True Blood: Review: Season 5 Ep 6

HBO, 15 July 2012

After Bill, Eric, Alcide and Sookie defend themselves from Russell Edgington, the Authority turn up to order everyone about. Bill pretends to glamour Sookie and Eric really does glamour Alcide (throwing a few extra directions into the mix). Back at the Authority HQ, Eric and Bill are welcomed like prodigal sons, but Eric is clearly suspicious. Returning home, Alcide takes action and Sookie is recruited by Jason to find out more about the fairies and their parents’ deaths.

This Alan Ball-penned episode certainly ignites some much needed sparks. The part that Russell Edgington plays in the unfolding narrative is not unexpected—can one say it’s downright predictable, including suspicions about which female Authority member might be implicated in releasing him—but Denis O’Hare recaptures the role brilliantly and with plenty of relish.

Overall, the script and the delivery is really on the ball this episode, even though the fairy storyline is still not offering much yet beyond tantalising hints, the shooting of shifters doesn’t excite (it was pretty weak in the novel) and the Tara/Hoyt/Jessica triangle has yet to go anywhere special. Definitely though, an honourable mention should go to Alfre Woodard. She may only get one scene but she steals the show with it. Hopefully the Lafayette storyline gets beefed up a bit from here on in; it certainly needs it and it could have potential to ‘join the dots’. A showdown between Jesus’s demon and ol’ smokey the ifrit could well be something to see…

Verdict: This season finally turns out to be not as hopeless as all that!

Episode 6 ‘Hopeless’: 8

Brigid Cherry