True Blood - Evil is Going On, S03E12 - Season Finale

Altogether, I found the season finale to be disappointing, making the entire season of the show disappointing as well. Unlike Season 1 and 2, Season 3 did not give me any satisfying conclusion before setting up the chaos which would complicate Sookie (Anna Paquin)'s life next time, leaving me feeling as though I have only seen half a season, but will be forced to wait until June before I can see the next episode.

I recall being promised that by the season finale, our various characters' plot lines would come back together. They did not. Sam (Sam Trammell) and his issues with his brother, Tommy (Marshall Allman), as well as his issues with his past, which appeared for no discernible reason near the end of the season, had nothing whatsoever to do with Arlene (Carrie Preston) and her pregnancy or Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) and Jesus (Kevin Alejandro)'s witch powers. And Jason (Ryan Kwanten)'s involvement with the weres was also completely unrelated.

Now, I will give you that in a small town, there are so many things happening to all the different people who live in them, but Season 3 of True Blood was like Season 3 of Dexter. There was too much going on. We had too many different things happening, and it lost so much of its energy and intensity because of that. Hopefully, for Season 4, we will not only get some resolutions to this Season but we will also get back to having only one or two solid and involved stories.

Plus, I was really disappointed with what happened with Russell Edgington (Denis O'Hare), Eric (Alexander Skarsgard), Bill (Stephen Moyer), and Sookie. What started out as a beautiful sacrifice from Eric turned into a somewhat odd mafia-concrete burial. Not a particularly fitting end for a vampire so wonderfully villainous as Russell. Plus, to have his loss overshadowed by Bill's attempts to get rid of Eric...well, all I can say is that I hope Russell busts out of his prison in sooner than 100 years so that we can fight him off again.

So here we are, still not sure of what's going to come next, knowing that at least Sookie is getting together with her fairy kin to figure some of her own identity out, and the only thing I am really pleased, happy, and satisfied about is that Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) and Hoyt (Jim Parrack) are finally back together.

Were you disappointed by the finale?

True Blood - Fresh Blood, S03E11

Oh my lord. What an incredible episode. True Blood's episode endings have always left me completely at the edge of my seat, but this time I fell right off my chair. And that was at the end of an exciting episode. How on Earth is the season going to end?

Wow. Can I say that again? Wow. Silver spray, Bill (Stephen Moyer) rescuing Sookie (Anna Paquin) from Pam (Kristin Bauer), Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) and a clearly disturbed Russell (Denis O'Hare) meeting in an art gallery to discuss the late Talbot's artistic tastes, Sam (Sam Trammell) going off the deep end for no apparent reason, Arlene (Carrie Preston) being unable to lose Rene's child, and Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) having one crazy trip...

And now, left with Sookie potentially dying on the table while Bill is desperate to get to her, and Pam, unable to help as she is watching Eric sacrifice himself to the sun to kill Russell. I know Eric can't die. I mean, he can't because so many of the viewers love him. Plus, how can we not love him when we know he wanted to keep Sookie alive just as much as Bill did. And poor Bill and Sookie's mangled relationship. The trust is almost entirely gone when just 11 episodes ago, Bill was proposing and Sookie was ready to say yes.

But now it all has to come together. Vampires catching fire in the sunlight, shape-shifters robbing each other blind, weres coming after anyone and everyone, and Sam and Tara (Rutina Wesley) finally hooking up again. Excitement is in the air.

True Blood - I Smell a Rat, S03E10

The question is "Is Bill (Stephen Moyer) trustworthy?" And to tell the truth, I have no idea if he is. Certainly, I believe that his affection for Sookie (Anna Paquin) is more than a lust for her blood, but he is obviously not telling her everything. After all, he never even hinted that her blood might help (supposedly or actually) a vampire walk in the daylight.

