What About Eric?! -- He's Dreamy. Bite me.

Well, I'm not as jazzed as I usually am right about now. I know, GASP at that for a moment, but it has a lot to do with the fact that this week's True Blood, "New World In My View," ended 15 minutes early this week! So there I was, sitting on the couch, all ready for a little more Eric screen time and cut to credits. Frowny face. How about 15 minutes of gratuitous Eric flesh? I don't think anyone would have complained about that, HBO.

Can I just have an aside for a moment? What are they thinking over at the show? First, they cut many of the memorable scenes from the novel while adding in hours of really boring Maryann stuff (basically an excuse for orgies.), then they give us a little more Eric. And we thank you. But the thing is, for most people, Sookie's sudden fondness for him comes completely out of left field. You can't blame it all on the blood exchange, either.

I can understand the idea of putting Eric in more scenes and having more of a romantic interaction between he and Sookie, but why would you cut all of the smaller instances of flirtation in Book/Season 1 and heap it all on us in the last few episodes?

I love the idea of Sookie dreaming of him, but the fact that Sookie comes downstairs and finds Eric crying and HE'S SHIRTLESS, the "This is a Dream" flags go straight up. At least leave a little mystery in there. The best thing about the Eric-Sookie dialogue in the book is the flirting, the joking, Eric's leers. I can't understand why there's nothing and then everything.

UPDATE: (8/24/09 9:26 p.m.) After watching this clip again, I want to point out a few more things. How cute is it the way his nose twitches when his fangs come out? And I'm going to amend what I said before and say that we do see a little more of Book Eric here, in that Sookie goes to pull away from a kiss and he grabs her hand, pulling her back. Sookie always needs that extra push over the edge if she's doing something she's not sure is a good idea, and Eric knows just when to help her along and when to passively flirt.

I'm glad they're finally putting more Eric into the episodes and creating this love triangle, but you can't just throw us Team Eric people a dream sequence every once and a while and expect us to be happy. There's this Big Scary Eric and there's the Sensitive Eric, with no happy medium. There's no impish flirt that we've come to love. I'm still waiting, HBO. Still waiting. End Eric rant.

So here we are, with Sookie, Jason and a becoffined Bill heading back to Bon Temps. They run over a couple of the locals (who are Sam's captors from an earlier episode, if you recall.). But basically the whole town's all gone to hell. And Maryann's a kid in Candyland. She's all "MORE MEAT!" for her, well, what Andy from Blood Work called a "Giant Meat Tree" on BlogTalk tonight. She's still a diva. And can anyone else appreciate those Dr. Seuss flowers (Beginning 1:55) she stuffed in there? It was like the frickin' Lorax (There he goes with his moustache.).

The influenced Eggs was sort of creepy in a overly positive kid's show actor way when he says, "So it's extra fresh?" after Maryann calls for organs and murder. Alright kids, what color is the spurty blood coming from Sam Merlotte's heart? Red! Gold stars!

I loved Andy and Sam together in this episode. Andy's she's a "She's a MAY- WHUT?" was pretty classic. And Sam's "I think she wants to cut out my heart while a bunch of naked people watch," was up there too. For a "sometimes nudist," Sam sure doesn't show the free hippie zombie devil people much love.

The regular cast was looking really good this episode. I don't know whether that was because everyone else looked so horribly mussed and haphazardly clothed (if at all), but I did have a problem with Bill's Johnny Cash outfit earlier in the episode. But all I could think as Maxine Fortenberry was standing there in her fuchsia Hawaiian shirt playing Wii was that Sookie looked like she stepped out of an Ann Taylor ad.

I guess I should mention the fact that Jessica's had enough of ole Maxine and takes a bite out of her. I thought that Hoyt was going to throw himself in front of her or something, but we'll see how that plays out. I'm really glad that they went with having Maxine go after Jason, because I was cringing those scenes with the Jocasta set-ups there. I don't think I could have taken it.

There was a lot of instances when you weren't sure who was going to be affected and who was not. It was like a zombie movie. But, c'mon Sam! You knew that was a trap. How could it not be? And he and Andy go into the freezer. I especially love when Andy stops to grab the liquor bottle. Another great Sam-Andy line? Sam: "These are our friends and neighbors." Andy: (mutters) "And customers." Oh snap! Andy tells it like it is.

SPOILER for non-novel readers: We knew that Jason would be immune in the same way that Sookie was because of their lineage. But how that genetic quirk translates into full-on pulsing life force glowing thing... I don't know. I think that's an addition that lays on the, "WHAT?!" or so I like to yell at the T.V.

