We’re about a third of the way through the True Blood season now since there will only be 10 episodes this year, and I feel like last night’s episode finally got some things going. In my opinion, it was the best episode of the season so far.
We’ve read that there were going to be a lot of deaths this year, and rumor is now proved since we had two more tonight. Oh, there were actually a lot of deaths, but not of major characters like Maxine and Alcide.
Below are my thoughts about this episode:
Eric and Pam
At the end of the last episode we saw that Pam had found Eric, but he is infected with Hep V. Pam tells Eric that she felt Tara’s death, so we can set the rumors to rest that Tara may still be alive; she’s definitely dead.
Then, Pam gets frustrated since Eric doesn’t seem to have a response or interest and seems to have given up and is ready to die. She says, “You are Eric fucking Northman, you don’t give up, you fight.” Eric tells her that it is over and he doesn’t want to fight anymore because of Godric, Nora and “Sylvie” too.
I’m a fan of flashbacks on this show and tonight we had a particularly interesting one with Pam and Eric from the 1980′s. In this one, Eric is boyish frolicking with a beautiful young French human, Sylvie that he obviously loves. He is spending most of his time with her and they are having sex when Nan Flanagan shows up, in true 1980′s attire, in leather with huge shoulder pads. She chastises Pam and Eric saying that they have been bad by avoiding their taxes, etc. and it’s time to fall in line. She further relates about the development of Tru Blood by the Japanese and how mainstreaming will become real. She says that this is Big business and big money and they will not take no for an answer. Pam quickly agrees, but Eric says no. So, back to frollicking, but soon, the Japanese arrive and take Pam hostage. Eric says they have made their point and he will be more careful in future. They give Eric a choice, either Pam or Sylvie needs to die; it’s his choice. He makes his choice, and it’s Pam. Sylvie is immediately killed. It was good to see Eric in this flashback and it’s interesting to know about his past. It also offered a welcome change from the lethargic dying vampire we’ve seen all season.
Back to the present: Pam gets Eric’s attention by mentioning that Ryan Kwanten has left Sarah Newlin alive. Eric perks up. She also mentions that they are making advances in curing HepV so she wants him to come with her and find Sarah. He says, yes.
Town folk vigilantes
Early in the episode Sam and Rev. Daniels discuss the situation in St. Alice and Sam is despondent about the whole town being dead. Rev. Daniels says you’ve got to have faith. Sam replies, “What good did it to them?” Rev. Daniels, asks him, “what good would it be to not have faith?” As they are talking Lettie Mae shows up with Willa. Lettie Mae is still trying to find Tara and get some of Willa’s blood. Later after the Rev. and Willa have taken Lettie Mae home, the reverend talks to Willa about how he and Lettie Mae had saved each other and since Lettie Mae is an addict, he tells Willa that she has to leave and he rescinds her invitation to their home.
The inhabitants of Bon Temps have pretty much taken over the town by stealing the town’s gun supply. Sam and Matt, his vampire protector drive up to the crowd of towns people headed by Keith with Maxine Fortenberry right in front. Sam gets out of his truck and asks what’s going on here? Keith answers, “We’re takin’ our town back.” One of the crowd howls, and Sam looks at Keith saying, “You told them?” So, now they all know that Sam is a shapeshifter. He talks to Kenya asking saying, “Your a cop Kenya, and I’m your mayor.” Holly’s boy Rocky is there too and just as they begin to talk, Matt the vampire, is shot by Keith who says, “I’m the Mayor now.” Sam sees they way the wind is blowin’ and he says, “I’m the law here” and turns into an owl and flies away.
Jason and Violet are at Jason’s house and Jason spurts out to violet, “Let’s adopt a baby.” He wants family, but Violet has none of it and they start to argue. Just then, Andy, Adilyn, Jessica and Wade arrive at the door. They tell them that Sookie might be in trouble and they need to find her. They all leave together and find Sam’s truck on the road right where he left it and encounter the same angry crowd that Sam did.
