True Blood - Recap: Let's Bury Terry

Episode 9 of Season 6 of True Blood, “Life Matters,” had to be experienced firsthand in order to fully grasp the emotional weight of Terry’s (Todd Lowe) funeral coupled with flashbacks from his life as the much-beloved fry cook of Bon Temps' own Merlotte’s. Meanwhile, an enraged and overpowered Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) made his way back to the government-run concentration camp in order put an end to Sarah Newlin’s (Anna Camp) disasterpiece once and for all. I can’t quite put down in words the powerful impact of pairing the words and goodbyes of Terry’s friends and loved ones with intertwining scenes of Bill (Stephen Moyer) and Eric’s wave of torture and mutilation, but the importance of recognizing the traumas of war via Terry’s tale with regard to the Man vs. Vampire turmoil has never been clearer. Here is the Recap and Review of Season 6 Episode 9 of True Blood, “Life Matters”!

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Episode 9 opened with Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) shooing Vampire Bill out of the faerie realm and back to reality as she nursed a suffering Warlow (Ben Krasinsky) back to full health. Recognizing the funeral procession happening in the human world around her, Stackhouse gave the vampire/ faerie hybrid her solemn vow before leaving to pay her respects to Terry. She made a promise to Warlow; the promise to wed him as his eternal fearie vampire bride in exchange for his willingness to help save the lives of her undead friends awaiting the sun. Of course, the two would seem to hit a snag in their deal by the close of Episode 9. With Warlow’s blood coursing through Eric’s veins, did they actually need the original’s to save the likes of Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll), Pam (Kristen Bauer van Straten), and the others? Just like that, Bill was off to find Northman, and Sookie headed to her seat in the audience.

Meanwhile, Eric wasted no time absolutely obliterating an army of guards outside of the camp, literally tearing them limb from limb before making his way inside. You remember Dr. Overlark, yes? The man who’d infected Nora with Hep-V in the first place? Well, say goodbye to your manhood, Doc. Eric tore the man’s junk off, leaving him to bleed away into a slow and painful death before freeing the lot of the vampires captured within. Bill, trailing behind, and coldly muttering “Eric” each time he encountered another piece of Northman’s signature trail of bloodshed breadcrumbs, ended up putting the doctor out of his misery via a “cockroach crushing” to the face, and all in the name of Jessica.

After stumbling upon a barely conscious Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten), Eric had found a virtual map to the honeycomb that was this vampire prison. Remember, Jason had posed as a soldier long enough to know the place like the back of his hand. After healing Stackhouse, promising him “sweet” dreams as a side effect, the two would make their way to the chamber that imprisoned their friends; the room where one meets the sun. It’s important to note that all the while Eric would work his way through his own grief following the loss of his sister. For example, he’d quickly console a baby vamp who sat watching his maker die of Hep-V after drinking the Tru Blood. Also, after stumbling upon the tiny room in which he’d stood tied and helpless, watching Nora get injected with the poison that would inevitably have her meet the true death, we’d witness a quick flashback before Eric would destroy the chamber's contents in a fit of tortured rage.

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What made this all the more interesting, of course, was that Terry’s funeral ceremony would be intercut through Eric’s painful process of avenging Nora, serving as both a fitting goodbye to a well-loved character and poetic justice for Northman at the same time. Andy (Chris Bauer) and Sam (Sam Trammell) shared their memories surrounding good old Fort Bellefleur, the childhood safe place of Terry and his cousin. Back in time, we’d witness Terry’s first return home from war, and his clinging to this safe place for consolation and cover from the outside world. Andy’s first attempts to slowly pull Terry back into the family, and subsequently, into life would fall on deaf ears. However, together with the help of Sam, the two would make progress. I wonder what a Raging Bitch beer tastes like! It seemed to work wonders on Terry’s esteem.

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I thoroughly enjoyed the moments surrounding Sam’s first true introduction to Bellefleur, watching the veteran snag a catfish only to set him free to live his life. Terry’s value for life seemed to be what sparked a true connection with Sam, who then hired the man as a cook at his bar. The same seemed to be true for his first encounters with Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), who was quick to judge the idea of working alongside a returned soldier before getting one deep look into Terry’s eyes. The eyes are the windows to the soul, of course, and Lafayette recognized that this man needed some of his own signature help. It might not seem like much, but teaching Terry how to cook fries for the first time with a little sass and pizzazz probably worked some small wonders.

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As memory after memory of Terry was shared with the listening townsfolk, Sarah Newlin, who’d barely escaped the wrath of Eric and Bill, decided to make it her duty to avenge the fallen brethren of her cause, climbing step by step to the roof of this “sun room” before slowly cranking the ceiling open with her own hands. As the sun poured into the room below, the room that held nearly all of our favorite True Blood vamps, we’d finally understand the true purpose of Billith.

