Sundays with Neubie the Truebie (Episode 63, "You're No Good)

 

Happy Truebie Sunday everyone!  It's hotter than Bon Temps here in New York.  Let's take a look at what sort of trouble our friends got into last week.

Eric must've caught a case of stupid from Jason or perhaps as Pam suggested, he's just blindsided by Willa's beauty.  Eric took the governor's daughter to Fangtasia where Pam wanted to kill and Tara thought it best they just return her to daddy.  With the feds closing in, Eric commanded Pam and Tara to gather whatever possessions they had and they fled for "safety" at Ginger's house.  The poor dimwit thought Eric was finally here for the shag he once promised her.  Instead he charmed his way in with Willa, Pam and Tara.  Eric and Willa shared a coffin while Pam and Tara had to make due in a dirt hole.  Willa took advantage of the close quarters, attempted to seduce Eric and told him that she hated her father as much as he does.  Willa told Eric that her father embezzled money from a highway project to build a vampire "camp" where they are imprisoned and studied. 

For some stupid reason that must've only made sense to Ginger, she answered Eric's "untraceable" phone.  The feds with their new technology was able to trace the call and the governor and his entourage are hot on Eric, Pam, Willa, and Tara's heels as they flee Ginger's home.

Over in Shreveport, Alcide, his girlfriend Rikki, and Emma's grandmother Martha try to hide the little girl from the inquiring police.  Emma initially refused to shift but after some harsh words from Rikki, she complies and the police, leave.  Later, Nicole and the members of the Vampire Unity Society are apparently also suffering from a case of stupid as they tried to speak to Alcide and the wolf pack about supporting their cause and coming out.  What could've been just a peaceful discussion turned violent when Rikki antagonized the group and a wild and deadly fight broke out.  This worked out in Sam's favor as the shifter was an owl in a nearby tree and the fight proved to be the perfect distraction for him to shift back to human form and rescue Emma.  However, Sam's good heart prompted him to try and rescue an injured Nicole.  We'll have to see how that works out tonight.

Back in Bon Temps, Bill believes his new powers will enable him to walk in the sun.  He is quickly proven wrong as he promptly proven wrong as he is promptly engulfed in flames at sun up.  Thankfully, Jessica was there at the door to smother the flames when he came running back in the house.  Once he recovered, he told Jessica about his plans to meet the man who synthesized blood to make Tru Blood.  Bill believes that synthesizing faerie blood could help the vampires win their fight.  He sends Jessica to get tarted up to seduce the man who can synthesize the blood to their home while Bill go find a faerie for a blood sample.  Now, just where will Bill find one?

Vamping Up

Across the yard, Bill asks Sookie to invite him.  She declined but Bill is able to walk right in, apparently he has another new power.  He describes his plan and asks for a sample of her blood.  She declined and he told her she was "dead to him."  Jason tried to defend and comfort his sister but Bill telekenetically shoves Jason out of the way and he falls down the stairs as Bill leaves.  

Meanwhile, Niall was trying to find Warlow.  He entered the faerie portal and was horrified to discover that a vampire, presumable Warlow and broken and killed all the fae at the club.  Upon exiting the portal, Warlow found Ben who apparently took an entire day to find the portal just down the road.  Niall told Ben about the horrors inside the club and took the halfling back to Sookie's house.  

Elsewhere, the vampire "camp" is receiving it's newest inmate, Steve Newlin.  Steve's has been visibly assaulted and is near tears when his ex-wife Sarah enters the room.  He thinks she's come to rescue him but of course, she's not and she promptly tells him that she is one of the politicians working for this place and that their old dreams when they were involved with the Fellowship of the Sun are coming true.

They find Nora outside.  She had been hiding out there looking for Warlow.  The faeries get into a scuffle with Nora.  Jason and Sookie came out of the house to investigate the commotion where Jason has another wicked headache and falls to his knees.  Nora runs off as Ben and Niall come to Jason's aid.  

After trying to patch things up by taking Holly to his childhood fort, Andy discovers Bill out after curfew.  Bill is in full southern gentleman mode and tells Andy he was just heading home.  Bill spots the toys in the back of the squad car and Andy mentions that he has half fae daughters.  What do you bet Andy will come to regret that revelation?!  Bill told Andy to appreciate his girls as he headed home with a gleam in his eye.  

Yikes!  There was a lot of fighting going on.  I understand why Sookie is angry with Bill but I don't understand why she would give him just a little bit of her blood so he could try to have it synthesized.  I found that to be rather selfish on her part.  I don't think Bill means any harm.  I think he truly believes he can save the vampire race and if a little bit of fae blood could help him, what is the harm?

