This is essential to S4 why?

XFinity asked Alan Ball which episodes are worth going back and checking out before season 4 begins. He gave them a list of nine and the reasons why the episodes are integral. He said, “It’s tough because so much has happened before, and I also have this season and parts of next season in my head too”

So without further ado, here are Alan Ball’s most essential True Blood episodes for us to watch in preparation for S4:

Season 1, Episode 2
“This is the first time Sookie (Anna Paquin) drank Bill’s (Stephen Moyer) blood, and the first time they kissed.”

Season 1, Episode 5
“This has the Civil War flashback and told how Bill was made. Also, it’s where Gran was found dead.”

Season 2, Episode 4
“In this episode, Maryann (Michelle Forbes) threw Tara a (Rutina Wesley) birthday party and you finally got a sense of what she was up to.”

Season 2, Episode 9
“The key moment was when Eric’s maker, Godric (Allan Hyde) went into the sun.”

Season 2, Episode 12
“When Maryann was summoning Dionysus, that set the stage for a lot of what has happened since.”

Episode 3, Season 3
“Bill had hate sex with his maker, Lorena (Mariana Klaveno), and breaks her neck. We found out that that’s just really good sex for a vampire.”

Season 3, Episode 5
“This one featured the moment where Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) realized Russell Edgington (Denis O’Hare) is the man who killed his family. We had a lot of fun with the flashbacks to Eric and the Vikings.”

Season 3, Episode 9
“Eric killed Russell’s lover in this episode. Meanwhile, Sookie and Debbie Pelt (Brit Morgan) had their big fight scene, which was great. And Sookie and Bill came together here.”

Season 3, Episode 12
“We had the reveal that Jesus (Kevin Alejandro) is a brujo (a witch). He and Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) had already had their V trip, which is also important to remember for this season.”

THE MEETING: The Tone Meeting

WHERE IT TAKES PLACE: Alan’s office

WHO ATTENDS: Alan Ball, Executive Producer Gregg Fienberg, the writer of each episode, the first Assistant Director, and the cinematographer

WHAT IT’S ABOUT (according to writer/producer Alexander Woo): The tone meeting is the first opportunity for the director to sit with Alan, Gregg, and the writer and talk about the episode scene by scene.  For new directors to our show, it’s an especially valuable time to clarify any issues about story, style, or tone.   If it’s Michael Lehmann, it’s his first chance during the episode to make puns before a captive audience.

Michael Lehmann, a punny guy?

Interesting eh? But as I was reading this, one line struck out at me… yeah, you’re right, it’s the one about director Michael Lehmann and the puns. The dude must be famous for these and I was wondering if any appeared in the True Blood episodes that he directed. Below are the episodes directed by Mr. Lehmann. Does anyone remember if there were any puns* that made it into the episodes?

• Escape From Dragon House 1:04 – We learn from Vampire Bill that vampires love puns, Fangtasia!
• The Fourth Man in the Fire 1:07
• Keep This Party Going 2:02
• Shake and Fingerpop 2:04
• Hard-Hearted Hannah 2: 06
• It Hurts Me Too 3:03
• I Got A Right to Sing The Blues 3:06
• I Small A Rat 3:10

*Wait, what exactly is a pun? From Webster: “The humorous use of a word, or of words which are formed or sounded alike but have different meanings, in such a way as to play on two or more of the possible applications; a play on words.”

Alan Ball’s comments about episode 209: “I Will Rise Up”. “My favorite episode of [the] season. I love the whole story between Eric and Godric, and Sookie gets to see Eric’s human side. Then there’s the whole choice by Godric to move on; his attitude of, ‘I’m done and I want to embrace whatever is going to happen to me now, even if it means oblivion, even if it means the end.’ That last sequence was tough to shoot, because we shot part of it on a building rooftop in Los Angeles – where we basically had 20 minutes to get it because of the light – and then we shot part of it on a stage with green screen, then we went to Dallas and shot background plates so that you would have recognizable landmarks. Then there were all the special effects technology questions of how we were going to have Godric go up in flames. So it was tough, but I thought it paid off.”

