True Blood Star Rutina Wesley to sign autographs at The Mohegan Sun’s Halloween celebration in CT on October 27.

Attention Tara Thornton fans: if you don’t have plans for October 27 and are within a train ride of Uncasville, CT, Mohegan Sun is serving up a chance to meet the gorgeous Rutina Wesley in person. Rutina, who’s getting sexier by the minute as the newest baby vamp on True Blood, is making a personal appearance at Mohegan Sun’s Signings & Sightings as part of the entertainment complex’s slate of Halloween celebrations. Rutina will sign autographs for fans wearing special bracelets that will be handed out in the concourse of The Shops at Mohegan Sun to gain entry to the signing. The event starts at 9 p.m. and distribution of the bracelets starts at 8 p.m.  Participation is on a first-come, first-served basis and they’re expecting a big turnout so make sure to get there early to claim your spot in line. As it happens, Rutina, who will also be stopping by the Halloween Costume Party taking place on the patio of Todd English’s Tuscany later that night, has Las Vegas roots. Her dad was a tap dancer and her mom was a showgirl so I guess greeting fans at a big casino is a homecoming of sorts for her. For full details on the Mohegan Sun’s Halloween happenings, visit their site here.

True Blood stars hit the red carpet at Season 5 premiere party

Hey Truebies! I’m back to blogging on Biting Remarks after a long, cold, boring break between seasons and I’m psyched for fresh, um, Blood! First up is this cool YouTube video posted by HBO showing interviews with the cast of True Blood at the premiere party for the new season. Anna, Stephen, Alex and the gang are all back and looking great promising us a rockin’ ride as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit veteran Christopher Meloni joins the cast as Roman, the sexy new bigwig at The Vampire Authority. Check it out and remember to come back for my weekly recaps!

True Blood July 17 Episode Recap: Marnie puts a spell on Pam!

Alcide led the parade of beefcake on the July 17 episode.

July 17 – There were enough shirtless scenes in tonight’s episode to constitute a Men of True Blood calendar. Perhaps that’s a new business idea for the folks at HBO. I’m sure a beefcake calendar would sell well among Truebies. Alex Skarsgard spends plenty of time in the buff as the endearingly amnesiac Eric. After draining Sookie’s fairy godmother Claudine, a drunken Eric craves more fairy blood, but stops himself from biting Sookie yet again. After a playful game of hide-and-seek with the freaked-out fairy, he ignores Sookie’s warnings about the impending sunrise and runs off into the woods where Sook and Alcide later find him skinny-dipping in a lake. The Viking vamp and the hunky wolf trade growls for a brief second until Eric becomes debilitated by the rising sun. Sookie urges him to race home and tucks him into his resting place in the cubby. Alcide is very skeptical about Sookie’s keeping Eric at her house but offers his support nevertheless. When he returns to Shreveport Debbie understands his need to help Sookie in her mission with Eric, for now anyway. When Sam surprises Luna at her home he meets her daughter Emma, who takes an instant liking to him. Emma’s father happens to be a very jealous werewolf, Luna warns Sam but he’s not going anywhere. Tommy, meanwhile, drops in on his mom and updates her on this progress back in Bon Temps. He’s livid when he learns his flea bag father Joe Lee was forcing her to compete in the dog fights and is overcome by the horrible hillbilly, who chains him by the throat like a leash and vows to break him in again to return to the dog fights.

Marnie gave Pam an anti-aging treatment that works in reverse.

In Hot Shot, Jason is being used as a stud service by all the she-panthers until he convinces a teenage one to set him loose. An enraged Fenton shifts to panther form and hunts Jason down but Jason drops in on the big cat from a tree branch and kills him with a makeshift stake. A second panther arrives at the scene and reveals itself to be Crystal, who’s happy to see Fenton go so she can rule over Hot Shot alongside Jason. Mr. Stackhouse tells the perturbed pussy she can keep stick it and leaves her standing naked over Fenton’s corpse. He’ll return to her at the rise of the next full moon, she promises him.  Jason collapses on the side of the road and is rescued by Jessica and Hoyt, who happen to be driving by. Nan Flanagan reads Bill the riot act over sending Eric into a den of Wiccans and warns him not to let any human blood be spilled during the inevitable vampire-witch clashes to come. He cross-examines Pam, who needles him about liking his new authority too much. Next he visits with Porzia Bellefleur’s mom and trades recollections of the Bellefleur family history, bringing the get-together to a screeching halt when he realizes that his daughter married into their clan, making Porzia Bill’s great great great great granddaughter! So much for their friends-with-benefits arrangement. Later, Bill show’s up at Sookie’s place just in time to interrupt Eric’s attempt to get a kiss out of Sookie.  When Bill tries to search the premises for Eric, Sookie ironically convinces him not to proceed by reminding him that she’s never lied to him… until now. It says a lot that Sook crossed that line in order to protect Eric from Bill. I suspect Eric will get his long-awaited kiss very soon. Marnie has a dream in which she witnesses the burning of a young witch during the Spanish Inquisition. The witch is the same one who helped her fight off Eric and begins chanting a spell with Marnie as the flames rise higher. When Marnie searches for a spell to recover Eric’s memory with Lafayette, Jesus and Tara, the Spanish witch’s spirit singles out a book with an incantation. Pam meets the witches to get the cure for Eric from Marnie but instead is afflicted with another hex from the Spanish witch that turns her into a walking, rotting corpse. That witch sure does come in handy for Marnie, doesn’t she?

