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True Blood’s third season finale airs September 12.
As has been its custom, HBO has released the episode synopsis a long time in advance, and the description of the episode, written by Alan Ball, definitely contains spoilers.
The breakdown of the much-anticipated season-ender are juicy and detailed enough that we’ve chosen not to run them on our homepage. So follow the jump if you dare …
“Eric (Alexander Skarsgaard) grapples with his conscience while plotting his perfect revenge against Russell (Denis O’Hare). Fed up with being “vampire crack,” Sookie (Anna Paquin) considers a new life without Bill (Stephen Moyer) – or any other vampire.”
“Tara (Rutina Wesley) discovers surprising news about Sam (Sam Trammell), whose rage resurfaces upon learning of Tommy’s (Marshall Allan) latest transgression.”
“Jason (Ryan Kwanten) finds a new calling after warning Crystal’s (Lindsay Pulsipher) family about an impending drug raid. Plagued by visions, Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) turns to Jesus (Kevin Alejandro) for help, and learns his boyfriend has more to offer than companionship.”
“Hoyt (Jim Parrack) hopes for a future with Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll), spurning Maxine’s (Dale Raoul) pleas to wed Summer (Melissa Rauch).”
Question: Season 3 has barely started, but I am dying for some True Blood news. Got any to share?
Ausiello: Exec producer Alan Ball teases that a big secret Bill’s “been carrying with him gets revealed at the end of the season.” That noise you hear is the sound of me dipping into the Ausiello Files archives and going Hmm…
Question: Have you received confirmation from Alan Ball that Talbot and Eric will get, ahem, down to business on True Blood this season?
Ausiello: No, but I haven’t received a denial from him, either. “I think one of the things about being a vampire and living for 100 years is you pretty much try everything,” Ball says. “Whether or not [Talbot and Eric] end up getting together I can’t reveal. I’ll definitely tell you that this season is pretty pansexual.” Yeah, got that bit from the first two episodes.
No surprise here: HBO has renewed True Blood for a fourth season, to debut in summer 2011.
The news comes just one week after the hit vampire saga kicked off its third season to near-record ratings.
“The new season of True Blood is off to a terrific start, as enthusiasm for this unique show continues to build among both subscribers and critics,” enthused HBO president Michael Lombardo in a statement. “We’re looking forward to more chills from Alan Ball and his gifted team next year.”
Added exec producer Alan Ball: “I am beyond thrilled to be able to continue working with this amazing cast and crew. This is the most fun I have ever had.”
Image Credit: John P. Johnson/HBOHBO just released the official loglines for True Blood‘s three July episodes and, no joke, they’re pretty bloody spoilery.
“9 Crimes”
SUNDAY, JULY 11 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
“Sookie (Anna Paquin) joins Alcide (Joe Manganiello) at a raucous engagement party for Debbie Pelt (Brit Morgan), his former fiancée; Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) is given a deadline to locate Bill (Stephen Moyer); Andy (Chris Bauer) gets a promotion and draws Jason’s (Ryan Kwanten) attention; Franklin (James Frain) takes Tara (Rutina Wesley) on a road trip; Arlene (Carrie Preston) is irked by Jessica’s (Deborah Ann Woll) arrival at Merlotte’s; Sam (Sam Trammell) brokers a deal with Tommy (Marshall Allman) and his parents, Melinda (J. Smith Cameron) and Joe Lee (Cooper Huckabee); Bill “procures” dinner for Russell (Denis O’Hare) and Lorena (Mariana Klaveno).”
“Trouble”
SUNDAY, JULY 18 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
“Alcide and Sookie turn to an alpha-wolf “packmaster” for advice on dealing with Russell’s minions; Tara considers a proposal from Franklin, who’s completed his mission for Russell; Joe Lee breaks his promise to Sam and Tommy; Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) learns the meaning of patience from Jesus (Kevin Alejandro), his mother’s (Alfre Woodard) orderly; Jason meets his match in the mysterious girl Crystal (Lindsay Pulsipher); an heirloom reminds Eric of his past and his ongoing thirst for vengeance.”
“I Got a Right to Sing the Blues”
SUNDAY, JULY 25 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
“Spurned by Eric, Sookie fears the worst for Bill, whose fate now lies in Lorena’s hands; fueled by a night of bloody passion, Tara executes a desperate plan to stave off Franklin’s advances; in Bon Temps, Tommy finds it difficult to leave the family nest; Jessica puts Pam’s teachings into practice; Jason’s romance with Crystal hits a snag, as does Lafayette’s with Jesus; after revealing his master plan to Eric, Russell visits Louisiana to put it into action.”
What’s the word on True Blood? Are Sookie and Bill really over?
They’re so not in a happy place. But one of them will be in a sexy place. Here’s what I can tell you about the first three episodes: Either Bill or Sookie has sex with someone, and it is hands-down the most unforgettable (you will have dreams/nightmares afterward!) sex scene in the entire run of True Blood so far. Here’s what else you can expect from the first three episodes:
1. Someone tries to commit suicide.
2. Someone tries to kill a sibling.
3. Someone loses his head.
4. Someone is pregnant.
5. Someone has a one night stand–and it’s the last person you’d expect.
6. Someone has an underground sex marathon–and it’s the first person you’d expect.
7. There are more bare backsides than a gym locker room, and one belongs to one Mr. Alexander Skaarsgård. This just in from Alan Ball: You’re welcome.
Episode #28: “9 Crimes”: Sookie joins Alcide at a raucous engagement party for his former fiancée, Debbie Pelt; Eric is given a deadline to locate Bill; Andy gets a promotion and draws Jason’s attention; Franklin takes Tara on a road trip; Arlene is irked by Jessica’s arrival at Merlotte’s; Sam brokers a deal with Tommy and his parents; Bill “procures” dinner for Russell and Lorena. (Written by Kate Barnow & Elisabeth R. Finch; directed by David Petrarca.)
Playdates: July 11, 13, 14, 17 and 28
Episode #29: “Trouble”: Alcide and Sookie turn to an alpha-wolf “packmaster” for advice on how to deal with Russell’s minions. Tara considers a proposal from Franklin, who’s completed his mission for Russell; Joe Lee breaks his promise to Sam and Tommy; Lafayette learns the meaning of patience from Jesus, his mother’s orderly; Jason meets his match in a mysterious girl named Crystal. An heirloom reminds Eric of his past and his ongoing thirst for vengeance. (Written by Nancy Oliver; directed by Scott Winant.)
Playdates: July 18, 20, 21, 24 and 28
Episode #30: “I Got a Right to Sing the Blues”: Spurned by Eric, Sookie fears the worst for Bill, whose fate now lies in Lorena’s hands. Fueled by a night of bloody passion, Tara executes a desperate plan to stave off Franklin’s advances. In Bon Temps, Tommy finds it difficult to leave the family nest; Jessica gets her fix from a Merlotte’s customer; and Jason’s romance with Crystal hits a snag, as does Lafayette’s with Jesus. After revealing his master plan to Eric, Russell pays a visit to Louisiana in order to start executing it. (Written by Alan Ball; directed by Michael Lehmann.)
Playdates: July 25, 27, 28, 30 and 31
Image Credit: John P. Johnson/HBOHBO just released the official loglines for True Blood‘s three July episodes and, no joke, they’re pretty bloody spoilery.
“9 Crimes”
SUNDAY, JULY 11 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
“Sookie (Anna Paquin) joins Alcide (Joe Manganiello) at a raucous engagement party for Debbie Pelt (Brit Morgan), his former fiancée; Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) is given a deadline to locate Bill (Stephen Moyer); Andy (Chris Bauer) gets a promotion and draws Jason’s (Ryan Kwanten) attention; Franklin (James Frain) takes Tara (Rutina Wesley) on a road trip; Arlene (Carrie Preston) is irked by Jessica’s (Deborah Ann Woll) arrival at Merlotte’s; Sam (Sam Trammell) brokers a deal with Tommy (Marshall Allman) and his parents, Melinda (J. Smith Cameron) and Joe Lee (Cooper Huckabee); Bill “procures” dinner for Russell (Denis O’Hare) and Lorena (Mariana Klaveno).”
“Trouble”
SUNDAY, JULY 18 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
“Alcide and Sookie turn to an alpha-wolf “packmaster” for advice on dealing with Russell’s minions; Tara considers a proposal from Franklin, who’s completed his mission for Russell; Joe Lee breaks his promise to Sam and Tommy; Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) learns the meaning of patience from Jesus (Kevin Alejandro), his mother’s (Alfre Woodard) orderly; Jason meets his match in the mysterious girl Crystal (Lindsay Pulsipher); an heirloom reminds Eric of his past and his ongoing thirst for vengeance.”
“I Got a Right to Sing the Blues”
SUNDAY, JULY 25 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
“Spurned by Eric, Sookie fears the worst for Bill, whose fate now lies in Lorena’s hands; fueled by a night of bloody passion, Tara executes a desperate plan to stave off Franklin’s advances; in Bon Temps, Tommy finds it difficult to leave the family nest; Jessica puts Pam’s teachings into practice; Jason’s romance with Crystal hits a snag, as does Lafayette’s with Jesus; after revealing his master plan to Eric, Russell visits Louisiana to put it into action.”
With only a couple days until the season 3 premiere of True Blood, there are no doubt a lot of people out there wondering what all the hype is about. After all, True Blood, like the Sopranos and Dexter, is a cable show, and not everyone has access to pay channels like HBO and Showtime. So, with those potential fans in mind, here’s a run down of everything you need to know as we begin season 3 of True Blood. What the Hell is This Show About Anyway?
It’s easy to buy into the notion that True Blood is yet another vampire/werewolf show, designed to capitalize on the popularity of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series. The comparisons of the two series, both based on popular novels, stop at vampires and supernatural creatures.
One of the show’s unique features is that it takes place on both a global and local level.
Globally, True Blood imagines a world in which vampires have come “out of the coffin” and announced their presence to the world. A Japanese company has created a synthetic blood beverage, called “Tru Blood,” which provides all the nutritional benefits of real blood without the unfortunate consequences to “donors.” As a result, vampires are out and about at night, enjoying their “lives” as real citizens.
Not everyone appreciates the vampires, though. Several religious and political activist groups (namely the Fellowship of the Sun church) have tried to make the vamps go away. This has caused the vampires to fight for equal rights. Throughout the series, we have seen television clips of vampire leaders advocating on television for the Vampire Rights Amendment.
Other supernatural groups exist in this world, too, namely shapeshifters, who are capable of taking the form of various animals. There has also been mention of werewolves, too, although at this point, prior to season 3’s start, we have not actually met any werewolves. In season 2, we were also introduced to a maenad who represented a significant threat to all of the characters. It’s important to note that in Charlaine Harris’ novels, there are a lot of supernatural creatures lurking all over the place – fairies, werepanthers, weretigers, etc.
