TV Show Review: ‘True Blood’ Season 5 Premiere

By: Melissa Berne & Gabrielle Bondi

True Blood has proven with each season that it just gets better and crazier. The first episode of season 5 premiered last night on HBO, and what a premiere episode it was! Here to share their thoughts on last night’s episode are both Melissa and Gaby!

Melissa’s thoughts:

True Blood had a strong first episode for their fifth season, some moments were more intriguing than others and those are the ones I kept thinking about afterwards.

First off, I love the bromance going on between Bill and Eric. It’s fresh, new and definitely something we haven’t seen before. Some people might not like it because they are supposed to be fighting for the same girl’s heart. But what were the writers going to do? Keep the animosity going between the two for five more seasons? I don’t think so. Characters need different layers if we are expected to find them interesting and want to keep caring about them. Besides, this way they can bond over the fact that they got rejected by a fairy.

I really enjoy the fact that Jessica is living the college kid (sans college) life and wilding out by making out with boys while playing karaoke. Although we can see there’s still a spark of jealousy there when it comes to Jason, like a true “friends with benefits” situation. She is still trying to find her niche as a vampire, and for the first time we see her being independent without her “Vamp Pop” chastising her or her boyfriend nagging her about cooking because, you know, he is human and hence needs to eat.

The vampire reverend being gay and having the hots for Jason Stackhouse was a hilarious twist that I enjoyed. Not only does Jason have to worry about his best friend hating him, Jessica ignoring him, but now his old Fellowship of The Sun leader wants in on his pants.

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I am liking this potential darker side to Sookie. She confessed to Lafayette that she had a moment to think about killing or not killing Debbie and she chose the former. In the season finale last year, I applauded Sookie when she shot Debbie. I thought to myself, “Finally! Little Miss fairy fingers got blood on her hands!” It’s interesting to see Sookie who is usually, for the most part, a goody-goody do something drastic–like killing someone, admitting to wanting to do it, covering up the body, and not telling the police.

And I just love how the show messes with your emotions. At the beginning Lafayette and Sookie beg Pam to save Tara by turning her into the thing Tara hates the most, a vampire. After Sookie promises Pam to owe her one if she does this, Pam obliges. During all the hoopla going on in the episode Pam is laying in the dirt with a potential new baby vampire and we think said baby vampire is getting turned. When Sookie returns to them with True blood in tow, Pam comes out of the earth and we wait to see if she was successful. Sookie frantically digs Tara out of the dirt and she finds her cold and lifeless. As Layfaytte comes out the house, Sookie cries when she realizes Tara is dead and gone. After a few moments of crying, Tara suddenly pops out of the dirt and advances on Sookie–blackout and the episode ends. Oh shit!

True Blood had a good season opener. I cannot wait for the next episode! Tara as a human had a bad attitude, can you imagine that being magnified as a raging, blood thirsty vampire?! Alcide’s reaction to Sookies’ killing of Debbie is yet to be seen, but with his unrequited love I predict he’ll still be worshiping the fairy princess. Even with this new dark past catching up with him, Terry’s storyline, as with past seasons, still doesn’t interest me as much as everything else going on in the show.

Til next week truebies! Which were your favorite moments from the premiere? Sound off in the comments after the jump.

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Gaby’s thoughts:

True Blood is a show that really caught me by surprise. At first, I didn’t think I would like it. But after giving the series premiere a chance, you could say I was instantly addicted. I can’t believe we’re already on Season 5, and reflecting back, these characters have come a long way. Without a doubt, I truly believe this series gets better as it progresses.

Last night’s episode begins right where the finale left off. (And thank God for that long recap montage to refresh my memory on several plot lines.) It starts off with Bill and Eric working together. Yes, Bill AND Eric of ALL people (or vampires, whatever). While I was annoyed that Sookie kind of left them at the end of the finale, I’m glad that a friendship (or bromance as Melissa puts it) has formed between the two. We’ve seen them at odds with each other for so long that it’s refreshing to see them put aside differences and work together. It was also an interesting series of scenes for them in this episode. I really like Nora, a member of the Authority and Eric’s sister. “We fight like siblings, but fuck like champions,” Eric quips about his vampire sister. Nora helps Bill and Eric escape, but unluckily they are re-captured. I can’t wait to see what happens to them next, especially when they meet the head of the Authority (played by SVU‘s Chris Meloni).

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I must have a terrible memory because for some reason I didn’t remember Tara getting shot. However, I thought it was great that Pam showed up, and Sookie begged her to turn Tara. Pam agreed under the condition that Sookie would “owe her one.” It was hilarious seeing Pam in “a Walmart sweatsuit” as she was buried with Tara into the ground. The weight of whether or not Tara will turn and cleaning Debbie’s body is definitely getting to Sookie. She was always this sunshine-happy girl, now it’ll be cool to see a darker side of her. After all the craziness she has endured lately, it’s really about time for Sookie to get a little dark. As for Lafayette, he’s in mourning for Jesus, but I find him to be one of the strongest (and possibly smartest) characters in the show and he exemplified that in this episode.

It seems (at least for now) that the main plot involving Jason is his seemingly on/off relationship with Jessica. I can’t help but root for these two. I can see the longing they have for each other, but Jessica is trying to take advantage of all the new and fun things she can do as a vampire. All that is understandable, since she was so sheltered as a human. But it’ll be great to see how Jason’s and Jessica’s relationship evolve. It’ll also be interesting  and funny now that the reverend has declared his love for Jason.

As much as I like the werewolves and shapeshifters, I hope they get a better storyline this season. Let’s get over what happened last season and move on. I really want to see Alcide as pack master and team up with Sam. In additon, I’m curious to see how Alcide will react to Sookie killing Debbie. I’m hoping for a Sookie/Alcide season, now that Bill and Eric are busy with the Authority.

Other story lines involving the other characters have started and I can’t wait to see how they grow and all become connected. It was a top-notch premiere. True Blood always knows how to start and end with a bang (s0metimes literally). Check out the video below to see what’s coming up in Season 5!

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