Photos copyright 2011 HBO Productions. All rights reserved.

New book analyzes the True Blood phenomenon with a collection of funny and insightful essays.

The season finale of True Blood is barely a week old and already I’m experiencing Bill-and-Sookie withdrawal, as I’m sure are most of my fellow Truebies. Well, if rewatching the episodes from this past season isn’t enough to satiate your appetite for some fresh Bon Temps-themed bon mots, there’s a clever book that you might want to pick up and I don’t mean one by Charlaine Harris. A Taste of True Blood: The Fangbanger’s Guide is an unauthorized collection of insightful essays that ponder the fascination the world of True Blood holds for Truebies around the world. Although Charlaine’s books are mentioned, the focus is more on her tale as interpreted by Alan Ball on HBO, and the writings, from a diverse group of contributors that includes authors, media pundits and even a psychotherapist, are as thoughtful and passionate about True Blood as are the show’s fans. No topic is left unexamined as pithy ruminations are made on the sociological significance of the show’s characters and plotlines, ranging from the class wars waged among the economic rubble of Bon Temps, to Bill Compton’s seemingly fading heroism, to a Freudian analysis of the dynamics of Bill and Sookie’s tortured romance. It’s all good fun and makes for a thought-provoking read without drifting into dullsville. The book includes an episode guide for the first two seasons with call-outs of the most memorable quotes from each episode. To ensure accuracy, although the authors clearly seem to be Truebies themselves, the publisher consulted with the popular True Blood blog The Vault. At just over 270 pages, it’s a breezy read and makes a good gift idea.  Here’s a link to their site.

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Sookie dumps Bill and leaves Bon Temps with the fairies on True Blood’s season finale!

Is this the end of Queen Sophie-Anne?

Riveting Revelations

September 12: Eric and King Russell are smokin’ like two strips of bacon on a frying pan outside Fangtasia when Eric’s maker Godric appears urging him to forgive Russ and set him free. Eric ponders his predicament for a second or two before Sookie rescues him, using her fairy blast to free him from the handcuffs he had slapped on himself and Russ. Sook then revives Eric by letting him feed on her blood while Bill sulks. Although Pam and Sookie balk at the idea, Eric decides they should spare King Russell’s life and Sook drags him inside and subdues the charred vampire monarch with heavy silver chains. What will they do with him now? Tara and Sam are basking in the afterglow of their tryst when you can practically hear the screeching tires after Sam confides that he’s a shapeshifter. Tara can’t seem to avoid dealing with supernatural beings any where she turns. She walks in on her annoying mom getting frisky with the pastor who had previously tried to minister to her. Although initially shocked at her mom’s indiscretion, Tara nevertheless wishes her well, wistfully hoping she, too, can find someone who is human and can actually touch a cross for a change. Sam tracks down Tommy and demands he return the Merlotte’s loot. When Tommy turns to walk away, Sam shoots him! Like his cousin Tara, Lafayette is making some uncomfortable discoveries now that he can see visions of the secrets haunting the residents of Bon Temps. Spooked by his new talent, he turns to Jesus, who confesses that he himself is a brujo, a male practitioner of witchcraft. As they say, birds of a feather!  Hoyt’s mom Mrs. Fortenberry stages an intervention to separate him from Jessica once and for all. The gamble fails and Hoyt buys a house to shack up with Jess. Mrs. Fortenberry’s response is to buy a rifle. Might it have silver bullets? 

Can Sookie really be happy in Fairyland without Bill or Eric?

