Where do I start?
First of all, while I was glad to see Maryanne go, it seemed so anticlimactic the way she actually went. Let me say once again that Michelle Forbes was brilliant in that role, the character itself I just didn't feel, which is odd given how well she played her part overall. Michelle is a brilliant actress, she's been working for years, but trust me, she isn't going away.
I loved that Sam ended up saving things in the end by taking out Maryanne, but the whole thing just seemed off. Plus the whole drinking from Bill thing I just didn't buy. The general idea in the world of Bon Temps is that sups (short for supernatural beings) do not get along, in fact they despise each other. Vampires do not like shifters, weres, fairies, etc. and in turn the other races don't like each other either. A vampire would never offer to let a shifter willingly drink from them, and most likely the shifter would not want to drink from the vamp either, no matter the reason. And on top of that Bill isn't know for his altruistic gestures toward Bon Temps. He's more of a on his own sort of guy, unless it's family or Sookie, and in all honesty most of the time with Sookie it's more of a "You're mine do what I say!" sort of view on life.
Oh and does this mean Sam will start having sex dreams about Bill? You have to wonder.
Now let's move on to Lafayette.
Nelsan Ellis is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors. I love how he plays Lafayette. I LOVED when he did that little hand clap thing when they were standing around Maryanne preparing for the marriage ceremony. That was just a hoot! Loved him in his bridesmaid's dress too! Still hated that he got pulled into the zombie state. I would have liked to have seen him be able to resist.
Jason...Oh Jason. Really disturbed that Andy and Jason were turned there at the end, and HATED the way he manhandled Sookie, though I have to admit THAT aspect of the episode was more with in line with his actually character in the book, because let's face it Jason can be a down right ass to Sookie at times in the books. And then sitting at Merlotte's there at the end acting like he's all hero man. Get over yourself!
Poor Eggs. Seriously. I knew he was going, but I still felt infinitely sorry for him. And while we're at it, I really did not like that Jason shot him. Why go there? I thought the path he was going down he was going to off himself, which was horrible in and of itself, but he seemed so desolate and horrified at his actions under Maryanne's influence. He had that man on the edge vibe that would fit into the doing something bad to themselves in that mode. And poor Tara. Seriously, does that woman every catch a break? Eggs dies in the books too so it wasn't unexpected, but still.
What the heck was Jessica thinking? And seriously that truck driver was manky! I guess it doesn't matter what dinner looks like, but still. Hated that Hoyt finally came to his senses, seemingly too late. That just stinks.
And now Eric...Surprised I didn't start with him aren't you? ;oP
Obviously there wasn't enough Eric time and no Pam at all. I kept waiting for Eric to swoop in and rescue Sookie, but sadly no. Sitting in New Orleans playing Yahtzee with the queen was so not in his character, and was dull and I have to say Skars pulled off the bored look to a tee as he was sitting there. Her attacking him wasn't in her character either. When she pinned him to the floor I simply looked at Jamison and said "No! No! No!" (He just loves watching this show with me, let me tell you! ;oP)
Sophie having Eric sell the vampire blood made me happy for no other reason than he has an alibi and he wasn't off on his own doing something stupid. I don't like how they portray him as a loose cannon sometimes. I've said it before, and yes I'm going to say it again...Eric is very much the power vampire. He knows his area, he does what he needs to do, but he doesn't go about it in a loose cannon sort of way. He's very methodical in the things he does and how he thinks. He's sort of the man with the plan and while that plan might not be on the same page of music as those he is planning about, it's still a plan.
Now let's talk about that blood for a minute. The way Sophie made it sound she has Eric selling her blood. She said "my blood". Why? Can you track people via vialed blood? I know you can fresh from the source. Weird. It might be interesting to see how that turns out.
And while we're on the subject of Eric, let me just say I'm almost completely convinced that he was the one that abducted Bill at the end of the episode since he told the queen he'd take care of him, though I'm hoping I'm wrong on that front. The gloved hands leads me to believe it was a vampire, since they would need gloves to handle silver since they can't touch it with bare skin, and it sort of looked like the sleeves of the suit Eric was wearing too. Not cool! Eric would never do that. EVER!! In the books Lorena is actually the one that takes off with Bill, or rather calls him to her (you can't refuse the call of your maker) and then holds him captive. Eric actually helps Sookie get him back, though their relationship is forever changed.
Bill sending Sookie the dress also bothered me. Bill doesn't give Sookie gifts EVER! He tries to buy things for her at the first of their relationship in a "You're my woman I will buy you things to mark my territory!" sort of way, but she promptly tells him to back off and that she isn't a kept woman. Eric has bought things for Sookie over the years, but he never did it in a "You're mine!" sort of way. He sees what she needs and he gives it to her. He understands her, and more importantly I think they just connect in a way Sookie has never experienced. I think he might like to give her other things to sort of show people how he feels, but he knows Sookie wouldn't tolerate that. But Bill, no. That entire thing was out of character for Sookie and Bill, though it was a beautiful dress!
I really liked the scene between Jessica and Bill as they both went off for the evening. I like that that relationship is evolving. It's fun to watch.
Now let's talk about the restaurant...The whole restaurant thing was off on so many levels. The first of which being that Bill can't stand to see Sookie eat food and preferred that she do that human necessity when he was not around, so why would he take her to a restaurant, where he'd have no choice but to see her eat, in the first place. Very unBill like!
And now let's get to the scene that griped me the most...The proposal!
There is no proposal! Seriously! Bill NEVER proposed to Sookie and Sookie would never have said yes! Sookie has very definite ideas about family and marriage and they include children. Vamps and humans can not produce children and to be completely honest I don't think Sookie ever felt enough deep down about Bill to even have considered a proposal for a moment had he made one. Later down the line she actually has a discussion in her head about choosing a man after Eric has saved her life (AGAIN...He's the one that always saves her!) and how if he could give her children he would be the perfect mate, though she does resist when Eric tricks her into being vampire married and she resists for the simple reason that it isn't a union that she recognizes, though she finally grasps the importance of the union in terms of Eric being able to protect her later on. She has not ever sat around pondering Bill as a mate or a protector, though he sometimes tries to save her too, but it normally backfires on him. Another out of character moment for Sookie!
This next paragraph sums up my feelings about the show to a tee. I actually copied it verbatim from a response I made to one of my friends on FaceBook, because it sums up what I am feeling overall so well. So read on!
My problem I suppose is that sometimes, and more blatantly than others, they have taken the characters and made them not themselves. I can't seem to reconcile the book characters, which I love, with the TV characters, that I want them to be. I keep watching, because from time to time they give us a glimpse of what it should be, but I'm wondering if it's enough in the end. I think I'm even more disappointed in the last episode now, then when I went to bed last night.
Will I tune in next season? Sure. Will it still bother me? Oh yes! Why? Because I keep hoping against all hopes that the people that have come to life in my mind, will come to life on the screen.