No Black Lagoon critters, though. Sigh.
On a local level, the story is set in Bon Temps, Louisiana. Bon Temps is a backwoods southern small town, about a half hour or so out of Shreveport. The town is populated by a unique group of people whose lives are affected in dynamic ways by the supernatural presence around them.
Why Bon Temps? Who knows? Maybe there’s something special about this place that draws otherworldly beings.
So True Blood is really about the effect of a political movement on everyday America. If you thought the show had a lot in common with Twilight, you might want to reconsider.
Who ARE These People (and Why Should I Care)?
Like most memorable television shows, True Blood’s value is in its characters. We only care about what’s happening if we care about them. Here are the characters you need to know right away.
Sookie Stackhouse: Sookie is a barmaid at Merlotte’s Bar & Grill. She’s perky, pretty and proud. She’s also telepathic. At first she sees this gift as a disability, but eventually realizes that it can come quite handy. Sookie falls in love with Bill pretty much at first sight, mainly because she can’t read the minds of vampires – something to do with them being dead.
What you need to know most about her is that she is brave and resourceful. Regardless of the odds, Sookie somehow manages to rise above her station in life to stand up for herself and those she loves.
Bill Compton: Bill is a vampire who moves back into his family’s estate in Bon Temps after the vampires made themselves public. Bill is reasonable, intelligent, and – at times – controlling. He hates that he is a vampire and tries his best to be more like humans. His love for Sookie is deep and passionate, and he has nearly sacrificed his life to save hers.
Eric Northman: Eric is a vampire who runs Fangtasia, a vampire bar in Shreveport. He is also the vampire sheriff of Area Five in Louisiana, putting him in charge of every vampire in the vicinity, including Bill. Eric is fair and thoughtful, but ultimately self-serving. Like Bill, though, he is passionate about Sookie, and makes no bones about wanting to jump hers.
Sam Merlotte: Sam is the owner of Merlotte’s Bar & Grill in Bon Temps. Sam is also a shapeshifter. He is rare in that he can take the shape of virtually any animal he chooses, but he usually prefers to be a collie. At his core, Sam is loyal and loving, yet he also has a great internal conflict. He doesn’t seem to know his place in the world and thinks that he needs to discover who his birth parents are in order to answer the question.
Tara Thornton: Tara is Sookie’s best friend. She was raised by an alcoholic mother and harbors a lot of bitterness towards her, although events in season 2 have helped her to let go of some of this resentment. On the surface, Tara is stubborn and tough, but underneath she is quite insecure and afraid of being alone.
Jason Stackhouse: Sookie’s brother. Jason is thick-headed, foolhardy, and completely self-involved. He’s easily fooled and has a Forrest Gump-esque way of being in the right place at the right time.
Jessica Hamby: Jessica is a 16-year old who was turned into a vampire by Bill as punishment for killing another vamp at Fangtasia. At first, Jessica was timid and scared, but as she has recognized her power, she has developed a hunger and is quite unstable. She fell in love with Jason’s best friend, Hoyt, but heartbreak has only poisoned her.
Lafayette Reynolds: Lafayette is the cook at Merlotte’s Bar & Grill, but he’s much more than that. He’s also a drug dealer (specializing in selling vampire blood, of ‘V’ as it’s called on the street), a male prostitute, and an all-around bad ass. After being taken captive by Eric for illegally selling ‘V,’ Lafayette has become more withdrawn and frightened.
Other characters of note are Pam, Eric’s sarcastic second-in-command, Hoyt, Jason’s best friend, and Andy Bellefleur, the alcoholic local detective. Arlene is Sookie’s co-worker and friend at Merlotte’s, and Terry Bellefleur is a shell-shocked war vet who works for Sam.
What Do I Need To Know, Plot-Wise, Before Starting Season Three?
The toughest part about watching a new television series without having seen any previous episodes is trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Some procedural shows make this easy by making each episode self-contained, but True Blood is not procedural. Its story is told in season long arcs, with events from previous seasons coming back to effect the characters and plot.
So, which events are important to know about, since this article can’t replace a more thorough episode guide?
Here are five events you need to keep in mind going into season 3.
1. Sookie has shared the blood of both Bill and Eric. In season 1, Sookie rescued Bill from a couple wicked vampire drainers (looking to score ‘V’ to sell), and was later jumped and beaten to within an inch of her life. Bill gave Sookie his blood to heal her, since vampire blood has healing qualities. Bill also gave Sookie his blood after she was attacked by Maryann the maenad in season 2.
In season 2, after members of the Fellowship of the Sun attacked a group of vampires, Eric was struck by a bullet and encouraged Sookie to remove the bullet from him by sucking it out of him.
Ingesting the blood of a vampire gives them the ability to sense the person’s feelings and location. It also causes the person who took the blood to have heightened senses, and makes them more sexually motivated. Taking Eric’s blood will be a pivotal concern of season 3.
2. Jason killed Tara’s boyfriend, Eggs. It was established early in the series that Tara has a major crush on Sookie’s brother, and has since they were kids. At the end of season 2, though, Tara had finally developed what looked like a positive romantic relationship with Eggs, one of the maenad’s puppets. Eggs, unfortunately, discovered that he had been the maenad’s main murder weapon. In an attempt to turn himself over to Andy Bellefleur, he was shot by Jason. Jason thought that Eggs, who was holding the knife he had used to help Maryann kill her victims, was going to kill Andy, so he took action. Now, Tara’s boyfriend is dead, killed by the one man she has always held a candle for. Expect fireworks here.
3. Sam found out the whereabouts of his birth parents. After nearly getting killed by Maryann in a ritual sacrifice to bring the god Dionysus to Earth, Sam realized he needed to know more about his roots. He returned to his foster parents, from whom he had run away as a teenager, demanding some information. His foster father gave him an address while on his death bed. Sam will be visiting these people. Who know where this is headed…
4. Bill was kidnapped. At the end of season 2, Bill takes Sookie to a fancy French restaurant and proposes marriage. Unsure of what to say, Sookie excuses herself to the restroom. She returns, ready to say “yes,” and finds that Bill is missing. Where is he?
5. Bill was held captive by his maker, Lorena. During season 2, Sookie and Bill went to Dallas to help Eric locate his maker, Godric, who had offered himself as a sacrifice to the Fellowship of the Sun. In Dallas, Bill encountered Lorena, his maker, whom he had not seen in years. We learned that a maker has a remarkable hold on his or her “children,” and that Lorena’s hold on Bill is quite strong. If she calls, he has to come.
The witching hour is upon us, folks! In the second-season finale of True Blood, Maryann’s plan comes to a surprising conclusion, as both Bill and Sam make serious sacrifices to try to thwart her. But wait, there’s a whole lot more, as the residents of Bon Temps, specifically Eggs, have much difficulty dealing with the messy, memory-challenged aftermath, during which Jason and Andy will make life-changing decisions.
The Queen reveals that she’s the source of Eric’s V-dealing operations, and she is none too pleased that Bill knows about it. Even with Maxine back to “normal,” Hoyt and Jessica’s relationship still has its challenges. And just when Bill and Sookie — who has begun to question whether she is even human — get ready for their happy ending, a juicy cliff-hanger postpones it… for at least a year, when we’ll next see a new episode of Alan Ball’s genius vampire fables. Sucks, doesn’t it? (One last vampire pun for the road!)…. read more
“True Blood” begins to pick up the pace this week, with storylines that have long been on slow burn finally taking some dramatic turns.
We start out with a killer teaser this week featuring my favorite bad-boy vamp Eric feeding on one of the hotel’s working girls. He stops when Lorena enters the room and he greets her with the revelation that he was the one who summoned her to Dallas. Naughty, naughty, Eric! I Methinks he wanted a little distraction for Bill, no? He confirms that he wants something from Sookie and needs Lorena to keep Bill busy while he gets it. I can’t wait to see how this shakes out!
This week also features another lovely flashback! This time we get to see Lorena and Bill in Prohibition-era Chicago. It seems the Bill of 80 years ago wasn’t so human friendly, as the flashback involves Lorena and Bill seducing, torturing and killing a rich couple for fun. Aw, they’re just like old school Angelus and Darla! Them having sex on the bloody bed while their female victim lay there dying was deliciously disturbing. It’s nice to be reminded that vamps aren’t all kittens and TruBlood and rainbows.
Bill and Isabel decide to send a fellow human, Hugo, with Sookie to infiltrate the Fellowship, with them posing as an engaged couple. They exchange notes about dating vampires, which hee! It turns out Hugo wants to be turned so he can be with Isabel forever, which Sookie admits she has never even thought about before. I think it might come up at some point. Just a hunch. Sookie and Hugo go on their mission, which starts out great until Sookie reads Reverend and Sarah Newlin’s minds and realizes they know EXACTLY who she is. Ruh roh! The Reverend tries to lure them into the basement, but when they try to flee he and his henchman drag them down there against their will. Bill senses Sookie’s danger but is stopped by Lorena making her appearance. Will Jason be the one to discover his sister in danger? Here’s hoping.
Jason gets tapped to participate in the infamous and prestigious “Meet the Sun” ceremony, which is basically a vampire torture/murder ritual. What an honor! While building the torture device, Jason and Luke get in a conversation about infidelity and abstinence. Jason considers becoming abstinent for at least 30 seconds, but I doubt it will stick. Especially when Sarah later cries on his shoulder, reveals to him that they are being trained to start a war with the vampires, and puts it out there that she is supposed to be with him, not the Reverend. God told her so and everything! Jason confirms that Sarah got the go-ahead from God for them to have an affair, and he dives right in there in the church. Now that’s the Jason we know and love!
Andy questions Lafayette about his disappearance and loss of pizazz since he’s been back. He starts yelling at Lafayette and this causes a PTSD-type reaction on Lafayette where he sees Andy’s words coming out of Eric’s mouth. Very effectively creepy. Terry recognizes Lafayette’s pain, runs his cousin off and comforts Lafayette. Later, Pam shows up in Merlotte’s walk-in and informs him that Eric is demanding Lafayette get back in the V business. Eeenteresting.
Hoyt’s mother canceled his phone because Jessica was calling him late at night. Hoyt demands his mother turn the phone back on and one-ups her concern about Jessica not being a proper girl by confessing that the reason she only calls him late at night is because she’s a vampire. Awesome. Hoyt drives to Dallas and surprises Jessica in her hotel room, and they have a very sweet reunion. I hope this doesn’t end badly.
Tara and Eggs go on a water heater pump rescue mission to appease Maryann’s completely bitchy reaction to the house’s old one breaking. While on the road Eggs has a very strong deja vu moment that causes him to go wandering down a road he says he’s never seen but can navigate with ease. His trek leads him to a ritual sacrifice-looking site where he senses he witnessed some very bad things go down. They return to find the house trashed and Maryann hosting a giant orgy in Sookie’s backyard. An orgy in which Arlene and Terry are participating! They witness Maryann’s obvious instigator role (and no doubt notice that the site they happened upon earlier looked just like this) but can’t help but join in. It’s like some sort of group forced rape, and it’s icky. Cut it out, Maryann.
