I must admit there were several places in this week’s episode of True Blood that I had one of those jaw-dropping “did he really do that?” moments. One of them was pretty much at the beginning when Eric took a stake to Russell. Sure, I know that many of the characters show up and get killed pretty regularly in this show, but I thought Russell was back for good this time. But I guess in the long run, he was a bad guy and had to go. Leave it to Eric to do the right thing when it is needed. I guess old Steve will have to find someone else to dance with now.

This, of course, is just the start of a big chunk of this week’s hunt for The Authority by Eric and company. After Eric and Nora do the work of rounding up Sookie, Jason and Tara they are ready to take on The Authority, and more to the point, Bill. Man, Bill has turned into the all-time most dangerous vamp out there now.

The next very cool scene has to be when Tara, unable to wait, takes on the pain of the silver bars on Pam’s “jail cell” and pretty much loses her cool with Pam right on the spot. I love that this relationship has been building in true television style, first all cool and then all prickly and finally the love between the two is revealed. And the lust, I might add.

Vampire Hunting Time!

Now that Pam and Jess are freed, it is time to find Bill. Which of course leads me to the True Blood scene between Sam and Bill, as Sam is taken to Bill to be his “snack”. What a bastard Bill is turning out to be as he leaves his humanity further and further behind. The writers have really gotten into the power of a total shape-shifter like Sam when they turn him into a fly and have him fly up to the vents to find Luna. Go Sam!

Luna’s taking on of Steve’s shape to take his place on the air so she can warn humanity is perfect, and then Sam does the thing that makes my mouth stand agape in awe a second time – he, in fly form, flies into Rosalyn’s mouth as she is pushing “Steve” to go on the air so he can explain about the 22 frat boys he and Russell bathed in blood and more. When he then resumes his full Sam size – while still in Rosalyn’s mouth – it is WAM time! But at least Luna does get her warning out to humans, but the cost may be high. It doesn’t look like she will survive this shape-shift.

Meanwhile, Eric’s crew is tearing through the place looking for Bill. Unknown to them, Bill has been doing some hunting of his own in this True Blood episode, though of a more devious style. He told Salome that Lilith had revealed to him that she was to lead them all, and so she must drink the vial of Lilith’s blood and take on her rightful role. He certainly knows how to appeal to her sense of vanity. But, of course, it is a trick.

He has switched the blood in the vials and when she drinks it, it is tainted with silver. She collapses and Bill loses no time staking Salome. For a gal who has managed to survive for over two thousand years she was easily led down the wrong assumption path. But then, Bill can be persuasive. But now he has killed Salome, Eric (unknown to Bill??) has killed Russell, so who is left to lead?

A New Bill?

I would have thought it was Bill, though I would prefer our long cool Nordic Eric as lead vampire any day of the week. But when Bill says he has been playing Sookie and crew all along, then drinks Lilith’s blood – And Blows Up – well there goes my next True Blood mouth agape time. Was it not her blood? Did it get switched? Since drinking a drop of her blood left them all drunk and crazed a few episodes back, is it not somehow logical that taking the whole vial would do something a lot more dramatic?

Because you can’t get much more dramatic than Bill rising from his own splattered blood, just like Lilith did when we first saw her. It was an amazing shot to end the episode on, let along the season.

Odds and Ends

A few straggly True Blood bits that were touched on: Alcide does come back to his pack when J.D. forces the entire pack to drink V. Alcide kills him and takes on the role of packmaster. Which is as it should be, and will make for an interesting faceoff between Bill and Alcide. Not that I think Alcide or any werewolf has a ghost of a chance against the newer, stronger and much more villainess Bill. Erik might be able to stand up to him, but not Alcide. That is my thought, at least.

And finally, we have to give a nod of the head to poor Andy. Maurella does indeed return to tell him she is pregnant, and then proceeds to birth four babies! Andy is in shock and Holly is, I think, beyond shock. I really hope next True Blood season does not feature four wayyyy too cute fairy babies because this is not the show for something like that. But being fairies, maybe by next season they will be toddlers and then teens before we know it. In the meantime, Andy has his hands full!

Last Thoughts of the True Blood Season

All in all, a very eventful final True Blood show of this season. I can see that this could all be leading up to an ultimate faceoff between Eric and Bill, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance and Sookie somehow caught in the middle with her fairies. True Blood has been heading in this direction from the beginning and I am assuming that next season could well be the last.

What do you think? Is Erik going to prevail? Will next season’s True Blood be it, especially since we know the book series is coming to an end next spring? Is there a new direction the television show can go in beyond the books or is that idea forbidden in your mind?

It is time to take a break, until next season. There will be interviews to post, new actors to announce and all kinds of stuff like that between seasons, I am sure. Keep us bookmarked for updates between book reviews as I watch for whatever news I can bring you.