True Blood Review: Vampires and Werewolves With Real Problems

With no True Blood on July 4th I have to live with the final images of this episode etched in my mind. As graphic and WTF-inducing that scene was, I can fully appreciate True Blood as an amazing vampire show after my experience with Eclipse this week. But that’s another story, perhaps for the Eclipse comment section. Onwards to the recap!

Eric, Sookie, and Alcide

Eric dives in front of a very laughable slow-mo special effects bullet meant for the werewolf, which was fired from Sookie’s gun at the end of the previous episode. Eric wants to keep the werewolf alive for information, but the intruder doesn’t talk. Sookie is able to read his mind and extract the name Jackson before Eric kills him.

Eric and Sookie head to the graveyard and bury the werewolf in a recently buried grave. Sookie mentions the name Jackson that she managed to obtain from the werewolf’s thoughts before his demise at the hands of the vampire. Eric tells her it is not a name, but where the werewolf is from, Jackson, Mississippi. Continuing her insane rescuing antics, Sookie decides to drop everything and make a mad dash for Mississippi with no plan in mind. Eric tells her to travel at night and spend the day to think about it. Sookie asks Eric if he will be able to rescue her in time in case she gets in trouble. Eric replies, probably not.

Sookie stops by Merlotte’s to tell Sam she will be in Jackson for a few days looking for Bill. She asks him to keep an eye on Jessica, even jokingly saying to give her a job.

Back at the Stackhouse residence, Sookie has her first run-in with Alcide who used to be a bartender on One Tree Hill. Alcide reassures Sookie he means no harm by saying Eric sent him.

Eric on the other hand stops by Lafayette’s house with a brand new car for him. Lafayette doesn’t seem to trust him, but Eric reassures him saying there is a lot to value in someone like Lafayette. If he keeps up the good work, he could be living a better life.

Sookie and Alcide stop by a werewolf bar where Sookie sweet-talks her way into the backroom with a werewolf that attacked Bill. The werewolf gets a bit rough with Sookie causing Alcide to barge in and save her.

One of the werewolves tells Alcide that Debbie is getting married to Cooter and the party is going to be at the bar the following night. I’m guessing Debbie is an old werewolf love? Guess like we’ll find out next episode.

The Mississippi Story

Back in Mississippi Talbot is losing it over a priceless Celtic rug used to put out the flames on Lorena’s head.  The King puts it perfectly by saying, “It’s like Armageddon in here anytime someone chips a dessert glass.” The King warns Bill that outbursts of violence and fangs will not be tolerated. Continuing with his talk, Russell tells Bill Lorena was the one who recommended him for the job. She wanted the King to allow her to kill Sookie in front of Bill if Bill didn’t agree. The King goes on to say that Bill can’t have both Sookie and his desire. He should turn her or else it’ll cost him his life or hers. The King leaves Bill to sleep on it.

We get to witness Bill’s flashback in this episode and understand one of the many reason behind his hate of Lorena. In the flashback Bill returns home, as a vampire, to bury the body of his recently deceased son. Bill bursts into bloody tears causing his wife to freak out at what he has become.  Lorena arrives and tells Bill she must glamour his wife otherwise she’d be killed. Already psychologically damaged from what she has learned, Bill glamours her into forgetting he ever returned. Lorena tells Bill the only way to love a human is to stay away from them forever.

The next day Bill renounces the Queen of Louisiana and pledges his allegiance to the Kingdom of Mississippi. Bill returns to his room where Lorena follows. She isn’t fully convinced on his changing of sides. Lorena tells Bill to make love to her, which he does. In the process he snaps her head 180 degrees in one of the sickest sex scenes I’ve ever seen.

Franklin

Franklin Mott has to be my new favorite addition to the show. He is mysterious and full of awesome at the same time. We see him in a motel with Tara doing the dirty after last episode’s redneck beat down outside of Merlotte’s. Tara asks him to bite her, but he refuses since she wants it. Later, Tara gets up to leave but refuses to give Franklin her name when asked.

Franklin arrives at the Compton residence the following night. Allowing himself in, Franklin tells Jessica he only wants to talk. When she asks what he does, Franklin says he finds things, anything that needs finding.

Franklin takes the head of the missing body out of a bag saying since he did her a favor by disposing of the body, she should do him a favor by telling him everything she knows about Bill Compton.

After his talk with Jessica, Franklin stops at Tara’s place where he glamours his way into the house seeking information about Sookie. Poor Tara, she’s always getting screwed over by supernatural forces.

Sam

Sam returns to his parents’ house to say goodbye before heading back to Bon Temps. He quickly tells his younger brother he doesn’t take too kindly at his attempt to get him killed. Sam hugs his mother goodbye and leaves.

The next day at Merlotte’s Sam’s family stops by for a visit. Sam, surprised, decides to treat them to a free lunch. Later in the day Sam’s father starts giving shots to Tommy causing a fight to break out between Sam and his father. Before it gets physical, Sam’s mom apologizes and gets the family to leave without causing a bigger scene.

Later that night Sam is nearly burglarized by his brother Tommy who escapes out the window as a bird.

The Rest of Bon Temps

Jason has Hoyt help him study for the Sheriff examination after last episode’s drug bust. Jason is sure being an officer is his true calling.  At work Hoyt finds the body of the dead guy Jessica killed. Looks like Franklin wasn’t thorough enough with disposing of the body. Back at home that night Jason burns the application to become a sheriff.

At the crime scene of the found body, the sheriff quits his job as he is sick with all the killings and murders. Will this make Andy the new Sheriff in town? Whoot! I hope so.

Arlene finds out that the father of her baby is Rene, the murderer from season one. Sadly when she tells Terry she’s pregnant he shows more emotion than I’ve ever seen from him. Will Arlene keep the father of the baby a secret? Only time will tell.

Tara heads to the cemetery to bury Eggs, which was set up by Sookie. The two are the only to show up to the funeral. Sookie lets Tara use her house while she’s away.

Overall it was a fairly entertaining episode. The pieces are now moving and the story is finally developing at a faster rate than previous seasons. Pretty surprising too with all the additions of the new characters this season. I just hope next week’s episode has something worthwhile to get rid of the headturning sex scene in the final minutes of this episode.

For another opinion on this episode, check out Ending With A Shocking “Twist” by Erin Biglow.

Season 3, Episode 3: It Hurts Me Too (originally aired June 27, 2010)

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