I think my buzz wore off
I just finished this today. Honest to God. I don't even recognise my priorities anymore.
It's possible this season was the dictionary definition of a hot mess, but as it happens, I really enjoyed it. Not as much as 1 or 3, but just as much as 2, and definitely more than 4 and the back half of 5.
Okay, you guys know how worried I was about Eric/Pam going into this season, but did you see them??? My raison d'etre. I'm going to break their entire Vamp Camp* subplot down a little bit, because did I write that myself in some kind of dissociative fugue and then let the writers claim credit, or...? I don't know whose idea it was to put Pam in therapy and ask her about her Eric feelings, but I would like for them to get on the couch, that actual therapist's couch, so I can do them right now. Her Eric feelings that she's playing down at a thousand miles an hour. Never mind that it started with Eric naturally racing off without a second thought and deliberately getting himself thrown in there for the sole purpose of breaking her out. "That's one of his progeny. They love each other." And how. I could not and will not deal with the look on Pam's face when Finn told her to show him how little Eric means to her. And then some badass Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon shit, because he might have released her, and they might be pissed off with each other, but they've still been together over a hundred years, and their non-verbal communication is bang-on. Damn, but Eric Northman does not take kindly to Pamela Swynford de Beaufort being called a whore. She uses the word herself just fine ("You'd be surprised what a girl can accomplish in solitary." GODDDDDD.), but Eric was this close to killing Finn for it. Eric knows how bad that life was for her, how tough she had to be to survive it and how brave she had to be to get clear of it. That very toughness, that very bravery, her strength is what drew him to her in the first place. He's proud of who she was and the choices she made and the distance she had to travel to get where she is, and he is not going to let anyone disrespect it or cheapen it or use it against her for their own twisted purposes. But he saved Finn for her, because he takes such good care of her. (NB. As an episode, a complete hour of television as opposed to just three scenes I really liked separated by filler, 6x09 was easily my favourite since 3x09.) I hadn't even processed him touching her face and her leaning into it yet, and then that final scene happened. They just said so many things to each other in that moment, the eye contact, his half-smile, her intake of breath, his head tilt, and you just know he heard what she said, and then she made that sound. Kristin Bauer van Straten: proudly ruining my life since 2010. Did she even have a plan for going after him? He can't summon her, she can't sense him, it's all blind. THESE WERE MY CONCERNS LAST YEAR. I just love her so much. This is known.
* I loved the whole Vamp Camp storyline like nothing else. Name, concept, execution, everything. Such a good time.
Eric, though. I mean, I know the deal now and everything's fine, he's coming back, but there was a moment. It wasn't beyond the realm of possibility. He was reading and sunbathing nude on a snow-capped mountaintop in Sweden - let's just stop and process that all on its own - and I was laughing and blushing and then I was just sick. That could so easily have been legit, depending on the way Alex decided to go.
What the bejesus was Sookie and Sam and all that "always figured we'd end up together" malarkey? Was that the writers trying to pave the way for endgame? Because I didn't think anything could be more clumsy than Charlaine Harris pulling that one out of her ass, but turns out. And now she's with Alcide, which I'm quite okay with, but it just made the whole thing even weirder.
General statement: W O W, this season was gross. I was going to say Sarah Newlin killing Ms Suzuki was the yuckiest thing I've seen since Bill/Lorena in 3x03, buuuuuut then Eric ripped a guy's dick off and Bill stomped on his face. The major deaths hit me really hard. Probably Nora moreso, but I think that was because of Alex. I was spoiled for Terry's, too, so I guess that factored in. But I really like Adeline(-Braylin-Charlene-Danica), Violet and Willa, so I'm fine with them all making themselves comfortable. More Niall next season, though. That's a necessity.
The "six months later" cut is always a ballsy choice. I think I approve. Except you guys COULD HAVE DONE ME A FUCKING SOLID AND SHOWN ME PAM. In Sweden with Eric now that she's healed him and they're having round-the-clock sex. Obviously.
Now I feel bereft. ALAN BALL, LOOK UPON YOUR WORKS AND DESPAIR.