I also think Ben is too good to be true.  I found it odd that it took him a whole day to even get near the fae portal.  And her knows just the perfect things to say to get Sookie to like him, he's just too perfect.  I wonder if he is actually Warlow? 

As for Jason and his headaches, I think they stem from more than him getting hit in the head a lot.  In the books, Sookie's fae cousin Dermott is identical to Jason and she couldn't even tell them apart initially.  Dermott also suffers from brain damage.  So, I'm wondering if the Jason we are seeing isn't really Jason but rather Dermott.

What do you all think?  Share you thoughts below!

Sundays with Neubie the Truebie (Episode 61, "Who Are You, Really?")

Good afternoon fellow truebies.  What did you guys think of last week's premiere?  Did it exceed or meet your expectations?  There was a lot I liked and little that I didn't like.  Some of our questions were answered, while some questions just got bigger.

Of course the biggest dilemma is what to with Bill.  For one, we discovered along with the rest of the gang that Bill appears to have survived drinking the blood of Lillith.  In fact, he is stronger than ever.  He survived a walk through fire and a staking!  Sookie, Eric, and Nora are convinced that Bill did die and that his form is just a type of apparition for Lillith.

While Bill/Billith was enraged when he ran from after Sookie, Eric, and Nora from the Authority headquarters, he let the trio escape with Jason, Tara, Pam, and Jessica.  Sookie mourned what she believed to be the death of Bill and the rise of Lilith in his form.  With the exception of Jessica, the other vampires didn't mourn his loss but feared what he has become. However, Jessica stayed true to her maker and decided to stay with him after he called her home.  When Bill made a lunge for Eric, it was Sookie who staked Bill and everyone was shocked when he survived.  Jessica then stood up for Bill and ordered them all to leave there property.  Afterwards, once Eric had taken Sookie home, he signed her house back over to her and she revoked his invitation into her home, longing to be the innocent girl she once was. 

I don't know what to think, Bill certainly seemed like his old self when he tucked Jessica into bed like a good dad and asked for her help for him to remain himself while discovering and adapting to his new powers.  His memories have also clearly remained intact as proven when he shared a memory of his human life as a soldier with Jessica.  I believe that Bill still is the gentlemanly vampire we know and love but that he needs to fight the savage Lilith that is like a demon inside him. 

Jessica shares her thoughts on Bill and her new responsibility in her latest blog post...

The Family Business

All this drama with makes me long for the simpler version of him that is depicted in the books, a gentlemanly vampire who spends all his time compiling a vampire encyclopedia on his computer.

Despite all this drama, Tara and Pam found a moment to be alone.  Pam was trying to hide her upset over Eric not telling her about his sister Nora.  Tara tried to comfort her and the ladies had a spat but ultimately took comfort in each other.  Unfortunately there moment of peace doesn't last long as they are soon threatened at Fangtasia.

Elsewhere in Bon Temps, Andy deals with what to me is a living hell.  His moment of recklessness with a faerie left him with 4 half fae babies to care for.  Arlene and and Terry do their best to help him adjust to his new life as a dad but they are all horrified when the babies grow into toddlers just days later.  I don't believe this has been revealed on the show but you can throw people and things up into a faerie portal where they'd be sucked back into the fae world. If I were Andy, I'd take that crazy mob of kids and find the nearest faerie portal.

Sam also a huge new responsibility.  After shifting into Steve Newlin to help free her daugther, Luna died in the aftermath, and told Sam he had to care for her daughter.   Sam and the girl ran to Merlotte's for safety and shelter.

Over in the Shreveport area, Alcide was being "sworn in" as packmaster in the traditional werewolf ceremony.  As seen in the books, when one rises up to packmaster he must have sex with another female of the pack in attempt to re-populate the pack with full-blood weres.  This female who is selected for this honor among the pack is not always the new packmaster's wife or girlfriend.  Alcide is given a beautiful member of the pack to follow-through on this tradition with and it is not his equally beautiful girlfriend.  Alcide runs off to the woods with the were and his girlfriend follows.  Only his girlfriend isn't jealous and the trio quickly get into some um-wild activities.

I almost forgot about Jason!  True to form, he made the boneheaded decision to hitchhike home after things in the SUV with the vampire and his sister got too crazy for his comfort.  Jason took a ride with the first car that stopped, without hesitation and proceeded to tell the man driving the whole sad story of his sister, and the vampire Warlow that he blamed for his parent's deaths.  The driver then told Jason that he knows all about Warlow and Jason jumped to the conclusion that the driver was Warlow as the show cut to black.