Are we just meant to assume that someone told Sookie that her house was now Maryann's house? Because she seems surprised when Maryann shows up and when Lafayette tells her to leave. But there she shows up at her house looking for Maryann after Hoyt says, "Party at Maryann's," etc. etc. That's a little fuzzy. And how are they going to bring Sookie's house back to normal for next season? I wonder if they're going to cop out and explain everything mystically. Like poof! Back to normal. There's a few "in the kitchen" scenes next season. I can't picture homey Southern life around all the vines and scum.

UPDATE: I think I expected a bigger reaction when Sookie found out about her house being orgy party central. About the time Bill, Sookie and Jason arrive, Hoyt mentions that Sookie's house is Maryann's house. All Sookie says is, "What?" As if Hoyt had just told her he ate the last Oreo. Actually, I would expect a bigger response for that. She reacted as if Hoyt told her he used the wrong setting on the lawnmower. This one line of dialogue slipped by me amid the saucer-eyed Maxine Fortenberry Wii fest. Apologies.

Another question about immunity to Maryann's influence: Why is Lettie Mae immune? At first I thought the reason Maryann allowed some people to be controlled and others not was so that it would keep up the charade. She left out the outsiders, so to speak. Think, there's: Lettie Mae (Drunk), Lafayette (Gay), Andy (Drunk), Sookie (Telepath = Weird/Crazy Sookie). -- That would be before we knew about her immunity. It would make sense for her to selectively influence people, but I'm not quite sure where they're going with this whole thing. I just hope it ends somewhere close to Eric in pink Lycra... (If you want a Lycra spoiler, it's the last paragraph of the plot summary here.)

Sadly, probably not, but a girl can hope.

Maybe I'm watching too closely and too frequently, but I feel like they're hitting you over the head with a lot of the maenad clues this season. Bill's reading that book in the flashback about Greek Myths after we already heard Maryann talking about Greek maids and gods. Then, OH! HELLO AUDIENCE! THIS IS IMPORTANT! There's something wrong in there. It's getting a little too obvious with the foreshadowing.

Since I talked about the Sookie's Moon Tiara Magic! (har de har... Maybe I wasn't that far off last week...) in the spoiler part, let me just say that the first thing I wrote in my notes after that scene was BULLSHIT! Seriously? How does Sookie's telepathy translate into blue glowey psychic force field magic?!

Of course, Bill drinks from Maryann, and gross vomit scenes ensue. Is it weird that I thought that Bill vomited with an accent? Oh, was that just me? And then just as I'm thinking, well, yelling at the T.V. again, "WHY DON'T YOU CALL ERIC?!" Sookie says, "I'm callin' Eric." It's nice when the television is interactive.

I really enjoyed the, what a lot of the chatters have been calling, "Jambo" scenes. Jason with a bandoleer, nail gun and chainsaw. Oh boy. And the set dressing at Merlotte's was pretty priceless too. Notice the bobcat and goose stuffed animals with Mardi Gras beads around their necks? Nice touch. My main thought during the Jason scenes was, "Wtf is he going to do?" The answer: Slice a stereo in half with a chainsaw. I should have known.

Terry Bellefleur's part was amazing, and although I'm a non-smoker, I loved the way his cigarette moved when he talked, with the black eyes and everything. Pretty awesome. He really took charge of the situation. Good for him. If his main objective wasn't to fillet Sam, I'd be cheering right about now.

When Bill and Sookie head over to save Tara and Bill goes all fangy for the V-buyer, I had a "Yay Bill!" moment. Shocker. Bill does scary well. The fangs help. And Lafayette isn't afraid to let it slip that Eric's pushing him to sell the stuff. Which is probably a mistake. Has his basement time taught Lafayette nothing?

Black-eyed Tara is super creepy. Like really creepy. Bravo, Rutina. That laugh gave me chills. And did you notice that the go-to insult for Sookie's enemies is the "C" word? Think about it: Steve Newlin, Zombie Tara and Denise Rattray come to mind. Sookie saying the Latin phrase that all the zombies were repeating in her accent was a nice moment for me. I had a giggle at that. This scene was a chance for Sookie to play a more active role (in her own frickin' show...) but I don't know if I'm 100 percent happy with it. The tag team saving thing was interesting, but again, I have to say that I'm not so sure they explained it well.

For book folks, we know that Sookie has a sort of hypnotic power that is introduced at the beginning of Living Dead In Dallas, when she helps interrogate vampire bar employees in Dallas to help find Farrell, the missing vampire. Godric actually lures the Dallas vampire to be kidnapped and taken to the Fellowship. But that scene was left out in the show, and the magical Tara-saving was explained away with one throw-away line. They're just relying on the fact that people know the story too much. There's confusion when they leave out large chunks of the novel.