Naturally, Sookie running to Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) to ask him why he thought Bill was untrustworthy wasn't a particularly good idea. Yes, that kiss was pretty amazing, and I certainly would not complain about Eric kissing me that way, but the follow up - Sookie getting dragged into the cellar where she was locked up as bait - was no better or worse than the reasons Tara (Rutina Wesley) has for hating Bill. When you get involved with Vampires, or members of the mafia, or simply con artists, sometimes your troubles just get lumped into the acceptable/necessary losses category.

Meanwhile, Crystal (Lindsay Pulsipher) finally caught my interest. I've really not cared particularly about her at all - an annoying werewolf who couldn't make her mind up and was mostly an inbred hick. Turns out, she's a were-panther. Far, far more interesting. I suppose that makes way more sense for trying to breed her with the right folk.

Also, Sam (Sam Trammell)'s back story about his con artist existence and the woman whom he loved and killed after she betrayed him gives our lovable puppy dog far more of an edge. Man, that guy had a really hard life before he found his way to Bon Temps.

Finally, a thought for Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) and Hoyt (Jim Parrack). Hurray!!!

True Blood - Everything is Broken, S03E09

It's hard to see how all the various plot lines of Season 3 of True Blood are going to pull together for the finale. Between the rogue vampires, the insane werewolves, the fairies, and all the normal complications of life, each and everyone of our favourite characters is waist deep in some kind of trouble. And the idea that those troubles are properly interconnected is rather complicated. I can't wait to find out how it all plays out.

I was pleased that this episode focused more of Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) than Sookie (Anna Paquin). Certainly Sookie wasn't neglected. After all, her cousin discovered that her son has the same abilities as Sookie, and she may well learn exactly what that means from Bill next episode, but more pressing that the concern over Sookie's supernatural identity are the political ramifications of Eric's involvement with Russell Edgington (Denis O'Hare).

As I said, I loved Russell's reaction to Talbot's death at the end of the last episode. That was nothing compared to this one. When he arrived home to find the exploded remains of his lover, he grasped them, trying to put them back together. When we watch lovers on television trying to revive an obviously dead corpse, we can understand the pain despite the insanity of it, but to have a vampire react in the same way to blood and guts...well, that certainly had a different impact. And then, when Russell was plotting his revenge on Eric, that he had that crystal urn filled with Talbot's remains - He may not have brought his lover with him everywhere while he lived, but he certainly won't leave him behind anymore.

Eric, meanwhile, had to face the Vampire League. Luckily they believed him, although they tried to refuse to take responsibility for the rogue, werewolf-associating King. Too bad for them that Russell does not take being ignored well at all. His appearance on national television to kill the news host and screw over the Vampire Rights Bill was both brilliant and hilarious. There is no way that humans anywhere in the world are going to feel safe about vampires for a good long while, knowing that not all are willing to give up fresh meat.

Otherwise, I did love that Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) and Hoyt (Jim Parrack) are talking again. They make such a great couple. I'm also glad Tara (Rutina Wesley) is getting help, and that Jason (Ryan Kwanten) killed her vampire-stalker. Finally, I am super interested in what is going on with Sam (Sam Trammell). Sure, he hates werewolves, but we have not ever seen him get that violent before.

Oh where will True Blood take us in the next three episodes? I can't wait to find out.

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.

True Blood - Hitting the Ground, S03E07

Although True Blood seemed to have become more of a blood-thirsty adventure rather than a mystery show (which it was in the first season), Season 3 has reminded us that we watch not just to see the passionate love affairs and gruesome violence, but also to discover the mysteries of the mythologies of our favourite characters. And Sookie (Anna Paquin) clearly has one that is greatly of interest to us.

We've always known that Sookie was a mind reader, a telepath, but we never really assumed that she was anything other than human until she used that light to protect herself from Maryann. Suddenly, everything changed and she was more that just a human with a gift - and apparently the vampires in her life have known this from the beginning. Well, at least Bill (Stephen Moyer) did, though Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) apparently did not.

