It's possible Godric was still a pedo on the show, he did tell Sookie on the roof that he did some messed up stuff, and he looked so childlike to begin with.

But yeah the books are completely different, except season 1 is pretty faithful for the most part. Season 2 has went completely in its own direction, which is a good thing.

Alan Ball has always said that in many respects, the Charlaine Harris books were only starting off points for the series and he would use creative license when he saw fit for these characters and plot lines. I haven't read any of the novels, and I wouldn't want to read them at this point to be spoiled of any kind of plot lines. Maybe at a later point when the series is over I might give them a look-over. I did know about the Lafayette change (most of the reviews I read of the season 2 premiere couldn't help themselves but to spoil the change), and I'm very glad that that change was made at least. Nelsan Ellis is one of the show's best assets, and I would have been very disappointed had he been killed off.

4.5 million watched Sunday's episode, a new series high.

quote:

Originally posted by Zembla:
It's possible Godric was still a pedo on the show, he did tell Sookie on the roof that he did some messed up stuff, and he looked so childlike to begin with.

But yeah the books are completely different, except season 1 is pretty faithful for the most part. Season 2 has went completely in its own direction, which is a good thing.

"Dexter" did the same thing where the first season stuck very closely to the first book in the series but after that it is just the lead character and some of the supporting characters that remain the same. This does not bother me at all as the second book was basically unadaptable and the third book took a strange leap into the supernatural. The television series is actually overall better than the book series at this point... though the first book Darkly Dreaming Dexter is one of the best crime novels I have read.

This show just keeps getting better and better. Every new episode is like a special occasion in my house.

At this stage, I think Alexander Skarsgard is the show's standout, with Michelle Forbes a close second.

Best show on TV at the moment.

Episode Title: "New World in My View"

Synopsis: Sookie, Bill, and Jason return to a Bon Temps turned upside down by Maryann; lured to Merlotte's by Arlene, Sam and Andy find cold comfort in their refuge from a group of bloodthirsty revelers; Bill discovers that traditional vampire techniques don't work on Maryann; Hoyt and Jessica try to keep a lid on Maxine's madness; Sookie tries to push through the darkness consuming Tara; with all hell breaking loose, Jason takes the bull by the horns to rescue Sam, at least for the moment.

Discuss.

I knew Sookie was more than just a telepath from that first ep where she wrapped the chain around Rattray's neck...and it kept getting tighter. She just got interesting again...Bill at the end was also back to being strange and up to something.

Maryann must literally have poison running through her.

I'll give the show the benefit of the doubt. It has been so good at managing unmanageable elements up until now that it was bound for a slip.

This week's episode wasn't bad, per se. I laughed deliriously. Maybe too much. I was laughing at the humor but also the absurd confluence of events, which were funny even when they were intended as drama. The transition from the battle of Texas to the battle of Bon Temps was badly rushed. Sookie, Bill, and Jason acclimate themselves to the new conflict much too quickly. The show gives the audience no time to switch gears from last week's series-best episode to zombie battles in Merlotte's, an exorcism for Tara, and before you know it Bill leaving to find the queen. This episode ran about ten minutes shorter than usual. It needed at least ten more minutes to make this major story shift flow effectively. Instead it comes off as abrupt. What a weird episode. Weirder than usual. No worries. I'll brush this one off and come back next week with undiminished enthusiasm.

This episode was barely 45 minutes. I was hoping we'd get a glimpse of Evan Rachel Wood tonight. But I'm glad that she's finally coming onboard next week. I like that Bill, Sookie, and Jason are back in Bon Temps now to fight off Maryann, but it shows the strength of this ensemble that the separate storylines held just as much interest apart as they do whenever they're together. Loved the intervention scenes with Tara, Maryann poisoning Bill and Sookie somehow being able to ward her off (and the idea of Sookie being something "more" than originally thought is a fascinating idea -- Bill, Eric, and now Maryann have all inquired about what she really is now). The mob scenes at Merlotte's were insane, and those black eyes are creepier to me than any gore I've seen so far this season (except maybe when Maryann cut up Daphne's heart to make that Hunter's souffle). Jason going all G.I.-Joe was kind of silly, but it makes sense with all of the FOTS stuff from before. Little of Eric here, but this connection he has with Sookie is still an interesting plot point. They never resolved what happened with Barry in Dallas. Sad about that. This season has flown by (in a good way), but I have high hopes for these last two episodes.

Grade for "New World in My View": B+

This was a lot of fun, but yeah, it was really short. Only 45 min? Come on! I thought the episode was pretty hilarious but in a good way. Jason pretending to be a God was the highlight.

As Winston said in Ghostbusters, "If someone asks if you're a God, you say 'YES!'"

That was a short episode...

Grade: B

quote:

Originally posted by 742:
I'll give the show the benefit of the doubt. It has been so good at managing unmanageable elements up until now that it was bound for a slip.