Click the pictures below to view each page.

L.A. Times photos by Tom O'Neil

Alexander Skarsgård did just participate in an Emmy Round-table, so we shouldn’t be too surprised that HBO is looking ahead and thinking ’bout the gold.

So how does all this work? HBO shipped 14,000 campaign boxes to members of the TV academy. The boxes contain various samples of the programs HBO thinks should be considered. For a full listing, click here. For True Blood, two episodes were included, “Shake and Fingerpop” and “I Will Rise Up.”

Just as a quick refresher, “Shake and Fingerpop is 2.4, written by Alan Ball. It opened with Jason at FotS camp and the fake-out death scene, and included Bill threatening to throw Hoyt out of a window that’s closed, the one Maryann orgy that played well on-screen, the hilarious Sarah Newlin bbq stripper-tease, Sookie’s “booze for dolls” line, Eric heals Lafayette before flying to Dallas and having a lovely chat with Bill in the bar, and Sookie meets Barry. “I Will Rise Up,” which was nominated for a Writer’s Guild Award, opens with Lorena’s “I wish you hadn’t said that” as she runs off (I think that might come back to bite), and then Luke blowing up the Dallas nest. Eric takes the opportunity to get Sookie to suck his bullets, which results in a sexy yet also disturbed  dream featuring both Eric and Lorena. Back in Bon Temps, the jail is bursting at the seams with Maryann’s revelers, and Sam escapes Maryann’s wrath by turning into a fly. Jessica meets Hoyt’s mother, which is mostly a disaster, and Lafayette and Lettie Mae wrestle Tara from Maryann (literally). And the episode ends with Godric being reprimanded by the American Vampire League, and the scene on the roof between him and Eric, and finally Godric and Sookie.

What I would like to know is who picks the episodes because they didn’t ask me. Like Terry Bellefluer, no one ever asks me, but they should.

Good luck, HBO and True Blood!

This week on True Blood, someone put too much white paint on Bill (for shame, Makeup!), Lafayette is not gay for Eric, but finds him delicious, Jason continues to be brainwashed by smiley, terrifying church folk and some zombie orgy-goers have a food fight in Sookie’s house.

Welcome to citizenerased’s weekly roundup of the various goings on in our favourite alternative universe. If you’re expecting a serious, objective discussion of events exciting in Bon Temps (and now Dallas), then my apologies in advance.

This week’s awesome episode was brought to you by the acid wit of Alan Ball, who wrote the script, and it shows. It was the most funny ass show so far this season, and skipped along at a dizzying pace, setting up future events nicely without giving too much away. We opened with a charming bunch of Fellowship of the Sun jocks playing a prank on Jason with ketchup, which kind of backfired when he gave them a rousing anti-vampire speech (nicked from everything the scary Newlin’s had just spouted forth at their cosy dinner together). Jason continues to be so unbelievably stupid it’s almost, but not quite, endearing.

Sweet talking at the stairs

Then we switch to outraged and fangy Daddy Compton snarling at poor, sweet Hoyt, and egads! They give Bill something funny to say, and it continues throughout the show. Enjoy it as he’ll be back to being miserable soon enough. That man got crazy women trouble plus Eric on his back; he’s supposed to be tortured. Hoyt leaves, Jessica storms upstairs hiding her fangs, and more astonishment, Bill and Sookie have a nice, grown up talk on the stairs without any shouting! I could get used to this.

Sam continues his naked night swimming with the useless new waitress Daphne, who seems to be into him, and notices the alarming scratches on her back as she exits. Then it’s daytime again and Jason has a hilarious conversation with his fellow church camp meatheads at breakfast, then goes vamp target shooting with an orgasmic Reverend Newlin. Maryanne takes it well when Tara announces she’s moving in with Sookie, but somehow manages to be quietly menacing in a well-dressed kinda way. I like sexy parties, but I wouldn’t want to go to any of hers. Later on she scares the crap out of Tara by turning up on Sookie’s porch with a wedding cake and her creepy sidekicks Eggs and the fat butler who might be a pig. Another party ensues, and manages to be even more disturbing than the last one. Tara’s miserable as it’s her birthday and birthdays suck, so she invites them in. I’m thinking Sookie the clean freak is going to be mighty pissed when she comes home to find the house totally trashed by her new roomie’s friends/stalkers.