They get out of the car and confront the crowd. Kenya tells Andy that his daughter shot her with lightening that shot out of her hand. Andy says, “I know and I’m very proud of her,” one of the funniest lines in the episode, in my opinion.
Meanwhile, Lafayette is dancing away in his apt. when James shows up. I could watch Lafayette forever, but there really wasn’t too much going on here. James obviously likes Laffy and Laffy likes him, but in the end, James says he’s with Jessica, so he’s not interested. He doesn’t completely close the door on their potential relationship though. It looks like things with James and Jessica aren’t very good at the moment, so we’ll have to see what transpires later on in the season regarding these two.
Sookie’s Plan with Bill
Sookie goes to Bill’s house alone asking if he can still feels if she is in danger. She convinces him that she should sit out in the woods while he waits up in a tree so she can be kidnapped by the HepV vampires so they can find where the Bon Temps women are being held. Bill gives tells Sookie that she must drink his blood again because since he was drained last season to save the vampires, so the blood Sookie has ingested in the past is no longer his. It was nice to see Bill and Sookie just having a conversation as they waited for her capture. While they’re waiting, Sookie tells Bill that he gave her the idea for the plan when he called her “vampire bait” on their way to Fangtasia on their “non-date.” Bill then asks Sookie if she loves Alcide. She says that she does love him, but there’s something deep down that tells her that she doesn’t love him as much as he loves her and she feels bad about that. Bill replies that love isn’t always equal and maybe it will grow a little more.
True Deaths - Maxine and Alcide
Maxine
In the scene above when Andy, Jason, Jessica, Adilyn and Wade show up, Maxine says, “Enough of this shit, Stackhouse and Red are mine,” and raises her gun to kill Jason and Jessica. She looks at Jessica and says, “You made Hoyt leave me; you drove him away from his mama. You tore on his heart like he didn’t even matter” and then she shoots Jessica in the shoulder. Just then, Violet springs into action and rips out Maxine’s insides and she then falls down dead.
Maxine was surely a hypocrite and a biggot, but she was also funny and a real part of the character of the show. I will miss Maxine more than I can think that Dale Raoul did an excellent part playing Hoyt’s mama! RIP, Maxine Fortenberry.
Alcide
I read somewhere that Alcide was only to have been a small part in season 3 and then the part would end, but we know that didn’t happen. Joe Manganiello took on the part and made it his own making Alcide so popular that it was no surprise the character continued through to the final season. Joe was an excellent Alcide.
Alcide was trying to protect Sookie until the bitter end. She had left their house while Alcide was taking a shower and went to Bill to get his help to launch her plan. When Alcide discovers that she is gone from the house, he is understandably worried and goes out to hunt for her. He follows her scent to Bill’s house. When he arrives at Bill’s house he breaks in, but she isn’t there and continues looking for her for most of the episode.
At the end of the episode, Alcide and Sam both show up in the woods together. Holly is a decoy being used by the HepV vampires who walks up to Sookie. Just then, the vampires grab Sookie and and are ready to kill Bill. At that moment, Alcide and Sam (in werewolf and dog form) show up and they both attack the vampires saving Bill. Sookie is being held by two vampires and just then, Andy and Jason and the rest show up and they shoot the vampires holding Sookie.
Alcide is angry and asks for help to wash the HepV blood off of Sookie in the river. Alcide then yells at Bill for bringing her there. Just as he is doing so and Sookie is in the river washing off the HepV blood, a shot is fired and Alcide is immediately killed by one of the townsfolk who were hiding in the brush.
Sarah Newlin is back!
The scene before the credits also started out with a death; Sarah Newlin’s yoga instructor. Sarah is in Los Angeles having an affair with her Yoga instructor. After sex, she steps out to get a bottle of wine when the Japanese arrive and kill the instructor. Sarah is hidden and they don’t find her but I’m assuming that it won’t be long before she is found by them, if not Eric and Pam.