Sam must have listened to my pleading, because he finally asks Daphne about her scars! She doesn’t know what happened, she says just got jumped in the woods. Daphne then encourages Sam to tell his loved ones about his shapeshifter status, as all her friends and family know about her. While frolicking in the woods together later, Daphne turns into a very familiar pig and catches the eye of Andy, who recognizes her and chases her through the woods. (Andy running through the woods yelling “PIG!” was the comedy highlight of my Sunday, by the way.) Sam questions her on why it seemed Andy knew her in pig form, and she slyly distracts him with sexual favors. She then leads him to the edge of the orgy, where several of Maryann’s black-eyed followers drag him towards all the sex-having. That’s when Maryann puts on the bull’s head, starts chanting, and everything goes to black as we listen to Sam scream. Finally, things are starting to get good!
Random thoughts:
I simultaneously like and hate the vamp necessity of “claiming” their humans amongst other vamps. This love/hate relationship is mostly because of how stupid the vamps sound when they are claiming someone. It makes me giggle.
Bill’s combination French/Southern accent in the flashback was sort of hilarious. He sings like an angel, though. Is that Stephen Moyer’s real voice? If so, very nice, Steve.
I loved the scene when Sookie and Hugo first meet the Reverend and his wife. Anna Paquin played that perfectly, and the actor playing Reverend Newlin was quite awesome as well.
For all of you spoiler-hounds, don’t forget to check out our Live Blog and an awesome trailer from Comic-Con!
Favorite quotes:
“Baby? I’m over a thousand years old.” – Eric
“I considered booking you in the room adjoining theirs but I thought that might be a bit…over the top.” – Eric, to Lorena
“I don’t know what to tell you. I wish I had a fancier crib for you to squat in, but I don’t.” – Tara, to Maryann
“All of ’em put together ain’t half as bad as if you do it to a vampire. Or to a dude. Or a vampire dude. That’s, like, cream de la cream [sic] of sin, no repentance for that. Straight to hell, baby.” – Luke, on sex outside of marriage
“Stupid f***ing pig.” – Andy
“I’m so happy I could cry but I don’t wanna because it’s really gross when I do.” – Jessica
“True Blood” has always made no apologies for playing up the more seductive side of vampirism, but this week almost the entire cast gets into the game, leaving us with one sexy hour of human, vampire, shapeshifter and even fundamentalist fun.
Once again the show picks up right where we left off last week, with Sam playing dumb with Daphne re: his shapeshifter status. Lucky for him, she turns out to be a shapeshifter too! Ah, supernatural love. They proceed to spend the rest of the episode alternately getting it on and swapping shapeshifter secrets. When will Sam notice the claw marks on her back? Considering how much time they spend in the buff, I’m thinking quite soon.
In Dallas, Sookie chases Barry the telepathic bellboy down but he refuses to talk to her about their mutual gift for fear of what could happen if the ruthless Dallas vamps found out. Sookie offers to teach him how to control his telepathy, but he ends up quitting this job and disappearing to escape her scrutiny.
Sookie, Bill and Eric meet with the local vampires to discuss the Fellowship of the Sun their potential ties to Godric’s abduction. The Dallas vamps want to raze the entire operation, but Eric and Bill disagree. Sookie offers to infiltrate the Fellowship of the Sun in order to find out who abducted Godric. Eric demands it to happen despite Bill’s protests, and we learn via flashback that the reason Eric is so determined to find Godric because Godric was his maker. While Bill and Sookie are saying their horizontal goodbyes back at the hotel, a mysterious female vampire roams the hallway outside their room, obviously looking for them. Is this mysterious vamp Bill’s maker? I can’t tell (she looks different, but that is probably because of dress/makeup) but if it is her that will definitely cause some trouble!
Jason begins God boot camp and shows leadership potential, which the Reverend picks up on. Sarah starts to resent her husband cutting her out of the decision making process with the Fellowship and decides starting an affair with Jason is the best way to get back at him. Jason tries to do the right thing and resist her advances but in the end does what we all expect him to and gives in. You know what they say about leopards and spots…
Tara wakes up from her night of debauchery with Eggs and finds Maryann in Sookie’s kitchen making breakfast. Maryann says she and Carl need to stay at Sookie’s now because the house she was living in before wasn’t hers and the owner is back. Tara tells her she can’t move in, and finally starts asking questions about what the history is between Maryann, Carl and Eggs. Unfortunately she doesn’t get any satisfactory answers. Maryann decides to use her powers for definite evil in retaliation, sitting outside Merlotte’s and causing absolute chaos for the workers and patrons inside the bar, and then being a calm support to Tara when she gets home. Tara has a change of heart and says she will ask Sookie if they all can live in the house together. I’m sure this will turn out well! Also, Gran is rolling in her grave right now, I am sure.
Lafayette finally comes back to Merlotte’s and stoically asks for his job back. Sam reads him the riot act for disappearing, and Lafayette doesn’t put up a fight or talk back but simply sits there quietly until Sam lets him return to work. I’m as worried as Sam is about this new, subdued, polite Lafayette.
Random thoughts:
Loved Terry’s “Good party!” to Sam and subsequent carrying of Arlene into the forest for some action.
I am really, really not enjoying this Soldiers of the Sun storyline. It sort of feels like it comes from a different show.
Bill sure has a lot of self-hatred for his race. (Species?) I know a “good” vampire is supposed to be a little self-loathing, but come on Bill. Your kind aren’t all bad, for cold-blooded killers.
Eric’s flashback was very “Let the Right One In,” with the speaking in Swedish (I think?) and the young, pretty male vampire.
Maryann and Eggs forcing themselves into Sookie’s house (with Maryann playing little Ms. Homemaker in one of Gran’s old aprons) immediately after Tara and Eggs had sex made me go to a very “Rosemary’s Baby” place. That’s kind of an obvious story, so I desperately hope I am wrong.
Hoyt and Jessica’s chaste phone flirtation was a very cute counterpoint to all of the more lurid things happening in the episode. Darn it, I want those kids to make things work!
Favorite quotes:
“You are going to be so sorry when I get an eating disorder.” – Jessica
“What are you, nomads? F***ing Bedouins?” – Tara
“Do you know what I think? I think that after all your trials, heartache and pain, God wants you to have a reward. Let me reward you, Jason. Let me help you find your way back to joy.” – Sarah right before, well, giving Jason some joy
Odds and ends:
I love that Alice and Henry both agreed that Henry should go to Bologna to get “trained.” You know you loved it too. Those two are still my favorite characters (save Reverend Stone) on the show.
What is up with Adrian’s need for the house next to Amy so that she can be with Ricky? Holy mackerel, that girl has a one track mind and it’s definitely on the wrong track.
I can’t even touch on the idiocy of David’s idea of ditching Amy and John and moving out of town. Idiocy. Complete idiocy.
This week on “True Blood,” Jason becomes a solider of God, Sookie meets someone just like her, Tara has a wild party and Eric wears a tank top. I’ll let you all guess which of those things I was the most interested in watching.
In the teaser this week, Jason gets pranked by his fellow cultists into believing his bunk mates were slaughtered by vampires. It’s just like a fraternity house, but with more Jesus! Jason spends the rest of the episode arguing about who in the Bible was the first vampire (discussed: Lazarus, Cain, Jesus, and Eve), having vampire target practice with the Reverend, and seriously coveting the Reverend’s wife. The Reverend and his wife invite Jason to be a part of “the Soldiers of the Son,” which basically sounds like a cult-within-a-cult. This requires he stay in the Reverend and Sarah’s house. Yeah. This isn’t going to end well.
After the credits, we jump right back where we left off last week with Bill playing interruptus to Hoyt and Jessica’s coitus. He orders Hoyt out of the house and is generally unreasonable in that stubborn Bill way, until Sookie makes him see that he needs to be more gentle with Jessica and really show her what being a vampire can be. She convinces him to take Jessica along on their Dallas trip. When they arrive, some funny business goes on with the driver and Bill figures out he was hired to abduct Sookie. Jessica gets some glamour practice on the limo driver and goes a little overboard, but Bill manages to learn that the Fellowship of the Son hired the limo driver to abduct Sookie and bring her to their church. Bill and Eric meet to discuss the church’s involvement, and Eric says that if they don’t find Godrick soon the vampires in his region are planning to start openly attacking humans in retaliation. When Bill questions the rationality of this move, Eric’s only reply is, “Well, this is Texas.” Ha! Back in the room, bellman Barry shows up with a tasty midnight snack for Jessica. More than that, however, Barry brings his own gift of mind reading to Sookie. Awesome! When they realize they are reading each other’s minds, Barry takes off running, with Sookie not far behind. Come back, Barry! I’m interested in this story development!
Tara tells Maryann she’s moving in with Sookie. Maryann acts supportive, but I doubt that will last. She shows her support by throwing Tara a wild birthday party at Sookie’s house. As with all of Maryann’s parties, she does some chanting and some vibrating, which the party goers (especially Tara and Eggs) seem to enjoy, all up until the point where things start to get just a little bit out of control…which is when Maryann reveals her creepy claws. I want to know more! Enough with the slow burn on this storyline, Alan Ball!
As we saw last week, Sam and Daphne do some skinny dipping and some male/female bonding. The next morning, Sookie finds out Sam is planning to leave town without telling her and reads him the riot act, apologizing for leading him on and making all kinds of excuses for being kind of wishy washy last season, but Sam doesn’t want to hear it. Sam drowns his sorrows by making out with Daphne at Tara’s party, where Daphne reveals that she knows “what Sam really is.” Eeeenteresting.
The Sheriff and the coroner are still stumped over what killed Tara’s exorcist. Andy tells the Sheriff about seeing the pig (the same pig that Tara saw when her car ran off the road). Obviously, Andy sounds like a crazy drunk, so the Sheriff assumes he is a crazy drunk and takes away his badge. In the Sheriff’s defense, Andy has totally been a crazy drunk lately. Here’s predicting Andy is the only one who figures out what Maryann is really up to but can’t get anyone to believe him.
Tara visits Lafayette and he pretty much gives her the blow-off, preferring to let his body heal on its own. He is sitting on the couch feeling sorry for himself when Eric shows up at his window and offers to give him his blood to heal his gunshot wound. Lafayette correctly guesses that Eric just wants him to drink his blood so he can track him in the future, and Eric admits that since Lafayette is so important to Sookie he wants to keep tabs on him. Eric’s obsession with Sookie is leading to something, but I can’t quite figure out what yet. Any of you have any (non-book spoiler) guesses?
Random thoughts:
Arlene’s little giggle at Daphne’s complaint about working hard was hilarious.
