Here is the first teaser for season five of True Blood. Any teaser that doesn’t have Eric is pretty fluffy IMO but I think that may be a bit too soon. The teaser seems to highlight that secrets will come to light and what was once buried (King Russell) will not remain buried. We pretty much knew that already so this teaser isn’t a really effective tease. Still happy to see any mention of True Blood season five though!

This season we are going to meet Eric Northman’s “sister”… another progeny of our beloved Godric. Her name is Nora and she is going to be played by the stunning British actress Lucy Griffiths of BBC’s Robin Hood. Her character is “working as a double agent within the Vampire Authority. Described as intelligent, intimidating, cool under pressure and a very good liar, Nora loves Eric deeply, but has dedicated her life to a higher purpose.” Can’t wait to meet dear sis and see how similar she is to Eric. The description sounds quite a bit like him!

Source

Found this casting call info on Facebook today. Most of it was highly boring IMO… lots of stuff about wolves (meh), and lots about Jessica, Jason, and frat parties (yawn). But a few interesting tidbits were these…

[HAYES] A large vampire of Eastern European descent, he is dispatched by the Authority to give the True Death to some other vampires…3 lines, 2 scenes

[TEAM CAPTAIN #2 / DONNIE] Seen in flashback, this 6th grade boy bullies Sookie and is very angry and disturbed when she reveals something private about his life…3 lines, 1 scene

[TEAM CAPTAIN #1] Seen in flashback, this 12-year-old boy is a bully who doesn’t pick Sookie for his kick ball team…1 line, 1 scene

Is the Authority (via Hayes) coming to finish what Nan was supposed to have started and kill Eric and Bill? I also enjoy Sookie flashback scenes so those should be interesting. I wonder what they hope to show us about her current situation. None of this is particlarly spoilery… guess we have to wait a bit for that!

Check out this page for more.

Woot! Alexander Skarsgård has won the Scream award for Best Horror Actor for the second year in a row, once again beating out Beel (Stephen Moyer). Thanks to all Eric/Alex fans who voted daily and made this happen!

Also a winner was Joe Manganiello for Best Breakout Performance and True Blood for Best Ensemble Award. Congrats to our fave show and its amazing cast!

Thy can be downloaded here.

It’s hard to start a recap of this episode because overall I didn’t not enjoy it much. It had that same slooooow and boring feeling that the finale from season two did. All the drama was over in like 20 minutes and then it was just blah. And I was really pissed that Jesus died. I did not even like him until this season and then they had to kill him to increase the body count. Grrr. I also don’t give a rat’s behind about Jessica/Jason/Hoyt and wished that story would go away.

Of course the real reason to tune in was to see how Eric and Sookie were resolved. I am happy that my 2nd theory about Sookie choosing Eric and him dying did not come to pass. I was slightly disappointed that it was my first guess that materialized… aka that Sookie would pull a Kelly Taylor and choose herself. The former would have been shocking at least. But I digress…

The episode began with Sookie seeing an image of Gran’s body on the kitchen floor. She has coffee with Tara and explains that she feels Gran is there with her somehow. This is setting the scene for what occurs later. It was really very obvious from that point that we would see Adele Stackhouse later on AND that Tara would die. The comment about hoping she would be sitting next to Sookie on the porch watching grandbabies with Sookie was just too ominous.

Sookie goes to Merlotte’s and gets her job back and she starts her shift immediately. Alcide stops by and he makes a case for why they should be together. Neither of them can trust their hearts to lead them to a worthwhile companion so they need to use their brains instead. Sookie is resistant but as Alcide leaves to take care of some problem she looks at him with what I would describe as curiosity. I predict Sookie will be thinking about his offer more in season five and at this point I would not be surprised if Alan Ball has them hookup to. I am not opposed to this really.. as long as it is just a bump in the road on her way back to Eric.

Anyway Sookie is interrupted at work by Tara who informs her and Holly that Marnie is back, in Laffy’s body and that Jesus is dead. Sookie tries to get a hold of Eric and Bill and can’t find either so they drive to Bill’s mansion and find the missing vamps silvered to a stake, surrounded by wood for a fire. Their banter before Sookie arrived was hilarious. It was priceless when Eric made a dry remark about Bill being a bad King and Bill responded by telling Eric he liked him better when he was brain damaged. LOL. Both forget about their little squabble when Sookie arrives.

