BLOG True Blood 3.07 Hitting the Ground

Blogger Kelly Harker gives her verdict for episode seven of True Blood’s third season. [WARNING: Contains spoilers!]

3.07 “Hitting the Ground”

Written by Brian Buckner
Directed by John Dahl

Blogger rating:
.

THE ONE WHERE Sookie stakes Lorena to save Bill – Bill thanks Sookie by nearly draining her to death; Sam rescues Tommy from the dog-fighting ring his parents are forcing him into for money; Alcide has no choice but to kill werewolf Coot in defense, and Debbie vows revenge on him and Sookie; Eric pumps Hadley for information; Russell rebels against the Authority and the Magister.

VERDICT Surprise major character deaths in this episode: Lorena is staked by Sookie; alpha dog Coot is shot and killed (does anyone happen to know if they were silver bullets?) by Alcide; the Magister is decapitated by Russell.

So just when I was warming up to the idea of watching some more really (and I use this next word emphatically) twisted sex scenes between Lorena and Bill, they kill her off. Go figure! At least she went out with a bang. Actually, it was more of a splatter.

Compared to how I wailed over Franklin’s death (although it’s still not 100% confirmed that he's really dead), I’m not even a teensy bit broken-up over the loss of Coot. I’ve just been so unimpressed with the werewolves in general, and no amount of shirtless Alcide will change my mind otherwise.

The big shocker at the end of this episode is the decapitation of the Magister. Although his character wasn’t really developed enough for me to get watery eyed over his death, he was creepy and enjoyable when he was given the screen time, and I think I will genuinely miss him being in the series. His death is huge for plot development; with the murder of the Magister, Russell has made it clear that he intends to rule the roost. But of course there’s the Authority, and - although not to Russell's knowledge - Eric’s life-long thirst for vengeance standing in his way…There's so much good stuff waiting to happen in the remaining episodes of the season.

But getting in the way of a totally awesome five-star season is the storyline of Sam and his biological family. I don’t think I could be any more bored with them. When the dysfunctional Mickens family was introduced into the season I was expecting that they would cause some serious trouble for Sam and for Bon Temps, but so far it hasn’t been that interesting. And the scenes between Sam and his family that should have packed an emotional wallop have instead flatlined. Sam and his family have, for me at least, been the biggest disappointment of the third season.

Also, I’m still keeping my fingers crossed that Franklin will turn up again, in one form or another… I already miss his adorableness and dark humour.

EWW! GROSS! The gushing blood that erupts from Lorena’s mouth was a real treat. No, I don’t think I’ll ever tire of watching vampires being staked on this show. It’s always so wonderfully disgusting! Do it again! Do it again!

WHAT THE WHAT?! Sookie’s coma vision about beautiful women dancing in a garden and swimming in a pond was weird and yet at the same time really intriguing. Who is Claudine? What could her warning about the “darkness coming” mean? Is Sookie human, or is she really a supernatural being? Oh, so many questions…

SPARKLE RISK FACTOR After gorging himself on Sookie’s blood, Bill is surprised to discover that he doesn’t instantly burst into flames when he’s thrown into direct sunlight. But he does sizzle a little bit. Could Sookie’s blood hold the cure for the vampire sun allergy?

OFF WITH HIS HEAD! In a shocker, the episode ends with the merciless King Russell deciding it’s more practical to decapitate the Magister instead of leaving him tied up. Unfortunately the CGI of the Magister’s head flying through the air and landing on the ground looked a bit too cheesy-pie.

BEST LINES Pam: “You can dish it out, but you sure can't take it, can you Magister?”
Eric: “Let's see how this plays out Pam, you can always taunt later.”

This is a personal review from blogger Kell Harker. Ian Berriman will be reviewing this episode in SFX 201. What did you think of this episode? Share your thoughts about it in the comments section below.