"True Blood" Escape from Dragon House (TV Episode 2008) Poster

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8/10
Don't say "uh oh". Vampires are not supposed to say "uh oh"...
Chalice_Of_Evil21 September 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This episode begins with a great big "uh oh", as Sookie discovers dead Dawn. The shot of Jason in the background, dropping the vase of flowers in shock, was effective. I kind of felt sorry for him...until it became clear he was more concerned about his own ass than mourning the loss of Dawn. Sadly, Sookie seemed to be the only one who was broken up over Dawn's death (well...her and Hoyt Fortenberry - who was apparently the only other decent person in the bar when Sookie was listening to people's thoughts there). It was great to hear him thinking nice thoughts about Dawn, as was Sookie giving him a kiss (he deserved it) and thanking him for being the only considerate person in the bar. After hearing what everyone else was thinking in regards to the dearly departed Dawn - I don't know how you're supposed to *like* anybody in the town (the coroner saying, "You don't have to be too careful. Ain't gonna hurt her.", as they carried Dawn out in a body bag, was especially horrible - and watching them unceremoniously load her into the van was quite sad). Why, oh why couldn't it have been Arlene instead of Dawn? She's far more irritating. I'm glad Sookie told her off (and stole her ranch dressing!) for first complaining about Dawn leaving them "high and dry", then saying she had it coming to her, THEN acting like a bitch towards Bill later on.

I have to disagree with what Tara said about Jason - there really ISN'T "more to him than meets the eye" (he's not a Transformer, after all). Jason just really IS that dumb, that's all there is to it. Drinking the whole vial of V, after Lafayette said to only take 1-2 drops? Dumbass. Having said that...you just HAD to feel sympathy for Jason and his "gout of the d!ck". That was some obviously some extremely painful crap he went through, and I'm sure every male watching the show was wincing throughout. That was nasty. Tara's reaction - after Jason lifted the steak from his crotch - was, I think, a pretty good indicator of just how bad it must've looked. The fact that so much of the episode was devoted to Jason's member kind of suggests Dawn was wrong in the last episode (when she said that the world does not revolve around Jason's d!ck). His begging Tara to stay with him and her telling him to breathe (as he was about to get a needle in his "sweet baby" ) was a nice role reversal on the whole stereotypical man-holding-the-pregnant-woman's-hand-as-she-gives-birth scenario. Moving on from this unpleasantness, however...

Although Sookie was a bit snappish with Bill to begin with, I - as always - did enjoy their scenes together. Everything from Sookie's reaction to the name 'Fangtasia' (the way she said "Fang-tasia?" in disbelief was hilarious, as was Bill explaining that "Puns used to be the highest form of humor.") to their making a date that was "not a date". I enjoyed the interaction between them and the chemistry between the two was as good as ever. I liked their car ride to the vampire bar, and the fact that we got to hear 'Dont Fear The Reaper' playing there (albeit an unnecessarily 'techno' version). Pam and Eric were given quite the memorable introduction. It was kind of oddly funny when Bill would squeeze Sookie's hand, every time she said something to Eric that Bill felt she shouldn't say. At least she caught on, from last episode, that saying she's *his* (Bill's) protects her from other vampires (in this case, Eric) laying claim to her. I liked that she used her telepathic ability to warn them of the raid. It was a nice shot - the four of them exiting the bar, with Bill super-swiftly sweeping Sookie up into his arms. The shot of Eric and Pam seemingly 'gliding' away was a bit cheesy-looking, though.

Probably the best scene of the episode, however, has got to be when Sookie and Bill are driving away from Fangtasia, pull over, then are rudely interrupted by a cop flashing his light in their faces. The way this scene plays out is extremely tension-filled, and you don't know exactly what Bill's going to do. Bill's speech, after he puts his whammy (sorry, 'glamour') on the cop, is a great moment. Stephen Moyer delivers that dialogue with the right sense of menace (but also restraint). I'm glad he took the cop's gun, told him off for being so rude to Sookie and put the guy in his place. It was - quite simply - an awesome scene.