Cementing King Russell’s Fate

Jason hightails it over to Hotshot to warn its residents of the DEA’s impending raid. Crystal’s ornery dad is no help, as usual, but gets the tables turned on him when Crystal’s V-addicted ex shows up in a craze and shoots his face off. When he demands Crystal leave with him, she agrees, asking Jason to take responsibility for looking after the panther people. Jason vows to get her back. At Fangtasia, things are jumping. Alcide visits Sookie and tells her he’s been thinking about her. Sook, who’s just about had it with the chaos that comes with dating vampires, may just be receptive to his overtures. Bill senses that he has a new rival for Sookie’s affections. The first order of business for the team, however, is figuring out how to imprison King Russell without ending him. Sook has no sympathy for him and responds to his attempts to manipulate her by trashing Talbot’s remains in Fangtasia’s garbage dispenser while Russ screams in agony. His Royal Toupee has worse problems when Eric and Bill dump him in a remote construction site and immobilize him with silver while burying him undead in cement. Ever the drama queen, Russell vows to get even with them all when he returns… glug, glug, glug. With Russ swimming in concrete, Bill ambushes Eric and pushes him into a slot right next to the King, telling Eric that he can never have Sookie. He then orders a hit on Pam. Bill intends  to eliminate anyone who learned that Sookie is a fairy to keep her secret from spreading, but Eric escapes Bill’s trap and tells Sook how Bill manipulated their romance from the start at the instructions of Queen Sophie-Anne, who wants to taste her coveted fairy blood. A fed-up Sookie rescinds her invitations to both vampires and orders them out of her life. Eric seems genuine when he apologizes to Sook for tattling on Bill. Bill, still intent on protecting Sookie, lures the newly widowed (and loving it) Queen Sophie-Anne to his house for a death match. Later, a lonely Sook visits her grandma’s grave and is approached by her fairy friend Claudine. After all the drama and danger that accompanied her romance with Bill, Claudine’s outstretched hand is a welcome sight that’s too good to resist.  In a blinding flash, Sookie and the fairies disappear. Will Bill and Eric ever see her again? Tune in next summer. The Biting Remarks blog is taking a break until then. Have a great fall!

 Photos copyright 2010 Home Box Office, Inc. All rights reserved.

Are True Blood’s panthers cooler than the werewolves?

Is Jason heading for a cat-astrophe with Crystal?

So now we know that Crystal is literally a catwoman. As part of the were-panther pride in Bon Temps’ neighboring town of Hotshot, Crystal is bound by her people’s laws to mate with her half-brother (ewww!) and keep the panther lineage pure. The problem is that Crystal, though rough around the edges like the rest of her white-trash kin, doesn’t relish the prospect of inbreeding with her kind when the delectable Jason Stackhouse is just within paw’s reach. Her panther pop may dictate that there will be no interspecies mingling with the hunky human, but Crystal’s plenty hot for mixing the gene pool! Jason certainly has a bad track record with women. They’re either V-crazed junkies  or prudish, vamp-baiting Evangelicals. But maybe things could work out with Miss Kitty. After all, Sookie had a flirtation with Alcide the hunky werewolf. And with Joe Manganiello set to return as a regular next season, odds are Alcide will complicate the Bill-Sookie-Eric triangle even further, so maybe Jason should hook up with the panther girl. Everyone in Bon Temps seems to have a supernatural secret anyway! I’m not terribly impressed by Crystal even though her loyalty to her people is admirable.  Jason’s no brain surgeon, but I think he could do better. Still, I do like panthers. I think they’re majestic creatures and certainly have a sexy, dangerous allure. This new storyline reminds me of the 1982 film Cat People, which starred Nastassja Kinski and Malcolm McDowell. As in True Blood, the panther siblings of the film played by Kinski and McDowell were destined to mate or be doomed to kill any humans with whom they dared make love.  I’d have to say that the panthers are sexier than the werewolves, in animal form, anyway. Wolves hunt in packs, but panthers sneak up on their prey, so I expect some tense moments coming up in season four if Jason’s were-panther story continues. Still, they can’t beat the transformation scene from Cat People. It was far cooler than Crystal’s shifting. See for yourself (Note: there’s a flash of nudity).

Screen capture: copyright 2010 Home Box Office, Inc. All rights reserved.

Eric lures King Russell to fry in the sun on True Blood!

Will Sam and Tara regret their latest fling?

