CANCELED SHOWS: Camelot on Starz

I guess I can erase this series from my DVR.   Starz has decided not to move forward with production on the Starz original series Camelot.   Starz is siting “significant production challenges” as the reason for not having a Season Two.   What is constituting those challenges…scheduling conflicts with cast members, which is shot in Ireland.

It’s a shame for the fans because people I talked to who watched Camelot, said it was a solid show.  And it was one of Starz top rated original series.   But if they couldn’t work it out with too many members of the cast, I guess they couldn’t move forward.

 

Friday Night Lights Season One

How is it that I never watched this show?   It has three of my favorite things: teen angst, a stellar cast, and football!  I’ve had many people tell me that I need to watch this show.   As usual I was very late to the game on this one.   Like Gilmore Girls, Bones, and Supernatural…all of which I started watching WAY after their initial premieres or even after they had their final episode…FNL was a show I never watched when it was on but enough people have yelled at me to watch it, so I did.

Ten episodes into Season 1, I can tell this is going to be my Steel Magnolias, my P.S. I Love You, my Brian’s Song.   If you haven’t watched any of those movies, I recommend copious amounts of Kleenex and a bottle of Excedrin Migraine medicine before you watch.  In other words, they are tear-jerkers and those three movies in particular, are my biggest.  It doesn’t matter how many times I watch them and the fact that I could recite each movie’s script by heart, they still get me every time.   Before I even really know these characters and their stories, I am already in tears during the pilot.  It’s really a testament to the writers and the cast.    And I have cried (even as little as a small tear trickling down my check) during all 10 episodes!!!   Is there something wrong with me?  Don’t answer that.  I think I already know the answer!!

When I started watching, the first thing that made me laugh was the fact that two characters on this show that I have fallen in love with, I absolutely HATED on other shows I saw them on.    The first is Scott Porter.  Can this be the same Scott Porter (who plays QB 1 Jason Street who had a terrible accident on the field that has left him paralyzed and rebuilding his life) who played disgusting, creepy, but really sexy Blake Calamar on The Good Wife?   What a difference!!  I have to say, as much as I wanted to punch him on TGW, I just want to run through my TV and hug him and tell him everything will be alright on FNL.  He’s fantastic!!!  Now if he and Lyla (Minka Kelly) can just work things out, that would be nice!   Since I’m talking about Minka Kelly, this is now the second show where she has been a slut bag (the other one being Parenthood) yet, I’m always on her side!   Maybe it’s because Kelly is so good at being sweet, endearing, and soft-spoken, that I am willing to forgive so many of her bad decisions!   I do feel bad for Lyla.  While what she did (sleeping with Jason’s best friend Tim while Jason is recovering from a spinal injury) was wrong on soooo many levels, she’s a kid who made a mistake.  And boy does watching this show remind me how cruel kids in high school can be sometimes.   Wow!   And I didn’t go to high school during the age of the internet (yes I am dating myself) so I can only imagine the levels to which kids can be even more cruel.   The second actor I have fallen in love with (actually there are more but in regards to hating and now loving) is Zach Gilford (who plays QB 2 now QB 1 Matt Saracen who is struggling with his new status as the starting QB of the #1 ranked Dillon Panthers, dealing with his grandmother who is dealing with dementia, balancing his friendships (especially with his best friend Landry, played by Jesse Plemons) with the non-cool kids and the football team, and falling in love with the coach’s daughter, Julie.)  I absolutely HATED his character of Dr. Tommy Fuller on the short-lived (thank God) Off the Map.  Fuller was an obnoxious, condescending, ass who had nothing likable about him what-so-ever.   A far cry from Matt who is so sweet and good-natured.  A kid who would pretend to be his grandfather and sing their wedding song to his grandmother to calm her down when she had an episode.  A kid who is really respectful to Julie and is adorably nervous around her and her parents!  Again, hard to believe this is the same actor!  But that’s why they get paid the big bucks to perform and I get paid nothing to comment on it!   LOL!

