Season 4, episode 10 The Festival of Tolerance:
Here we go! Chaos!!! Antonia is calling for her puppet vamps to kill Bill. It’s not looking good for Bill—Eric is tossing him around and the other bewitched vamps are closing in. Meanwhile, Nan is doing the vampire version of Buffy on some of Antonia’s spaced-out vampires, even making use of a pencil, which I believe was a move in Buffy (Willow, maybe?).
Anyway, Bill whips out a wooden-bullet gun and shoots incoming vamps, including Eric, but doesn’t kill him (basically because Sookie begs him not to). Eric keeps coming, though, and he’s about to stake Bill when Sookie screams, “NO MORE!” She pulls out her fairy-light-power and zaps the crap out of the hot Viking.
Holy! Guess what? Sookie’s powers alone broke the spell Antonia had on Eric. Ooh, and, um, Eric’s back. Yep, her zap brought back all of Eric’s memories, but it didn’t erase the time he has spent with Sookie (in the bed…on the floor…in the woods). Note: I have got to get me some of that fairy-power-light-zapping stuff. Seriously, how cool would that be? You’re being a giant jackwipe—ZAP!
Antonia: So while she observes the carnage, Antonia morphs into the real Antonia from years ago and sadly says, “What have I done?” Before Bill could go after her, she had taken on Marnie’s appearance once more and disappeared with her sidekick witch-dude.
Jason & Jessica: Not so much the post-coital bliss Jess was expecting. Jason is riddled with guilt, even blaming the whole love-making session on drinking Jessica’s blood. Oh, Jason…did you just ask Jess to glamour away the memory of y’all having sex? Yep. You did. Jess is just having no luck whatsoever, which she apparently realizes: “Effin humans. I’m gonna go find somebody to eat.” That a girl.
Alcide & Tommy: Al is driving Tommy to the hospital. Tommy is bad off. All the shifting into Sam is killing him and it probably doesn’t help that he got his butt whooped by some werewolves. Ew. Projectile blood spit-up moment. Tommy tells Al to take him home…to Merlotte’s.
Note: I want to feel bad for him…and I would…really…but I’m far too distracted by the werewolf.
Tara, Holly, Antonia, & witches: Locked up in Moon Goddess, Holly tells Tara that two strong, angry women can force a crack in Antonia’s wall. Go get her, girls! Antonia returns with a couple bewitched vampires…and…uh…yeah, it looks like she’s having an internal conflict with Marnie. Is Marnie trying to break free?
Nan & Bill: Back at King Bill’s—Naturally, Nan is obsessed with public image. Bill, however, is ready to kill the witch, and if Nan doesn’t agree, he will go to the authority and tell them this situation, this war, is her fault.
Sookie & Eric, also at King Bill’s: Eric tells Sookie that he remembers everything, including the time he spent with her, but that the other Eric (i.e. puppy dog sweet Eric) is still here. He has her look in his eyes for puppy-dog-sweet Eric. She sees him, the gentle Eric. But there is a problem: When Eric was about to kill Bill, she couldn’t imagine a world without him. She loves Eric, but she loves Bill as well. Here’s where the old Eric comes in: he was none too thrilled about her loving Bill; in his view, since she gave herself completely to him, she should belong to him. But, Sook reminds Eric of two important facts: she never promised him that she would belong to him and he, in turn, gave himself to her. He said he did and reiterated his love for her. Here comes Pam!
Sookie, Eric, & Pam: Pam tearfully reunites with her maker, but she soon realizes there is more to Eric than before…a softer side…a side devoted to Sookie. She gives Sookie a “Pam” look (i.e. the “you’ve changed him, you bitch” look).
Sookie, Eric, Bill, & Pam: Bill plans on setting Moon Goddess ablaze. Sookie protests, reminding him that Tara and other humans are trapped inside. Eric says, “Well, they bet on the wrong horse. That’s too bad.” Sookie tries to plead Tara’s case (if Tara hadn’t warned her about the Festival, Eric would still be a zombie and Bill would be dead). Bill just tells her he can’t risk the safety of his kind to save one human just because she’s her friend. Eric: “Loveable, isn’t he?” Resolved, Bill says they’re going to finish Antonia tomorrow, regardless if innocent people die in the process. Sookie, with a look of determination, storms out.
