My Review of True Blood's 2x10: "New World In My View"

Written by Elizabeth R. Finch And Kate Barnow
Directed by Adam Davidson

Maryann: “What are you doing in my house?”
Sookie: “This is not your house.”
Maryann: “It is now.”

You wait ages and when Sookie and Maryann actually go toe to toe with one another, it actually turned out to be a lot better than I expected it to be. And I was one of a few who liked the fact that Maryann’s schemes have largely been disconnected with Sookie all season.

With the Fellowship gone and three episodes left of this season, it’s actually amazing that in ten episodes, Sookie and Maryann had three altercations. The first one in Merlotte’s, then when Maryann in maenad form attacked Sookie in the woods and now when Maryann spot Sookie and Bill breaking into ‘her’ house.

I could on about squatters rights and the like but I sort of loved Sookie during this altercation. Okay, so being brave against a powerful psychopath is one nifty way to get yourself killed but it’s not like Maryann’s the first psycho Sookie’s ever had to deal and this was after all, one hell of a crash course episode for Sookie in regards to Bon Temps current chaotic state.

Maryann was tempted to kill Sookie but couldn’t when the latter used some psychic power on her. What was that Sookie did? I’ve been reading up on the books and it’s a new one for me. Anyone knows, feel free to tell me, given that I am a spoiler junkie and the like. Either way, it shocked Sookie and Bill and intrigued Maryann a whole bunch.

I think intriguing Maryann is probably an even faster way of guaranteeing you a death wish or be used in a sacrifice. Maryann barely flickered when Bill attacked her (though she enjoyed tricking him into biting her) and something tells me that vampires aren’t a big deal for maenads and the gods they worship either.

Either way, now that Sookie’s on Maryann’s radar, she’d want to watch her back just that little bit more, even if Sam is Maryann’s main priority at the moment. Having Bill also figure out some details about Maryann and heading to the Queen of Louisiana was another sign of how big this Big Bad has become.

For nearly this entire episode, Tara was heavily under Maryann’s influence as well, even if she was tied to a chair and spouting off a lot of cryptic words and promising that Maryann’s god was hungry. This god’s got an entire town to feast on with more supernatural creatures than Sam, so I’m beginning to wonder why exactly it’s Sam that Maryann is so desperate to sacrifice for her god.

If Maryann’s done any research on Bon Temps or at least had some savvy, she’d realise that there were plenty of supernatural creatures to offer up. Ten episodes in and we still don’t know why it specifically has to be Sam. I’m not saying this as a criticism but it is worth asking though. Maybe it’s just some lingering revenge for the money he stole from Maryann when he was younger. Maryann certainly looks the type to hold a grudge as well.

And she’s been exceptionally successful in turning nearly everyone against Sam as well. I almost want to commend her for the chaos this episode showed with the locals. Even trusted people like Arlene and Terry were happy to trick Sam into coming to Merlotte’s just so they could capture him.

It’s one of those few times in the show where you do find yourself yelling at the television for Sam to just stay away from his bar. But he didn’t and it took some quick thinking on Andy’s part first to protect Sam and then a chainsaw wielding Jason for the second part. Simple rule, Andy and Jason are pretty good in a crisis this season.

Andy certainly displayed a lot more compassion for Sam’s plight in this episode than I think he ever would’ve during the first season and Jason was far cleverer with creating the illusion of Maryann’s god to satisfy the locals than he would’ve done in the first season. It also had one of the funniest moments in the series too.

Having Sam turn himself into a fly to escape the locals even bewildered Jason and Andy but it worked in getting them to retreat back to Maryann. Jason and Andy’s look of confusion was pretty priceless. Now it looks like Sam has two other people that are about to become privy to his secret. Still, there are worse people he could tell and they did after all keep him alive in this episode.

Speaking of alive, this episode heavily played touch and go with Tara as well. It was actually distressing to see this void of a woman there instead of the forthright woman that we know and love in the series. The fact that it took a jointed effort of Bill using a glamour and Sookie applying her powers to get through to Tara spoke a lot about Maryann’s influences.

However, just because Tara was free from Maryann here, that doesn’t mean that Maryann can’t get her or Lafayette and Lettie Mae again. Even though both of them were out of their depth until Sookie and Bill arrived, at least they were trying to help Tara as much as they could. As for Eggs, he’s a lost cause. I’m sorry but he is, isn’t he?

Speaking of lost causes, I know Maxine Fortenberry was under the influence like nearly everyone else in Bon Temps but some funny lines aside, the woman was an insufferable bitch in this episode. Jessica shouldn’t have lost her rag and tried to snack on Maxine but I could understand that she was being driven crazy by the woman.

Sadly, I don’t think stress is going to wash with Hoyt though. He begged Jessica to stop and Jessica tossed him aside, so yeah, that’s not going to down well. Besides, even if you do want to kill your mother, I don’t think you’re actually supposed to act out on those urges, no matter how much misery she puts you through. Then again, I also have a feeling that Maxine will live to annoy her son for another day. Hoyt will probably end up wishing Jessica had bumped his mother off then.

Also in “New World In My View”

Eric’s only contribution in this episode was a sexual sequence of Sookie’s where he’s naked, crying blood and nearly bites her.

Eric: “Godric is gone.”
Sookie: “I know, I’m so sorry.”

Did Eric head back to Bon Temps? He wasn’t in the same limo as Sookie, Jason and Bill as far as I can remember.

Andy (re Maryann): “What does she want?”
Sam: “I think to cut out my heart while a bunch of naked people watch.”

Jason: “Mr Compton, I ain’t about to sit back and let monsters destroy our town.”
Sookie: “Jason, this would be one of those times to use your head.”
Jason: “Oh I am. I’ve never been so clear in my whole life. This is the war I’ve been waiting for.”

The huge meat pile that Maryann has outside Sookie’s house is enough to make you want to go vegetarian, which Michelle Forbes is so I imagine that this might not have been fun to film.

Hoyt (re Sookie/Bill): “Should I have gone with them?”
Jessica (re Maxine): “And leave me alone with her? No fucking way!”

Lafayette (to Lettie Mae): “Jesus and I agreed to see other people but that don’t mean we don’t talk from time to time.”

That dialogue is even funnier considering the name of the love interest that Lafayette is going to have in the third season of the show.

Maryann: “What are you?”
Sookie: “None of your business.”

Andy: “How the hell did you get them out?”
Jason: “I threatened to shoot a bunch of nails in Arlene’s brain.”

Maryann threw a hint in this episode that Bill will leave Sookie. That could indicate Sookie and Bill breaking up or Bill causing her death in seasons to come, but currently it’s probably the former.

Lafayette: “This has to be the worst motherfucking intervention in history.”

Tara (to Sookie): “You tried to kill yourself? I don’t blame you with your fucked up life.”

Standout music: King Britt’s “New World In My View” for the way it was used to end this episode.

Tara (to Bill): “I’m not your fucking slave girl.”
Lafayette: “If ever there was a time to listen to a white man, Tara, this’d be it.”

Chronology: Where “I Will Rise Up” left.

Another cracker of an episode, “New World In My View” certainly has all the chaos and build up for a finale that you could expect. I really love where this is going.

Rating: 9 out of 10.