Hmm...the ep was a bit of a letdown given its build-up. It felt a little disjointed and awkwardly paced.

The subplot with Hoyt and his mother didn't quite fit and neither did the teaser for next season's subplot with Jessica.

Not nearly enough Vampire Eric, but I guess that whole bit with the Queen and selling V will be a plot point for next season.

Bill was kidnapped by someone wearing gloves, presumably a vamp so they wouldn't be affected by the silver they used to subdue bill.

The comic interaction between Jason and Andy was a real highlight; another was the Queen's genuine menace when she threatened Eric. THAT was what I've been waiting to see from the character and ERW pulled it off.

Nine months until season three...

I enjoy this episode, but once Maryann's story FINALLY ended the rest felt like a letdown (except what happens to Eggs). The cliffhanger was dumb. Really, someone kidnaps Bill!? Who gives a f*ck! Hopefully they do us all a favor and kill him so we don't have to deal with Stephen Moyer and his terrible acting.

B+

Season Grade: B

quote:

Originally posted by JackBristow:
P.S. The credits said special appearance by Charlaine Harris. Who did she portray in the episode?

There was the scene in Merlotte's in the aftermath where some woman at the bar says something "I can't believe that happened in this town." That was Harris I'm pretty sure.

I enjoyed this finale quite a bit. It's my favorite episode since "I Will Rise Up."

I thought it was a good decision to end the Maryann subplot within the first half-hour, because I think we needed the last thirty minutes to deal with the fallout. Done with zombies and Christian fundamentalists and orgies and maenads and bombs and the like, the show had a chance to re-settle into these characters in a more relaxed context. Cliffhanger didn't wow me. Presumably it was Eric who kidnapped Bill, since he told the queen he would deal with him, but perhaps the show has a surprise up its sleeve like it did last season, when it was expected that Lafayette would be killed.

More fine work from Anna Paquin. Liked the denial of the townsfolk in Merlotte's, which reminded me of the selective memory of the Sunnydale community on "Buffy." (How did they explain a vamp attack? Gang members on PCP.)

Interesting and deceptive finale. I was expecting the Maryann resolution to take over the entire episode, and resolving it in the first half-hour could have led to the rest of the episode fizzling out. I did like the scenes with the town rebuilding itself and trying to piece together all the things they did under Maryann's spell. Jason killing Eggs kind of came out of nowhere. Hoyt trying to mend things with Jessica was nice, but it looks like she's taken a turn for the dark side now. Sookie and Bill having their romantic dinner was nice, but the proposal came fast, maybe too fast. His kidnapping has to involve Sophie-Anne and Eric somehow. Not the best of cliffhangers, but it'll do I guess.

Thrilling season. Michelle Forbes is a goddess. If there's any kind of Emmy justice next year, she'll be nominated in supporting actress. I'm not holding my breath about it, but I'd love to be surprised. The ensemble stepped up to the plate big time this season and delivered separate and collective. The Dallas section was lengthy, but it ended on a high note with "I Will Rise Up." The mania that Maryann caused in Bon Temps was awesome, and all of those scenes leading up to the "wedding" and the Bill/Sam switcheroo was great. Just wish things weren't as low-key as they were until the ending. Fun season. Can't wait for season 3.

Grade for "Beyond Here Lies Nothin' ": B+
Season Average: B+

A lame finale for a not so good season.

Jason was pretty stupid about killing Eggs, but I'm glad he died.

The cliffhangers aren't that great:

1) Bill's missing (I bet on sookie thinking he have left her and the getting into eric)
2) Jessica's a vamp-whore (so sad for Hoyt)
3) Sam is going to find his parents?
4) The whole "Eric sells V" thing
5) Is there any other?

"True Blood" season finale: A white wedding, a black heart, and a blood-red cliffhanger
by Ken Tucker

The truly grand finale of "True Blood" managed to tie up various subplots, pry open new ones, and cram a vast array of moods, jokes, horrors, and surprises into one hour. Beginning with Maryann wearing the white wedding dress of Sookie’s grandmother and ending with Sookie in a purple gown given to her by Bill (with a choice shot of Lafayette in drag as well), "True Blood" made good on most of the stories it told this season.

The cliffhanger egg from two weeks ago was an ostrich egg, a fertility symbol, that completed what Andy would later refer to as the “giant statue of meat” that Maryann had built on Sookie’s lawn. Sam, as many of you thought, was indeed meant to be sacrificed (”the perfect wedding gift”) to Maryann’s god, Dionysus, who was to take the form of a white bull.

Instead of a white wedding, however, Maryann got her black heart gored and pulled out of her by a shape-shifted Sam. I was sorry to see Michelle Forbes go, but what a great performance she gave: her Maryann was scary, funny, and creepy, and the actress was able to go over-the-top and pull her performance back to human-scale. Her character’s death closed out the first half-hour with such finality (”It’s all over now,” said Sookie as Maryann lay in a heap and the townspeople came to their senses) that I thought, “Where do we go from here?”

Turns out, the last half of this "True Blood" became a beautifully ominous mood-piece. I suspect there might be one character some of you didn’t get enough of this night: Eric was relegated to one significant but early scene, playing Yahtzee with Sophie-Ann. When viewed in the same frame, Alexander Skarsgard’s sly subtlety only made Evan Rachel Wood’s archness seem more like over-acting, and the Yahtzee jokes (”We play to five million”) were strained this time around. Oh, well: More Eric next season, right?