Tara’s birthday tears and confession to Eggs about always crying on her birthday was probably supposed to be heart wrenching and character-illuminating, but I found it quite a tired cliche. They’ve tried to give Tara more depth, but this took her character back about 100 paces for me.
Bill threatening the limo driver (Hank from Breaking Bad!) was AWESOME. That was the first time I’ve ever thought Stephen Moyer really pulled off the fine line between cheesy awesomeness and true menace that being a TV vampire requires.
I vote Eric sits around in a black tank top baring his forearms more often. Anyone with me on this?
Favorite quotes:
“Are you going to leave, or am I going to have to throw you out? Through a window. That is closed!” – Bill, to Hoyt
“Bill, that is just rude.” – Sookie, in response
“Is it my fault my fangs come out when I get turned on?” – Jessica
“I am a vampire, I’m supposed to be tormented.” – Bill
“I’ll need to call the airlines to arrange for two travel coffins instead of just one.” – Bill
“Maybe Jesus was the first vampire. I mean, he rose from the dead, too. He told people ‘Hey y’all, drink my blood. It will give you special powers.'” – Jason
“Evil is making the premeditated choice to be a dick.” – Jason
“I’ve always love these, they’re like booze for dolls. They gave me ten!” – Sookie, holding an airplane-sized vodka bottle
The fangs are out as the band screamed ‘I could corrupt you. It will be easy watching you suffer. Girl, it will please me.’
Source: Ace Showbiz TV News With only one more episode left in the second season, “True Blood” is airing a teaser which utilizes Depeche Mode‘s “Corrupt”. The teaser for the season 2 finale was played on Sunday night without the band but HBO has since released a longer version online that includes scenes of the band recording the song.
The “True Blood” scenes are those from the title while the glimpses of the band are cut from the “Studio Sessions” featurette on the “Sounds of the Universe” box set. “Universe” is the twelfth studio album from the rock band which was released back on April 20, and “Corrupt” is the song that never got out as an individual sale.
The teaser is also aimed to promote HBO on Demand which has made available all the episodes from season 1 and 2 except for the upcoming September 13 episode.
Called “Beyond Here Lies Nothin’ “, the final episode sees the desperate attempts made by Sookie and Bill to stop Maryann from moving forward with her ultimate bestial sacrifice that requires Sookie to be the Maid of Honor. Deliberating on what may be his final move to save Sookie and the town, Sam places his trust, and his life, in a most unlikely ally.
In another side of the town, Hoyt struggles with Maxine’s endless stream of insults. Meanwhile, Sophie-Anne warns Eric to keep the lid on Bill’s inquisitiveness and Jason leads Andy into the heroic abyss.
In the season finale, Maryann in a wedding dress and Sookie in a maid-of-honor dress for some season-finale craziness, courtesy our favorite maenad. (Maryann plans to marry the sacrifice-conjured Dionysus) Expect many surprises on the September 13 True Blood finale, including Sam turning to an unlikely ally to help save Bon Temps. (Watch With Kristin)
There’s a plan in place for her [Evan Rachel Wood] to return next season. (Michael Ausiello)
Beyond Here Lies Nothin – Airing September 13, 2009 Season Finale
In the season two finale, the mayhem in Bon Temps reaches a fever pitch as Maryann prepares for her ultimate bestial sacrifice, conscripting Sookie to be Maid of Honor at the bloody nuptials. Meanwhile, Sophie-Anne warns Eric to keep the lid on Bill’s inquisitiveness; Jason leads Andy into the heroic abyss; and Hoyt has a hard time swallowing Maxine’s endless stream of insults. Deliberating on what may be his final move to save Sookie and the town, Sam is forced to put his trust, and his life, in a most unlikely ally. (Michael Ausiello)
In the final episodes of this season, you’ll see a very interesting division take place among the characters. Pay attention to those for whom supernatural events are not quite as super. They are different, and their differences will be explored in future seasons. (TV Guide)
Maryann ain’t gonna stop coming for Sam – she needs a juicy sacrifice for her god. Sam keeps thinking it might be better for Bon Temps and all his friends if he gives himself up in exchange for their lives. Luckily, Sam’s got a savior waiting around the corner. (Watch With Kristin)
Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette Reynold) revealed some interesting information about the radiating light that appeared from Sookie’s hand: “Well, I read the books, so I think she’s part fairy. That was her fairy power.” According to Rutina Wesley (Tara Thornton), “[Sookie’s power] is a funky little thing,” but she also says the show won’t answer that question for certain any time in season two.” (TrueBloodNet)
When asked who is going to help Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) out of trouble, Tara Buck, who plays Fangtasia waitress Ginger said: “We’ve got Sam (Sam Trammell) running from Maryann (Michelle Forbes), and he may actually…” Tara wants to keep her job, so she couldn’t say everything, but he may actually seek refuge with Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård) and Pam (Kristin Bauer) at Fangtasia in Shreveport, La. (TrueBloodNet)
Carrie Preston (Arlene Fowler) was asked if Arlene and Terry are going to stay together. She said: “When you’re possessed on the show, the next day, you don’t remember. So they can start over—like a reset, a reboot. I think Arlene is constantly searching for the perfect man, and maybe he’s going to be the one. I don’t know.” (TrueBloodNet)
Season 2 Episodes
Episode 2.04 – Let’s Take a Trip Together Airs: Sunday, July 12
Bill and Sookie travel to Dallas to carry out Eric’s mission; Jason falls victim to a practical joke; Maryann throws a birthday party for Tara.
In the next episode, Sookie (Anna Paquin), Bill (Stephen Moyer) and Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) encounter trouble when they arrive in Dallas and find out that someone from the Fellowship of the Sun was sent to abduct Sookie. The plan fails. And believe it or not, Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) invites Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) into his home and feeds off his blood to recover from the wounds suffered when Eric abducted him. (Watch With Kristin)
Episode 2.05 – Never Let Me Go Airs: Sunday, July 19
While in Dallas, Sookie connects with one of her own; Jason is rewarded for his hard work at the Light of Day boot camp; Eric shares a secret about his past with Bill.
Episode 2.06 – Friend Is a Four Letter Word Airs: Sunday, July 26
Sookie embarks on a dangerous mission to locate Godric; Bill is shocked when a vampire from his past resurfaces in Dallas; Jason must make difficult emotional and physical choices.
Source:MSN.com Episode 2.04 “Shake and Fingerpop”
Debut: SUNDAY, JULY 12 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
With Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) in tow, Bill (Stephen Moyer) and Sookie (Anna Paquin) head to Dallas to carry out Eric’s (Alexander Skarsgård) vampire-reconnaissance mission – but a surprise awaits them at the airport. At the Light of Day Institute, Jason (Ryan Kwanten) falls victim to a practical joke, but has the last laugh when the Newlins anoint him for a higher calling. Maryann (Michelle Forbes) throws Tara (Rutina Wesley) a birthday party at Sookie’s, attracting much of Bon Temps to its Bacchanalian revelry. Sam (Sam Trammell) postpones his departure from town to attend the bash, connecting with Daphne (Ashley Jones) in the process. Having barely escaped Fangtasia, Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) finds himself reluctantly pulled back into Eric’s orbit.
Written by Alan Ball; directed by Michael Lehmann.
Episode 2.05 “Never Let Me Go”
Debut: SUNDAY, JULY 19 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
In Dallas, Sookie connects with one of her own, then joins Bill and Eric for a strategic summit at the lair of the missing vampire, Godric (Allan Hyde), attended by his lieutenants, Stan (Ed Quinn) and Isabel (Valerie Cruz). Meanwhile, Jason shows his mettle at a Light of Day boot camp, and is rewarded for his hard work with a gift from Sarah (Anna Camp). Rebuffed by Tara in her relocation efforts, Maryann decides to cast her spell on the staff of Merlotte’s, softening Tara up towards her new “family.” Eric shares a little-known secret about his past with Bill, and Sookie makes a decision that might solve the Godric mystery – or get her killed.
Written by Nancy Oliver; directed by John Dahl.
Episode 2.06 “Hard-Hearted Hannah”
Debut: SUNDAY, JULY 26 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Accompanied by Isabel’s human boyfriend Hugo (Christopher Gartin), Sookie embarks on a dangerous mission to locate Godric. Meanwhile, Bill is shocked when a vampire from his distant, more violent past resurfaces in Dallas. In Bon Temps, Daphne presses Sam to get comfortable in his own skin(s); Hoyt (Jim Parrack) continues his unlikely courtship of Jessica; Andy (Chris Bauer) interrogates Lafayette about his disappearance; and Tara and Eggs (Mehcad Brooks) take a detour while on a road trip. At the Light of Day camp, Jason faces difficult emotional and physical choices.
Written by Brian Buckner; directed by Michael Lehmann.
HBO just released the titles and extended loglines for all five of True Blood’s August episodes and man they are juicy. How juicy? So juicy that I’m inclined to forgive them for withholding fresh Blood from me last Sunday. Have a look-see yourself…
Aug. 2: “Release Me”
Betrayed by Daphne, Sam finds himself in an unenviable predicament at the hands of Maryann and her wild-eyed minions. Imprisoned with Hugo in the F.O.T.S. church, Sookie uses her telepathic powers to reach out to Bill, who’s being detained at the hotel by a stubbornly obsessive Lorena. After crossing a line with the Newlins, a fearful Jason tries to sever his ties with the Fellowship of the Sun, but gets plenty of resistance from Steve and his enforcer Gabe…
Aug. 9: “Timebomb”
Sookie’s captivity takes an unexpected turn when Eric arrives to do his master’s bidding on the eve of the Fellowship’s lockdown. In Bon Temps, Sam finds himself in hot water after making a gruesome discovery at Merlotte’s, and Andy proves no help in coming to his defense. Sent home by Bill, Jessica and Hoyt learn that when it comes to sex, every time is the first time. Tara and Eggs devour a mysterious meal prepared by Maryann, with unexpected results. After Jason pays off his debt to the vampires, Godric looks to enlighten his more single-minded followers.
Aug. 16: “I Will Rise Up”
A wounded Eric plays Sookie for a sucker, to Bill’s dismay, and ends up getting inside her head. Later, Sookie and Jason bond over their recent adventures. Blaming Eggs for Tara’s bruises and bizarre behavior, Lafayette and Lettie Mae try to figure out a way to pry their kin from Maryann’s clutches. Hoyt defends his relationship with Jessica to Maxine, to no avail. Jailed by Bud along with a group of Bon Temps revelers, Sam looks for a way to escape and avoid capture by an increasingly obsessed Maryann. In Dallas, Eric and the vampires defend their recent actions to Nan Flanagan and are shocked when Godric decides to take the fall for their PR disaster.
