[vehn]

The witches sure did mess up Eric

[BoobPhysics101]

AWESOME episode. So much good stuff packed into 58 minutes.

[Zabka]

I actually liked the fairy world reveal and thought the episode was great.

Except for Tara. She is stupid.

[prodystopian]

snip

I think you should spoiler episode 2 talk until others see the episode.

On the preview before the new episode, Alan Ball made it sound like the head fairy chick was the big bad for the season (unless I misinterpreted that part). :(

I think you did...

I think he was referring to the main witch.

[BertramCooper]

Awesome premiere. This year-long jump really seems to have injected some new life into the show. I felt a vitality in tonight's ep that I haven't felt in ages.

But goddamn, someone just murder Tara and Sam. They both continue to be dead weight. It's obvious they can't come up with anything remotely interesting for them to do.

Granted, I'm all for hot lesbian scenes, but it smacks of desperation. Tara is useless, so they give her a hot lesbian girlfriend. It's just kind of sad.

[BoobPhysics101]

Portia is so god damn hot. She (courtney ford) was SO hot in Dexter, and continues to be smoking hot here.

[joesmokey]

I think you did... I think he was referring to the main witch.

Ah, guess I should have paid more attention during the interview :P.

[Fuzzy]

Thank god this is back. I've missed it.

[BertramCooper]

The show needs to cull some of its cast members - badly.

The cast is just enormous. It's getting downright absurd.

Just watch the opening credits and see how long it takes to get through them all. It's insane.

[HiroProtagonist]

This show is just so ridiculous. Fairies throwing glitter bombs? Really? I will say, for once I didn't want to smash Tara's face in... so that's a plus. I get that this is an episode to set-up the season, but aside from Bill, Jason and Lafayette I thought everyone else was kind-of wasted. I hope Sam get sent to the glue factory before the season ends.

[Gunloc]

A very exposition heavy episode (which is to be expected from a premier), but I liked it.

The fairy stuff was a bit wacko, but I didn't mind it too much. There is one character from the book that I think appeared there but wasn't really properly introduced. I'm interested to see what they do with him.

I like new Jason, Portia, and the undercover girl working for Bill.

The only storyline I'm "meh" about is Tara's. It's nice to see her happy, but I'm not sure how it's supposed to work into the main plot. Oh, and Tommy. I hate Tommy.

Marnie is definitely crazy suspicious.

[Zabka]

Granted, I'm all for hot lesbian scenes, but it smacks of desperation. Tara is useless, so they give her a hot lesbian girlfriend. It's just kind of sad.

I'd be willing to sacrifice hot lesbian scenes if Tara just disappeared. She reminds me of the cheerleader from Heroes, where the writers just had no clue what to do with her.

Not that the writers in Heroes had any idea what they were doing with any of the characters in that show.

[Air]

Enjoyed it for the most part. Looking forward to next week

[ChocolateCupcakes]

Echoing what others have said but the fairy part was dumb.

The writers just need to do everyone a favor and kill Tara. They just don't know what to do with her and it shows.

I wasn't sure I was going to like the one-year jump but it worked well in this episode. It just felt better somehow compared to all of season 3.

I feel like I will like the witch arc.

And just, lol at Andy.

[Gunloc]

Oh yeah, the wild horses running free~ was HILARIOUS.

[royalan]

The show needs to cull some of its cast members - badly. The cast is just enormous. It's getting downright absurd.

Eh, there are shows out there that have had bigger casts (Big Love, for one). Large casts are fine. The thing that Alan Ball needs to realize is that not every character needs to get damn-near equal screen time every episode.

Overall, I liked the episode. It was a bit heavy on the exposition, even for a premier, but it was really important for Alan to wash off the stink that was Season 3, and this episode was as close as you could get to a reset without outright retconning everything.

I'm still not buying the whole fairy subplot, and I'm just not believing Super-Responsible-Jason!!! at all. Yeah, his character needed to develop, but this is a complete 180.

