More Flashbacks, More Fairies

True Blood, S05E03

Tara tried to seek help from Sam, wanting to avoid Lafayette and Sookie.  Andy began to question about Debbie's disappearance, and Sookie had to come clean to Alcide.  Eric and Bill were saved from execution, but were tested by an Authority councilor to see if they could be trusted.  Pam continued to remember how she came to be Eric's child.  Jason encountered the teacher who taught him how to have sex and realized that sex didn't comfort him like it used to.  Jessica realized that Jason wanted more than a physical relationship and assured him that she could be a friend who was also a woman.

If there was some way I could feel sorry for Tara having to adjust to being a vampire, which she hated, and trying to resist harming innocent people, I would do it.  But she is just so damn annoying!  Tara took a bullet for Sookie, and Sookie had someone she disliked help save her life in return.  When Tara takes the moment to stop freaking out over her new found hunger and abilities, maybe she'll see that people loved her enough to not want to be visiting her grave every day. Perhaps if Pam gets annoyed enough she might take Tara under her wing and settle her ass down.  Pam, at least, is a pretty cool and collected vampire and would make a good role model for Tara.

However, she did lose it when Sookie was bothering her about Tara when Eric had been missing for days.  Sookie was lucky that she didn't get her neck bitten off, pestering her about an act that she and Lafayette made her do.  But I was surprised that Sookie was able to control her fairy powers enough to retaliate against Pam and send her flying.  Damn!  I almost wished that the fight had escalated.  Sometimes Sookie pushes her damn luck.  I know that she doesn't have full control over those powers just yet, so she should be a little more careful about attacking vampires who would gladly see her dead.

I suppose what I liked best about this episode was Pam's 1905 flashback when Eric came to her establishment.  He wanted to have Pam, but she refused him unless he would take care of the vampires who were draining some of her girls dry.  It turned out these vampires were none other than Bill and Lorena!  That wasn't interesting to me until I realized this was the first time that Bill and Eric met.  Bill was still quite the greenhorn vampire who seemed to have nothing but contempt for Eric.  But Eric recognized Bill's talent, I suppose, and was gracious enough to let Lorena and Bill (who glared at Eric instead of apologizing) go without any bloodshed.  Classy.  And it adds upon the relationship between Bill and Eric which has been horrible until recently.  I wonder when it was that they met each other again (possibly when Eric became sheriff?).  I also wonder what it was about Pam that Eric felt strongly enough not to let her die, but take her on as his child.  I dunno.  Eric can't be that compassionate.

Oh, there was a random fairy who appeared.  He was fairly good-looking (as fairies are supposed to be) and reminded me that the fairies who have been on the show so far annoy me with their average looks.  But I was worried that Jessica following the fairy was going to get her killed or something.  I've read the books and I can't get over at how vicious and sadistic fairies were (though I don't think they are as bad in the TV version).  Still, I think the fact they are still floating around town is going to have some kind of dangerous consequences down the road.  Hopefully in an interesting way, not a stupid way.

I was none too surprised that Alcide didn't accept Sookie's confession too well.  Any guy with some sense would think that Sookie wasn't a very good friend.  However, just because I like Alcide, I hope that he forgives her.  She will surely need his help to keep the Pelts off her back.  Once they find out that Sookie is the one who murdered their daughter, they'll be an addition to the list of people who will want to kill her (the foremost being Russell once he gets back on his feet).

Jason also surprised me by visiting his past when he had sex with his former teacher (again), but then realized that sex being the highpoint of his life and worth didn't fulfill him anymore (if it ever truly did).  I was really happy to see that he resisted Jessica and wished to be treated like a human not a sex robot.  It was even better when Jessica wasn't so horny to not listen to his feelings and offered to lend him her ear like a real friend.  I guess she really is serious about Jason after all.  I was worried that she was all talk and might lose interest in him if he wasn't getting naked for her.  There is hope for those two yet.

I think overall this episode wasn't that exciting, possibly because nothing really happened.  Bill and Eric were still stuck on Authority grounds, Tara was still being a bitchy newborn vampire, and Arlene was no closer to finding out what was going on with Terry than she was before.  Truly, if there wasn't a Pam flashback and Jason's revelation that sex wouldn't whitewash all his problems, I would have been pretty bored.  Next time, I'd like to see Pam have a bigger role (that wasn't in a flashback) and find out what's going on with these fairies in town.  Hopefully, Russell won't make a move any time soon because I'm not quite ready for him to come in and cause havoc just yet.  That's either going to be really great or really terrible.