Ten episodes in and there is really only one character that rubs me the wrong way and that’s Tyra (played by Adrienne Palicki.)  She’s annoying as all hell and brings nothing to the table.  Although I have a bad feeling she’s going to be around for a while.  Probably one of my favorites is Brian “Smash” Williams.  I love that kid!  I also like the very relevant storyline they are going on with him as a kid who is working so hard to get a scholarship but is just a little undersized so he turns to steroids to help give him an edge.  He’s a good kid who’s just making a really bad choice right now but I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.  I also like the Riggens family story.  Tim (played by Taylor Kitsch) is a rebel who’s never really had any parental figures in his life to help guide him.  His older brother Billy (played by Derek Phillips) is trying to keep him in line and working to get him into college and using football to do it.   They don’t always agree or get along and have a strange way of showing their love for each other, but you can tell that Billy just wants the best for Tim and Tim really appreciates all his brother does for him.   Tim and Jason are best friends.   That is until Tim falls in love with Lyla and sleeps with her while Jason is recovering from his injuries.  I get the feeling that eventually, Jason will forgive both of them and move on, but he’s not there yet.  Finally we have the Taylors, Eric, Tami, and Julie (played by Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, and Aimee Teegarden.)  The Taylors are a great family.  Eric is the new head football coach of the Panthers and he is learning very quickly that this is more than just your typical high school football coaching job.   EVERYONE in town has a thought on your team, your players, and your coaching methods.  He always handles it very well with grace and class.  I would have had a serious come to Jesus meeting with someone at this point, but Eric Taylor is a better person than me!    Tami is a supportive wife but her support only goes so far at times.  She is his moral compass and reminds him that not everything can always be about football and what’s best for the team.  She reminds him that sometimes, what is best for the kids themselves, should come first.  She’s also the school’s guidance counselor (can you tell?)  Their daughter Julie is a high school sophomore at Dillon and has a really good head on her shoulders.  She’s a strong girl but incredibly respectful to her parents.   She is also starting to date for the first time and she doesn’t start small.  Her first date and high school love is the new captain and QB 1 of the football team, Matt Saracen.  Needless to say, this doesn’t go over very well with her parents.  I don’t understand why.  Matt’s a good kid.  It could be worse.  She could be interested in Reyes!

Ten episodes in and I can’t wait to watch every episode in this series!!!   Although, I want to take it slow considering I know there are only 70+ episodes total in the series.  I don’t want it to go too fast.  I have to throw in a Mad Men or Buffy every once in a while to break it up.    But I can’t wait to see how everything works out for the people in Dillon, Texas!   Since I am watching this for the first time, if you have seen the series, please don’t spoil anything for me!!   But I would love to hear your comments as I go through the series.

 

Joe Rogan Back as Fear Factor Reboot Host

If you haven’t heard, Fear Factor is looking to make a come back on NBC.   As a result, original host, comedian Joe Rogan, has been asked to reprise his hosting duties.

I’m happy about this because I couldn’t imagine Fear Factor without Rogan.  It’s like watching Survivor without Jeff Probst…it’s just not right!    I watched Fear Factor the first time around for the first season or two.   But then it got really gross and nasty so I stopped watching.   To be honest, I watched it more because of Rogan because I find him to be hysterical.  As you know, I am not a reality TV person, except for Survivor, so I’m not sure if I will check out FF 2.0    But I’m happy for the hilarious Rogan.  He made that show a lot more entertaining the first time around.   I have no doubt, he’ll do it again.

 

REVIEW: Pretty Little Liars “My Name is Trouble” S2 E3

As soon as I watched the “previously on Pretty Little Liars” clip, I knew what was going on with Melissa and I have a theory about her baby.   Wren is who she has been speaking to the whole time and she was having an affair with Wren and he is actually the father of her baby and not Ian.     That’s my theory.  I think the texts she was getting was from Wren so that when Spencer sent the “what did we name our baby” text, Wren answered “Taylor” because he’s the baby daddy!!!   Then when the last scene happened, it solidified my thoughts and I am more convinced than ever that Wren is the baby’s father.