In other Jambo news: I effing love Jason. He uses his "I'm scary!" gas mask that he used to scare Amy Burley last season (Look for it at :52). And is shirtless. And exclaims, "It's me! The guy who comes!" and at Terry Bellefleur's "Bullshit. God has horns!" adds a nice pair of tree branch horns. I had to ask myself, "Why flares?" in there, but I guess the actions of Jason Stackhouse cannot be explained.

Sam's "Smite me!" was perfect with the twitching and the flashlight going. That was hilarious. I think that really saved the whole episode for me. I did wonder where Sam got that apron, though. It's not like Andy's never seen him in the buff before. Plus shifters aren't the most modest people.

Although that scene was really funny, in the end, there was just not enough Eric, and a little too much Maryann, and a lot of weird shit happening without any real explanation.

Visiting the Queen's compound was pretty epic (Note: I just typed Eric there. Not even thinking about it. Have Eric typing syndrome.). Bill's in slow motion and as Dallas from Loving True Blood in Dallas said on BlogTalk, The Queen's compound was also "badass." I wrote that exact word in my notes. So it must be true. I like how the queen has secret service people. In the book, I always pictured them as more like guards. Like military style. This was more political. So that's a surprise for me.

Well, we're back to square Season 1 in the Eric department. Let's hope he's not just a glorified extra next episode. At least this one proved what we've been saying all along: Eric's dreamy. Only now, it's literally. Eric dreams? I'll take one please, extra shirtless. And a little bite never hurt anyone. At least not anyone who lived to tell about it.

Oh, and people, after next week's episode, we have to wait until SEPTEMBER 13th for the finale! Suckfest, right? Think happy bitey Eric thoughts until then.

No Eric?! -- Of Mice and Stackhouses

Maybe I'm having too much fun with last week's episode of True Blood, "I Will Rise Up," but when these things occur to me I usually just giggle to myself. Now, I feel compelled to share them with the world or at least with the people who find this blog. This is yet another installment of "What About Eric?!" but without the Eric. Sadly.

Anyway, I got to thinking about Sookie and Jason's heart to heart. I don't think I gave it enough time. I was too busy spazzing over Eric. (Still am.)

But after I thought about that scene, all I could think of was this scene from An American Tail where Fievel and Tanya Mousekewitz are trying to find each other. A movie which I saw again recently after watching it incessantly as a kid... and finally understanding the Communist references (Beginning 4:36).

The mice sing about love and family togetherness and cute mouse things. And I always thought it was a little too romantic for siblings, what with the moon and the stars and the orchestral music... At least both of them are fully clothed. And also mice.

Maybe that was the inspiration for last week's scene. Can't you just picture Sookie in that babushka?

What About Eric?! -- Proof of Bill Wickham!

Now, I'd like to add onto my earlier "What About Eric?!" post and add some visual aids to strengthen my Pride and Prejudice Eric-Darcy/Bill-Wickham argument. I'm not saying too much because I don't know exactly how the story will play out book to show, but I will put up these little snippets for your consideration.

Take a look, my friends. See any similarities? Add in a couple of leers and a pair of fangs and you've got Mr. Northman. Although I don't think Mr. Darcy would be quite so vocal about wanting to get into Elizabeth Bennet's petticoat. Oh, and take a minute to picture Alexander Skarsgard in those pants. What was I saying again?

And Mr. Wickham, where did you get that haircut? At Vampire Bill's House o' Sideburns? I think so. And you don't have to picture Stephen Moyer in those regimentals. His Civil War duds are close enough aesthetically. (P.S. I kind of love the screen caps for these videos side by side. It makes me right. Down to the letter. I am observant.)

UPDATE: Darcy and Elizabeth are also really big on the eye contact, as you can see. And while he has many admirers, seeks to have the best woman or none at all. I'm pretty sure Eric Northman would enjoy a country dance just about as much as Mr. Darcy does initially, but I don't think he'd mind feeding on a few ladies' femoral arteries for his trouble before he scowls and goes to chat with Pam. What would Vampire Darcy do? That remains to be seen. (They already fought the zombies!)

What About Eric?! -- It's Wickham and Darcy.

This post is coming a little later than usual because I, like I suspect many of you, needed a moment or two to collect my muddled thoughts. And to stop drooling. And spazzing in front of the TV. I also felt it was quite necessary to watch the dream sequence again, not only to enjoy the... splendor... but to catch the lines of dialogue due to my distractedness during the first viewing. Oh, Eric. Yes, please.