How Much Would You Pay For Jason?

True Blood, S05E02

Sookie and Lafayette struggled to look after Tara who was raging around the house.  Eric and Bill were interrogated and tortured at an Authority holding area.  Arlene tried to get to the bottom of what was wrong with Terry.  Luna gave Sam the boot when he tried to give his two cents about Emma.  Steve offered money to Jessica to hand over Jason to him.

The winner this week for best scene in this episode was hands-down when Steve approached Jessica for the use of Jason for 10 grand--cash.  I had hoped that he hadn't given up on Jason so easily, and this time he really showed that he was indeed determined to get his hands on him.  I was dying with laughter when Jessica was teasing him about how hot Jason was so he would double his offer.  Luckily, she wasn't about to pimp out her friend.  Still, Steve seems that he is going to keep causing trouble for Jessica until he gets what he wants.  I'm very interested to see what else he might do.  Also, I loved when he just barged into her party and was getting along with those college students so well.  Wow.

The second best scene for me was when Lafayette had to offer Tara some True Blood, and he looked terrified and pulled up his sweater around his neck.  I freaking love when Lafayette is kinda scared shitless--his expressions are so funny!  But I felt myself feeling sorry for him when he was about to stake Tara, and he confessed that he had her turned because he didn't have anyone without her now that Jesus was gone.  Aww!  As much as I hate Tara, I don't want to see Lafayette so sad and lonely!  If Tara can just manage to be there for him, I can tolerate her ass still being alive.

Another scene that had me very interested was Bill and Eric being interrogated.  I was amazed at how they refused to sell one another out, no matter what happened to them.  Even better, I love that Eric can still be sarcastic when his life is on the line.  He cracks me up.  Of course, it would feel a little out of character for him if Eric was cowering in fear or something.  Not only is he brave no matter what, but he's also so damn loyal!  I was surprised that when it looked like "Guardian (who the hell is that guy?)" was going to stake Bill, Eric tried to throw all the blame on himself to save him.  Man, they are really going to be friends forever once this Authority business is done (perhaps it's all due to the fact they don't have to fight over Sookie anymore?).

Their interrogation also brought up the issue of the Vampire Bible, where it was said that God was a vampire and created the first vampire in his image, and humans were just created to feed vampires.  That's interesting.  Then they showed the chancellors engaging in this very religious ceremony where they all consumed blood (like communion or something).  It was weird seeing vampires engaging in their own religious rituals.  

The last thing that I liked in this episode was seeing Eric circa 1905.  Since it was Pam's flashback, I'm pretty sure that many fans like myself were just waiting for Eric to make an appearance dawned in that century's style of clothing.  I think that it suited him pretty well, and I loved him calmly licking his bloody hand before he started chatting with Pam.  Since Eric left right after giving Pam some money to cover her ruined dress, we still haven't seen when she was turned by Eric.  I'm guessing that he probably showed up another time at her place of employment another day.  Though, I can't see Eric really needing to pay anyone to sleep with him.  Hopefully we'll get to see the continuation of the vampire Pam origin story.

Lastly, I just want to mention how insane Luna is for kicking Sam out of her house (and life, basically).  He almost got himself killed by wolves for her and her daughter's sake!  I'm sure he would do it even if they weren't dating, but she is all kinds of crazy to tell him that it's her way or the highway like that.  Hopefully now that she's seen that her daughter is indeed a wolf after all, maybe she'll stop acting like a bitch and lean on Sam.  She could do a lot worse for someone in the supernatural world, anyway.  At least when things go to hell, Sam would be around for support.  That's enough to keep him around, considering her connection with the werewolves in town.  But I wonder if she'll break down and go to Emma's grandmother for help or will she apologize to Sam?  Either of those choices are better than her being a stubborn bitch and trying to handle everything for herself.  She best come to her senses and realize Sam's the best thing that's happened to her in a while (although, he can be a bit of trouble magnet himself).

