True Blood ‘Let’s Get Out of Here’ Recap/Review
Previously on True Blood:
Sookie & Eric tripped balls and got it on everywhere then joined Bill’s fight against the witches. Jessica has a terrifying dream where she murders Hoyt with hardly a blink of an eye then awakes to a reality much worse. Bill seems to forget the rule where everything will always go wrong when setting a meeting for the cemetery at midnight and attempts to talk things out with Antonia, in the cemetery, at midnight and as expected, everything goes haywire. Pam is denied her revenge on Tara by Bill (double damn), Antonia bewitches Eric, Bill gets silvered, Sookie gets shot and apparently we’re expected to wonder the show’s lead character will survive a bullet wound.
“Let’s Get Out of Here”
I have to wonder what came first, Sookie’s innate stubbornness and penchant for running directly into harms way, or her awareness that she has a mystifying effect on men, mostly powerful supernatural men, who will stop at nothing to protect her when she does so. I assume her new-found powers fits in here somewhere, but this knack for finding trouble seems to exist when the only power was mind-reading.
I recognize that this isn’t really True Blood’s weakest episode ever, but after last week’s thrill ride I found myself let down by this week’s filler type fare. I’m sure with breathing room an episode full of cute Jason as hero jokes and Sam on a camping trip will be more enjoyable, but taking a break in the middle of this big vamp vs. witch was pretty off putting. True Blood far from a rookie in creating hot sex scenes with the characters yet managed to deliver the most boring threesome between two vampires and a fairy I’ve ever seen or imagined.
Anyway, while both of Sookie’s vampires were still stuck in the melee, Alcide came out of the woodwork to pick Sookie up and carry her to safety. Because it’s Sookie, Bill zooms past, grabs Sookie out of his arms and zooms right into her house trying to feed her blood with Alcide close behind. She barely has a pulse and isn’t drinking Bill’s blood, now let’s not pretend that there’s actually suspense over whether she will survive, it’s just who will revive her, and I suppose also, which man she will be madly in love with next.
Is there anything else we can do?
We can prey A vampire and a werewolf, who will listen?
That I do not know
Let’s pause for a moment and briefly reflect on what it means to drink someone’s blood. When a human drinks a vampire’s blood part of them remains inside of you for a long time, they have a lasting connection to you and also creates feelings of love and lust towards the owner of the blood. To do this without permission seems a kind of violation, especially now that Sookie and Bill are no longer in a committed relationship there is no longer that implied permission when he does this. Yes, it is saving her life, but it’s also a violation. Rules seem to get much stickier when dealing with the supernatural.
Witch HQ. Witches are bickering and Antonia arrives with a bloody Eric in tow. When they protest she demonstrates that he is under her command. Part of me wishes there’s some wacky trick going on, that Eric has so much of Sookie’s special blood in him that he is immune to the spell and just playing around.
I’m with Tara (for once!?), Bill offered them an olive branch but instead Antonia chose to fight. Now it’s easy, Antonia is the bad guy, beyond justice, this is vengeance on a people generations beyond her previous life when she was done wrong. Antonia is rediscovering her strength and her anger increases when she discovers the tolerance rally festival being held, a festival briefly alluded to by Nan episodes ago when she promised Bill we’d see her there. Antonia has become dangerous in her own right, to vampires, humans and who knows what else. When Tara and Holly try to defect Antonia displays her power, with only the hemp covered hippie still right by Antonia’s side the rest seem too afraid to argue. Who is evil now Antonia?
Sookie’s Living Room. Sookie opens her eyes hazily to find both Bill and Alcide by her side. They don’t specify but she’s just fine so let’s go with that they got the blood in her. Alcide has always been the calm strong (and devastatingly handsome *swoon*) voice of reason, and wonders out loud if Sookie’s involvement in all his isn’t totally batshit crazy. As to be expected no one else agrees and Alcide stomps off back to his lie of a relationship with Debbie.
Luna’s Place. After Marcus’s shit fit Sam decides it would be best to take Luna and her daughter camping. I almost (but don’t) forgive how horribly Sam’s character has been treated since season one with impossibly boring stories because of lines like this:
I’m a multiple tent owner, I’m kind of a big deal
Alcide & Debbie’s Home. Debbie, who just witnessed her boyfriend break his promise to stay out of Sookie’s business basically right after he said so, is sitting in bed, crying and watching TV. When she smells him coming she pretends to sleep as his lying yet still strangely noble seeming naked werewolf ass climbs into bed next to her. Debbie’s wolf eyes shoot open, she can smell trouble.
