Review

Unfortunately Pam has let slip to Bill that Eric is hanging out at Sookie's house and the vampire King is over there quicker than a cobra striking. Which just so happens to coincide with Sookie and Eric getting busy in the lounge room, thought vamps couldn't enter where they aren't invited? Anyways the upshot is Eric is arrested and Bill gets permission from the Authority to decree the true death due to Eric being under the influence of a necromancer, and hence a danger to all vampires. Eric is willing to go to his death but wants Pam released and a message sent to Sookie.

Meanwhile in other parts of Bon Temps we find out whether or Jason is a were-panther, Tommy shifts into Sam and lays down some mayhem, and Jesus and Lafayette are having goat's tongue for breakfast south of the border. If that's not enough Marnie is now possessed by a Spirit after some payback when it comes to Vampires - no demons then, Arcide grudgingly agrees to go to a pack meeting after he finds Debbie Pelt entertaining the pack master, and Tara runs into a Pam out for her own payback. Almost forgot, Lafayette has to walk the spirit path to save Jesus after Jesus' grandfather allows him to be bitten by a rattle snake. Typical couple of days in Bon Temps then, how was your week?

Just when I thought we were getting on top of the whole True Blood thing season five is released! Still I guess we're half way through a season now and can coast into next season without any major speed bumps, assuming nothing else comes up for review like those pesky Winchester Bros.

Guess if I had to sum this episode up it would all be about change, of characters reaching new self awareness, progressing as ... uhmm ... things, while other characters show scant regard for what they could become. If nothing else True Blood has always pushed the line that regardless of public perception you are your own being, with the capacity for good as well as evil. Quite a heady mix for a paranormal romance really that people only think is out to titillate, there's that perception thing again.

Marnie is going to become a handful from next episode, it truly will be the season of the witch

Eric has come to despise what he once was and has grown through his tribulations, whether or not this will remain the case when his full memories are restored is another matter. There's such a change in Eric that Sookie is making the doe eyes at him while Pam is giving in to despair. Likewise Bill seems to have grown with his major decision this episode; however I'm still on the fence as to whether or not Mr Crompton is a force for good or evil overall. All this is underlined for mine by Jason, just when you think the boy may have found some wisdom he goes ahead and does something stupid, but as opposed to the enigmatic Bill, Jason has always been a force for good in his own strange way.

On the other side of the ledger Marnie is now possessed by the revengeful spirit she invited in, the major conflict of the season is just heating up friends and neighbours, and Pam is into the full wraith mode. Tommy I guess is also on the evil flipside, thought Sam was going to be a positive influence there for a while but it seems Tommy simply can't get passed his own selfish requirements.

I guess the major development in the episode for the legends of chicks that support the show is Sookie and Eric finally getting together. There was definitely a lot of excitement around my neck of the woods during this episode. Hopefully that will sort of be an end of the romance part of paranormal and we can get back to the thick of it now, though no doubt more sex scenes will be tossed onto the table to appease the female constituents. Of course they can now all hold their collective breath for Jason and Jess to invariably get together.

I was also pleased to see the Arlene and Terry versus some sort of supernatural force sub plot working its way to the surface. Previously the inferences have been either Mikey is a born sociopath, just like his dad, or Rene is somehow haunting the family. This episode we are introduced to Mavis, a spirit like being that only the baby can see. Clearly we have our culprit and I guess we'll have to wait a few more episodes to see how that pans out.

With the major conflict moving into focus a lot of the subplots are either going to be closing fairly rapidly from here on, like the Jason were-panther thing, or will be pushed to next season, so we should get some clear and present dangers in the next couple of episodes. I'm pretty much ready to rock there and figure while the side tracks offer good value they do tend to detract from the Wiccan onslaught we are all expecting to go down against the vampires. I'd be getting the popcorn in for the next six episodes as I'm predicting utter mayhem and destruction from here.

A slight dip this episode to 5.19 million viewers in North American, but clearly nothing to worry about with another season on our doorstep. After four seasons True Blood is definitely holding its ratings without any problems, and as I'm not seeing any mention of the show being cancelled probably time over the next few weeks to hazard a guess as to what dangers the Sookie gang will face in season five. At this stage I'm thinking Mab might be an ingredient but am still holding out hope they may go totally insane and launch space zombies at us.

Another episode that continues the fine production values thus far obtained this season. I've really got my Bon Temps on at the moment and I'm wondering if a double episode review might be acceptable to the site this week, hey we move ahead more quickly, and I get to rock on with the show. Full recommendation, once again you need to be immersed in the franchise in order to understand exactly what's going down.