As the war on vampirism deepens on “True Blood,” it’s becoming more and more obvious that non-vampires are going to have to pick sides and make sacrifices — and none more so than Sookie.
This week’s episode of the show showed that, when faced with a difficult situation, she finally has to stop bitching about vampires and decide whose side she’s really on. It should be an easier decision than it is, but I think it gives our half-faerie an opportunity to wrestle with all of the issues she’s faced this season; her struggle in choosing between her human and faerie sides, her fear of commitment, her refusal to believe that Bill had forever closed the door on the two of them. Not all of these were addressed in the best possible ways (whenever I see a character talking to a gravestone on any TV show, I reflexively groan), but I appreciated the effort, didn’t you?
The Good Blood
Eric and Bill break up: There was no way Bill and Eric would be on the same side for very long, but when Bill decided it was a good time to talk strategy as Eric wiped the gooey remains of his sister off of his chest, I had to wonder if Lilith had given her new host great powers while robbing him of every shred of tact. I would have liked to see more of the scene that followed, as Eric tore into Bill verbally, seething with contempt and disbelied even as Bill tossed him around the room. Bill doesn’t seem to understand how he’s betrayed Eric — but I’m sure Eric is going to make that perfectly clear very soon.
Warlow, Bill and Sookie negotiate: As we know, Bill still needs Warlow’s blood if he has any chance at all of saving his friends. Sookie was in no rush to offer Warlow to her ex, but when she finally realizes it’s the right thing to do and does check in with Warlow, her new beau wants to make a deal — he’ll give Bill his blood if Sookie agrees to be his vampire/faerie bride. If this wasn’t enough to give the girl commitmentphobia, he has to remind her he’s waited 6,000 years for her. Pressure! When Sookie goes to Bill to make sure he understands the personal sacrifice she’ll need to make, she’s still somehow surprised that he doesn’t give a damn. It speaks to how deep the connection was between her and Bill, and how many times she needs to get kicked in the teeth with the truth that it’s never coming back. Watching her dress in funereal (but chic) black and put on her red lipstick suggested that Sookie has, in facing reality, grown up. Of course, she also had to toss herself at Sam and talk to her parents’ graves (ugh; see first paragraph) to get to this conclusion, but the journey felt, at the very least, thoughtful.
Sarah kills Ms. Suzuki: I feel like I gush about Anna Camp’s gleefully campy performance every week, but she really does hit it out of the park on a regular basis. Given how many times Sarah tries to snap Ms. Suzuki’s neck, I was pretty sure she wasn’t going to get the best of the gutsy TruBlood executive. Alas, Ms Suzuki taught us all that high heels and grated panels don’t mix. I’m actually sad to see her go, though, as she was one of the few people who seemed to be smart enough and tough enough to put Sarah in her place (and see through her ridiculous “all us gals gotta fight together” bull). Still, it was worth it to see Sarah burst into tears, then cap it off with “Thank you, Jesus!” If we had any doubt that Sarah had hopped the crazy train and was riding it into the final station, that was quickly (and hilariously) resolved.
Pam is Pam: She didn’t get much screen time this week, but Pam did deliver the best line of the episode about her encounter with the shrink: “It was oozy, but productive.” It was short, it was gross, but it was very, very “True Blood.”
The Bad Blood
Alcide chickens out: We knew that Rikki was going to challenge Alcide about his decision to spare Nicole and her mom. That was a given. What wasn’t a given was that Alcide and Rikki would fight, Alcide wouldn’t kill her and… he’d just walk away. The next thing we know, Alcide is dropping off Nicole and her mom at Sam’s as if he’s delivering a pizza, and letting Sam know he’s retired from the whole pack thing. That’s it? Maybe it was decided there was no point in getting into the little details of how he managed to walk away from it all, but the end result felt rushed and unsatisfying.
The Iffy Stuff
Jason and Violet: I know Violet has claimed Jason for her own, but I think it’s about time to get a little more backstory on Violet or, if she’s not long for this world, wrap up this storyline quickly. We know she’s powerful, we know she’s old, and (this week) we learned she’s Catholic. Fine. But she needs more context, lest she risk becoming Jason’s creepy older woman who just happens to feed on him like a convenient Slim Jim.
So, things wrapped up in that the episode ended, but really, plenty of issues that seemed resolved were unraveled in the final moments — Sookie makes her peace with becoming Warlow’s bride, only to find him looking slightly dead-ish, and Sam tries to send Nicole away, only to realize (before she does) that she’s pregnant. The bigger questions about whether Warlow is alive or dead and whether Bill will be able to help the trapped vamps will have to wait. Let’s just hope he doesn’t show up on the same schedule he kept when “helping” Nora.