Skip to Content

True Blood, Ep. 4.09: “Let’s Get Out of Here”

True Blood, Ep. 4.09: “Let’s Get Out of Here”

True Blood Review, Season 4, Episode 9: “Let’s Get Out of Here”
Written by Brian Buckner
Directed by Romeo Tirone
Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on HBO

This week, on True Blood: Antonia shows her true colors, Sam goes camping, Debbie falls off the wagon, Mavis gets some closure, Sookie’s dreams get steamy, Tommy takes a beating, things get more complicated for Jason and Jessica, and all hell breaks loose in Shreveport.

With the end of the season only a few weeks away, things seem to be falling into place. Antonia is officially in place as the Big Bad, many seemingly disparate plot threads (Mikey’s potential evilness, Jesus’s creepy grandfather, Alcide and Debbie, Tommy and Sam) have come together, with strong results. Though it’s questionable whether the time spent on some of the developments which have proven far less significant than they first seemed was worth the payoff, it’s nice to see things start to come together. The biggest question looming after this episode is whether Antonia now plans to confront the werewolves after she’s through with the vampires. Regardless of how anything else plays out, she has successfully ruined any chance the Vampire League of America has at putting Russell Edgington out of the public’s mind. This seems like the logical way to tie in the Alcide/Debbie/Marcus side of things, though perhaps the Marcus/Sam strife will remain utterly disparate from the main action.

It’s disappointing to see Tara victimized yet again, but at least here she has some agency in her encounter with Sookie. After season after season of Tara being a helpless victim, and especially given her new-found strength and resolve, the time is right for her to be the one saving the day, at least when it comes to the hostages at Moon Goddess Emporium. After almost an entire episode showcasing Jason’s growth, it’s equally disappointing to see him succumb to Jessica’s charms over his better instincts. It does feel authentic though and should offer new and interesting avenues for the show to explore, particularly his part-fairy lineage and what that may mean. Though Hoyt is a fan favorite, it’s time for him to go. There are too many characters on True Blood and it would appear that his connection with our main characters is all but gone. The same can be said for Arlene, Terry, and baby Mikey. The PTB at the show should keep all of these characters around, they’re great resources to have in the show’s back pocket, but return them to the recurring status they once held and tighten the focus of the narrative.

One scene stuck out like a sore thumb and that was Sookie’s dream sequence. From the hazy glow to the music, the decision to go so big with this was an odd one. Very few of the dream sequences in the history of the show have had this particular heightened quality, other than the blood-high hallucination Sookie and Eric shared last week. In an episode, and a series, so full of stories and interesting characters, taking time out for a scene like this feels like little more than shipper pandering. If this dream is shown in the next few episodes to have altered Sookie’s attitude towards her romantic entanglements, its inclusion will be justified and any complaints ceased. If not however, than it serves as little more than a diversion for the fanboys and girls hoping to see more shots of Anna Paquin in lingerie.

Though a lot happened in this episode, most of it felt like setup for the showdowns to come. Debbie falling off the V wagon can only lead to chaos and badness for Sookie, but it’s nice to have that seemingly inevitable conclusion sidestepped, for an episode at least. After several weeks of Alcide and Debbie being shoehorned in with little regard to a purpose for their appearance, this development not only makes sense but also adds an element of chance into a story with few unknown entities. Lafayette’s role as medium is clearly only a taste of things to come, and if Nelsan Ellis continues to hit it out of the park as he does here, let’s keep this particular ride going. The teases we get from Nan of schemes within schemes within the VLA or Authority are promising, but as fun as she is, Nan’s appearance doesn’t make up for the lack of Pam, who is sorely missed, particularly during Nan’s brief scene with Jessica. The last troublesome element is the continued drama from Tommy and Sam. If this plot doesn’t end up tying in somehow to the overall arc, it will feel like yet another time-consuming and disappointing detour into the life of a character who was frankly more interesting when he didn’t have one.

True Blood is notorious for failing to stick the landing after nailing the buildup. This season, despite some early detours, has already proven consistently strong. It may be putting the cart ahead of the horse, but this season looks change that trend and to be one of the best yet- fingers crossed that this prediction isn’t proved wrong.

What did you think of the episode? Any predictions for what lies ahead? Sound off below.

Kate Kulzick

PS- For those interested, I’m now on Twitter. Follow @theteleverse to find out what else I’m watching and to tell me what you’d like to see Sound on Sight TV cover in the future

[wpchatai]