King Bill’s Kingly Estate. Who is behind Bill’s desk than the one and only Nan Flanagan who is usurping Pam’s role as the source of not caring and dry humour this episode as she sits rolling her eyes as poor sweet Jessica cries tears of blood and tells Nan of her recent trouble with boys.
This is the worst day of my life, I wish I was dead, except I am dead and it doesn’t even matter.
There have been times I’ll admit when it’s occurred to be that maybe I should put my career on hold and become a maker. But these last several hours here with you have erased those doubts forever.
Bill arrives in time to save Jessica from further humiliation. Nan congratulates Bill on getting ahead of the story on the news sewing the tale of vampire suicides and bullying. She’s more interested in what the fuck the real story is, and how he let it get so out of hand. Cut to:
Bill, Nan and Jessica all in their basement cave covered in silver with Jessica still sobbing and Nan and Bill bickering over the situation at hand and playing the blame game of self importance. Something about factions in the AVL and how she will not under any circumstance cancel the festival of tolerance, even knowing the power of the necromancing witches, and that Eric is under Antonia’s spell. Every sign points to disaster here.
Hoyt and not Jessica’s house. Framed beautifully through a half empty bottle of what I’m assuming to be whiskey, we see Hoyt emerge groggily from his bedroom to attend to his hilarious rooster alarm clock. Beer cans and mess everywhere Hoyt begins to recall the previous night where he discovered the monster within himself and blamed the monster in her when he sent her flying out the door. He finds himself sitting on her Taylor Swift CD (of course) and begins packing a box of her things (including a Twilight book) labeled “For you Monster”. I’m thinking if anyone in Bon Temps could use some Gaga it’s Jess.
Before he knows what hit him Lafayette as Mavis storm in carrying Arlene’s baby in his arms wielding Andy’s stolen gun and throws Hoyt out of his house without so much as letting him dress. This pantless thing is sort of but not really important later, and not in a sexy way at all.
The Bellefleur Estate. Jason and Andy are trying to get the story from a wacked out Arlene and a PTSDing Terry, neither is making much sense and Andy is just trying to hide his addiction. Luckily the big break in the case comes when Hoyt (who managed to grab his phone but no pants) calls Jason to report Lala’s invasion and possession of the baby.
Jason makes the decision to go over there tasking Andy with only the simplest of jobs, bring pants for Hoyt. Andy is too busy getting V’d in the hallway that he drops the pants and forgets them on the floor. With that he’s useless for the rest of the episode. Not much change from the usual though.
Sookie’s Sexy House of Lovin’. Sookie awakes on her sofa to a softly lit room with music playing as if out of a noir film. She’s dressed in red lingerie and a light robe and high heels. All signs point to dream sequence.
She goes to the door to meet Eric bathed in sunlight, they kiss. The camera begins to turn on its side and the whole thing is giving me a strange David Lynch vibe when Bill appears. Here is part of the whole complicated blood sharing business, people pop into your fantasies whether you like it or not.
Sookie Is seated on the dining room table with Bill and Eric on either side fighting over her, nothing new here, it’s kind of excellent to see Eric towering over Bill when Sookie decides to take charge of her dream and lead the dueling pair to the living room.
Merlottes. Tommy using his fancy new literacy skills is writing a letter to Sam before he leaves for good. Marcus comes in all confrontational because of Luna and Tommy decides to take care of this one on his own. I guess this a redemption thing, I want to care, but I can’t.
Hoyt’s Possessed Home. Hoyt’s hiding behind the car still pantless due to Andy’s V addiction. Lala is shooting at everyone and general chaos ensues.
Sookie’s Sexy Dream. The boys are on the sofa and Sookie stands before them. She lectures “I could be swimming with dolphins or eating a whole pie without consequences” but she’s here with both of them, and she loves them both. She tells them that they will either both be hers, or they get none at all.
A brief look between Eric and Bill and they take her hands. The three have their little vamp on vamp on fairy make out session until they simultaneously bite Sookie’s neck and she wakes up.
Debbie’s Addiction. Debbie is being all cracked out badass buying V from a dealer in an alley somewhere proving how hardcore she is. What’s this crazy bitch going to do next? But first…
Lala’s Stand off. Jesus shows up on the scene to figure this out because the police are Jason and Andy. Line of the night goes to Jason:
When you guys role play, does Lafayette ever turn into a woman named Mavis?
Jesus goes in to figure this shit out. Lala as Mavis then discovers he can’t actually be the baby’s momma when he realizes he has a penis. Dead giveaway sweetie.
Sookie’s Real Life Home. A bugging out Debbie is at the door holding something behind her back and Sookie has a flashback to that time Debbie tried to murder her in this same home. This time Debbie is only wielding flowers. Apparently Sookie’s weird seductive powers work on girls too; after a little mindreading Sookie is convinced and Debbie is inducted into the cult of Sookie worship.
