'TRUE BLOOD' 3.5 - "Trouble"

[SPOILERS] Well, that was slightly better. There's still an overbearing amount of tedious subplots, but a few started to get interesting in the final third, and the central storyline is beginning to take shape. "Trouble" wasn't exactly an episode that reversed season 3's fortunes in one fell swoop, but it certainly felt like the writers may have started to turn the ship around.

The biggest problem continues to be the aforementioned glut of storylines, which feel like they only exist because True Blood's cast has expanded so much that actors need servicing in whatever way possible. Jason's (Ryan Kwanten) being used as comic relief in a ridiculous story about blackmailing Andy (Chris Bauer) into letting him become a deputy, but at least now he's met a mysterious blonde called Crystal (Lindsay Pulsipher), who at least offers us some charming romance and mystery. She'll probably reveal herself as a wood nymph, or something equally as silly, but I until then I can't deny I find Jason very endearing when he's being a dopey romantic instead of an idiotic horndog.

Another new character was added in the shape of Jesus (Kevin Alejandro); no, he's not the Messiah, but he's a very naughty care home worker for Lafayette's (Nelsan Ellis) ailing mother, whose taken a shine to Merlotte's short order cook and appears to be Lafayette's love interest this year. I'm not sure if this is a good development yet, but it's not really something I'm excited about. Again, it just feels like the writers need to give Ellis something to do, and the show has yet to tackle a homosexual relationship -- so why not?

More interesting and amusing was seeing Franklin (James Frain) take dive into psycho territory by whisking Tara (Rutina Wesley) to Edgington's (Denis O'Hare) mansion and tying her to a four-poster bed. He clearly has a fetish for domination and is mentally unstable, which is admittedly great fun because of Frain's twitchy performance and some funny gags (like him proudly texting the word "motherfucker" into Tara's phone with preternatural speed).

It's just unfortunate that Tara is forever playing the victim on this show, and Wesley remains one of the most excruciatingly screen presences on television. Her character's never been very likeable, so it's hard to feel any sympathy for her when she's being threatened or traumatized -- although I do find it bizarre that the show's most confident and strong-minded character is rarely allowed any moments of victory or happiness. Tara's the eternal victim of this supernatural world; daughter of an alcoholic mother, hoodwinked by fake exorcists, brainwashed by a maenad, boyfriend murdered, and now the inamorata of a disturbed vampire.

Sam's (Sam Trammell) storyline with his parents isn't working yet, but signs of intrigue are beginning to poke through. Sam's brother Tommy (Marshall Allman) seems to be a good kid at heart, but his family are clearly hiding something. In one scene, Sam's dad came bursting into his house, interrupting Sam and Tommy watching a nature documentary, and proceeded to rant crazily about Tommy losing sight of his responsibilities. I'm at a loss to explain this behaviour, but for some reason Tommy appears to have never had much freedom from his parents, and they've either come to rely on him to an uncomfortable extent (believing they "own" him) or there's a more supernatural reason behind this outburst. Knowing True Blood, it'll favour the latter option. I'm expecting the twist will be that Tommy really is bad news and someone who needs to be kept on a tight leash, but Sam won't accept that until it's too late.

The primary storyline with Edgington didn't take a huge step forward, but it helped that Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) is now involved with this story and, via an extended flashback to his Viking past, it seems that Edgington was the cloaked figure responsible for slaughtering Eric's human family and stealing his father's crown. In many ways, Edgington is becoming a direct replacement for Maryann from season 2: both ancient beings, both have history with a main character (Sam for Maryann, Eric for Edgington), and both have their obedient protectors (brainwashed locals for Maryann, V-addicted werewolves for Edgington).

Sookie (Anna Paquin) didn't have much to do this week, but things certainly got interesting when she was reunited with Bill shortly before Edgington and his werewolves arrived to kidnap her -- mainly because she protected herself with those handheld energy blasts we've seen in the past. An act of self-defense that seemed to delight Edgington, who hopefully knows exactly what Sookie is. Or will she continue to be an enigma for awhile longer?

Overall, I'm cautiously optimistic that True Blood's about to start an uphill climb for the remainder of the season now. The way episodes unfold is still very messy and lacks precision, but hopefully more storylines will begin to bounce into each other. Or will the Bon Temps-based characters (Jason, Jessica, Sam, Lafayette) face on particular crisis, while the Mississippi-based characters (Eric, Sookie, Tara, Bill, Edgington, Alcide) face another? That narrative split worked well for the bulk of season 2, so hopefully something similar is planned again that learns from a few mistakes last year.

Asides

• I just realized the humour in Grant Bowler playing a werewolf, as the Kiwi actor's best-known for playing the character of "Wolf" in New Zealand comedy-drama Outrageous Fortune (remade as Scoundrels this summer on ABC).
• So, the research on Sookie's family tree that Franklin found in Bill's home and delivered to Edgington: proof that Bill has only been interested in Sookie because he's been waiting for another Stackhouse with telepathic abilities since her grandfather died? I'm hoping for a flashback with Bill and Sookie's grandad to explain things.
• Has Andy forgotten about the decapitated body Hoyt discovered in a ditch a few episodes ago? The Sheriff's department should be buzzing with the activity of a murder investigation, but he's instead got Jason filing and washing cars?
• Tommy has a soft spot for Jessica, so hopefully that'll be explored. I suspect Tommy's a villainous presence, and Hoyt will have to rescue his ex with the help of Sam at some point.
• Any theories on Crystal? No spoilers if her character's been explored in the novels, of course. She always seems to be alone and didn't want to go inside Merlotte's where a crowd would be -- is there something in that? Is she a ghost of some kind? Some kind of spirit only Jason can see?

WRITER: Nancy Oliver
DIRECTOR: Scott Winant
GUEST CAST: Kevin Alejandro, Annica Bejhed, Grey Damon, Grainger Hines, Cooper Huckabee, Lil Mirkk, Melissa Rauch, John Rezig, Hans Tester, Tanya Wright, Marshall Allman, Mariana Klaveno, Denis O'Hare, Jim Parrack, Lindsay Pulsipher, Grant Bowler, Joe Manganiello, Brit Morgan & James Frain
TRANSMISSION: 18 July 2010 - HBO, 9PM