Marnie lights the pyre and the two vamps start burning. Holly makes a circle with salt and then she, Sookie, and Tara join hands and start chanting. The spell they cast brings back spirits who watch over them. Antonia appears and blows out the fire burning the two vamps. Adele also appears and literally drags Marnie out of Laffayette’s body. Antonia convinces Marnie that she needs to move on rather than be trapped in their current plane forever. So they go… just like that.

Sookie speaks briefly with Adele and she tells Sookie that being alone isn’t that hard. This of course obviously leads Sookie to the decision she makes later. When back at the mansion the two vamps dress in matching bath robes (LOL) and each drinks from Sookie’s arm to heal their wounds. This scene kind of gave me the creeps. It begins with Sookie opening her eyes and lovingly looking at Eric feeding on her. He asks her if it hurts and she shakes her head no. Then the camera pans to Bill and the look on his face was a creeptastic attempt at looking sexy. I do NOT understand why anyone would find Bill attractive. Ugh!

It only gets worse from there though. Bill stands up and declares that he wants Sookie to be happy and that it is okay if she wants to be with Eric. Eric jumps on this looks like his amnesiac self complete with goofy smile. He reminds her that Bill had his chance and that he lied to her. Sookie turns away from Eric and tells Bill she FORGIVES everything he did to her because she knows he loved her. WTF?! Eric is looking on at this with such a hurt expression on his face but then it turns painfully hopeful as Sookie turns back to him. She tells him that it is not his amnesiac self that she loves but all of him and that part of her has wanted him since they first met. He tells her she will not be sorry – for choosing him – but Sookie tells him she already is. Then she drops the bomb that she chooses neither of them. I was okay with this decision and expected it even but the way they made Bill stand their all noble and shit and Eric was practically groveling was just too much for me. Sookie even brought up Eric’s “untrustworthiness” in practically the same breath that she forgave Queen Beel. Really? When in the same room with Eric Northman and Bill Compton you call ERIC untrustworthy???? I want to slap the writers around. Sookie leaves in tears and I don’t feel very bad for her, at all.

BAMF Eric was back later that evening though when Nan arrived at Bill’s home. She tells the pair that the AVL/Authority wants the two of them dead and that she knows she will be next. She suggests they rally together and mutiny. She also drops a hint that Eric knows all about a secret group that has this exact agenda… which kind of stuns Bill. Fodder for next season?

In her attempt to rally them to her side she brings up Sookie and tells them she knows Sookie is a fairy and she knows that she means more to them than anything else. They follow her around like puppy dogs for cripes sake! As soon as these words leave her mouth Eric gives a sideways glance at the guards Nan brought (who heard every word she just said) and my first thought was “Uh-oh.. they’re dead”. Sure enough a few seconds later Eric decapitates all the guards in one quick swoop and Bill uses the distraction to stake Nan. Bill looks maniacal covered in blood and Eric looks HOT, especially when he coolly looks at the pile of goo on the floor and says “What a bitch.”

Thrown into the middle of the episode was a scene with Pam crying over her split with Eric and bemoaning how much she hates Sookie. This pisses book fans off because Pam and Sookie were/are good friends in the books. I hate that the writers are destroying one of the best relationships on the show… Eric and Pam. Of course the fact that Eric did not summon her to his side when he was burning is an indication he is not willing to let any harm come to her, even as pissed as he is at her right now. Hopefully next season this will quickly be resolved.

The episode ends with Debbie attacking Sookie. Tara jumps in front of Debbie’s gun and gets shot in the head. Sookie is able to pin Debbie down and get the gun from her. She puts it to Debbie’s chin and shoots. Whoa! Sookie runs to Tara and screams for help. The show goes dark.

So where does that leave us for True Blood Season Five? Well, Alcide has been set up as a potential love interest if Sookie decides to think with her “brain” and not her heart. We didn’t get to see how the ownership of Sookie’s house is resolved AND we didn’t get to see Eric help her clean up after the mess with Debbie (like in he books). I hope the writer’s don’t have Bill come to her aid! Steve Newlin is back in the picture, as a vampire, and appears to be targeting Sookie’s brother Jason. He didn’t much like Sookie either, calling her an evil whore of Satan. Will he still feel the same way or have his feelings changed now that he is undead? Alcide had to leave Sookie at Merlotte’s to take care of a workplace problem and that problem was that someone glamoured his workers and dug up Russell. I thought we might at least get a glimpse into who did it but I guess not. It really doesn’t make much sense because the only ones who knew were Bill, Eric, Pam, and Alcide. Bill and Eric would never release Russell because he knows what Sookie is. Alcide is an unlikely culprit and if Pam did it, that would be one heck of a betrayal and supremely stupid as well. I hope they are not going there. Really the only things that make sense are that Eric told his “secret friends” and they dug him up to further their mutiny against the AVL/Authority OR that Pam released him. Either could be likely since we have hints that season five will explore Pam and Eric’s back story and relationship and Eric’s friends in high places have been brought up twice now in season four. That has to mean this will come into play next season. At the very least I am comforted that Eric’s character is getting a nice set up for season five.

