True Blood On Fire, Torchwood Shocks, and Other TV Thoughts

More than halfway through its fourth season and I'm still loving True Blood. Granted I'm getting a bit tired of the "aw shucks" Eric Northman character especially since I find Sookie so unbelievably boring as a character. I mean look at Bill, I couldn't give a rat's ass about him in earlier seasons and suddenly without Sookie by his side, he actually intrigues me. It helps that for this episode he got to spend time with the radiant Deborah Ann Woll who's been on fire, pun mildly intended, as of late. Is she going to die? I doubt it, but I'm already looking forward to seeing her scenes next week with Jason, Bill, Hoyt, whoever.


Now this episode was the beginning of the huge showdown between witches and vampires as Antonia slowly gathered her coven to replicate the spell she used 400 years ago to force vampires out into the sun. Tara and Holly are on her side, but what's more intriguing to me is where Jesus/Lafayette will align themselves. It's easy to say they'll take up arms against the vampires, but I'm postulating a medium vs. medium duel between Lafayette and Antonia/Marnie by season's end. Pam is still deliciously fascinating as her rotting flesh hasn't neutered her sharp personality. She also gives an assist to the funniest scene of the episode where Ginger gets on top of Pam's violently vibrating coffin.

"Look Torchwood is gone. It's just a name these days." Rex utters this line early in the episode and I wonder how many fans feel this exact sentiment. Now I expressed my general disappointment with Torchwood last week and while that feeling is still there, most of this most recent episode actually gave me hope... only for the show to take it away again by the end. The thing is, I love the character of Dr. Vera Juarez. Unlike Rex, she was likable and unlike Esther, she was confidently competent. So of course she is KILLED, or more accurately burned to a crisp. And suddenly I was having flashbacks to Ianto, Tosh, and Owen and how sad/angry I was when they died. So even though Rex wasn't a total jackass this episode and Esther actually seemed to know what she was going and Gwen continued kicking ass, all I could think of by the end was DAMNIT WHY? Maybe that was the point, to shock us, even though the revelation that the government is channeling the Holocaust with their concentration camps and OH YEAH BURNING PEOPLE ALIVE was probably enough to do that. I'm also starting to not really care about Oswald. There are five episodes left, which was how long Children of Earth was, so I'm hoping they can end in great form. God, why am I still this optimistic?


Apparently the character of Skyler in Breaking Bad is an unpopular character in fandom, but I love her. She and Walt are made for one another. That long scene with the both of them going over her meticulous script was HILARIOUS. Plus I love the parallel between that scene and the scene that Walt has with Jesse with Walt taking on the Skyler role demanding Jesse to take the situation they're in more seriously. This episode also had wonderful forward momentum to every single plot thread. We get to see the fallout from Gus' dealings with the Mexican gangs, Hank is finally doing something other than moping and whining, and Jesse by the end is forcibly taken out of his house and out of his extended doldrums since killing Gale. Speaking of Gale, that karaoke scene was perfection. And I don't say it enough, but Bryan Cranston is great. While he took a backseat last week, he was MVP again with his scenes with Skyler, Jesse, and Hank this episode.

Finally, Weeds wasn't as good as the past two weeks, but it did include our weekly dose of Silas shirtless as he gets involved with an underground male model fight club. Yeah, it's all completely gratuitous, but I'm not really complaining. Plus it meant Silas and Nancy's drug-dealing business is finally up and running. Shane is still working with the cops, a somewhat ironic development, but at least he is showing off the smarts that seemed to have been downplayed the past couple of seasons in order to feature his more darker impulses. Nancy also seems to finally be done with the whole halfway house business, because she's now an information (again). Trouble ahead for her though as her lesbian lover from prison is out of jail and probably wondering what she's been up to. Finally, I admit, I missed Heylia already.