Acting on an Impulse

August 29: Pam gets a little action when Bill shows up at Fangtasia to rescue Sookie. During the ensuing melee, she compensates for not being as old and strong as Bill by spraying him in the face with liquid silver. While Bill and Pam tussle upstairs, Fangtasia’s stripper, still fuming at Eric for calling her a gold-digger, unshackles Sookie and the Sookster sneaks up on Pam, choking her with a silver chain. Sook makes a getaway with her man while Pam pleads to not be left alone with “the immigrant.” Not a smart move if you ask me, Pammy. The stripper isn’t the only one ticked off in Bon Temps. Sam shows up at Merlotte’s totally plastered and insults everyone within sight. Tara, still smarting from learning that Jason and Andy covered up the truth behind Eggs’ death, is hittin’ the sauce pretty hard and sticks around when Sam throws out the patrons and staff. It doesn’t take a clairvoyant to predict what happens next. Sam and Tara are too busy doing naked gymnastics to notice an alarm set off by a vengeful Tommy breaking into the Merlotte’s safe. Sam’s drunken tirade will cost him dearly! Also heating things up are the newly reunited Jessica and Hoyt. Jess confesses to Hoyt that she is addicted to human blood, he offers himself up to satisfy her craving. He seems to enjoy it when she lustily accepts his gallant offer. Hoyt’s annoying mom, who recruited the mousy gal whom he dated for a blip to try to get over Jess, is still determined to keep him away from her. Something tells me her plotting will soon take a dangerous turn.

Is this really the end for Eric Northman?

Sunburn

Holly and Arlene conduct a Wiccan ritual to concoct some mystical solution to Arlene’s unwanted pregnancy. When Arlene bleeds out in bed, the baby survives the emergency to her consternation. Was the blood some sort of spirit draining from the child orchestrated by Holly? She’s a freak, if you ask me. Her interest in Arlene is spooky and too conveniently timed. I suspect she’s a relative of Rene’s plotting to resurrect him or exact revenge upon the Bon Temps residents responsible for his death. In other Bon Temps news, Jason comes to terms with the fact that Crystal is part of a community of were-panthers (so what else is new?) and deduces that the smarmy jock who’s been breaking all his sports records is using V to enhance his performance. Lafayette comes down from his V trip with Jesus and has a horrible vision of a monster in place of his newly addicted boyfriend. Could it be Jesus’ true nature? Bill and Sookie have a heart-to-heart about the ramifications of recent events on their relationship. Sook admits that she has feelings for Eric but that she still loves Bill. She also acknowledges that she’ll have a hard time trusting either of them after the Russell Edgington thing, not knowing that the final act in that drama is about to play out.  Eric pays Russ a visit and shares his quest for revenge, which tickles the vampire monarch with its silliness. Before His Royal Toupee can administer his punishment, Eric promises to share with him the secret to walking during daylight in exchange for letting him live. Next thing you know, the two literally stop Bill and Sookie in their tracks and hightail it back to Fangtasia, where Eric fakes a fight with Bill to distract Russ while he clues Bill in on his plan to double-cross the king. Eric tells Russ that Sook’s blood will grant him immunity from sunlight. The two feed on Sookie while a tense Bill and Pam look on. Russ, crafty as ever, makes Eric test his theory first. The Viking vamp walks out into the sunlight and smiles into the security cameras as if all is well. In truth, Eric’s skin is slowly frying, but he covers his agony to dupe King Russell into joining him outside. As soon as the evil vamp takes the bait, Eric handcuffs them together as they drop to their knees like two vampire eggs on a frying pan! Tune in September 12 for the season finale!

Photos from the True Blood Wiki; copyright 2010 Home Box Office, Inc. All rights reserved.

Will Eric turn Sookie over to King Russell on True Blood?

What horrible retribution does Russell have planned for Eric and the gang?

Who You Callin’ a Fairy?

