Previously on True Blood… Jessica snacked on Zombie-Maxine who later told Hoyt the truth about his suicidal father, Sam tried to [...]]]> And so another season of True Blood draws to a close amidst yet more Yahtzee, people being gored by bulls, murdered truckers and the ritual licking of ostrich eggs. Just another day in Bon Temps.

Previously on True Blood… Jessica snacked on Zombie-Maxine who later told Hoyt the truth about his suicidal father, Sam tried to promote interspecies solidarity by asking Eric for help with Maryann, Eric flew, Sookie and Bill worked their mojo to de-zombify Tara who promptly ran off to save Eggs,  Sookie worked yet further mojo on Maryann, Lafayette inadvertently killed Carl and became Maryann’s latest cabana boy, Bill get the lowdown on how to deal with Maenads from Sophie-Anne, and… well, a whole lot more happened. This “Previously” section is two minutes long, which goes some way to showing how awesomely layered this show has become.

Skipping ahead to the start of the episode and we find Sookie exercising her lungs once more with a good old-fashioned horror movie scream as she realises Lafayette isn’t going to be backing her up any time soon. He gives the order for the giant egg to be delivered to Maryann before making Sookie change into a white dress and hauling her downstairs into the Bridal Suite o’ The Damned where Maryann, apparently wearing Gran’s wedding dress, is being attended to by her bridesmaids. Maryann gleefully declares that Sookie will be her maid of honour, and we cut to the opening titles whilst wondering; what wedding gift do you give to the immortal demon-god-summoning sociopath who has it all?

Maryann says that she’s just “borrowing” Sookie to go with “old, new and blue over here”. It’s only at this point that I notice Lafayette is wearing the same bridesmaids dress as everyone else, and I’m reminded just how cool True Blood is. Sookie pluckily vows to stop Maryann’s evil scheming, leading the Maenad to request a private moment with her maid of honour.

Turns out that Maryann wants Sookie to try and stop her, which makes an awful lot of sense; Maryann is thousands of years old and has never encountered anything that could harm her, and for a creature that started its life embracing dangerous excess and abandonment, the temptation to feel Sookie’s “electricity” is too much for Maryann. Sookie decides to give it her best, scrunches up her face, and slams her palms down onto Maryann’s chest.

“That’s hitting me”, Maryann chides her. “You’re not committing to this at all.” (Can we make a new rule that Michelle Forbes has to appear in every TV show? She’s been the absolute highlight of this season.) The Maenad proves to Sookie that the waitress does have powers, and certainly isn’t human, by trying and failing to shimmy her into zombie subservience. “Come on, it’ll be our little secret. What are you?” she asks.

“I’m a waitress. What the fuck are you?”

Back at the Fortenberry’s house Zombie-Maxine is busy busting some moves in the kitchen when she realises that Hoyt is asleep, and seizes the opportunity to try and deliver her homemade “pie” to Maryann. Luckily Hoyt has rigged up a trap, waking him so that he can catch Maxine just in time; he gets accused of being Norman Bates, but he succeeds in keeping his mother away from the festivities, even as she insists that “a god is coming”.

Maryann and Sookie are still debating just how human the latter is, as Sookie flashes back to the moment from the pilot episode where she telekinetically throttled the V-dealer. It’s reassuring that Alan Ball hadn’t just changed his mind about the extent of Sookie’s powers and hoped that we’d forget all about that moment, even though it’s taken a few years for it to be brought up again.

