to Sookie being so careless in making him wonder if werewolves are real. That guy has enough on his mind already! I think that new creep stole Jessica's dead guy. I was waiting for him to disappear every time she opened that door.
I had a dream once where Bill Compton goes on Jersey Shore and says 'Snooki' in that highly imitable way, and then feeds on her.
I like this article. I'm sticking with these this Summer.
i dont kno why, but i love the Jessica scenes, for some reason, almost everything she says is hilarious to me. Could it be the accent? idk. In that scene when she was lookin for the body with the chainsaw, i was laughing when she was at a loss on where it was. I have been laughing at her ever since she appeard in season 2
Mysterious vampire is Franklin Mott and he most likely got rid of the body seeing as he was sifting around in Bill's house. Probably smelled the rot. And mystery girl is Crystal the were-panther, but she was brought in way early. I'm assuming they are going to do pretty much all of book 3 and pick what they want from book four. But this season should be all about werewolves with other things on the side. And I can't wait for Alcide to be on the show which I'm sure he will show next episode.It is weird that they are making them Nazi werewolves. Just a bit odd.But I think this season is going to be fantastic because the 3rd book was too amazing especially when it came to Sookie and Eric. And when is Bubba gonna show?? Probably never.moreless
Q: Who do you think the mysterious girl Jason saw toward the end of the episode was? A: The way she moved before running off into the woods I'd say she's another werewolf, and by the looks of it they are going to end up being a couple. Oh my :)
That episode ended way too soon. I loved the dinner scenes especially. And I'm loving this new werewolf storyline.
my fav was when Bill throws the lantern at Lorena, hopefully she is done for I can't stand her character
Season 3 looks like its going to be my favorite to date! She (mysterious girl) is Crystal..Were-panther from Hot Shot. They're bringing her in kind of early, but the show stopped following the books a long time ago, so its all good! I love not knowing exactly when the books will come into play. The Were vs Bill scene, for instance, was not in the novels but I loved it in the show. On the other hand, the whole Marianne thing ran for far too long last season (she was only there for a minute in the novels!) As for Season 3 : The various blood dishes made me laugh..I don't think I ever considered variety other than blood type. I loved Lafayette (as usual) - he is another gem we don't really get to enjoy in the books. Eric is much more "lovable"( for lack of a better word), on screen than in the novels but I believe that was done intentionally. I'm so curious as to what all they're going to do this season and there are 2 characters I'm hoping to see, if not this season then next.moreless
True Blood is "still" good Season 1 gets a 9... Season 2 an 8... Season 3 honestly i cant score it for only two eps but if i had to an 8 is fine but... everything that has a beginning has an ending and you cant say its over until tis over...
XO XO
:):):):):):):):)
the mysterious girl is Crystal the were-panther
my favorite part was near the beginning when Jason and Sookie were cleaning the kitchen discussing werewolves, bigfoot, and Santa and Sookie does her Bill impersonation. and Jessica's dead guy is going to be a vampire pprobably, or Pam disposed of him because she didn't know what else to do