Entertainment

True Blood Season 5 – Episode 4 –We’ll Meet Again – A Recap and Review
By Kelowna TV buff Andrew Buckley
Learn more about Andrew's world at planetkibi.com

Photo: Contributed - HBO

I like to think that this episode of True Blood, We’ll Meet Again, administered the true death to bad acting. For the most part I’ve always enjoyed the casting in True Blood. While they don’t favor all body types like Game of Thrones, they still throw up quite the buffet of rippling muscles, a well cut jaw lines, and a plethora of bare breasts/rear ends to please everyone’s tastes. Even if, for whatever creepy reason, you’re into animals they also feature shape shifters (by the way, you people need help).

The acting is mostly solid when it needs to be and quirky when required. However, one horrible piece of casting this season is the child that sits on the vampire authority who we’re led to believe is actually centuries old. Every time he opens his mouth he sounds like he should be warning Dora that Swiper the fox is nearby rather than running a vampire government. Fortunately he got staked this week.

Lots of development for Pam (Kristin Bauer van Straten) this week as she prevents Tara (Rutina Wesley) from killing herself (damnit!) and actually gives an honest try at parenting her new vampire cub (teaching her to eat people safely, etc). There was also a heartfelt scene with Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) releasing Pam as he doesn’t want to endanger her. Think of it as a coming of age for vampires. Van Straten is one of the truly gifted actors on this show so it’s great seeing her put to good use this season.

Sookie (Anna Paquin) manages to go full circle, plagued by guilt over turning Tara and blowing Debbie’s head off, by returning to her former title as ‘the town crazy person’. Similar to early scenes in season one she’s waitressing at Merlottes while reading the minds of the locals who all think she’s bat-crap crazy. It doesn’t help that Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) shouts at her and then puts some sort of bad mojo on her car that almost kills her. While Lafayette doesn’t have any control over the blue smurf demon he’s currently hosting Sookie does have a measure of control over Alcide (Joe Manganiello).

The extremely bulky werewolf lies to Debbie’s parents about her death, blaming it on the former pack master. He then visits Sookie, who’s very drunk, proceeds to get wasted and we’re almost treated to the first ‘naked sookie’ scene this season but apparently her nudity clause is a little stricter this year. (Oh and apparently some females want to see Manganiello naked…which I suppose is fine if you like that rugged, muscled, handsome, sort of look. Not my cup of tea, but each to their own.)

The Vampire Authority discovers that there are traitors on the council and, as mentioned earlier, it turns out to be the kid that makes even Justin Bieber look talented. He’s promptly staked, there’s lots of blood.

If the writers decided to end the Terry’s War Story abruptly without giving any good reason I’d be extremely happy. Around ten minutes of the episode is spent in flashbacks showing that Terry (Todd Lowe) killed people when he was in the army. Big shocker, who would have thought? Terry hunts down one of his former squad members and finds that he’s either plagued by demons or has a very eclectic taste in art.

Bill (Stephen Moyer) and Eric begin their hunt for Russell Edgington but get pretty much nowhere. After questioning Pam, they finally resolve that they’re going to need Sookie’s help. When Eric suggests that she’s probably not going to be over the moon about such a venture Bill informs him that she won’t have a choice. Chances are he’s just jealous that his fairy is rolling around with a werewolf.

Speaking of fairies, Jason (Ryan Kwanten) and Sherriff Andy (Chris Bauer) are invited to a VIP club by the Mayor only to find out it’s a secret ‘otherworld’ fairy bar. Jason discovers that vampires killed his parents, starts making trouble, and the pair are ejected from the club and then hit with fairy lightning. That’s right: fairy lightning.

Some of the scenes felt drawn out this week and there’s still too much time being spent on boring storylines but the show is still positive overall. Lots of great references to vampires being more of a family unit than bloodthirsty killers which is an interesting angle to take. Best of all, they killed that annoying little kid vampire.

I give We’ll Meet Again 7.5 blue smurf demons out of 10.