The McGuffin Review: True Blood - Season 2, Episode 10

Posted by Cory Johnson on 09.01.2009

Bill vs Maryann-Round 1, as Sookie returns to Bon Temps and find it overrun with Maryann's zombies

We go from fuzzy to clear and Sookie is walking in a daze to her room at the hotel. She finds a naked Eric crying his bloody eyes out. She confirms that Godrick is gone offers her condolences. Sookie lifts Eric’s head and kisses the bloody tear trails on either side of his face, then they draw together and Eric kisses and pulls her down to the bed. Eric pops his fangs and Sookie offers her neck. Eric lunges for her…..and Sookie wakes up in the car. Jason asks what she was dreaming about. Sookie looks at the light-proof coffin carrying Bill and lies. Jason and Sookie are can’t believe how different Bon Temps is, with alarms sounding, rampant graffiti and a guy banging his head against a light post. Two fighting lovers run in front of the limo, cracking the windshield. Sookie and Jason step out to assist and notice their weird black eyes. The two lovers tell them that they are looking for Sam because, “it’s almost time”….Sookie and Jason stare as “Bad Things” start. Welcome to the McGuffin Review of True Blood, “New World in My View”.

Maryann puts the finishing touches on her weird totem pole altar. Eggs approves. Maryann sends Karl to get more meat. Karl has regular eyes.

Andy tells Sam that the town looks like New York City. Sam tries to explain the whole Maenad thing. Andy has a little trouble understanding. Sam thinks that Maryann wants to cut out his heart. Sam almost tells Andy that Daphne was the pig that he was so obsessed with, but decides that it would be too painful for him right now. They wonder how they can kill something that doesn’t die. Sam gets a frantic phone call from Arlene, trying to get him to come to Merlotte’s. Sam doesn’t buy it at first, but finally tells a crying Arlene that he is coming down. They never show Arlene’s eyes.

At Bill’s house, Jason tries to notify the sheriff’s office, but only gets the answering machine. Hoyt’s mother appears at the top of the stairs with black eyes and a manic laugh. Jessica calls her “totally batshit” since last night. Hoyt explains that she keeps going on about Sam. Hoyt’s mom then tries to kiss Jason, and Bill asks if anything calms her down. Fast forward to Hoyt’s mom playing Dead Space: Extraction on the Wii with her best witch’s cackle. Hoyt explains that the town is waiting at Merlotte’s to catch Sam and bring him to Maryann, and Hoyt also has to explain that Maryann set up shop at Sookie’s. Hoyt’s mom screaming and laughing at the Wii in the background is hilarious. Hoyt continues to bring everyone up to speed about Daphne and Miss Jeanette both having claw marks on their backs and missing hearts. Jason is headed to Merlotte’s to find out what is happening to his town. Bill and Sookie try to make him think this through, but Jason calls this the war he has been training for. Sookie hugs him goodbye and then heads out once Hoyt tells her that Tara has been partying at Maryann’s. Bill follows, and Jessica looks like she is trapped in hell with Hoyt’s mom.

Merlotte’s is abandoned, as Sam calls for Arlene. Arlene appears and thanks him for coming so quickly. Sam asks what is wrong and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video breaks out, with apparently the whole town hiding in every crack of Merlotte’s. The mob grabs Sam, and Andy fires off a few rounds to keep the crowd back. Terry grabs his arm and makes him shoot a couple of bottles and one zombie in the arm. Sam and Andy break free, but are forced into the walk-in cooler. Terry, taking charge, has one of the other zombies call Maryann, so she can pick Sam up. Sam and Andy try to figure out how many degrees of screwed they are. The zombie who was assigned to call Maryann is distracted by a “for a good time call” sign and calls that guy instead.

Lafayette and Lettie Mae try to reason with the handcuffed Tara. Tara’s mom leans in too close and Tara headbutts her to the floor. Lafayette blames himself for sending Tara away on her birthday. Tara tells them that “he” is coming and he is going to kill them all.