I liked this episode a lot more than I did the first.  I was worried that I was going to be watching, but not that invested in what was mostly going on, but I'm surprised by how much I like the Jessica versus Steve battle and Eric and Bill's involvement with the Authority.  I'm not looking forward to Eric and Bill taking down Russell, but it's good that they were able to use his escape to prolong their lives for a while.  I'm sure that they will find a way to redeem themselves by stopping the ex-King from causing more havoc.  But of course, more than that I want to see Steve try another way to get Jason.  I have a feeling that's going to be the funniest storyline this season.

If Problems Were Rotten Teeth...

Mad Men, S05E13

Megan was asked by a friend to use Don to get a part in a commercial, but Megan asked for herself instead.  Pete saw Beth again and met her a hotel before she went to shock therapy.  Don's guilt at his past made him see visions of his brother, and he avoided going to the dentist to fix his toothache.

Maybe it was just me, but I felt like this episode didn't have as much punch to it as I was expecting.  I suppose that's not necessarily a bad thing because I was a little scared what other horrible things might happen that hadn't already.  Luckily, there was just a general sad cloud hovering over the whole episode, but nothing that happened was particularly too bad.

I thought nothing good could come from Emily asking Megan to ask Don to help her get the part, but I never thought that Megan wouldn't even do it and ask for herself.  Wow.  I'm not sure whether to call her determined in her acting career or a bad friend.  It just made her asking Don to pull strings for her even shadier, for some reason.  I dunno.  I was glad that he pointed out that commercials weren't anything like the kind of acting she really wanted to do because I didn't want him to help her, but I also felt like he was purposely trying to get in her way.  A commercial could at least get her name out in the public and open doors for her.  I think that Don is a little afraid of helping her, like he's helped others, and them moving on without him.

Case in point, Don ran into Peggy at the movies.  He could barely hide his disappointment that things were going so well for her because their paths no longer intersected.  Peggy is proof that if Don supports someone's dreams, they may become so successful that they will just walk away from him.  So, I'm surprised that Don broke down and helped Megan get the part.  But I'm sure it was after seeing his wife drunk, miserable, and devaluing herself that made him change his mind.  That, along with some other things like Marie saying that Megan basically was just an artist in mind but not in talent, surely helped him come around.  But there was something so lonely about when Don left the set where Megan was getting prepared for her role as Beauty and he was walking into the darkness.  It was as if he would never see her again (hopefully not, though).

Another pretty sad moment was when Don thought he was doing Lane's wife a favor by paying her back Lane's investment into the company, but she was less than grateful and accused him of putting Lane into a position that was above his talents.  Furthermore, she accused Lane of having an affair with the woman whose picture he kept in his pocket and demanded that Don tell her who she was.  I'm not saying his wife was out of line, but I'm saying that she shouldn't have dumped everything that went wrong with Lane's life when he joined SCDP on Don.  No one else would have dared come visit her in person (perhaps maybe Joan), and I'm sure that the money he gave to her would have been kept in the company if Don didn't see to it.  I just wish there was something else he could do besides hand out checks--he seems to think that will always smooth things over.  I knew it wouldn't, but I still appreciate that he can even bother to do something.  It's just too bad that his efforts were a bit meaningless.

The only thing that did get taken care of easily was Don's toothache. He got it removed before he even knew it, thanks to the gas.  It was crazy, with his kind of money, that he was so stubborn about taking care of it.  He just kept saying that it would go away on its own.  I'm guessing that's what Don hopes a lot of his problems will do.  Like the hole in the office that has been created now that Peggy is gone.  Clients, who want a woman's opinion, are unhappy with pitches that an all-male staff have come up with.  It's obvious that he needs to replace her in someway, but he's dragging his feet about that too.  And with Joan reporting that they are making the most profit they have ever, it's ridiculous that they don't hire someone else.  But despite this is a problem for Don, I liked seeing Michael being pissed off that his ideas were treated like shit.  Glad there are limits to his genius.

The Pete and Beth story was just as irritating as it was before.  The only thing that was good about it was that Pete admitted his affair with her to Howard and their fight helped Pete get kicked off the train (and punched by the conductor).  Also, Beth has no memory of him, so that works out as well.  I can't feel bad for Pete when he has more than most people will ever have.  I just can't.  Even if he's always been unhappy and was just fooling himself with his life with Trudy, I can't look past that.  I didn't want to see him happy with Beth or anyone, especially after he treated Joan so shabbily in another episode.  Pete can stand to be more miserable, and I hope that he gets a little more in the next season.  Oh, and Pete had the audacity to tell Howard that he was the most disgusting person he's ever seen--has Pete ever looked in a mirror??  If he hadn't gotten punched in the next seconds after saying that, I would have been so pissed off.