It's possible this season was the dictionary definition of a hot mess, but as it happens, I really enjoyed it. Not as much as 1 or 3, but just as much as 2, and definitely more than 4 and the back half of 5.
Okay, you guys know how worried I was about Eric/Pam going into this season, but did you see them??? My raison d'etre. I'm going to break their entire Vamp Camp* subplot down a little bit, because did I write that myself in some kind of dissociative fugue and then let the writers claim credit, or...? I don't know whose idea it was to put Pam in therapy and ask her about her Eric feelings, but I would like for them to get on the couch, that actual therapist's couch, so I can do them right now. Her Eric feelings that she's playing down at a thousand miles an hour. Never mind that it started with Eric naturally racing off without a second thought and deliberately getting himself thrown in there for the sole purpose of breaking her out. "That's one of his progeny. They love each other." And how. I could not and will not deal with the look on Pam's face when Finn told her to show him how little Eric means to her. And then some badass Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon shit, because he might have released her, and they might be pissed off with each other, but they've still been together over a hundred years, and their non-verbal communication is bang-on. Damn, but Eric Northman does not take kindly to Pamela Swynford de Beaufort being called a whore. She uses the word herself just fine ("You'd be surprised what a girl can accomplish in solitary." GODDDDDD.), but Eric was this close to killing Finn for it. Eric knows how bad that life was for her, how tough she had to be to survive it and how brave she had to be to get clear of it. That very toughness, that very bravery, her strength is what drew him to her in the first place. He's proud of who she was and the choices she made and the distance she had to travel to get where she is, and he is not going to let anyone disrespect it or cheapen it or use it against her for their own twisted purposes. But he saved Finn for her, because he takes such good care of her. (NB. As an episode, a complete hour of television as opposed to just three scenes I really liked separated by filler, 6x09 was easily my favourite since 3x09.) I hadn't even processed him touching her face and her leaning into it yet, and then that final scene happened. They just said so many things to each other in that moment, the eye contact, his half-smile, her intake of breath, his head tilt, and you just know he heard what she said, and then she made that sound. Kristin Bauer van Straten: proudly ruining my life since 2010. Did she even have a plan for going after him? He can't summon her, she can't sense him, it's all blind. THESE WERE MY CONCERNS LAST YEAR. I just love her so much. This is known.
* I loved the whole Vamp Camp storyline like nothing else. Name, concept, execution, everything. Such a good time.
Eric, though. I mean, I know the deal now and everything's fine, he's coming back, but there was a moment. It wasn't beyond the realm of possibility. He was reading and sunbathing nude on a snow-capped mountaintop in Sweden - let's just stop and process that all on its own - and I was laughing and blushing and then I was just sick. That could so easily have been legit, depending on the way Alex decided to go.
What the bejesus was Sookie and Sam and all that "always figured we'd end up together" malarkey? Was that the writers trying to pave the way for endgame? Because I didn't think anything could be more clumsy than Charlaine Harris pulling that one out of her ass, but turns out. And now she's with Alcide, which I'm quite okay with, but it just made the whole thing even weirder.
General statement: W O W, this season was gross. I was going to say Sarah Newlin killing Ms Suzuki was the yuckiest thing I've seen since Bill/Lorena in 3x03, buuuuuut then Eric ripped a guy's dick off and Bill stomped on his face. The major deaths hit me really hard. Probably Nora moreso, but I think that was because of Alex. I was spoiled for Terry's, too, so I guess that factored in. But I really like Adeline(-Braylin-Charlene-Danica), Violet and Willa, so I'm fine with them all making themselves comfortable. More Niall next season, though. That's a necessity.
The "six months later" cut is always a ballsy choice. I think I approve. Except you guys COULD HAVE DONE ME A FUCKING SOLID AND SHOWN ME PAM. In Sweden with Eric now that she's healed him and they're having round-the-clock sex. Obviously.
Now I feel bereft. ALAN BALL, LOOK UPON YOUR WORKS AND DESPAIR.