26/08/2012
Show: True Blood
Episode: Season 5, Episode 10 – Gone, Gone, Gone
Aired: Sunday 8:35pm, August 19th 2012
Channel: Showcase (403)
Recap
*SPOILERS – THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THIS EPISODE AND PREVIOUS EPISODES OF TRUE BLOOD*
Sookie is eating dinner when Mike, the coroner, pays her a visit and she invites him in, not realising that he’s a vampire. When he starts to feed on her, she stakes him with a pair of chopsticks. Molly is brought in with her iStake strapped on and she’s given the True Death. The new Sheriff, Elijah, suggests Fangtasia start a sort of vampire glory hole - where humans poke through an appendage and the vampire has 30 seconds to drink - to raise the bar’s income. Elijah also informs Pam and Tara that the Authority has ordered a procreation mandate, they have to make 30 new baby vampires in Area 5 or he seizes Pam’s assets, including her progeny.
Bill and Norah try to save Eric’s soul by forcing him to drink Lilith’s blood. Nora drinks too and Bill retreats to watch on the security cameras. Godric appears to his children and explains he’s always with them because of their blood bond. Bill watches but cannot see Godric’s ghost. Godric continues, saying he has evolved and what Nora is doing is wrong. Lilith appears behind Godric, and as Eric demands Godric fight her, Godric declares he’s not the one who has to fight her. Nora begs for Godric to be spared as Lilith tears his head off. Russell mentions to Steve that there is a way they can command both night and day, and Steve asks Russell to take him with him. Jessica walks into Merlotte’s, most of the customers leave but a couple of guys pull out guns with wooden bullets. Sam and Lafayette stop them and throw them out. Jason walks in and finds Jessica, figuring out they’re both waiting for the same person - Hoyt.
Tara admits to Pam she always wanted kids and she’ll turn double her share if Pam doesn’t want to but Pam turns down the offer. She says Elijah can have the bar, it’s not worth anything at this point, and she and Tara will live in the wind. Given a second chance at life, Hoyt wants to move to Alaska to drill oil. He asks Jessica to glamour him, make him forget about both of them, as a going away present and Jessica reluctantly agrees. At Sookie’s house, Jason and Sookie are at a dead end in their case, as there was nothing in Bud’s personal files. Jason asks Sookie about exactly what Gran said and she admits Gran said look under the bed, not in the box under the bed. Jason starts knocking on the floorboards and finds a hollow hiding spot. Inside is a dust covered box and, inside that, a scroll with figures. Sam and Luna try to find out where Steve Newlin is, in the hope that he will lead them to Emma. They realise Steve is in the state and Luna and Sam plan to be at the summit he’s speaking at.
Sookie and Jason take the scroll to an expert but he tells them that none of the glyphs repeat so he believes it’s a hoax and it doesn’t mean anything. He says it’s definitely not written in any human language, which makes them realise that its origins are probably fairy. Jessica is moping at home when the Authority security members turn up for her, and Bill commands Jessica as her maker (via phone) to go with his security team. Russell watches Steve’s debate from the Authority compound with Emma in his arms. Eric renounces Godric and pledges himself to Lilith, thanking Russell for his mercy and forgiving him for what he did to his family – saying they’re brothers in Lilith’s eyes. Sam and Luna sneak in to Steve’s dressing room as mice and realise that he didn’t bring Emma. They hide in his bag and he leaves carrying them along with him.
Jason sees Hoyt pass him on the road out of town and pulls him over. Jason begs Hoyt not to go, but Hoyt thinks his mum put him up to it (having completely forgotten Jason) and Jason lets him go. Back in his own car, Jason breaks down. Jessica is annoyed about the way she was summoned but Bill asks her to consider the words in the Vampire Bible. Tara calls Elijah into a trap, giving him the True Death and when Pam finds her, Tara asserts that no one fucks with them in their house and they are not leaving. Steve reprimands his puppy for turning human, as two mice escape his bag into the Authority chambers.
