redapplecigs

Why are you assuming Dolores (btw, thank you for the insight on the origin/meaning of the name!) plans to survive the uprising? I think Dolores believes her cause is worth more than any individual life, but not necessarily that her life is more valuable than the cause. As for the rest of the episode: 1) I really enjoyed it - I finally feel like the narrative is progressing; 2) I wanted Dolores to hurt Hale SO badly. I loved the menace/anger/fury Dolores directed at Hale; 3) R.I.P. Clementine and Angela (??). I wanted you to live, but you went out like bosses; and 4) I really need Dolores and Maeve to interact more - their two brief interactions have been so charged and riveting.

I never thought I'd live to see the day that I heartily rooted for Lily to triumph. But then I watched that scene with her chained while 3 men tell her how they plan to "save" her, to remake her into their respective ideals for a woman (and promptly threw up a little bit in my mouth). I want her to destroy each of them and their smug senses of self-satisfaction. Does anyone know is she has Caliban/Clare's superhuman strength? If so, that chain won't hold her for long. Dorian is still a boring, non-entity to me, so I won't miss him if he dies. We've barely had a chance to know Dr. Jekyl, so it's a big "meh" to me if he dies. I don't think I can ever like or enjoy Victor again after this. He is totally repulsive to me now. Ethan's story continues to make no sense to me. I truly believe it was a mistake to separate the main players from each other all season long. Vanessa looked lovely as always last night. I too was surprised by her giving in to Dracula with so little fuss. But as someone upthread mentioned, season after season of Vanessa just saying no to evil is certainly a bit tedious. I am also surprised to find that I desperately want a happy ending for John Clare. His scene with Vanessa was so lovely, as were his scenes with his family. I would hate to lose the actor, but maybe one fucking character on this show can exit stage left with a bright future ahead. Looking forward to seeing the gang all together again.

Late to the party, but I just finished binge watching this show over the course of 2 days. I have quite a few disjointed thoughts about this episode and the whole of season 2. As some have mentioned, I felt the pacing of this episode was off - scenes and monologues went on too long. The finale felt like a let down given the fast paced, chaotic awesomeness of the preceding episodes. I don't understand the point of the aliens. Their inclusion ended up feeling like a somewhat ridiculous deus ex machina. I call bullshit on the narrated exposition that Hanzee's true motives can never be known. Hanzee is a fictional character in a fictional world - his motives can and should be known by the writers, and should be made known to the audience at least, if not the other characters in the world of the show. It ended up feeling like lazy (enjoyable, but still lazy) writing. I cannot get over how much I loved Kirsten Dunst in this role. I would not have guessed how wonderful she could be when given interesting material. I'm surprised to see a debate about whether Peggy is mentally ill. She was clearly shown to: 1) Be a hoarder, which I believe is one manifestation of OCD, a deadly serious mental illness; and 2) Be delusional. We see her have multiple hallucinations and conversations with people who don't exist. We also have Hank clearly spelling it out for the audience - Peggy is a bit "touched". I won't repeat the many excellent posts about the sexism in that final scene between Lou and Peggy. But I will say that as I was watching it, Lou's response seemed harsh and dismissive - so much so that it took me out of the scene. We all know that people have died, but Lou still got to deliver his long winded, important man story about "man's burden", and yet Peggy gets cut off a few sentences into her own story. It just felt off to me. Having said that, I do think it would have been unrealistic for Lou to respond with sympathy or empathy - his response felt true for a privileged, middle-class male in 1979. His response felt true to his character, but left me feeling yucky about what the show was presenting to me in that scene. Lastly, this season left me with a feeling of wasted potential for a lot of the characters. I felt like there were oceans of stories left to tell about Floyd, Simone, Bear, Charlie, Hanzee, etc. This season set up some pretty amazing characters and then didn't have the time to tell all of their stories. Final notes: Jean Smart was fantastic in this role - I loved watching her as Floyd; Yay for child Mr. Wrench and child Mr. Numbers making an appearance; and I don't think it was Lou doing the narration from the true crime book - the narrator had a British accent. I will definitely be back next season.

RIP Chalky. I never thought that Michael K. Williams could play a character I loved as much as I loved Omar, but Chalky White came very, very close. Kudos to Williams for several brilliant seasons on a show that didn't always know what to do with his character. I won't miss Van Alden nearly as much, but props to Shanon for going balls out with a batshit crazy character! As sad as I am to see the long death march begin with these characters (which I guess really began with Richard's death last season), I can't say I disagree with their sad fates. These are bad men (and women). They are reaping what they have so diligently sowed over the past several seasons. They have profited on the death, destruction and misery of those around them and those types of profits always come with the corresponding losses. I have been pleasantly surprised with the quality of this final season and I will be truly sad to see it go. But I have been, and will continue to, enjoy every moment of the ride.