Talk moves on to wedding plans, as Maryann turns into a weepy bride-to-be and tells Sookie that she’s marrying a god, with Sam intended to be the perfect wedding gift; apparently this all relates back to Sam’s first encounter with Maryann. In her twisted Maenad logic she saw not a terrified shapeshifter but a naked virgin, drawn to the statue of the mad-god, delivered to her doorstep. I think one of the most wonderful touches that has been added to the show in the last few episodes is learning the truth about what Maryann really is; she’s essentially a sad, desperate spinster. All Maenads are. They live for thousands of years, unable to seduce the one person (or god) they desire and clinging to abstract notions of How To Get Their Man. Maryann may as well have picked Sam based on a horoscope, for all the good it would do her, but she’s deluded enough that she can see signs in absolutely anything. Handled incorrectly, this de-fanging of Maryann could have been the downfall of her effectiveness as a character, but if anything it makes her more compelling. Forbes has said in interviews that she never tried to play Maryann as a villain, and of course Maryann herself certainly doesn’t consider what she’s doing evil. She’s simply lived so long that she has no concept of morality any longer.

Speaking of long-lived immoral creatures, the action now shifts over to Sophie-Anne’s palace, where Eric has been conscripted into a game of Yahtzee, much to his frustration, with the Queen, Sookie’s cousin Hadley and Latvian Ludis. Sophie-Anne insists they “play to 5 million” and endorses Yahtzee as the most egalitarian game there is, since even her social, physical and intellectual inferiors (indicating her three opponents) have the same chance of winning. Sophie-Anne offers a brief moment of sympathy to Eric over the loss of Godric – “That blows.” – before scoring Yahtzee again. The topic of conversation swiftly turns to Bill’s discovery of Eric’s V-dealing, but the Viking insists that Bill doesn’t know Sophie-Anne is the supplier.

Hmm… so it’s Sophie-Anne’s blood that they’re handing out to the local population. Considering that a vampire gains a psychic link with anyone who drinks their blood, could this all be part of a larger plan by Sophie-Anne? She could potentially have a connection to thousands of humans through dealing V. Just a way of keeping tabs on what’s going on in her part of the neighbourhood, or the first step in something bigger? Methinks we smell a Season 3 plot thread developing…

In Bon Temps Jason and Andy are approaching the Stackhouse residence, with Jason spouting off gung-ho catchphrases such as “I love the smell of nail polish in the morning.” Says it all, really. They turn a corner and find a zombie party in full-swing, and interestingly, Jason sheds a tear at the sight of his grandmothers house being defiled. Enraged, he and Andy sweep through the throng of revellers in full commando mode, with Jason apparently putting his Fellowship of the Sun training into practice. Clearly none of the party guests feel threatened as they quickly overwhelm the duo, allowing Maryann’s influence to take them over.

Which answers one question about Jason, anyway. Whatever Sookie is, Jason clearly isn’t. In an interview following the finale Alan Ball confirmed that Sookie and Jason are brother and sister, so it’ll be interesting to learn why Jason doesn’t have the same powers as his sister.

At Merlotte’s Bill confronts Sam about the Maenad situation, telling the shifter that he has to do the right thing for the town and for Sookie. Sam insists that it would do no good, since “killers don’t just stop killing.” Bill knows that only too well but tells Sam he has no choice, baring his fangs at him. To me, scenes like this sum up why I’m not such a big fan of Sookie’s relationship with Bill; if she could see him here, forcing Sam towards his death, there wouldn’t be enough “Sookeh is mahn” drawls in the world to convince her Bill is right.

And now, Arlene licking blood off an ostrich egg. Naturally. Sookie says what we’re all thinking, asking what the egg is all about, even wondering if Maryann laid it. There’s a scene for the DVD extras. Maryann says no, it’s simply symbolic, and represents fertility. The bridesmaids force Sookie to play along, with Maryann insisting “You’re the maid of honour. You have to lick the egg.” You know how people have Star Trek-themed weddings? I dread the day that True Blood becomes cult enough for Maenad-themed weddings. Yikes.

Bill drags Sam through the zombie party towards the house as Andy and Jason burst in on the egg ritual to tell Maryann that the sacrifice has arrived. The Maenad announces that the time has come, but with Sookie refusing to participate, threatens to kill Jason instead to seal the deal.

