True Blood - Recap: Vampire Chemistry 101
True Blood continued its Season 6 run tonight with Episode 3, “You’re No Good”! Our favorite vampers are getting quite clever in their war against humans. Of course, no tactic is quite as cunning as turning on the Northman charm. Right, Eric?
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The episode opened with Eric’s attempt to gain some leverage in the War on Vampires. From within Burrell’s daughter’s bedroom, it seemed at first as though Northman was mainly looking to take out some pent aggression via tearing Willa (Amelia Rose Blair) limb from pretty limb. I’m hoping he wasn’t serious about that what he promised to do "down there," but all in all, it didn’t matter. Willa snapped out of her glamouring just in time to save her own skin and offered up some valuable information. Back at Fangtasia, Pam (Kristen Bauer van Straten) and Tara (Rutina Wesley) were not pleased with Eric’s newfound captive. Yet again, the same group of Louisiana vamps have been dragged by their fangs to the forefront of another season’s worth of drama. It’s Season 6, and Pam is tired, fangers. Willa filled the gang in on her knowledge of a vampire concentration camp that had been secretly funded by government dollars. “Sick!” She described the camp as so in her first feeble attempts at winning over Eric’s trust. Allegedly, she’s against her father’s plans to destroy all vampires as well. Pam would rather she just lose her head. If she’s leaving Fangtasia for good, she’s going out with a bang.
Meanwhile, the Stackhouses and Grandpa Niall (Rutger Hauer) continued to gear up for Warlow’s upcoming onslaught. After a close encounter outside, Niall decided to take it upon himself to go on the hunt for the allusive Warlow, leaving Jason to fend for Sookie’s life in his stead. Something seemed to become clearer this episode, unfortunately. At least, I hadn’t prior picked up on the true crumbling Jason’s mental state. Brain pains nearly saw Stackhouse passing out, leading Sookie to drag him up to bed. Too man football concussions, apparently, had lead to hallucinations and a slight case of racism. On the other hand, as soon as Jason started explaining his condition, my stomach sank. Is True Blood pulling another plotline from the Buffy playbook? (Last recap and review, I mentioned that Bill’s premonitions were taken straight from Cordelia’s Angel arc.) In any case, the future is not looking too bright for Jason.
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Speaking of dark futures, Billith continued to build on his “God” complex against Lilith’s words of wisdom. He and Lilith had spoken outdoors in a dreamed up daytime, so he thus assumed that he could walk in actual sunlight. After witnessing the murder of several of his friends in one of his premonitions, Bill decided to hit the ground running this week, putting his newly acquired powers to the test. I realize I wasn’t supposed to take it so, but something about Jessica watching from the window as Bill waited for the sun to rise, only to watch him burst into flames, rang comical to me. Bill can apparently take a stake to the heart and walk through open flames, but the sun is still the boss of him. You win some, you combust some, Bill. Still, the gears were turning in Compton’s mind. What did it all mean?
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With the help of Nicole (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and an activist buddy, Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) and Sam (Sam Trammell) recovered from Alcide’s (Joe Manganiello) beat-down and subsequent kidnapping of Emma. Lafayette was quick to shoot down any attempts of werewolf chatter with the pair, shooing them from his glorious presence in his own signature fashion. Once they were out of the picture, he promised his allegiance to Sam, the man who’d always supported him unconditionally. The two would plan a means of seeing Emma back to the safety of Merlotte’s.
Emma, meanwhile, was suffering from within the trashy lair of Alcide’s new pack. Rikki (Kelly Overton) was livid over Martha’s (Dale Dickey) insistence on stealing back her granddaughter and putting their pack in jeopardy. The humans, in truth, are only a hair away from discovering their race. Now, they had a reason to come snooping, and like clockwork, they did. A pair of officers arrived to search the scene for Emma. Martha and Alcide attempted to cover their tracks, but the governor’s latest efforts against vampires also seemed to allow the police to enter a home without a warrant. At first, I was a bit taken aback by Rikki’s totally inappropriate scolding of Emma in her attempt to frighten her into shifting; however, let’s be honest. It totally worked! Puppy Emma went unnoticed by the police. They apologized and left.
That evening, more trouble would arise within the nightly werewolf gathering. I wonder what the pack does when they’re not being assaulted or questioned. Scary campfire stories? S’mores? Acoustic guitar? Nicole and her trio of friends made the mistake of openly approaching the pack within their inner sanctum. After Alcide managed to discover that the group was being recorded, aggressive apprehension turned into an all-out bloodbath. Rikki was the first to shift and eat a boy. Again, maybe we were supposed to find her to be impulsive and dangerous, but what else could she have done? If it came down to protecting her entire race from exposure and subsequent death, eat up, I say. Nicole managed to limp into the woods while her friends became that night’s equivalent of campfire-roasted hotdogs. Meanwhile, Sam had been busy smuggling Emma out of Martha’s house, only to witness Nicole’s slow escape. Much to Emma’s dismay, the two would have to help her. By the way, we were supposed to assume it was Alcide’s father that bought Nicole some time, correct? I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I’m starting to recognize the wolves by their pelts! His dad is my favorite wolf in any case, hands down.