Hoyt’s House of Crazy. Jesus works his magic, Mavis returns the baby to Arlene and the rest of the crew get to digging up the grave of Mavis’s real baby where Mavis was also buried. It’s at this time Lafayette gets all glowy and Mavis and her child’s spirits leave his body. Okay, maybe Jason gets a run for his money with this for best line of the night.
Ghost of Mavis: Thank you for everything
Lafayette (caring & sincerely): You got it Bitch.
Marcus. Alcide decides he wants to move up in the pack. Marcus is thrilled because he’s shrimpy and he needs hot sexy strong Alcide as back up while harassing his ex-wife. He doesn’t put it exactly like that, but Alcide seems to reluctantly know what he’s getting into.
So we’re this far into the episode and stuff is just starting to happen.
Moon Goddess Emporium. Debbie begs her way into Witch HQ by pledging the pack’s alliance to Antonia’s cause. This buys enough time for the recently shot Sookie to sneak in a back window, try to find Eric, and get a gun pulled on her by Tara. When Sookie does find Eric she discovers that he is under another one of Antonia’s spells, and this time his mission is to kill the king.
When Antonia begins to find flaws in Debbie’s story she panics seeing Tara with a gun on Sookie in the back room, panics and screams that she brought her Sookie. Tara awesomely think-communicates to Sookie that the humans are being held hostage and gives her an exit strategy.
Sookie & Debbie escape and race to the car in time to run to the Tolerance Festival in time to do… something. The rest of the gang aren’t so lucky, Antonia takes along her lap dog and closes the doors binding them with a spell that burns when they try to escape. Oh that Antonia, always trying to make the world a safer place.
Festival of Tolerance. Bill notes to Nan that they, along with a poster girl vamp are the only in attendance, isn’t that strange he wonders. We are reminded again that this TV world includes media, cameras, cell phones and social media by showing a guy in the crowd speaking into his camcorder claiming to be risking his life to report on this event. At the time he records this, the room is quiet and uneventful, I don’t think he really saw what was coming when he recording this.
Hoyts. Jason stuck around after that whole possession thing to check on his best bud, he finds the Taylor Swift CD and Hoyt shows him the Monster Box then asks Jason to take it to her. Jason first defends Jess, she’s not a monster, but Hoyt’s not having it. Hoyt then insists that Jason deliver said Monster box to Jess.
Marcus’s Garage. Tommy!Sam shows up in time to get his ass kicked by a bunch of wolves. This is Tommy’s redemption thing, he tells them it wasn’t Sam who slept with Luna, but his brother. Down he goes with only Alcide to sort of defend him. Down and bleeding and turned back into Tommy Alcide does his sexy protector thing, lifts Tommy into his arms like it’s nothing and carries him away.
Team Debbie Sookie. Apparently Debbie drives like a girl for a bad ass werewolf and Sookie tells her to floor it on their way to the hotel where the Tolerance festival is being held.
Festival. Nan is on stage doing her thing while Eric arrives out front where the Sheriffs are standing, drawing them away until they corner him upstairs. He surrenders. I’d like to thing he still has some of his will left and he is trying to fight Antonia by doing this.
It’s too late, Antonia works her magic on the lot of them. Bad news.
King Bill’s Estate. Jason shows up on the steps with the box in hand, the monster bit thoughtfully scratched out with sharpie. Jessica answers the door, she is so sweet and beautiful and my favourite part of this show since she showed up as Bill’s punishment.
It’s a strange moment, the tension between them is palpable – he just turned her away but at the same time shows genuine concern. She wants him but he tried to back away, Hoyt is his best friend.
Cut straight to an exterior shot of the estate, then closing in on Jason’s truck and Jess and Jason getting in on in the flatbed. See that True Blood, you do know how to do a sex scene, wtf was up with that thing with Sookie, Eric and Bill?!?
Festival of Tolerance. Sookie arrives, running just as Nan is introducing King Bill to the podium, Eric watching from the boxes upstairs. In a second all hell breaks loose as the security is murdered and shit goes wild.
Sookie screams:
RUN!
This probably wasn’t the best of the season, but not the worst either, certainly containing some great one-liners but a serious lack of Pam. Let me know what you think in the comments, did this episode drag for you? Which stories are you loving and which do you want to see dropped?
One last thing, remember how that crazy fairyland was a really big deal in like…the first episode. That kind of disappeared, it was fun and wacky. Anyone else hoping for their return in the final 3?
Only three more and it looks like they’re all going to be exciting!
As per usual, I’ll leave you with the title song, until next week.