To the strains of the wedding march the group assemble in the front yard around the giant meat stick figure as Bill offers up Sam in exchange for Sookie; since she’s served her purpose Maryann agrees, sending Sam off to be prepared for sacrifice while she regales the crowd with the story of Dionysus. In short order Sam is trussed up and gagged, as Maryann reassures him that his death is a good thing: “You’re lucky, Sam. It’s everyones wish to have their lives mean something. So few ever get to realise it.”

As the crowd scream for blood Bill hisses at Sookie for her to use her powers, just as Eggs drives the sacrificial knife into Sam. And it looks like it hurts. Maryann anoints herself with the blood as Sookie hears a psychic message from Sam to “destroy it all”, sending her into an egg-smashing and stick figure dismantling frenzy (with the help of yet more sparkly electrical powers). Maryann is devestated that her offering has been ruined, and decides to sacrifice the entire wedding party to Dionysus to make up for things. A nice, balanced response I think. It’s only when Sookie begs for Maryann to leave them alone that the Maenad does, realising that Sookie is the only one who has done anything to harm her. It’s an interesting little moment for Maryann; she’s perfectly willing to destroy anyone if it suits her purpose but she still has a little shred of sanity that tells her Sookie is the only one to have earned vengeance. With that in mind, Maryann slams her fists down into the earth and emerges with claws. She gives chase to Sookie, these two strange white dress-clad women thundering through the trees, and eventually catches her. Just as she’s about to tear Sookie’s head off, she hears the low bellowing of an animal as a huge, white-horned bull emerges from the shadows.

Maryann approaches, tentatively, in awe. After thousands of years of struggle and desire she finally has what she’s been fighting for. Maryann greets her husband, spreading her arms wide and the bull… The bull drives a horn up through Maryann’s chest, impaling her, her thick black blood spewing out. “My God,” Maryann gasps. “I am the one to be sacrificed? I am the vessel? Yes. I’m happy to die. I’m yours.” The bull repeatedly gores Maryann, her face halfway between agony and rapture, before shapeshifting.

The bull is Sam, whose arms is now reaching through Maryann. He pulls it out, bringing her heart along with it. The Maenad takes one last pained long at Sam and, like a lost child, asks: “Was there no God?”

Beyond here lies nothing indeed. Without her faith, Maryann immediately wizens and mummifies. And I actually feel sorry for her at this stage, because she was ultimately such a pathetic creature. Dangerous, but pathetic. Now dead, her control over the town is broken as everyone regains their senses.

Sam reveals that his “sacrifice” was planned by he and Bill, and that Sam only survived by feeding from Bill’s blood. Ugh. Another Get Out Of Jail Free card for Compton. It still doesn’t change the fact that, even if Sam hadn’t agreed to it, I’m sure Bill would have dragged him off to Maryann anyway.

At the Fortenberry’s Hoyt is relieved that Maxine has returned to normal, glad to be free of all the lies she was telling under Maryann’s spell. Maxine’s eyes give her away, however. She was telling the truth; Hoyt’s father committed suicide, and Maxine has spent the last twenty years manipulating Hoyt with the secret. Hoyt tells Maxine that he wishes Jessica had finished her off and storms out. Hoyt has been one of the most surprising characters this season; I initially thought that he would be a compelling character purely from his relationship with Jessica, but the writers have given the time to develop him as his own man as well. That’s the great thing about a large ensemble cast; anyone can step to the forefront and become a great new addition to the main cast. I suspect that, given the talk about Arlene’s ex-husband a few weeks back, we might be seeing everyone’s favourite redhead waitress take on a bigger role next season.

It’s around this point that the focus of the episode shifts, and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about that. On the one hand it’s good to see the fallout from Maryann’s reign of terror, but the shift in tone at the halfway point of the episode feels almost like a false climax. I suppose as viewers we’re conditioned into appreciating a more formulaic structure, where the bad guy gets their comeuppance in the last ten minutes and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. In “Beyond Here Lies Nothin’” there are several elements that feel like they could have been the Season 3 opener, but there are a few critical points that had to be addressed this season. One is Eggs. He asks Sookie to read his mind and uncover the memories that Maryann buried, and he quickly learns that he was responsible for murdering Ms. Jeanette and Daphne, as well as trying to kill Sam. Traumatised, he later hands himself in to Andy, but his reckless waving around of the sacrificial knife leads to a misunderstanding as Jason shoots and kills him to “protect” Andy.

