My Review of True Blood's 3x11: "Fresh Blood"

Written by Nancy Oliver
Directed by Daniel Minahan

Eric (to Russell): “Be brave. We’ll die together.”

And this viewer says ‘what’? Die together? Eric, are you out of fucking mind? I get the whole wanting to kill Russell because he offed your family but last time I checked, that could’ve easily been done without Eric handcuffing himself to the evil king in a bid to meet the true death by sunlight.

All Eric had to do was find a way to keep Russell restrained and in the sun long enough to burn up. I’m not sure why all of a sudden that Eric seems to have a death wish, even though in this episode he certainly had no problem in using Sookie’s fairy blood in order to lull Russell into a false sense of security.

I know a lot of fan girls might have felt like telling Sookie to put a sock in it because she wasn’t in the loop about Eric setting Russell up for a fall but honestly, do you blame her? Eric did imprison her and when she did manage to get loose with some help from Yvetta and Bill, it didn’t take him long enough to capture her again and drink from her along with Russell.

If anything, assuming that Bill does get to save Sookie in time, I have a feeling that Sookie will finally do the rational thing and put some distance between herself and the main vampires of the show. Now I like Eric, Bill and Pam plenty but each of them have all screwed Sookie over this season in ways that she shouldn’t instantly forgive.

Bill’s habitually lied to her about his real reasons for entering her life, Pam encouraged Eric to use Sookie in order to keep Russell away from him and Eric pretty much followed his progeny’s advice and then some. If Sookie doesn’t get mad at the lot of them in the finale, then she really isn’t the brightest button on the show.

That being said, I absolutely loved Eric and Pam this week. Eric might be self-serving but his affection for Pam (and hers for him) is definitely one of the most genuine relationships on the series and Pam was crying over the idea of losing her maker. Bill barely batted an eyelid Lorena was killed and he was largely annoying in this episode as well, sadly.

I sort of hated the conversation that both Bill and Sookie had in the car about what their lives would be like if they were normal people. Not because the whole thing was cheesy but because it was blatantly obvious that Sookie and Bill are heading for a fall. If those two are still together next season, then it will be some of a miracle/cop out, depending on your stance with them. I like the characters but they need to break up now.

As for Eric and Russell, I loved their confrontation at the museum. Russell’s been such a multi-faceted villain that his scenes with Eric highlight just how great he is. He reluctantly indulged the idea of drinking from Sookie to be able to walk in the sun and then found himself overcome with glee when it looked like it could work.

His comeuppance was certainly inevitability but I was sort of expecting this episode to end with him doing something monstrous instead of being tricked by Eric. However it does look like we’ll see him one more time and by the looks of it, if Eric doesn’t kill him, then Russell probably will end up wishing that he did meet the true death at the hands of sunlight.

Speaking of meetings, count me in on the Tara and Sam shipper train but only if this time around, it’s them as an actual couple rather than them being friends with benefits all over again. Right now, these two are exactly what the other needs but if I had to wager on who was more messed up this time, I would hedge my bets on Sam.

Tara has her flipping issues but Sam was the one who was lashing out at everyone in this episode. Normally I’d laugh at someone insulting Arlene but Sam had no right to call her and Holly bitches (cheers to Holly for telling him where to get off) and the way he treated both Terry and Tommy made me want to punch his lights out.

No matter how mad you are, you don’t attack someone as kind and fragile as Terry in the manner that Sam did. Mocking Terry’s shellshock was a below the belt comment from Sam and the cold way in which he treated Tommy actually made me feel sorry for the kid. Okay, Tommy got his own back by stealing from Sam but even still, I thought the way Sam treated him was nasty.

It was also a stark contrast to how Tara dealt with Andy over the Eggs situation. I won’t lie – I was expecting her to blow her off and really tear Andy a new one but the nuanced conversation she had with him instead was a better way of dealing with the matter. She certainly didn’t hold back in making Andy feel bad but she also listened to his side of the story as well and seemed to believe that he was genuinely sorry for Eggs’s death.

