Review: True Blood "Hopeless" And That Was Russell At Half Capacity?!

Air Date: Sunday, July 15, 2012, 9/8C on HBO

RATING: ★★★★★

“Did you just recoil from me? Why? Fucking Eric.” – Sookie Stackhouse

If you ever wanted to play a drinking game while watching True Blood, “Hopeless” is the episode for you! The F-bomb is dropped so many times in one scene in particular, not only do I lose count, but I cringe every time I hear it. Talk about something being used in excess. Does this make the episode more enjoyable? It’s more like a one-trick pony the writers use as some form of entertainment. I’d rather be handed a solid story, effective plot line and proper use of actors.

Observations:

Review: True Blood "Hopeless" And That Was Russell At Half Capacity?! 1

The winner for the most F-bombs dropped in 2 minutes goes to Alcide Herveaux!

Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) using glamour to keep Alcide (Joe Manganiello) away from Sookie (Anna Paquin) made me chuckle. Just goes to show you what’s on his mind. I knew Sookie got under his skin. “There are certain humans I felt protective towards… in the past.” Thanks for the confirmation, Sheriff! The moment between him and Alcide is interesting though. Alcide doesn’t trust Eric, and doesn’t want Eric to touch him, yet he doesn’t put up much of a fight or pull away. Then the look on Alcide’s face reveals just how easily he can slip into stupidity. I love it when the actors have that glazed almost dumb look on their faces when being glamoured. It never fails to make me laugh.

Random thoughts: Since when does Sookie wear cowboy boots? How is she part fae when her parents weren’t? Do you even know your characters, writers?

Bill (Stephen Moyer) again tries to put forth his goodness, humanity and all that other gentlemanly stuff in sparing Sookie’s memories. His best interest is what’s good for her, right? Only, I hope she knows it’s not that simple. I have to hand it to Moyer though, he got me with his delivery of Bill’s ‘glamouring’ speech. I know Bill cares for Sookie, but I think it’s too little, too late.

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Ruby J and Lala have the touch. Just how did these two get to be so special?

I love Alfre Woodard in the role of Lafayette’s (Nelsan Ellis) mother, Ruby Jean. She shines as a crazed woman who’s not as crazy as you might think. Woodard slides into the shoes of Ruby Jean like she’s a part of her personality who only gets to come out to play once in a while. The conversation between Ruby Jean and Lafayette is hilarious. The Ebonics cracks me up and Ruby Jean is clearly crazy as hell. “Jesus loves you. Even if you a abomination.” Her dialogue slays me. We know she knows more than she probably wants to, but why is that? What’s the connection between Ruby Jean and Lafayette to the spirit world?

Since when do werewolves hang out in barns? Does being a shifting supe mean you have to gather in shifty places and wallow in hay like animals? It’s possible I’m just nitpicking, but my goodness. These are organized groups who are portrayed as nothing but backwoods rednecks. This ain’t Hotshot, for crying out loud!

It’s obvious the truth is being hidden about who released Russell Edington (Denis O’Hare) *cough* Salome (Valentina Cervi) *cough* but if I’m wrong, why were all the humans who saw the “woman” who released Russell murdered? And really, did Salome need to rush off and “interrogate” Russell yet again? Is she being so obvious because she’s not the culprit and is trying to mislead us? I’d rather we just solve this mystery now instead of dragging it out for ages.

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“One of these three is not like the others, one of these three is not the same.” Sorry, that Sesame Street song came to mind here.

What is Bill hiding? “I’m just covering my ass.” He knows something and isn’t sharing. How deep into all this Sanguinista stuff is he? Or better yet, is he considering moving in on The Authority and taking out Roman (Christopher Meloni)? (I wrote this before Russell exacts this turn of events. Gotta say, I’m no longer surprised by what happens this season.) I don’t get the amount of promotion behind Meloni’s character if he wasn’t going to be showcased throughout the entire season. Was Meloni just being used as a gimmick? A way to get more viewers by luring lovers of another show to this one? I’m a bit disappointed even though Russell is going to bring the pain.

Russell’s storyline intrigues me because not only is he old (3,000 years and counting) but you have to wonder just how “bat shit crazy” he is. Typically when people get older they let loose and do whatever the hell they want with no thought about consequences. If you live to be 80 or 90, I think you have the right to do and say what you want. You’ve earned it. Relating this back to Russell, he’s gone off his rocker not only because his lover was murdered, but because he’s been walking the earth for a long damn time. It makes you think about the mindset of an immortal being who lives on while everyone around him dies. How does that affect one’s psyche? Russell is giving us a lesson in vampire longevity. Russell at half-capacity is still pretty badass. “There is no Lilith!”

“I smelled him going into survival mode.” Really, Sam (Sam Trammell)? How does one smell that exactly?

Funny lines:

Russell to a member of The Authority: “You’re fucking worse than humans. You might as well be praying to leprechauns or unicorns or the motherfucking Kardashians!”

Eric to Bill: “Lilith can fucking blow me.”

Sookie to Alcide: “Bye. I’m just gonna stay here and quietly slip into a coma.”

“You got no idea what it’s like having people want to kill you just ‘cause of what you are.” Well, if that doesn’t sum it up in one sentence. True Blood doesn’t skimp when it comes to putting forth its agenda on hate. Maybe that’s what “Hopeless” is all about. There’s a war on the horizon but who are the players? There are humans against shifters, werewolves against werewolves and vampires against vampires. Makes for a nice free-for-all, doesn’t it? Everyone hates someone for one reason or another. When will it end?

Tune in to True Blood, Sundays at 9/8c on HBO. For more information on the show, visit: http://www.hbo.com/#/true-blood.

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Writer, mother, realist, cloud lover, daydreamer, dessert enthusiast, sweet tea addict, perfectionist, and lover of life and Christ, but not in that order. http://www.fanfiction.net/~vikingloverelle