Review

A year ago Sookie left with her Fairy Godmother for places unknown in order to escape the heartbreak brought on by Vampire Bill. Sookie learns in Fairyland that not all that glistens is gold, but does run across her long last Grandfather and Busboy Barry who she last encountered in the season two episode Never Let Me Go. Seems the Fairies are "harvesting" humans, Sookie escapes with her Grandfather through a portal back to our plain of existence to find a year has passed in Bon Temps.

Things have changed down home as Sookie finds. Brother Jason has sold her house and surprisingly is now a fully fledged member of the local Police force. Tara has fled the scene for New Orleans where she is in a lesbian relationship and earns her living via cage fighting. Tommy, Sam's brother, is filling Hoyt's shoes at Hoyt's mother's place and is recuperating from being shot in the leg by Sam. Andy is now addicted to V, thought so end of last season. Sam has found other "changelings" and is in a group session. And finally everyone's favourite character Lafayette is introduced to a Witch coven by his partner Jesus. Speaking of the local Witches, head Wiccan Marnie has resurrect her dead parrot, temporarily, with this being reported to Bill, who is now the King of Louisiana. Have I covered everything?

Well it's been a year since I last visited with the folks down Bon Temps way and I got to say within ten minutes I was back home again sipping mint julep and grooving to True Blood like I had never been away. The opening episode goes out of its way to put the major, and quite a few of the minor characters, into situations that will define the season. From episode one we are already into the conflict and I for one am grabbing a large coke, a bag of potato chops, and getting ready to get my Bon Temp on again! Oh hell yeah, the question is can we see the conflicts coming at us this season from the first episode or will the Writers throw some curve balls our way.

Bon Temps is like a home away from home, pleased to be back with Sookie and the gang.

Listed them off, and I could be off the reservation, Jason has already run into problems with the redneck inbreeds he seems to have taken under his wing following Crystal exiting stage left last season. Our boy ends up locked in a chest freezer, now that can't be a good development, and one wonders if he's next on the menu for the local were-cats. Lafayette has been thrust into the lion's den of a Witch's coven, with Marnie the head witch able to conjure up the dead. I'm expecting some demonic or the like action there. If one thing can top Nazi Werewolves, and we're talking some big paws to full here, then it's going to be demonically possessed Witches. Sookie of course has problems with vampire suitors and I'm expecting head faery Mab to make a star appearance at some stage of the season. Also edging onto the radar is Arlene and possible psychopath issues with the new baby, is Rene really resting peacefully? For sure we are packed to the rafters through season four, looks like as usual we'll be getting multiple plot arcs and no doubt some ground work done for season five.

I should also mention that the American Vampire League are continuing their PR work following Russell Edgington's television rampage. Nan Flanagan however has her work cut out trying to make Pam the face of Vampire Business in North America. In a striking scene Eric Northman saves the day with a speech that cuts back and forth to Vampire Bill delivering a public address at an old folk's home. Eric and Bill clearly being setup as rivals at this early stage of the season.

As one would expect from True Blood the T&A isn't hidden too deeply, well okay no naked folk just yet, but the season is only just beginning. Jessica, the tall redhead vamp in a relationship with down home bro Hoyt, rips into a pretty sexy dance at Fangtasia. There's going to be some fireworks there as Jessica for sure isn't adapting to domestic human bliss in any successful fashion. Word to the wise, don't let Jess cook breakfast, even the French would turn their noses up at her eggs. And Sookie is caught in a compromising position by Eric Northman, who just so happens to have brought her house while Sookie was away with the fairies - thus being able to enter anytime he feels like it. So expect plenty of exposed flesh during season four from HBO, the fans demand nothing less to be perfectly honest.

As stated somewhere in this rambling mess of a review, Sookie is back after fifteen minutes in fairyland to find thirteen months have passed in Bon Temps, bit of a shocker, worst for her long lost Grandpa who spent a few hours with more fairies than you see on a float during Mardi Gras. On the bright side Sookie didn't eat the "light fruit", it's all dust to dust and ashes to ashes if you do that and return to the human plain of existence. I was mightily impressed with how this was handled, everyone has moved on with their lives with surprisingly only Eric having faith that Sookie would return. Take from that what you will kids, but the episode is definitely worth checking out to see how to apply continuity while racketing things along to get to new fertile ground. In Bon Temps folks sure do move on with their lives, into even more demented supernatural mayhem generally.

In keeping with our recent trend to have a look at the ratings, She's Not There had a massive 5.42 million viewer figure in North American when it was broadcast. No wonder two more seasons are coming at us, that's a fairly sizeable result in comparison to the other properties in the dark genre playpen. Seems the show works for both male and female demographics skewing slightly older than the opposition franchises.

I'm happy to report that the folks of Bon Temps haven't lost any of their appeal, and for sure the shenanigans for season four look to at least match previous seasons. All the normal elements are throw into the mix, with the plot arcs already spreading out in interesting directions. This show is for sure not a "chick PR outing", there's something here for everyone. Am I get excited by another season of True Blood, hell yeah, check it out folks this show rocks.