At the very end, Don was hit on by some attractive woman, and I wondered if the recent events would make him go back to his old ways.  I don't know if I could blame him, but I'd still disapprove.  He should know by now that sleeping around on his wife doesn't really fix anything.  I'm just in awe in how easy it is for him to meet women.  It's just amazing sometimes, even with his charm.  If only temptation wasn't walking around him all the time maybe he would stop trying to distract himself from his problems with random women.  But then it just wouldn't be Don Draper.

This was an impressive season overall.  My hatred of Pete has deepened, but at least he's gotten beaten a few times this year, so I can stand to see his stupid face for another season.  It's going to be weird to see the company without Lane or Peggy, but I'm hoping that this change will bring someone else new who can spice things up.  I'm not sure if I want to see Megan make her mark into the acting world, but whether she does or not, I hope that it won't make things too strained on her marriage with Don.  Don just needs to find something to cheer up with soon.  I doubt he'll find it within his work, but who knows?  He just better not find it with another woman.  I liked the improved Don in this season, and I want to see him continue to change for the better.  Whether or not the situations around him will encourage him to do so is yet to be seen.

Tara Lives On, Lafayette Gets A Razor

True Blood, S05E01

Sookie and Lafayette asked Pam to help them save Tara by turning her into a vampire.  In order to save Luna and Emma, Sam took the blame for Marcus' murder.  Eric and Bill began to run from the Authority with help from Eric's "sister," Nora.  Jason became more smitten with Jessica after she saved him from vampire Steve, but she still only thought of him as a friend.  Terry tried to make sure Patrick didn't reveal anything from his past that would ruin his current life.  Alcide tried to warn others that Russel Edgington had escaped from the concrete.

Until I re-watched the last season, I had forgotten that Tara had been shot in the head and seemed dead.  It's not so surprising I would forget about her because I couldn't care less if she lived or died.  That's why I was disappointed that Pam showed up when she did because it gave Sookie and Lafayette a chance to save her.  Of all the people I could have imagined turning, I would have never guessed Tara (even when she was stuck with Franklin).  I like that Sookie will owe Pam a favor (which is definitely not going to be anything pleasant), but I wish that Tara wouldn't come back at all.  I'm tired of her inability to deal with all the horrible shit that's happened to her.  I know she's had it rough, but I can only stand so much bitching about how miserable life is until I feel like she needs to throw in the towel.  However, she may be a lot less whiney once she's lost her human heart (and has Pam as her maker).  I already knew that her first target might be Sookie once she got out of the ground, so that wasn't much of a surprise.  It'll be a surprise if Tara doesn't want to kick Lafayette and Sookie's ass for making her lose her humanity.  That would be very Tara-like, after all.  That ungrateful bitch.

My favorite thing about this episode was that Lafayette didn't off himself when he saw that razor and instead shaved off that horrible mohawk from last season.  It just wasn't cute!  And I was staring at him in the tub before he saw the razor, thinking to myself about how it's a shame that another year hadn't lapsed (as did when Sookie went to the fairy world) so that he could have enough time for a new hairdo.  So glad someone out there was listening to me (and possibly other fans who didn't care for that hair?).  I'll be most glad, however, when Lafayette can cheer up and start dressing like he's not in mourning anymore.  I miss his outfits.

If I had to pick another favorite part, it would have been when Steve showed up at Jason's door as a vampire.  It's funny that my sister had asked me during the previous episode why he was dressed so gay and I replied that it didn't mean anything, but I guess he always did carry a torch for Jason.  That's not too surprising at all.  After all, Jason is a man who could attract practically anyone he wanted, and he and Steve were quite close at once.  Thankfully, Jason didn't have to be forced to love Steve because Jessica came along and claimed him.  Unfortunately, Jessica doesn't want to step their relationship up, but I'm sure she'll come around sooner or later.  More than Jason get with Jessica, I'd like Hoyt to stop holding a grudge against Jason.  I can't help but take Jason's side in the matter, even if he was the one who did wrong.  Jason will make mistakes for sure, but when push comes to shove, he's there for people.  I'm starting to wish that Hoyt would just disappear and stop torturing his ex-best friend.