I love that there seems to be a greater focus on vampire politics and how it relates to human politics. It was the one thing that I think Alan got right last season.

And I love the witches. They were introduced perfectly and the head witch is easily the most intriguing character introduced to the show in the last 2 seasons.

Oh, and I'm hoping this season will be a redemption for Tara. She went from being a show favorite to an absolutely wasted character. But I still think she has a unique perspective to offer if they get her back to being Sookie's "sidekick" and tether to humanity.

[Air]

Oh yeah, the wild horses running free~ was HILARIOUS.

I wasn't expecting that and ended up laughing.

Its strange to me that people still don't like where Tara is. I don't see anything wrong with what they're doing for her. Not all the characters arcs need to start on episode 1. I personally think its fine you got to see how much she changed within the year. Who knows where her arc will lead to, the writers could do anything. I'd understand the complaints if we were in the latter half of the season but it just started lol.

[bathala]

I thought Sam was going to have an orgy and then horses... lol

episode was not bad. the year leap was a good choice.

Bill is surrounded by two hot women :P

[teh_pwn]

Think the premise of this season is shaping up well. The 1 year shift breaths new life into the show, sort of like a dr who regeneration.

[jett]

I went in with low expectations but this was awesome, a real gamechanger for the series.

[msdstc]

I'm still not a big Tara fan, but this is definitely her best story line so far. It makes sense for her to completely reinvent herself. Sam's is alright, it's a strange trasformation, but it seems to have potential. Again last season started off on fire and fizzled out, hopefully this one continues to pick up steam.

edit- anybody watched episode 2 yet?

[RatskyWatsky]

Thought it was pretty good. Campy and trashy, but still fun.

The beginning with the fairy realm felt like a completely different show. >.< So, was all of the glitter and glam in the fairy realm just a ruse? The fairies are really horrible trolls? Or were those bad fairies? I'm a little confused.

Not sure how to feel about the one year time jump. On one hand it felt a bit contrived. Like they didn't quite know what to do with the characters or how to follow up on all of the crazy cliffhangers last season. On the other hand, it made the show feel fresh in a way that it hasn't since season 1. I'm really curious to find out what happened during the last year.

What's up with Tommy, and why is he hanging with Hoyt's mom?

Tara is a bi/lesbian cage fighter? Interesting. They didn't really seem to set an arching story for her this episode, but it seems they're making her into a stronger character. I wonder if her partner Holly is fully human? It seems like every new character they introduce on this show has ulterior motives...

[squicken]

well the lesbian scene was hot. bert cooper's right about way too many characters. get rid of the red headed waitress, jessica and hoyt unless jessica will do nude scenes, tara, sam, andy, and jason. i hope jason stays locked in that cooler all season

[Frost_Ace]

Liked this episode. Was not expecting what we got but it's sure interesting what it did to the characters especially Bill ,whose life revolved around Sookie, seems to have found other stuff to do now that he is the king of Louisiana and Tara who moved away from his past and left Bon Temps (and found a hot chick to have sex with!!!!).

[RatskyWatsky]

Here's a very brief article about tonight's episode. Alan Ball talks a little about the one year time jump and Tara's new direction.

http://www.tvline.com/2011/06/true-b...iere-spoilers/

I agree that there are too many characters. Lots of the regular cast in this ep, plus a bunch of new additions, and they still have Crystal, Alcide and others to bring back. They need to cut some of them.

[Brian Fellows]

Damn I was hoping to see Shivakamini Somakandarkram naked.

[Recon]

Since time works differently in Faerie lane, did that happen when she went there last season briefly? Or is this a whole new "Lets pull something out of our asses that doesnt match up from previous event" type of thing?