Lastly, we come to Sam (who was the only other one there for Sookie, in regards to Dawn) and who we see has not only a key to Dawn's place, but also a picture of the two of them looking like they were apparently together/involved at one point (or maybe they were just really good 'friends'?). Anyway, the most curious thing of all is Sam entering her place (not only was he her boss, but also - we learn earlier - her landlord) and then proceeding to climb onto the bed in which she died and writhe around in her sheets, sniffing and smelling them, rolling around, covering himself in her 'scent' - which leads into the awesomely appropriate song 'That Smell' over the end credits. One of the best songs used yet.
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7/10
Ooooh That Smell, Can't Smell That Smell
claudio_carvalho20 September 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Sookie finds Dawn dead and Jason becomes the prime suspect and is arrested again. While in the back seat of the police car, he drinks at once the aphrodisiac tube of vampire blood that Lafayette had recommended the maximum of two drops. He has an uninterrupted erection and Tara perjuries and testifies that they had spent the night together. Jason is released and he has to go to the hospital due to his priapism. Meanwhile Sookies asks Bill to take her to the vampire night-club "Fangtasia", where Dawn and Maudette were habitué, to investigate any lead that could prove the innocence of her brother. Sookie meets the creepy Eric, the eldest vampire in the spot.

In "Escape from Dragon House", the painful situation of Jason is very funny and only imagining the draining of blood from his penis hurts. What Sam Merlotte is (a werewolf ?) is an intriguing question after seeing him smelling Dawn's bed clothing and listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "That Smell". My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Fuga da Casa dos Dragões" ("Escape from Dragon House")
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8/10
To Sex, or Not to Sex? - spoilers
eastybreezy12 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Good God ... talk about a sexy show! Even when the characters are fully dressed, "True Blood" spends more time being "hit-on-the-head-with-a-hammer" and subtext-y about sex than other programs (short of Skin-e-max's late-night programming) playing now. Still, Alan Ball's able to pull some real plots and story lines out from under the sheets, so that you're not only wondering when Bill and Sookie are finally gonna have their own romp: You're just wondering what the hell is going on with everyone in their universe, period.

The mystery in "True Blood" isn't just why the women Jason Stackhouse (Sookie's brother) sleeps with wind up dead a few hours later. This time, Dawn the half-dressed waitress is the victim, and Sookie has the unpleasant job of discovering her. The mysteries keep coming after Bill takes Sookie to the vamp bar where Dawn and Maudette visited.

While the bar scene is about the least creative aspect of Alan Ball's scenario so far (watch Blade, or Dusk Til Dawn, or any early episodes of Angel -- same *bleep*, different show), seeing Bill get vulnerable and Sookie get sassy are the best! This happens when Sookie meets Eric. Eric is not just the head vampire: He's Mr. Euro-Sexy (shining straight blond hair; leather form-fitting clothes; and hot enough to melt steel) -- and Bill resigns himself to taking "2nd Place" when Sookie points him out. Still, Stephen Moyer's portrayal of Bill is the very best thing about "True Blood:" You get a vulnerable, Southern Gentleman Human when he's in the bar; but when a cop pulls them over and harasses him for Driving While Vamp, you get Southern Gentleman Vampire ... and you can believe both. Damn, Moyer can play Bill both dangerous, rude, and cold; then turn around and do the sensitive, caring, and warm role -- and you're absolutely left without a clue as to which is the real one. Love it and him!