Aug. 23: “New World in My View”
Sookie, Bill and Jason return to a Bon Temps turned upside down by Maryann. Lured to Merlotte’s by Arlene, Sam and Andy find cold comfort in their refuge from a group of bloodthirsty revelers. Bill discovers that traditional vampire techniques don’t work on Maryann; Hoyt and Jessica try to keep a lid on Maxine’s madness; and Sookie tries to push through the darkness consuming Tara. With all hell breaking loose, Jason takes the bull by the horns to rescue Sam, at least for the moment.
Aug. 30: “Frenzy”
With the crisis in Bon Temps careening out of control, Bill seeks out the advice of Sophie-Anne (Evan Rachel Wood), the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, but must exercise patience before she gives him critical information. Meanwhile, Sookie and Lafayette find that protecting Tara from herself is more difficult than they anticipated; a desperate Sam turns to an unlikely source for assistance; and Jessica tests Hoyt’s allegiance to Maxine.
Episode 2.11 – Frenzy
Bill seeks the advice of the vampire Queen of Louisiana; Sookie and Lafayette find it difficult to protect Tara; Sam turns to an unlikely source for assistance
Episode 2.10 – New World in My View
Sookie, Bill and Jason return to Bon Temps; Hoyt and Jessica try to keep Maxine’s madness a secret; Jason tries to rescue Sam.
Episode 2.09 – I Will Rise Up
Eric plays Sookie for a fool; Lafayette and Lettie Mae try to figure out how to get Tara away from Maryann; Hoyt defends his relationship with Jessica
Episode 2.08 – Timebomb
Sookie’s captivity takes an unexpected turn; Sam makes a gruesome discovery at Merlotte’s; Tara and Eggs get physical; Jason pays off his debt to the vampires.
Episode 2.07 – Release Me
Maryann and her minions put Sam in a difficult situation; Sookie uses her telepathic powers to reach out to Bill; Jason tries to sever his ties with the Fellowship of the Sun.
Source: SpoilerTV
General Spoilers
True Blood star Ryan Kwanten tells us that Jason Stackhouse and his sister, Sookie, won’t be separated forever: “There will be [a reunion between the Stackhouse siblings] and quite an electric one, too, where we gang up for the greater good.”
We’ve been waiting patiently for this mysterious vampire-of-all-vampires too, and the wait is almost over. Godric (Allan Hyde) pops up in the July 19 episode, along with his lieutenants Stan (Eureka‘s Ed Quinn) and Isabel (Valerie Cruz). Valerie tells us, “Isabel runs with the Dallas vampires, but she kind of becomes friends with both Bill and Eric. And she likes Sookie. [Isabel] has a penchant for humans, and she’s sensitive to this love story they have.”
Carrie Preston, who plays Arlene, says, “The second-season finale is only two weeks after the end of the first season. Things get crazy in Bon Temps, Louisiana, I’ll tell you that.” Wait, Arlene doesn’t die, does she? “Not so far!” Source: Kristin on E!Online
General Spoilers
Next week on True Blood, when poor dead zombie Daphne’s (Ashley Jones) body is discovered, people start to suspect that Sam (Sam Trammell) killed her. (Watch With Kristin)
Sookie and Eric grow closer over the next few episodes, after he is injured and needs her help. (Watch With Kristin)
Alexander Skarsgård talking about his character: “Eric was kind of misunderstood. A lot of people would come up to me and say, ‘Oh, you’re the evil…the bad guy.’ I always had to defend him because there’s more to him than that,” says Alexander. “I actually got a chance to show that [this season]. I mean, he is a badass, of course, but I’m just happy because as an actor, you shouldn’t play the same note for two years. You have to show different layers and go deeper and show that there’s more to the character than that. And I’ve had fun this season because I have been able to show that he does have a sensitive side, a loyal side. He doesn’t care for a lot of people, and not for a lot of vampires either, but the ones he cares about he’s very, very, very loyal and devoted to.” (Watch With Kristin)
First of all, True Blood! Sooooo… our guitar player, Sarah Carter, was on episode 2 of this season, season 2, with her other band Rocket!! The episode is called “Get This Party Started” and Rocket is the back up band for the Christian rock singer chick. it’s pretty funny… and kinda wrong actually… in a good way. But wait there’s more!!! I, Lindsey Haun, will be on the last 2 episodes of the season! well actually, technically, 3. We shot about 3 weeks ago and it was amazing! I LOVE Alan Ball and the directors i got to work with, Michael Cuesta and Daniel Minahan! The crew was so incredibly nice and professional and hard working. What a treat to be on that set! I can’t tell you much because i don’t want to give the story away but i can tell you that i play Hadley Hale, Sookie Stackhouse’s (Anna Paquin) cousin. I got to work with Stephan Moyer, Alexander Skarsgard, and drum roll please… Evan Rachel Wood. i can’t tell you who she plays but i can tell you that she’s awesome! They’re all awesome! Anyway, i really want to work with all of them again so please watch the show and tell them that you want me on it more! lol! Source: Lindsey’s Myspace
“True Blood” returned from a long hiatus tonight with a jam-packed episode that set a number of new things in motion for the upcoming season. If you’re like me, however, you’re only tuning in for one reason: to find out what the heck happened to Lafayette!
Season two picks up right where we left off last year, with Sookie and Tara discovering a dead body in Andy’s car behind Merlotte’s. A dead body that looked suspiciously like Lafayette. Andy checks out the body and — it isn’t Lafayette! Hallelujah! Quite honestly, I just don’t want to watch a “True Blood” without my favorite flamboyant cook.
Now that we’ve got that piece of business out of the way, let’s do a rundown on where everyone else stands this season:
Tara
The news that the dead body isn’t Lafayette is great for Tara because it means her cousin isn’t dead, but what’s not so great is that instead the body is her fraud voodoo exorcist. Furthermore, the exorcist’s heart was brutally ripped out of her body, seemingly while she was still alive by the look of sheer terror on her face. Awesomely gruesome. Tara tells the cops her connection to the dead woman and, more importantly, tells her mother the truth about her exorcism. The mysterious (and definitely evil…right?) Maryann shows up to take Tara home and in the process reams Tara’s mother something fierce for being a generally terrible person. It’s not that Tara’s mother doesn’t deserve it, but darn. That was harsh.
Bill
Bill, on the other hand, is dealing with frightening matters of his own: Jessica, the truly annoying vampire he turned last season. Amusingly, he has two main house rules: no hunting humans, and please recycle all your glass and paper products. I suppose if you know you’re going to live forever you would want to practice conservation. Let’s face it, he IS future generations. When Sookie shows up at Bill’s and discovers Jessica there, Bill must explain the whole ordeal that led to Jessica’s turning. Sookie isn’t jazzed to lean that she is basically the cause of this entire mess, but most of all she’s angry that it took him two weeks to tell her about it.
Sookie
Sookie finally learns that sleazy Uncle Bartlett is dead and immediately suspects Bill as the murderer (and rightfully so). She inherits all of her uncle’s money but doesn’t even want anything to do with it, giving the lot to Jason. When she confronts Bill about the murder, he admits right away that he killed him. Sookie can’t handle feeling like she’s responsible for yet another murder (unlike Rene, indirectly this time) but when she goes to leave Bill pulls out the “I love you” card and they make up. Repeatedly. If you know what I mean.
Jason
Jason is busy finding God and declaring himself “saved” by the Fellowship of the Sun. He even says their book made him think, and Jason Stackhouse thinking is a scary thing, y’all. He meets the leader of the church, a Reverend who invites him to a leadership conference in order to deepen his faith. A leadership conference that costs $1200. Getting saved is expensive! Lucky for Jason he just came into a little money, eh? When Hoyt learns of Jason’s new endeavor and questions the church’s motives, especially those teaching people to hate vampires, Jason completely misses the point and says that the church is more than the hate. But Jason, if the hate is part of the church doesn’t that sort of negate all of the other stuff? Oh, dear.
Lafayette
My boy Lafayette has been located and although I’m sure he’s happy not to be the dead woman with her heart ripped out, the situation is not good. He and several other humans are trapped in Bon Temps’ very own version of “Saw,” complete with weird torture wheel! They spin the wheel why? I don’t know. Maybe they need exercise. He’s trapped there with one of the jerks from last season who refused to eat an AIDS burger, because being mysteriously kidnapped and held against your will obviously isn’t torture enough. The homophobic dude’s apology to Lafayette for being a homophobic dude and heartfelt confession that he once let another guy blow him is priceless. Turns out the captor is none other than Eric (Eric!) and he’s looking for information on crimes against vampires, and torturing humans in the know to get it. Don’t mess with Eric, fools, he’ll mess you up! And look extremely hot while doing it.
Sam
Sam expounds on his implied history with Maryann from last season via flashback, where we learn that she once busted a young shapeshifting Sam breaking into her house. As a punishment, she cougar-izes him in her bedroom. I would be happy for our young robber but the sheer weirdness of the encounter skeeves me out — the woman (thing?) VIBRATES and basically is in about four places at once during, um, completion. What exactly is her power? Whatever it is, it’s not benign, that’s for sure. Frustratingly, even though she and Sam have a confrontation in the present we learn nothing new about her or her motives. What is that witchy woman up to?
Random thoughts:
Is Tara’s new man legit or just a larger part of whatever Maryann is trying to accomplish? Considering the bitch slap Carl got for interrupting their kiss, I’m thinking he’s part of the plan. I’m still not sure if he’s in on it or just another patsy like Tara, however.
The pan to the sky and the thankful look on Jason’s face when he gets the money is pure hilarity. Ryan Kwanten really sells Jason’s naivete well.
Sookie and Bill’s back and forth was enough to make someone seasick this week. First she forgives him, then she takes it back when she learns about Jessica. Then she forgives him again, but takes it back when she learns about Uncle Bartlett, and immediately forgives him again when he tells her he loves her. I cannot keep up with this flip-flopping. They’re worse than Dawson and Joey.
Tie for favorite secondary character: Hoyt Fortenberry and Terry Bellefleur. When Terry smelled Arlene’s hair I nearly lost it, and Hoyt’s hesitation around females is just too funny.
WARNING: Stop reading if you have not watched the season premiere of True Blood. I mean it. Everyone else, onward and downward…
Now that you’ve seen the season 2 premiere of True Blood, join me in a chorus of “Hallelujah, Lafayette lives!” Although last November’s cliff-hanger seemed to suggest that series creator Alan Ball was remaining faithful to Charlaine Harris’ books and sending Nelsan Ellis’ fierce, flamboyant alter ego to an early grave, Sunday’s debut confirmed what many fans had hoped: Ball decided to spare the wildly popular character. But why? In this exclusive interview, Ellis has the surprising answer to that question, as well as scoop on another possible detour Ball has up his sleeve — this one involving a deep connection between Lafayette and Alexander Skarsgard’s Eric.
When you first signed on to the show, did Alan Ball assure you he would not be following the books when it came to this character? NELSAN ELLIS: No, no no. When I first started it was only a one-year contract, so I thought I was a goner after the 12th episode. In fact, [Alan] didn’t tell me that he was bringing me back until after the table read for [the season 1 finale]. He was like, “You know we’re not killing you, right?” And I was like, “I didn’t know but thanks for telling me.”