Spencer

I find it curious that considering all the “trouble” Spencer has been in and the fact that Melissa is still recovering from a car accident and her husband is either dead or missing, that the Hastings are out-of-town a lot!    Would you leave your daughters in this situation?   I know I would make arrangements for at least ONE of us to be there for them.    I find that strange.

Spencer is determined to find out who Melissa is talking to and she also wants to know if someone is staying with Jason DiLaurentis.  Toby has started working for Jason because no one else will hire him and he really needs the money to start his own business and move out of his house.   Spencer doesn’t like this and wants him to quit.   To help speed that process along, she takes Melissa’s wedding ring and sells it to a pawn shop to get the money to buy Toby a truck so he can take a job in Yardley and stop working for Jason.    I’m not sure why Spencer would be so against Toby working with Jason.   If anything, if Toby gets closer to Jason, he may be able to open a circle of trust and therefore get more information out of him.   Spencer should be encouraging this in my opinion not discouraging it.   One day when Spencer went to visit Toby, Jason was bringing trash bags to the curb and one broke showing rags with blood on it.  Hmmmm.  Did Jason have an accident or is he helping someone with injuries from a fall in a bell tower?   We’ll have to wait and see.

Aria

Aria is now taking a pottery class at Hollis College, where he father teaches, Ezra teaches, and Ezra’s ex fiance teaches.  This surprises me.   Wouldn’t this still be an issue for Ezra?  I don’t know the rules of college professors dating students at the college but I can’t imagine this would be acceptable.  Ezra and Aria had to keep their creepy, out-of-line relationship a secret when Ezra was teaching at Rosewood because he would have gotten fired (and I have to imagine in some states, arrested.)   Now he’s at Hollis and their relationship can be out in the open.  Well if Aria is taking classes at Hollis, whether she is in his class or not, isn’t that against the rules?   She’s 16 and taking a class at a local college where her “boyfriend” teaches.  In my mind, there is soooooo many things wrong with that scenario I don’t even know where to begin.   But I can’t imagine the administration at Hollis, being happy about this.   Boy I really hope they break up soon.

While Aria was taking her pottery class, she noticed Jenna in her class.  She tries to keep her distance and when the teacher asks her what her name is, she says Anita.  Now I would think that regardless of what Aria said her name is, Jenna would be able to recognize her voice.   I’m about to get really angry at the writers for insulting the intelligence of the viewers but then they correct the situation.  When Jenna takes her finished product and asks “Anita” to describe it to her since she can’t see, Aria starts to tell her what it looks like.   It is then that Jenna recognizes her voice and yells at her to blow out the candle (the lights have been turned out and the candle was the only light in the room.)   I have to say, this is the first time I really start to feel bad for Jenna and I think Aria starts to see the full impact of their actions from a very real and emotional level that she (and the audience) really hadn’t seen before from Jenna.  But as soon as Jenna realizes Aria is there, she instantly goes back to crazy mode, so that didn’t last very long!

Hanna

Before we get into Hanna, I have one comment for the writers.  Tom Marin, Hanna’s father (played by Roark Critchlow) was talking about his upcoming wedding to Isabel, his fiance, and said “if she could fill up Veterans Stadium, she would.”    Technically, it should be Lincoln Financial Field.   My beloved Veterans Stadium, which was home to the Philadelphia Eagles and Philadelphia Phillies for over 30+ years, was imploded on March 21st 2004.   So it would be quite a challenge for Tom and Isabel to have their wedding at the Vet.

On that front, Ashley and Tom seem to be getting along very well.  Tom is staying in Rosewood a little longer which seems to make Ashley very happy and Isabel very unhappy.  At first I didn’t think Hanna liked the idea of her parents getting chummy again.  But when Isabel sends Tom an apology text,  his cell phone is on the kitchen island while Tom and Ashley are on the patio, drinking wine, laughing, and really enjoying each other’s company.  So Hanna does what any teenager would do….she deletes the text.   I have a feeling that will come back into to play, but for the time being, there was a small part of me that was thrilled Hanna did that because I really like the chemistry between Tom and Ashley.