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All but Steve Newlin (Michael McMillian) feasted on the blood of Warlow surging through Bill’s veins, rather than Eric’s, rendering the group immune. Sookie had been right all along! Of course, Eric, waiting in the wings, wasn’t about to let Newlin’s treachery slip by unnoticed. Holding the former reverend out into the sunlight, Newlin gazed up to see his ex-wife Sarah peering down.

I love you… Jason Stackhouse!

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What a way to go, Steve Newlin. Goodbye, Michael McMillian! Thanks for several seasons’ worth of solid laughs and great one-liners. But how did Eric manage to meander his way directly to this execution chamber? The psychiatrist who’d spent his days analyzing, and subsequently screwing, Pam would lead the way whether he liked it or not. Eric, disgusted by the man’s dirty deed, decided to hand him over to his progeny as a gift. Pam would dance with the man’s staggering body, high as a kite, as her vampire buddies basked in the warmth of the sun. I’m sure you remember how Lilith’s blood affects its drinkers? While Bill fell to the ground nearly lifeless, Eric and the group of wasted vampires made their way out of the compound for good, destroying every case of Tru Blood in storage during the process. Their escape was, of course, worthy of the celebration!

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Much of Terry’s funeral surrounded our cast of Bon Temps’ characters consoling Arlene (Carrie Preston), needless to say. The love of Terry’s life sat front row as person after person told their own story; however, all was not as it seemed. On the outside, Arlene was collected and together. From the inside, Arlene was distraught and devastated. We became privy to this, of course, because Sookie was smart enough to listen in on Arlene’s thoughts just prior to her time to speak. Recognizing that her friend was not yet ready to bid her husband farewell, Stackhouse volunteered one last speech for Terry. I thought it was a nice moment to witness Sookie revealing her telepathic powers in order to share the most heartfelt of memories shared during the episode; the moment Terry first met Arlene. Sookie recalled their initial interaction at Merlotte’s, and Terry’s first thoughts on his future wife. As Sookie put it, he loved Arlene from the moment he first laid eyes on her, and that was something special. Garnering the courage to speak for herself, Arlene subsequently recalled Terry’s ability to reel in her craziness, giving her a sense of calm that allowed her to, for example, be a better mother to her infant son.

Terry loved family beyond all else, and that was referenced often during Episode 9. It was important for True Blood to recognize that Terry’s death had nothing to do with a lack of love for his family, but rather, to highlight the tragic toll of war. I thought it was smart for the show, in the end, to let us in on one last set of Arlene’s thoughts in which she recognized the importance of the military traditions that ended up making Terry’s final goodbye moments something special and respectful in the wake of his untimely passing. It was a smart idea to show respect for the military like so as this Season 6 arc comes to a close.

As Lilith’s drones closed in on a dying Bill, Compton refused to pass on from the world of the living. Left alone in the wake of the vampire blood binge, Bill called out to Jessica, who, with James (Luke Grimes), returned to Bill’s side in what seemed to be his final moments. James, recognizing the nature of the blood that now ran through his own system, offered Bill his neck in one last-ditch effort to return the favor to his savior. In the end, Bill lived on as a hero to all those he rescued. I think James is great, by the way. I'm glad we were introduced to him this season.

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Eric, on the other hand, had other plans. Pam, recognizing that something was amiss, stayed behind to witness Eric give one last goodbye via a solemn glance at his progeny. Northman said nothing before flying off into the daytime sky. Was this a true farewell to Eric Northman? For now, I'm thinking he’s taking a "time out" of sorts, leaving poor Pam all alone.

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I have to say, I think my favorite part of Season 6 Episode 9, “Life Matters,” had to be Jason’s final encounter with Sarah Newlin. Realizing that Sarah was behind the attempted murder of his friends, Stackhouse left the crew in order to chase after the insane bible thumper before she could escape. The resulting scene, in which Stackhouse held a gun to her chin in the name of Jesus, was certainly exhilarating and heart-pounding. All the while, a mystery guest at Terry’s funeral, Mr. Big John Dixon, beautifully sang a heartfelt tune, “Life Matters,” bringing the affair to a fitting close and perfectly amplifying Jason’s final on-screen moments with Newlin. Arlene said it best:

That was the shit.

After terrifying Newlin beyond belief, Stackhouse let the lunatic go, refusing to spill more blood on his own hands. Thus, Sarah Newlin lives, vampires everywhere run rampant, and we head into the Season 6 finale next week.

What did you think of Season 6 Episode 9 of True Blood, “Life Matters”? Is Eric Northman gone for good? What will come of Bill now that he’s defied Lilith’s minions in their quest to take him to the other side? Will Sookie and Warlow still wed now that there is no true need for his blood? Were you happy to see Alcide (Joe Manganiello) lending Sookie a shoulder to cry on during Terry’s funeral considering that we haven’t seen these two paired together all season? Did you find Terry’s funeral to be a decent sendoff to a much-beloved character? How fantastic was Jason’s final encounter with Sarah? Will you miss Steve Newlin?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Season 6 Episode 9 of True Blood, “Life Matters”!