The McGuffin Review: True Blood -Season 2, Episode 11

Posted by Cory Johnson on 09.04.2009

Are you ready to meet the vampire queen?

The bloody leg we were left with last week actually belongs to a girl the queen is feeding on. The girl’s orgasmic moans are disturbing Bill, and he wonders if he came at a bad time. The queen, looking at Bill with blood all over her face, responds that there is no such thing as bad or time. The queen asks a clearly uncomfortable Bill if he wants to eat with her…and the haunting strains of “Bad Things” welcome us to the McGuffin review of True Blood “Frenzy”.

Hoyt tries to pull Jessica off his mother (well, Jessica was feeding/killing his mom). Hoyt yells at Jessica, letting his inner mamma’s boy come out, and storms out with his mom, leaving Jessica to scream and cry. Never mess with a man’s Oedipus complex.

Bill waits for the queen, who enters and calls him a snob, noting that snobbery is usually a sign of small penis?!? The queen, who is seemingly better at run-on sentences than I am, has summoned the court and has a Latvian who “needs to tasted to be believed”. The queen thinks that he tastes the way people used to taste before the industrial revolution when she was turned. Bill declines her dinner invitation and asks her how to kill a maenad. The queen picks up a magazine, but keeps talking, saying that maenads are older than ancient Greece, and terms Bill’s situation “fun”.

Bill: So how do I kill it?
Queen: You can’t, she’s convinced herself she’s immortal, and so she is.
Bill sits with a really dumb look on his face.
Queen (sighing): William, surely you know that everything that exists imagined itself into existence.
Bill (slowly): I’m not entirely familiar with that theory, no.
Queen: Think about it, you’re a wild young girl who’s married to some jerk who treats you like property and is also fucking some 14 year old boy and along comes this religion which encourages you to get hammered, run naked through the woods, have sex with whoever, whatever and it’s all part of getting closer to god.
Bill: I can see how that would have its appeal, especially to humans with their tendencies towards Puritanism.
Queen: Exactly! So you’re fucking everyone in the dirt-why not kill something and eat it raw? Hey you’re super-extra pious. There is nothing you can’t do. And every time you do it, it brings you one step closer to the divine (rolls eyes).
Bill: Isn’t that delusional?
Queen: Never underestimate the power of blind faith-it can manifest in ways that bend the laws of physics or break them entirely.
Bill: I bit her, and it poisoned me.
Queen: Of course it did, we can only drink human blood and she’s no longer even remotely human.
Bill: But she started out that way….
Queen: Helloooo! Evolution, we started out that way too….less than two hours until dawn, shall we have sex?
Bill: (looking at her with this look of fear and trepidation)
Queen: Kidding…I haven’t enjoyed sex with men since the Eisenhower administration.

Bill tries to leave, but the Queen cuts him off, saying Sookie is in no danger (he would know), and giving him an invitation he cannot refuse-to stay the day and leave tomorrow night. Bill reluctantly sits back down and the Queen wants his opinion on her new “day room”-a room that seems to simulate sunlight.

Tara pleads with Sookie, Lafayette, and Lettie Mae to go get Eggs. Screams outside cause Lafayette to grab his shotgun…and handcuff Tara to the table. Tara promises to never forgive them. Lafayette and Sookie step outside to watch for Maryann. Lettie Mae breaks down crying to Tara’s disbelief.

Jason and Andy try to wrap their heads around Sam’s ability to shift. Jason declares that they need to become the law, and they may have to destroy the town to save it. Jason is pretty sure that is from the Bible…or the Constitution. A noise outside leads Sam to Arlene’s two kids; hiding in the bushes outside Merlotte’s. Sam promises to take care of them. Andy and Jason and going to the police station to get some guns, against Sam’s protests. Jason calls this a time for action, not a time for thinking, noting that he has been to leadership conference and had paramilitary training.

Sookie get an old text from Bill, telling him of his change in plans. Sookie is getting a new phone as soon as Eric pays her, which reveals to Lafayette that she is working for Eric. Tara pleads with her mom to release her and not ruin her chance at true blood, er true love. Tara promises to forgive her mom for everything she ever did to her if she lets her go. Lettie Mae just prays and Tara cries.

Sam feeds the kids and ducks questions about what is wrong with Arlene, and if he knows any vampires that could help.

