True Blood Season 5 Ep 8 Somebody I Used To Know Synopsis / Review V””V

Wow fellow True Blood fans, can you believe we are episode 8 already?  That means this season is 2/3 of the way OVER already.  These weeks are just flying past. Little note here for those that may be interested … this episode was directed by Stephen Moyer, the first time a True Blood cast member has picked up the directing reigns for an episode. Wonder if we will see more of them give it a try in the future.  For those you of new to my spoiler reviews there is a LOT of detail as some people read them from other countries that can’t get to see the episode yet.  I also list my favorite memorable lines at the bottom (feel free to tell me any you liked that I didn’t use), and new for this year as HBO Go has added online extras while you watch so I have added in the time stamps for each of them : Listed after the memorable lines).

So at the end of last week we had the vampires on their rampage and Eric getting a visit from Godric telling him everything is wrong.  Really Godric could you PLEASE just for once remember that you used to love all the carnage and go with that …. just for one episode … Oh that would be awesome!! But alas Alan Ball has other plans and it would seem that Eric is destined to be the voice of reason *sigh* but more on that later. 

This week actually picked up with Sam confronting the attacker at the hospital as Andy takes him into custody but not before the redneck tells Sam that they are everywhere.  Luna is having a total meltdown ,not coping at all and decides the best thing would be for them to go hunting the rednecks and see how they like it.  Personally I am with Luna here but Sam convinces her that he is going to the station and she should just rest while Deputy Kevin sits outside the door.  Hmmmmmm not convinced he would be a lot of good in the face of a real attack but there you go.  Luna is so disgusted by this idea that her meltdown turns into skinwalking and voila … we have Luna in a Sam Suit.   Oh much as I am not a shifter girl you KNOW this is going to be good 😀  Shifters I may not care for but Sam Trammell is one hell of an actor!

Luna tries repeatedly to just “shift” back but that isn’t working so she leaves, complete in Sam suit, much to the surprise and confusion of poor Kevin who is, it has to be said, definitely the worst guard ever as he just sits there are lets her/him wander off without checking the room despite the fact that he saw the real Sam leave earlier. He really is useless!

Over at the Authority headquarters (are they still really the Authority with their new agenda?) the vampires are returning from their night on the town and are still all high as kites, except poor Eric who just seems to be at that confused part after being out of it.  They tumble out of the elevator, mouths all bloody, worshiping the knowledge that they have seen, or so they believe, the blood goddess Lilith. All it all it looks like a messed up Mardi Gras celebration complete with all the beads and I have to confess it looks like fun!!

And so they sit around and discuss the new plan which seems to be generally Mainstreaming is out and feeding on humans is in.  They even send Steve out to procure a few dozen humans to have on hand for snacks including a baby for Nigel, because apparently Lilith wants him to eat a baby.  Eric at this point decides he has had enough fun for one night and leaves trying to get Bill to come with him but Bill declines. I wish that Eric was the one that was more on board with this new regime.  Perhaps Alan Ball is trying to get the true vampire fans to like him a little better although by setting Eric up to almost be a hero that may backfire.  I adore Eric but would love to see him embracing his true vampyric nature.  Someone needs to find spirit Godric and tell him to stop interfering!

Bill does show a brief moment of wavering when Salome invites him in for a late night snack which turns out to be the mother of a 4 month old tied to the bed.  We get a little flashback to when Bill’s daughter was dying and he didn’t turn her and that seems to be the final straw that breaks the camel’s back and feed on the young mother he does … and he enjoys it.

Back in Bon Temps Sookie is still trying to dump all her fairy light and manages to zap Jason (in the head so no damage done).  Jason convinces her that she doesn’t really want to be like everyone else and that he would give anything to be special.  Jason has really matured so much over the last few seasons but it is great to see he still comes up with the funniest lines in the show.