We also see Jessica fall down the slippery slope into evil vampireness. Without Hoyt to give her some kind of hope and connection to humanity she’s now spending her evenings seducing and murdering truckers. I’d always hoped that she could avoid that, and perhaps Hoyt will be able to pull her back next year, but she might be too far gone already.

And so to the big cliffhanger, as Bill takes Sookie out to a privately-booked French restaurant and presents her with two gifts; the first is plane tickets to Vermont, and the second is an engagement ring. (Presumably Vermont being one of the only places to allow inter-species marriage!) Confused and emotional Sookie dashes off to the bathroom, where on second thought, she places the ring on her finger. Rushing back to Bill to deliver her verdict, she finds he has been abducted. We’ve just seen him dragged away with a silver chain around his neck. Cue next seasons mystery! The obvious culprit is Eric, having promised the Queen he would deal with Bill, but I’ve got a feeling it might be something bigger than that.

And that was Season 2. I really thought it was a much stronger year than the first season, mainly because of the consistency in style and tone. S1 felt slightly lost at times, but S2 seems to have nailed it. I’m very sad to see Michelle Forbes leave, but there was no way her character was sustainable; much like another great character she played recently, BSG’s Admiral Cain, Maryann had such a great impact on the show because she came and went fairly swiftly, leaving disaster in her wake.

This season I started watching True Blood as a big fan, but it’s now safely (in my view, anyway) one of the very best shows on television. The cast are consistently strong, the writing is sharp and funny, the horror is handled well and the real-world parallels that viewers can draw are seemingly endless. Or they can just enjoy a love story between a vampire and a human. True Blood has something for everyone, but without trying to pander to every audience. The appeal is effortless, which makes it such addictive viewing. Roll on Season 3, please, where we will apparently learn more about Sookie’s heritage, be introduced to the Vampire King of Mississippi, and see new relationships for Tara, Jason and Lafayette.

Now it’s your turn to rate the episode! Just click the stars below to have your say.

The episode opens with Sookie revelling in another sexy dream about Eric, presumably just so they could shoe-horn him into this very Bon Temps-townsfolk-oriented episode. In [...]]]> Chainsaws! Vomit! Nintendo Wii! This episode had it all. Oh, and some genuinely chilling scenes, as well as beautiful character moments and great plot developments. Read on for the review…

The episode opens with Sookie revelling in another sexy dream about Eric, presumably just so they could shoe-horn him into this very Bon Temps-townsfolk-oriented episode. In her dream she’s comforting Eric over the loss of Godric, and it’s a shame that one of the minor downfalls of this episode is that it’s so jam-packed with elements of the Maryann storyline that Dallas seems to have been temporarily forgotten. I just hope we get some fallout from Godric’s suicide further down the line.

"Sometimes you wanna go, where everybody knows your naaaaaame..."

Sookie wakes up from her dreams of Nordic nookie to find that she and Jason (accompanied by Bill in a handy Air Anubis light-proof travel coffin) have just arrived back in Bon Temps. Or, as some Maryann-crazed folk have amended the sign, “BonE Temps. Population: FUCK OFF!” The drawing of the giant penis just adds that extra dash of effortless wit.

Confusion soon turns to horror when Sookie and Jason realise just how bad things are, and it’s a great moment for the audience too; whilst it was clear last week that Maryann had finally sealed her grip on the townspeople, it was hard to imagine it would ever get this bad. One man stands in the street smashing his head against a pillar, while another couple get run over by the Stackhouse’s driver and just giggle, wandering off to “find Sam”. It’s genuinely a chilling scene, and one of the best openers to an episode I can remember in a long while.