As much as I like Eric, I hate that he seems to be able to forget Sookie so easily.  True, she tossed both he and Bill to the curb, but damn.  To sense that she was in danger, but to just say "Fuck Sookie," is a little harsh.  She's done so much for the two of them that I feel like they just are eternally in her debt.  But, at this point, I feel like the two of them may as well get caught by the Authority.  I just kind of want to see what all this Authority business is about.  I'm a little glad that just when it looked like Eric and Bill might get away, they were ambushed by the Authority.  Finally, we might get to see more of the vampires who are behind the order kept over their kind.

I feel like Russell getting loose was bound to happen, but I hoped it would happen much later down the road.  It just seems like everyone else has enough on their plate without him coming back to get his revenge.  I'll be angry if Sookie has to suffer for it because she had no idea that Bill and Eric didn't kill him in the first place.  If she gets caught by him and neither of those two can do anything for her, I'm going to be pissed.

As far as Sam goes, I don't worry about him too much because he's a survivor.  It sucks that he was trying to take the wrath of the werewolf pack just to save his girl and pay back Alcide, but I like seeing Sam being so tough in the face of probable death.  He may not be the best guy around, but at least he's not a coward or throws other people under the bus to help himself.  I love Sam, and I'm glad that Luna got Alcide to admit that he wasn't guilty.  Whether or not that will actually get him off the hook is yet to be determined.  I feel like Sam won't be freed of his association with the wolves anytime soon.

I'm not too interested in Terry, but Patrick mentioning the fires does raise my intrigue.  I had thought a ghost was trying to burn their house down, but maybe it wasn't.  What in the world could be coming to get Terry and his friends from the past with fires?  Did they piss off some supernatural thing while their were in Iraq?  I hope it's as interesting as it seems and not something really stupid (like a lot of things in True Blood seem to be).

I'm glad to have one of my favorite shows back, but so far, I'm not too impressed by the stories.  Of course, I know that this show can go all sorts of directions in a short number of episodes, so there's no telling what surprises they have in store this season.  Most of all, I'm just ready to hear some classic lines from Lafayette.  I've always been able to rely on him to bring the comedy amidst all the killing and weird shit going on, so I hope that he won't let me down this season either.

"Why Does Everything Turn Out Crappy?"

Mad Men, S05E12

Lane's embezzlement was discovered, and Don asked for his resignation.  Don demanded to have a meeting with Ed, in order to stop settling for smaller clients and go for the bigger players.  Sally came to stay with Don, but when both he and Megan were gone from the house, she had Glen come to the city and they went out together.

We all knew it was just a matter of time until someone found out about Lane forging Don's name on a check, but I still didn't think that they would sack him.  After all, Lane is a partner with a name in the firm, so I thought he might be given a little slack.  But Don rightfully couldn't trust him anymore and asked him to quit, without asking him to reveal the crime he had done (or pressing charges against him).  I just felt bad for Lane because he risked a lot to quit his job in England and come with them to their new company.  He brought up the point that he had invested money into the firm that he had been trying to get back all this time, while Don was living the life where 7500 dollars was nothing to him.  And despite that he stole money, you don't think of Lane as some sneaky, debased human being who deserved whatever came to him.  It's just so sad that he was basically struggling all this time, while keeping nearly everyone in the dark all the while, but he never made it.  Perhaps if Lane wasn't so committed to solving his problems on his own (putting an unreasonable amount of burden on his shoulder), things might have turned out a different way.

With his whole world coming down on him (and Lane seeming like not the type as Don is to rebuild his life), it was no shock that the new car Lane's wife bought was almost his deathbed.  However, I was happy that the car wouldn't start and he couldn't suffocate himself.  I couldn't imagine how hard that would have been for his wife to find that later (or to hear about it from someone who found him in the garage later).  I was really praying that Lane would take it as a sign to not give up so easily, but of course, there was that horrible scene where Joan couldn't get into his office.  I knew it could happen, yet I still couldn't believe that Lane hung himself!  It just seemed like such a waste!  Unlike most flawed characters in the show, I wanted to see him come out on top one day--he deserved it.  But instead, he died where he worked (and had suffered the most) and had plenty of confused witnesses to his death.

