Slow clap for True Blood, which after a few very rocky episodes has righted the ship.  One of the best things about "Gone, Gone Gone" was how some of the boring stories are finally, indeed, gone!  At least for now.  Away into the wind is the Ifrit, I guess - who cares?  No Alcide this week either, which, though his story regarding werewolf politics was mildly interesting, was not something I even noticed or missed until compiling my notes for review.  Sam and Luna even mercifully limited themselves to a cameo in which they were both naked (Sam got a little more time earlier on clothed as well, but still) or in mouse form.  The cutting down and combining of plots was a great relief to the episode, which may be one of the best of the season.  We also said Happy Trails to a character who got quite a fitting ending.  For more on that and why Tara said she don't know nothing about birthin' no vampire babies, hit the jump.

true-blood-season-5-poster

Though the cold open was confusing (who is Mike?  Do we know him?  Why is the coroner there?  Did we know he's a vamp?), it was also full of good ole fashioned True Blood humor.  For one, there was Sookie calmly sorting through her bag of Chinese (There's Chinese take out in Bon Temps?) to look for chopsticks while this quasi-stranger drains her.  What if they had forgotten them?  Sookie's singular expletive after killing the vamp was also a great understatement for the fact that you just can't trust anyone not to drain you there days.  "Fuck," indeed.

Most of "Gone, Gone, Gone" though was dedicated to Authority matters and related affairs.  Unfortunately, the big arc every season is usually a let down - from Maryanne to Marnie to Lilith and the Vampire Authority, we aren't invested in these characters or situations, and they're usually some of the most illogical and campiest moments of the series.  The better parts are the small character moments, like when Tara uses Ginger to dispose of the new Sheriff of Area 5 (also known as "that dickhead dipped in afterbirth") in an attempt to protect herself, Pam and Fangtasia.  Tara is finally coming into her own, and in small doses she can be really great.  Her alliance with Pam is paying off in dividends, though as one friend said to me the other day, "Pam just makes everything better by association."  It was also a nice moment for long-time fans of the series to chuckle at the running gag of Ginger forever screaming after Tara killed the Sheriff, something she does in almost every scene she's in.

Back to the Authority, Russell finally woke up from his partying and puppy love stupor to reclaim his (German?) accent and remember that he's 3000 years old and wants to daywalk, damnit.  I had lamented at how underused Russell had been this season - he was a highlight in prior seasons, and his return seemed to suggest great things.  Instead, he was mostly the cool kid in the back of the class, mocking Salome's piety and engaging in a side-affair with Steve Newlin until he got bored, made a scene and decided to take over the world again.  Finally!

true-blood-gone-gone-gone

Russell may also be the key to uniting a number of various plots, including the werewolves and Warlow.  Warlow is also after fae blood, specifically Sookie, and he may find an alley in Russell (or a competitor).  Warlow is clearly powerful.  Is this setting up Russell's defeat?  It would be a shame, with only two episodes left, to end the season with Russell's true death.  For the series' sake, I hope he sticks around.

And what of the other Authority members?  Salome and Nina are lost to the Cult of Lilith, but what about Eric's conversion?  Was it true or just another ploy to stay alive?  Perhaps his experience with his Lilith vision will allow him to at least commiserate with Bill over all of the hokum, even though if I was in Eric's position I would never trust Bill again nor want to be associated with him at all in any way.  Jessica may be the one that has to ultimately slap some sense into Bill and the error of his own conversion - you could feel her recoiling from the Vampire Bible as she felt herself going full circle, from one fundamentalist sect to another.

Talking about Jessica brings us to Hoyt, who got a really lovely farewell for a character who started off with such promise and who was treated so horribly by the writing staff.  In the end he got everything he wanted - a life away from Mama Fortenberry (who I hope still gets screen time, as she's one of the best), forgetting about Jessica, and never knowing the pain of Jason's betrayal.  His lost connection to Jason was the saddest, particularly that later moment when Jason "tested" the glamour to see just how much Hoyt would or would not remember.  Would a keyword or memory trigger something and bring Hoyt back to him?  Sadly no, and Jason let go of Hoyt and we to a character whose time had been a long time coming.  It's a lesson True Blood should learn more often.  There are some things (characters, plots) of which you just need to let go.

Grade: A-

true-blood-gone-gone-gone-2

Next Week: A cryptic promo didn't offer up much except Sookie taking up arms, a potential leadership crisis in the authority, more Lilith crazy and Jason in the ground (!)

Musings and Miscellanea:

-- I downgraded it from a solid A because of this Lilith nonsense.  Every time she comes on the screen I can't help but laugh.  Also, ripping out an already dead Godric's throat?  Let's not.

-- Tara's "Prissy" moment from Gone with the Wind was a funny send-up to her ongoing struggles with Pam.  Pam, meanwhile, was on fire with her one-liners.  Plus, how great were the duo's outfits?

-- It sure takes awhile for those Stackhouse brains to warm up.  Hmm, ancient scroll with hieroglyphics found in hollowed-out floorboard.  Egyptian?  Lost tribe of Israel?  Whoops, no -- fairies.  Duh!

-- Aw Claude, you don't look a day over 100!  As for Mirella, she's pregnant with Andy's baby, right?

true-blood-gone-gone-gone-1

-- Speaking of pregnancies, did anyone notice how Anna Paquin's baby bump was covered up via props or baggy clothes throughout the episode?  I don't know how they'll keep that up through the next two action-packed weeks but I'm sure it'll get creative.

-- I was wondering when Emma was going to turn back into a human, though I feared it for her sake.  Steve treating her like an actual dog was pretty weirdly delusional, though.

-- If you had the opportunity to be glamoured (i.e. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind-ed) would you?

-- Goodbye also to Molly, who is REALLY skinny.  I was excited to see the iStake work though as well.

true-blood-poster-jessica