In this episode, watching Sookie while she was in that coma, and learning that she had no known blood-type was a little disturbing, but nothing was more so that the notion that Bill, for the simple reason that he is a vampire (or at least that was how it appeared) might take away her light. A light which so obviously makes Sookie special.

But if you didn't really care about that side of the plot, there was so much more amazing stuff going on. First of all, Lorena (Mariana Klaveno) was finally staked by Sookie with Bill's help. Much as I did love to hate her, I am so glad that she and her insanity are gone from the world. Of course, that was soon followed by Sookie trying to save Bill and him nearly drinking all of her blood in a mad blood crazy. The fact that he was thrown out of the van and left in the sun, but did not immediately crispify, well, perhaps that is what would happen if Bill did end up taking Sookie's light?

Poor Tara (Rutina Wesley). Her vampire issues, exploded to the point of ridiculous callousness by the week she spent with Franklin, had a great focus in Bill, particularly when he nearly killed Sookie. Her tough attitude, mixed with grief and fear, was plainly on her face as she kicked Bill out of the truck, and, despite the danger he was in, a little part of me cheered.

Meanwhile, Sam (Sam Trammell) was finally able to save his little brother from the crazy parents who used to young shifter to win dog fights. It was so disturbing to see the men put down the dogs who had lost, who were too wounded to be saved, and it didn't matter that Tommy (Marshall Allman) is probably smarter and therefore more likely to win, it was still horrible. Some people may be your parents, may have given birth to you, but that doesn't mean that you should always respect your ties to them.

But the best part of the episode for me was that Eric was finally able to save Pam (Kristin Bauer). I loved seeing her again, tortured in silver, still being her sassy self and taking the pain with no complaint. But the moment Eric showed up and his name escaped her lips, full of pain and desperate hope that he would save her...Those two have such a beautiful bond I almost couldn't care that the vampire monarchy has apparently overthrown the authority which was above them.

With more than half the season gone, I can only imagine that the chaos will increase, as will the death toll (we lost 3 people this week), and I hope there will be more passionate love scenes as well. What are you hoping for?

True Blood - I Got a Right to Sing the Blues, S03E06

Oh True Blood, is there anything as fantastic as you on TV at the moment? Well, considering I haven't yet seen the Season 4 premiere of Mad Men, I can't be sure, but True Blood always, always makes my day.

Where to start? With the intense development of Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis)'s date with Jesus (Kevin Alejandro), perhaps. Was it just me, or did Lafayette get all shy while Jesus became an aggressive, dominating male. It was almost a relief when those jerks showed up and Lafayette's toughness returned, although I was sad that that meant Jesus leaving. But that kiss in the car, or at least the tentative and tense build towards it, man that was intense.

Or should I focus on Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) and Arlene (Carrie Preston)? When Arlene cut her finger and Jessica's fangs popped out, I laughed so hard, and Arlene's desperate plea to not be eaten because she was pregnant. I really hope the two of them become really great friends, particularly because Jessica has the power to get Arlene tips.

But the things that really had me going focused on our favourite triangle, with Tara (Rutina Wesley) thrown in. Poor Sookie (Anna Paquin), terrified for herself, terrified for Bill (Stephen Moyer), and feeling absolutely betrayed by Eric (Alexandre Skarsgard). But could you really blame Eric, who is still desperately trying to rescue Pam, and who wants revenge for the family he lost while he was still human? After all, Sookie was in no danger of death, unless by her own making in a rescue attempt for Bill. Funny to think that there are things in this world which he wants more than Sookie.

I found the torture scene between Bill and Lorena (Mariana Klaveno) very touching. The affection that seeped through from both of them was surprising. Bill's heartfelt wish to have known Lorena before she became a vampire, a monster, and Lorena's inability to cleanly kill him. I almost expected her to kill the two werewolves who had shown up to drink his blood. But, having her bite Sookie as the episode ended was a far more powerful moment.

