Finally True Blood Season 5 has begun and now we can count on a new episode each Sunday for the next eleven weeks to satisfy our cravings for the show.
As seems to happen in each first episode of every new season most of the time is spent by either catching up on a lot of things from when the previous season ended or by setting up story lines future episodes.
Unlike last season which had a whole year go by between seasons, this season we start off right at the second when Season 4 ended, when Tara is shot by Debby Pelt in Sookie’s kitchen. And, this seems to be an episode of turning into something different. Tara turns, Rev. Newlin turns, but also the other lives of those from Bon Temps are turned upside down by all the death and mayhem that is seen in this first episode. And, in typical True Blood tradition there was also a lot of nudity, too. Let’s count them shall we? Let’s see, there was Jason, Eric, Nora, Sam, Rikki, and then, of course there’s Andy and Holly.
Tara’s fate
Tara was shot when she ran in front of Sookie and therefore, she took the bullet instead. Sookie then kills Debbie in anger and Lafayette, who is sleeping upstairs, hears the shots and runs down to find Sookie holding Tara’s head in her lap. Pam arrives at that point looking for Eric. Realizing that Tara is going to die, Lafayette begs Pam to turn Tara into a vampire and she finally agrees. Once Pam feeds Tara, and presumably drains her, they are both buried together to share their essence. Pam has a great line in this scene when she is wearing a Walmart outfit. She says, “I am wearing a Walmart sweatshirt for you all, if that’s not a demonstration of team spirit I don’t know what it is.”
After Tara and Pam have “gone to ground” together, Lafayette and Sookie clean up and bury Debbie’s body and then go looking for Jesus’ body, but it’s gone. Lafayette is very sad about the death of Jesus and Sookie leaves him alone to say his goodbye’s. Lafayette is very sad and is starting to blame Sookie for his troubles, but they go back to Sookie’s house to clean up and wait for dark when Tara is to be reborn as vampire.
Alcide shows up while Lafayette is bathing and tells Sookie that Russell Edgington is not dead. He wants Sookie to go with him for safety, but she refuses. Just as Sookie starts to tell Alcide about the deaths of Tara and Debbie, Lafayette comes in and interrupts her insisting that Alcide leave.
At nightfall, Pam rises, but it appears that the turning didn’t take and both Sookie and Lafayette are despondent. Then, all of a sudden, Tara zooms out of the grave and Sookie screams.
Jason, Rev. Steve Newlin and Jessica
Tara isn’t the only one who is a new vampire in Season 5. Early in the episode we learn that Steve Newlin has also been turned. We don’t know who turned him, but he sure has been turned, and in more ways than one. After arriving at Jason’s door, he fools Jason into believing that he can’t glamour him, and then presumes to do so. He puts tape over Jason’s mouth and forces Jason to listen to his declaration of love and that he is a homosexual vampire American who is in love with him. It’s a truly hysterical scene, especially when we see the look on Steve Newlins’ face as Jason says that he is “a dog that doesn’t bark that way.” Rev. Newlin attempts to bite Jason but is stopped when Jessica comes in to declare, “Jason is Mine.” Jason then rescinds Rev. Newlin’s invitation and he is forced to leave. And, once again Jason and Jessica have sex.
Later in the episode Jessica is having a party and Jason shows up. This arrival sort of cramps her style since she was enjoying herself with people her own age and some of them are underage, and Jason is a cop. Jason really wants Jessica, but leaves with another girl and doesn’t even have sex with her, believe it or not. Also, when Jason sees Hoyt the next day at Merlotte’s we find that he is still really angry with Jason and refuses to make up with him.
Revenge for Marcus
Sam is cornered by the pack trying to find Marcus’ killer. They think that he killed Marcus and Sam refuses to tell them that is was Alcide who did the killing and proclaims that he did the killing himself. The wolves take Sam away and he is beaten in order to to find out where Marcus’ body is. Marcus’ mother shows up and bargains with Sam to take them to Marcus and if he does, they won’t harm Luna. Sam gives in and they take him there. They find Marcus and his mother shifts and starts to eat him when other pack members join in. Just as they are about to kill Sam, Alcide shows up and admits that he killed Marcus. Some of the pack members bow to Alcide as the new pack master, but some do not and this implies that in future episodes there will be a battle within the pack as to who is going to be it’s master.
Terry Bellefleur and his past
Patrick Devins (played by Scott Foley) represents Terry’s war past. He showed up last season in the last episode, but now that Scott is here, Terry doesn’t seem too happy to have him around. He is staying with the family at the Bellefleur house and he hears about the fire from last season. Terry isn’t interested in remembering the times they had in the military, but Patrick says he has come back to get Terry to help him stop the dying of their army buddies. I’m guessing there’s lots more to this story line than meets the eye and we look forward to more about Terry’s past being revealed.
Vampires and The Authority
Bill and Eric clean up Bill’s office (well, actually Eric does most of the work) after killing Nan Flanagan and they end up getting caught by the Authority. They are put in the trunk of a car presumably to be taken in for questioning, or even worse. They break the gas tank with an umbrella while being transported in the trunk of the car and after the gas leaks out, the car explodes. They are thrown out of the car by the blast, but they survive. One of the authority vampires catches them though and just as he is about to kill them, a female vampire arrives and kills him. Eric immediately notices that it is his vampire sister, Nora.
Nora has come to help them and she tells them that they will need new identities or she will die for having helped them. The two vampires agree and get new names. A woman named Cat Ingerslev (note that is the last name of the series Production Designer) will give them their new identities. Bill is to be Marcellus Clark and Eric’s new identity is to be Ike Applebaum, which seems a bit strange for Eric; notice the “Ikea” reference.
Nora and Eric are very close, in ways that are not just sister and brother. They both have the same maker in Godric but that is their only relation, so I suppose having sex together is OK. Just as the three vampires are escaping however, and think they are safe, they are all stopped and caught once more by the authority.
From the preview of the next episode that was shown after 5.01, it appears that we’ll really get to meet the vampire authority then.
And then there’s Andy and Holly who seem to be the only humans in Bon Temps who are finding a bit of joy and happiness; well until Holly’s kids come home. It’s nice to see Andy Bellefleur get some lovin’.
This season looks like it’s going to be a good one from this first episode. I look forward to seeing more. Please tell us what you thought about this episode by leaving a comment below.