The Authority chancellors discuss education reform, suggesting giving vampire bibles to all vampires. Russell suggests there are more important matters like fairy blood and that they should find a way to synthesise it, a way to make them able to walk in the day all the time. When the Authority chancellors speak out against him, he points out that he’s three thousand years old and stronger than all of them combined, he’s just waiting for an excuse to kill them. He refuses to be contained by their God any longer. Pursuing the sun, he storms out. Claude asks Morella to look at the scroll as she’s one of the few who can read the old language. The scroll is a contract and she’s able to translate it using her powers. John Stackhouse promised Warlow his first female Fae-bearing child: Sookie.
Thoughts on the Episode
This episode actually had a major storyline that I really loved so I’m going to start with that due to how rare it is these days. Hoyt’s final moments were almost perfectly executed. Deborah Ann Woll excelled in her scene glamouring him but what really choked me up was Jason. His conversation with Hoyt in the car was heart-wrenching enough but Kwanten’s moment to shine came with his breakdown in the car. Adding a human element to the show is what’s always worked with this show; Jason’s breakdown, along with Lafayette’s moment with Jesus in his car and Eric releasing Pam, are the best scenes we’ve had in season five so far and they’ve all been rooted in relatable human themes – the end of a friendship, the loss of a loved one, and growing up and parting ways with a parent or mentor. Despite the fact that I have come to loathe Hoyt, the writers managed to send him off in such an emotional way that I was almost sorry to see him go – but not enough to forgive them if they ever bring him back, he needs to stay gone.
For some reason I could stand Bill bombing the True Blood factories and I could stand him betraying Eric, but I cannot tolerate him being a bad father. The disappointment evident on Jessica’s face was enough to make me think that perhaps the writers really have taken him to a place he won’t be able to return from. Basically, Jessica deserves better and I really hope she gets out of that compound next episode. Kudos to Woll again for drawing me into this storyline, which I thought I didn’t give a rats about.
Also in the Authority compound, I was a little disappointed with Lilith’s murder of Godric. It really didn’t pack the same punch as Godric’s first death and if Eric has switched sides (which I’m not entirely convinced he has yet) I don’t believe that wasn’t strong enough of a motive for his character to change. And in other Authority news, why is anyone surprised that Russell is trying to complete his grand master plan that was only halted because they put him in the ground back in season three? Did everyone seriously think he came out all reformed? However, I do like the idea that Russel’s too extremist for the extremists and I’m glad he’s now separated from the pack because he’s most fun when he’s free to cause chaos.
In the other storylines, it was great to see Jason actually use his detective skills for once. I really liked the choice to make him part of the sheriff’s department a few seasons back, it was a great step for his character, but to see him portrayed as an idiot who figured out Obamas were wearing masks to hide their identities made me very unhappy. I like the Jason we saw in this episode much better. I’m also confused about where Jason’s sex addiction storyline went. It seems to have joined other randomly dropped True Blood storylines in limbo until the writers need filler again.
In a world where they know other supernatural beings exist, you’d think the Authority would have some protection up against infiltration by shifters (a la Wolfram and Hart and their vampire detection alarm).
I was very glad Elijah didn’t stick around for any length of time, and I’m glad Tara and Pam are sticking around Fangtasia (I couldn’t deal with characters being off at another geographical location). My problem is that Tara seems brash for me, she’s like five minutes old and staking sheriffs, doesn’t she think for a second someone’s going to come to find out who killed him?
This episode was probably my favourite of the season so far, although all to the credit of Ryan Kwanten and Deborah Ann Woll, as the writing is still suffering greatly. Another guest star (Tina Majorino) was wasted, adding to the already overflowing list, and they’re persistently ruining characters I used to like. I’m just not sure how much more of this longstanding fans of the show can take, I already know many friends who used to love the show and have given it up recently.
What Did We Find Out?
Here are some things I noted that may be important later:
- Morella is pregnant, who wants to bet it’s Andy’s? Who actually wants to know about Andy’s love life? Why is it now a storyline?
- Warlow apparently ‘owns’ Sookie, but she’s losing her magic, so will he still be interested in her if she’s lost her powers? Also is her blood as tasty and will it have the same effects on vampires when the Fae powers run dry? And why hasn’t Warlow tried to claim her again? What or who is stopping him?
- Was there anything in Godric’s word choice ‘I’ve evolved’ - the same words Bill used about his change - or was it just coincidence?
Let us know below if you picked up anything else to hint at what’s to come or just your thoughts on this episode of True Blood (but for those ahead overseas or who have read the books, please no spoilers).