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I always enjoy sharing moments with Miss Holly (Lauren Bowles). I was glad to see her pop in on Andy (Chris Bauer) during Episode 3, as she’s been conspicuously absent thus far during Season 6. Holly had been finding that vampires were quick to break curfew and scratch at her motel room door, prompting Andy to take advantage and lure her out to old Fort Bellefleur, the spot in the woods where he and Terry used to find a sense of comfort and safety in their younger years. Holly attempted to brush off Andy’s flirtations while learning how to shoot a gun, but Andy’s adorable brood of spunky pre-teen faery girls seemed to discover that Miss Holly still had something brewing for Andy. In the end, Andy made sure to let Holly know that even if their romantic relationship must come to a permanent end (It won’t), he would still be her Fort Bellefleur. I enjoy Holly because she’s a consistently pure character with little supernatural interaction or influence. We can just appreciate her, no strings attached. "Oh my Goddess!"
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Eric dragged Willa and his cohorts to Ginger’s house for safekeeping and a good night’s sleep. My favorite scene of Episode 3 had to be the coffin conversation between Willa and Eric. Burrell’s daughter revealed where her father’s true hatred for vampires stemmed from; the fact that her mother had left him for one and ran off to California to open a Fangtasia of her own. In truth, Willa likes vampires and maybe a little too much. She attempted to coyly swipe a drop of blood from Northman’s ear, only to have her hand snatched away the just before she could taste it. Eric wouldn’t have that, but he did suck the blood off of her finger himself. That was the moment that I realized Willa has been telling the truth thus far. This could be an interesting new love interest for Eric, or a small relationship that goes down in flames quickly, but I love this pairing. They have great chemistry.
Unfortunately for Northman, Ginger decided to answer a call from the governor on Eric’s cell. At first, Eric refused to allow Burrell to speak to his daughter, but still promised a brutal death for the girl. From confines of the coffin room, Tara watched over Willa, listening in on every word. The man begged while an employee traced the call, prompting Eric to act fast; however, Tara had taken matters into her own hands, swooping the girl to safety and angering Pam in the process. It seems as though Tara has gotten more in touch with her human empathy after becoming a vampire, right? That's a nice touch.
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A recovered Bill geared up to start his latest attempt at a plan, but Jessica refused to allow him to attempt to pull off another scheme alone. Thus, Bill sent her to a college chemistry class where the creator of Tru Blood was lecturing. The man had a taste for younger women, and Jessica fit the profile just fine. After some faux-flirting, the baby vamp had the man just were she needed him, and the two were off. Bill, in the meantime, made his way over to Sookie’s house in order to ask his former flame a favor. Apparently, Bill doesn’t need to be invited in anymore, but Sookie took offense to his outright disrespect. Bill pleaded with Sookie to offer her faery blood to him, reasoning that the creator of Tru Blood could essentially create a synthetic replica of her special sun-blocking brand. Sookie refused, forcing Bill to leave her home with a devastating “You’re dead to me.” From Bill, that is.
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Before closing out this week’s Recap and Review of True Blood, it’s important to point out that Reverend Newlin (Michael McMillian) has returned, and is offering up our first glimpses of the vampire concentration camp. Even more important to note is that Newlin’s wife, Sarah (Anna Camp), is back in the picture, working as a “politician” to see her vision set into motion! Sarah is, of course, the type of girl who thinks a new hairdo equals a new career, but I enjoy watching her thoroughly.
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Grandpa Niall ventured to the faery safehouse, only to find the joint absolutely destroyed by Warlow. The faeries inside met their horrible dooms, leaving Niall army-less. Luckily, a wandering Ben (Rob Kazinsky) still (still) had not found the faery hideaway within the field. He’d been limping all night, but King Grandpa Niall had found at least one recruit in the War on Warlow. Sookie seemed pleased to see Ben, especially considering that the man helped her sweep up her kitchen after Bill’s hissy fit. The two can literally feel each other swimming around their minds, a connection Sookie had never felt with another faery. It’s their own personal form of faery chemistry. Wouldn’t it be just fantastic if all of us had some kind of mental trigger alerting us to our perfect match? We have to rely on boring old intuition, common interests, and good sex to lead our way.
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Warlow continued to swirl through the trees outside, sending Ben and Niall out on the prowl. Warlow, they could not find. Nora (Lucy Griffiths), on the other hand, was quick to cross paths with the new dynamic duo. Everyone is on the hunt for Warlow. Warlow is on the hunt for the greatest meal of his life. Jason Stackhouse might have just died. He collapsed in the doorway of the Stackhouse family home.
Episode 3, “You’re No Good,” closed with Vampire Bill crossing paths with Andy Bellefleur on his way home from bothering Sookie. Andy felt shameful in the need to remind Bill of the curfew, letting Compton know that he thinks this War on Vampires is a bunch of malarkey. Bill listened to Andy’s words but was more focused on the toy in his backseat. Compton caught a whiff of faery, and thus, Andy was unknowingly handed a heaping pile of Hell. I’ve been complaining about how Season 6’s awesome means of connecting most of the characters has left several out in the cold, but I hope that new dad Andy can manage to stick it to Vampire Bill.
What did you think of True Blood Season 6 Episode 3, "You're No Good"? Is it curtains for Jason Stackhouse? Were you happy to see Holly back in the picture? Can Andy handle Billith? Did you also enjoy the chemistry between Eric and Willa? What about the chemistry between Sookie and Ben?
Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of True Blood Season 6 Episode 3, "You're No Good"!