TRUE BLOOD Season 4: "I'm Alive And On Fire" Review
Season 4 of "True Blood" has reached it's fourth episode already. Things are going quite quickly, as episode 4..."I'm Alive And On Fire" aired recently as the latest adventures of those crazy Bon Temps folks. Alot occured in the fourth episode, but nothing earth-shattering. Interesting that four episodes in, we've yet to get a real BOOM! moment. Just a small series of teases, and more dialogue or story-related twists. Bill has been kind of flirting with being the big bad of season 4. But episode 4 kind of tampered down on that. As the often stoic Mr. Compton learned that the woman who's been flirting hard with him, Portia...is actually related to him!
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This comes after Bill, Portia, Andy, and Andy and Portia's mother...have an interesting nightcap of sorts, together. Looks like things between Bill and Portia will definitely cool down now. But the question is, how will Portia take things? She was after all hired by Bill to infiltrate the new coven of witches/necromancers, led by Marnie (Fiona Shaw). So if Bill bails on this relationship, does that expose him to being hurt by Portia? Would she snitch him out to the coven? Then again...maybe Portia should just let it go. As the way it was described in ep 4, Portia is Bill's Great-Great-Great-Great-Granddaughter! I doubt we'll see this relationship between Portia and Bill, which all started with a sexual proposition by Portia in episode 3, continue any further at this point. I think if it did, it would be way too weird. Even by "True Blood" standards! |
Bill and Portia have already though..."done the act" together. But that was before this little nugget of information came out. About Bill's relation to Portia. So now they both really have a reason to quote unquote..."END IT". Besides, Bill has other fish to fry. After his superior visits him, and demands he step up his investigation into the whereabouts of Eric Northman. Jason meanwhile finally gets a break. He escapes his redneck-shack prison in Hot Shot with some help from an unlikely source, and runs for his life. Crystal and her hillbilly clan don't give up easy though. As her half brother Felton -- (keep in mind these are backwoods oddball types so while the shows storyline says Felton is Crystal's half-brother, in theory, who knows with this crazy bunch) -- gives chase in Panther form. Jason shows his toughness though, as he goes Tarzan by making a make-shift shank out of a nearby tree branch. He then uses this sharpened-branch, to kill Felton. Crystal then shows up, and her and Jason have a strange conversation.
Jason seems to believe that he's done with Crystal and her psychotic bunch of rag-tag redneck rejects, but Crystal seems very assured that she'll see him again. Very soon. And even verbalizes this promise. So with that, she lets a mentally and physically drained (and scarred up), Jason Stackhouse limp away back to Bon Temps. I think things between Jason and Crystal just got a little more interesting. And for the first time this season, I am actually looking forward to seeing this storyline further evolve. Especially because later on, when Jason gets back to the road, he is found by Hoyt and Jessica. Jessica gives Jason some of her blood to save his life. But I think this decision will only further complicate matters in the distant future. Back in Bon Temps, Sookie and Eric are still having "issues". Eric still is without his proper memory, but after draining and killing Sookie's Fairy Godmother, he turns his attention to Sookie. Who manages to fight off his advances for awhile.
But this then leads to Eric disappearing later on from Sookie's place. So she visits Alcide to get his help in finding him. Harkening back to season 3, vampires can survive in the daylight as long as they have recently feasted on Fairy Blood. But when that blood runs out, if said vampire doesn't get back to a dark place...they will go up in smoke like a roasted marshmallow. This is exactly what happens with Eric, and so Sookie and Alcide have to rush to find him, and get him back to Sookie's place. Alcide's "time" with Sookie though seems to have, possibly? Maybe? Unearthed just a tiny fragment, of the old Debbie Pelt! Although in her scene with Alcide, Debbie seems to have brushed it off, it is possible that Alcide's fondness of Sookie might turn a green-eyed Debbie to the dark side again. But for now...it remains a "wait and see" situation.
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Eric isn't the only person to go missing in episode 4 though, as Tommy does as well. Maxine visits Merlotte's to ask Sam if he knows where Tommy is. Sam doesn't, but we soon learn that Tommy went to visit his birth mother. Who he learns is still being forced to do dog fighting by Joe Lee. But Tommy's reunion with his mother, soon proves to be a big mistake and at the same time...an evil trap. I wonder what side viewers will be on as this story progresses. Tommy is not really a well-liked character in the "True Blood" universe. But at the same time, you have to kind of feel sorry for this new bit of trouble he's gotten himself into. So it'll be interesting to see how viewers respond to Sam's decision to or not to, save Tommy. Because you know it'll all come down to Sam having to save him. It's not like anyone else except Maxine knows of or cares about Tommy enough to do so. |
Speaking of Sam, Sam learns a new bit of info about his current love interest Luna. Number one, she has a daughter. Number two, her daughter's father, Luna's ex boyfriend...is a werewolf with a nasty streak. None of this though seems to bother Sa, who decides to spend a wonderful evening with Luna and her daughter anyways. I personally think Sam is nuts. And had it not been for Tara's new life outside of Bon Temps, would probably be with her right now. Tara seems to be the safe choice here. Especially for a guy who has a small business to run. The last thing he needs on top of that, and Tommy's shinanigans, is to have to deal with an angry/jealous werewolf. But oh well, that's Sam. I have started pondering which "True Blood" male has the poorest decision-making skills when it comes to women. Sam or Jason? Jason is still in the lead, but man...Sam is really closing that gap very quickly. Elsewhere, Marnie/Jesus/Lafayette/Tara, continue to search for a way to reverse the spell, and help Eric regain his memory. All of this on the heels of us getting some backstory on Marnie and the woman who apparently possess her from time to time.
This witch was apparently possessing Marnie when she first casted the memory-loss spell on Eric. And it seems her history is a tortured one. Dating back to the Spanish Inquisition (Don't they all?). At any rate, this woman, her ultimate motives still remaining a mystery...refuses to help Marnie find the proper text to undo the spell. But then...a final request by Marnie does muster up something of use. But when the attempt to reverse the spell is made, Pam manages to screw it all up with her inherent bitchiness. This then ignites the spirit of the undead witch within Marnie, who uses Marnie as her instrument to school Pam in a very grotesque, yet visually surreal manner. Now leading into episode 5 next Sunday, a new-look Pam will be out for revenge. And if you add that to the already piping hot powder keg that is next week's episode, things are certainly shaping up to be..."HOT"...in Episode 5, "I Hate You, I Love You".
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