Review

Bill continues his dalliance in Mississippi, as a guest of Russell Edgington, in fact he drops his allegiance to Louisiana and swears fidelity to Russell, but one figures this has more to do with saving Sookie from the King's attention than anything else. Sookie for her part is proving her ability to handle a pistol as she wounds the werewolf sent after her by Russell. Eric, fangs dripping red, rips out the lupine's throat when he sees the same brand he had an issue with previously. Sookie, using her mind reading abilities, picked up on the wolf coming from Jackson. She is determined to go to Bill's rescue; Eric is unable to dissuade her and can't attend himself due to the need to raise revenue. In his place he sends Alcide, a werewolf that isn't under Russell's command. We learn that lupine attacks are on the rise in Jackson causing friction within the pack.

Meanwhile Sam confronts his brother over almost getting him killed, and decides to head on home rather than put up with Joe Lee's choice in underdaks. Really wish we had that option. Unfortunately for Sam his long lost family follow him to Bon Temps. And if that's not enough to have you humming Dixie, Jason has decided he wants to become a cop, Tara is getting more immersed in Franklyn's spell, and Jessica discovers just what did happen to the body of the trucker she drained.

Director Michael Lehmann has this cool symmetry thing going down in It Hurts Me Too that should be slightly twee but somehow works like a brought one. Sookie and Eric are in a graveyard burying the body of the Lycan Eric finished off on Sookie's hall rug. Similarly in a flashback Bill and his maker are in another cemetery, which coincidentally might be the exact same one, burying Bill's son who has died from the pox. Not too sure if this isn't alluding to something that folks who have read the books might be more aware of. I noted a few other instances of similar scenes, where differing characters were closely mirroring each other.

Before I forget another Downunder actor is introduced this episode, though the role looks like it might be of the support casting variety. Kiwi thespian Grant Bowler plays the lead werewolf Cooter from the pack that Russell Edgington commands. Who knows the role may grow, television is a medium where incidental characters can become major players, but with Alcide in the Sookie camp I wouldn't be counting any Lycan chickens just yet.

What is Eric's thing with the Lycan brand, and is Bill hiding something about his motives regarding Sookie. I'm turning into a chick over here!

Just in case we forget Director Lenmann has Eric going wild over the Nazi Werewolf, I never tire of saying that friends and neighbours, brand that the interloper in Sookie's house sported. While Eric is all don't kill him as we need to question him, as soon as he sees the brand he goes full blood lust in the first of the real graphical scene of the year. Remembering True Blood can get down into the dark genre trenches and rock and roll with the best of them. I've always had a slight fondness for the Eric character, in a platonic fashion you pervert, as he embodies the primeval blood lust of the vampire while showing an urbane character most of the time. Just what the hell is it with Eric and that lupine brand anyway?

Speaking of vampires we dig the most, Tara is getting in deeper with the enigmatic Franklyn who is really turning into something of a favourite character already. The dude has a number of Roos bounding around in the top paddock, but in one of those "there's method in that madness" is checking out the whole Bill and Sookie thing. He certainly worms his way into Jessica's confidence, and in another brick in the vampire mythos wall we learn vampires can enter other blood sucker homes without being invited. While we get an explanation for Jessica's missing trucker, and in another demonstration of symmetry it's Hoyt who discovers the dumped headless body, I'm also now wondering if it wasn't Franklyn who rifled through Bill's papers in an earlier episode to discover a long history of the Stackhouse family in a hidden compartment.

Other plot arcs that are simmering away abound. Jason has decided he wants to serve and protect, but the Police entrance exam is hieroglyphics to him. Nice touch there I thought. I'm expecting Andy to have problems in that direction in due course. Arlene was pregnant prior to hooking up with Terry, indicating a certain serial killer might live on. Hoyt is still mooning over Jessica and swings every conversation around to that subject. And Sam now has to contend with his trailer trash family who have arrived at the bar. Joe Lee and Sam are clearly going to come to blows at some stage.

One particular aspect of It Hurts Me Too I wanted to mention was Director Lehmann's nailing of Bill's anguish at his removal from his family and his new vampire existence. I was simply giving a standard ovation as the scene unfolds where Bill's wife discovers he isn't human. Stephen Moyer emoted like his life depended on getting across the emotion, the makeup department hit their straps with Bill looking grey, haggard, and otherworldly, and the camera angles forced focus on the strong vibes hitting the room. It's simply one of the best scenes yet in the franchise and bodes well for the rest of the season. Has there been a move to make Bill appear more vampire, hence perhaps losing some audience sympathy, for some reason?

Season three is starting to gear up to being the best ever in my humble opinion. We have multiple plot arcs forming, some will leak into season four no doubt, new characters to groove to, and a worthy antagonist in Russell Edgington. There's clearly more behind Bill's involvement with Sookie than we first appreciated, that's got to unravel in particular apocalyptic fashion, and Nazi Werewolves! I reckon we might be having a good time in Bon Temps tonight and can't wait to rock on through the rest of the season. Well recommend episode, I'm dashing off as I might just have enough time to slip the next episode on.