Note: Loving having the old Eric back, even with this softer side. Truthfully, I’ve missed his sarcasm.
Alcide, Tommy, & Sam: Sam and Al try to reassure Tommy on the beauty of heaven, but Tommy doesn’t seem to buy it. He doesn’t believe in heaven, and hell’s a dogfight. He wants to disappear like he never existed. Sam tells him he’ll be surprised when angels come and lift him up. Tommy calls his brother a sucker, which brings a smile to Sam’s face. Then, finally, Tommy apologized, saying Sam was the best part of his life. (Son of a gun, this is sad). Little brother tells big brother not to forget him right away. Sam grabs his hand and tells him he could never forget about him—“You’re in my heart, always. You’re my brother. Tommy, Tommy, listen, you’re loved, I love you.” Tommy’s gone. Sam vows that Marcus is a dead man.
Note: Okay, I know I never really liked Sam’s family, but this was sad. Every time Tommy did something endearing, he did something cheek-slapping annoying. Still, it was sad. So, it’s sort-of “Whoo-hoo, but sad.”
Hoyt & Jason: Hoyt can’t live in his house without Jess. He misses the cute things she did, the way she smells, etc. Oh. Hoyt’s crying. Okay, Hoyt, I’d have more sympathy for you if you hadn’t been such a jackwipe to Jess. Yeah, okay, he’s kinda touching my heart here. Anyway, he has to shack up with Jason for a while. Jason’s feeling mega guilt.
Arlene, Terry, & Andy: So this is a True Blood version of Intervention. After finding some V, Terry and Arlene confront him, but Andy tries to skirt around it and fluff off their attempts.
Terry takes Andy to their old childhood fort to “save his life.” Andy does the junkie talk: I’m better on V; V makes me a better man, etc. Terry reveals some hidden weapons near the fort and asks Andy to pick one, saying, “We’ll see who’s the better man.”
Yeah, Andy is failing at this shoot-off thing, but he’s succeeding in airing his feelings of inferiority when it comes to Terry. Andy angrily talked about how everyone loved Terry, while he was nothing more than an afterthought; he’s angry that Terry got the best meat at dinner, the best of Andy’s old shirts, etc.
Terry saw things a bit differently—he had to take hand-me-downs that didn’t fit; Andy had the money; Andy had everything. Andy said the money belonged to his grandmother and now it’s gone! Terry is glad it’s gone—that Andy got what he deserved. Screaming, Andy claims he won after all because he’s a sheriff and Terry’s just a fry cook. Yep, now they fight.
After a little fighting, Andy says he’s so ashamed of himself he can’t stand it; he doesn’t want to be who he is and worries that the V might have eaten his soul. He starts to cry and Terry tells him men without souls do not cry. Aw, there’s some cousin bonding here—they’re even telling each other they love one another. Andy speaks fondly of the fort and vows to never relapse. Terry brings the truck around and tells Andy he knows he won’t relapse…and the first step is walking all the way home. Off Terry goes, leaving a ticked Andy in the dust.
Jason & Sookie: Jason is spending time at Sookie’s eating breakfast. He needed to get away from Hoyt because all he does is cry, rant, talk about Jess, repeat the same story, and fart. Sookie enlists his help in saving Tara and the other innocents at Moon Goddess before Bill blows up the witches.
Sookie, Jason, Lafayette, & Jesus, Part I: Sook and Jason head to Lafayette and Jesus for help to save the innocent witches. Lafayette blames Marnie for starting all of this. Jesus is quick to defend Marnie, saying she’s trapped. Jesus tells Sookie he can get Marnie to force Antonia out.
Holly & Tara: Holly is looking over some spells that will free them from Moon Goddess. Tara wigs over having to read Latin, but Holly says that magic is about energy and intention and that the goddess will know what they mean, even if they say it wrong. It’s about faith, which Tara doesn’t have much of. Holly implores Tara to believe in herself.
Antonia & Marnie: Oh crap! Antonia splits free from Marnie! Oh my! It was Marnie ALL ALONG! Marnie wants to murder all vampires! Antonia turned to necromancy to control death and save her village from fever; she was a healer and saved lives. Antonia wants nothing to do with Marnie’s desire to kill. It’s the classic the bullied versus the bully—Marnie is sick of being bullied and treated like an outsider. Marnie tries to regain Antonia’s spirit within her body by appealing to the pain she suffered, the death she endured. It worked. Antonia rejoins Marnie to rid the world of vampires. Marnie needs Antonia’s necromancy abilities, you see.
