Maybe it's the fact that I watched Seasons 1 and 2 on DVD, but Season 3, while in many ways the most dense and interesting season so far...is also turning into the worst. The reason for this is simple...too many characters, too many plot lines, too little focus, and its getting harder and harder to get behind any one storyline because so little happens in any single plot thread.
This is all from memory, but lets see:
1. Sookie and Alcide, having survived Pelt's party, decide to talk to Alcide's Pack Leader. Who we learn is afraid, and unable/unwilling, to deal with the new werewolf gang's threat. Then Bill appears seconds before the the Vamp King shows up, she shows off her finger-light powers again...leading to said King deciding that she is important after all.
2. Tara has been killed off by freaking British Vamp. Who works for the King, is a complete psycho, and is drawn to Tara because she is as fucked up as he is. And he's made the decision to turn her into a Vamp to become his 'Vampire Bride'.
3. Lafayette gets a new BF in Jesus, who is an orderly at his mother's old-folk home.
4. Sam's white trash family is white trash. That's it.
5. Red Heads butt heads. Jessica pines for her Ex.
6. Arlene has pregnancy issues. And her new BF Terry is moving in. And he's stressed about it, but happy. Yet, this is not going to end well b/c Arlene lied about the baby being his.
7. Eric is trying to play the King against the Queen in a desperate bid to save Pam. And he flirts with the King's BF, who seems to be vulnerable and not quite so happy with his situation with the King. However, plans change as he figures out that the King actually killed his father 1,000 years ago.
8. Jason is a dumb ass. And now things he can be a cop, but he's too scatterbrained to be able to do the job. So instead of gets all horny over a new girl, Crystal. Who meets him in the woods and says, 'this is the best moment of my life'. Allllllllll----rightty!
9. And the King of Mississippi is still moving his pieces across the board, making his move against the Queen of Louisiana. He's the leader of the wolf-pack, using them to do his dirty work. But he's also committing the same crimes as the Queen--and his are perhaps even more serious.
10. Bill Compton is still pissed at his maker. And trying to play both sides against the middle to protect Sookie. He, of course, is the one that put Eric into his situation. And he's certainly much more aware of what's happening with Sookie than he lets on. But he doesn't actually do much other than mope, then escape to find Sookie...just when the King shows up.
11. Tommy Mickens, Sam's brother, is a prick. But not as much of one this week. Oh, and his family has some 'hold' on him...duh duh duuuhhh!
12. Oh, and Hoyt goes on a date!
Seriously, there is just too much happening that at the end of the episode nothing has basically accomplished. The show is completely treading water at this point. And for everything that is happening on screen 90% of it is useless. And any time some momentum is built up in a story-line, we end up jumping back to Sam, or Tara, or Jason...and it's like watching the air blow out of a balloon. Pffffffft! Momentum gone. The only thing saving the show is the way the actors really take the material and go for it. I wouldn't necessarily call the acting very good, but everyone is pretty interesting to watch.
I get that True Blood is an ensemble show. But, there is a certain point where too much is too much. And True Blood Season 3 is groaning under the weight of too many divergent story lines that are progressing too slowly because very little screen time is spent on any of them. And instead of starting to tie things together, the show seems bound and determine to add even more characters to the mix to a show that already has about 6 too many. Hopefully, these plots will start emerging into a clear narrative, but until then the show is pointlessly meandering it's way into it's first truly mediocre season.
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