At Last was more than just the title of Season Sixs fourth episode it was the collective sigh of relief exhaled by all fans (this recapper included)who have been wondering when the hell wed get the True Blood we know and love back. Theres still quite a ways to go though: Im sick of no one having sex on this show anymore, and there has just not been enough Steve Newlin to satisfy this thirsty Truebie. But Id like to think it wasnt a coincidence that there were a couple of homages to Season One in At Last, namely, the return of the GrabItKwik convenience store and its gothy clerk from the opening scene of TBs very first episode, as well as seeing Jason (unwittingly) on V again.
The Best of True Blood: The Darkest, Sexiest Moments From Bon Temps and Beyond
But what made At Last such a turning point in what has been a relatively tepid season so far were two crucial plot developments. One: After having his story line dragged out since the middle of last season without being able to show his face, Warlow revealed himself to be none other than Sookies new half-faerie love interest, Ben. Two: Badass Sookie is back. I had so much fun watching her playing the coquette with Ben (having already figured out that he was Warlow), inviting him to a silver-laced-fried-chicken dinner wearing a blood-red cami and cardigan with matching headband, smiling and batting her eyelashes in a way we havent seen her behave since the days of Sookie and Bill, B.B.B. (Before Bills Betrayal). True, after six seasons of vampires, shape-shifters, werewolves, maenads, witches, werepanthers (so glad those went as quickly as they came definitely a low point in the Jason story line), faeries, ghosts and the Ifrit, the last thing any of us wanted to deal with was adding another supernatural to the mix. But were not here to write True Blood, just to watch it, so if the writers want to introduce a faerie-vampire hybrid, thats their prerogative. Although it does make me worry that by making Warlow not just a dangerously powerful vampire, but one who was born a faerie, the idea well is starting to run dry over at the True Blood factory.
Vampires and Faeries
If the Bon Temps vamps dont start coming up with some better war tactics soon, theyre all going to end up in Gov. Burrells camp (named, as I suggested in an earlier recap, the V for Vendetta-ish Overlark. For those keeping track, the prison camp in V for Vendetta was called Larkhill), just as Bill envisioned. By the end of At Last, Nora and Pam had been shot up with silver-UV-light bullets, ostensibly taken to Overlark, and Erics 1,000-year-old arrogance (which he perceived as wisdom) bit him in the ass as he turned a willing Willa (pun intended) into his second progeny, in the hope of having her prove to [her] father that [she is] not a monster, only to have her sink her newborn fangs into Burrell within minutes of their reunion. Oh, and Jessica might have killed all four of Andys now-18-year-old faerie daughters, unable to control her lust for their honey-scented blood.
The episode opens with Niall still doing battle with Nora outside the Stackhouse home, until he notices shes a woman and therefore not Warlow. Erics sister only makes an appearance so she can disclose her Vampire Bible epiphany from two episodes ago: The mistranslation she spoke of wasnt The people led Lilith to the sun, but The progeny led Lilith to the sun. Meaning, only Warlow can kill Lilith. Given what were about to learn regarding Warlows, ahem, skills, that means things are only going to get messier as the season progresses. Nora, having fulfilled her usefulness for the episode, is swiftly blasted right into the hands of Burrells SWAT team courtesy of a Niall-produced light bolt.
Eric and Pam manage to evade Burrell and his goons once they descend upon Gingers place, but the lack of vampire presence doesnt stop Burrell from ordering up a one-way ticket to Overlark for Ginger. Reduced to hiding out in the sewers, maker and progeny easily put a stop to Tara and Willas escape as Pam summons Tara, who is then coerced by Eric into revealing Willas whereabouts. The governors daughter is patiently awaiting Eric on a merry-go-round, having apparently found the time to stop off at a 24-hour Sephora to reapply her lipstick while running for her life. We are then treated to the hottest vampire-turning scene to date on this show, as every line of dialogue (Is it going to hurt? Not the way I do it) and blood stain (her snow-white negligee is soaked crimson) become euphemisms for virgin Willas first time Erics use of her crucifix to pierce his neck was a nice touch. Except all Willa is left with is a big case of blue balls. Once shes a vampire, Eric rebuffs her sexual advances and commands her to go home to Daddy. His insistence that he did not make the decision to turn her lightly not changing the fact that he is using her for personal gain: Make him understand that we were all once human. We are not to be hunted, he says. Its a good idea in theory, Eric, but once again, your selfishness will be your undoing. Why? Because you honestly thought a newborn would be able to catch a whiff of human blood and go, Nah, Ill wait until I can get the synthetic stuff Walt and Jesse are whipping up over at Compton Manor. So Willa returns to the governors mansion, where she interrupts a robe-clad Burrell and his lady friend Sarah Newlin (perfect match, there), who was about to tell her lover something important ($50 says shes pregnant with his kid). Erics plan appears to be working, as Willa pleads with her father to stop the vampire persecution and an emotional Burrell allows a fathers love to supersede his prior prejudices. (This is my daughter! he proclaims through tears.) But then Willa sniffs out Daddys bleeding hand he smacked a wall in Gingers house upon finding it vampire-free and thats when everything goes to shit. Sarah shoots Willa down with a presumably silver bullet and tells Burrell to let her go. Whether Willa joins Nora and Pam (who is picked up by SWAT guards at the end of the episode) at Overlark remains to be seen.
