Burning Down the House (28 Aug. 2011)

As all hell breaks loose in Shreveport, Sookie summons her most potent powers yet to save Bill, in the process breaking a spell and leading Marnie/Antonia to re-evaluate her mission. Jason ... See full summary »

Director:

Lesli Linka Glatter

Writers:

Alan Ball (creator), Charlaine Harris ("Sookie Stackhouse" novels by),

Stars:

Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Anna Paquin	...	Sookie Stackhouse
Stephen Moyer	...	Bill Compton
Sam Trammell	...	Sam Merlotte
Ryan Kwanten	...	Jason Stackhouse
Rutina Wesley	...	Tara Thornton
Alexander Skarsgård	...	Eric Northman
Kevin Alejandro	...	Jesus Velasquez
Marshall Allman	...	Tommy Mickens
Chris Bauer	...	Andy Bellefleur
Kristin Bauer van Straten	...	Pam De Beaufort
Lauren Bowles	...	Holly Cleary
Nelsan Ellis	...	Lafayette Reynolds
Janina Gavankar	...	Luna Garza (credit only)
Todd Lowe	...	Terry Bellefleur
Joe Manganiello	...	Alcide Herveaux

Storyline

As all hell breaks loose in Shreveport, Sookie summons her most potent powers yet to save Bill, in the process breaking a spell and leading Marnie/Antonia to re-evaluate her mission. Jason urges Jessica to glamour him for Hoyt's sake; Terry drags Andy to "Fort Bellefleur" for an intervention; Alcide reconsiders his allegiances after Marcus fight with Tommy; Jesus, accompanied by Sookie, Lafayette and Jason, tries to breach the Moongoddess Emporium's defenses to liberate Tara and Holly, while Bill leads a brigade of vampires committed to blowing the place to kingdom come.

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Plot Keywords:

spell | intervention | stabbed with pencil | necromancer | tree house | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 2011 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Home Box Office (HBO), Your Face Goes Here Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

51 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Lawd Have Mercy"
(uncredited)
Written by El Camino
Performed by El Camino

User Reviews

¡ Se4son JawBreaker !

The medium must die ! Enduring the past episodes featuring the new Lafayette was painful and my only comfort was to picture other viewers throwing rotten tomatoes at their TV to finally put an end to his misery. Considering how long it was covered in the previous installment I had high hopes that the real Lafayette would be back and it's exactly what Burning Down the House delivered. And what happens to a great show like True Blood when you cure it ? Well it becomes horrific and funny again ! Burn mighty Phoenix, burn ! However I would call it a rebirth, just the logical continuation of bittersweet popcorn sellers like "If You Love Me, Why Am I Dyin'?" and "Cold Grey Light of Dawn".

The element that should appeal the thirsty viewer the most is Fiona Shaw. At 53 years old she's sexier than Anna Paquin in my opinion but that's an other kinky story to tell. Seriously her performance as a possessed Marnie took a wild turn that should send your mind straight to dual kingdom ! The aftermath of her terrorist attack couldn't have been more ambivalent and developed Antonia in a new light. As for her acting it was both chuckling and scary because the lady isn't kidding and it's obvious Shaw is having a great time.

As for the rest it felt like looking in the mirror and screaming because it doesn't reflect your image. If there's one character I don't give enough credit it's Andy Bellefleur. Some day I remembered that Chris Bauer played the creepy teacher in The Devil's Advocate. His cartoonish acting brings a lot to the show and marvelously contrasts with the other characters. They're all dark, strong and so serious. Well Andy is a naked chicken, and a V addict. His escape in the wild with his cousin was refreshing and its ending respectful of the comic relief he represents. The episode also succeeded in the supernatural department. From the defense shield to Lafayette's boyfriend it was just magical. Wait, did I just forget to mention Tara ? Rutina Wesley's character is starting to remind me of Alyson Hannigan as Willow. Of course I'm not referring to her geek side but the first would definitely make a wicked sorceress !

An other thing I enjoyed was how the Eric & Sookie arc developed. I really hope season 5 will focus more on her fairy abilities and the world we took a glimpse at in the pilot ! Let's also not forget how Bill has become a fearless king and I also find the concept of glamour brigade interesting. Their fictional universe is definitely similar to ours ! What a brilliant way to criticize our society. Last but not least Sam's brother will shock you like never before ! Don't listen, don't watch. You've been warned ! Moreover pairing little Sam with big Alcide was a bright idea because they make one hell of a team. I already see them working together as gator whisperers !

All in all this 10th adventure redeemed True Blood and I really hope we will never hear of the baby again. Feeding the swamp creature with it would have been so much more simple ! No they had to write a whole spooky and dumb boring story about it. Anyway we will soon forget all about it so it's for the best. Moreover this time it wasn't one cliffhanger we had but two ! The first was unexpected and the second hilarious because it was obviously a campy reference to The Matrix. I also appreciated the fact that one occurred in bright daylight and the other at night. Red Blood, Green Blood and Jason's outfit was super !