Lafayette confesses that Eric made him drink his blood to heal his leg. Sookie can relate, and proudly states that she slapped Eric. Sookie wonders if Lafayette has had any kind of…dreams about Eric. Lafayette starts to confess but is interrupted by Lettie Mae running out of the house crying. Lettie Mae cannot sit with Tara anymore and offers to stand guard. Lafayette hands her the gun and Lettie Mae turns the gun on Lafayette, firing off a round to let them know that she means business. Lafayette has some PTSD and curls into the fetal position on the porch, frozen. Lettie Mae is taking a chance on winning her daughter back, no matter what the consequences. Lafayette sees Eric in Lettie Mae’s dress, loading another round into the shotgun. The Eric in Lettie Mae’s clothing tells Lafayette that how he feels with Eric’s blood inside him is how it feels to be a vampire…..times a million. Lafayette quakes and Tara takes Sookie’s car, despite Sookie’s warning that she is being an F’n idiot.

Jason wonders if Sam has ever turned into a dog and had sex with a female dog…much to Andy’s disgust. At the police station, black-eyed Rose comes onto Jason, offering to turn him inside out. Jason encourages Andy to leave and get the guns. Andy finds the guns and Sheriff Dearborne, who makes Andy dance with him before leaving to take a dump.

Sookie whispers to a shaking Lafayette that she is going to do something and she needs Lafayette to grab the gun. Sookie asks Lettie to lower the gun and when she does Sookie throws a (Hindu?) table knick-knack at her, clocking her in the head. Lafayette grabs the gun and they are off to get Tara. Lettie screams that this was not her fault.

Outside Fangtasia, Sam tells the kids what little he knows about their dad. Sam bribes the old Fangtasia waitress to let them wait inside for Eric.

Sookie offers to hold the gun while Lafayette drives, but he declines her offer. Sookie tells Lafayette to suck it up, because she needs him. Sookie lays out the plan-to shoot Maryann in the head if she gives them any trouble.

Tara creeps inside to find Eggs (black-eyed Eggs). Maryann interrupts the reunion, telling Tara that she knew she would come. Maryann drops the following bombshell:

Maryann: You summoned me. That night in the woods…with that unfortunate pharmacist. You saw me, well you saw you, through me.

Tara flashes back to killing that black eyed child who called her momma during her exorcism with Miss Jeanette. Tara calls Miss Jeanette a fake.

Maryann: Ritualism is a powerful thing. And calling forth that kind of energy….has consequences.
Tara: so, she was real….
Maryann: Sadly no. I should have known that she wasn’t the vessel, but you have to try every option…

Tara begs Maryann to let them go, but Maryann starts to shimmer. Tara tells her that it won’t work on her anymore…….so Maryann punches her, causing her eyes to go black. Maryann, Tara, and Eggs smile, and Tara and Eggs run upstairs. The revelers from Merlotte’s arrive to tell Maryann the god came and killed Sam. Maryann calls them f’n morons and generates a huge screeching sound, hurting her zombie’s ears and ordering them out. Maryann rhetorically wonders if she has to do everything herself.

Jason managed to tie Rose to a chair and, more impressively, manages to resist her bj offer. Another deputy comes out of nowhere and suddenly engages Jason in an involuntary game of Russian roulette. The first shot was empty, but when Andy arrives, HE GETS SHOT IN THE CHEST! Jason manages to wrestle the gun away from the deputy, and finds that Andy was wearing Kevlar. Jason hates that there is only one vest.

Hoyt watches wrestling while his momma prepares some crazy dish for the god. Hoyt learns that his dad did not die defending their home from a burglar, but that he committed suicide. Momma lied to get the insurance money.

Sookie laments that Maryann’s followers are desecrating her Gran’s house. Sookie and Lafayette are stopped by Terry and Arlene, but Lafayette distracts them with drugs, Hansel and Gretel style. Sookie makes a run for the house.

Eric clearly finds Sam beneath him, and doesn’t see any reason to help Sam for mythical favor. Eric asks if Sam can give him Sookie Stackhouse. Eric does not know anything about Maenads, but suspects it was the bull creature. Pam notes that the bull creature owes her a pair of shoes. Eric knows someone who might be able to help. Arlene’s kids want to see Eric fangs, and Eric obliges. In a foreign language, Eric tells Pam (who hates children) that kids are delicious. Outside, Eric says goodbye to the “tiny humans” and then launches himself skyward, confirming that he can fly! The kids are impressed.