In Episode 9, "I Will Rise Up," we saw a bit more emotion, and a focus on the family units in True Blood. That means there was Lettie Mae Thorton and Maxine Fortenberry acting maternal. (Surprisingly strong in Lettie Mae's case and unsurprisingly bitchy in Maxine's.) The babies remark from Mamma Hoyt was a low blow. But we know she's "full of hate."

But I can't contain myself any longer over the Eric scenes, and the explosion, so I must leave the family stuff for later.

How incredible was the bullet suck? I have been on pins and needles waiting to see if that scene would be cut in the book-to-show transition. Gladly, it remained, with a little tweaking.

So, the bomb goes off and there's squishy guts everywhere. And there goes Eric, covering Sookie. To protect her... maybe. Or because he's "opportunistic" (wink wink)? In the book, I imagined this as a face-to-face positioning, and I think it was. But, it worked out well here. When Eric leans back and grins fangily, I swore he was about to wink at the camera. I wish he had.

I lament the omission of the book Eric-Sookie kiss, after Eric's lust is kindled by the blood and Sookie taking his, where he says, "Your lips are bloody," and proceeds to... rectify that situation with his own.

Bill then explains that Sookie and Eric will have a blood bond of sorts. Sookie reacts to this by girly punching Eric and calling him an "A-hole." I kind of love it when he's all, "Yes, Bill, I do believe I can sense her emotions." and after she calls him a "monster," there's the classic, "I think I'm gonna cry." I love Eric.

Things I don't understand: Bill grabbing the Fellowship dudes and biting then claiming to have shown mercy. Hey, I guess he didn't chain them up in a basement or rip of their extremities, but he's no Mother Theresa.

Oh, and Bill: Why did you have to say SEXUAL like someone's Health teacher? No complaints about Eric and SEXUAL anything, Mr. Compton. At least not from me. His attractions are working without that blood bond, unless you know something I don't. The way Bill talks about it, you'd think Eric was frickin' Quasimodo or something.

I loved Jason's thumbs up for guts! I eeeewwwed after Luke's severed hand, of course it was the honesty ring one. (Sidebar: You know you're Twittering too much when you see a severed hand and think, NEW Twitter account for someone! @LukesHand... Hey, there's @EricsButt.)

Sookie and Jason's hotel conversation was very real, and touching, if not a teensy bit sullied by the fact that Jason was in a robe and chatting about his "sexual abilities." Maybe I'm more of a prude than Sookie, but I don't think I'm cool enough to be comfortable with that kind of talk with mon frere.

Lafayette was a big hero this week. He may be a "person of low moral character," but I loved him for being a good cousin and for taking Tara out of a bad situation whether she wants to be taken or not. The mix of emotions you felt when he tossed Tara over his shoulder pretty much embodied the show's appeal for me. It was a little funny, but it was sad and also strange and creepy with her hollering and black eyes.

So sick of Maryann, btw. And give Sam something better to do than run from Maryann. Or be a fly. Yeah, that was Sam Trammell's best performance so far! He really pulled off the fly. Geez. I like Sam, not every woodland creature that is good at fleeing from mobs and maenads.

Maxine's culinary prowess astounded me. Yeah. It was cheese toast with chips. And it was even the plastic cheese. Hoyt standing up for himself made me smile, and the fact that he's all, "I'm a grown-ass man!" ...but I'll take this sandwich!

I'll admit that I thought he looked a little more attractive to me standing up in that room with the low ceiling. Is Eric Northman inspiring tall guy fetishes? What? Who said that? For a moment, I thought Hoyt would deserve a card on Blood Work this week over Eric, even with the bullet suck. Little did I know...

Listen, I took notes during this scene, and just for a picture of how muddled my thoughts were, I will type them out verbatim, and then translate/elaborate with my real, second viewing notes.

Alison's notes, Take 1: HOLY CRAP! Hard to focus on dialogue... AAAAH! Hair. Just a taste of later. "There's love in you." "Only for Sookie." HE DESERVES A CARD. Guilty sex! Good Lord that was hot.

So, let's translate that, and add in my real notes (albeit still forcing my brain to focus when there's naked Skarsgard): I fully expected a guilty sex scene when Sookie wakes and turns to Bill. But, I guess that'll happen later, since it follows the formula (See the original post at Blood Bonds Blog).

NOTE POSSIBLE SPOILERS for non-book readers this paragraph... One of the things about the dream sequence is the fact that you pretty much could have taken it out of Dead to the World. And I appreciate the fact that they dropped another hint at Sookie's lineage. "Can't trade the sun for the moon and the stars."

