True Blood Discussion: Season 5, Episode 6

The writer of The Mamafesto and I are watching True Blood together because everyone should watch TV with someone else and then talk it to death. We’re doing our best to occasionally apply some feminist analysis to what is otherwise just mutual lust for the character, Eric.

Episode 1.

Episode 2.

Episode 3.

Episode 4.

Episode 5.

And  proceed no further if you don’t want spoilers for episode 6.

Mamafesto:  You liked my gifs? You have to use one!

blue milk: I will definitely use one. Alcide and Eric should surely spawn some fan fic – those two had chemistry.

 

Mamafesto:  Ha. That might have been my first thought when Eric started glamouring Alcide…oh the fanfic this will spawn. And YES to the chemistry! Almost more than Bill & Sookie.

blue milk: Hmm Bill and Sookie’s relationship still interests me. I know most people are long since over it but I think there’s something left there.

Mamafesto:  I just can’t get it in me to care about them. Their chemistry is nil in my eyes (which is all sorts of awkward since aren’t they married?). And Bill annoys me in general, so…

blue milk:  I don’t think it does Bill any favours to be hanging out with Eric so much. Eric pretty much shrinks everyone else on screen.

Mamafesto:  Haha, right? And the hair.

blue milk:  Hmm. I think he’s quite a bit older than some of the other actors.. and it’s, what can I say, brutal to be standing next to them on camera.

Mamafesto:  But they didn’t have to do such a hack dye job on him. So, yeah. A+ start to the show. My next notes, after my excitement over the Eric/Alcide moment, are “Oh, Hoyt.”

blue milk:  I wrote “Oh Hoyt” too.

Mamafesto:  Ha!

blue milk:  I really recognised that desperation. My first highschool boyfriend was a bit like that when we were breaking up – it was awful. On a broader note, I think the writers are really nailing it with Hoyt here. Going from this small town boy to someone falling in love for the first time, leaving home and also leaving what was a fairly controlling relationship with his mother, and then moving in with a girlfriend for the first time, and that girl being a vampire coming into her own sexuality, and then… getting your heart smashed to pieces. This is exactly what he would be like.

Mamafesto:  I think that’s what makes it so uncomfortable to watch. We’ve all either been there, or knew somebody like that.

blue milk:  And the way he completely misreads Jessica’s signals.. oof, painful to watch.

Mamafesto:  But he sees what he wants to see…any glimmer of hope. Oh, Hoyt.

blue milk: And I guess that power over someone can give you a flash of very unethical excitement so he’s maybe seeing that in Jessica and imagining it is something more or better in her for him. Hoyt, it isn’t, run away.

Avital:  Can I just take a moment and say how much I adore Alfre Woodard (Ruby)?

blue milk:  Ah yes. I thought her and Lafayette were absolutely perfect together in this episode. This is how I like Lafayette.. he really does these kinds of scenes the best.

Mamafesto:  Yes. That was a great scene. He has me invested in his story line even if it doesn’t get as much time as the vamp/wolf stuff.

blue milk:  It was pretty much the best scene of the night. Lafayette as this amazing survivor – homophobia, poverty, racism, black economy – is one of my favourite things about this show.. but anyway.. I always find it interesting the way True Blood muddies the waters with mental illness.

Mamafesto:  Yes to everything you said about Lafayette.

blue milk:  Is it mental illness or is it supernatural power? Is this a disability or a different ability? Sookie has long represented the exploration of that question.

Mamafesto:  And contrast this with Terry and his PTSD or demon curse.

blue milk:  Ah yes.. now that was a great scene. When Arlene and he are talking in the bar and he is finally earthing himself through her after his terrible road trip and he is frenzied and raving and she is trying to cut through to him.. she was just fantastic in that scene.

Mamafesto:  They both were.

blue milk:  All that kind of stoic sensibility that her character can do, and again, like Lafayette, that kind of underdog survivor’s thing. The way the caring situations in this show transpose the supernatural over what is otherwise mental illness or drug and alcohol addictions – very clever.

Mamafesto:  Yeah. Oh! I wanted to talk about the supe killers. How they wore President Obama masks and shouted out “Yes we can!” What did you think of that?

blue milk: These people are supposed to be racist hicks who hate supes along with all their other prejudices?

Mamafesto:  But I think that’s the feel of hating the other, it makes sense.

blue milk:  Yes, these drive-by murders certainly reference racially motivated and homophobic attacks.

