This review contains spoilers.
5.3 Whatever I Am, You Made Me
After a frenetic couple of weeks in Bon Temps, True Blood kept up the hectic pace with its third episode Whatever I Am, You Made Me, cranking up the big bad quotient, adding an Authoritarian conspiracy, and even finding time for some cop-themed romance, but giving us no clues as to where the season is really heading... And it’s a joy to behold.
Continuing the superbly rich Authority storyline, Salome emerged as this week’s most interesting character, and not just because she’s living up to her reputation. Her ‘visits’ to Bill and Eric resulted in one of the bromance’s best scenes so far – although given that the bromance has clearly been brewing for over a century, you have to wonder – what else have they been up to? Salome’s seduction as research ploy - somewhat surprisingly endorsed by Roman - tells us one thing about the Authority. For all their bluster, torture with a smile and handy gadgets (the iStake was a beautiful touch) even they know that there’s nothing like free sex to get the honesty juices going... Unfortunately for Salome, Nora’s dubious confession now puts her under suspicion, and given that Roman probably isn’t someone you want to get caught double crossing, she may well find herself once again in close quarters with the too-cute-to-be-goo vamps, but under very different circumstances.
While Bill and Eric are off being Authority puppets, those unlucky enough to have been left in Bon Temps could really do with a hand. From Pam’s going completely gaga in the four days since Eric’s been gone, to Sookie and the headless Debbie shitstorm, and from nowhere, Laf’s Hoodoo alter ego attempting to poison the patrons of Merlotte’s, the town is in some serious trouble... Which might explain the sudden re-emergence of Sookie’s powers right around the time that Jess gets her first whiff of Faery. With the powerful vamps gone, the playing field is wide open for a supernatural rescue – just when we thought we were safe...
And as if the possible reappearance of the Faeries isn’t enough to worry about, there’s always Jason Stackhouse’s existential crisis to keep you awake. After the revelation that he was (possibly) a statutory rape victim, thanks to a cat-obsessed teacher, we now know everything we need to know about why Jason is Jason. Question is, where does he go from here? Being the town bimbo really suits him, so let’s hope the crisis doesn’t change him too much.
Of course, Jason isn’t the only one going through a major life change right now – poor Tara, vamped up and gaga as her maker – has decided that death by suntan is the only way to deal with this unexpected turn of events; clearly, she’s got even less of a handle on her situation than Jason has on his, and anytime you’re dumber than Jason Stackhouse, you know you’re in trouble. If Pam doesn’t snap out of her lack-of-Eric induced funk, Tara is a goner, which would be a shame. It’s altogether possible though, that Pam may not be the best vamp role model – that backstory we’ve been enjoying has painted a slightly nutty picture of Pam as was, and her affection for, or should that be obsession with, Eric has not diminished over the decades. Not that we’d want her any other way – her acidic personality is what makes her so fantastic, but compared to say Bill, or even her own maker, having Pam as your ‘mother’ ranks right up there with sticking a pen in your eye.
The irony here of course, is that despite all the ‘it’s the thing she most hated’ hyperbole, being a vamp would suit Tara perfectly if she gave it half a chance. Hopefully, the plan is for someone – it doesn’t matter who - to turn Tara into a kick-ass vamp as soon as possible. Sookie et al are going to need her when Laf goes Hoodoo crazy – which he will.
So, it’s been another action packed trip down south – with even more layers and ever more complex circles, True Blood’s fifth season is intriguing indeed. With so much to chew on – the storylines are more dense than ever, it’s anyone’s guess as to what’s really going on in Louisiana and it’s one of the things that make this such a great show; that and the fake product placement – slap ya mama seasoning is genius. If only we could avoid the Faeries...
Read our review of last week's episode, Authority Always Wins, here.
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