The creepy factor gets ramped up immediately after the credits, as we take a trip over to Sookie’s house to find that… oh. It’s been turned into a satanic temple. Lovely. Maryann, Carl and Eggs are busily constructing what I guess is some kind of sacrificial pyre draped in raw meat and vegetables. Throw a little shapeshifting barman on there and we got ourselves a BBQ, methinks.

The Stackhouses and Bill return to the latters home to get filled in a little more on what’s been happening in town. Fortunately Hoyt hasn’t been caught up in things, since he’s been spending his time with Jessica, but Hoyt’s mother Maxine has embraced the Dark (Eyed) Side in a major way and spends the next few moments sexually harassing Jason and maniacally playing on Bill’s Wii. “Suck on that, alien fuckers!” she screams. I actually prefer Maxine this way.

Following his escapades in the Newlins church, Jason is now foolishly convinced he has action hero superpowers and decides to save the town single-handedly while Bill and Sookie investigate what’s going on at “Maryann’s house”.

So, what is happening at Maryann’s house? Well, eagle-eyed viewers among you may have spotted the source of Maryann’s powers! Yes, I can’t believe we hadn’t realised it before, when in retrospect it’s so obvious. Bill and Sookie arrive and find plants growing on the inside of the house, accompanied by blood spatters and general chaos, but nestled on the stairs is the unholy talisman that fuels Maryann. The portal into the darkness from whenst she came. The sick, foul, twisted depiction of the human race that inspires Maryann to tear down civilisation and leave only hangovers and STDs in her wake.

The power of Christ compels you! The power of Christ compels you!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it’s the Evil Gran Photo making a spine-tingling cameo once again. I paused the episode, vomited for a few hours, wept, then restarted the review. That damn photo.

In actuality, we still don’t know the source of Maryann’s powers, but when she arrives to confront Bill and Sookie it becomes pretty clear she’s got something funky running through her veins. Bill attacks her and tries to feed from her, but recoils, spitting out the same blank gunk and foaming venom that we saw in Sookie’s wounds after her Maryann encounter. Luckily, Sookie is able to temporarily distract Maryann by… pushing her face and emitting some kind of shiny white glow from the palm of her hand. Nice new power, Sook. Maryann seems especially impressed, no doubt by the novelty of anything being able to stop her (even for a short while) and echoes what so many supernaturals have thought about Sookie. “What are you?”

Meanwhile, Jason has his own way of dealing with problems. Having tooled himself up with supplies from work (chainsaw and a nail gun) and dressed in his most Action Man-y clothes he heads off to Merlotte’s to try and find Sam, who unfortunately has found himself hiding from the raging mob in the bar’s walk-in fridge along with Andy. As Jason arrives a typically Maryann-esque party is taking place at Merlotte’s and, despite his best efforts (which includes screaming at the revellers and chainsawing a CD player in half) the party folk are so whacked out they don’t even notice him. (Just a sidenote here, but isn’t it a damn good thing the easily-led and susceptible Jason wasn’t around to get ensnared by Maryann? You damn well know he’d have been chief groupie of the Maryann Swingers Society.)

This is my serious face.

Angry that no one is taking his threats seriously, and keen to help Sam, Jason takes Arlene hostage, holding a nailgun to her head and demanding everyone leave the bar. This strikes a nerve with Terry, who wants to protect his “special woman”, and the zombies all shuffle out of the bar leaving Jason to rescue Sam and Andy.

Not that the rescue is particularly long-lived, as the trio stand around in Merlotte’s just long enough for the black-eyed crew to storm back into the bar and capture them all over again. Sam seems to have finally given in and, hoping that Jason and Andy can at least escape, hands himself over to the mob.

During this time Bill and Sookie have made it to Lafayette’s house, after much defenestrating of vamp vomit and arguing over whether to go to Eric for help. Bill is obviously not keen on that option, considering that Sookie is now being influenced by Eric, and instead just demands to feed on Sookie. Rude.