What was your reaction? ELLIS: Thank you! I have a job for next season! That was my reaction.
Did he explain to you why he let Lafayette survive? ELLIS: Not really. He just said he decided after the bar scene in [the pilot], but he didn’t tell me until the 12th episode. He didn’t really go into any detail as to why he decided to keep me — not to me anyway.
When did you realize the character was gaining a large following? ELLIS: I’m beginning to realize it now. At first I didn’t. I am realizing more and more that people have seemed to respond well to Lafayette, much to my surprise.
Why are you surprised? ELLIS: Well, because I would not know what to do with Lafayette or what to think about him.
Was it hard keeping his fate a secret during the hiatus? ELLIS: It was hard. The question was asked every single day.
How will the experience of being locked in a dungeon and almost dying change Lafayette this season? ELLIS: It certainly humbles him. It shows him there are some situations he just can’t get himself out of no matter how slick he is. He’s going to have to suffer the consequences of what he’s done. And I think he reflects back on his behavior and maybe for a second thinks about changing.
In an upcoming episode [SPOILER ALERT], Lafayette ingests a lot of Eric’s blood. The homoeroticism in that moment was off the charts. Was that something you were conscious of while shooting it? ELLIS: I wasn’t. I know Alexander said that from his standpoint he thinks Eric is a little drawn to Lafayette. My intentions were that I was completely terrified of Eric and what he can do to me. As far as I know, I hated his guts. It’s funny what the camera picks up… Alan has been making jokes about me and Eric and what’s to come in the third season. I definitely think I’ll be one of his henchmen, but as far down the rabbit hole as that goes, I don’t know.
So we can assume that Lafayette does, in fact, survive to see a third season? ELLIS: I think I’m back for the third season.
Do you think it’s possible for Lafayette to settle down and have a normal relationship with a guy? ELLIS: I don’t know that his normal is the general norm for everybody. I don’t think he’ll ever be normal to everybody’s standards. I do hope, though, that the dude can find someone that he loves and that loves him back. Everybody should be capable of that — even Lafayette. (Additional reporting by Jeremy Medina)
Any scoop on summer scripted shows like “True Blood”? They seem to be dragging out Lafayette’s fate. I guess the next episode we get somewhere finally?
Um, sort of. Seems to me Lafayette wasn’t made a Vampire, since he will end up drinking Eric’s blood in order to heal his wounds… but I’m still not super clear on the whole Vampire deal. Do Vamp’s ever suck on each other for strength? What I know for sure is that Eric’s blood brings our boy Lafayette back to fighting form. We’ll see the happy-go-lucky guy we loved last season once again.
What’s up with Eggs and Tara? Is it over? Ha, oh hells no.
I love the idea of Hoyt and Jessica on “True Blood”! Hoyt loves the idea too. Jessica’s into it as well, but I don’t think she’s exactly a one man kind of vampiress… not just yet anyway.
Am I imagining the overwhelming sexual tension between Jason Stackhouse and the preacher’s wife on “True Blood”? Is something going to happen with that? No to the former. Yes to the latter. Keep watching, you’re not waiting for nothing.
Sookie and Eric! Is Alan Ball going to completely ignore that storyline from the book series? Nope. When I spoke to Stephen Moyer about what’s coming up with S&E, he got a little jealous. I think he was joking… for the most part.
I read on Twitter that you weren’t a big fan of last week’s “True Blood” episode. It was a little disappointing compared to the first two. No worries, they step it back up this coming Sunday…
Psyched for what’s on tap? Anything specific you’re hoping to see this season?
Oh, I keep forgetting to show you guys a photo of the SAG Foundation’s “True Blood” event with Stephen Moyer, which I moderated a couple weeks ago. Great guy. Anna Paquin‘s a lucky girl. He looks hot with a little color in his face, no?
Think True Blood is getting weird with that teenage vampire “intern” or the underground cells? It’s only going to get weirder, according to Carrie Preston, who plays Arlene Fowler on the show. Explicit violence and nudity are nothing compared to what’s in store for season two.
“It gets more bizarre,” Preston said in an exclusive interview last week in Burbank, Calif., where she represented the show for its Saturn Award nomination (it didn’t win). “Like, truly dark and bizarre. It was pretty explicit last year, but I guess they have to go somewhere from last season.”
So far in the first two episodes of the season, Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) is trying to make peace with Bill’s (Stephen Moyer) commitment to the new vamplette, and Jason (Ryan Kwanten) is trying religious abstinence camp. Preston told fans to expect even bigger surprises.
“Oh, my gosh, you’re going to see characters do things that you would never expect them to do,” she said. “You’re going to see them do things they would never expect themselves to do. It goes to a pretty crazy place.”
As for Arlene’s crazy character shifts, “You’ll just have to wait and see. Let’s just say there are some things that are beyond her control.”
True Blood debuted last year and became HBO’s newest hit. Based on the novels by Charlaine Harris, the series began with the conflict of a telepathic girl trying to date a vampire in a world where synthetic blood permits “safe” interactions between vampires and humans. After developing all its supporting characters and story arcs, Preston said that work on season two has felt as though it is on a surer footing.
“It’s just much more exciting,” Preston said. “There’s a relaxed feeling. We all know that we’re kind of in it now, and people are liking what we’re doing, so we can feel free to keep doing what we’re doing, because apparently it’s working.”
Evan Rachel Wood joins the cast at the end of the season as the lesbian vampire queen of Louisiana. Arlene will not get to encounter Wood just yet. “Mm-mm, I don’t have any scenes with her, so I haven’t met her, but she’s shooting right now. We’re shooting the final episode right now.”
True Blood airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.Source: SCI FI Wire
When does Evan Rachel Wood show up as the queen on True Blood? We have to wait a bit to see Evan Rachel Wood as True Blood‘s 400-year-old lesbian vampire queen Sophie-Anne. She’s slated to appear in episodes 11 and 12 on Aug. 30 and Sept. 6, respectively, and sources tell us, “She may appear in future episodes next season.” Source: Kristin on E!Online
What happens with Lafayette on True Blood? This Sunday, Sookie (Anna Paquin) discovers that Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) has been keeping Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) in his basement and freaks out on him. Naturally. In exchange for Lafayette’s release, Sookie agrees to head to Dallas to find some missing vampires. She doesn’t end up going alone: Bill and Jessica accompany her. Source: Kristin on E!Online
What else can you tell us about the new supernatural creature that appears on True Blood this season? We can tell you that the creature appears in the June 28 episode and brutally attacks Sookie (Anna Paquin). It’s got a bull head, a half animal, half human body, gnarly claws and is poisonous like a Komodo dragon. And it almost kills Sookie. But Eric and Bill (Stephen Moyer) team to help make her as good as new. Oh, and we soon find out the murdered voodoo lady from the first episode of the season was a victim of this same creature. Source: Kristin on E!Online
Seriously, is Lafayette dead on True Blood? We now know the correct answer to this question—and seriously, we can’t tell you! Argh. (All will be revealed Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO, when True Blood‘s second season premieres!) However, because we like to push our luck, we will offer you this new Spoiler Chat feature in consolation: The Clue That Helps Only One Person. Attention Lindsey O. (formerly of Illinois): The person who sat next to us that day we had lunch at the Farm in Beverly Hills is the person whose body is in the backseat of the car on True Blood. Don’t tell anybody what you know, though, or it wouldn’t be the Clue That Helps Only One Person anymore, now would it? BTW, if you’re a Blood fan and you haven’t picked it up yet, the official True Blood soundtrack features Louisiana artists like Lucinda Williams, Allen Toussaint and C.C. Adcock, and it is sooo good.
Talk to me about True Blood! I am so excited! We just caught up with Evan Rachel Wood, who’s promoting her role in Woody Allen‘s Whatever Works, and she tells us this about her vampire queen True Blood character: “Sophie is half Patrick Bateman, half Paris Hilton. She loves to tell people what to do—like, she could tell Bill to go play Yahtzee or something—but she’s not going to sleep with him, because she likes the ladies.” Source: Kristin on E!Online
The season premiere (airing Sunday, June 14, 9 pm/ET) picks up right where we left off, the victim’s identity is revealed in short order. As you might have already guessed, Season 2’s first casualty is related to Tara, but not in a way that you will guess. At first blush, the significance of said death will not be apparent, but just wait! Also, a minor character’s drinking problem will resurface. (TV Guide)
In the season’s first four episodes, there are no less than three orgies, powered by Maryann’s aphrodisiac fairy dust. The Nordic vampire Eric gets into a very homoerotic encounter with either Jason or Eggs, and both of those characters spend a lot of time shirtless. Sookie has a very revealing conversation with a new character in episode four. And Merlotte’s newest waitress (Ashley Jones) harbors a secret, and a clue lurks on her skin. (Michael Ausiello)
HBO has gone full throttle in promoting the imminent “True Blood” by giving the official trailers for its second season. There are two versions released, one is utilizing the employed theme song (Bob Dylan‘s “Beyond Here Lies Nothin'”) while the other one is using a narration and full sound effect. Still noticeably missing from the trailer is Nelsan Ellis who is Lafayette in the series. But more are revealed on Jessica, the newbie vampire who is learning how to be one from Bill. She will visit her family and is entangled in a series of battle, full fangs-on. There are also glimpses of Maryann generating her power, Jason in attack mode and Tara very much in shock. The second season premieres Sunday, June 14 at 9/8c. Alan Ball recently dished out that author Charlaine Harris may have a cameo before the second season ends.
Episode 2.01 – Nothing But the Blood Airs: Sunday, June 14
A shocking murder outside Merlotte’s bar has the people of Bon Temps reeling; Sookie and Bill’s relationship is tested; Sam recalls an encounter he had with Maryann as a 17-year-old.
Episode 2.02 – Keep This Party Going Airs: Sunday, June 21
Sookie and Bill contend with teen vampire Jessica; Jason impresses his Light of Day leaders; Maryann casts her spell at Merlotte’s.
‘True Blood’ 2.02 Preview: Keep This Party Going
Jessica attacks someone at home, Sam lashes out at Maryann, and Lafayette tells Eric to make him a vampire.
Next week, “True Blood” is back with episode “Keep This Party Going” where Sookie is forced to cope with Bill’s obligations to Jessica, as well as the romantic inconveniences the teen vampire’s presence creates. In the preview released for the June 21 episode, Sookie cannot stop Jessica from attacking a mortal. At the Light of Day leadership conference, Jason makes a favorable impression on its ambitious leaders, Steve (Michael McMillian) and Sarah Newlin (Anna Camp), though not on his jealous roommate Luke (Wes Brown). Maryann casts her spell on Merlotte’s patrons, and Sam proves helpless to stop the revelry.
