Truly, Madly, Deadly_ The Unofficial True Blood Companion - Becca Wilcott [82]
Sam is the least likely to come into the light any time soon, least of all now that he’s officially out of the running for Sookie’s affections, the only person who saw him for who he is. If he does step further out of the closet, it won’t be of his own volition but Maryann’s. When he broke into her house as a young man, she devoured him sexually, assuming a pose similar to the bird lady statue in her living room. Sam experiences the same fear upon seeing Maryann again for the first time since he was a youngster as Sookie did upon seeing her Uncle Bartlett at Gran’s funeral.
It’s hard to take your eyes off Michelle Forbes. She already owns the role, inciting panic in a glance. Her house is littered with animal statues and effigies, two horns adorning her mantle like sculptures. In her backyard, Maryann has a large painting of the Greek god Pan and his human lover. Pan was known largely for his love of music, and his ability to incite arousal or panic, depending on his objectives. As the season proceeds, we’ll begin to see stronger ties between mythology and the characters.
It promises to be the season of Gods versus Man, mischief versus morality, and revolution versus religion. That’s an awful lot on one plate, but offers something for everyone. Order up, indeed!
The molds sculptor Cindy Jackson used to create The Bird Lady replica, which Sam takes from Maryann’s home. (Cindy Jackson)
Highlight: Jason: “I can’t help it, Sook, I loved [Amy]. And when you love someone, you gotta love it all. Otherwise, it ain’t love.”
Nightcap: Maryann and Sam own similar horse’s heads. Maryann’s is life-sized and on display in her home, whereas Sam’s is much smaller, tucked away in his office. Stephen Moyer shaved his chest for season 2. To prepare for her role as Maryann Forrester, Michelle Forbes watched Ken Russell films and channeled ’80s artist Lydia Lunch. Cindy Jackson (www.cjacksonsculpture.com), who sculpted the replica “Bird Lady” for this episode, had less than three days to create three copies of the sculpture. Working under a tight deadline was no challenge for the artist, who has also designed toys for Happy Meals (The Simpsons, the Yoshi toys, and the Hercules toys, just to name a few). However, it was a first for her to complete the project from her kitchen, her studio having just been demolished by a wayward driver!
Paging Dr. Creepy: Miss Jeanette’s dead body, with its gaping chest wound and terrified expression, looks like something out of Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, or a taxidermy specimen, her carcass re-stuffed and displayed for posterity.
Location, Location, Location: South of Pasadena, California, Maryann’s mansion is located close to the Huntington Library and Gardens, the Santa Anita Racecourse, and the L.A. Arboretum, all popular filming destinations.
Suzuki Sets the Scene: This episode’s script called for a primitive piece of art, like a dancing girl. Ingerslev’s team went to the internet for inspiration, perusing Mycenaean, Etruscan, and Minoan influences in particular. They stumbled on the Bird Lady, an existing Egyptian sculpture found in the Brooklyn Museum, at once modern and primitive. The crew felt it best represented Maryann’s nature, reflected in the many scenes where she’s shown arms raised over head, communing with her god.
Encore: During the end credits we hear “Nothing But the Blood (Of Jesus),” performed by Randy Travis, which is an actual church hymn. In 1989, the United Methodist Church made changes to the 962-page United Methodist Hymnal to modernize the text. Changes include altering masculine pronouns to gender-neutral pronouns, although all references to God as “Master,” “Father,” and “King” remained as is. The