Now, while I think Jason would get what he deserved if he did get into a car with Warlow, I highly doubt that he is Warlow.  There is someone else who knows everything about the Stackhouse siblings and that is there faerie great-great grandfather Niall.  I bet my stash of True Blood beverages that this man will be revealed to be Niall.

And if everyone didn't have enough to deal with already, the Governor of Louisianna has threatened to shut down all vampire owned and operated businesses such as Fangtasia and has made a shady deal with the makers of True Blood to help them out with the operations plant shortage.

Phew, there was a lot of action in just 60 minutes!! This certainly looks to be one heck of a season.  What do hope to see in the coming weeks?  Pull up a chair at the Merlotte's bar and share with us!!

Truebie Sundays with Neubie

I don't know about you guys but I thought last week's episode was a little over the top.  If you haven't seen this past weeks episode, I don't know what you're waiting for but if you don't want spoilers than read no further.

Sookie learned, from her fae cousins, that her powers and finite; her microwave fingers could one day be diffused and she'd be 100% human.  Hadley begged her to stay in the land of the fae but she refused and returned to Bon Temps with Jason.

Meanwhile, we learned that Roman did indeed meet the true death and it was revealed that Salome was the one who unearthed Russell.  Nora was her accomplise and the two believed that they were fulfilling Lilith demands the prophecies in their vampyr bible by drinking the blood of Lilith.  They forced the surviving members of the Authority to drink with them.  Bill was reluctant but went along without protest after an Authority member who spoke out was beheaded.  So, they all drink the blood and wouldn't you know it, it doesn't end well. The group goes wild on the streets of New Orleans as if they're high on drugs.  They end up at wedding rehearsal dinner where they feed on and kill all the humans presents.  They're all startled when a naked female figure, presumably the infamous Lilith, emerges from a puddle of blood and begins screaming. 

As if that wasn't enough gore, Lafayette went to visit Jesus' father to try and rid himself of this frightening visions and brujo powers.  I don't know how he expected that visit to go well but I wasn't surprised when Jesus' father tied him up, sewed Lafayette's lips shut and tried to sacrifice him in some bizarre ritual.  Fortunately for Lafayette, Jesus' father's perpetually pregnant lady friend saved the day by killing Jesus' father and seemingly freeing Lafayette.

Back in Shreveport, Tara is heartbroken when her mother visits her at Fangtasia and says she is cutting her out of her life and she is no longer her daughter.  Pam shows a moment of compassion and hugs Tara before ordering her back to pole dancing.  Tara is a much better dancer than bartender.  I'll forgive Alan Ball for not allowing us to see Roma naked if he'd let us see Pam dance.  I doubt that is going to happen though.

Over on the were/shifter front, Sam tries to warn Luna's ex mother in law that her were pack is drinking vampire blood.  She doesn't believe him until she sees their leader trying to get her granddaughter to drink the blood.  She pulls her out of there and presumably leaves the group.   Meanwhile Alcide works hard and trying to assert his power over the pack and rise up as pack master.  His second may soon see first hand just how hard he'll work ;)

Back in Bon Temps, Holly consoles Arlene over Terry's departure by trying to convince her that Terry may be telling the truth.  Terry and his war buddy encounter the smoke demon in the woods and Hoyt has foolishly decided to join the supernatural hate group.  His mother may hate vamps and supes but I doubt she'd support Hoyt joining a hate group.

Other than the continuation of the shifter storyline, this episode had little to do with the novels.   The main arc of this season, the Lilith storyline is never in the books.  Too me, it's way over the top both and the whole bloodbath and the wedding rehearsal seemed gratuitously violent to me.  Also, Lafayette is long dead in the books so this whole brujo storyline never occurs and I find it rather distracting and ludicrous.  Everytime his face turns blue and he grows those horns, I just roll my eyes.  However, it's not as ludicrous as the smoke demon.  I really wish Terry was dealt a better storyline. How about a storyline that actually showed him dealing with his PTSD from the war?  I bet that is scarier and more realistic than any smoke demon.  Also everytime that someone talks about Lilith or the vampyr, I just laugh my butt off because I picture Andrew, the nerd from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and his pals saying vampyr over and over again when they were trying to be cool.

What do you all think?  Post your comments below, or hit us up on twitter @borderlessbooks.  See ya' a Fangtasia.

Until next week, Neubie the Truebie

Truebie Sundays with Neubie

As much as I loved the second episode of True Blood, Season 5, last week it had little to do with the books.  However, over on HBO.com, I discovered this gem of a video from Jessica Hamby's blog.  Take a few minutes to view it.