On Sunday, June 14, the bloodfest on HBO began with the series’ season 2 premiere. Spoiler Warning. Months-long cliffhanger that had people speculating on the death of Lafayette was quickly tackled when he appeared on the basement of Eric’s place, all chained up. The woman’s leg found on the back seat of Andy’s car turned out to be Jeannette the exorcist’s. Nelsan Ellis, the actor who portrays Lafayette has answered some questions from EW, saying he was indeed surprised when creator Alan Ball decided to have his character back. Even better, he thinks Lafayette will even survive until season 3. Whether the dungeon imprisonment by Eric will bring a great effect to Lafayette, Ellis shares, “It certainly humbles him. It shows him there are some situations he just can’t get himself out of no matter how slick he is. He’s going to have to suffer the consequences of what he’s done. And I think he reflects back on his behavior and maybe for a second thinks about changing.”
Episode 2.03 – Scratches Airs: Sunday, June 28
Bill enlists Eric’s help to save Sookie after she is attacked by a mysterious creature; Jessica finds a willing suitor in Hoyt; Tara finds her attraction to Eggs interrupted by a swirling fog.
Episode 2.04 – Let’s Take a Trip Together Airs: Sunday, July 12
Bill and Sookie travel to Dallas to carry out Eric’s mission; Jason falls victim to a practical joke; Maryann throws a birthday party for Tara.
Episode 2.05 – Never Let Me Go Airs: Sunday, July 19
While in Dallas, Sookie connects with one of her own; Jason is rewarded for his hard work at the Light of Day boot camp; Eric shares a secret about his past with Bill.
Episode 2.06 – Friend Is a Four Letter Word Airs: Sunday, July 26
Sookie embarks on a dangerous mission to locate Godric; Bill is shocked when a vampire from his past resurfaces in Dallas; Jason must make difficult emotional and physical choices.
Episode 2.04 “Shake and Fingerpop”
Debut: SUNDAY, JULY 12 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
With Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) in tow, Bill (Stephen Moyer) and Sookie (Anna Paquin) head to Dallas to carry out Eric’s (Alexander Skarsgård) vampire-reconnaissance mission – but a surprise awaits them at the airport. At the Light of Day Institute, Jason (Ryan Kwanten) falls victim to a practical joke, but has the last laugh when the Newlins anoint him for a higher calling. Maryann (Michelle Forbes) throws Tara (Rutina Wesley) a birthday party at Sookie’s, attracting much of Bon Temps to its Bacchanalian revelry. Sam (Sam Trammell) postpones his departure from town to attend the bash, connecting with Daphne (Ashley Jones) in the process. Having barely escaped Fangtasia, Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) finds himself reluctantly pulled back into Eric’s orbit.
Written by Alan Ball; directed by Michael Lehmann.
Episode 2.05 “Never Let Me Go”
Debut: SUNDAY, JULY 19 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
In Dallas, Sookie connects with one of her own, then joins Bill and Eric for a strategic summit at the lair of the missing vampire, Godric (Allan Hyde), attended by his lieutenants, Stan (Ed Quinn) and Isabel (Valerie Cruz). Meanwhile, Jason shows his mettle at a Light of Day boot camp, and is rewarded for his hard work with a gift from Sarah (Anna Camp). Rebuffed by Tara in her relocation efforts, Maryann decides to cast her spell on the staff of Merlotte’s, softening Tara up towards her new “family.” Eric shares a little-known secret about his past with Bill, and Sookie makes a decision that might solve the Godric mystery – or get her killed.
Written by Nancy Oliver; directed by John Dahl.
Episode 2.06 “Hard-Hearted Hannah”
Debut: SUNDAY, JULY 26 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Accompanied by Isabel’s human boyfriend Hugo (Christopher Gartin), Sookie embarks on a dangerous mission to locate Godric. Meanwhile, Bill is shocked when a vampire from his distant, more violent past resurfaces in Dallas. In Bon Temps, Daphne presses Sam to get comfortable in his own skin(s); Hoyt (Jim Parrack) continues his unlikely courtship of Jessica; Andy (Chris Bauer) interrogates Lafayette about his disappearance; and Tara and Eggs (Mehcad Brooks) take a detour while on a road trip. At the Light of Day camp, Jason faces difficult emotional and physical choices.
Written by Brian Buckner; directed by Michael Lehmann.
HBO just released the titles and extended loglines for all five of True Blood’s August episodes and man they are juicy. How juicy? So juicy that I’m inclined to forgive them for withholding fresh Blood from me last Sunday. Have a look-see yourself…
Aug. 2: “Release Me”
Betrayed by Daphne, Sam finds himself in an unenviable predicament at the hands of Maryann and her wild-eyed minions. Imprisoned with Hugo in the F.O.T.S. church, Sookie uses her telepathic powers to reach out to Bill, who’s being detained at the hotel by a stubbornly obsessive Lorena. After crossing a line with the Newlins, a fearful Jason tries to sever his ties with the Fellowship of the Sun, but gets plenty of resistance from Steve and his enforcer Gabe.
Crave more Blood? Good ’cause four more spoilery paragraphs await you after the jump…
Aug. 9: “Timebomb”
Sookie’s captivity takes an unexpected turn when Eric arrives to do his master’s bidding on the eve of the Fellowship’s lockdown. In Bon Temps, Sam finds himself in hot water after making a gruesome discovery at Merlotte’s, and Andy proves no help in coming to his defense. Sent home by Bill, Jessica and Hoyt learn that when it comes to sex, every time is the first time. Tara and Eggs devour a mysterious meal prepared by Maryann, with unexpected results. After Jason pays off his debt to the vampires, Godric looks to enlighten his more single-minded followers.
Aug. 16: “I Will Rise Up”
A wounded Eric plays Sookie for a sucker, to Bill’s dismay, and ends up getting inside her head. Later, Sookie and Jason bond over their recent adventures. Blaming Eggs for Tara’s bruises and bizarre behavior, Lafayette and Lettie Mae try to figure out a way to pry their kin from Maryann’s clutches. Hoyt defends his relationship with Jessica to Maxine, to no avail. Jailed by Bud along with a group of Bon Temps revelers, Sam looks for a way to escape and avoid capture by an increasingly obsessed Maryann. In Dallas, Eric and the vampires defend their recent actions to Nan Flanagan and are shocked when Godric decides to take the fall for their PR disaster.
Aug. 23: “New World in My View”
Sookie, Bill and Jason return to a Bon Temps turned upside down by Maryann. Lured to Merlotte’s by Arlene, Sam and Andy find cold comfort in their refuge from a group of bloodthirsty revelers. Bill discovers that traditional vampire techniques don’t work on Maryann; Hoyt and Jessica try to keep a lid on Maxine’s madness; and Sookie tries to push through the darkness consuming Tara. With all hell breaking loose, Jason takes the bull by the horns to rescue Sam, at least for the moment.
Aug. 30: “Frenzy”
With the crisis in Bon Temps careening out of control, Bill seeks out the advice of Sophie-Anne (Evan Rachel Wood), the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, but must exercise patience before she gives him critical information. Meanwhile, Sookie and Lafayette find that protecting Tara from herself is more difficult than they anticipated; a desperate Sam turns to an unlikely source for assistance; and Jessica tests Hoyt’s allegiance to Maxine.
Episode 2.11 – Frenzy
Bill seeks the advice of the vampire Queen of Louisiana; Sookie and Lafayette find it difficult to protect Tara; Sam turns to an unlikely source for assistance
Episode 2.10 – New World in My View
Sookie, Bill and Jason return to Bon Temps; Hoyt and Jessica try to keep Maxine’s madness a secret; Jason tries to rescue Sam.
Episode 2.09 – I Will Rise Up
Eric plays Sookie for a fool; Lafayette and Lettie Mae try to figure out how to get Tara away from Maryann; Hoyt defends his relationship with Jessica
Episode 2.08 – Timebomb
Sookie’s captivity takes an unexpected turn; Sam makes a gruesome discovery at Merlotte’s; Tara and Eggs get physical; Jason pays off his debt to the vampires.
Episode 2.07 – Release Me
Maryann and her minions put Sam in a difficult situation; Sookie uses her telepathic powers to reach out to Bill; Jason tries to sever his ties with the Fellowship of the Sun.
HIT HBO SERIES TRUE BLOOD KICKS OFF SECOND SEASON JUNE 14
In the backwoods Louisiana town of Bon Temps, the mystery surrounding the serial killer has finally been solved. But just as things are settling down, deadly new twists threaten Sookie Stackhouse and everyone around her.
TRUE BLOOD kicks off its 12-episode second season SUNDAY, JUNE 14 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO, followed by other new episodes on subsequent Sundays at the same time. Mixing romance, suspense, mystery and humor, the show takes place in the not-too-distant future, when vampires have come out of the coffin, thanks to the invention of mass-produced synthetic blood that means they no longer need humans as a nutritional source. The show follows the romance between waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), who can hear people’s thoughts, and her soul mate, 173-year-old vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). Alan Ball (creator of the Emmy®-winning HBO series “Six Feet Under”) created and executive produces the show, which is based on the best-selling Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris.
Other cast regulars on TRUE BLOOD include: Ryan Kwanten as Sookie’s brother Jason; Rutina Wesley as her best friend Tara Thornton; Sam Trammell as Sookie’s good-hearted boss Sam Merlotte; Carrie Preston as Sookie’s fellow waitress Arlene Fowler; William Sanderson as Sheriff Bud Dearborne; Chris Bauer as Detective Andy Bellefleur; Todd Lowe as Terry Bellefleur; Michelle Forbes as Maryann Forrester; Alexander Skarsgård as Eric, a Nordic vampire; Deborah Ann Woll as Jessica, a new vampire under Bill’s supervision; Mehcad Brooks as Eggs “Benedict” Talley; Michael McMillian as Rev. Steve Newlin; Mariana Kloveno as Lorena; Anna Camp as Sarah Newlin; and Jim Parrack as Hoyt Fortenberry.
June’s episodes: Episode #13: “Nothing But the Blood” Debut: SUNDAY, JUNE 14 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: June 14 (11:00 p.m.), 16 (11:30 p.m.), 20 (11:30 p.m.) and July 5 (9:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: June 15 (8:00 p.m.), 18 (10:00 p.m.), 19 (midnight) and 21 (3:15 p.m.)
A shocking murder outside Merlotte’s has Bon Temps reeling. Meanwhile, Sookie’s (Anna Paquin) relationship with Bill (Stephen Moyer) is tested when she learns about Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll), and of his involvement in her uncle’s death. Sam (Sam Trammell) recalls a shape-shifting encounter he had with Maryann (Michelle Forbes) as a 17-year-old. Jason (Ryan Kwanten) gets a sudden windfall that allows him to pay for a leadership retreat with the Fellowship of the Sun. Two adversaries find themselves sharing a mysterious dungeon and, possibly, the same fate.