They reach Lafayette’s after he and Lettie Mae have spent hours carrying out “the worst intervention ever”, which essentially consists of praying and occasionally slapping Tara. Fortunately a vampire and a telepath just arrived, and with a combined effort of glamouring and mind-reading Tara is brought back to her old self, leading to a very emotional reunion between mother and daughter. At least they have something in common now.

Bill and Sookie put 2 and 2 together and figure out that Maryann is a Maenad, which even Bill thought were just a myth. Obviously it would be impossible to save the whole town using their patented Tara Method, and considering that it seems Maryann is trying to summon a God, time is a factor. Bill decides that there’s only one vampire who could possibly know of a solution, and dashes away into the night.

The Bon Temps Amateur Dramatics Society presents...

The summoning of Dionysus, or Bacchus, or Satan seems to hinge around Sam Merlotte, who right now is being tied to the roof of a truck ready for delivery to Maryann. Capitalising on the townsfolks insistence that they’re doing all of this for “the God who comes”, Jason takes Sookie’s advice from last week and decides to use his brain. Shirtless, donning a gas mask, holding a pair of flares and with a lame set of horns provided by Andy holding up a branch behind his head, Jason convinces the baying crowd that he has come to claim Sam. Proving that the barman can also use his wits, Sam asks Jason to “smite me” and promptly shapeshifts into a fly at the correct moment, making it seem as though he’s disappeared. Crafty. Having duped the townsfolk, who head off to Maryann’s for a debriefing, Sam and Co. have a chance to plan their next move.

One person who isn’t going anywhere is Maxine Fortenberry, who is still locked inside Bill’s house with Hoyt and an increasingly frustrated and hungry Jessica. In a very shocking moment the young vampire snaps and attacks Maxine, feeding on her, while a horrified Hoyt looks on. I really hope this isn’t the end for those two. Assuming that Jessica only hurts (rather than kills) Maxine she’s not really any different to the townspeople, driven by a power she can’t control. Hopefully Hoyt and Maxine can forgive her, though the real issue is whether she’ll forgive herself.

And so we come to the cliffhanger, as Bill arrives at a rather palatial house and is advised by a be-suited bodyguard-looking type that “The Queen is expecting you.” Hmmm… another level of vampire society is about to be revealed, huh? Well, not this week, unless you count a fleeting glimpse of said queen’s foot (complete with blood dripping from it) as an introduction.

It’s astonishing how so many episode of True Blood feel like big “event” episodes; most of “New World in My View” felt like a finale, and it’ll be interesting to see whether the writers continue the Maryann story over the last two remaining episode of this season. I suspect they won’t; it’s my feeling that Maryann will be defeated in 2×11, leaving 2×12 to set up season three, much in the same way that Maryann’s introduction in late season one has shaped this year. I’ve also got a sneaking suspicion that, considering the Queen is being introduced now, she might have a big role to play next year. We’ll have to wait and see!

My hopes last week for Godric to be a long-running character in [...]]]> This episode seems to have marked several transitions for the show; the evolution of Jason, the closing of the Dallas storyline, and the ramping up of Maryann’s campaign in Bon Temps. It handled all three storylines fantastically, and one scene in particular stood out…

My hopes last week for Godric to be a long-running character in the show were cruelly dashed, but I can forgive the producers for that one, simply because his death scene was so beautifully written and performed. I had assumed last week that Godric’s blank, unemotional response to the events around him was part of some plan that he had concocted, but it seems that wasn’t the case; Godric was simply deeply depressed. 2000 years after being turned from a human to a vampire he finds himself in a church, stopping a war between the two races; and belonging to neither of them. No wonder he was so willing to hand himself over to the Newlins.

