True Blood Season 6, Episode 3: “You’re No Good”
Check out the previous episode’s recap here before reading below!
The Opening
This episode opens with Eric in Willa Burrell’s room, glamouring her. Eric says that he doesn’t want to kill her, but that Willa must die for the sins of her father.
Willa says that “she knows things” and confesses to Eric that her father is doing experiments on vampires in a facility, but that she doesn’t know where. By the time guards bust into Willa’s room, Eric has taken her away through the window.
Bill relays his vision to Jessica – that he saw many of their friends, including Jessica herself, burn in a room with lights.
Protecting Yourself
Sookie continues practicing her supernova powers and Jason’s concussion seems to not be healing. He’s falling over and having bad headaches. Niall decides that he is tired of waiting around and takes the fight to Warlow. He discovers the fairy club empty, the sight of a massacre. He comes across a fairy dying on the floor and he gleans information telepathically before putting the fairy out of his misery.
Niall reports this information back to Sookie and Jason who are worried about Hadley and her son. They remember that Hadley left after Russell’s appearance and that they would be safe. There seemed to be no survivors at the club, so it’s possible that even Maurella was killed if she did not flee.
Enlisting Some Help
Niall runs into Ben who realizes that Niall is royalty. He pledges to help Niall track and kill Warlow, repaying the debt he owes Sookie for bandaging his wounds. Niall feels a vampire outside Sookie’s home, but it just turns out to be Nora, who flees when caught sneaking.
Eric brings Willa back to Fangtasia to a very disgruntled Pam. Pam wants Eric to kill Willa, but he refuses, as she is a bargaining chip with insider information. Eric brings Willa, Pam, and Tara to Ginger’s house where they stay the day.
Willa tries to come onto Eric while he sleeps in the coffin with her close by, but he doesn’t fall for it. Willa even tells him that her mother had an affair with a vampire and that Willa herself likes vampires “very much.”
As night appears, Eric gets a phone call that Ginger answers. When Ginger brings the phone to him, it is the governor pleading for Willa’s life. The governor tracks the call even though Eric says his phone is untraceable (totally not ever possible) and the crew escapes with Willa just as the governor’s team descends on Ginger’s house.
Super Secret Vampire Torture
Steve Newlin has been brought to the experimentation camp that Willa disclosed to Eric. It just so happens that Newlin’s ex-wife Sarah is involved in the experimentation camp. We see an unlikely reunion where Sarah berates Steve and then leaves him in the “doctor’s” care. The doctor asks Steve about what he knows about Eric Northman.
Lafayette and Sam wake up in his home after the beating from the wolf pack. Nicole, the leader of the activists, is there and wants to help. They kick her out and Lafayette pledges to help Sam get Emma back because he feels he owes Sam for his hospitality and believing in him when no one else did.
Bill believes that since he was staked and lived, that he can walk in the sun with no problem. He immediately catches fire when the sun rises and Jessica brings him back inside to heal. Bill is shaken because he does not understand the extent of his powers when one death is spared and one isn’t.
Synthesizing New Tru Blood
Bill gives Jessica the mission to bring the professor who synthesized Tru Blood back to him. She does just this by tricking the professor into thinking she’s a beautiful young student who needs tutoring. Pretty gross, but it works.
Holly tells Andy that vampires are outside her home at night, scaring her and her boys. Andy takes her to learn to shoot and his daughters come too, looking like pre-teens already.
Police look for Emma at Martha’s home and do not find her, as she has shifted into a dog/wolf. That night, the group of activists pay a visit to the wolf pack, where they are all attacked and some of them are killed. Nicole runs away with an injury. Sam swoops in and gets Emma from the house and as they escape, he redirects his getaway to help Nicole.
Bill goes to Sookie’s house and asks to be able to synthesize her blood. She refuses and Bill says that she is dead to him. At night, Bill is in the cemetery when Andy drives by. Andy tells Bill that he doesn’t want to enforce the curfew on him, but it’s his law-abiding duty. Bill says he understands, and smells the toy in Andy’s car. Andy tells Bill that he has four daughters. Uh oh. Bill now knows whose blood he can get ahold of to synthesize.
Bill’s change to bad guy and Eric’s shift to good is quite the sight to behold. I could have never imagined that we would see this type of deviation from the beginning of the show.
(4.5 / 5)
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Episode three of Wheel of Time was easily my favorite so far. It’s dramatic, dark, and speaks to the growing concerns about evil invading the world.