Lane's death wasn't just a tragedy within itself, but a personal blow to Don who had been the one to ask him to resign.  Don, unlike any of the other partners would have been, hadn't taken Lane to the cleaners for what he had done, but I'm sure that Don felt regret when he heard of Lane's news.  I liked that Don wouldn't wait for the coroner to come and took down Lane's body so that it could be at rest in a more dignified position.  I also think that it was particularly hard for Don to see that happen to Lane because this situation is quite similar to what happened with Don and his brother.  He washed his hands of someone and next thing he knew, that person had killed himself.  It's no wonder that Don is often trying to rescue people all the time--people sometimes die when he doesn't!  Thus, I find myself sad for Don, too, as much as I am sadden by Lane's passing.

Another thing that wasn't too uplifting was Don and Roger's meeting with Ed.  I can see why Don would want to stop bending over backwards for companies like Jaguar when he could be getting better companies.  Of course, despite that letter he wrote against Lucky Strikes has branded him a traitor against most of the big dogs, I admire that Don hasn't rolled over and died just yet.  I just don't think, even with his passionate speech about working hard for them until he got them everything, is going to impress hard-headed guys like Ed to hire their firm.   I'd love for one of Don's hard pitches to get them something better than a car dealership that they had ensure by offering some sex, but I won't hold my breath.  People are stubborn, and their opinions aren't so easily swayed by strong words.  I just hope that maybe they will let Don's work speak for itself and not be dissuaded by his gusty stand against a former client.

It was good that Sally was in this episode because it provided a little comedy relief.  Her and Glen's sort of date was so funny to see.  Despite that Sally denied liking him in "that way" and Glen claimed she was more like his little sister, it still looks like they are moving away from being friends with each other.  It was so cute that they were just walking around at a museum together and that Sally got all dressed up (and made-up) just for Glen (not that he was that impressed).  It's a shame that their time was ruined when Sally suddenly got her period and ran back home!  I mean, that is so crazy!  Sally was awful to do that to someone she made sneak out of school and come see her three hours away.  Who does that??  I'm surprised that Glen wasn't more pissed about it than he was.

Also, I give some props to Megan for handling the situation with Glen so well.  She neither chewed out Glen for being there when he shouldn't have been, nor ratted out Sally to Betty when she found out she had gotten home safely.  Sally owes her big time.  She was just lucky that it was her period and not something else that Betty might not have been so sympathetic about.  However, I get the feeling that Betty felt like was a little better than Megan because Sally had run home to her about her period instead of talking to Megan about it.  I could understand why Sally would want her mother then, but I just wish that Betty didn't have to be so smug about it to Megan.  

After Don came home and had one of the worst days ever, I was worried that Glen was going to get an earful from him, but instead they had this moment of understanding that was surprising, but welcome to me.  As random as it was that he offered to take Glen home three hours away, it was nice that Glen sort of voiced the theme of this episode about how things you want turning into shit against your will.  I liked that Don wasn't about to agree with him or let him know that he has no idea how bad things can get, but instead tried to cheer the boy up by letting him drive his car.  That was so cute and weird!  And as weird at it was, it seemed like that was the best ending for this episode that I could ask for.  I just didn't know what Don might have done when he came home if there wasn't a distraction there.  Thank goodness Sally had invited him over.  Anything that can take Don's mind off the series of unpleasant events that keep happening around him sounds good to me.

Didn't think that after last week's episode of the women taking different methods to further their careers could this episode top that.  I will miss Lane on the show, and I hope that his memory won't be wiped away so easily as if he wasn't an important part of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (what will happen to their name?).  With another major player in the office gone, what will happen to the functions of their business?  Will Don be able to fix these holes that have formed in their business or will he be moving on as if they didn't exist?  Next time is the finale, so I'm worried about what bombshell they might drop to leave us with until the next season.  I hope that there won't be anything as drastic as another death (or another person leaving the firm), but so far Mad Men has been on point every time this season, so they have the ability to do just that.  If anything good can happen before this season ends, I would love to see Don make progress against that letter that has blacklisted him with many businesses.  With that, I could just manage to not see the world that Don lives in as so freaking bleak.