At school, Hanna is trying to rebuild her friendship with Lucas.   And while Lucas is hesitant and cautious, you can tell he misses Hanna.  I still think there are some residual feelings there on his end, but I really believe that Lucas would rather have some portion of Hanna in his life, than not at all.  And if that is only as friends, so be it.   He looks like he starts crushing on another girl on the yearbook committee so Hanna makes it her mission to help him get a date.   It’s pretty sweet and I think she succeeds.

Emily

Emily is my least favorite character.  She is so maudlin and  morose that she gets on my nerves.  I can’t remember the last time I saw that girl smile.   She always looks like she is going to burst into tears at any moment and she’s a huge downer.  Even when she started dating this new girl, she looks like this is a painful experience for her rather than a happy one.  So I’m hoping the writers start to give her some life and happiness because she drags down every scene she’s in.

Emily came up with a plan to change the Danby letter she received from being more vague about her opportunity to an all out scholarship offer if she stays in Rosewood.   She would then mail it so her mother would receive it and decide to stay in Rosewood vs. moving to Texas.  After a heart to heart with her mom, she decides against.  A, on the other hand, has other plans for her.   A somehow mails the letter to Mrs. Fields and as a result they are staying in Rosewood….prompting another gloomy look from Emily.

While I am enjoying Season Two, I would like to start getting some answers to some questions.  Even if it is just revealed to us and not the Liars, but I need something.    Is Jason bad?   Who is staying with him and why?   Is Ian alive or dead?   What is going on with Melissa?   What’s up with the cop and Jenna?   Is Jenna good or bad?   Is Toby involved in any of this?   Is there any other clue to who A may be?   I dont’ need everything answered.   I’m still ok with not knowing who A is.   But there are major questions being opened up so it would be nice if ONE thing could be solved or ONE question could be answered.   Want to help me out there ABC Family?  Thanks!

 

CBS Releases Premiere Dates for Fall Shows

Here is the latest CBS release schedule for the fall shows:

All new shows are in CAPS.  All changed time slots and days are in RED.

WEDNESDAY SEPT 14TH

8pm  Survivor: South Pacific

MONDAY SEPT 19TH

8pm  How I Met Your Mother
8:30pm  HIMYM (encore)
9pm  Two and a Half Men
9:30pm  2 BROKE GIRLS (NEW SERIES)
10pm  Hawaii 5-0

TUESDAY SEPT 20TH

8pm  NCIS
9pm  NCIS: LA
10pm  UNFORGETTABLE  (NEW SERIES)

WEDNESDAY SEPT 21ST

9pm  Criminal Minds
10pm  CSI

THURSDAY SEPT 22ND

8pm  The Big Bang Theory
8:30pm  The Big Bang Theory (encore)
9pm  PERSON OF INTEREST (NEW SERIES)
10pm  The Mentalist

FRIDAY SEPT 23RD

8pm  A GIFTED MAN (NEW SERIES)
9pm  CSI: NY
10pm  Blue Bloods

SATURDAY SEPT 24TH

8pm  Rules of Engagement
8:30pm  COMEDYTIME SATURDAY (NEW)
9pm  CRIMETIME SATURDAY (NEW)
10pm  48 Hours Mystery

SUNDAY SEPT 25TH

7pm  60 Minutes
8pm  The Amazing Race
9pm  The Good Wife
10pm  CSI:Miami

MONDAY SEPT 26TH

8:30pm  2 BROKE GIRLS (NEW TIME SLOT)
9:30pm  Mike & Molly

THURSDAY SEPT 29TH

8:30pm  HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN (NEW SERIES) 

 

 

(UPDATED) CASTING NEWS: Law & Order: SVU

NBC and Law & Order: SVU have found a replacement for Christopher Meloni as well as an additional female presence when Mariska Hargitay reduces her work load during the midseason.    Danny Pino (Cold Case) and Kelli Giddish (Chase) have been cast as series regulars on L&O: SVU 13th season.