Let’s discuss.
The Story
Let’s begin with Nynaeve. After showing little to no progress, Liandrin thinks she’s ready to go through the Trial of The Arches. This is an initiation that all Aes Sedai have to go through to become a sister. It’s dangerous, not totally understood, and doesn’t have a great survival rate.
One would think some cooler heads would prevail and not let the very new person do this so early. Especially since Nynaeve seems to have some issues with impulse control.
But she goes into the trial, seeing first a scene from her childhood where her parents are attacked.
The point is to walk back through the arches, leaving her family behind. This she does, but doesn’t look very happy about it. Her second trial involves finding herself back in Two Rivers, where a horrible plague has ripped through the people. Again, she has to walk away from the people that she cares about and come back to reality.
The third test is a little more tricky. It appears that Nynaeve comes back covered in blood, with no memories of what happened.
Terrified, she runs from the castle only to find Lan waiting for her.
In the real world, where Liandrin and the others are waiting for her, she simply never returns.
This shakes Liandrin. She decides she’s done holding Mat against his will, and lets him leave. Excited, but also smelling a trap, he takes Min with him.
Still not sure why she had him to start with, but I guess it’s cool that she let him go.
Meanwhile, Rand is working with a familiar face at his hospital. It’s Logain, who we might remember as the false dragon from season one.
Rand would love some advice about channeling as a man. But it appears that Logain might really have lost his mind.
What worked
My favorite scene in the episode was the one involving Perrin and Lady Suroth. This scene was perfect.
First off, the character design for Lady Suroth was just perfect. Without moving more than a hand and the crook of her mouth, she manages to be terrifying.
The massively scary nails help, as does the headdress that is both beautiful and reminiscent of an insect. The sort of insect that seems likely to bite and lay eggs under the skin of a victim.
Her absolute authority was terrifying. Uno certainly learned that.
What was more scary, of course, was who was standing next to her. Does she think she’s the one in charge? Or is she perfectly clear on where stands?
What didn’t work
One thing that I don’t love about this season is, unfortunately, not likely to change. It’s true in the books, and it’s true in the show.
The ensemble cast structure doesn’t work for me.
It fractures the story in too many directions. It’s too busy, there’s too much going on. At the same time, there isn’t enough going on with individual characters for me to establish an interest in all of them.
I care what’s happening with Egwene and Nynaeve. I care what’s happening with Perrin.
I don’t care as much about Rand right now. And she wasn’t as involved in this episode, but I don’t care about what Moiraine is going through either.
That could be because the world is coming to an end and they’re refusing to be team players. But maybe that’s just me.
Overall, this was a fun episode. It feels like pieces are being put into place. The characters are getting ready for something big. Something that we can only see the beginnings of.
Something that they clearly don’t think they’re ready for.Â
(3.5 / 5)
American Horror Story Delicate began last night, Killer Queens. And it was, well, a complicated episode. This makes sense because this season is about a complicated topic.
Just in case you didn’t know, this whole season is based on the novel Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine. If you haven’t read it yet, you should.Â
The Story
Anna Victoria Alcott is an actress who just got her big break. She was in a horror movie that no one can stop talking about.
Except Anna herself. Because this career success couldn’t have come at a worse time. She and her husband Dex are in the middle of the difficult IVF process. It’s expensive, time-consuming and painful. Ironically, so is trying to win an Oscar.
But Anna has other things to worry about. Someone is messing with her. Several women are watching her in public. Worse, someone appears to be getting into her home, slashing notes she leaves for Dex, and removing her vital IVF medication from the fridge so it spoils. Her calendar is hacked to move her doctor appointments around so she misses them. Worst of all, someone broke into her home and crawled into bed with her.
Of course, no one takes any of these concerns seriously. Her agent, Siobhan, is focusing on getting her an Oscar. Her husband, Dex, doesn’t seem to give a shit about her except for when it comes to having a baby. He’s frequently dismissive of her concerns and only seems to want her around when it’s convenient for him. He goes so far as to kick her out of his show opening because she’s on edge.
You know, maybe because she’s clearly being stalked by someone who is trying to keep her from having a baby.
What worked
AHS Asylum had a lot of dark and important things to say about mental health care in America. AHS Coven had a lot of dark and important things to say about race and gender relationships.
Last season, AHS NYC wasn’t so subtle. Yes, there was a killer. But the real historical horror of the AIDs epidemic in the 80s was the focus of the season. And that worked very well.