At Fangtasia Jessica is looking amazing and dancing away apparently trying to copy one of the girls on the poles. Perhaps she is after a new job?  Anyway as she is dancing what appears to be a fangbanger comes up to dance with her and after telling Jess that his blood tastes like a milkshake (what kind of milkshakes has HE been drinking one would like to know), the leave together with Jess having a very smug expression on her face. She certainly seem to be enjoying her new freedom.

Next up we have the moments I am sure all your furverts have been waiting for.  We get to see some naked Alcide action (although personally this is something I could definitely do without).  He is busy getting hot and heavy with Rikki (the female werewolf who is to be his second in the packmaster contest) and I suppose the whole point of this is supposed to show that werewolves like it rough … ish …. Well I don’t know.  Yes it was mildly more entertaining than having to watch Alcide and Debbie but give me a vampire anyday….and in the middle of it to have a whole “girlfriend” discussion …. SAD!

At redneck central, also known as some weird little shack out in the middle of nowhere, we find out where Hoyt was heading off to last week with his new little hate group buddies. He was being taken to get his surprise, which unsurprisingly, was a very pathetic looking Jessica, who found out the hard way that even if you are a vampire, going home with a complete stranger is probably not a good idea, as she has ended up bloody and chained with silver, her beautiful clothes ripped, and her cheeks stained with blood tears.  Poor Hoyt is obviously shocked, even more so when he realises that the plan is for him to kill her, or rather get rid of her because “she is already dead!” Even better they decide that they are going to lock Hoyt in there with her until he decides to do it.  Now obviously none of them have watched any movies EVER because we all know that when you say things like that nothing ever goes the way you want it to! I know it, you know it, but these idiots are obviously just too stupid to know it.

Sookie and Jason have decided to pay another visit to the fae nightclub to discover if there is anything they can do to learn the identity of the vampire that killed their parents.  Claude originally was saying that the fae don’t get involved with such maters but then one of the sisters opens her mouth to say there may be a way and we get to learn that Alan Ball has invented yet another fairy gift.  Hmmmm do you think they sit around saying … I am not sure what we can do about this problem … I know let’s just give the Fae another ability??   In this case the ability is that they can go back into people’s memories of a certain time at the place it happened so it is a field trip to the bridge and what looks like a casting circle that witches would use with everyone together holding hands to “share energy”.  Hmmmmm Sookie after what happened last time you were involved in these kind of circles you would really think that you would know better.

Sookie goes back into her mother’s memories but at some point during the flashback things change and she suddenly finds herself seeing things through the eyes of the attacking vampire rather than through her mothers.  Oh you know this is not going to be good.  Whilst we don’t get to see the actual vampire’s face we do see Claudine and she calls a name “Warlow” (?sp) just before she blasts him with her fairy light but not before he has managed to kill both of Sookie’s parents.  Now this blast actually knocks Sookie out of the circle (see I told you this circle idea was not a good one) and the fairies are saying that she shouldn’t have been able to link with a vampire.  So what does this mean?  Is it a side effect maybe of all the vampire blood she has consumed / been transfused with over the last couple of years?  Is it some weird quirk in her abilities that just happens to be there? Maybe that is why she seems to be always attracted to vampires.  Who knows.  knowing my luck Alan Ball will deem this fit to be another mystery than hangs forever unanswered and is just one of those things that is. Oh and Albert Einstein was a halfling (just like Sookie) .. Hmmm OK then!

Little sidebar here for book reader ….. Does anyone else think there may be a connection between the name Warlow and the Waldo in the book that was Queen Sophie Ann’s vampire that killed Hadley?  Could they be setting it up that QSA was involved all along? After all we know that she has sent Bill to do some spying and it seems to be a rather large coincidence that Claudine was already involved with the protection?  Just things that are running through my mind right now so thought I would share them .  I guess we will find out, or not, as things unfold.