Still, the most interesting character in this episode, even just briefly, is seeing Sam's character. When he puts the latex gloves in his pocket just before walking Arlene to her car, you're wondering "WTF???" on the guy that, up to this episode, has been there for his ditsy, trampy, naive, preoccupied, "uppity" staff and all their issues -- and not much else, quite frankly. But then when Sam enters the late Dawn's home, starts sniffing her bedsheets, then rolling around in them, his weirdness meter shoots up another 15 points. Since only the first few episodes of "True Blood" will be more faithful to the book series than what's to come, I cannot wait to see where Alan Ball is going to take this new program.
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8/10
True Blood: Escape from Dragon House
Scarecrow-8818 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Sookie finds Dawn dead and Jason is the prime suspect. Jason gulps down the vial of V-juice he acquired from Lafayette while being arrested for possibly strangling Dawn. Tara tells Sheriff Dearborne(Sanderson) and detective Andy Bellefleur(Bauer) that Jason was with her the night Dawn was strangled(she saw him doing his underwear dance for Lafayette)freeing him from possible prison. Jason is now plagued by a pecker that won't loosen("I have gout of the dick!")and he needs Lafayette to give him something to remove his hard on..no dice! Sookie wants Bill to take her to a vampire bar where mortals are known to frequent(Fangtasia)so she can see if she can clear her brother's name. Meanwhile, Tara insists Jason goes to the emergency room to have his penis "aspirated"(the blood drained with a hypodermic needle! Sheesh!). We get a flashback which explains why Tara loves Jason, and it is in regards to how he helped her in a time of need when her drunk mama was coming after her after she hid a bottle of liquor from her. A police raid of Fangtasia shortly after Bill must introduce Sookie to it's proprietor, a very old vampire named Eric(Alexander Skarsgård) who is the envy of both vampires and mortals alike. Eric admits to having drank from Dawn. Sam returns to Dawn's home to sniff from the bed sheets of her home getting an erotic charge from the smell. And, Sookie witnesses Bill's handling of a racist cop who pulls them over to see if she had been bit and if they had left Fangtasia during the raid. I have to say this is probably my favorite episode of the few I have seen from season one so far. It's full of hilarious, off-the-wall content, particularly Jason's physiological reaction to taking too much V. I really think the pair of Sanderson and Chris Bauer as bumbling law enforcement is golden, as they are often presented as clownish(they attempt to do their jobs, but there are times where the public take them less than seriously). They didn't even marandize Jason, but he's so clueless he wouldn't have ever thought to question their techniques..it takes Tara to rescue Jason in a hilarious scene where she uses race as a means to weaken the sheriff and detective until they look like embarrassed fools. With two murders the vampire racism heightens in their small town, and listening to thought to fish for clues to save her brother is becoming a burden for Sookie.
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9/10
Life can be very hard for a stud.
lastliberal30 September 2008
When in the world are Sookie (Anna Paquin) and Bill (Stephen Moyer) going to kiss? It almost happened in this episode if it hadn't been for that redneck cop. Maybe next time.

We finally got a visit to Fangtasia. It really seems like a cool place to go except for the fact that it is in Shreveport. I can assure you there are bloodsuckers in Shreveport. I spent a week there and used several cans of deet to keep them off me.

Ir really like the fact that Tara (Rutina Wesley) is getting meatier roles. She has a certain je ne se quoi that makes her fun to watch. She really has a thing for Jason (Ryan Kwanten), who has managed to get himself in trouble again after another girl dies. He swallowed a whole vial of V (a veiled reference to Viagra?) in the arrest process, and has that thing they warn you about in the Cialis commercials. Those that might think that an erection lasting several hours is a blessing would do well to see this episode.

We learn that Tara and Jason go way back to their childhood. It appears that Captain Morgan is not just fun and parties.

Can't wait for the next episode.
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8/10
"For an erection lasting longer than 4 hours..."
skay_baltimore16 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
What the hell did Jason think would happen -- drinking an entire vial of Vampire Blood after LaFayette told him to only take 1-2 drops? That boy just ain't too bright. And if that ain't bad enough...he went and got himself all hooked up in another murder.

(And don't take this the wrong way...but watching this guy jerk off in the police station bathroom...well...it ain't nearly as good as watching Sookie play with herself under the covers after her erotic dream about Bill, IMO. But hey...that's just my 2 cents...your mileage may vary.)

And while she was kinda skanky...I'm sure gonna miss Dawn. That gal sure knew how to get down.

And how can you NOT like a vampire who drives a BMW? (Without sounding prejudice, or anything...they sure have come up in the world, haven't they?) LOL

Now...Sam...rolling around in Dawn's sheets after she'd been taken away by the coroner, with Lynyrd Skynyrd's "That Smell" playing in the background... KINKY!!! (But there's just something not quite right about Sam...I definitely smell a...what...rat? Bloodhound? Werewolf?)
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9/10
S1.E4 - Such A Good Episode! [9/10]
panagiotis19931 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
(S1. E4) My Live Reaction / Review for True Blood Season 1 Episode 4 ''Escape from Dragon House''. Episode 3 was good and I gave it a rating of 8.6/10. Let's see if this one is better or worse. Once again the police thinks that Jason killed a woman. Lafayette told Jason that he should take no more than 2 drops and he drunk the whole thing, he is so dumb. It's funny to watch him suffer though. Tara lied to the police about Jason, that's not a good idea. Sookie calls Bill a ''friend'', yeah sure. Going to a vampire bar to find information about to who killed that woman doesn't sound like a good idea, Sam is right. I have to admit that Jason's, let's call it, health problem is pretty funny. Eric seems like a very creepy dude. Sam's behavior is really suspicious, what wrong with him? This episode was amazing overall, my rating is 9/10.
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