TV Rundown: June 29 - July 4: 'True Blood' Fills Up

Sucking: True Blood: Hopefully that was the last bad episode of the series. Sunday’s installment was filler; complete with a gratuitous diary reading by Sookie that brought about zero plot development whatsoever. One of the series struggles has been writing the characters (especially the townsfolk) with much depth and this week that problem came back full tilt.

Plus, wasn’t the uprising dealt with last week? Why wouldn't Sam appoint an interim Mayor or authority to act on his behalf and quell citizen distress? It makes no sense.


Wolf Out: Teen Wolf: Derek turned into a teenager and then turned back. The good news for Derek was that he was more powerful as his teenage self (he held his own against two Berserkers) than he typically is as an adult. Maybe it will rub off?

Save the Best for Last: Penny Dreadful: In the strange case of the series’ freshman finale, “Grand Guignol” was the best episode of the entire season. There were chills, thrills and one heck of an ending moment. Working out the kinks of the previous installments, there was long awaited headway made for the series. The sad part is they held onto obvious story twists for so long that it had lost its shock appeal by the time it was revealed (i.e. Brona being turned into The Creature’s bride).

The final answers met the satisfaction quotient and the closing question that hung in the air was compelling enough to tease next season. Despite the ups and downs; Eva Green, Timothy Dalton and Josh Hartnett always kept the show interesting. As a core trio, they possess what it takes to anchor the series going forward.

Back Under: Under the Dome: The second season premiere was penned by Stephen King himself and it showed. A little more dangerous and a tad bolder, the series received a jolt of forward momentum by killing off some surprising characters and planting the seeds for an intriguing mystery.

What’s Eating Alison: Pretty Little Liars: She uncontrollably sniveled throughout the entire episode and semi-sobbed through a check-up. If she is attempting to convince people that she’s changed by crying, it is a lame notion. Hannah, the Liar with the most common sense (sorry Spencer), did push for answers about her behavior only to be shut down with a shrug and an “I don’t want to talk about”.

Here’s hoping Ali gets her bite back. Seeing her wallow in self pity is not becoming of the character. If she’s playing possum to curry favor with the Liars as the new “broken” Ali, it would be better to let the audience in on the secret before the Liars, for once. Thus far she is just expecting everyone to forgive and forget while, doing nothing to earn it.

[Image by HBO]

Want more TV? Check out the TV Report Card's for Revenge, The Blacklist, The Tomorrow People and Game of Thrones

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