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Well, this is it. The end of our True Blood run. We’ve had a great time and I feel like the series finale was well-deserved and thought out. Let’s get started!

Assisted Suicide

We open this episode with Sookie and Bill inside her home talking through his decision to die. Bill explains that he visited his family in the cemetery and that his memorial is basically a lie. He is not buried there with his family, but it says he is. Sookie slowly begins to understand why Bill is asking her to let him die, telling her about how she won’t be able to live a normal life with him around.

Sookie seems to really get it and Bill asks her if she would kill him with her light. This plan would afford both of them what they want. Bill will be out of her life so that she can move on as per his hopes and Sookie will not be a fairy anymore – something she has been wishing for the entire series. Sookie is really upset by this proposition and asks Bill to leave.

New Blood

Eric and Pam formulate a plan to free Sarah, feeding her Pam’s blood so that they may find her again, and kill Gus. Eric plans to steal the idea for New Blood and get rich off of it himself. It turns out to be pretty easy when Eric and Pam kill Gus’ men and burn Gus alive in a tunnel as he goes after Sarah.

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TrueBloodS7E10 Eric telling Sarah his plan to release her

Pam finds Sarah at an amusement park and Sarah begs Pam to turn her into a vampire. This is laughable. Worst idea ever. Pam declines and feeds off Sarah to “vaccinate” herself.

A Marriage

Jessica goes over to Bill’s with Hoyt and makes amends with the fact that Bill has chosen to die. Bill asks Hoyt if Jessica is the reason he has decided to stay in Bon Temps. When Hoyt confirms, Bill asks if he ever intends to marry Jessica.

This tailspins into the impromptu wedding of Jessica and Hoyt where Bill is able to walk his daughter down the aisle before his death. It’s all very sweet but rushed. I mean, I guess you’re not legally married so there are no repercussions, but that was fast (especially for Hoyt – who has no memory of their past relationship).

TrueBloodS7E10 Jessica and Hoyt kissing at their wedding

Sookie speaks with Jason at his home about Bill’s proposition of her killing him. Jason doesn’t give advice and just listens. Sookie lets Jason know that Bridgette likes him – she listened to her thoughts. Sookie gives her blessing even though Jason says he definitely won’t be a girlfriend fucker again. Sookie brings up the fact that they just left Jessica and Hoyt’s wedding so Bridgette definitely isn’t Hoyt’s girlfriend.

At the wedding, Sookie heard Bill’s thoughts about how he wished a normal life for Sookie because he loves her. He wishes Sookie could experience what Jessica and Hoyt have. Sookie also goes and seeks advice from Reverend Daniels. It’s a nice talk where she comes to the decision to help Bill end his life and end her fairy powers.

TrueBloodS7E10 Sookie and Bill at the wedding

The End

Sookie has made arrangements with the cemetery and she meets Bill there at night. They open his empty coffin that was buried in his place when he didn’t return from war.

TrueBloodS7E10 Bill in the cemetery

Bill climbs inside the coffin and Sookie summons her light, but is unable to do it, realizing that being a fairy makes her who she is. She climbs into the coffin with Bill and uses a broken shovel handle to stake him. This scene is devastating and Sookie is covered in her lover’s guts and his mourning her loss.

TrueBloodS7E10 Sookie staking Bill

A Year Later

The episode flashes to a year later where we see Eric and Pam filming a commercial for New Blood. They prattle on about how they searched for Sarah Newlin after she swallowed the antidote to Hep-V but could never find her. However, they did find a drop of her blood from a broken windowpane as she escaped her sister’s home and they synthesized it into New Blood.

TrueBloodS7E10 Pam and Eric releasing New Blood

Three Years Later

We cut to Eric and Pam making huge money on New Blood on the stock market. This is a great ending to the pair of our favorite vamps.

That Next Thanksgiving

During the following Thanksgiving, we see Jason and Bridgette with their three children as well as a very pregnant Sookie.

At Fangtasia, Eric is on his throne and Pam is selling 60 seconds with Sarah Newlin and her blood for $100,000 a pop.

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TrueBloodS7E10 Pam with a wad of money

Sarah sees a vision of Steve who asks her what she’s thankful for, to which she replies “Nothing.” Everything that Sarah got was coming to her and I don’t feel bad about it.

TrueBloodS7E10 Pam in the foreground with Sarah chained up in the background

Back at the Thanksgiving feast, we get to see a lot of our favorite couples still together, making a toast with beers and New Bloods. Sookie hugs an unknown man who is clearly her husband as the screen fades to black.

TrueBloodS7E10 the Thanksgiving dinner scene

The Verdict

What a great ending to a seriously killer show. The love story of Sookie and Bill is finally complete and I enjoyed how Bill received closure for himself, even if he had to die. Sookie found her own way and did end up happily ever after, as did some of our other favorite characters. This show is one of the best vampire sagas to exist and you can’t convince me otherwise. There were only small places in the entire series where I felt bored. I was always throttled by the newest revelation and the story propelled itself. Bravo! 5 out of 5 stars (5 / 5)

Sarah Moon is a stone-cold sorceress from Tennessee whose interests include serial killers, horror fiction, and the newest dystopian blockbuster. Sarah holds an M.A. in English Literature and an M.F.A. in Fiction Writing. She works as an English professor as well as a cemeterian. Sarah is most likely to cover horror in print including prose, poetry, and graphic forms. You can find her on Instagram @crystalsnovelnook.