This week's episode wasn't bad, per se. I laughed deliriously. Maybe too much. I was laughing at the humor but also the absurd confluence of events, which were funny even when they were intended as drama. The transition from the battle of Texas to the battle of Bon Temps was badly rushed. Sookie, Bill, and Jason acclimate themselves to the new conflict much too quickly. The show gives the audience no time to switch gears from last week's series-best episode to zombie battles in Merlotte's, an exorcism for Tara, and before you know it Bill leaving to find the queen. This episode ran about ten minutes shorter than usual. It needed at least ten more minutes to make this major story shift flow effectively. Instead it comes off as abrupt. What a weird episode. Weirder than usual. No worries. I'll brush this one off and come back next week with undiminished enthusiasm.

I'm not taking your opinion away from you in the least I just sort of want to give an opinion on your opinion of this episode. LOL You say that there was no time for us to switch gears between episodes and I actually thought that was in fact what the last episode did. Most of it dealt with what went on during and after the showdown in Dallas and its ramifications for Godric and so on. Godric's death put that part of the season to rest perfectly I thought. Plus, season two in its entirety only spans two weeks time so to me it seems normal that Sookie Bill and Jason come home and are immediately thrust into the choas that Bon Temp is in the midst of. I don't see where taking longer breaks before getting to any of this would be beneficial to us viewers. I loved the three of them being acclimated into the conflict right away.

Also, I too laughed an awful lot during the episode, but I loved every minute of that. I figure as long as I am having a blast while watching the episode it doesn't matter that I might be laughing too much(which I think theres no such thing lol).

But just wanted to be a pain in the butt and give my two cents. Hopefully no offense will be taken. lol

I thought the episode was amazing from start to finish. Agreed that it was way too short. Loved the Jason, Sam and Andy stuff. Hilarious fun.

I laughed a lot during this episode too. This episode wasn't AMAZING for me, but I definitely enjoyed it. Made me very anxious to see what is going on with Sookie's little power that emerged there.

quote:

Originally posted by Pats12Fan:

quote:

Originally posted by 742:
I'll give the show the benefit of the doubt. It has been so good at managing unmanageable elements up until now that it was bound for a slip.

This week's episode wasn't bad, per se. I laughed deliriously. Maybe too much. I was laughing at the humor but also the absurd confluence of events, which were funny even when they were intended as drama. The transition from the battle of Texas to the battle of Bon Temps was badly rushed. Sookie, Bill, and Jason acclimate themselves to the new conflict much too quickly. The show gives the audience no time to switch gears from last week's series-best episode to zombie battles in Merlotte's, an exorcism for Tara, and before you know it Bill leaving to find the queen. This episode ran about ten minutes shorter than usual. It needed at least ten more minutes to make this major story shift flow effectively. Instead it comes off as abrupt. What a weird episode. Weirder than usual. No worries. I'll brush this one off and come back next week with undiminished enthusiasm.

I'm not taking your opinion away from you in the least I just sort of want to give an opinion on your opinion of this episode. LOL You say that there was no time for us to switch gears between episodes and I actually thought that was in fact what the last episode did. Most of it dealt with what went on during and after the showdown in Dallas and its ramifications for Godric and so on. Godric's death put that part of the season to rest perfectly I thought. Plus, season two in its entirety only spans two weeks time so to me it seems normal that Sookie Bill and Jason come home and are immediately thrust into the choas that Bon Temp is in the midst of. I don't see where taking longer breaks before getting to any of this would be beneficial to us viewers. I loved the three of them being acclimated into the conflict right away.

Also, I too laughed an awful lot during the episode, but I loved every minute of that. I figure as long as I am having a blast while watching the episode it doesn't matter that I might be laughing too much(which I think theres no such thing lol).

But just wanted to be a pain in the butt and give my two cents. Hopefully no offense will be taken. lol

I thought the episode was amazing from start to finish. Agreed that it was way too short. Loved the Jason, Sam and Andy stuff. Hilarious fun.

No offense taken at all. Jason pretending to be God was a riot, especially followed by Sam coming out of the restaurant wearing only an apron. But last week's episode was such an emotional gut-punch that the switch to zombie comedy, for the characters and for me as a viewer, felt too jarring. The ten minutes that seemed to almost be missing from the episode might have been spent, perhaps, on the return of Bill, Sookie, and Jason to town and the realization of what has happened. What we got was one scene of them driving through, and then boom! I think the characters, after their ordeal in Texas, needed more time for shock and wonder about what happened before switching into superhero mode. And given the short length of the episode, they certainly had that time to spare.

New "True Blood": Sookie really "shocks" Maryann, and "This has got to be the worst intervention in history"
by Ken Tucker

With only two episodes to go now, "True Blood" devoted this week to wild danger and a surprising amount of humor. I won’t soon forget the spectacle of Andy holding a tree branch behind Jason’s head to make him appear to be a demon-god to the possessed folks of Bon Temps.