You'll notice that he didn't bite her, which I expected, but they really meant to humanize him, yet again. But isn't this all coming at once for people who haven't been waiting all this time for Eric's real personality to come out? There weren't as many breadcrumbs left to lead you home to our "sense of humor" or love for "only Sookie" Eric. The first we saw of him was last episode. Hell, I loved it. But that doesn't mean everyone else will if you didn't set it up from day one like Charlaine Harris did.

This episode really showed the Eric I loved since Loving Dead in Dallas. The impish flirt, the loyal, the sensitive and noble man. He smirks and plays at a time when many of his brethren are dead. Bill punches Eric at a really, really bad time and he walks away. He cares for Godric enough to cry in front of Sookie, enough to offer himself to die in support of his maker. The dream Eric is really our future Eric, and the one we know is in there, it's both touching and painful, to see him like that now. Let me tell you, there are going to be a lot of red faces come two years from now, if there is a True Blood god.

The Godric parts were emotional, and I'm not a Godric fan, but you really saw the Sookie that Charlaine Harris wrote, come out. Maybe that's because the "Meeting the Sun" scene was done very similarly in print. I loved Sookie for taking Eric's hand and crying while Godric burned. And I loved her for being herself and doing what was right and not hiding behind Bill, for once.

I've talked to people who only watch the show and they ask me why when I say Sookie is my favorite character next to Eric. Well, this is why. I like the flirting with Eric-Sookie and the crying for Godric-Sookie and the cares for her brother-Sookie. I even like the cares for Bill-Sookie. But enough is enough. You are your own woman, Sookie Stackhouse, and it's not your job to run to Bill every time something goes south! At the very least you should run to Eric. He's not going to coddle you.

You know what my Bill and Eric philosophy is? Why would you want Mr. Wickham when Mr. Darcy's right there? I mean, HE'S GOING TO MARRY YOUR SISTER! Metaphorically speaking, Ms. Stackhouse. Wake up and smell your Mr. Northman. Preferably naked. Take a note from Elizabeth Bennet. She got it right, and I'm getting tired of waiting for you to follow suit.

What About Eric?! -- The Dweeby Debonair

Where to begin this week? Any where's good, but at the beginning is best when I'm so excited and ready to gush. I believe this was my favorite True Blood episode to date. This week's, Ep. 8, "Timebomb" was a Beck song, which made the music lover in me all warm and fuzzy at the thought ("Timebomb" music video here). But they really pulled out all the stops.

Let's get to it. This was basically the Jason Stackhouse episode. I think his response to a paintball crotch shot by Sarah Newlin was pretty priceless. "Sweet Jesus!" And then, to dumb FotS member who questions, "Is that a paintball gun?" ... "Um... yes." Classically Jason Stackhouse, all puffed up and heroic, but still sort of stupid.

I rather enjoyed seeing Jason still defending his sister, knocking Sarah Newlin over and shooting Steve Newlin in the hand and face with the paintball gun.

I kind of loved his moment with Bill where he describes his FotS insanity as "sucked out my brain and put their own babies in there." And Bill was a little bit of a jerk to him with the hug, which granted, vampires don't do, but how many times as Bill hugged Sookie? He can't accept a hug from her brother?

And as a segue, let's address the cute-but-scary Eric-Jason conversation, which was kind of a threatening big brother talk in reverse. Jason should be the one putting Sookie's would-be suitor in his place, but Eric all but pats poor Jason on the head. (You ever notice how Eric episodes are usually Jason episodes? Both "Plaisir d'amour" and "Escape from Dragon House" in Season 1, for example.)

How hysterical was Human Eric? (Starting 4:18) I think I just about lost it when he all smoothly leans into Sookie and whispers seductively, "Trust me." and proceeds to hang his head, shrug his shoulders and use the word "dang." That moment explained a lot about Eric. He sees humans as sort of bumbling nerds, apparently. And I kind of love it.

I had a Home Alone moment when Eric walks away all, "I'll be fine." (One of his lines from Generation Kill, I hear, but don't remember. Too much time spent oogling to remember lines?). Even though I've read the books, I feel like anything can happen. Maybe Eric won't die, but there might be some damage to his pretty face and we can't not worry about that. Anyway, what I found most interesting about his sacrificial moment was that after Bill comes into the church and the FotS members are basically defeated, Sookie doesn't fall into Bill's arms, but runs to save Eric from the silver chain.

We saw Eric smile more in this episode than in any so far, and what a treat it is, fangs or no. And at the party, Eric's entrance into the Bill and Sookie conversation also had me cracking up. "Mmmmm. Heard my name. I hope you were speaking well of me." I don't know how Eric can be this incredibly sexy, powerful force and also sound something like that annoying dude who can't take a hint. I think if I didn't love Eric so much, I wouldn't insanely laugh every time they make him say something a little nerdy. I like the idea of him being so confident in himself that he manages to be menacing, dweeby and charming at the same time. Pretty much perfect.

