What I’m Watching: True Blood

True Blood: Season 2, Episode 2 “Keep This Party Going” (A-)

This was a fantastic second installment, which set events in motion without really getting too far, but remained incredibly enticing throughout its entirety. Watching the various couples interact, like Sookie and Bill and Tara and Eggs, was extremely interesting. Sookie and Bill’s banter was very entertaining, and it’s worthwhile to see whether Tara’s setting herself up for a fall just like Dawn last year (hopefully not as bad, of course). Jason’s presence at the conference at first seemed trivial and perhaps stupid, but it quickly turned dead serious when he nearly impaled the woman pretending to be a vampire, with powerful simultaneous flashbacks running through his mind. I did have a laugh at Jason asking his new friend whether he was related to the farm and then not repeating the question. His new friend may be trouble, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out. Eric has also gotten entertaining, and Lafayette’s still on fire, though it looks like Lafayette may be no more, or may be a newfound vampire. Maryann’s power over Sam is truly fascinating, and their interactions are some of my favorite scenes. I love Maryann and actress Michelle Forbes, and her brief meeting with Sookie was immensely intriguing – her reaction and tone, but also the deep, whisper-like voice Sookie could hear in her thoughts. The best part of the episode, however, was the end. Jessica’s presence could have been extraordinarily detrimental to the show, but instead, she bonds with Sookie and convinces our heroine to take her home. The meeting goes fine until the abusive father comes home, and watching Jessica get so angry and push Sookie away proves that she’s a legitimate character worth keeping around. Bill’s arrival is typically awesome, and by far my favorite part of this series is that vampire hypnosis, when Bill puts Jessica under his spell and demands to be invited in. The end, with Bill rushing in and demanding Sookie get out while she pleads for him to spare all their lives, was amazing. I got chills and was on the edge of my seat. What a terrific show.