The reaction Eric had to Godric’s death was telling as well; it’s one of the few times we’ve ever seen any genuine emotion from Eric, and it’s entirely understandable given that he’s losing, in Godric’s words, a “father, brother, son”. The fact that Eric wanted to die alongside Godric says a lot about the bond between a vampire and his maker, considering how strong the vampire survival instinct seemingly is. Part of me wonders if the timing of this storyline is intended to soften Eric slightly for the audience; it’s becoming more and more clear that something will happen between Sookie and Eric, and perhaps showing a more vulnerable side to Eric’s character is an attempt to make such a relationship more palatable for the audience. (Though personally, I could quite happily see Sookie and Eric together; Bill has never been a particularly interesting character to me.)

Sookie’s finest interaction with a vampire this week was, however, with Godric. It’s scenes like this that remind me how much I like Sookie’s character; she can be incredibly sweet, smart, supportive and good-natured but so often those traits are sidelined for the soppy teenage damsel routine with Bill. Her few lines of dialogue with Godric were beautifully delivered by Anna Paquin, and in turn Allan Hyde gave an incredibly moving, memorable performance. For a character who was only in a couple of episodes, he’s certainly someone who will have had a great impact on the show.

I’d mentioned in my review last week that I’d love to see more of Nan Flanagan on the show and, lo and behold, up she pops this week! For once not just on a TV set, but actually with the main cast! And she’s… a total bitch. Well, maybe that’s unfair; as Eric said, she’s just a bureaucrat, and a fairly pissed off one at that. The political interplay between the vampires was very interesting though. It seemed that Flanagan didn’t actually have any jurisdiction over the sheriffs, or any power to directly oust one. She’s more of a political spindoctor; the Alistair Campbell of the vampire world. Just as human politics have embraced spin and the media, so it seems have the vampires, with media experts like Flanagan rising to positions of power outside of the typical structures. It’s interesting to wonder how Nan Flanagan’s modern world of media and filling out forms stands up against the sort of justice handed out by the Magister in Season 1, and whether there is a division growing among vampires who embrace the new ways and those who stick to the old.

Speaking of vampire justice, one of the best things to have come out of it this season is Jessica. I had my doubts about her character at the end of Season 1; however, my worries that she would simply be used as comic relief have vanished entirely, and she’s now quite possibly one of my favourite characters on the show. Putting her in a relationship with Hoyt was a stroke of genius on two counts. Firstly, that Hoyt was one of the most likeable background residents of Bon Temps who deserved a bigger role, and secondly for the way that Jessica and Hoyt contrast so well with Bill and Sookie. While the latter are very much your typical vampire romance couple, the former are just two young lovers with everyday problems; not being liked by your partners parents, becoming comfortable sexually, and so on. Even the vampire-related problems could simply be read as metaphors for common human problems. Isn’t a vampire not being able to have babies simply infertility? Isn’t the regrowth of Jessica’s hymen just a form of sexual disability? Whilst these aren’t simple problems for a couple to overcome, I’m hoping Jessica and Hoyt can do it, just so that there’s at least one happy couple in Bon Temps.

Happy couples who don’t get high on ancient god vibes and beat the hell out of each other, anyway. Tara and Eggs were showing the extent of their bruising in this episode following last week’s boink’n'bash fest, leading Lafayette to stage an intervention with the help of poor old Lettie Mae. Obviously the scene degenerates into a violent clash, but at least Lafayette and Lettie Mae succeed in whisking Tara away from Maryann (for now, at least; Maryann seems sure they’ll return.)

If I had to take a guess, it seems like Maryann is working to some sort of timetable; she seems to be growing increasingly frustrated by her inability to locate Sam this week, who escapes from her clutches by shapeshifting into a fly and fleeing to the motel room of Andy Bellefleur, the one person left in town who can help him. Especially when, having decided enough is enough, Maryann sweeps into Merlotte’s and (in an awesomely over-dramatic way) works her mojo over the diners, turning them into an army of Sam-hunters.

Obviously the Maryann storyline will reach its peak soon, but I really hope (given the timing of everything) that it isn’t Sookie, Bill and Eric who roll back into town and save the day; as supernaturals they would be immune to Maryann, yes, but it wouldn’t be particularly satisfying. If someone is to take down Maryann it needs to be Tara, or perhaps even Andy. God knows he needs to do something to get his reputation back.

