“Death is Not the End”
“I’m mannin’ up so you gotta man up too.” You tell him Sookie!
It’s hard to recall a moment when Sookie wasn’t tough as nails. Where she goes trouble is sure to follow — she’s the catalyst. Her reckless nature and iron will go hand in hand. So it’s no surprise when it’s Sookie who keeps the people around her from unraveling. In this week’s episode she’s the boss.
Sookie will stop at nothing to recover her friend Arlene. Sure Holly’s traumatized and probably suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, but Sookie doesn’t let that slow them down. Holly is her best bet at finding Arlene, she’s the only one who has broken free. Sookie lays it all out and helps Holly jog her memory. She wastes no time with idle chitchat, once the information is recovered Sookie ditches a freshly traumatized Holly and reminds Andy that we women like to be held (as if that makes it better).
Before descending on the Hep V vamps holed up in Fangtasia, Sookie must build an army. With Bill’s help they gather a small crew of willing warriors. The odds are not in their favor. Healthy vamps have nothing to gain from rescuing three humans. So this ragtag crew is basically going into battle as a favor to Sookie. She’s a force to be reckoned with.
Ever since she drained Andy’s daughters Jessica has been punishing herself through starvation, growing weaker with each passing month. She’s proving that vamps are not as immortal as they claim. Noble as her suffering may be, it’s time to end it. Sookie doesn’t sugar coat her intentions, she just lays the cards on the table and with one heart-to-heart convinces Jess to feed. Though Jess refuses to feed from Sookie, she agrees to sip on her boyfriend’s human.
Enter Lafayette (and another heart-to-heart). This was an incredibly touching scene, you can see the anguish on Jessica’s face, she’s a tortured soul ready to give up. But it’s the torment Lafayette admits to that hits home for her, hearing his buried pain surface. Knowing she isn’t alone in her sins helps Jess take the first step towards recovery. Lafayette closed the deal just as we knew he would. Now that he’s the feeder human for both Jess and her boyfriend, is anyone else thinking a threesome might happen (or is that just me)?
There’s a remarkable lack of sex in this episode, but plenty of references to it. Surprising for True Blood. Though some fans might think the flashbacks to Fangtasia’s beginnings were boring filler, I enjoyed it. Knowing the history of its origins intensified its appeal. I find it funny that it was once a huge VHS store with a basement area for its XXX content. All Eric could say when he first saw the downstairs porno area was, “leave it to humans to make sex this depressing.” For Eric, sex is a celebration to be had everywhere not a nasty habit to be hidden underground.
Snarky as ever, Pam shares some of her more interesting secrets with Eric. Namely that Fangtasia wasn’t her idea, but a human employee’s. She stole it and glamoured the human who was never the wiser. Wonder how many times that’s happened?! I find it endearing that Pam is opening up, even if it is brought on by Eric’s impending death. He can’t have much time left, he’s so weak he can’t even hold his own in a fight. The question now is will he make it to Sarah Newlin before he dies, or will Pam have to fight that battle too?
Though short on sex, True Blood made up for it with plenty of blood splatter and gore. The show ends on a high note with a spectacular battle between Hep V vamps, healthy vamps and nutty townsfolk. It was a well-staged action-packed sequence peppered with nail-biting moments. Well worth the wait.
Aurora Snow Says
Episode Rating:
[Rating:4/5]
You don’t even mention arguably the most touching moments of the episode: sookie and eric’s reuniting and him comforting her over losing alcide, slowly & sweetly twirling her hair in his fingers as she leans her head, safely, on his chest & asks, in a weak, hurting voice: “Where were you?”. It was the best.
We’ll have to agree to disagree…