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Movies n TV

Goosebumps, You Can’t Scare Me

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Episode eight of Goosebumps felt more like a season finale. Frequently when shows do this, it leads to a lackluster final episode in which it feels like everything has already been said, the monster is already vanquished, and we’re just tidying everything up. But hopefully, the creators remember the number one rule of a horror franchise. The monster is never really dead.

Cover for Goosebumps You Can't Scare Me!

The story

We begin our story with everyone in hot water. Well, at least in a notebook that’s just been damaged by cold puddle water.

After a frankly hilarious battle between Biddle and Bratt for the body, Nathan manages to draw a door in the notebook for the teens to escape. Unfortunately, he is sucked back into the notebook.

Back in the real world, the kids head to Nora’s cabin to save her. But Biddle reaches her first. Possibly because a helpful sheriff tells him right where her cabin is.

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ACAB.

Biddle finds Nora before she can hide Slappy somewhere in the deep woods. She takes off but is having a difficult time losing him. He does eventually take Slappy, leaving Nora in a dangerous position.

Luke and Margot manage to find her but lose Isaiah in the process. Isaiah has fallen down a cliff face and is clinging to it for dear life.

And this is where he is when Slappy and Biddle find him.

What worked

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The first thing I have to mention is that this was a great episode for parent/child relations. I loved that Harold’s parents knew he wasn’t to blame. I loved that they’d been waiting for him all this time, so they could go into the afterlife together.

Rachael Harris in Goosebumps.

Luke and Nora had a good moment as well. Honestly, it appears that everyone had an honest discussion with their kids or parents at some point because of this.

I also really loved the musical choices in this episode. This has been a bit of an issue this season so far, but this was a great example. I especially enjoyed the instrumental version of Sweet Dreams played during high-conflict moments. Honestly, has there ever been a bad version of that song?

Overall, this was a satisfying episode. Nora was finally vindicated. Nathan finally has his body back, and Harold Biddle is free.

It makes me wonder what they’re going to do with the rest of the season. Or at least it would if the next episode wasn’t titled Night of The Living Dummy Two.

What didn’t work

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One thing about this episode did irritate me, though. Once it’s established that Biddle and Nora are in the woods, everyone takes off after them. And for some reason, no one remembered that cell phones existed. We know the teens have their phones, that was made painfully clear in the car scene. Why did no one, not one soul, consider calling Nora instead of running around in the snow yelling for her? And when Isaiah vanished, why didn’t he call someone? Why didn’t they call him?

This would have been an easy fix. There’s a snowstorm. We could have just mentioned that someone tried to call and cell lines were down. Instead, every character seemed to have just forgotten that modern technology exists and we don’t have to run around shouting for people if they get lost in the forest with their phone.

All in all, though, this was a good episode. I’m not sure yet how I feel about there being two episodes left, I’ll admit. But I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens. This has been a good season so far. Let’s hope they stick the landing.

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

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Goosebumps, Give Yourself Goosebumps

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This episode of Goosebumps is named after the Choose Your Own Adventure spinoff books. Also known as my favorite way to spend an afternoon as a kid.

Cover from Give Yourself Goosebumps

I still have some of these. I can tell you what they smell like. They smell like childhood joy.

It was nice to be reminded of these wonderful times. It was even better that I was reminded in this wild ride of an episode.

The Story

We begin our tale with the revelation that Mr. Bratt is actually Harold Biddle. And to make sure these meddling kids don’t spoil his plan, he’s trapped them inside of his notebook. The notebook looks very much like the living room of the cabin.

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There, the teens find the real Mr. Bratt. He’s been trapped in the notebook since Biddle took over his body. And he hasn’t made much headway in escaping.

Meanwhile, Nora is finally being released from the psych ward. And she is not thrilled with Victoria. Seeing as how Victoria has been drugging her, this is understandable.

But Nora is done being passive now. She heads right to her garage and packs Slappy up in a canvas sack. Why Slappy was in her garage, where her child hangs out, is beyond me. But here we are.

As she’s trying to leave, Colin finds her. He’s rightfully looking for some answers. But he’s not going to get it from her. She informs him that she has to handle something, and she cannot explain what’s going on. Then she drives off with Slappy.

Poor Colin, looking for some support, goes to see Isaiah’s dad, Ben. He lays out the whole situation, looking for support.

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But Ben hears something else in Colin’s tale of woe. He hears that Slappy is free. And so he takes off, leaving Colin sitting in his living room alone with no answers.

Colin has got to be wondering why he’s still living in this town at this point.

Back in the notebook, Nathan and the teens realize that if Nathan is hurt, he goes back into his own body. This leads to a wonderfully funny scene of the kids taking turns punching him in the face.

Still from Give Yourself Goosebumps.