Things arent going much better for Bill and Jessica, who, as I predicted last week, have lured Andys daughters back to Compton Manor so Hido Takahashi, now Bills prisoner, can analyze and synthesize their blood. Having sprouted boobs and a sudden desire to joyride in Daddys squad car, the now-faerie-teens make their way to the GrabItKwik to buy beer and cigarettes, happily assisted by Jessica, who both glamours the clerk and charms the Bellefleurs with high-pitched girly-girl talk. Before long, theyre ensconced in Bills palace, having exchanged Arlenes Merlottes T-shirts for Jess wardrobe her Cherry Bomb dress from last season making a welcome reappearance. Getting their blood samples was easy. (Bill, as he states to Jess early on, can be very persuasive.) Trouble is, Takahashi discovers that all faerie elements disintegrate once they leave the body, making it impossible to synthesize the girls blood. And even if further experiments allowed the Japanese scientist to crack the faeries befuddling genetic code, he wouldnt have any blood to use. The teens eventually become restless and creeped out by Bills obsession with their bodily fluids, and head toward the door. Jess, in fear for her own life should they get away Bill isnt exactly what one would call stable and overcome by their intoxicating scent, drops her fangs. Upon hearing screams from upstairs, Bill zips into the living room to find four unconscious bodies surrounding a whimpering, blood-covered Jess, beseeching Bill to assure her that theyre still alive.
Faeries and Humans
While Sookie is off calling 911, Jason bounces back from his previously lifeless state thanks to a healthy dose of vampire blood courtesy of Ben. Wait, what now? Ben had us fooled pretty good, but that was a pretty stupid move on his part to let his freak fangs fly. Jason may be thick-headed, but he knows the effects of vampire blood all too well, so when he starts having homoerotic dreams about Ben and is back to doing close to 250 pull-ups without breaking a sweat, he knows something is up. Nialls quick peek into his head confirms that Ben is indeed Warlow: He can walk in the sun, eat food, and has the same supernatural powers as faeries and vampires. Sounds pretty unstoppable to me. Sookie makes the discovery on her own when she too notices Bens sloppiness a single blood drop on the floor, which she tests with her light power. Jason and Nialls attempt to snare Ben in his hotel room is a colossal failure, with Warlow (basically, Rob Kazinsky gets to use his natural British accent when hes Warlow, then slips back into his faux-Southern drawl when masquerading as Ben) glamouring Jason to a near-blank slate, and draining Niall almost to the point of death.
In a plot-exposition-heavy scene later that night on the bridge where Corbett and Michelle Stackhouse met their fate, Warlow, just before he tosses Niall into the blurry netherworld from whence he came, gives Gramps (and us) his backstory: He was made a vampire thousands of years ago, just before little Niall was born. Eventually he killed his own parents, as well as Nialls but his faerie side stopped him from going so far as to murder a child. I guess thats supposed to count for something?
Now that all obstacles leading to Sookie Stackhouse have been cleared, Ben shows up for dinner bearing wine and roses. But Sookies got her own arsenal at the ready: White lace dress, more makeup than a Fangtasia employee and Etta James on the turntable. After Ben downs Adele Stackhouses fried chicken, the colloidal silver Sookie drizzled all over it not having any effect, its time to pull out the big guns. Over the strains of At Last, Ben pulls Sookie under him, her dress unzipped, his shirt off, and his lips begin to explore her neck. While Ben is distracted by her luscious skin and candy-scented blood, Sookie gets her sun orb at the ready. Get the fuck off me or die, Warlow, she whispers as we go to end credits. Except that whole Warlow-eliminating thing cant happen just yet if what Nora said at the top of the episode is true. He needs to stick around for the epic battle with Billith, doesnt he?
Favorite Couple of the Week: Sam and Nicole. Sams not exactly honoring Lunas memory by hooking up with the sole survivor of last weeks V.U.S. massacre (thanks, werewolves), but its always nice to see two good people find each other in this evil-infested town. Thanks to Lafayette and his car, these two, along with Emma, are safe, for now.
Winning Species of the Week: Shape-shifters. Sams ability to turn into a horse allowed him to carry an injured Nicole, as well as Emma to safety. Always a good skill to have in your back pocket.
Losing Species of the Week: Vampires. Nora, Pam and Willa are now prisoners of Burrells totalitarian regime, Taras hiding in the shadows, Erics scheme went belly-up, Bill cant make faerie-enhanced TruBlood, and Jess may have irrevocably destroyed her relationship with her maker. Need I say more?
Previously: No Invitation? No Problem!