What was Sam thinking? I can't figure out his reasoning, wrapping her halfway up in a trash bag, like some kind of trash bag mermaid and then calling the police. And in other Daphne news... we finally found out what was in the weird stew served at the orgies, and in this case, in a souffle served to Eggs and Tara.

That whole scene was very bizarre, and I'm still sick of the Maryann stuff. They've drawn out that story way too long. They've dropped so many clues that I feel like I'm watching a blue cartoon dog. Tara and Eggs: Searching for Paw prints... and slapping each other in the face.

But you had to love that shot of the souffle. I mostly enjoyed the noise that the knife made as it cut and the blood spurted out. I understand that Eggs and Tara were compelled to eat once they took a bite, but the first one? You can't help but think, why would you eat that? It doesn't look good. It looks like blood. You wonder why they would even touch it.

Oh, and Maryann? You're not supposed to cut meat on a wooden cutting board! You'll give yourself foodborne illnesses! No one wants to do nasty, lusty things while their food spurts out of both ends, Maenad!

The only thing I can say about the Hoyt-Jessica scenes is, ew. While I thought, geez, he got those buttons undone fast, then said awww that his shirt had snaps, there was a t.m.i. moment in there. Enough said.

I also have a problem with Godric. I don't understand their reasoning for him without the book's explanation. I think without that, his being there makes no sense. His apprehension of Gabe makes no sense. I can't wait to see their reasons for his whole deal beyond, "They kidnapped me, I didn't want to kill them." It just doesn't jive with the hints dropped earlier, unless that was meant to mislead the novel readers.

The Lorena-Sookie scene was yet another example of where Godric (who isn't supposed to be there) intervenes when it could have been Eric. I wanted it to be Eric. Sometimes, it just doesn't feel right when people who weren't there in the scenes in the novels are there in the show. Most of the time, I say to myself, that wasn't better than it was done in the novels. It was just different for the sake of being different. (AND what was with Lorena's hair...?)

I suppose any book-to-show changes can be forgiven this week with the insertion of Human Eric. That was just brilliant and hilarious and soooo worth it.

You have to love when they give the people what they want. (More. Eric.)

What About Eric?! -- Tears and Tender Moments

I think I awwwed more than I ever have in my life tonight. There were so many tender moments in this week's True Blood. There were also really horrible and disgusting moments, but still. Let's talk about the touching moments and leave the upsetting stuff for later.

It's pretty much a requirement that I start with Eric, and in Episode 7: "Release Me," we see Eric's first blood tears. Again, it's over Godric and the realization that he might be dead.

But that wasn't Eric's only tender moment. He also was more than merely curious about the appeal of human-vampire relationships in his conversation with Isabel. She calls him on his fondness for Sookie and his response is, "Stop looking at me like that." A very manly show of emotion.

In another human-vampire relationship, Hoyt and Jessica really made us smile again with Hoyt's romantic gesture of candles (blood-scented...) and rose petals and Jessica's understanding nature. The mood of the scene was no less cute when Jessica warns that she might "look dead" while they cuddle.

That scene sort of segued us into the Bill-Lorena scene where both vampires attempted to go without their day's rest and proceeded to bleed from their noses and ears. Lovely. This differs from the novels, in which vampires very literally die, or at least are in such a deep sleep they cannot be roused. The change in the rules makes sense for the show so that all the characters can be active at all times. We can't watch Sookie run errands and work at Merlotte's all day. At least in the books we gain a little insight into feelings and motivations of Sookie's and other characters through her meditations and telepathy. That's just not doable in the show.

We also see a little more of Bill's past, about 10 years later than the last flashback. Bill's wearing his smoking jacket and Lorena and tap dancer girl have really strange eyebrows, but more importantly, Bill is refusing to be a monster for Lorena and is released from her and that life so he won't kill himself. More tears from his Maker.

Really, this is making the audience much too sympathetic towards Bill for what comes later in the story line, if you ask me. This different direction makes me wonder if they will even follow one crucial element of the later novels. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

I'm quite pleased with the way the Sam-Daphne-Maryann-Tara thing has played out. It was especially gratifying to see Sam sock Daphne in the face. The entire opening sequence, through when Sam runs from Maryann and shifts into an owl was the best Sam scene so far this season. It goes to show what amazing actors they hired when you see something so incredibly unreal and it feels real because it's ugly and terrifying in a very human way.