August 22: It’s official — Sookie is a fairy. Technically she’s half fairy and half human, not that she’s terribly impressed by the revelation coming from Bill. She’s further irked by the insinuation that the reason all the vamps are going bonkers for her, including Bill, is because fairy blood is particularly delicious to their undead palates. Bill assures her that although his attraction to her may have been provoked by this, their bond has evolved beyond mere bloodlust. For some reason, Bill isn’t totally honest about the cold reception he got from Sook’s fellow fairy Claudine in fairyland. Does he have something to hide? At least Sook can take consolation in the fact that she’s a kick-ass fairy. A bitter Tara certainly wouldn’t mind kicking Bill’s ass along with those of vamps everywhere. She gets some solace from Sookie when she tells her the whole story about her nightmare with Freaky Franklin, but her gratitude toward a guilt-wracked Jason quickly dissolves upon hearing his confession that he was the one who fatally shot Eggs last season. The drama between Jason and Tara distracts them from looking after Sookie as Bill had requested and Miss Stackhouse pays Eric Northman a visit. Eric, preparing for his inevitable showdown with King Russell, is getting his affairs in order and drafts a new will leaving his entire estate to Pam, who is not pleased with her sire’s pessimistic attitude. Give Russell what he wants — Sookie, she urges, reasoning that the King will get her anyway. Maybe and maybe not, thinks Eric. Sookie, who continues to have sexy dreams about Eric, finally gets a taste of the real thing when the Viking vamp hungrily plants some kisses on her and she responds. Remembering the potency of her fairy blood, she pulls away before things can progress further.

Russell’s Unfinished Business

The gang at Merlotte’s is in emotional upheaval, as usual. Sam’s attack on Crystal’s white-trash father stirs memories of his larcenous past when he used his shapeshifting ability to pull off thefts. When he was betrayed by a beautiful woman, his revenge on her and her lover was deadly. Tommy, who shares Sam’s rage issues, gets into a tussle with Hoyt after he shows up at Merlotte’s trying to reconcile with Jessica yet again. Hurt by her most recent rejection, Hoyt wastes no time in clocking Tommy when the annoying brat teases him. Tommy, however, strikes back in pitbull form and mangles Hoyt’s hand. Pulling Tommy off her man, Jessica admits that she still has feelings for Hoyt and gives him her blood to heal his wounds. Tommy’s not pleased by their touching reunion. Arlene confesses to Terry that her baby is really Rene’s, but Terry vows to raise the child as his own. Arlene, despite her incessant whining and bad dye job, really lucked out with that guy! Lafayette and Jesus take Crystal’s battered dad to Lafayette’s place after realizing he’ll never make it to the hospital alive. After Lafayette saves his worthless life by giving him V, Crystal’s dad can only spew homophobic slurs at this saviors and reads his daughter the riot act for daring to “mix” with Jason when her “mate” was already preselected. Lafayette and Jesus take hits of V, which takes them on a psychedelic mindtrip that reveals witchcraft figured in both their family histories. Perhaps Lafayette is some sort of shaman. Bill confronts Jason about losing track of Sook, only to be banished from Jason’s place when he rescinds the welcome he granted Bill. Jason’s next visitor is a striking black panther who turns out to be Crystal. Is it my imagination or is Bon Temps becoming some sort of zoo for supernatural animals? What’s in the water, anyway? King Russell’s TV tantrum is causing all sorts of havoc nationwide and Nan Flanagan is back on air trying to put out the fires being fanned by the likes of the zealots from the Brotherhood of the Sun, who are jumping on the PR disaster to push along their anti-vamp agenda. Russ, meanwhile, takes a moment to bid his beloved Talbot a proper farewell by using the body of a lookalike hustler as a vessel for his lamented consort. At Fangtasia, Eric scoops up Sookie and leaves her shackled and screaming in the hidden dungeon. I’m convinced he loves her.

Photo: from the True Blood Wiki. Copyright 2010 Home Box Office, Inc. All rights reserved.

Is Rolling Stone’s True Blood cover sexy, edgy or just gross?

I get that the show is called True BLOOD and not True Confessions, but did the cover shot of this week’s issue of Rolling Stone take the whole edgy/sexy/cool thing too far? As you have probably heard by now, Anna Paquin, Alex Skarsgard and Stephen Moyer are posing buck naked, their bodies intertwined with limbs strategically placed to pass newsstand censors in what seems to be a media-bating, and timely, twist by Rolling Stone’s editors on the media’s love affair with HBO’s pop-culture phenomenon. If getting free press was the goal, they accomplished it handily. This blogger couldn’t resist the bait of such an arresting image. As you can see, Rolling Stone’s effort to make the cover shot not just another run-of-the-mill True Blood photo op required covering the protagonists of the show’s central love triangle in what appears to be chocolate syrup sprayed artistically over their lithe bodies so as to appear as if they had just emerged from a blood-splattered three-way. The way the show’s plot has been moving along may have provided inspiration for the photo. Sookie is increasingly torn between the two vampire studs, so one might conclude that a “compromise” of sorts may be in the offing among the three at some point. True Blood has already shown practically every other possible sexual permutation, so it’s a distinct possibility. But back to the cover. Is it sexy? Like white on rice. I have to say, however, that as a purist, I think they look sloppy with their beauty sullied by the syrup blotches. Notice that Rolling Stone’s stylists went easy on their faces. True Blood is all about people who are sullied, both physically and emotionally, so perhaps this creative statement by star photographer Matthew Rolston is a literal interpretation of the underlying themes of the show. Then again maybe it’s just a dirty-sexy image meant to get people talking. Go figure.