Retail Therapy

Did you watch it?  OK, good.   Ginger, the dim-witted human waitress at Fangtasia, is a minor character in Charlaine Harris' novel as as she is in the TV series.  It was nice to see a little more of her personality in this conversation with Jessica.  Also, Ginger suggests that Jessica shop at Tracey's Togs.  In Charlaine Harris' novels, Tara remains human and has been the owner-operator of the boutique Tara's Togs, over at a Bon Temp strip mall owned by Bill Compton.  So, it was nice to see a nod to this in Jessica's blog.  However, I wonder why Jessica didn't call Pam, the most fashionable vampire in all of Louisiana, if not the world! 

Last week's episode also featured another phone call opportunity.  Lafayette and Sookie were in way over the heads in dealing with the newly made vampire Tara.  It was totally true to Pam's character to abandon her progeny.  One of the reasons I love Pam so much is that there isn't a maternal bone in her body.  I can really relate to that.  Pam doesn't want to be bothered with "raising" Tara.  She did exactly what Sookie and Lafayette begged her to do, she saved Tara's life by turning her into a vampire.  So, Tara is of course out of control and running wild, destroying Gran's house while Sookie and Lafayette are clueless as to how to stop her.  They ultimately found a way to subdue her with chains and put her in the underground vampire sleeping chamber that Eric installed.  I couldn't understand why Lafayette and Sookie didn't call Jessica.  She lives across the field and would've been better equipped to talk a new vampire down as Jessica is a young vampire herself and she didn't ask to be made either.

Perhaps Jessica would've been too busy juggling the frat boys she invited over and her unexpected visitor Steve Newlin.  It became quite clear that Jessica is no longer a baby vampire as she effectively rebuffed his attempts to "buy" Jason from her and kicked him out of the house.

Meanwhile Jason was trying to make amends with Hoyt who recently moved back home with his overbearing mother.  I cracked up as Mrs. Fortenberry screamed at for hurting her boy while he was in earshot but then whispered to Jason how happy she was that he had broken up Hoyt and the red-haired "slut."  As I've mentioned before, Jessica isn't in the books and Hoyt eventually marries a scchool-teacher.  Jason remains loyal to his childhood pal throughout the books, they're more like brothers.

Elsewhere in Renard Parish, Sam and his shifter girlfriend got into a huge fight over how to deal with her meddling mother in law wanting to spend more time with her granddaughter.  Sam leaves in a huff and Luna still has way more to deal with than she bargained for her when she discovers that her daughter has shifted for the first time.  Whether she is a werewolf or a shifter remains to be seen but she was awfully cute in puppy form wearing PJs.  I don't think Luna found it that cute though, lol.

Sookie will soon have more to worry that renegade vampire Tara as the Pelt's are looking for their lost daughter, Debbie.  Jason and Andy discovered Debbie's abandoned car.  What Jason do if he discovers that his own sister is the one who killed Debbie?  In the books, very few people knew what Sookie did to Debbie and she never faced any legal consequences.  Being that there wouldn't be much of a show with Ms. Stackhouse in lock-up, I'm sure the show will follow a similar pattern.

Still I don't think any character is in as much trouble as Eric and Bill.  The former enemies have formed an uneasy alliance in dealing with their interrogation by the Authority.  The Authority, led by Roman, insists on vampires learning to live peacefully alongside humans by mainstreaming.  However the Authority's tactics are anything but peaceful.  They subjected Eric and Bill to infusions of silver, which is extremely painful to vampires, in an attempt to solicit information about what happened to Nan Flannagan and whether Bill and Eric are involved in the currently mysterious, "Sanguinista" movement.  Eric and Bill ultimately appeared before the Authority's board and learn that the majority of them have voted that they meet the "true death" for acts of treason.  Bill, was able to effectively save their fangs by offering to bring the recently un-earthered and lethal vampire Russell Edgington to them.  It will be very interesting to see Eric and Bill work together to find Russell.

One thing that disturbed me about the Authority's board is that there was a vampire child on the panel.  In the novels, a vampire child is a huge scandal.  In the novels, Eric's maker isn't Godric, it's

Appius Livius Ocella and he made a vampire child, Alexi Romanov.  Appius used his influence as maker to engage in sexual relations with Alexi. Yep, Eric's major is a creepy pedo.  Alexi is spoiled, impulsive and has crazy bloodlust.  It will interesting to see if this child member of the Authority will be modeled after Alexi.

What do you guys think?  How are you enjoying this season?  Is there anything you'd like to see?

Meet me in a booth at Merlotte's and we'll talk !  Until next week, Neubie the Truebie.