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

The begging with the fairy stuff was some bad Saturday night Sci-fi stuff. Luckily that ended quickly and we got into the time jump to 12.5 months later. Bill's new role as king is intriguing and new there was something shady with the hot librarian looking woman. Tony/Toni is a lesbian cage fighter, while Tara clearly isn't and Eric is still conniving.

[rexor0717]

I am gonna go ahead and say you're the only one. I hated that arc so. damn. much. Also I have a theory they replaced Tara somewhere around season 2 with a cardboard cutout of this face: [IMG]http://i55.************/2zecf7n.png[/IMG]

I hate her so much.

[Dominican Power]

Good first episode

[Gunloc]

I agree that there are too many characters. Lots of the regular cast in this ep, plus a bunch of new additions, and they still have Crystal, Alcide and others to bring back. They need to cut some of them.

I know this has been brought up a lot, but I really never have seen the large cast as a hindrance to the show in theory. There are other shows that handle large cast masterfully (Game of Thrones being a recent example) and considering this is based on a long series of books, a large cast is to be expected.

Plus, I've always seen True Blood as kind of a soap opera, which always have tons of characters.

The problem is, sometimes the show doesn't know how to balance the flow of story lines. When all the plot threads are in sync, True Blood can really be amazing. I just hope this season handles that aspect better.

[HiroProtagonist]

Just finished the second episode on-demand and it was great.

[AXavierB]

A couple things.

I'm actually kinda put off by Tara suddenly being a lesbian/bisexual. Not because it's a bad thing, but because it came out of freaking nowhere. Not to mention I can't help but feel that the implication is that she turned to women due to her traumatic experiences with men, which would be a tad... stereotypical? But I'll reserve my judgment until we see more of that.

I'm a little dissatisfied that the show is still doing the whole love triangle thing. Bill and Eric are both awful for Sookie and I think this show is at its best when it's not focusing on the whole vampire romance thing. Thankfully, the show isn't trying to pretend that their involvement in her life is a good thing, so at least we know it's being self-aware.

I am disgusted by the lack of secks in this episode. N-n-not that I watch for the sex, or anything. But yeah Sam and his new friends strip down for a foursome and then we cut to a different scene. Dammit. Cockblocked. Eh, I'm sure that'll improve too. :V

Did the thing with the fairies being dangerous troll people have any basis in the book? I haven't done more than skim the second novel.

[rhino4evr]

I thought it was terrible. The show has gotten way over the top.

I think Game of Thrones spoiled me.

[.la1n]

I thought it was terrible. The show has gotten way over the top. I think Game of Thrones spoiled me.

Yeah same here. I used to be able to follow it and half give it credit for attempting something different but after Game of Thrones this show is just trying too hard now.

[Glasswork]

Fairy stuff was derp, but I'm only here for the pagans.

[SimleuqiR]

Welp.... This show had a good run back during season 1.

It now has become a guilty pleasure for me. Will keep watching for my favorite red head baby vamp (Jessica). And the fact that they added Courtney (Brandon Routh's wife) to the cast.



That's about it. There is just something discombobulating about this show.

Are the producers making shit up or are they following the books?

[Tucah]

I didn't like the Fairy stuff and Tara continues to be one of the worst characters in any television show I watch, but outside of that everything in the premiere was True Blood in top form.

Now to get on to episode 2. I hope it has more Pam.

Are the producers making shit up or are they following the books?

According to friends who have read the books (I haven't) it's about half and half. Tara is a very minor character in the books and Jessica doesn't exist, but for the most part the Sookie plots are close to their book counterparts.

[Seth C]

According to friends who have read the books (I haven't) it's about half and half. Tara is a very minor character in the books and Jessica doesn't exist, but for the most part the Sookie plots are close to their book counterparts.

Although Bill's plot can't be anything like the books considering he is never King of Louisiana. Also, Lafayette should have been dead as of the end of season one, so I'm not sure if the witch stuff is added or just would have been happening with a different character.