Sookie and Bill pull right up to her house and park right in front of Maryann’s altar. Sookie is disturbed to find her house overgrown with trees and her pictures a mess. Sookie starts to yell for Tara, but her cell rings and she asks Lafayette where Tara is now. Lafayette warns Sookie to get out of the house now. Just as they bolt for the door, Maryann appears. Sookie disputes Maryann’s claim that this is her house now. Bill suggests that Maryann should leave now, but Maryann just warns Sookie that Bill will someday leave her cold. Sookie tries to stand her ground, but lightning-quick Maryann pins her to the wall by the throat, and the skin contact helps Sookie see Maryann (as the beast) attacking her. Bill throws Maryann off Sookie and yells for Sookie to leave. Bill bares his fangs…but when he bites Maryann, she pins him to her neck, yelling for him to ravage her. Bill comes up choking and gagging, Maryann only has two black holes in her neck. Maryann laughs as Bill vomits something foul and black. Maryann asks Sookie what she is, but Sookie piefaces her with a huge flash of light that whites out Maryann’s face for a moment. Bill is just as stunned as Sookie. Sookie pulls Bill up and guides him out of the house as Maryann laughs at how fun that was. Maryann watches Sookie and Bill leave, wondering aloud about Sookie.

In the cooler, Andy and Sam commiserate over a bottle and their strange fortunes. I hope that they do not get naked and cuddle.

Jason arrives in full Rambo mode, with a gasmask, flares, a chainsaw, and a bandolier. Creeping around Merlotte’s with a chainsaw, Jason sees the extent of Maryann’s madness, with a weird orgy of sex, drinking and dancing going on all around him. Jason tries to get their attention by firing up the chainsaw and sawing a computer, managing to get the chainsaw stuck in the bar. None of this gets anyone’s attention for more than a moment. Jason switches to a nail gun, pinning one of the black-eyed patrons to the bar (by the shirt), then knocking Terry over and taking Arlene hostage. The crowd wants Jason to “nail” Arlene, but Terry asks Jason to stop. Jason demands that everyone clear out of the bar, and then he’ll release Arlene. Terry orders his “troops” to retreat and Jason locks the door after them.

Bill is hurling out Sookie’s car door like a frosh girl at her first house party. Sookie is worried enough that she wants to call Eric and take Bill to Dr. Ludwig (midget doc to the vamps). Bill refuses to let Eric get involved. Sookie doesn’t know what she did to Maryann. Sookie explains that Maryann was the one who attacked her in the woods. Bill promises to kill her, and hopes that Tara can provide them some clues as to how. Bill bites Sookie’s wrist and drinks to heal himself.

Jason has to coax Andy and Sam out of the cooler. Once they are out, Terry’s zombie squad storms Merlotte’s. Surrounded and out of options, Sam gives himself up to save Andy and Jason.

Lafayette tries to stop Tara from chanting by slapping her, remarking that this “has to be the worst intervention in history”. A co-ed knocks on his door, looking for V. Bill speed-runs up to her and bares his fangs encouraging her to leave. Bill takes a few menacing steps towards Lafayette, who protests that Eric is making him sell V. Sookie runs in to find Tara and Lafayette invites Bill inside.

Sookie, unable to reason with Tara touches her, but her thoughts are all dark. Bill encourages Sookie to dig deeper into her mind. Sookie sees Maryann’s ritual (where she almost got that wrascalwy Sam Merlotte’s heart), but Sookie can’t make a true connection with Tara’s thoughts. Bill attempts to glamour Tara.

The mob ties Sam to the top of a station wagon. Flares disrupt the proceeding, as the Maryann zombies are easily distracted like hippies at a Pink Floyd concert. Jason appears, shirtless among the smoke bombs, wearing the gas mask. Holding flares in his hands, Jason proclaims that he is the god who comes. The crowd is skeptical at first, until Sam remembers the horns (actually a branch held over Jason’s head by Andy). Sam begs Jason to smite him. Jason commands Sam to die, and Sam shifts into a mosquito. The crowd is amazed, and Jason blesses them and sends them off to Maryann’s. Jason and Andy search for Sam, who appears in an apron trying to extinguish the flares before they spread. Andy promises to stop drinking.

Bill tries to convince Tara to let Sookie in. Sookie sees Tara and Eggs having sex, fighting, and eating Daphne’s heart. Tara’s eyes go from black to normal. Tara breaks down crying, thinking she has gone crazy. Sookie sheds a silent tear and excuses herself to go get some air. Tara hugs her family, and then remembers Eggs. Lafayette stops her. Sookie tries to put everything about Maryann together. When she starts the chant, Bill finishes it and flashes back to the book he was reading while he was with Lorena in 1930’s LA. Nice touch. Bill looks graven, admitting that Maryann might be a mythical creature. Bill says that he knows one vampire who might know how to stop Maryann. Might. Bill needs to leave immediately, and tells Sookie that she will be more of a help to the people she loves by staying. Bill asks if Sookie can do what she did to Maryann again; Sookie doesn’t know what she did. Bill warns her to stay away from her home. Bill kisses her then disappears in a flash.