Photo: copyright 2010 Rolling Stone LLC. All rights reserved.

King Russell Edgington vows revenge on his enemies on True Blood.

How can Eric hope to come up against a vengeful 3000-year-old vampire?

Authority Rules

 

August 15: Nan Flanagan, the eerily mainstream spokesperson for The Vampire Authority who appears on TV lobbying for passage of the Vampire Rights Amendment, shows up at Fangtasia looking like a military dominatrix and demanding answers about The Magister’s murder. She’s not too pleased to have been dragged to Louisiana by Eric’s latest shenanigans and makes him testify via cam for the mysterious members of the Authority. As Pam sits close by with extraordinarily buoyant hair, Eric shares King Russell Edgington’s mad plans to put an end to the Authority’s diplomatic relations with humans and his role in killing the Magister and Eric’s father. Nan isn’t totally convinced and puts Eric and Pam under coffin arrest while the Authority mulls over his testimony. Bill and Sookie are having a far better time washing off the bloody signs of their vigorous makeup sex. Arriving downstairs, they encounter the naked corpse of one of the wolves killed in the previous night’s battle. Sook laments that their relationship will never be free of life-threatening encounters and dead bodies floating around. Bill’s not sure that’s a bad thing. Still, Sook’s not comfortable with the secret file he was keeping on her and her family. Bill tells her that it’s important to learn the secret to her true nature in order to protect her from the supernatural beings so intent on using her abilities for their own gain.  Clues to Sookie’s identity come from Cousin Hadley, who asks her to check out her little boy, and is terrified to learn that he has gifts like Sookie, too. Bill comes closer to learning the truth about Sook when he wakes from his rest to enter the mystery world Sookie had visited earlier and encounters the same fairylike woman who urged Sook to dump him. When the woman attempts to flee, Bill’s vamp instinct kicks in and his fangs flare out as he tackles her. Unlike Sookie, this woman has mastered her light power and blasts Bill with enough force to fling him a good distance away from her. She warns him not to mess with Sookie, despite his assurances that he means her no harm. 

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Arlene is having a rough day at Merlotte’s, as usual. She accuses Tommy of stealing half her tips and confides in the new waitress Holly that her unborn child is Rene’s. When Holly suggests the possibility of ending the pregnancy, Arlene resigns herself to giving birth to what she believes will be an evil child. Does Holly have plans for it? Tara, still traumatized by her experience with Freaky Franklin, is happy that Lafayette is dating Jesus, but attends a support group for rape survivors where she runs into Holly. Tara has good reason to be on edge. Sam has his hands full trying to reign in Tommy and the pressure gets to him so much that he nearly beats Crystal’s father to death when he shows up at Merlotte’s to take her back home. Crystal’s “people” want her back badly. Her ex shows up and she clocks him with a rifle when Jason distracts him. Crystal makes sure they bind her ex with ropes rather than handcuffs when they leave him tied to a tree by the road. When they call the precinct to have him picked up, he’s missing, and the deputy who showed up on the scene was beaten to a pulp. Jason can only wonder how Crystal’s ex got free of the ropes. Shapeshifting, perhaps? When the ambulance takes Crystal’s dad to the hospital, Tara is confronted by Franklin, who hasn’t quite yet met the real death. Shivering with fear, a defiant Tara faces down her psychotic tormentor and Jason shows up just in time to blow him to bloody smithereens with a wooden bullet through the heart. Is Jason finally getting some smarts? Can Franklin room with Lorena in the vampire afterlife? Also dealing with a bloody mess is King Russell, who screams in agony upon seeing what’s left of Talbot back at the mansion. He vows to Talbot’s innards that he will take revenge against his Bon Temps enemies. Nan makes things easier for Russ by ordering Eric to clean up the mess he made with His Royal Toupee. As far as The Authority’s concerned, Eric is on his own. On her way out of town, Nan’s snacking on a sexy girl’s thigh is interrupted when Russ takes over a national TV newscast, rips out the anchorman’s spine and puts the human race on notice that vampires will rise up to eat them and their children. Then he introduces the weather segment.

Photo Copyright 2010 Home Box Office, Inc. All rights reserved.