True Blood - Night on the Sun, S03E08

True Blood is not really known for being particularly episodic. Everything that happens is always part of the journey, with very few resting places from the start of a season's arc to its conclusion. This episode, however, was tied together very nicely by the dominating theme of family.

There were calmer family moments, such as Terry (Todd Lowe) singing to Arlene (Carrie Preston) and the baby, Jason (Ryan Kwanten) trying to protect Sookie (Anna Paquin) from herself and Bill (Stephen Moyer), or Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) massaging Tara (Rutina Wesley)'s feet. Sure, Arlene's peace was disturbed by a vision of Rene (Michael Raymond-James), Jason was threatening to kill Bill, and Tara was suffering the trauma of a surviving victim, but as far as True Blood moments go, those were pretty calm.

On the other side, you had the particularly touching moment when Bill tried to release Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) from his power only to have her refuse to go. When he realized that what she really needed was for him to be there and involved in her life, suddenly their bond was all the stronger. When Russell (Denis O'Hare) threatened her life, Bill's pain was made more clear by his choice to help her out before he went to Sookie.

I also really loved that Sam (Sam Trammell) was there for Tara when she started freaking out about all the crazy stuff she's just been through. I really liked their connection in the first season, and frankly I hope they get it back.

Otherwise, I cannot neglect to mention the appearance of Lafayette's mother. What exactly she meant about him being powerful and therefore a target for Vampires and Witches, I cannot begin to imagine, but it certainly felt like the beginning of something even more important than his relationship with Jesus (Kevin Alejandro).

Finally, I am sure I am not alone in having loved Eric (Alexander Skarsgard)'s role in this episode. I was actually somewhat disappointed that his love scene with Talbot (Theo Alexander) didn't last longer, but to know that Eric finally avenged his family after 1000 years really made me happy. And, while I was glad that Russell's pain over the loss saved Bill, I was also quite pleased that he was suffering so greatly because it made me care about him despite the fact that he is an evil SOB. To know that he truly loved his partner and for more than 700 years, that gives even the most evil of vamps some humanity.

I am looking forward to watching the rest of the season; I suspect I will do it fairly quickly now that it is over. It's hard to believe that I fell behind on such a fantastic show, but I guess we are all able to be distracted from television. I hope you enjoyed watching the season finale last night, and that you will read and comment on my posts for the last 4 episodes as soon as I get them out.