I can’t see Tara instantly forgiving either Jason or Andy anytime soon but I think it can be ruled out that she’s going to make their lives hell at the same. As for her and Sam – I loved the fact that both of them could analyse the other as well as themselves because right now, they’re the only two who get each other and their sex scene was pretty damn hot.

What wasn’t hot though was Lafayette’s hazy little drug state this week around. Given that he’s seeing all kind of creepy antics right now, this has to mean that a) Lafayette really is attuned to magic in some ways and b) if the head mask if anything to go by, I can assume that Jesus isn’t all that he seems. Too bad, I wanted Jesus as a good guy.

I guess with good guys, I’ll have settled for Hoyt in a way. I liked that Jessica opened up about the trucker incident and that it brought them closer but there are pros and cons to him now letting her drink from her – namely her self-control issues. That being said, Jessica/Hoyt are still the best vampire/human pairing on the show so far by a long shot.

As for Maxine being the reason why Summer was brought into the mix – it makes total sense but it’s also rather disturbing and if she’s this determined to control Hoyt, then I fear that she might do something more dangerous in order to get Jessica out of the picture.

Last but not least – Jason and Crystal, I’m still not really feeling this storyline but at least it’s progressed a bit and it didn’t take all that much on Crystal’s part to try and persuade Jason to help her family against the DEA. However the stuff with Kitch Maynard is beyond tedious. I don’t care if he’s using V to advance himself and I find it odd that Jason himself is all that bothered and besides, it’s adding nothing to the actual story itself, so what’s the point to it all?

Also in “Fresh Blood”

Pam used some silver spray on Bill during their scrap over Sookie. I noticed that we’ve been getting more fight scenes this season.

Bill (re Sookie): “If you try to keep her from me, I will kill you.”
Pam: “Get a grip, Bill, I’m not the enemy.”

Yvetta stole from Fangtasia in this episode, restrained Pam (what is it with female bondage this year?) and mentioned that she was a cardiologist in her own country. Pam also fed from Ginger, who screamed once again.

Crystal: “I’m just the same as I’ve always been. I told you I had secrets, you said you didn’t care.”
Jason: “I thought it was shoplifting or something. You could’ve given me a heads up.”

Hoyt: “I can’t do anything without you.”
Jessica: “I missed you so much.”
Hoyt: “I missed you too.”

Arlene enlisted Holly to try and get rid of the baby but despite bleeding out, the baby is still alive. What if the child isn’t evil?

Russell: “Life is absurd. Still, I’m excited to destroy you.”
Eric: “My loved one are dead and Talbot’s dead. We’re even.”
Russell: “Don’t beg for mercy, it’s such a bore.”

Sookie: “I don’t know if people can change, even if they try.”
Bill: “We can if we want to. Do you want to?”

I meant to say in my last review but congratulations to Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer who got married last month.

Summer (re Hoyt): “I even offered my virginity and he turned it down flat.”
Maxine: “Summer, I appreciate that, even if it broke God’s law.”

Sam: “I could use some help here.”
Tara: “I can see that. Too bad I ain’t working here tonight.”

The anti-vampire feeling has become rife as even Fangtasia had some nasty graffiti on it’s walls this week. Nan’s not doing great on the damage control front, is she?

Holly (re great mother): “Okay, she’s fine. You feel her?”
Arlene: “I feel something.”

Russell: “Don’t you see Miss Stackhouse? Your country’s begging to be conquered.”
Sookie: “You don’t know much about America.”

Standout music: Eels “Fresh Blood”, which was used in some of the earlier trailers for this season as well.

Sam: “Nobody knows me.”
Tara: “It’s not like you make it easy.”

Chronology: From where “I Smell A Rat” left off.

“Fresh Blood” is certainly an interesting penultimate episode but with the Russell mostly resolved, I have a feeling that the finale in two weeks will just follow suit and be a set up for more stuff in the next year than resolving this one.

Rating: 9 out of 10.