Finally, Tara stole the show. Cleverly convincing Franklin (James Frain) to allow her to drink some of his blood so that she could have extra strength for her escape and Sookie's rescue, she was forced to bite hard enough on his neck to break and allow the blood to flow. If that wasn't disturbing enough, that she then bashed his head in with a mace so that he could not fulfill his plan of making her his vampire bride pushed Tara to a new place in desperation. I can only hope that now that she has teamed up with Alcide (Joe Manganiello) she will be able to save Sookie and Bill.

But really, the upcoming moment I am most excited for is when Eric destroys the King who has caused so many problems this season. You?

True Blood - Trouble, S03E05

Although True Blood is always busy weaving a thousand story lines, I never lose interest for a minute. As soon as one is dropped, another I find equally important is picked up, and it is only at the end of every episode that I find myself terribly upset about all the things I have yet to learn, yet to figure out, and concerned for all the characters who remain in imminent danger.

I think my favourite arc in this episode was that of Franklin (James Frain) and Tara (Rutina Wesley). Franklin's insane obsession with Tara took on a humourous quality for me when he indicated that one of the main attractions was that Tara was as screwed up as he is. Plus, I loved her horror at the end, when she had finally accepted and begun manipulating him, beginning to feel safe, and he made her realize that her danger was all the worse because he planned to vampirize her. There would be no turning back for her after that.

Otherwise, while I am a little curious about this girl whom Jason (Ryan Kwanten) is pursuing, and I really want to know what the deal is with Sam (Sam Trammell)'s family. I don't know what sort of abuse his younger brother has been suffering, or what exactly the father meant when he said he owned him, but I want to know the answer and I want Sam to make it stop.

But the main people we followed were our favourites - Sookie (Anna Paquin), Bill (Stephen Moyer), and Eric (Alexander Skarsgard). Bill has been playing such a dangerous game, trying to keep Sookie safe and sacrificing almost anything for her. Curious why exactly he has files tracing her family tree though. In the end, when he realized that his bluff was lost, the first thing he did was run to her to try to get her to go to safety. Whether he believed she was sleeping with Alcide (Joe Manganiello) or not, he didn't really care. His concern was for her, believing that he was already lost. The last few moments of the episode, my heart broke as Sookie's mysterious light attack saved her from a werewolf one moment, and exposed her, putting her in even more danger the next.

My heart broke the most for Eric. Terrified with concern for Pam, he cannot bare to wait on the whims of a King, though he must, but when he learned that that same King was the man behind those Nazi werewolves, that was even worse. And the most awful part was learning that that insane hatred for this enemy started back before Eric had even become a vampire, before he had even become a man. Utterly devastating.

I'm really hoping for a lot of violence and blood next episode. I was terribly pleased that someone finally shoved a vampire up against the silver doors, though also quite glad it was Bill who did the shoving, rather than being the one to suffer. I can't wait to see Eric go full out, both in vengeance for his father and mother and baby sister, but also for her progeny, Pam. I hate having to wait a whole week to find out the next part of the story.

True Blood - 9 Crimes, S03E04

Despite all the distractions in my life keeping me away from television and timely updates, True Blood still has me wrapped around its little finger and for good reason. The episodes are ever fantastic. Between the constant concern about what is going to happen next and the desire to see beloved characters grow, there isn't a moment which goes by without capturing my attention.

By far, my favourite moment of this episode was when the Magistrate had Pam (Kristin Bauer) tied up and was torturing her. Not because of the torture, but because of Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) and his utter devotion and dedication to her. He is her maker, and unlike the twisted relationship between Lorena (Mariana Kleveno) and Bill (Stephen Moyer), Eric and Pam have a bond based on love and loyalty. Seeing her in pain like that, he may well have thrown away his life and everything else to save her, and she, despite the torture, was still able to provide him with a solution. Particularly after last week's conclusion, it was touching to be reminded of a positive relationship of the sort.