Sam got a few aws too. Like when he poured his heart out to Daphne. Then Daphne, well, she poured out her heart into Maryann's hand. And her blood out of her back-stabbing mouth. I'm not too sad about that one. What does that say about me? That was a little less tender, or a little more, but in a Hannibal Lecter sort of way.

It's nice to know that Tara has at least started to come to her senses. You can see the gears turning in there, but there's still something wrong with that whole picture. I definitely had a moment of frustration when Maryann comes into the house with the rabbit carcass barefoot and covered in blood and dirt and Eggs and Tara just say, "She's weird." and "Poor bunny." I really wanted Tara to do something, anything involving her screaming some sort of expletive and running off. No joy. Or maybe too much on the Maryann front.

The Fellowship of the Sun basement stuff came pretty much verbatim from the book, with the exception that Hugo Ayres was a vampire lawyer who went to the FotS, not just a fangbanger. His cover story was different and he didn't want to become a vampire at all.

The Barry the Bellboy stuff was the same, although we only heard saw it from Sookie's end and there was no Lorena to interfere (She's introduced in Club Dead). Even though I knew Godric saves Sookie from Gabe, I still almost thought it was Eric coming to her rescue. I think that was just because I wanted to be.

Jason's story actually fit perfectly with the Fellowship parts, but I wonder how they're going to have he and Sookie meet up in the current situation, and with how the book events occurred. He's obviously not shot by Sarah Newlin, and I know this mainly because the "Rest of Season 2" Comic-Con promo showed the next scene with a paint ball mark on his shirt. This also happened before Season 2 aired, when they revealed in one promo Sam laying the ton of cash at Maryann's feet before that particular mystery was solved. Maybe they don't count on people remembering every little thing from every 30 second promo.

And of course, we finally find out that Maryann is a maenad and THANK GOD for that. Us novel readers, we're about ready to poke our eyes out during those scenes. (Greek Tragedy reference, get it? I shouldn't make eye gouging jokes. Too late.)

Overall, this episode was excellent. The parts that bored me previously were amazing and suspenseful and the parts I've always enjoyed got even better. This may be my favorite episode of the season. I really cannot wait for more. Not that that's anything new. Maybe a little more Eric? (Because I have to.)

What About Eric?! -- He's Nobody's Baby.

Oh, silly humans. Your terms of endearment do not amuse ancient Viking vampires. In this week's episode of True Blood, (Episode 7: "Hard-Hearted Hannah," Eric Northman shares a less-than-romantic "dinner" with a blood hooker at Hotel Carmilla (named after this vampire story, btw). Although he's quite unsatisfied with the girl's attempts at making this an enjoyable experience, Eric tells her to give a good report to her boss. Isn't he just a sweetheart? Looking out for the working girl. Just don't call him "baby."

Another key Eric moment was during Lafayette's basement time flashback, where the vampire was wearing Andy's clothes and speaking in his voice. The general consensus was that this was creepy and weird. But it's Eric, so I'll take it.

It was especially sweet the way that Terry helped comfort Lafayette and tell off his cousin. And if that wasn't enough, Pam instructs Lafayette to continue selling "V." (While having really strange hair. Plus the sunglasses were a nice touch.) Whose blood is in that vial? It's possible that it's any one of the Louisiana vamps in Eric's Area, but more likely, it's Eric's. He was willing to share it with Lafayette before, and that was only for an open-ended favor, not for any direct monetary gain.

One of the biggest revelations of the episode was the flashback to 1926 Chicago with Bill and Lorena (Guillaume and Fabiana... if I'm not mistaken) and a really kind of disturbing and gory scene where Bill is hardly a gentleman and revels in the bloody, lusty moment. He's kind of evil and a lot cozier with Lorena than when we last saw them together in the past, after Bill was turned. I kind of love Bill's codename. Guillaume is French for William. Perfect.

Sarah Newlin finally bedded Jason, in a church, no less. And there's sure to be consequences from that one. Sookie's comment that Sarah "looks like vanilla pudding" was pretty hilarious, considering the earlier line, "Sarah doesn't just whip her pudding out for just anyone," from the Reverend himself. There seems to be a pudding fixation when it comes to Mrs. Newlin.

And do I need to mention the giant orgy in Sookie's backyard and Sam being held for some kind of sacrifice? I hope not.

