True Blood
Man, that was fun! The finale of this slightly uneven fourth season went out with a bang, leaving Sookie alone once again. Last night’s episode was full of farewells, as we saw some beloved characters shuffle off this mortal coil. Debbie and Jesus died for the men they loved, albeit in different ways. Tonight marked the end of NanFlan and possibly, the end of Tara? Meanwhile, some familiar faces are back, in two unexpected twists that give me high hopes for season five. This episode chugged along at a good clip, tying up loose ends a little too neatly, but nevertheless providing a phenomenal ending. Let’s see how it all worked out.
Whatever Marnie Wants, Marnie Gets
Lala and Jesus’s breakfast alfresco is interrupted by a special guest, Marnie, who is hanging out in Lafayette’s body, feeling stabby and vengeful. She did not go gently into that good night, and only one thing will make her happy: Jesus’s dark brujo magic. Vampires and fat kids have made a mockery of Samhain, better known as Halloween, and this injustice coupled with a friend’s betrayal is too much for her to bear. Lafayette goes through some Sybill-esque vamping, warning Jesus of the obvious: Marnie’s homicidal and crazy and probably won’t take no for an answer.
Jesus performs what will be his final act of kindness, transforming into the blue-faced Thunderdemon. Then shit gets real: Lala stabs Jesus in the gut and licks the blood off the knife. Jesus no longer has the magic, nor does he have very long to live. Lafayette transforms into the Thunderdemon. Jesus, you will be sorely missed, and Lafayette is now in possession of the crazy demon, more powerful than ever.
All by Myself
Sookie makes some coffee, but she’s a hot mess, seeing flashbacks of Gran, dead and bloody on the linoleum. Tara enters, and she and Sooks have a chat about the afterlife. Gran isn’t in Sookie’s floorboards, but she’s in heaven, or something like it. Besides, now that Marnie’s gone, perhaps they can attempt a return to living like regular folks. No more crazies, no more drama, just real, regular life. Good luck with that, guys. Bon Temps sucks the normal out of its residents and replaces it with crazy. No one has a fighting chance.
Halloween at Merlotte’s: Arlene’s a zombie, her daughter is dressed like Jenelle from Teen Mom 2, and Sookie’s got her job back! The first order of business for Bon Temps’ hardest worker is to sit at the bar and have a chat with Alcide, who makes his case for her affection, which Sookie gently deflects. She can’t change whom she loves, although God knows I wish she would try to see if she can hang for at least a week without throwing on a sundress and running full tilt into indecision.
I Will Remember You
Sam’s busy this morning, burying the only family he had left by himself. Tommy may have gone down thinking that no one really loved him, but Maxine waddles up with a basket of flowers and some words of sympathy for Sam, assuring him that despite the fact that he was a petty thief, he still had a good heart. In fact, she thought of him as her son, and that makes Sam her son, too. This scene is rather sweet — Maxine’s been spurned by Hoyt, and Sam’s plumb out of family. As crazy as she is, it’s nice to see that Sam still has someone on his side.
There’s hope for some normalcy in Sam’s life yet. Luna and her big-eyed daughter show up, offering sympathy. Later that night, Luna and Sam share a lingering farewell in front of his house. It seems like all is well, until a pair of yellow eyes and a growl in the shadows announce the arrival of a werewolf. Sam! You cannot ever catch a break. Good luck.
The Gang’s All Here
Outside Merlotte’s, Sookie chats with Sexy Fairy Holly as she lights a joint of Mother Nature’s Valium. Wiccan New Year means that the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest, explaining the unnamed feeling of dread they both share. Tara comes running up, having discovered Jesus’s dead body. Marnie’s back, and it looks like she chained Eric and Bill to a pyre, ready to kill. Lafayette, clad in a caftan and monologuing revenge, lights the pyre, causing Sookie to lose her shit and throw some fairy balls Lafayette’s way, transforming him into Thunderdemon.
Thank goddess for Holly’s Wiccan first aid kit, and thank goddess that everyone had the wherewithal to pull it together, join hands, and summon the spirits of Bon Temps’s dead, which include Antonia and very special guest Gran!
When Antonia blows the fire out, Marnie’s angry, but Antonia assures her that everyone has their purpose — Bill and Eric served to bring Marnie and Antonia together, and now it’s time to go. When Marnie claims she’s not finished, Gran’s fed up. She reaches into Lala’s gaping mouth and pulls the spirit out. Marnie’s sob story is your typical I-can-see-dead-people-and-everyone-hates-me-for-it. Antonia reminds her that life is pain, but in death, there is release from suffering. This fate, while not of her choosing, is for the better.
Sookie and Gran have a moment before all the rest of the dead go back to wherever they came from. Sookie needs to follow her heart, says Gran, but really, it doesn’t matter — at the end, everyone’s alone. Good point. With that, the ghost ladies are off to the great whatever.