Pino is best known for playing detective Scotty Valens on Cold Case for seven seasons and has had other guest spots on shows like The Shield and Burn Notice.  Joining Pino is Giddish who most recently starred on the canceled NBC show Chase and had a great guest spot on The Good Wife this past season and whose resume includes shows like Damages, The Burg, All My Children, and even did a guest spot on L&O: SVU in 2007.

I don’t watch SVU so I would be curious to hear what fans of the show think.  I know Meloni’s shoes are very hard to fill but I loved Pino on Cold Case so I hope fans of the show will be pleased with the casting.   While I didn’t like Giddish on Chase, I really liked her on The Good Wife and I was hoping she was going to continue with the show this upcoming season.  Oh well.   But hopefully she will fit in well with the SVU cast.

What are your thoughts SVU fans?   Are we happy or not so much about this casting news?

UPDATED:

Two very popular actresses and characters are returning to SVU this season.   Stephanie March and Diane Neal are both returning as ADA Alexandra Cabot and ADA Casey Novak respectively.  Neither actress has a specific number of episodes they are returning for so we’ll have to wait and see.

Both of these women are fantastic in these roles so I am thrilled that they will both be returning in the fall!!!

 

ABC Releases Premiere Dates for Fall Shows

Here is the latest ABC release schedule for the fall shows:

All new shows are in CAPS.  All changed time slots and days are in RED.

MONDAY SEPT 19TH

8pm  Dancing with the Stars
10pm  Castle

TUESDAY SEPT 20TH

9pm  Dancing with the Stars Results Show
10pm  Body of Proof

WEDNESDAY SEPT 21ST

8pm  The Middle (One Hour Premiere)
9pm  Modern Family (One Hour Premiere)
10pm  REVENGE (NEW SERIES)

THURSDAY SEPT 22ND

8pm  CHARLIE’S ANGELS (NEW SERIES)
9pm  Grey’s Anatomy (Two Hour Premiere)

SUNDAY SEPT 25TH 

7pm  Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9pm  Desperate Housewives
10pm  PAM AM (NEW SERIES)

WEDNESDAY SEPT 28TH

8:30pm  SUBURGATORY (NEW SERIES)
9:30pm  Happy Endings

THURSDAY SEPT 29TH

10pm  Private Practice

SUNDAY OCTOBER 2ND

7pm  America’s Funniest Home Videos

TUESDAY OCTOBER 11TH

8pm  LAST MAN STANDING (NEW SERIES)  (One Hour Premiere)

TUESDAY OCTOBER 18TH

8:30pm  MAN UP! (NEW SERIES)

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21ST

8pm  Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (Friday Time Premiere)

SUNDAY OCTOBER 23RD

8pm  ONCE UPON A TIME (NEW SERIES)

 

 

NEW PODCAST: Episode 6 Covers The Killing, True Blood, and Private Practice.

A new For the Love of TV Podcast is now available.   Check it out at www.fortheloveoftvpodcast.com.  In Episode Six, I cover the following topics:

1. The Killing: Reaction to AMC’s President Charlie Collier interview with EW.com
2. True Blood: Season 4 Episode 1 Full Recap and reaction
3. Private Practice: Season finale reaction and discussion
4. A look at ABC’s fall premiere dates
5. A look at FOX’s fall premiere dates

Check it out.  Leave your comments here or on the Podcast tab.

 

RECAP & REVIEW: True Blood “She’s Not There” S4 E1

Season Four started tonight with an interesting twist….Sookie’s been gone for over a year in fairy land and things are quite different now that she’s back.   Apparently, time in fairyland doesn’t equate to time on earth.  As we quickly learned when Sookie bumped into her grandfather Earl (played by Gary Cole) and he said he felt like he was there just a few hours.   Turns out it was 20 years!   Needless to say, that was our first clue that Sookie’s “quick trip” wouldn’t be so quick when she got home.  But let’s talk about how she got home.   This woman, who I assume is some head fairy lady, is pretty pissed and she wants to start harvesting humans.   She’s also not happy that a vampire invaded her realm due to drinking Sookie’s blood.  She tries to make Sookie eat the glowing fruit but she refuses.  As a result, she zaps the head fairy lady into a tree and turns into some Grimm fairy tale looking creature and the scenery transfer from being sunny and lovely to dark and dreary.   My question is, if those are how fairies look, then why didn’t Sookie turn into one of those creatures as well if she is a fairy?   Is it because she didn’t eat the glowing fruit?   I’m a little confused.    But one creature decides to help her as the head fairy lady flings glowing fire balls at her.   There is a portal back to the human world and while head fairy lady tries to close it, Sookie jumps in with grand daddy Earl and they zap back to the human world.   Because he ate the glowing fruit, he starts to die.   He gives Sookie a pocket watch to give to Jason and then passes away, leaving Sookie to break down at her grandmother’s grave.

