TV-Reviewed

Going into “Beautifully Broken”, I was really excited to see what happens with Sam Merlotte and his family reunion. Sadly, that excitement has quickly dissipated after seeing the second episode. The reunion wasn’t emotional. It was more disbelief than anything and in turn a big letdown.

The only fireworks in that storyline were between Sam and his new-found brother, Tommy, and even that was tame. I had hoped for something exciting between those two. Oh well. Bad directing and acting ruined that possibility.

After saving Tara from killing herself (damn), Lafayette showed her what could happen to her by taking her to an institution which was housing his mother. Tara realized where she would wind up if she didn’t get ahold of herself. I still suggest the series would carry on just fine without the character.

While I don’t care for Tara, I do like Jason, oddly enough. I know Jason is a bit of an idiot, but he generally means well. After watching him mope around in another episode, things are looking up for him. His tackling of a drug dealer appears to signal Jason’s interest in law enforcement.

Alexander Skarsgård as Eric Northman

Meanwhile, a lot was going on with Bill, Sookie, Eric, and the werewolves. The second episode did a good job of laying out what this season is going to be about, the war for the south. Russel Edgington, the Vampire King of Mississippi, is looking to take over Louisana and needs Bill Compton’s help. Russel thinks Bill knows Sophie-Anne Leclerq’s secrets and that could come in handy.

Upon refusing to help the king, Sookie’s life was naturally threatened. Back at Merlotte’s, Sookie heard the voice of a werewolf and was able to scare him off for a bit. That didn’t keep him away, however. Eric Northman, however, was able to help protect Sookie at the end when he detected a werewolf inside Sookie’s home. I liked that clever cliffhanger. The producers are doing that more often now.

“Beautifully Broken” won’t go down as one of this season’s finest episodes, but it is integral simply because it further sets up what will happen later in the season. Key characters are still being introduced and I thought that was done fairly well here. I’m looking forward to learning more about that shady vamp that walked into Merlotte’s and found his way into the lives of both Tara and Jessica.

Rating: 7.6