Andy Bellefleur loses his badge, Miss Jeanette’s carved up back is nicely linked to what happened to Sookie’s in the last episode, Sam continues to growl and snap at our blonde heroine, who dutifully goes into work despite almost dying the episode before, and having a lot of packing to do for Dallas. Jason snacks on Mrs. Newlin’s ribs after a softcore redneck fantasy sequence, and then we come to the most awesome part of the show. Tipsy Sookie drifts down the stairs of a plane in an airport hanger in Dallas, waving an empty bottle of Grey Goose around and looking very perky in her yellow 1950’s housewife outfit (are those petticoats underneath that skirt? Hmm.). Limo driver guy waiting for her has evil plans, Bill hears Sookie’s screech and is up and out of his coffin and flying through the air before I could blink. Coooooool. Jessica cannot quite manage that trick yet though, but Bill, having listened to Sookie’s advice about being a good maker, gives her the limo driver to play with in the car. Turns out she is as good at glamouring as her Daddy. Because she’s supremely awesome, she decides to have some fun with this. I almost felt sorry for the limo guy until we find out he was employed to snatch Sookie by the Fellowship of the Sun.

Laffayette's experiencing the joys of vampire's blood

Meanwhile, back in Bon Temps, Lafayette has a visitor. Everyone’s favourite patronising, icy and yet somehow still incredibly charming vampire Eric wants to give Lafayette his blood. The best dressed cook in Louisiana is naturally suspicious, but eventually gets down on it while a bored Eric watches TV. This results in a completely over the top happy dance, hurrah! Lafayette is back in business, baby. He might come to regret that thousand year old drink though, Eric don’t give out shit for free. Big blonde and dead then ‘flies’ off to Dallas to harass Bill about their mission- to locate the missing vampire Godric. His arrival gets Bill more snarky than usual as Eric annoyingly interrupts what might have been sex I actually want to see, instead of naked orgy people rolling around in Gran’s garden. Ewww. They go downstairs for a drink and snarl at each other while Sookie watches some vampire porn on the plasma and Jessica orders room service. I just love Bill and Eric squaring off like two old queens about to handbag each other, so this warmed my little ‘mmm, vampire sandwich’ heart. It turns out that Eric suspects the Fellowship is behind the disappearance of Godric, and now they tried to snatch Sookie…hmm, the plot thickens. Bill is worried, so I guess that’s the end of him being dry and witty and smiley. Le sigh.

Somewhere else in Texas, Jason is now staying in the Newlin’s house and getting distinct ‘hey, our bedrooms down the hall, fancy a threesome?’ vibes from the reverend’s wife. He’s obviously got a massive ‘virgin, mother, whore’ complex, as he’s very offended when his ex bunkmates imply that Mrs Newlin wants some of his ‘beef injection’. Women are either idolised by Jason or are skanks. He’s one messed up boy, I wish I could sympathise with him more but he’s too much of a dumbass. And back again in Bon Temps, everyone has abandoned Merlotte’s for Tara’s shindig, so Sam goes along too, taking Lettie Mae’s birthday present for Tara. He has another hissing confrontation with Maryanne and then slopes off with Daphne the waitress, who knows what he is, apparently. I am not sure what she is at this stage, but I hope she’s nice to Sam, poor guy deserves a woman without issues. The party gets wilder, Maryann grows claws (she IS the monster in the woods! OMG!), people turn to zombies and eat dirt and rub cream cakes and body parts all over each other while Tara has what looks like fabulous sex with Eggs upstairs.

The cliffhanger, because there always is one, is that Sookie meets another telepath when Jessica’s room service turns up at the door. She promptly chases the terrified bellboy down the hall while our Jess disappears into her room with her hunky B Negative. Until next time, when we will probably be back in Dallas enjoying exciting vampire stuff. And more of Bill and Eric bitching at each other. Whee!