At the redneck hideaway, left alone with Jessica, poor Hoyt just doesn’t know what to do.  It is obvious that he still loves her but she hurt him so badly.  Eventually we get a flash to the other room where one of the Milkshake redneck is waiting (and all alone … wonder where the other redneck losers went) and we hear a gunshot, which causes him to rush in and ask Hoyt if he did it, only to have Jessica spring from behind the door and break his neck. Good for Jessica.  Not so good for Jessica is it turns out that so much time has passed it is now the middle of the day and no way for her to leave and Hoyt heads off promising to come back with help.

Also out on the road is poor  Lafayette is heading home after his nasty adventure last week and his mouth looks so sore.  (Hmmmm anyone else ever wonder what happened to the awesome car that Eric gave him … did I miss something somewhere?) During his drive he find Jesus’ little medical kit along with his nametag, and inside the little kit is a vial of vampire blood so Lafayette is able to heal.  Even nicer is that as he heals Jesus appears in the car next to him and they are able to have a little moment together and whatever that moment was by the time Lafayette gets home he has his mojo back and then some.  It was so great to see him throwing out zingers like he used to.  Of course his visitors Arlene and Holly don’t seem so impressed.  They have come to ask him to perform a fake séance to convince Terry that the woman from Iraq has forgiven him and called off the curse.  Lafayette lets them know that his days of helping are OVER … unless they want to pay $300 which Arlene and Holly look none too impressed with and Lala closes the door.  Hilarious!!!

At the police station Andy is interrogating his suspect (With Sam standing right there… hmmmm yes no protocol in the world of Bon Temps apparently) and the idiot has decided that he isn’t going to rat out his friends.  Sam convinces Andy to leave them alone for a minute so that he can use some of his “techniques” to try and get answers.  Andy agrees and when he leaves Sam starts to get naked and then changes into a snake!! Awesome!! Oh and he get’s the information they need and discover that Jessica is in trouble.

At the front desk, while Andy is getting his coffee, in walks ….. SAM!!! Well obviously not Sam but Luna in her Sam suit.  Poor Andy! He just doesn’t know what to do.  But I have to pause here to give credit to Sam (The actor).  What an AMAZING job he does playing Luna playing him!! Flashbacks to him as Tommy playing him and the awesome job he did there but having 2 Sam’s in the same room for several scenes?? Genius!!! Kudos to the whole team for that one! And off they go, 2 Sams and an Andy to rescue Jessica!

When they get there they find that she is unharmed and just sitting with the dead milkshake guy (Reggie) on the floor and confused as hell about why there are 2 Sams and no Hoyt as Hoyt was supposed to be the one sending them to get help.  Sam (the Luna one) sniffs around and discovers that a woman has been there recently and who he describes sounds a little like Maxine apart from the smoking part but while they are working this out Luna Sam gets hit with the first of the bad side effects from the skinwalking.  Now we all remember I am sure what happened to Tommy but what isn’t clear is what the finite rules for skinwalking are.  All we know is that after you run a high fever and vomit blood. Oh and really what does it matter because Alan Ball isn’t really good at sticking to rules anyway.  Whatever the case Luna is not looking too good.

They head home and we get a very tender scene with Luna Sam lying on Sam Sam’s lap and Sam Sam trying to convince her that she isn’t going to die.  She shifts back to herself and seems for a second as if she will be alright but then the pain hits and she starts vomiting blood.  Guess we will have to wait until next week to find out if she is going to make it or not.

