Truly, Madly, Deadly_ The Unofficial True Blood Companion - Becca Wilcott [88]
Photos of cast and crew are cleverly tacked on the wall behind Merlotte’s bar. (Jodi Ross, courtesy of The Vault www.trueblood-online.com)
Highlight: Hoyt: “You should try the chicken-fried steak. It’s like a chicken and a steak got together and made a baby. It’s a delicious, crispy baby.”
Nightcap: More Pam! Just the cocky swivel of her hips is enough to rival Lafayette for his sharp tongue and sexual charms. While she’s often lazy, she will do the job, be it overseeing Bill to make sure he finishes turning Jessica, or searching the woods for evidence of the creature that attacked Sookie. She does things with style, getting dirty if she has to. (But, Pam, we think you like it.) Before True Blood, Raelle Tucker, who penned this episode, was a writer and executive story editor for Supernatural, CW’s series about two brothers who hunt evil monsters. Dr. Ludwig is played by Marcia de Rousse, a little person who’s a medium, healer, and animal communicator. In the scene where Eric asks Pam and Chow to search the woods for the creature that attacked Sookie, Eric says, “Du hörde vad jag sa” which means “You heard what I said.” The Fangtasia T-shirt Sookie wears reads, “Life Begins at Night.” On the back it lists the address at 44 Industrial Drive, Shreveport, LA. The lagoon Sam swims in is actually only waist high. He had to crouch during filming to make it look as if it was much deeper.
Relationship Crypt Falls: Bill, that’s a neat trick you have getting Jessica to do things as her maker. Nothing against setting boundaries, but try a little tenderness. You yell an awful lot at the women in your life. Mind you, they’re feisty. But if you crossed Eric, you know he could snap you like a twig and would have the authority to do so. You don’t respect him, so much as fear him and respect the vampire order. When it comes to Jessica, don’t abuse your authority. It’s true, you have a lot on your plate, but don’t become one of those dads who always chooses work over family. Work/life balance, Bill. There must be a happy medium between controlling Jessica’s every move in order to ensure the preservation of your kind and giving the kid a room of her own.
Paging Dr. Creepy: Credit must be given to the sound editors on this show. More often than not, something that is moderately creepy becomes gut wrenching with the addition of an effect. Dr. Ludwig digging her finger into Sookie’s wounds is compounded greatly with the inclusion of a foley effect that sounds like a mixture of toothpaste being strangled through a piping bag lined with battery acid.
Suzuki Sets the Scene: While the interior and exterior of an existing house was used for Maryann’s mansion, Ingerslev’s team did a lot to affect the mood of the location, bringing in new patio furniture, plants, countless flowers, and, notably, the Pan mural beside the pool. Based on a sculpture Alan Ball found from the Roman Empire, the female human figure was modified to resemble Maryann.
Encore: During the end credits we hear “Scratches,” performed by Debbie Davies. Davies is a blues performer. She’s been the featured guitarist in Maggie Mayall and the Cadillacs, Fingers Taylor and the Ladyfinger Revue, and The Icebreakers. Aside from her solo career, Davies has worked with artists such as Tommy Shannon, Chris Layton, Coco Montoya, J. Geils, and Duke Robillard. “Scratches” appears on her 1998 album Round Every Corner. Taken literally, it’s a nod to one of the episode’s most dramatic plot points, Sookie’s attack. But it’s also a playful and upbeat reprieve from the relationship drama of Bill and Sookie, replaced by the hopefulness of Hoyt and Jessica; not to mention what we as viewers now know about vampire sex. Taken to the other limits, “Scratches” acknowledges what many have been noting since the series began: the not-so-subtle connection between violence and pleasure. (All that’s missing is a safe word.)