As it was, writer Alexander Woo had his hands full mopping up the aftermath of Maryann’s mess in Bon Temps. Andy got his badge back, Eggs was compelled by guilt to own up to what he’d done under Maryann’s spell and paid for it with his life (Jason may have pulled the trigger, but Eggs in effect committed suicide, achieving the death he wanted), and Tara was left once again alone and in misery. Sam sought the truth about his real parents. And, oh yes: Woo worked a cameo of "True Blood" book author Charlaine Harris into a bar scene.

I must admit that at first I was bored by the scenes between Hoyt and his mother, but that proved to be a set-up for one of the night’s best moments: the sight of Jessica, set loose and hungry at a truck stop, feeding on a horny trucker to the strains of honky-tonk music by Buddy and Julie Miller.

Our next music cue was none other than the fine Southern boy Jerry Lee Lewis providing the dance soundtrack to Bill and Sookie’s date night. When Bill proposed to Sookie with only a few minutes to go, we kinda knew this was not going to be a fairy-tale ending, didn’t we? The shock-shot of Bill being garroted just as Sookie ran into the room saying, “Yes, Bill Compton!” was a fine way to leave us, and Bill, hanging.

It became clear with this finale that "True Blood" is a great pulp opera. Its initial use of anti-vampire sentiment as a metaphor for homophobia has combined with Alan Ball’s other ambitions: to take a cold, hard stare at romance; to show how you can make an audience catch its breath between laughter and violence; and to offer a much-needed critique of the entire pop-culture vampire craze, without being self-conscious or coy.

Did you watch? What did you think of the "True Blood" finale? Who do you think has, er, swept Bill off his feet?

Didn't like the finale. Didn't like how quickly they got rid of Maryann, even though I should have expected it considering how she was demythicized by the queen in the penultimate episode. She went from being this mysterious and fascinating being to some crazy chick who just needed to be killed like an insect. Kudos to Michelle Forbes, who always raised above her too often repetitive material.

The cliffhanger was lame, but not as lame as Jason shooting eggs just like that.

I did like the stuff with Sam, and Evan Rachel Wood was slightly better this time.

After a season of so much craziness, I was expecting a whole lot more than such little payoff.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: markk,

Anna Paquin was brilliant in this episode. She's a very inconsistent actress but she pulled off great episodes in the later half of the season.

Great casting news!
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"True Blood" scoop: Denis O'Hare crowned King!
by Michael Ausiello

Insert your own fresh meat joke here: Off my just-completed one-on-one with Alan Ball, I’ve learned that "True Blood" has cast Tony winner Denis O’Hare ("Take Me Out") as the king of Mississippi.

The veteran actor’s name may not be a household one, but you’ve for sure seen him. He’s appeared in roughly a million movies ("Milk," "Duplicity," "Quarantine") and pretty much that many TV series, too (most notably a 10-episode run on "Brothers & Sisters").

O’Hare joins "True Blood" as a series regular. He’ll debut early into the show’s third season, slated to air next summer.

Thoughts? Happy that Evan Rachel Wood’s queen won’t be the only royal on tap for the future?

quote:

Originally posted by Bazookka Joe:
Really, someone kidnaps Bill!? Who gives a f*ck! Hopefully they do us all a favor and kill him so we don't have to deal with Stephen Moyer and his terrible acting.

ROFLMAO!!! So true! I hope they get rid of Bill! (Wishful thinking, I know.)

I'm glad they got rid of Eggs too. Moyer was the absolute worst actor on the show, Mehcad Brooks was a very close second. Glad he's dead.

When Charlaine Harris - who is NOT a professional actor - ends up doing a better job than you, then you can take that as a sign that you're an atrocious actor.

I hope they bring Maryann back. Michelle Forbes is a wonder to behold!

Pretty heartbroken about Jessica turning into a slut.

And something tells me that Sam's real parents are either A) weird supernaturals too, or B) devilishly evil.

9 months? What am I gonna do while waiting? UGH!

I finally finished watching the season 2 of True Blood. Excellent show! Not since Buffy have I been so enchanted by the whole supernatural world. Kudos to Mr. Allan Ball. There's so many talented people on this show, I can't believe it doesn't get much love. I'm floored that Adina Porter didn't get any nominations for season one? That woman can act her ASS OFF. The drunken scene at the bank was incredibly painful to watch. I'm actually extremely impressed with the writing for the minority characters here. Rutina Wesley and Nelson Ellis are mesmerizing as is the writing for them. On a separate note, it's nice to see a dark skinned actress getting major screen time. I rarely see this, so that was another plus for this show.

My question however is, any chances that Michelle Forbes and Allan Hyde can score "Guest Actor/Actress" nominations, or was the eligibility for them past with this year's Emmy telecast? IMO both were incredible in their respective roles, especially Allan Hyde whom at twenty years old put on a stunning display of acting talent. It would be criminal if he doesn't get some type of nomination.

Last thing, I know it's season one but the guy who played Renee was excellent (especially the accent) and hot. It was a shame that he turned out to be psycho, but he played the role very well.

Can someone explain the whole Queen/King thing. I always thought that there was just ONE Queen for the entire Vampire community, and that was the person who is the oldest. Is it now a Queen or a King for different regions?