I watched this episode without appreciation for it and yelled at my TV numerous times. Just about the only Eric scene I liked was when he and Bill teamed up to kill Nan and company. Any episode where Eric’s heart get broken or where his faults are somehow compared to all the BS that  Bill Compton pulled is an epic fail to me. In the Inside the Episode video below, one of the writers talks about how principled Bill is and how selfish Eric is. It is getting mighty old and tired how they keep trying to make Bill the hero and Eric the scoundrel. How long will I keep watching while they butcher my fave fictional couple? Probably as long as Eric graces my TV screen.

So with that lackluster finale we go into a long True Blood hiatus. Any guesses on what season five will bring?

Last week Sookie decided that she could not let Tara and the others die during a vampire attack on the Moon Goddess Emporium. So she went to try and warn them or intervene somehow and managed to be captured by Marnie. This week the vampire SWAT team (Eric, Bill, Pam, and Jessica) arrive to blow that place to kingdom come. Jason has to stop them from firing the first shot and tell them that Sookie is inside. Oh and there is a magic force field surrounding the whole store. Eric and Bill are both pretty miffed at their blond haired cupcake (Fucking Sookie!) and Jason has to give them a tongue lashing and a lesson in appreciation for all Sookie has done for them. Both Eric and Bill do not need said lesson though… they have ZERO plans to attack that store if Sookie is inside. That is a deal breaker for them. Pam does not find it so amusing though.

Sookie manages to get Marnie to agree to negotiate, or so she thinks. Marnie simply tells Bill that she will trade Sookie’s life/safety for that of Eric and Bill. If they agree to kill themselves right then and there, she will let Sookie go. Eric and Bill find these terms acceptable. Sookie objects but Bill shouts at her and tells her to “Be quiet!” Classic Bill there I tell ya. Anyway he plans to kill Eric and then let Pam kill him. He raises his rifle to shoot Eric (are there wooden bullets in this gun?) and as he does he glances at Sookie, a little heart broken. It was so very obvious that he knew Sookie loved Eric and the last thing he wanted to do was kill him in front of her. All Sookie can do is sob and watch.

But before Bill can fire, Pam decides that she will not allow it to happen. She runs to the van and grabs a rocket launcher, launching a missile in the direction of Marnie, Sookie, and the Emporium. It explodes against the shield and harms the vamps (and Jason) while leaving the ones on the Emporium side perfectly in tact. The Viking is PISSED! He screams at Pam for doing something that “could” have resulted in Sookie’s death.

Inside Marnie rallies her coven and they hold hands and begin to chant. She even gets Sookie to join by telling her that she does not intend for anyone else to die that night. Why she believes anything that witch says is beyond my understanding. Especially after she just tried to make Eric and Bill kill themselves. With her telepathy though she can hear her brother’s panic. Marnie is casting a spell that is pulling the vampires towards the force field, which will kill them on impact. Sookie’s summons her fae powers and sends a shockwave through the group. The vamps are saved. Unfortunately Pam decides to see if she can make peace with Eric by trying to convince him that she knew the blast would not kill Sookie but he is not willing to forgive any action that could have resulted in Sookie’s death. He tells her to get out of his sight but she keeps talking. Eric then tells her to leave or he will KILL HER. Whoa! This Viking means business. No one, not even his beloved Pam, had better put his fae lover in danger.

But right now it is not Pam he has to worry about. Marnie is incensed that Sookie betrayed her and she casts another spell, this time directed at Sookie. A ring of fire surrounds Sookie and draws ever closer, threatening to burn her alive. Sookie starts to scream in panic and both Eric and Bill can feel her fear in all its gut wrenching agony. Eric paces outside, literally, wanting so badly to get to her but not being able to. Kind of reminded me of Book 9 when Sookie was kidnapped by fae and Eric was being held against his will, not able to go to her, as he felt her fear and terror while they tortured her.