Written by Alexander Woo; directed by Daniel Minahan.
Episode #14: “Keep This Party Going” Debut: SUNDAY, JUNE 21 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: June 21 (11:00 p.m.), 23 (11:30 p.m.), 27 (11:30 p.m.) and July 5 (10:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: June 22 (8:00 p.m.), 25 (10:00 p.m.), 26 (11:00 p.m.) and 28 (2:00 p.m.)
Sookie is forced to cope with Bill’s obligations to Jessica, as well as the romantic inconveniences the teen vampire’s presence creates. At the Light of Day leadership conference, Jason makes a favorable impression on its ambitious leaders, Steve (Michael McMillian) and Sarah Newlin (Anna Camp), though not on his jealous roommate Luke (Wes Brown). Maryann casts her spell on Merlotte’s patrons, and Sam proves helpless to stop the revelry.
Written by Brian Buckner; directed by Michael Lehmann.
Episode #15: “Scratches” Debut: SUNDAY, JUNE 28 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: June 28 (11:00 p.m.), 30 (11:30 p.m.) and July 1 (10:00 p.m.), 4 (10:15 p.m.) and 5 (11:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdate: June 29 (8:00 p.m.)
When Sookie is attacked by a mysterious creature, Bill must enlist Eric’s (Alexander Skarsgård) help to save her. At the Light of Day retreat, Jason has second thoughts about the sect’s anti-vampire agenda, but Sarah and Steve counter his doubts with flattery and promises. After snapping at Tara (Rutina Wesley) and new employee Daphne (Ashley Jones), Sam decides to cut and run. A bored Jessica heads over to Merlotte’s, where a smitten Hoyt (Jim Parrack) falls under her spell. At another Maryann-hosted party, Tara finds her attraction to Eggs (Mehcad Brooks) interrupted by a swirling, aphrodisiac fog.
Written by Raelle Tucker; directed by Scott Winant.
Concluding its 2008 run last November, the first season of TRUE BLOOD was a hit with subscribers and critics. USA Today called it “wildly imaginative,” with “one of the best ensembles of the new series,” while TV Guide hailed the show as “graphically sexy and scary, and often wildly funny,” and “a broadly entertaining, deliciously twisted slice of modern Southern Gothic.”
Before the new season of TRUE BLOOD kicks off, viewers will have a chance to catch up on season one. HBO2 will present three episodes per night back-to-back at 8:00 p.m., June 4-6, while HBO will present the first season’s final three episodes back-to-back at 8:00 p.m. on June 7.
“True Blood: The Complete First Season” will be released by HBO Home Entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray May 19; “True Blood: Music from the HBO Original Series” will be released by Elektra Records the same day.
TRUE BLOOD was created by Alan Ball; based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris; executive producers, Alan Ball and Gregg Fienberg; co-executive producers, Brian Buckner and Nancy Oliver; supervising producer, Alexander Woo; producers, Mark McNair and Raelle Tucker.
In the new season’s fourth episode, Sookie, Bill and their adoptive vamp Jessica wing it to Dallas, but there’s a surprise waiting for them at the airport. Later in the episode, an even bigger shock awaits Sookie when a special visitor drops by her hotel room. (Michael Ausiello)
Something happens in the first four episodes that may lead one to believe Eric has eyes for someone else. (Michael Ausiello)
“Everything gets deeper,” creator Alan Ball says. “Everything gets more intense. It’s a lot scarier. It’s sexier. It’s just really, really fun. I feel like each season is a novel, and the episodes are just chapters. Especially the way our show is. The episodes are not self-contained. You know, you gotta be involved in the story, and you gotta know what’s going on.” True Blood’s second season begins June 14 in its Sunday 9 p.m. ET/PT timeslot. The season is based loosely on the second book in Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse Series, Living Dead in Dallas, Ball said. (SciFi Wire)
“Sookie [Anna Paquin] and Bill [Stephen Moyer] will go to Dallas to help find a missing vampire who is the sheriff of the Dallas area,” Ball said. “And Jason [Ryan Kwanten] is going to become involved in the Fellowship of the Sun Church in a way that is really surprising. … There’s a very interesting relationship in the show between Rev. Steve Newland of the Fellowship of the Sun Church and his wife, Sarah [Anna Camp], and Jason, that just took on its own life as we were shooting, and it’s hilarious. I can’t get enough of the Newlands and Jason together.” (SciFi Wire)
And Sookie’s hometown of Bon Temps will have some drama as well when Maryann Forrester, played by Michelle Forbes, “begins stirring up all kinds of trouble,” Ball said. Last season Maryann appeared to offer Tara (Rutina Wesley) some goodwill and a place to stay. But “she’s got an agenda, and it’s not a good one,” Ball said. (SciFi Wire)
While Ball plans on incorporating many elements from the book, he admits he’s taken liberties. He’s expanded several of the characters’ stories and added more of an African-American presence. And one thing you won’t see in True Blood is Elvis, a character who ends up helping Sookie out in many of her adventures in the books. In the novel series, the real Elvis gets turned into a vampire; however, the process leaves him different. Elvis becomes Bubba, a slightly touched vampire whom the vampire community takes care of. “We are not going to meet him,” Ball said. “I just couldn’t figure out a way to do it that would not be cheesy. I mean, not that it is in the books. It’s great, because you can imagine that it’s him. … But the only way to do it [on screen] is to have some Elvis impersonator, and it just wouldn’t [be] the same.” (SciFi Wire)
Is it possible that Twilight is only the second-most-romantic vampire saga of the moment?
Being on premium cable as they are, True Blood’s Sookie and Bill certainly give virginal Edward and Bella a run for their money when it comes to blood-hot sex, but what about love?
We just spoke exclusively with True Blood’s leading man, Stephen Moyer, aka Bill Compton himself, to find out what’s in store for the vampires of the dirty, dirty South in season two. He told us that while there will be just as many near-pornographic sex scenes, his character is still primarily driven by an overiding morality and an abiding passion for Sookie Stackhouse.
Read on to find out what he told us about sex scenes, his “hideous” vampire daughter and falling in love with Anna Paquin, onscreen and off…
Is True Blood going to stay as explicitly sexual this season or will you dial that back a bit?
The show is ridiculously f–king sexy…I think Alan Ball and the writers do very well in pushing the envelope. I think one of the things that drives me nuts about society is that you can watch hours about terrorists but you can’t look at a human nipple. What the f–k is that about? Sex is part of our lives. It’s part of our existence. So I kind of embrace the fact that we hit it full on the head.
What you think of Bill as a person, are you more interested in him as a vampire or as a personality?
There’s no getting away from the fact that Bill is a vampire. He can’t wish to be anything else, because he’s a vampire, but he’s a vampire who wants to live a human life. Actually, in fact, he wishes not for a human life, but for a moral life. It’s not that he doesn’t want to feed on blood, it’s that he doesn’t want it to involve killing—but in his first season he kills as many people as the murderer. That was something that was very present in our minds. He has that blood lust, he has that very strong sense of right and wrong. If somebody f–s him off, he’s going to take them out. He’s torn. He’s not going to do it just for the sake of it. But if somebody hurts him or hurts his family or hurts his loved one…they’re history. [Chuckles]. I like that.
What kind of arc can we expect for Bill and Sookie this season?
I think that they love each other more than they have loved anything ever. Speaking from Bill’s point of view, she’s given him reason to live again.
Does your relationship with Anna [Paquin] make it more or less difficult to do emotionally awkward scenes between Sookie and Bill, like when she and Sam got together last season and Bill walked in on them?
Anna and I met on this show. We met doing the job. And so the crew has seen us grow together. They have seen our relationship grow by watching us on set. Now you know, we kept it from them to begin with. You know, it was very…we wanted to keep it private. We didn’t want people to think we were f–king with their lives with something fickle. But honestly, there’s no one I’d rather work with. I really mean it. I love working with her, and that’s how it all started, by falling in love on camera…So, last year, Sam had his stuff coming up with Anna and at that point nobody knew we were a couple. So Sam’s a close friend, and I had to go to Sam and say, ‘Look. I need to tell you something. I need you to know. I don’t want you to find out later and feel like a heel.’ So I told him, that was the first time I told him about me and Anna. And he couldn’t believe it! It’s about trust, you know. And that trust is a very important part of a relationship.
From your perspective as an actor, how would you characterize Bill and Eric’s relationship—are they friends, enemies, coworkers or what?
Bill just knows that’s how Eric is, and that he’s not going to be changing him anytime soon. Certainly in this season there is a moral hierarchy. And you understand that in the vampire world there’s a very strong sense of right and wrong. There are things you do and things you don’t and if you do something within the vampire world that is f–ked up and against your fellow vamp, you are going to suffer for that. I kind of like that idea, that you know, anything goes, but if you cross a line, you’re going to suffer for it. Whether Eric is adhering to those vampire morals is important.
What about your vampire daughter, Jessica—does that continue to be a fractured fairy tale?
If Bill imagined a daughter, he imagined a beautiful little well-mannered Victorian beauty. And Jessica comes along, and she is this hideous, sex-and-blood hungry 17-year-old. And we don’t think she’s going to be that. We think she’s going to be this homeschooled innocent, and that’s not where she is at all. The actress, Deborah Ann Woll, who plays Jessica, she’s f–king brilliant. And I love her. She goes about creating her part through a very pure, you know, method way. And I don’t mean she’s a Method actress, I just mean she really, she really goes at it with incredible, incredible industry. She’s fantastic to work with!
What can you tell us about season two?
I think the second season is beyond amazing…more than anybody imagined. Honestly, I came out of the screening the other day with my jaw on the floor. And I’ve read it, you know.
True Blood season two premieres June 14 at 9 p.m. on HBO. But between now and then, let’s kill a little time by discussing the merits of Team Bill.Tell us why this Southern vampire makes you so hot and bothered!
[HADLEY HALE] Sookie’s (Anna Paquin) cousin, this fresh-faced 20 something year old country girl is locked in a steamy clinch with the vampire queen(Evan Rachel Wood). The dazed Hadley has been seduced into a whole other world — but she still feels the pull of her human roots…3 speeches & 1 line, 3 scenes (1) May recur next season in a few episodes
[LUDIS] Under 30. This straight, handsome, well-built Latvian man (with or without an accent), clad only in gym shorts, is only too delighted to volunteer for another man’s “feed”…3 lines, 1 scene (44)
[FRENZY MAN IN DRESS] This skinny, tattooed, “frenzy-eyed” man is wearing a badly ripped dress that doesn’t do a thing for him…1 line, 1 scene (sptv050769 54) The more tattoos the better Source: SpoilerTV
) – or any other vampire.”
Image Credit: John P. Johnson/HBOHBO just released the official loglines for True Blood‘s three July episodes and, no joke, they’re pretty bloody spoilery.
Source: 
Spoiler Junkie 