Sam stated the goal of the evening succinctly: that Maryann wants “to cut out my heart while a buncha naked people watch.” Indeed, Maryann’s moving into position as this season’s Big Bad has never seemed more apparent . . . that is, unless it’s the unnamed “he” that Tara referenced, saying, “He’s gonna kill us all.” (Maybe readers of Charlaine Harris’ novels know something I don’t about the series’ villains; I’m working with what’s on my TV screen.)

At any rate, among the key moments and best scenes this week:

• Jason in chainsaw commando mode, even if no one was particularly scared by him

• Sookie giving Maryann some kind of powerful jolt, evidence of powers Sookie possesses that even she wasn’t aware of

• Bill going fang-first for Maryann’s neck only to end up with a mouthful not of blood, but some noxious, choking black super-bile (I made that term up, can you tell?)

• Lafayette, gazing at a hostility-spewing Tara and muttering, “That has got to be the worst m—– f—in’ intervention in history”

While a helluva lot of fun, this was one of the slighter episodes as far as its plot was concerned, because we were ahead of Bill and Sookie in knowing what was going on at every step. In fact, I was surprised that Bill was as shocked as he was at Tara’s spellbound condition, at the black-eyed vacancy of Hoyt’s mother, and so baffled about the nature of Maryann’s sacrificial totem erected in Sookie’s yard. Why wouldn’t a vampire who’s lived for so long know this stuff?

Oh well, at least Bill (leaving Sookie alone again!) seems to know who to go to for help, as this rather short (46 minutes by my count) episode ended with the vampire going to “the Queen,” whom we know from previous previews will be Evan Rachel Wood, right?

Bottom line: "True Blood" under the guidance of Alan Ball continues to mix sex and violence in ways TV has never seen. Helped by the first-rate performances being given by Anna Paquin and Michelle Forbes, women have rarely seemed as potent in the supernatural world conjured up by this deliriously good series.

I repeat: only two episodes left. Did you watch this night? What did you think? What do you think is going to happen next?

I agree with that review. Forbes and Paquin were both genius last night. They really need to down play Moyer's dialogue and just have them stand there...because he acting borders on horrendous at some points.

Glad to see Paquin ending the series on a high note.

5.3 million people watched Sunday's episode!!!

Episode Title: "Frenzy"

Synopsis: With the crisis in Bon Temps careening out of control, Bill seeks out the advice of the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne, but must exercise patience before she gives him critical information; Sookie and Lafayette find that protecting Tara from herself is more difficult than they anticipated; a desperate Sam turns to an unlikely source for assistance; Hoyt's allegiance to Maxine is put to the test by Jessica.

Guest Star: Evan Rachel Wood

Discuss.

The Fall season has its work cut out for itself cause True Blood has been unfreakinbelievable. Sadly, the Emmys will not go near this show no matter how brilliant this season has been.

So well plotted and paced. Action packed and suspenseful. Touching, disturbing. Sexy, hilarious, gross. Love how all the characters have intertwined - new and old. Just great.

I make a plea to the Hollywood Foreign Press to nominate the show, Anna Paquin and some of the other cast members. And also one to SAG as well to nominate the cast for Best Ensemble. Emmys, I have no faith in you to nominate it.

There was a lot going on here that moved the action forward to the finale, but it felt like some of the scenes meandered at times, and the focus was lacking as opposed to other episodes. I did like seeing Lettie Mae struggle with letting Tara go (go Adina Porter!), and then Maryann forcing Tara under her spell again. I'm on the fence with Sophie-Anne. I think that Evan Rachel Wood's great in general (sending some love out to a NC girl!), but this is the difference between her and Allan Hyde, in that here are two young actors that are entrusted with playing these thousands-year-old vampires. Hyde managed to bring such a gravitas to the role that came out of nowhere, but Wood's Sophie-Anne kind of came across as a young girl playing dress-up. But I guess that's all part of her character. I can't wait to see the trouble she stirs up for Bill and Sookie (and what looks like this connection she has with Eric). It was nice seeing Lafayette's trauma with Eric still haunting him, and then the awesome twist at the end with him turning black-eyed and Sookie's long scream. It's odd how in episodes like "Cold Ground" and "I Will Rise Up," Anna Paquin's doing Emmy-worthy work, and in episodes like this one, it's like she's acting out of a B-level slasher flick. I wasn't too interested in Andy and Jason getting the guns from the police station. I did like the insight from Sophie-Anne about maenads and shapeshifters, and Sam having to get help from Eric and reveal himself to more of the townspeople. Pam managed to steal that entire scene at Fangtasia with like two lines. "That thing still owes me a pair of pumps." Poor Jessica and Hoyt. Maybe after hearing all what Maxine said about his dad, Hoyt will finally break ties with her and go back to Jessica, or not. The finale previews look like they're going to be insane, and waiting two weeks for them will be torture.

Grade for "Frenzy": B