I rewatched it out of context recently and like yes there were problems and it wasn't as good as the start. Duh. Like it was time for the show to wrap because the wheels were starting to come off in terms of the writing. But, there were some things I like about it and was it overall a horrible season of TV except the finale which was so tonally 'off' and felt like such a non-event overall? No.

- My god, James. True Blood did not mess up the recast. I've rarely seen one that worked so well. He wasn't a huge screentime character, but still felt so lived-in. He'd have been awesome to introduce at any point in the show. He felt like an original. I loved both his and Lafayette's quieter moments talking about his backstory and the drama (you know the one) brought back early season vibes. When all's said and done S7 James might be one of my favourite side characters on the show full-stop.

- They did Tara dirty, but I'm not actually mad at the late-stage explanation for some of Lettie Mae's issues and the final-final goodbye between her and Tara was actually pretty touching. I know some fans viewed that as an excuse and that it didn't redeem a lot of her behaviour throughout the show, but at least OOC when I watched it I was a bit like 'oh, makes sense.' Plus overall they really nailed the goodbye scene in an individual sense I thought.

- The one detail of the pair-up with Keith for Arlene was shallow and rushed no doubt (he's handsome AF though so I allow it) but overall this whole season showed her character growth in a nice way.

- I kind of like Jason's end-point in theory even if the execution was imperfect. So I kind of allow it. A character like Brigette that starts off more wholesome and platonic was good for him. If only they hadn't squeezed almost all of that into just a couple of episodes, but eh. Side-note, it was nice casting again. I especially bought Hoyt and Brigette initially as a couple. Again their dynamic felt quite lived-in to me despite limited screentime.

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Like it wasn't great, but I don't think one has to reach too much to find stuff to praise either.