tvdinner&amovie

Before we truly celebrate and analyze the return of True Blood, let’s take a moment to look at the close of last season:

• Sookie pulled a Kelly Taylor and chose herself over the Eric and Bill. Poor Bill just keeps getting dumped by this woman!
• Rev. Steve Newlin showed up at Jason’s door as a vampire. This has potential, which means it could either be awesome or completely irrelevant.
• Russell Edgington somehow broke free from his concrete coffin and was on the lose. How much is he going to make Eric regret not killing him when he had the chance?!
• Bill and Eric kicked off their bromance by killing Nan, who was fired by the Vampire Authority. I’ll miss her.
• Terry’s Marine buddy, Patrick Devins (Scott Foley), came to town, and Rene made a brief appearance to warn Arlene about Terry’s past. Last season it was her kid, and now she’s going to run around worried about her husband. This better have a better pay off than the possessed baby storyline.
• Debbie Pelt shows up to kill Sookie, but accidentally shoots Tara, who may or may not be dead. In turn, Sookie kills Debbie. Swift justice at its finest.
• Lafayette finally regained control of his body, and was mourning the loss of his Jesus.
• Jessica and Jason were beginning a FWB situation.
• Sam is cornered by a wolf pack, presumably Marcus’ buddies.
• Poor Pam was estranged from her maker. Hopefully this will be short lived.

“I’ve been around the block enough times to know that fangs are basically like twin hard-ons, hard-ons for trouble and for feeding on someone, never just talking, not ever.” – Jason

How are Eric and Bill going to escape the ‘true death’?
Killing Nan was a bold, but necessary move, but it also means the guys are now on the run. Eric had just enough time to clean like Mr. Belvedere on speed and toss out a “Fuck Sookie” before they were both captured. I was disappointed that Bill was the one who cared Sookie was in danger, but I suppose Eric’s reaction to the rejection is perfectly in character. Fortunately for Bill, Eric has at least one friend in a very important position. Nora (played by Lucy Griffiths) is Eric’s sister and a chancellor of The Authority, and she had every intention of rescuing the two and sending them off to start lives as Marcellus Clark (Bill) and Mike Applebaum (Eric). That plan failed fabulously, but at least we got to see some incestuous sexual activity. I’d say this doesn’t look good for Nora, nor Eric or Bill, but similar to every other season, this is most undoubtedly a fake-out.

Is Tara dead?
Yes…and no. Half of Tara’s head was shot off, so my theories were that: Eric or Bill would come and heal her, which would make for some freaky scenes and cause a rift between her and Sookie OR Eric or Bill would turn her, which would bond them together and still cause a rift. Tara was turned, but it was by a very reluctant Pam. This wasn’t the best idea, but as Lafayette stressed, it was the only way they would be able to “save” Tara. I can’t wait to see Pam as a maker or Tara as a vampire (hopefully it make the character more exciting), but most importantly, I can’t wait to see how Tara and Pam interact. Tara had a girlfriend last season…Pam loves the ladies…vampires are highly sexual beings….I’ll let you draw your own connections there. How is Eric going to feel about this, and now that he’s not getting Sookie anytime soon, is there a reason for him to still be mad at Pam? Also, can we always see Pam in tacky, buttercup yellow sweat suits from Walmart?

What’s the only way to honor your dead werewolf son?
By eating him, of course. After running flying away from the werewolves, Sam is finally caught and forced to tell Marcus’ mother, Martha, where he buried the body. In typical Sam fashion, he was prepared to risk his life for the woman he loves (or likes a lot). However, Luna rescues her man and brings Alcide to the burial site so he can tell the pack that he was the one who killed Marcus. I think this makes him packmaster by default, and while one member stepped up to say he’d never bow to Alcide, Martha was too busy performing the ritual on her dead son’s body. I’m really glad the werewolves weren’t just a one season deal, and that we’re delving into their storyline without any involvement from the vamps….or so it seems after the first episode.

Where is Jesus?!
Maybe his uncle came and collected his body. Perhaps he magically evaporated. Regardless, if this means we get more Jesus, I’m fine with any outcome.

Why is Terry suddenly so tense?
Patrick’s visit isn’t as happy-go-lucky as it seemed in the finale. It turns out the fire from last season may be connected to something that’s happened to the other Marines from their unit. I just want to know what transpired in Iraq and why Patrick thought Terry would be the cause of the other fires! Arlene should really pay close attention to all of this, because it seems like Rene was very accurate with this cryptic warning.

Was anyone surprised that Rev. Newlin turned out to be gay?
It wasn’t the most shocking of revelations and I’m still not convinced they won’t completely waste this character. He was the catalyst for Jess declaring that Jason was hers, but unless there’s another really good reason for him even being on this season, I’d prefer he not stick around. Best part of that whole scene? The “I Love Youuuuuuu” after Jason rescinded his invite and Newlin went flying out the door.

Other observations:

• The Sheriff Bellefleur (who must have just returned from Scranton, PA) and Holly hook-up would have been a throwaway scene were it not for her son’s “On the couch mama? Where I sleep?!”
• During the scene with little Sookie and Tara, did they use Paquin and Wesley’s voices?
• Hoyt has a group of friends, which was funny enough, but them calling Jason “girlfriend fucker” was immature…and hilarious.
• The loss of Debbie Pelt is no great loss at all. However, at some point Sookie will (stupidly) tell Alcide and he’s going to be upset, regardless of him banishing her last season.
• George Clemons…who are you and why should we care?
• How cute was it when Eric kissed Nora on the forehead after his phone interrupted their reunion as they “fought like siblings and fucked like champions’.
• I don’t know how Russell got free, but I really hope they stretch his return out a few episodes, or at least until we get a better idea of the Authority’s agenda/plans for Bill and Eric.
• Seriously Jessica? A green streak to symbolize your rebellion? Who are you, Britta?!
• Speaking of hair choices: Lafayette shaved his head. I need another episode or two to decide if I like it or not.

Next week’s True Blood: Authority Always Wins (Law and Order SVU‘s loss is our gain)

Nicole is a TV junkie and TVDM helps her feed a lifelong addiction. She can be found here, providing biased commentary (sprinkled with a few Pop Up Video-esque insights) on her favorite shows, every week.