Hello Darkness, My Old Friend
Terry’s got a surprise visitor — it’s Patrick Devins, a friend from Iraq. Terry’s saved his life twice, and hasn’t said a thing about it to Arlene. Something’s up with this dude — the most recent issue of Us Weekly tells me that Scott Foley, otherwise known as Felicity’s Noel, sticks around for the next season, so we’ll see where this development takes us.
Back at Merlotte’s, Arlene is taking out the trash when Rene shows up, scaring the crap out of her and everyone I was watching with tonight. He’s got a message. Terry’s trouble with a capital T. Arlene’s spooked, and in light of the message from the beyond, Terry’s words of comfort sound ominous. The Bellefleurs are an old Bon Temps family, so surely there are some skeletons in those closets, but what could they be?
Saved!
Jason mans up and confesses to Hoyt about sleeping with Jessica, which, as suspected, goes over not so well. Take note: When your best friend asks you how you slept with his ex, do not answer that with doggy style. Hoyt lays it out: Jason’s spent his entire life making shitty decisions based on his dick. One would think that this would be a wake-up call, but Jason’s feelings for Jessica are deep. When she shows up dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, Jason has no qualms having Skinemax sex all over the couch. Problem is, Jessica’s not ready for commitment just yet; she needs to figure herself out first. Jessica’s character has evolved so much over the show’s course, going from whiny and awful to one of the more interesting characters on the show, and it’s been fascinating to watch her process the fact that she’s inhuman, but grappling with human emotions. Here’s hoping she doesn’t settle down too soon. Bad Jessica is the best!
Postcoitus, Jason sits on the couch with a Miller Lite cushion over his little Stackhouse, while Jessica gets ready to find dinner. Feeding on Jason is a level of intimacy she’s not ready for yet, so she heads out into the night. A knock on the door gets him to his feet, but instead of Jessica, coming back for more, it’s baby vamp Steve Newlin, out of left field, although research shows that earlier this season, Steve Newlin was reported missing. Nice move, A-Ball! A vampire fundamentalist sounds scary and hilarious, so I’m excited to see how this will play out next season.
Picking Up the Pieces
Eric and Pam didn’t leave on a good note, and she’s not happy, railing against Sookie’s precious fairy vagina and her stupid name. Like me, she cannot fathom how Eric is so enamored with Sookie, and she is genuinely, truly sad — sad enough to let Sexy Nurse Ginger console her, and angry enough to cause some real damage.
Back at the King’s house, Eric and Bill recover from their brush with true death by making out with Sookie’s wrists while dressed in matching bathrobes. When asked to chose between the two, Sookie does what I’ve been waiting for the entire season: She turns her back on both and then leaves the house, slumping against the door and crumple-crying. No one cares about your tears, Sookie. Life is hard, your choice was harder, and honestly, don’t you feel even a tiny bit better? Please keep it together long enough to figure out what it’s like to be on your own.
Lafayette’s long journey is over for now, and he must be exhausted; being possessed by an insecure witch and then killing your boyfriend really takes a toll. Tara assures him that it wasn’t his fault and leaves him alone, but not before Jesus’s spirit shows up so they can say their final good-byes.
Sexy Fairy Holly gets ready to go home, but love, or at least good friendship, is in the air. Andy, clean off the V, is sober, lonely, and ready to make nice again with Holly, who accepts a hug. Hopefully this relationship takes off. Andy needs a break, and Holly seems like a good time. If everyone else in Bon Temps can have a little love, why not Andy?
Alcide takes a walk through a parking garage with a worker, but there’s trouble: Dude’s been glamoured, and the concrete’s busted through. When Alcide sifts through the rubble, he finds a silver chain, broken. Hold on to your hats, Bon Temps, looks like Russell Edgington is back!
At the King’s house, Bill and Eric discuss mutiny with a just-fired Nan. She wants their help and she knows just how to get their goats: When she intimates that she knows Sookie’s secret and she could be in danger, the boys take charge. Eric eviscerates the guards and then Bill stakes Nan. Good move, Bill!
Sookie’s day was pretty crappy, the night not so much an improvement, and now that she’s home, she’s got crazy Debbie on her doorstep, out for blood and wielding a shotgun. Tara throws herself in the line of fire, hitting the ground in a shower of blood and glass. Debbie begs for her life, but Sookie shoots her, upping the body count and leaving Sookie alone in a dark house, clutching her best friend’s body and crying for help.
Will Sookie’s cries for help go unanswered? Russell’s back?! Why was there no resolution with Andy and his fairy sex? Will Tara cease being insufferable? Lafayette: demon for life? Hunker down — it’s gonna be a long wait.