As she heads to her house, she realizes things are completely different and a contractor threatens to call the police if she doesn’t get off the property.  She tells him to go ahead.  He does and Jason shows up in full uniform.   He hugs Sookie asking her where she has been because he thought she was dead.   She tells him but she said she was only gone about 15-2o minutes.  She asks what day it is and she wonders what the big deal is because it was only a couple of weeks.  He tells her it’s been 13 months.    Oops!   Jason tells Sookie not to tell anyone about the fairy business because they will through her in the loony bin (he’s right!)  She then gives him the pocket watch which you can tell means a great deal to him.  We also learn that Jason has sold the house to some people from a company called A.I.K.   Sookie goes outside for some air and next thing you know both Bill and Eric arrive sensing that Sookie is back in town.  Bill is really happy to see her and is glad she’s ok.  Eric also is happy to see her and wants her to know that while everyone in Bon Temps gave up on her, including Bill and Jason, he never did.  He NEVER did.  Point taken Eric.  We get it!  He leaves and Andy Bellefleur shows up yelling at Sookie for being gone and taking up lots of time and money from the police station looking for her.  We learn that everyone accused Bill of killing her.  Bill makes Andy a deal…he’ll reimburse the station for the money they spent looking for Sookie if Andy clears his name.  Wouldn’t that naturally happen if Sookie is alive and well?   Anyhoo, everyone leaves and Bill and Sookie are left alone.  Bill is being very sweet to her but Sookie reminds him that no matter how much time has passed for all of them, for her, only about an hour has gone by since he broke her heart so she is not ready for niceties and such with him yet.   He understands and leaves.

What proceeds in the episode, is seeing where everyone is at this point…13 months later.   So let’s break it down for all the major characters and storylines:

Bill

Bill is now the King of Louisiana and possibly Mississippi.   Say what?   You heard me right.   Bill is the King.  Now I get the impression he is living in Russell’s house so that’s why I’m throwing in the Mississippi part but I’m not 100% sure.   We just know that Bill has a lot more power than he used to 13 months ago.    When last we left Bill, he was about to have a Kimbo Slice type fight with Queen Sophie Anne.   Would it be fair to say he won that fight?   Did he kill her?   Did he beat her so badly that he made a deal and now he is in charge?   Did he marry her like Russell wanted to and they are both in power?   I guess we need to wait see what happened as a result of that evening and where the Queen is, if she’s still alive.

Bill also seems to have become a politician in Bon Temps and the people in the community seem very receptive to having him as a political leader.  Not sure what’s going on there but I’m curious to know how that came about.    He also appears to have started a relationship with Portia Bellefleur (played by Courtney Ford) who is Andy and Terry’s sister.  I immediately don’t trust her.  I don’t know why.  I love Andy and Terry and they are good guys (even though Andy seems to have developed quite an addiction to V) so the Bellefleurs are typically good people.   But there is something about her I don’t trust.

Eric/Pam

Eric is his typical hot self and he is working with Nan to try to help restore the reputation of the vampires after Russell destroyed it last year with his stunt of killing the TV anchor live on the air and then threatening to kill every human he sees.   God I miss Russell.  He was fantastic!!!!   Nan had originally enlisted Pam’s help but in typical Pam fashion, she could have cared less.  So Eric took over.