Hoyt locks his mom in the house. Hoyt’s mom keeps picking on Jessica, calling her a vamper tramp. Jessica is barely holding it together. Momma finally crosses the line by calling her a dead whore and Jessica STARTS TO FEED ON HOYT’S MOM.

At what looks like an ornate palace, figures that seem like the secret service (you know, incredibly visible, sunglasses, dark suit) usher Bill inside. Bill gathers his thoughts and will to speak, but as he says “Your Majesty”, he looks up, horrified to see a single leg draped over a couch and dripping blood.

Analysis
The problem with a show about vampires is that you need to have worthy antagonists for them. So far this season, that has been the greatest challenge for True Blood. The Fellowship of the Sun was weak enemy, and Maryann has gone from interesting to boring as a villain, even while her powers expanded.

The tone of this episode was really odd. Some of the scenes worked, but the zombie scenes fell flat and unfortunately most of the episode was dedicated to the pursuit of Sam. There was nothing freaky about the zombie scenes other than those eyes, a shame considering this show pulls off mood and tension really well usually. Parts of this episode felt like a bad B-movie.

Sookie played a side role again this week, and that is never a good thing. We did learn that her powers extend beyond just reading people’s thoughts, and Sookie will play a large role in defeating Maryann. The look on Sookie’s face as she shed that single tear after being inside Tara’s head was amazing and shows again why Anna Paquin is an amazing actress.

Bill finally got to develop a little this week, as we learned that vampires can be poisoned. I loved the flashback to the book he was reading 70 years ago. It was great to see Sookie having to help Bill for a change, and Bill seemed almost bitter when he had to ask for Sookie’s wrist in order to heal. Bill and Sookie working together to help free Tara was well done. I am hoping that the scene with the Queen steal the show next week.

Lafayette gets the supporting player award this week. Lafayette had the best lines and (probably by design) seems like the most grounded character on the show. His remorse over what happened to Tara felt real, as did his fear of Bill. Lafayette has been great this season.

Things I Wonder
So Karl just serves Maryann? Or is there something more?
What was that flash of light that Sookie used on Maryann? I am starting to think that her powers are unlimited…
Why didn’t Maryann just take Sam when she had the chance?
Did Maryann need to get stronger? Is that why she didn't take over the town immediately?
Sam and Andy make a good pair, don’t they?
Does Maryann have blood or just corrupted blood?
Could there be tainted Tru Blood?
Where did Bill have to go to visit the queen?
How old do you think the vampire queen is?
Is there a vampire king?
Were you surprised by Sookie’s ability to handle everything she saw in Tara’s head?
Who let Tara out of those handcuffs?
Jason makes a great commando, doesn’t he?
If we were playing Clue, I’d say that Jason kills Maryann, at the altar, with the chainsaw-your guess?
Hoyt’s mom was great, wasn’t she?
Why is Eric having Lafayette sell V? Is this part of his plan to keep track of Sookie?
Sam is just a sucker for the ladies, isn’t he?
This episode was really short, wasn’t it?
Bill looked really uncomfortable at the palace, didn’t he?
Why didn’t Sam change into a bear or something with fur while he was trapped in the cooler with Andy?
I’m gonna be pissed if the destroy Maryann and have to battle her “god” in the finale, anyone else?

Thanks for reading. As always feedback, comments, and emails appreciated. Sorry for wait, but I’m feeling much better now and can't wait to get back to work. I have my fantasy draft coming this weekend, and I'm drafting 7th out of 10. Look for my next True Blood column by this weekend, as well as my Queens Killing Kings music review, and I’m in for this weekend’s Fact or Fiction column. This is Cory, I’ll be back later this week, until then, keep watching.

The 411: One of the weirdest episodes yet, and not in a good way. The Maryann saga seems incredibly worn out and they are nowhere near done. The horror aspects of the episode came off as comedy (at best), and nobody truly felt in danger after Bill and Maryann’s confrontation. The zombies overran this episode and kept the focus off the characters that make the show great. They are almost guaranteed to pick things up as they head into the final stretches of the season next week.

Final Score:  5.5   [ Not So Good ]