Sookie creeps inside to find that one of the zombies has cut off one of her fingers as a present to the god. Sookie slides by her, but gets grabbed by the coroner, finally agreeing to spoon with him to get him to stop screaming.

In the Queen’s sun room, Bill and the Queen lounge in their swimwear and sunglasses. Bill offends the queen by telling her that he only feeds from Sookie. The Queen makes Bill feed from Ludis, one of her feeding slaves. In his best Borat accent, Ludis offers to “have the sex with Bill”. Bill declines and takes a bite while the Queen comments how she likes watching two men together.

Maryann and Karl find Lafayette outside. Maryann stops Lafayette’s bullet Vader-style, but the ricochet kills Karl. Maryann seems remorseful for a moment, but notes that Karl didn’t advance much in this lifetime and then turns to Lafayette remembering that he cooks….

Playing Yatzee, the Queen, apparently the one person who never stops talking, notes that she hates threes. Bill begs to leave again, but the Queen ignores him, concentrating on her dice. Bill finally gets up to leave and when he gets two steps away, the Queen finally tells him maenads are un-evolved creatures still waiting for the same god to show up. The god has never come. Maryann will need to believe that she has summoned the god, who will ravish her and literally devour her. Bill understands that Maryann wants death, which she has evolved beyond. (Let that one sink in for a while.) The Queen reminds Bill that she never said the god was non-existent, just that he never comes (if only he had Viagra). Maryann believe that if she finds the perfect vessel, kills and devours a part of her sacrifice while surrounded by her “familiars”, Dionysus will appear and Maryann will surrender herself. At that moment, she can be killed, Bill notes. The queen notes that maenads prefer supernatural beings like shifters and werewolves and have not shown much interest in vampires-probably because their hearts don’t beat. Maenads look for beings that straddle the two worlds, as long as they have beating hearts. There is no logic or pattern to their choice of vessel; they just keep trying to find the ultimate recipe to produce their god. Another secret service agent appears, breaking up the Queen’s explanation.

One of the girls at the table is Sookie’s cousin Hadley and she asks Bill to say hi to Sookie and wonders how Gran is doing. Bill advises her not to go home, but Hadley knows that she has no place in that world.

The Queen returns excitedly announcing that Eric has arrived. Bill really wants to leave now. The Queen wants Bill and Eric to just have sex and get it over with, with her watching of course. Bill thanks the Queen for seeing him. The Queen wishes Bill luck on his restricted diet and coldly states that she is looking forward to meeting Sookie. Bill does not like the sound of that.

Outside, Eric tells Bill that he is at the palace to learn how to kick a maenad’s ass. Bill terms Eric’s ploy that got Sookie to drink his blood desperate. Eric reminds Bill that he had Sookie drink his blood the first night they met. Bill wonders how Eric knew that, and warns Eric to stay away from Sookie and THREATENS TO TELL THE QUEEN THAT ERIC IS FORCING HUMANS TO SELL V! Eric pauses, unalarmed, and finally spits out a “you wouldn’t”. Bill promises to keep the keep as long as Eric stays away from Sookie. Both Eric and Bill hate empty threats.

Jason and Andy carbo-load to prepare for battle. Jason wonders if Sam could turn into a chicken and lay an egg, then eat it. Andy calls him perverted. Jason and Andy settle out why Andy is so down on Jason and figure out that they are more alike than they realize. Jason and Andy realize that they are the only hope Bon Temps has. Andy and Jason gear up and move out.

Sam is sitting on the porch of his trailer when Bill runs up out of nowhere.

Sookie is tired of spooning Mike the coroner, and offers to have sex with him, as long as she can be on top. Mike agrees and as soon as she gets on top, Sookie knocks him out with a frying pan.

Upstairs, Sookie finds Tara and Eggs destroying Gran’s bedroom and….building a nest for a huge egg???!?! Lafayette tells Sookie he has been looking for her……..and Sookie screams when she notices his huge black eyes.