Mamafesto:  Yeah. Curious to see what happens with Hoyt now and those good old boys.

blue milk: It is good that True Blood is making humans threatening, again, don’t you think? It makes it interesting. And builds the tension for what can go wrong when Russell and his way of thinking are back in control.

Mamafesto:  That’s true.

blue milk:  I’m suspicious of the werewolf pack, too, are they somehow assisting the drive-by shooters because they have something to gain from being the main supes left and in control of the area?

Mamafesto:  Why do you think they’re working together? (Did I miss something?)

blue milk:  Just that the grandmother got the were kid out of the situation already. And this pack have been established as kind of dirty fighters.

Mamafesto:  Oh, that did cross my mind, but they seem to be playing that pretty genuinely regarding the grandmother.

blue milk: Just that werewolves have been shown to be pretty opportunistic.. a la Russell Edginton’s werewolves.

Mamafesto:  Yeah, but the pack seems way too disorganized to plan something at the moment.

blue milk:  They like V though, at least the pack leader does. Wonder if Hoyt is going to go through revulsion that some of his friends are killing supes or if he will be kinda brainwashed by them given he’s in a vulnerable space? And then Jason is also getting anti-vampires after the revelations about his parents’ death. They’ve sort of played both those stories out before though haven’t they?

Mamafesto:  I hope not. I’d hate for Hoyt to be preyed on like that.

blue milk:  Soooo, the Authority is finally coming undone. What an ending, hey?

Mamafesto:  Oh yes! I giggled a bit when Roman came out in his party polo shirt.

blue milk:  Roman was asking for it, dressed like a corporate executive on his weekends? I love the mental loop where the Authority is all about being ever so reasonable in human and vampire relations in this totally extremist way. So much of that ‘ends justify the means’ thing going on. I think the Authority apes corporate culture reeeeeally well. “We do it as a team and we do it my way”.

Mamafesto:  Yes. But now – quite the hostile take over. “Peace is for pussies” is the new “Greed is good”?

blue milk:  Haha.

Mamafesto:  I’m also quite stunned that we only had Roman for a handful of episodes. I thought we’d get more mileage out of him

blue milk: Yes, me too. But Russell escaping is pretty much exactly what I wanted to have happen. The show has had a lot of storylines going at once and finally they’re starting to get some momentum. And given we are halfway through the season that’s about right in timing.

Mamafesto:  Oh for sure. And now we see where Salome fits in with all of this.

blue milk:  Yes.. but no-one in that group tried to help Roman. Interestingly. We will surely see a lot of chaos now the despot is disposed and some big new leadership opportunities for our special vampire duo if they can seize it. And I LOVED the Authority being ruthless and just casually killing off all those humans in the bus. More vampires being ruthless in this show. It’s their job. Liking vampires, as humans, is supposed to involve all sorts of personal compromise for us.

Mamafesto:  I, personally, could have done without the mass murder of the poor people (aka Russell’s feedbags) in the bus. I didn’t need to see that. Oh! We met Claude! I always enjoyed him in the book. His character on the show seems a little tamer.

blue milk:  Yes. He has this nice queer sexuality to him, too. So, the only other thing we haven’t mentioned is Sam helping the law.. but ‘meh’ to that. I know Sam needs something to do but I think it’s going to be a weak plotline.

Mamafesto:  Yeah, the Sam & Andy buddy cop we’re about to get isn’t as interesting to me as the other plots going.

blue milk:  Final words?

Mamafesto:  I’m certainly curious to see how everything shakes out over at the Authority…who sides with who, etc… Clearly there’s something big brewing – you have Jason starting to get all anti-vamp, there’s something happening with the fairies, the Authority drama, the shifter issues, the wolfpack…nobody’s safe and it’s all going to explode. And I’m still focused on Lafayette and what Jesus wants to tell him.

blue milk:  Yes, it’s fairly unpredictable storyline writing at the moment.

Mamafesto:  Also, regarding the Authority. I hope they don’t just ignore the whole Lillith/religious storyline they’ve built up now that Roman’s gone. I’d like to have that set up pay off in the end.

blue milk: Good final thoughts, you. Mine: won’t someone think of the audience and have sex sometime soon? Also, I guess Sookie is developing her own powers now and is much better at taking care of herself – she investigated fairy burlesque land and realised Alcide had been glamoured against her and reversed it, all in one episode – so she is all set for being The Chosen One who can fight a crafty old vampire, like Russell. Those two surely have a big plotline together. And maybe, fairies are going to have come out and try to help Sookie against Russell?

Mamafesto: Ooh, that could be interesting.