True Blood 8/15

Season 3 started off strong, but cluttered. It then just got bogged down with all of the new characters and story lines to the point where there was a lot of stuff happening on screen...but very little forward momentum with the plot of the season.

Now that we're entering the last stages of the season, things have reversed. And there has been a definite progression as the season's story lines have begun to converge and the pace increased. And now I can say with more optimism that Season 3 has a good chance of being the best yet for True Blood. Certainly better than Season 2 in any case. Though, there are still a few lingering doubts I have to a few of the story lines that just have not gone anywhere yet. Sam/Tommy, Crystal, etc, just suck all of the momentum out of every scene they are in.

Without recapping the episode (I got to this way too late to try to do that), several developments happened. Eddington freaked out after the death of his husband. Eric, preparing for war with the King, gets hijacked by The Authority to answer for the missing Magister. Bill and Sookie continue to have mad makeup sex. And Bill still proves to be by far the worst vampire father of all time. Jesus and Lafayette continue their gay romance, more mystical implications are dropped that still don't go anywhere. Hayley drops more hints to Sookie about what she is (but doesn't really say anything). Mott meets a inglorious end (cry). Tommy remains an ass with little value. And Sam goes overboard beating the crap out of Crystal's father...why? who knows? Bill figured out 'the truth' by visiting 'faery paradise'. And the King of Mississippi makes his move, hijacking a TV show to make ABSOLUTELY SURE that the Vampire Rights Amendment will never pass. 'And, now for the weather!'

Overall, a very good fast paced episode that moved the plot along. And the episode had probably the best ending that the show has ever had. Though the pacing still has some problems, and the end-game isn't really all that apparent yet. But, the show is back to being consistently entertaining (if still over-the-top cheesy) and I'm really looking forward to next week and beyond.