It surprises me a bit that Eric and Bill seem relatively civil considering Bill did betray his trust and tried to kill him by burying him in cement along with Russell.   So something must have happened there for them to be able to co-exist.  I hope they show it.  I also can’t understand how Bill would become King before Eric.   Isn’t Eric older and therefore more powerful?   Again, we need to see the results of that battle with Sophie Anne to figure out what the hell is going on.

The last scene, Eric goes to see Sookie (while she is undressing of course) and tells her that he is the one that bought her house.  “Why” she asks.  Because he knew she would return and when she did he wanted to own her house so that he could own her.   And then he flashed his fangs.  What is going on with Eric?   I’m not sure why he would want to “own” Sookie but he has to know that a comment like that and a thought process such as that, won’t sit well with Miss Stackhouse!

Hoyt and Jessica

Hoyt and Jessica are living together and are having some growing pains.   Hoyt wishes that sometimes she could have dinner ready for him when he got home and she thinks he needs to understand that as a vampire, human food grosses her out and makes her sick.   They have a very funny scene about domestic bliss and end up laughing at the ridiculousness of what just went down (culminating with Hoyt eating raw eggs.)  It really proves something we all know, whether you watch True Blood or The Vampire Diaries, humans and vampires have a very hard time figuring out how to live their lives together, long-term.   Their lives are so different and there are so many obstacles in the way of these couples trying to move their relationships to the next level.  I can’t see how it would ever work but these shows keep trying none the less!

At Fangtasia one night, Hoyt and Jessica are there, and Jessica is distracted by a very attractive young man.  Pam notices this and decides to have a chat with her to egg things on.  She basically tells her that she and Hoyt will never work out and that she should just be living her life the way a vampire should.  Jessica resents her suggestion saying she doesn’t want to just have sex and feed off random people all the time.  She would rather go home and be with the man she loves.  Pam laughs this off.   It’s in Jessica’s nature to want to feed and fornicate.  And I think Pam sees that at some point, Jessica’s true nature will over take her desire to want to be with Hoyt.  I can see Pam becoming a pseudo mentor to Jessica but that will only work if Jessica wants it to and she starts to trust her more.  If that happens, that could spell trouble for Hoyt and Jessica.

Lafayette and Jesus

Jesus has been bringing Lafayette to a witch support group where they get together and chant and try to bring back dead birds.   They also connect with people from Lafayette’s past to freak him out.  This is the storyline I am most curious about right now.  What is going on here?  Is Lafayette a witch?  Is Jesus up to no good here and using Lafayette to achieve some end game?  Is it just a man bringing his boyfriend into the loop so he can get to know him better?  I have no idea.  But something is wacky here.   And it’s not just the audience that feels this way.

At the last séance, when the crazy lady was trying to bring back her dead bird and everyone thought she was taking things too far, she yelled at Lafayette to join in.   He begrudgingly joined hands and an energy flowed through the circle.  The next thing you know, the bird wakes up and starts to fly.  As soon as Lafayette drops his hands, the bird drops dead again.  Everyone in the circle is dumbfounded as to what just happened.   But the head crazy lady seemed to expect this result.  This results in Lafayette getting even more freaked out.  Me too.

A somewhat interesting twist at the end was that one of the witches (one of the first girls to welcome Lafayette to the group) leaves the dead bird séance and goes right to Bill to have a meeting with him.   Hmmmmmmm.  I wonder what that is all about.  In watching The Vampire Diaries, it seems to be very common for vampires to have a witch on their side or a connection to a witch.  So if Bill teams up with this girl, it doesn’t seem all that strange.  But I would like to know what Bill is up to.

Tara (Toni?)

So Tara is a cage fighter and a lesbian now?   When did that happen?  Oh and her name is no longer Tara….it’s Toni.  Wow when Tara went to start a new life, she wasn’t kidding.  Good for her I guess.  If she’s finally happy, it’s about time.  And if she continues to be on my screen that short a period of time, even better!

Sam and Tommy

Tommy was allegedly shot by Sam in the leg and now he is hanging out with Hoyt’s mom?  Ok.   Sam is still angry and is paying for Tommy’s recovery.  I have no idea where this story is going and frankly, I don’t care.   At least Sam has found some friends he can hang out with…including the DA from The Good Wife and the nurse from HawthoRNe.