Random Musing of the Week:

I loved the attention to some of the little details this week, such as when Hoyt’s mother says that Jessica will never be able to have babies and her eyes well up with a little crimson streak, or when Rev. Newlin appears on TV still bearing the impact mark of Jason’s paintball shot.

So, enter Godric. For all of the hushed murmurings around this mysterious character, and the brief glimpse we get of him in the flashback to Eric’s turning, the writers had to be very careful to make his introduction as fascinating as possible. They succeeded. And [...]]]>

Godric teaches Sookie how to win friends and influence people.

So, enter Godric. For all of the hushed murmurings around this mysterious character, and the brief glimpse we get of him in the flashback to Eric’s turning, the writers had to be very careful to make his introduction as fascinating as possible. They succeeded. And then some.

Having not read any of the Sookie Stackhouse books, or indulged in any spoilers (and I’d like to keep it that way, dear commenters) I’m not sure how big of a character Godric will end up being, but I certainly hope he has a pivotal role as the show goes forward. I thought the idea that a vampire would in fact grow more liberal and tolerant of humanity as he grew older to be especially interesting, not to mention logical; presumably a vampire doesn’t reach 2000 years old if he’s spent all that time pissing off humans. Keeping Godric around as a character would be a great way to explore those elements of vampire society that have only so far been skirted around. How are sheriffs chosen? Who do they report to? How does this system work, and does the vampire leadership believe in modernising (as Bill, Godric and everyone’s favourite vampire media pundit Nan Flanagan seem to)? The young actor playing Godric, Allan Hyde,  did a great job of portraying an incredibly old and world-weary figure whilst still maintaining plenty of charisma and authority.

Of course, my hopes could all be dashed by the large man-shaped bomb that was about to blow up at the end of the episode. Dang. Here’s hoping it’s Isabel who will save the day and throw herself on the grenade; fine character though she was, I don’t know how much more they could do with her.

Speaking of sacrifice, I thought one of the best exchanges in the episode was between Eric and Sookie; trapped in the Fellowship of the Sun Church, Sookie tries to figure out why Eric is risking his unlife to save Godric:

Sookie: He’s your maker, isn’t he?

Eric: Don’t use words you don’t understand.

Sookie: You have a lot of love for him.

Eric: Don’t use words I don’t understand.

Of course, Eric goes on to display this love after Godric’s rescue by desperately trying to please him; it’s certainly interesting to see a different side to the character. And is it my imagination, or does Eric now just flirt with everyone?

Eric isn’t the only one being inappropriate in this episode, however, with Tara and Eggs gobbling up a Daphne’s Heart Souffle (that Maryann somewhat euphemistically calls Hunter Souffle) before beating the living crap out of each other, maniacally giggling and fucking in Sookie’s hallway. Gran would be so disappointed.

Bone-chilling.

(Speaking of Gran, can the writers please stop inserting the hideously creepy photoshopped Gran-Lil Sookie-Lil Tara photograph into almost every episode? I can handle the gore of people getting torn limb from limb, but if I’m asked to look at that picture once more, I may have to start watching True Blood from between my fingers.)

It’s hard to see what Maryann’s master plan is (if, indeed, she has one). She obviously has a special interest in Tara and Eggs, since if she wanted to she could presumably bewitch anyone she wanted. She may just be messing people around for the hell of it, or perhaps there’s method to Maryann’s madness. Either way, I’m constantly glued to her scenes; Michelle Forbes is absolutely hypnotic, terrifying and hilarious in equal measure. Who else but Forbes could deliver the line “Feeling sorry for things is just an excuse not to celebrate your own happiness.” with such relish? It will be such a shame when Forbes leaves the show, which I have a feeling will be fairly soon. We’ll just have to make the most of her while she’s still around. Pass the Hunter Souffle.