[PhoncipleBone]

And Charlaine Harris is fine with the deviation from the books, and she doesn't want to interfere. In an interview she said she would never intervene. She knows how to write a book, not run a tv show. Who is she to say how someone runs their show? Or at least it was something like that.

[Goreomedy]

Strong first two episodes. I like.

Favorite moment in ep 2:

Sookie takes groceries out of her car trunk, and turns to see a bunch of monster fairies rushing her. Decent scare that had me and my friend jump. But after they morphed into Tara... we flinched even harder, and then groaned in unison. She's now forever sealed as the show's Meg Griffin.

[Shabadoo69]

Eric is turing out to be one of my favorite characters. My wife also thinks im weird because I think Jessica is hot. I can't be the only one who thinks this.

[dead souls]

I thought it was terrible. The show has gotten way over the top. I think Game of Thrones spoiled me.

Yep. One of the worst episodes of the entire series last night. Completely inept on every level and not in the fun campy way the show used to be able to manage. I kept pulling up the time display on my Tivo to check how long I had until Treme was on.

[Solideliquid]

What did that witch tell Lafayette? I couldn't understand no matter how high I turned up the volume...

[ryan13ts]

What did that witch tell Lafayette? I couldn't understand no matter how high I turned up the volume...

I couldn't tell what she was saying for the life of me either. I'd recommend re-watching with subtitles. Its about the only way you'll understand that blabber.

And Lafayette is awesome, especially with the new mohawk. If I was as awesomely gay as Lafayette, I'd totally go around calling everyone 'Hooker' =)

[Ceebs]

The show has always been "bad" and it still is. Thankfully it's the absolute best kind of bad. Every week I sit down to watch this show and I can't wait for the next out of left field nonsense to show up.

Really liked this episode and all the sub plots seem okay so far. Reserving judgement on Tara for now since you know that lesbian MMA fighter thing will devolve into some supernatural twist or she get mixed up in something else.

I do think Sam needs to go. He has served his purpose and is just dead weight at this point.

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

Eric is turing out to be one of my favorite characters. My wife also thinks im weird because I think Jessica is hot. I can't be the only one who thinks this.

What, no.

[purple cobra]

Eric is turing out to be one of my favorite characters. My wife also thinks im weird because I think Jessica is hot. I can't be the only one who thinks this.

You're not man. ;) I think Jessica's hot as well.

I loved last night's episode. They definitely shook things up with the one year leap in the storyline. The show felt reinvigorated to me last night. The opening with the faeries/trolls had me worried about the tone for the rest of the show but after that opening I liked the vibe the rest of the show had.

I liked the introduction to the witches. Though I'm curious as to the one that's working undercover for Bill. And Bill being king now completely caught me off guard. I wonder how his confrontation with the queen went down that he's king now?

Jason being a full cop now was also surprising. It's cool seeing how he's matured from earlier seasons. Tara's development over the year was pretty surprising to me as well, being a cage fighter and also liking women now.

Definitely some unexpected twists in this first episode though. I'm so glad the show's back!

[btrboyev]

They need to kill off Tara, Sam, and Lafeyette. All three are awful.

I also wouldn't mind killing off Jessica as well.

Actually this show has run it's course for me I think.

[RatskyWatsky]

I know this has been brought up a lot, but I really never have seen the large cast as a hindrance to the show in theory. There are other shows that handle large cast masterfully (Game of Thrones being a recent example) and considering this is based on a long series of books, a large cast is to be expected. Plus, I've always seen True Blood as kind of a soap opera, which always have tons of characters. The problem is, sometimes the show doesn't know how to balance the flow of story lines. When all the plot threads are in sync, True Blood can really be amazing. I just hope this season handles that aspect better.

Right. I'm not against having a large cast, and as you mentioned, other shows do it well. I don't think that True Blood handles them very well, though. Season 2 was good in this respect, I think. Season 3 wasn't.

This is only the first episode, though. One can't expect them to immediately weave all of the characters together.