Eric, Bill, Jess, Nan, & Pam, silvered in the cells: Nan wants to kill Bill, but Eric tells him not to listen, since her time is coming to an end, which, of course, causes Nan to threaten our Viking. Pam warns her not to threaten Eric. Nan then promises the true death to Pam and Eric, too. Jess doesn’t care what happens as long as she gets to “kill sh*&.”
Sookie, Jason, Jesus, & Lafayette, Part II: Outside of Moon Goddess, Sookie listens for Tara’s mind. When she finds her, she is loud and pissed off. Jesus decides to try and get into Moon Goddess to save the others, including Marnie. But, Antonia has not only turned the town into a ghost town, she has also created a protective barrier around the shop (think a big golden bubble that you can only see when someone passes through). Jesus walks through, but not without some pain. Tara and Holly see Jesus through the window and know there are reinforcements with him somewhere. Antonia walks outside to greet Jesus, but before he is welcomed back inside, he must pass her test…by walking towards her—picture more painful, golden, bubble stuff he has to walk through.
Um, yeah, Jesus just turned into some devil-looking-creature, which Lafayette calls “A Latin thing.” Once he passes all the way through, and returns to normal-face Jesus, Antonia welcomes him with open arms.
Debbie & Marcus: Ugh. Is she flirting with Marcus a little?! And is she smoking weed with him?! YES, she is!!! Ugh, bitch!!! Deb, aka bitch, wants a baby, but Al doesn’t because it’s too tough to be wolfy these days. Marcus tells her she needs to hook up with a different wolf. And…GET THIS…she says, “I’m just about ready.”
Note: Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh!!!! And here I thought my dislike for Debbie couldn’t get any stronger. You have Al and you’re thinking about hooking up with that sleaze-ball, Marcus?! Seriously, Al needs to dump her furry butt!
Alcide & Sam: Ooh, two hot men out to avenge a senseless death. Sam and Al head to the garage, where they find one of the werewolves that beat Tommy up. Since Marcus is busy flirting it up with bitch-Debbie (and I can totally call her that because she’s a female dog, er, werewolf), Al helps Sam take some of his anger out on this were-dude.
Jesus, Antonia, Marnie, Sookie, Lafayette, Jason, Holly, & Tara: Inside Moon Goddess, Antonia informs Jesus that he should never have been able to breach her boundary; she tells him he has a demon to serve him. She then expresses a keen interest in having Lafayette join the circle, recognizing his gift. Jesus says Lafayette is too scared to rejoin, but should she allow them to leave the shop for a while, he may be able to bring Lafayette around. Antonia says it’s impossible—the protection spell is their strongest defense…for now.
Jesus then asks to speak with Marnie, just wanting to say hi to her for a moment. Antonia grants this wish. Marnie becomes the primary and is elated to see Jesus. He quickly tries to help her, but Marnie just as quickly tells him this is not possession—this is human; “her (Antonia) desires are my desires.” Jesus is freaked and telepathically tells Sookie that Marnie is running the show, which she relays to Lafayette and Jason.
Tara and Holly are busy casting a spell to break Antonia’s protection barrier. Meanwhile, Marnie shows Jesus her pet vampires and all is peachy until…treachery…Antonia takes over, recognizing her protective spell was broken. Jesus telepathically screams for Sookie to get out of there, but when she sees Tara and Holly running towards her, she, Lafayette, and Jason—who was lagging behind a bit—run for them. Antonia steps outside, re-casts her spell, blocks Holly, Tara, Lafayette, and Sookie within the golden bubble, and causes them to disappear, leaving Jason alone in the street.
Nighttime hotness: Eric, Bill, Pam, and Jess, clad in black, are heading to Moon Goddess. Okay, this is sexy: the four of them pull up to Moon Goddess, climb out of the van, form a line, and walk in slow motion towards the storefront, while some sexy music sets the mood for war.
One problem: they don’t know Sookie’s inside. Is Jason hiding somewhere? Will he get to them in time? Only 2 episodes left…
…stay tuned.