Arlene and Terry

Baby Michael is born and apparently likes to pull the heads off of dolls.   Arlene was already panic-stricken in regards to Michael since Renee is his biological father and this certainly can’t calm those fears.  I hope it turns out the kid is just fine and Arlene is just overly worried for no reason.

Miscellaneous

Jason is still helping the misfits that Crystal asked him to but someone isn’t as happy about it as the children are.  I don’t know if Crystal’s boyfriend is back or if it’s someone else, but someone just hit Jason over the head and locked him in a freezer.  So that can’t be good for him!

That wraps Season Four, Episode One of True Blood.   What did you think?  Good season opener?  I thought it was.  I think there are some good story lines coming this season with lots of questions that need to be answered.  I’m still not interested in Sam’s story but I am slightly more curious about how Tara has gotten to where she is.   I know the next episode is ready to be viewed on HBO GO, but I’m going to wait until next week to watch Episode Two.

 

RETURNING SHOWS: True Blood is Back Tonight at 9pm on HBO!!!!!

Season Four of HBO’s hit series True Blood kicks off tonight and we have much to revisit when we turn on our TVs tonight!

When last we left our crew in Bon Temps, Sookie is a fairy and was whisked away to her fairy land after having enough of vampires.   The reason she has had her fill is because she learned that Bill’s original mission, when we met him in the series premiere, was to allow her to be beat up so he could rescue her.  He needed to get close to her, allow her to drink his blood so he could easily find and connect with her.  So much for fate!  This was all at the request of Queen Sophie Anne who had a feeling Sookie was a fairy.   She wants to have Bill bring Sookie to her and he refuses, leaving them to fight it out in his house.

Eric got his revenge on King Russell after he learned it was werewolves under Russell’s command that killed his family.   Eric had Russell buried alive, after being burned, in cement.   But then Bill tried to do the same thing to Eric but he managed to get out (and eventually tell Sookie Bill’s secret.)   So can Russell get out of the cement grave?    We shall see.

Tara left town after almost being killed and turned by Franklin, seeing her best friend almost killed by Bill, and learning that it was really Jason who killed Eggs last year.   The girl had had enough and chopped off her hair and left Bon Temps.  I was hoping it was for good but I don’t think so.

Lafayette has fallen in love with a witch, Jesus, and is starting to have some very trippy moments of his own.   Is Lafayette a witch as well?   Or does Jesus have a magical spell or power over him?   I believe this will be explored more this season.

Sam had finally wised up to his crack pot family and saved his brother from his father who was using him in a dog fighting scam to make money.   But just when you thought Sam’s brother was turning his life around, it appears he may have stolen some money from Sam and taken off.   Sam tracks him down and when Tommy walks away and tells Sam that he won’t shoot him, Sam pulls his gun and pulls the trigger!  Was Tommy shot or was it just a warning shot?  I think it will end up being a warning shot, but we’ll see.

Jason is now a cop but just before Crystal left him, she asked Jason to look out for her community of people who have been treated horribly and slaves to her creepy, nasty ex-boyfriend.

Finally, Hoyt bought a house for him and Jessica to move into with the eventual plans to get married.

So what will season four bring us?   Well, I think we are going to explore the fairy and witch angle a bit more since they were really just introduced to us towards the end of last season.  We always knew Sookie had something special going on with her.  Now that we know she’s a fairy, the writers are definitely going to explore that further.   Witches have always had an interesting history with vampire mythology so I can’t wait to see where they go with that storyline this year and how this will affect Lafayette.  Will Sookie forgive Bill and get back together with him?   Or will she finally move on with Eric or even Alcides, who I assume will be back in some capacity.   I definitely want to see more Pam and Jason time on my screen and less Tara and Sam time.  I’m really tired of Sam’s family story and hope that goes away.   I would also like to Tara sparingly or not at all.

What are you hoping to see True Blood fans?  Make sure to check back tomorrow for a full recap and check out my podcast later in the week where we will discuss the season premiere and thoughts on Season Four as a whole.