Analysis
The long hinted Vampire queen was finally revealed and, as usual, was not what anyone was suspecting. Rachael Evan Wood certainly looked like a queen, but the way she just…kept….talking was shocking. She seemed a lot like Kelly from The Office, an overeager attention whore-the kind that just can’t wait to gossip. I doubt that anyone expected her to be quite like that. The first time I watched the episode, I thought the Queen was incredibly annoying, but after watching the episode again, I kept finding her more interesting. The dated references were lame and were the only things that didn’t work. The queen should play a huge role in the show in the future.

The queen’s explanation about Maryann’s motives and methods was interesting. Maryann continues to be more of a weird nemesis, but her storyline might just be a little too unrealistic (you know, for a vampire soap opera) for my tastes and your mileage may vary. It will be interesting to see how they manage to finally get rid of Maryann. I know that I usually save my questions for the next section, but my guess is that Sookie will wind up being Maryann’s perfect vessel and Sam winds up shifting and turning into the god that Maryann craves and finishes her off or getting her to the point that the vampires can kill her. Either way, I have a good feeling about the finale.

Like last week, the show was pretty evenly split between all the characters, but Jason had his best showing of the season. His one-liners about Sam were priceless, and his gritty determination to take back his turf like a naïve Rambo was just awesome.

It has been great to see Bill take a starring role again these last two episodes. His frustration, restraint, and patience he showed in his scenes with the Queen were great. Bill and Eric and headed for a great showdown at some point, and I enjoy the way they keep teasing.


Things I Wonder
The egg-WTF????
The nest-WTF???
How did Lettie Mae not see Sookie whisper to Lafayette when she was looking right at them?
Why exactly did Karl serve Maryann and why didn’t he need to be under her spell as well?
Does the Queen ever just shut the hell up?
What is with the sun room?
It was like looking at a Wisconsin beach to see those vampires sunbathing, wasn’t it?
The cousin Hadley thing was a little random for a first appearance, wasn’t it?
Did it stike anyone else as strange that they showed the cousin Hadley reference in the "previously on True Blood' section?
Tara didn’t sell that punch very well, did she?
Why exactly did Maryann’s punch turn Tara into one of her zombies again?
Is this the first time in history Jason has turned down sex from anyone?
Did Maryann exist in a physical way before Tara “summoned” her?
Were Miss Jeanette and Daphne just killed in possible vessel attempts?
How long into the final episode before Maryann decides that Sookie is the perfect vessel
The Queen is queen of what exactly? Louisiana? The US? North America?
Is the queen designation a bloodline kind of thing?
Did you get the feeling that the queen is more obeyed than liked?
The Queen knows that Eric is selling V, is he selling V on her command?
The Sookie/Eric/Bill triangle is going to go on for all of next season, isn’t it?
How old is the Queen, the oldest date she gave was pre-industrial revolution (1700’s?), but 300+ years seems a little short, doesn’t it?
Eric regained much of his creep factor with that line about enjoying kids, didn't he?
Eggs is going to die, isn’t he? Guys with the name Eggs don’t usually survive big finales.

Thanks for reading. As always, comments, feedback, and emails appreciated. I appreciate you hanging in there while I recovered. In other TV news, the NURSE JACKIE finale was really decent, one of the best of the season, which is a good sign for a show that was underwhelming at times. The WEEDS season finale was only ok. Yes, the ending was shocking, but the rest of the episode felt really tired, actually most of the season felt that way. HUNG was good last week, and I get more into the show with every episode. MAD MEN has been really interesting so far, what I love about that show is that very little actually happens and yet it is still an amazing show to watch. I can’t wait for DEXTER to premiere. This is Cory and I will be back this week with 411’s Fact or Fiction, as well as my review of the Queen Killing Kings album over in the music section. You know that I will be back in two weeks for the TRUE BLOOD season 2 finale. Until then, keep watching.

The 411: This episode was very myth-heavy and answered filled as we finally get an explanation on what Maryann is and what she is after. Maryann has been only ok as a major nemesis for our Bon Temps crew this season, but the finale is going to pay off in a big way. The queen's introduction was well done and a completely different presentation than I think more fans were expecting. This episode was a really good set up episode that makes the finale a must-see for TRUE BLOOD fans.

Final Score:  7.4   [ Good ]