Review: True Blood: 'Never Let Me Go'

This was a tough week for True Blood. While I feel that this episode finally moved things forward ever so much, it did so in a very plodding way that didn't yank the viewer along the way it has in the past. Granted, I personally appreciated the more substantial progressions on display more than the previous two weeks, everything felt stilted. By this I mean that each significant scene outstayed its welcome by two to five minutes and really had you squirming for a scene change. It was all a bit tricky to experience and a little too melodramatic (and not in the good way that True Blood has become accustomed).

Fortunately all of the major plot lines were touched on in this week's episode. Bill and Sookie continue their journey through Dallas. Sookie finds out that Barry, the telepathic bell-hop, is not too people friendly and not at all happy about finding kinship in another. Meanwhile Bill gets lots of time to whine and worry about Sookie. It wasn't very endearing to see the usually stoic Bill almost fumbling all over himself in his concerns about his human girlfriend. I've already started to hear others describe this episode as 'soap-operatic', and I hate to say it's hard to disagree. Every exchange this episode, especially between Bill and Sookie, seemed so dripping with melodrama and overemphasis. I have to wonder what the previous season and the subsequent episodes from this season were for if not to in a much less blunt way express how into each other these two have become. Eric meanwhile is starting to fray at the edges about finding Godric who, not too surprisingly, ends up being his maker. More interesting in this dynamic is the fact that Godric has the appearance of a child. This could play a number of ways in weeks to come; most unsettlingly in an oddly sexual way if tonight's flashback scene was to be interpreted such. Here's hoping Eric doesn't hop on the mopey express with Bill. These vampires are much more interesting when they seem so removed from modern humanity both dramatically and comically. Tara and Eggs seem snug as bugs after their steamy night together, and it seems that Tara has finally found some personal peace. That is until Maryann drops the curiously convenient bombshell that Eggs and she need a new place to stay and have elected to join Tara at Sookie's. Rightfully Tara refuses and is justifiably perturbed that neither Eggs or Maryann ever found it important enough to mention that the lavish house they were staying in was a rental. The seduction of Tara continues though as Maryann uses some of her demon/goddess/succubus ju-ju to give her a particularly vicious day at Merlotte's Bar. This causes her to consider the value of 'family' that Eggs and Maryann are tempting her with. Before long it seems Sookie will return to a full house and Tara's still on the dangerous path to... well, whatever Maryann's planned for her.

Jason continues his transformation into a Fellowship of the Sun puppet as he shines in training for vampire soldiering. All of this success finally lands him in exactly the situation we all assumed from episode one: a disastrous affair with Sarah Newlin in which she convinces the dim-witted Jason that God wants to reward him for his suffering. He's almost head-slappingly stupid, but fortunately it makes for entertaining television. Finally Sam and Daphne discover that they have more in common than working in the same place. Turns out Daphne is a shapeshifter too, and this attracts Sam faster than is possibly safe. Honestly, with the scars on her back that no one seems to want to ask about to the fact that she just so happens to be Sam's perfect match coupled with her sudden appearance do not a trusting foundation make. My two cents? She's either working for Maryann or she is somehow the evil minotaur/satyr from a few episodes back. Safe bet's on the former. We're also treated to a brief phone conversation between Jessica and Hoyt which is cute but only really a distraction at the moment in the bigger picture. Also Lafayette returns to work attempting to form the semblance of a normal life. This is one broken man compared to his former glory.

That's a lot of information for one episode, and if told differently it would have been infinitely more enjoyable. As it stands, while I found myself anticipating each successive scene I was also growing wearisome of each before it was over. The main detriment to this episode was its script it would seem. The dialogue didn't play right in context to the things happening and none of it rang true coming from the actor's mouths. Bill and Sookie were especially tiresome this week. If we wanted ten minutes of caressing and smoochy talk, we'd look to more romantic fair such as Twilight or an Anne Rice book. As it stands, True Blood fans want less talk, more action. We want more dramatic reveals, just shy of hokey happenings, and just enough character balance to anchor the whole shebang in believability.

Next week needs to do a few things which, judging from the preview at the end of the credits, it seems on track to achieve. Sookie is going to attempt to infiltrate the Fellowship of the Sun which means she will inevitably run into Jason which is great because it will give him some conflict. Jason is most intriguing when he has more than one voice inside his head manipulating him. The question will be if Sarah Newlin's persuasions will win out over his loyalty to his sister. Some headway in the Godric thing will be good too, and it looks like Eric is going to continue to mess with Lafayette until the poor man is a shaking shell of himself. Lastly with Bill's maker back in town, we're in for some intriguing developments between Sookie, Bill and Bill's oldest vampire relation. I have faith that this episode kind of got away from the writers and because of the stationary nature of the past two episodes they were forced to unnaturally push the proverbial players around the field in a way unlike the series norm. Of course, only next week will tell but if things really start to come to a boil on multiple fronts at once then we are in for more intrigue going forward. Count me in.