Thanks to a bad ass Jesus the bond between Marnie and Antonia is broken and the ring of fire as well as the shield die with the spell. Antonia finds peace and moves on and Marnie doesn’t have the juice anymore. Eric and Bill run inside the Emporium and Bill is ready to mow everyone down. Sookie swears to him that all the others there were just hostages so he declares that they will kill Marnie only. Roy throws himself in front of her though so Eric pulls the little weasel’s heart out and drinks from it like it is a cherry flavored slurpee. He even licks his fingers… mmm mmm good. Bill gives him a little sideways glance of amusement, or is it irritation? 2 minutes ago Bill was totally going to rip that witch’s fuckin heart out! Now he has been upstaged by the blond one. But he commences with killing Marnie anyway… shooting her until she falls dead.

In the aftermath Sookie stands on one side of the store and watches the two vampires she loves cleaning up this giant mess and glamouring some of the wiccans. Eric is following the orders of his King dutifully but he cannot help but take one last sad glance at Sookie before looking away … all business again.

The episode ended with Marnie taking up residence in Laffy’s body. So I guess the question of whether their enemy would be Maryann or Marnie next week is answered. It really does make the most sense. Who else would want to see vamps burned at the stake like witches were in days past? Maryann would just want to see them get buck naked and wild in the woods. But who knows what surprises are in store next week.

I think I have to revise my prior theory about Sookie choosing Bill and Eric dying and thus Russell be awakened to try and resurrect him. At this point if Sookie even dares not go to the mattress for Eric after what he was willing to do for her this week, I will lose all respect for her. Yes she loves Bill too but that does not make up for what he did. Eric loves her, respects her, doesn’t lie to her, and is willing to put her first in his life above all others, including himself. I think I NEED to hope for my original theory that they would all make it out okay and Sookie would decide she needs to be alone for awhile. With Alcide supposedly professing his love to her next episode as well, this gal needs a breather I think. But if she chooses Eric that is okay too.  I hope he can forgive her for the way she has acted though. It took so much courage for him to be vulnerable to her and put his emotions and love out there for all to see and instead of realizing the miracle of a man she has in front of her she wants to bring Bill into this love equation.

Who else will be counting the seconds in hope and in trepidation… until the finale?

Alexander Woo is a writer/producer for true Blood and in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter recently he talked about the love triangle and who is a viable lover interest for Sookie. It is encouraging to me that he talks about the idea that Sookie and Bill might not end up lovers and that Eric will always be under her skin. Way back in the beginning you could almost never get any confirmation that Eric would be a big part of Sookie’s life. All we heard was Bill, Bill, Bill. Looks as though times are changing.

THR: Some fans have still not forgiven Bill for all that he has done to Sookie in service to the former queen. Do you and the other writers believe you’ve done a good job of portraying Bill as someone Sookie can still be in love with?

Woo: I still think we feel very strongly that he was Sookie’s first love, and there’s something always very special about your first love. It wasn’t all that long ago either. It’s a very recent first love that was very, very deep. Even though there are all these things that have happened in the interim in the time of the show, we’ve had four seasons since they first met — but in their world, a little over a year. I think it still resonates that there is this awakening that came about in her life with Bill, and he will always be a very special part of her life. I think in the world that [creator Alan Ball] has created Bill is certainly going to be a part of that world.

He doesn’t necessarily have to be Sookie’s lover, but he’s always going to be a huge part of her life. I can’t say for certain that we’ve made any hard and fast decision, but to me it feels very strongly that Bill is always going to be a presence and always going to be a candidate for her affections.

Eric, by the way, in the world that we’ve created is also now, as much as he sometimes hates her and as much as she sometimes hates him, he’s always going to be under her skin for the life of the series as well. I don’t think that can go away either.

This preview just confuses me. Are we to believe that they think they have resolved this witch war after episode 11 and instead all hell breaks lose on Halloween? Sounds as though Marnie must die and come back or someone from the “past” … Maryann perhaps? And it’s not Marnie trying to kill Bill/Eric but Nan or the AVL? And Lafayette looks freaking terrifying! Can’t wait!

Whatta ya know! We actually have some Eric and Sookie (although not together) clips this week. I think the goal was to say “fucking” as much as possible or something.

Eric is still nursing his broken heart and Bill is just being a douche. Jason has to stand up for his sister and tell them that they both OWE her.

In the next one, we see Sookie in the Emporium. Antonia is pissed at Marnie and she wants OUT of this wacked situation. Laffy has to translate the situation since he is the only one besides Marnie that can even see Antonia.