Lost Cause (Spoiler Warning)

This week’s episode of True Blood had a decent mix of everything, as one would expect at the midway point of the final season. It managed to cover all the bases in an attempt at pleasing everyone and at that it most definitely succeeded. As well as finally getting to see Eric with his hands wrapped around Sarah Newlin’s neck, there was the big surprise at learning Bill Compton is the latest victim of Hep-V. Now that Alcide has gone to the great kennel in the sky, with Eric and now Bill ready to purchase land fit for growing crops and raising livestock, Sookie is gonna be without someone to have sex with for the first time in ages. Unless a cure is found for Hep-V, poor sookie will need to start hunting for another non-human to share her bed. Animal, vegetable or mineral; Sookie ain’t the fussy sort.

True Blood
Created by
Alan Ball
Cast
Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten, Chris Bauer, Kristin Bauer van Straten, Nelsan Ellis, Joe Manganiello, Deborah Ann Woll, Carrie Preston
Episode Release Date
20 July 2014
Ed’s Grade: B+

Even though there are countless people dead because of the crazed and infected vampires, everyone saw fit to give Alcide a sendoff in the shape of a party at Sookie’s house. Sookie is still trying to cope with her loss and the last thing she wants or needs is a house full of happy mourners. Nevertheless, that’s exactly what she gets thanks to Lafayette.

Much is revealed at the partay, with Bill having several flashbacks which I guess were designed to show how good he was in his pre-vamp days during the Civil War. After the writers establish his previous good nature, a shocked Bill learns of his infection when he looks in the mirror after taking a shower.

Even though it’s pretty inappropriate to be making marriage proposals at an event such as this, it doesn’t prevent Andy Bellefleur from asking Holly to be his lawfully wedded wife. Before Andy goes down on one knee, Jason quickly offers sound (and very funny) advice to Adilyn and Wade: “A word to the wise; I don’t know if you two are f*cking or not, but if you are, it’s gonna have to stop right now.” Andy’s proposal speech to Holly is heartfelt, but she tells him “yes!” before he even reaches the part where he asks “will you marry me?”


Just before Andy popped the question he went to Jessica who was standing outside due to her still feeling guilty. Andy makes up with Jessica telling her life’s too short, and that she should come in and join in the festivities. James is feeling neglected by Jessica and while he and Lafayette are out on the porch discussing James’ feelings, Lafayette asks him if the guy who turned James was also his boyfriend. It turns out he was.

Now that Jessica is free from her constant feeling of guilt, she goes looking for James to share some love. She finally finds James with Lafayette in a compromising position in their SUV. Shocked, Jessica runs to Jason and tells him what happened, resulting in Jason rescinding James’ invitation to the house. It’s not long before Jason and Jessica are following suit. Can you remember the first time the pair made love? It happened on Halloween night in season 4 episode 9 and you can watch it here.

While Sookie’s party is in full swing, Eric and Pam are hunting for Sarah Newlin. They start off at Fangtasia, where an angry Willa demands to be released from Eric if she agrees to tell him where to find Sarah. Eric does so and then learns Sarah has a vampire sister. This is the same sister Sarah told the world was killed by a vampire, and the reason she was trying to rid the world of the undead. When Eric and Pam find the vamp sister they discover she too has Hep-V, and she’s also very willing to help them kill Sarah. They travel to Dallas because Sarah’s parents are attending a political gala in honer of G W Bush. They have to get past the security, so Eric dons a suit and ten gallon hat, with Pam in a sparkly dress. Uttering another classic line, Pam complains “I look like a republic*nt.”

At the gala, Sarah finds her mother and begs her to hide her from the Yakuza, but she’s too late. while Pam and Eric are hunting for her at the gala the Yakuza arrive in numbers and start shooting up the place, killing everyone in their way, including Sarah’s mother. Just as they catch up to Sarah, she runs right into Eric in a slowed down scene, almost exactly like the one where Sarah Conner runs into Arnie while she’s escaping from the mental hospital in Terminator 2. Eric grabs her by the neck and begins to squeeze but he has to drop Sarah so he can kill the three Yakuza men who are about to shoot at him with automatic guns. Eric quickly kills two of them but the third he viciously rips his lower jaw off. That’s how it ends with Eric so we’ll need to wait for next week to see what’s in store for Sara. I can’t wait! You can watch the old Sarah Newlin from season 2 here.

I’m actually surprised at how good this episode was, with it bettering even last week’s. We have only five more to go but it’s shaping up to be as good as it was at the beginning. Let’s hope so!

by Ed Blackadder

Details for next week:

Episode #76: Karma

Debut: SUNDAY, JULY 27 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)

Other HBO playdates: July 27 (11:30 p.m., 2:00 a.m.), 28 (11:50 p.m.), 29 (midnight) and 30 (8:30 p.m., 12:30 a.m.), and Aug. 1 (midnight)

HBO2 playdates: July 28 (9:00 p.m.) and 31 (5:00 a.m.), and Aug. 2 (9:00 p.m.), 3 (8:00 p.m.) and 24 (5:00 p.m.)

A shocking discovery forces Sookie (Anna Paquin) to reassess her recent involvement with Bill (Stephen Moyer). In Dallas, Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) and Pam (Kristin Bauer van Straten) forge an unlikely alliance in their hunt for a shared nemesis. Andy (Chris Bauer) bickers with Holly (Lauren Bowles) about their children’s behavior; Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) shares a vision with Lettie Mae (Adina Porter); Jason (Ryan Kwanten) owns up to his true feelings about Violet (Karolina Wydra); Sam (Sam Trammell) finds himself in a quandary regarding Nicole (Jurnee Smollett-Bell).

Written by Angela Robinson; directed by Angela Robinson.