I'm not trying to be a smartass, but I assume you mean someone other than Tara? This was a strange, bleak episode. But I can see it as the natural progression of these characters and the life they lead. Jax et al. are finally going to truly reap what they sow. Random note - the whole extended scene with Jax and Gemma in the car gave off a very surreal, dreamlike quality to me. It felt very different than the rest of the episode (both in appearance and tone). Am I the only one who noticed/felt this?

The thing is, I don't actually feel bad for Sarah Newlin. Hell, I would have cheered if she was killed outright. Having said that, I can't get behind a lifetime of torture, assault and rape for *any* character, no matter how atrocious their behavior. Sarah's fate wasn't unpalatable and unnecessarily cruel because it was done to Sarah-it was those things because it was done at all. Totally random question: How/why did Sarah know that Tara had met the true death?

Well said! I agree with everything above. Woll, Preston, Ellis, van Straten & Kwanten kept me coming back long after this show jumped the shark. This show had one hell of a talented cast at its disposal and yet consistently managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory with its poor plotting and writing. It's a damn shame. Even though I literally let out an excited yelp when Bill became Billgoop, I feel for the folks who liked Bill and wanted a happy ending for him. Y'all did not deserve the steaming pile of crap you were served in this finale.

So, my longtime suspicion has been confirmed-all anyone on this show needed to happen for them to be happy was for Bill to die. Positives: Gran; Bill died!; young Tara; Bill died!! Negatives: Every other fucking thing. Hoyt & Jessica put a ring on a previously toxic relationship without actually working out any of their shit?? No one saying to either of them, "Say, didn't you two breakup b/c Hoyt was verbally abusive, kidnapped & almost murdered you?" or "Say, didn't you use your vamp powers to erase all his negative memories of you?" Sure, whatever TB. Sarah Newlin held in captivity & tortured and assaulted? As much I wanted Sarah to receive her comeuppance, I can't get behind that kind of punishment for any person. And finally, apparently all women need to be happy is to settle down with a man & pop out a bunch of babies? Thanks for that little going away message TB, ugh. I'm glad to close the door on this show.

Only one more episode and then this shit show is over-thank god. I can't co-sign the Jessica/Hoyt happily ever after. Hoyt was just too awful by the time he blew town and Jessica's behavior this season (sleeping with Jason 2.5 seconds after she caught James despite knowing Jessica was with Hoyt) doesn't suggest she's grown all that much since Hoyt left. The Ginger/Eric scene was golden. It was easily my favorite moment of this whole season.

I can't believe that was the point of Tara's whole storyline. Even accepting sjohnson's interpretation of its intended meaning (which I agree with), it just seems ridiculous. The storyline only becomes meaningful if you accept that Tara had to die this season, which of course she didn't. Did Tara really have to die to make room for Beeeel's endless flashbacks and Jason's boner for Hoyt's girlfriend, and James' endless stoner monologues? I am by no means Tara's biggest fan, but good lord they fucked her character over on a level of magnitude I cannot understand. Was anyone really clamoring for a final season that heavily featured Lettie Mae????? I would have much preferred Tara coming to terms with Lettie Mae's shitty, neglectful abusive parenting following Lettie Mae's death than this shit show we got. Whatever, I need this show to be done now.

Thank you for this. I had already forgotten about Jackson packing up all of Alcide's stuff. Re: Jason & Jessica's tactless conversation about James's sexuality, it definitely struck a sour chord with me as well. That being said, I didn't find it particularly OOC for either of them. Jessica comes from a deeply religious household where "gay" was probably be the least hateful word she learned to describe homosexuality. And she is still so young a vampire that she hasn't settled into the sexual fluidity that is pervasive amongst the older vampires. And Jason is... Jason. As presented on this show, Jason isn't the type of dude to be knowledgable about the wide array of sexualities that exist (be it bisexual, asexual, pansexual, etc.). To Jason I imagine any man who has sexual contact with another man is simply "gay". I think (hope) that the show was trying to convey that their narrow mindedness was icky. Especially given Lala's speech which hammered home that there is nothing disgusting or wrong with a gay man wanting the same love and commitment that the rest of the Bon Temps heterosexual population want. But that could be giving the show too much credit. And really, it wouldn't have been too hard to have Lala wrap up his speech with something like "and hey bitches, bisexuality is a thing, look it up you ignorant motherfuckers."

It's not just you. That ridiculous scene made me throw up a little in my mouth. As another poster mentioned up thread, it appears to me that Bill's flashbacks serve only to prop up an undeserved redemption arc. Of course Bill was ahistorically a conscientious objector to the Civil War. Of course Bill was kind and respectful to the African American leading his family out of Bon Temps. Of course rich, white would-be-an officer Bill is the voice of reason amongst the other stereotypically racist southern townspeople. Barf.