I also loved seeing Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) serving at Merlotte's, and Franklin (James Frain) developing an obsession with Tara (Rutina Wesley). Those moments had a very serious side to them - such as Tara being bitten by a vamp - but were also quite hilarious.

Not so funny was Sookie (Anna Paquin) and Bill's storyline. Bill broke up with Sookie, leaving her desperately wounded in the company of an equally wounded and, at the time, topless (though not equally as Sookie was wearing a top) Alcide (Joe Manganiello). She then got herself in a mess with some werewolves (and looked mighty fine doing it), while Bill gave up a bit more of his humanity by bringing a stripper as a snack to his new King. The hardest part was watching Bill resist running to Sookie's aid when he felt her fear as she escaped the Lupine bar.

The interconnections, the holes characters are digging themselves into, and the desperate attempts of all of them to find happiness boggles the mind. What a show.

True Blood - It Hurts Me Too, S03E03

Although nothing in this episode had the impact of the disturbing last few minutes, every individual plot line brought forward new concerns for the fate of the inhabitants of Bon Temps. Frankly, despite the fact that the entire population is abnormally attractive, I would never want to live there. Then again, in vamps and such were real and out of the coffin, what would my own home town be like?

Tara (Rutina Wesley) has terrible taste in vampires as well as humans, and is equally incapable of relating or communicating with them. As amusing as that is, I have to say I'm quite concerned about the results of her allowing Franklin (James Frain) into Sookie (Anna Paquin)'s house. Not that this was her choice, since he glamoured her. My only hope is that the havoc he will wreak will not equal what Maryann got up to.

Meanwhile, life has been continuing with some normal occurances. Hoyt (Jim Parrack) is still mooning over Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll), Jason (Ryan Kwanten) is still a mess who can't figure out what he wants to do with his life, Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) still has to put up with the stresses of dealing drugs (though he is doing it for vampires rather than the mob), and Arlene (Carrie Preston) is pregnant. The baby, though, it likely Rene's, which is not exactly happy news.

But, True Blood isn't about happy normal lives. It's about vampires and such. And moments like when Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) killed a werewolf in Sookie's front hall and then observed that he'd gotten her rug all wet, and like when Sookie tried to mind-read Bill (Stephen Moyer)'s location and required Alcide (Joe Manganiello)'s protection from another werewolf.

Still, Bill had the most important story. The flashback scenes, where we saw how dearly he had loved his wife and family, where we began to understand how dearly he loves Sookie. His humanity was taken from him, and he could never do that to Sookie, even if she wanted him too. He would not love her as a vampire, he would not love what he so clearly hates in himself. When you consider that his teacher was Lorena (Mariana Klaveno) and how disturbing she is - professing to love him as he twists her neck 180 degrees while having sex with her...well, both have their issues and I can't imagine any fetishes more bizarre than that right there.

I was surprised though. I would have expected him to take her up against the silver door. Now that would have been sadism.

Where the silver lining is in this season, I have not yet figured out. But I am still desperate to see next week's episode and annoyed that I have to wait another week even though it does give me more time to catch up on my blogging.

True Blood - Beautifully Broken, S03E02

True Blood is really a show about a community, focusing primarily on the adventures of Sookie (Anna Paquin), but never neglecting the wide variety of people who populate her home town. And while there are so many stories being told, this only heightens the sense that the lives of everyone we know are meandering down their own paths, occasionally allowing us to share the chaos.

It is clearly apparent that each of our main characters - Sookie, Bill (Stephen Moyer), Eric (Alexander Skarsgard), Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll), Tara (Rutina Wesley), Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), Jason (Ryan Kwanten), and Sam (Sam Trammell) - have major goings-on in their lives which aren't very much connected. Yet, with the appearance of Tara's unintroduced vampire, her story has suddenly become very closely connected to Bill's story in Mississippi, which connects straight back to Sookie and to Eric, each in their separate ways.

