TV REVIEW: True Blood “Almost Home”

YAY! WOO! YIPEE! AHHH! Oh, sorry.  I’ve been too excited over Eric Northman to remember I have to write a coherent review for you readers.  After eight weeks of clutching my pillow, sitting on the edge of my seat, and not knowing whether he would survive this final season, it seems our beloved Eric is in the clear (for now).

But that’s not all that happened on this week’s True Blood.  There was a much-anticipated death, closure on a heartbreaking story, and a shocking twist to end things.  It seems that with only two episodes left things aren’t getting any calmer in Bon Temps.

After restraining himself from flat out murdering Sarah, Eric used every ounce of control and fed off the delusional brunette to heal himself and place her in the hands of the Yakuza.  It turned out that synthesizing Sarah’s blood for mass production was as easy as a snap of the fingers.  But this is the world of money and greed and the Yakuza weren’t happy with easy and perfect.  Their greater plans revealed that synthesizing the blood to the point where vampires would continuously need more to sustain themselves would present a continuous and healthy profit for all involved.  Eric and Pam sat back and nodded their heads; money was a beautiful asset for all parties.

In Bon Temps, Jason was sticking by his once best friends side in his time of grief.  Unfortunately for him, the mention of having kids sent Hoyt and girlfriend Bridget into a tussle.  At the same time, Jason was receiving torturous photos from one very pissed off ex-girlfriend.  Jason rushed out, but not before Bridget barricaded herself in his car.  She wanted to get away from Hoyt and their fight and tagging along on Jason’s dangerous mission to save Jessica, Adilyn, and Wade seemed like the logical decision.

Jason’s plan to storm Violet’s house armed only with a gun proved ridiculous as it took the vampire only seconds to wrangle Jason and chain him in her torture/sex dungeon.  Instead of getting down to immediate business, though, Violet took her sweet time to explain to each of them how she would torture and kill them all, including using a burning hot sex toy on Jessica.  In the strangest and most ironic twist of events, Bridget’s tagalong proved to be necessary as it was Hoyt to the rescue.  Violet sadly didn’t get to perform any acts of violence as Hoyt’s bullet ended the life of the psychotic and jealous vampire.

Hoyt’s heroism conjured many mixed emotions among the group.  Jason and Jessica discussed their “beautiful friendship” and Hoyt couldn’t shake the redheaded vampire he had just met for the “first” time, even going as far as donating his blood to Jessica and Bill the very next day.

Over on a horribly designed staged set, Lafayette and Lettie Mae were still digging like mad men from last episode.  The Reverend showed up just in time to witness his wife and step-nephew drink from James in order to get back to Tara.  Lettie Mae pleaded with her husband to join them and in no time at all the three were taking a V-induced trip together.  In a series of heartbreaking flashbacks we witnessed just how abusive Tara’s father had been towards Lettie Mae.  The object Tara had been leading them to was a gun she had stolen from her father and had hidden in the backyard.  Tara and Lettie Mae connected for one last moment as Tara apologized for never using the gun to protect her mother and Lettie Mae apologized for not being the mother she should have been.  The whole exchange was soul-crushing as Tara said one final goodbye, urging her mother to move on, and bringing her anticlimactic death to a close.

After receiving a visit from a much healthier Eric, Sookie knew that she wouldn’t rest until she found the cure to save Bill.  Being so brave as to go against the Yakuza, Sookie played along as Eric pretended to glamour her out of Fangtasia.  A quick read of the men’s mind led her straight to the clubs basement where she came face to face with a bounded Sarah.  Sookie looked Sarah dead in the eye as she told her she had ruined too many lives.  Sookie rushed to retrieve Bill and bring him to Sarah to drink.  All seemed like a happy ending for Bill, except once faced with Sarah and the cure the dying vampire quickly turned it all down.  WTF?

Quick Thoughts:

• No Arlene/Keith and no sweet Lafayette/James moments.

• RIP Violet, JK no one will miss you.

• Don’t scare me again, Eric.  I need you alive and beautiful.

• Ugh, Bill, what are you thinking? I haven’t been a Bill fan for several seasons now and his redemption story arc has been grating.  Turning down Sarah’s blood was the last straw.

• Poor Tara.  Her entire storyline this season has been unfair and unnecessary.  Her death and closure weren’t justified and she unfortunately suffered the brunt of rushed storytelling.