Eventually, he gets partial control of his body. But Biddle is still there, and still ready to do battle. And when the notebook is tossed out the window and lands in a puddle, the kids find themselves in an even worse situation.

What worked

I want to start by praising a subtle detail that absolutely blew me away. Right before the teens realize they’re no longer in the real world, there’s a color shift. The whole picture becomes a bit browner. Again, it was subtle. But it was such a wonderful transition.

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I also want to bring attention to Justin Long, again. His acting in this season has been so laugh-out-loud funny. In this episode, we saw him jumping back and forth between Nathan Bratt and Harold Biddle in the blink of an eye. Or, the time it took Isabella to punch him. The way he flops around, is clearly either not comfortable or not in control of his body. It’s a delight.

Finally, despite the number of grownups who are now involved, the kids are still clearly the heroes. They are the ones working together, sharing information, and trying to fix their situation before they die. They are not waiting for rescue, like Mr. Bratt. They are not ignoring the problem. They are not working with Slappy, as I suspect one of the parents might be. The kids, in this show, are alright. And they are certainly the good guys.

This season just gets better and better. And the best part is that Slappy isn’t even awake yet. We haven’t released the big bad. And the good guys are already overwhelmed. So what are they going to do when Slappy is back?

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

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Goosebumps, Night of The Living Dummy

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After the very alluring ending to the last episode of Goosebumps, this one had a lot to live up to. It is also, of course, named for possibly the best-known Goosebumps book. Night of The Living Dummy is the book that gave the series its mascot character, and our primary antagonist, Slappy the Dummy. It’s safe to say that this episode was going to change the course of the season. And I’m happy to say that it lived up to all of those expectations.

If you’re into detailed, elaborate, multigenerational backstories, then this episode is going to be a real treat.

The story

After Biddle/Mr. Bratt invites the kids inside, he sits them down on the couch and starts to tell them an elaborate backstory. This story begins with his great-great-great-grandfather, Ephraim Biddle.

Slappy in Goosebumps

Ephraim was a failing magician until he finds Slappy the Dummy in a magic shop. After accidentally bringing Slappy to life (do not repeat strange words you find on a piece of paper out loud) his act takes off. Eventually, though, he discovers that Slappy has plans to hurt people. And so he bricks him up in the wall of his basement.

Years later, Harold Biddle and his parents move in. And Slappy calls to Harold, who was bullied at his last school. He’s worried that he’ll be bullied again. Slappy talked to those fears. And, as is too often the case, this worked like a cursed charm.

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What worked

I’d like to start with how our main characters responded to Harold Biddle’s tale. Because I loved it possibly as much as he hated it. But they are correct when they say that their parents weren’t to blame for what happened to Harold.

They didn’t bully him. They took him into their group, or at least they tried to. And after Harold stood up on stage and aired out their secrets, Nora was quick to defend him. They even wanted to protect him from Slappy.

And yes, their actions caused his house to catch on fire. But they would have gone back and saved him if it hadn’t been too late.

I felt so bad that Harold’s unhappiness was completely self-fulfilling. He assumed people would hate him, so he didn’t give them a chance. This is a lesson we don’t see much of.

Of course, the bulk of this episode’s greatness came right in the last few minutes. This ending was perfect.

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When Margot asks “How do you know all of this, Mr. Bratt?” And his response is, “That’s right, the twist,” that was it for me. Because of course, Goosebumps books were always known for that last killer twist. And I think we all love a good fourth-wall joke around here.

This, of course, led us to the big reveal. And this was perfect. It was a cool line. The effects were flawless. The kids’ reactions were hilarious and completely understandable.

Oftentimes in horror, when we finally see the monster it can be a bit of a letdown. Stephen King talks about this struggle in Dance Macabre. When we can’t see the monster, it’s the worst thing we can imagine. After we see it, we often realize it isn’t that bad. It might even be unintentionally funny.

Because the point of this scene isn’t really the monster’s revelation to the audience but is instead focused on the revelation to the characters, it works much better.

What didn’t work

Sadly, the rest of the episode didn’t work quite as well. Starting with the flashback to Ephraim Biddle. While I understand the value of this story, it was slow. It wasn’t nearly as interesting as the rest of the episode or the season. It certainly dragged this episode down. Which isn’t to say the actors didn’t do a fine job. It was just that the story itself was a little dull.

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Cover for Goosebumps, Night of The Living Dummy.

Finally, though, I have one primary complaint. And this has been an issue I’ve had with the season so far.

If Slappy was supposed to be a big mid-season surprise, maybe he shouldn’t have been plastered on every single bit of advertising for this season. It took some of the joy away honestly. When we first saw the dummy-sized case, we all knew who it was going to be, because we’d already seen his face. Worse, Slappy’s appearance couldn’t be a surprise, because we saw him as soon as we knew the show was going to happen. It took some potential fun away to have that expectation already established.

That being said, this was still a fun episode. And it certainly left me eager to see what’s going to happen next.

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

If you’re a fan of my work, please check out my latest story, Nova, on Paper Beats World. New chapters launch every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

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