As night falls in full effect we head to Fangtasia and get to see the very annoying Tracy (From Tracy’s Togs) annoying Tara at the bar.  Turns out they used to go to school together and Tracy seems to have made it her life goal to just be as annoying and racist as hell (when she finds out Tara is a vampire she congratulates her on now being a member of 2 minorities).  She order s a drink and tells Tara she has given her the wrong one and makes a whole string of snide remarks all of which we see Pam (who looks STUNNING) listening in to.  As Tara is about to get well all Tara like with Tracy Pam rushes over and apparently tells Tara off and apologizes to Tracy but don’t worry, Pam has a plan.  Later we have Pam taking Tara downstairs for a little chat and we find that whilst in the bar Pam appeared to be siding with Tracy it was in fact all a front and Tracy is now a nice little blood whore, all chained up to the spinning contraption in the Fangtasia basement that hasn’t been seen being used for a while.  With a nice little glamour to turn Tracy into a completely willing Tara blood slave Pam’s work is done.  Did I mention I LOVE her??

Night fall apparently is also the time for the fight for Packmaster only JD has decided that they aren’t going to fight each other, or chase down an animal.  Instead he has kidnapped a local track star from the University and whichever of them catches and kills him first will be the new packmaster.  Well we all know Alcide won’t stand for that and so instead he steps down saying that he would rather forfeit than kill that kid.  Sadly JD has decided he is still going to hunt the boy down just because he can.  Lots more growling from Alcide and JD and then they both take off running into the woods after the poor scared track kid. JD gets there first but it is quickly Alcide to the rescue and the kid escapes safely.  The same cannot be said for Alcide though as JD beats the hell out of him and his life is only saved by Martha turning up and begging for it explaining that this is not for the best for the pack.  For whatever reason JD somehow agrees and all the wolves head off to celebrate leaving Martha and Rikki alone with the beat up Alcide.

Obviously at some point Arlene and Holly have decided that Lafayette’s time is worth the money, (and well let’s be honest here it isn’t like they have a whole lot of options open to them) because we get to see the séance complete with Terry and Patrick in attendance (tricked into attendance by being told that there was a fire).  The idea of just putting on a good show soon falls flat when Lafayette actually makes contact with the spirit in question and that spirit is not happy, and has no intention at all of forgiveness.  She does come up with an alternate plan though and that is that Terry will be left alone if he kills Patrick or Patrick can kill Terry.  Patrick obviously realises that things aren’t looking too good for him and he just takes off running!

Still trying to get home we see Hoyt on a road in the middle of nowhere and when a truck pulls up he says he is glad to see a friendly face, but then said face (we don’t know who but I am guessing one of his stupid vamp hating buddies) pulls a gun on him so we know he is in trouble.

Also in trouble (but somewhat of her own making) is Sookie who is drying her hair when she gets a not too friendly visit from the vampire (who seems to be masquerading as Freddie Krueger in his spare time).  The vampire appears as a spirit like face out of thing air and lets her know that he is coming for her.  Well that isn’t going to be anything good! I am guessing he doesn’t want to go out for dinner!

With night also comes more planning at Vampire headquarters.  Eric is trying to fulfil Godric’s wishes and get through to Nora but Nora is way too far gone.  She is convinced that they are on the path of Lilith and that Godric was mad at the end.  Now I was hoping with those two together might end up with a little more episode one type action but no such luck.  Poor Eric looks so sad at what Nora says *sigh* … I really wish he was more on board with the whole blood lust thing.

And to finish the episode we have a meeting of the remaining vamps who are working out the best way to squash the mainstreamers.  Russell is more interested in pursuing Steve than paying attention to the meeting much to Salome’s annoyance.  Russell is hilarious! He is really only interested in what he wants to do.  Eric seems to have decided on the keep your friends close but your enemies closer kind of role (possibly because they would just kill him otherwise although I don’t really understand why they haven’t already at this point … not that I am complaining) and is sitting in on the meeting when Bill comes up with the plan to destroy all the Tru Blood factories (apparently there are only 5) and that will force the mainstreamers to revert to their vampyric ways.  All the vampires at the table are thrilled by this so-called genius idea but Eric is not.  Will be interesting to see how this ends up playing out.