For starters, I have to say that I loved Bill's prison. The lavishness, the decadence, the pure silver doors! What a classy way to prevent a vampire from leaving. And the blood champagne and gelato? Who knew vampires had such fancy cuisine. Naturally the appearance of Lorena (Mariana Klaveno) was in bad taste, and while I hope that Bill did light her on fire with an oil lamp, I couldn't help but think that the scene had only taken place in his mind. Or maybe I hope that because I'm afraid of what will happen to him if it didn't.

Secondly, I LOVE JASON. He is so adorable. When he found out that werewolves he existed, not only did he wonder then about Bigfoot, but mostly he was interested in the existence of Santa! Then, as he took care of his sister (so wonderfully making up for all the stupid things he did in season 1), he said that they just had the two of them, and it would always be him and Sookie. That is until she married Bill, at which point it would be Jason, Sookie, and Bill.

And finally, I am sure that every one of your hearts were atwitter when Eric suddenly slammed Sookie into the wall of her house demanding to be allowed to enter, and Sookie bit him enter in the most formal way imaginable, suddenly aware of the danger he already felt. Shivers!

I could speculate on how long it will take for the overarching plot line to be truly visible, but I'd rather guess at how many episodes will pass before I get to see more nude Eric. 3 episodes tops?

True Blood - Bad Blood, S03E01

True Blood is the perfect mix of horror, sex, and humour. It's a show that is allowed to take itself seriously, as it deals with the unbelievable in a believable way, but that doesn't mean that it won't laugh at itself. And that special ability makes the show so much better than something that's only about sex and violence.

I can't count the number of times that I nearly died when watching this episode...well, the number of times something happened that I declared nearly killed me.

Some instances:

- when Arlene (Carrie Preston) and Tara (Rutina Wesley) nearly fought because Arlene pointed out the Eggs had been a serial killer, and Arlene was surprised because, after Rene, she was under the impression that everyone dated at least one serial killer.

- Andy (Chris Bauer) and Jason (Ryan Kwanten) repeating the phrase "Conscious off, Dick on, and Everything is gonna be okay.

- Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) naked.

- Sam (Sam Trammell) having sexy dreams about Bill (Stephen Moyer). Oh boy was that hot.

-Arlene realizing she was pregnant because she could smell the faintest hint of cinnamon.

Plus, we were set up for the season perfectly, as we discover that Bill was kidnapped by V addicts. It totally played into Eric's part in the conspiracy of vampires selling their own blood, and was the perfect excuse for Bill to end up in Werewolf country.

I am hoping, although this episode didn't really indicate it too well, that this season will be more interconnect than Season 2. Don't get me wrong, I love Season 2, but I don't want to get the writers to get in the habit of diversifying the plot line and characters so much that they are never in the same city. Then again, I don't want them to be too unfaithful to the books either...so I guess it depends what happens in book 3 (I have read the first two, and I'll read the third in September when this season ends).

Glad to have Sookie (Anna Paquin), Tara, Eric, and the rest of a fabulous cast back to keep me company for another summer.

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

Look at me keeping my promise to update on other media as well as television. And this one has a television connection anyway, so really, it would be wrong of me not to mention my impressions.

Living Dead in Dallas is the second book of the Southern Vampire Chronicles, the book series about Sookie Stackhouse on which True Blood is based. And book 2 is what season 2 was based on.

There are, of course, some major differences between the books and the TV series, and these differences promise to continue to grow as the seasons go on. And so far, I definitely prefer the TV series, for reasons I am about to get into, but that does not mean the books aren't worth a gander...well maybe the first one isn't (it was some bizarre, over-campy, badly-written stuff), but in the second one, the writing improved drastically.

The books are told in the first person, with Sookie relating things exactly as she sees and experiences them. Which means that Tara, Sam, and Jason get only brief mentions as they cross Sookie's path while she helps Bill and Eric deal with vampire politics. And boy do I miss them. Reading the books feels like people are missing, mostly because they are. The other characters are present to fill out Sookie's world, but the world itself is not full. In the show, you follow the adventures of the people of Bon Temps, not just of one sexy, vampire-loving, telepathic waitress.