What About Eric?! -- The Viking Edition

What About Eric?! Well, thank you True Blood. In this week's episode, "Never Let Me Go," we see the story of Eric's human death and making, as a vampire. You know what that means! Viking outfits and Old Swedish. I never thought I'd be giggling at something in Old Swedish. You've gotta love it. The most memorable line this week: (From Eric) something like, "Wherever I am there will be women." That is so Eric.
But there were some interesting things happening with Jason at the Light of Day Institute. There was a little Mary Magdalene stuff going on with Sarah Newlin and Jason in the role of Jesus. Oh, boy. That was a bit strange. With Jason's limited knowledge of the Bible, that woman could trick him into anything, the poor boy.
I'm glad Tara finally said something to Maryann about her making herself at home in Sookie's house-- for about five minutes. There's something not okay about that whole situation. Plus there was the weird Maryann-Gran stuff. Ew.
Lorena's back and looking to get Bill away from Sookie in an aggressive way, orders and all that -- maker-style. So that'll be fun. But why is she there?! Well...
The promo for next week (will post when available) where we see that's she's striking up some kind of deal with Eric... Yay! If that means clearing the way for Eric and Sookie, then I'm all for it. You don't have to convince me that that's a good idea. More Eric, right?

What About Eric?! -- Gun Show.

I thought long and hard about what to call this section, based on my reactions to HBO's True Blood and Charlaine Harris' novels. In the end, I came up with the best title possible, which is exactly what I scream at the TV screen like an old man during every episode and interview. "What About Eric?!" -- since I know myself and the topic this section is going to focus on most, it just feels right. Here we go.

True Blood has become my obsession. Not only does it have an incredibly attractive cast, but it's well written, acted and based on my favorite books of all time, The Sookie Stackhouse Novels (or Southern Vampire Mysteries) by Charlaine Harris. Not since Buffy the Vampire Slayer have I loved a show so much. But, True Blood... I love it more. Eric Northman has it all, and the show could not have found a better Viking vampire than they have in Alexander Skarsgard (of Generation Kill fame or Zoolander, but that's beside the point). The vamp is famed for his guns and that comically intimidating stare. Let's not forget the best line of the season by far, "Do I have blood in my hair?" It's not easy to rip apart a redneck in flip flops, track pants and foiled hair while being mighty scary... but cute. That's Eric at his best.

Anyway, my main complaint of the series is their downplaying of the Eric-Sookie relationship. Supposedly they will get to the stuff that has repeatedly been slated to "make Bill jealous," but I don't see it. So far, we've seen a lot more of Eric, but the most suggestive scenes with Mr. Northman are between he and Lafayette. A girl can't help but get a little nervous. But let's not dwell on the criminal lack of Eric scenes in True Blood.

With Episode 4: "Shake and Fingerpop," the series continues to follow the plot of the book on which Season 2 is based, Living Dead in Dallas, one of my favorites. Where it diverges, however, I am a little happy and a little, well, bored.

The happy: The relationship never explored in Harris' books-- that of Eric and Lafayette. Or as Brian Juergens of Blood Work phrased it: LafayEric. (Which was brilliant, btw.) Anyway, this is very interesting. We see two personalities that we suspect would have hit it off, but never met due to one's untimely death. So there. True Blood writers have really done fans proud keeping Lafayette around, a colorful book character, but one not so round and charismatic as Nelsan Ellis and Alan Ball have created. For Charlaine Harris' purpose in the series, the cook was fine. One of the best things about her books is that she creates a world that's full of color, and that includes your chopping block minors. But what this show Lafayette-Eric connection brings is one thing that no true Sookie fan would contest: More Eric. You know, I always laughed when Bret and Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords talked about "showing arm" on their dates, but when you take Alexander Skarsgard... I think there may be something to that theory. The Eric-Lafayette scene showed off that arm admirably. Plus, the minute Lafayette starts dancing and humping the furniture like he's in a viral video, it's clear that nothing but good can come from book to show changes.

The bored: Anyone who's read the books knows without a doubt who Maryann is. And so, the Maryann scenes, which largely consist of clue-dropping as to what she is exactly are a snoozefest. Even with the Tara-Eggs relationship to liven things up, there's still something to be desired. Again, I have to reference something mentioned on Blood Work-- We're missing the old "sassy Tara." And it's true. Sure, we all want people to be happy, but not at the expense of interesting personalities and depth. For the Maryann scenes, the rule seems to be: Who doesn't like looking at drunken orgies? Well, me. That would be with one exception. There is a scene in the book, which is important to the plot and is done wonderfully and humorously by Harris, actually showing the best sides of her characters, showing their strength and convictions in the face of immorality. The show scenes so far have been really dark and maybe not as entertaining as I would like them to be if they won't have the book scene layers. A little dialogue peppered in and I'm all set. Some of the best Tara moments this season have been her comments on other's behavior, and isn't that what we love about Tara?

Now since this post is somewhat late, Sunday's just around the corner, so fingers crossed for a little Eric arm!