This season, the story is clearly about female body autonomy. Anna is a woman struggling with so many issues that modern women face. The balance between our careers and our families. Feeling like growing old is the most unforgivable thing a woman can do. And of course, the fact that our bodies often feel like they don’t belong to us.
I was also pleased to see some AHS alumni. Denis O’Hare as Dr. Hill was delightful. Leslie Grossman and Billie Lourd will be involved soon, and they never bring anything less than their A-game.
This episode also did something I never thought could happen. It managed to scare me with a calendar notification. That was a special moment for me as a horror fan and calendar-obsessed person.
What didn’t work
Here are some things I didn’t love. First off, the main character Anna is a pushover. She can’t say no to Dex, Talia, Dr. Hill, or Siobhan. No one gets a no from this woman!
Anna didn’t act like that in the book. She stood up to everyone all the time, it was great. She wasn’t getting any support, but she was advocating for herself! That was such an important part of her character, and I’m sad to see that she’s lost that here.
I also hate the changes made to Siobhan and Talia. Now, please understand that this isn’t me complaining that the book was different. That’s not my point. Siobhan was a kind, loving woman who supported her best friend even while dying of cancer. Talia was a smart, business-oriented woman who was still kind. She was trying to start a family with her transgender husband, and bonded with Anna over their IVF journeys. These were vital characters in the story.
I feel like they’ve been railroaded.
All that being said, this was a decent start to AHS Delicate. It’s not the best start of a season we’ve had. But it’s okay. I’m looking forward to seeing what the rest of the season is going to bring.Â
(4 / 5)
Episode two of Wheel of Time, widened the divide between the show and the books. Things are happening out of order, people are acting out of character. Whether this is to the detriment of the show, however, has yet to be determined.
The story
One character missing from episode one was Rand. You know, our main character. But we finally catch up with him now.
He’s living in a city with a woman named Selene. They don’t have what I’d call a super healthy relationship. She spends a bit too much time talking about her ex.
Yes, for those of you who didn’t read the books, this is going to be important.
Rand is also working at an insane asylum. He’s kind and patent with his charges, but not all of his fellow caregivers are.
Meanwhile, Lan and Moiraine are recovering form their Fade attack from last episode. Rather than taking the time to actually heal, Moiraine decides to head out to find Rand. Her team comes with her, which seems to really bother her.
While that little hissy fit is taking place, Nynaeve is causing issues. Not by anything she’s doing, but by what she’s not doing. As none of the regular novice teacher have been able to get her to use the One Power, Liandrin offers to try. No one, including me, is thrilled with this. But, the Aes Sedai are desperate. They know that The Dark One is around, and they need Nynaeve to be ready. So, they let the person who’s driven other students to their deaths and actively committed multiple hate crimes take over.
What could go wrong?
What worked
The special effects in this episode were really well done. I especially liked the dead fade nailed to the wall.
I was also pleased with the introduction of Elayne. Ceara Coveney is playing her, and doing a fine job. She’s warm, kind and sweet. I am thrilled that she’s around.
One of the greatest things about Wheel of Time is the friendships between the characters. Rand, Perrin, Mat, Nynaeve and Egwene legitimately care about each other. Elayne seems to care for Egwene right away. I really love that.
What didn’t work
One thing that bothered me in this episode, and frankly the last episode, was Liandrin keeping Mat in prison. I feel like this wasn’t adequately explained. Why does she have him? How did she trap him? What in the hell is she trying to get from him? Perhaps I simply missed something, and please let me know in the comments if this is the case. But it feels like some poor writing to me.
I also don’t love how Moiraine is portrayed in this episode. Really, in this season so far.
I get that she’s never exactly been a warm person. She’s not personable, open, or kind. Some (most) fans of the book would likely agree that she’s kind of a bitch.
But she’s not a bitch for no reason. She certainly isn’t the sort to lash out at the people who love her because she’s in pain. And that’s what she’s doing through this episode. She’s taking her pain out on Lan. And that’s just out of character for her.
It feels very much like a lot is being skipped over from the Wheel of Time books. But, so far at least, I don’t feel like anything vital has been missed. It feels more like the story is being streamlined.
Yes, I understand how this might go horribly wrong. I think we’ve all seen that. But as of right now, the changes make sense for the switch in mediums.
Now, let’s see if it stays that way.Â
(3 / 5)