And yet it is fascinating to read the books and see where the ideas in the show came from. The maenad is such a small character in the book, she shows up where people are having a party and takes them all as tribute to herself before she goes on. Her connection to Sookie is much more important than to Tara, and she is not searching for hearts or a particular supernatural being, just violence, sex, and drunkenness.

Plus, there are things that we haven't got yet in the series, and may never get. Like the fact that Bill is actually Andy Bellefleur's great great (somewhere in there) grandfather. Or the idea of Eric wearing multicoloured Lycra tights. Or that Sookie can occasionally hear a thought from a vampire (I wonder if that will ever appear in the series). And in Dallas, it was shape shifters who helped Sookie escape from the Fellowship of the Sun, rather than Jason. But the seeds for most of the story are already in the books, taken and elaborated upon, with the writers asking themselves how they can involve the characters we know rather than simply focusing on exactly what Sookie's got going on.

My advice? Read the books and watch the series. The order will not matter that much to you, and the differences, while noticeable are acceptable in both cases. Just to demonstrate, in the book, Lafayette dies, but you don't really care too much cause you hardly knew him. In the series, he lives, which is awesome because he's SO great.

Have you read the books?

True Blood Season 2 Finale

I love True Blood. I love how sexy and violent it is...I hope next season is more sexy and violent than this one; more like season 1, but that does not mean that season 2 wasn't amazing.

It was amazing.

The dual plot line, Dallas and Maryann, kept you entertained and allowed escalation without tedium. All of Bon Temps going crazy like that would have been tedious if nothing else had been going on - especially since we're talking about a Maenad here, and not vampires.

Let's focus on the episode. My first remark is that Gran's wedding dress was very pretty, and she had one hell of a rack (if Maryann's bosom is any indication). Prepared for her wedding, with all the ritual put together, she was far more ready for this one to work than any previous attempt. And we finally found out why. Sam! I know, I didn't really get why he was the one she wanted. I would have thought she'd have gone after Sookie, whose powers she didn't understand. But when Sam showed up at her place all those years before, she became convinced he was it. And she sure was right.

I knew how it was going to play out from ep 11, when the Queen told Bill all that lore. Of course Sam was going to take on the appearance of the God, for him alone would she die. And she did, beautifully gored on a horn.

I loved how Sookie asked about that stupid egg at the same time that I was thinking "What is up with that!?" The show really knows what its audience wants and is interested in. Oh Sookie...there was also some beautiful parallelism when Maryann again asks her what she is, and Sookie says "I'm a waitress. What the F$@# are you?"

That this whole conflict was resolved when the episode was only half over is even more of an indication of the talent of the writers and planners. Good stories need an epilogue. We need to know that everything worked out okay once Maryann was gone (or didn't in some cases).

Andy got his job back, with the Sheriff telling him "You might have your faults, Andy, but at least you've got pants on." The Sheriff lost his pants several episodes back.

Eggs could not live with what he had done all those years for Maryann, and, trying to turn himself in, threatened Andy. Jason, Andy's new best friend, blew the back of his brains out. Poor Terra. That girl can't seem to get a break. Apparently she and Jason might be getting another chance, though I preferred her with Sam.

There was a whole lot of set up for next season in those last few minutes. Sam's going to find his parents; Jessica and Hoyt did not resolve their fight, but they will soon I hope; Bill proposed to Sookie, and then was kidnapped before she had the chance to say yes. I loved how she was so confused at first, but once she had a second to think about it, she knew what she wanted.

And now we have to wait until June!! June before we see anymore.

That just means I'll be reading Dead in Dallas and trying to decide just how much better the show is. Amazing that a TV show can so surpass the quality of the book it is based on...even more amazing is the success of those books given the quality of the writing. Great ideas...not expressed the best way.