Overall not a bad episode.  I love the idea of the vampire going wild and treating all the humans as food but am not loving the fact that Bill is being portrayed as more vampire than Eric.  I suppose it fits in with him being weak and a sheep.  I am still bored with the whole wolf story but have to say that the shifter story this week with the skinwalking I did find entertaining and very well shot.

I am still loving Russell, the bad boy that he is and I am adoring the way that Pam is being portrayed.  The whole Terry thing that was annoying me was less annoying this week only because of how things with Lafayette were handled.  I love seeing Lala like this and hope that he remains this way for the rest of the season at least!

I would like to say I was curious about the whole new Sookie / vampire connection but honestly I am over the whole fae thing.  Perhaps the vampire connection will provide some interest but I am not holding my breath.

With only 4 episodes left I have the feeling that yet again we are going to be left with more questions than answers and I have to wonder if that is because Alan Ball himself hasn’t even worked out where he actually wants this to go ……………

V””V

Memorable Lines From Somebody I Used To Know

• Jason – “I’m fine …. you got me in the head”
• Russell – “God has the most beautiful tits I have ever seen”
• Russell – I have never been called devout. But watching Lilith shoot out of a blood pool while I sucked down a bride to the dulcet strains of ‘You Light Up My Life,’ well, praise Lilith! Praise Jesus! Praise Moses’ cock! I am born again!”
• Andy – “I know you got friends ….. dipshits like you grow in bunches”
• Andy – “I want names, I want addresses, and if I don’t get them, my tazer’s gonna ask your nuts to the big dance.”
• Jessica – “I wanted to love you, I even prayed for it to come back, but it just didn’t”
• Lafayette – “Hooker, I ain’t in the helping business no more, I’m in the ‘Fuck off while I smoke a blunt’ business, and business is about to pick way the fuck up.”
• Jason – ” I don’t give a twirly fuck about your elders”
• Tracy – “Now you are a member of 2 minorities”
• Pam – ” I apologize .. Tara is new .. and stupid”
• Pam – “You don’t know me that well …. My mad face and my happy face are the same.”
• Eric – “I have loved you for almost 600 years”
• Lafayette – “Terry Baby You Gots To Kill Patrick”

 

HBO Go – Extras

• 00.04 – A ‘True Blood’ First
• 02.13 – Shifter Temper (Video)
• 02.23 – Skinwalking 101
• 02.43 – Skinwalking 101
• 03.03 – Skinwalking 101
• 04.45 – Best Night Ever (Video)
• 07.35 – Becoming Luna (Video)
• 07.53 – Second Look : Redneck Vogue
• 07.59 – Jessica’s Vlog : What To Do
• 08.06 – Now Playing : Beneath Contempt performed by Flesh Field
• 09.40 – Russell Edgington : Role Model (Video)
• 10.56 – A Dangerous Drug (Video)
• 11.02 – Now Playing : Smokestack Lightening performed by Howlin’ Wolf
• 12.47 – The Real Salome (Video)
• 16.34 – The Greatest Gift (Video)
• 19.21 – Hoyt’s Anger (Video)
• 20.36 – Lafayette’s Ride
• 22.19 – True Story : Second Coming
• 23.54 – True Secret : Cobra Improv
• 24.44 – Double Trouble
• 27.45 – You Fucked My Best Friend
• 28.58 – Doomed From The Start (Video)
• 29.17 – Relive : Bad Breakups from Bon Temps
• 32.19 – First Draft : Vampire Sookie
• 33.06 – Claude-who?
• 33.53 – Now Playing : Die Slow performed by Health
• 34.04 – What’s She Doing?
• 36.02 – Racist White Trash (Video)
• 36.19 – True Story : Werewolf Chic
• 40.44 – The Original Godric
• 42.51 – True Secret : Seeing Double
• 44.48 – Vamp Vindication (Video)
• 47.37 – Eternal Optimist (Video)
• 48.40 – Witches vs Mediums
• 51.49 – My Way Or The Highway (Video)
• 52.40 – Who ARE You? (Video)