The axe! ALWAYS go for the axe!

Tara, the vampire slayer, bites back with a vengeance; pumped up on V from biting into Franklin during foreplay; waiting for him to fall asleep; contacting Sookie telepathically and then bludgeoning Franklin's head to mash (think Irreversible), the Tara of old is BACK. And yet, out of all of the weapons to choose from, she picks a mace. D'oh! Franklin didn't turn into a pile of crimson goo, meaning he's still alive... in a dead sort of way. Nevertheless, it was quite the spectacle watching Tara repeatedly bash his head in, and I haven't even gotten to the genius of tricking that werewolf, biker guy into thinking she was Talbot's maid, then teaming up with Sookie to take him out. Oh, Tara, how I've missed you!

There are so many great scenes in this episode. If I had to single out one particular exchange, it would have to be between Eric, Sookie and Lorena. There was so much animosity in the air, and to see these three conflicting characters, each with their own emotional agenda, spar off against one other was utterly compelling! Sookie and Lorena both love Bill, but Lorena has been ordered to kill him, which causes Sookie to threaten Lorena, to which she responds by pointing out, since Godric (''that sanctimonious prick'') is no longer around, she'd happily rip out Sookie's rib cage and wear it as a hat. I loved Eric's snarl when Godric is mentioned. Ah, it was amazing television and that was within the first few opening minutes. I should also mention Bill's valiant, but fruitless, effort to kill Russell, who simply shrugs off his attack, quite literally, and flings Bill across the hallway. Brilliant. That's how you open an episode!

Despite playing quite a pivotal role this season, I haven't really given my opinion on Russell. Well, he's bloody fantastic! While I may not agree on his taste in men (Talbot is SO annoying), he commands the screen so effortlessly, and can switch from gentleman to scary madman within seconds. His Q&A session with Sookie was another highlight; Anna Paquin and Denis O’Hare simply sizzle during these scenes. Any scene with Russell is usually a joy to behold: he blackmails the queen into marrying him in this episode, and I really, really approve of the decision to pull back Sophie-Anne's childish behaviour. Although I also have to mention that I really got a kick out of the idea of a vampire buying hundreds of lottery scratch cards, since they do have all of the time in the world and the chances of winning are very likely. And speaking of Sophie-Anne, Evan Rachel Wood looks unbelievably gorgeous here. I wonder if Russell suspects anything of Eric? The blond Viking is clearly using his sexual wiles to stay on Russell's good side (and, I suppose, offering to rip off Sophie-Anne's head didn't hurt his case either), but Russell seems too wise to fall for such a ruse. I hope Eric knows what he's getting himself into.


Lorena's scenes with Bill were surprisingly poignant, and for the first time since her appearance on the show, I genuinely felt for her... to an extent. A tiny, tiny extent. Stephen Moyer had an unholy amount of dialogue during his torture scenes, all tied up and covered in fake blood, and yet he sold every single line; it was one of his best performances yet. Kudos must also be given to Mariana Klaveno, again, an actor who has made quite an impact on this show, but one I've never really talked about. She carries such a deviant, sensual performance, and nails it every time. Now that Lorena has tasted Sookie's blood, what will come of her? What is so special about Sookie's blood?!

As I predicted last week, shifter Tommy's parents enter him into dog fights. It's hard to really despise the Mickens clan, and that's mostly down to Sam’s estranged mother Melinda, (or, I should say, J. Smith-Cameron, who portrays her). She balances a vulnerable performance with a character who has a twisted, unfortunate perspective of the world; trapped within her own marriage, beat down and with very little to her name, her desperation has her asking her own son to kill animals for a living, in order to keep food on the table and prevent her body ending up in a ditch. I'm not saying I condone this sort of manipulative, despicable behavior, but it's a testament to Cameron's acting chops that I find this character very much in grey territory, when it's very clear her intentions are as dark as they come.

Meanwhile, it looks like Jessica is getting a hang of her vampire senses. Having not eaten in a couple of days, the starving vamp glamours a rather annoying Merlotte customer to leave all of her money on the table for Arlene (who was stiffed all night) and walk to the ladies room. There, we see Jessica pull off her first ever glamour feed and this could very well lead her down a dark path. I really do enjoy the interplay between Arlene and Jessica, but having said that, I would like for Jessica to have stronger story-lines, or more Hoyt action, or even Tommy action. I just want Jessica to get some action! Action is had by Lafayette, in his brief moment of bliss with Jesus (there's something up with that guy, I know it: when someone brings up sacrifice in a casual conversation, it screams DANGER). Also, a bunch of hicks destroy Lafayette's car and it's revealed to Jesus that Lafayette is a drug dealer.

The overall arc has now been set in place: global domination. Russell intends to unite all supernatural beings and wipe out every human on the planet.

As evil plans go, it doesn't suck.

And as episodes of True Blood go, this one was a corker!

The Checklist

Vampires Vs Werewolves:	Werewolves, shockingly enough! Coot and Debbie feast on Bill after Lorena is done torturing him!
Cliff-hanger:	Lorena throws Sookie up against a wall and drinks from her!
Pam's Corner:	A Pam-less corner, once again. What's going on here?!

  -- Mark Ritchie