Just When You Think You Know Someone…

5 Character Changes in True Blood Season 3
By Van Sias

Jason Stackhouse loves the ladies. Hoyt Fortenberry’s mom hates the vampires.

There are just certain things you know about the characters on True Blood that are always going to hold—well, for lack of a better term—“true.” But what happens when your favorite characters on the show decide to flip the script and break away from the norm—or at least what passes for normalcy in Bon Temps, LA? Season 3 of True Blood featured more than a few of those moments. Here are five of them:

5. A Shifty Character: “Good old Sam—you can always count on that guy,” seemed to be the train of thought among the patrons at his bar, Merlotte’s. But when he’s pushed to the edge by his younger brother Tommy, who he has gives an opportunity to make a better life, Sam snaps. More of his mysterious past is revealed, including the fact that he killed two people who once stole from him. This doesn’t bode well for Tommy, who decides to rob his fellow shapeshifter.

4. Jesus Loves You, Lafayette: Could it be? Lafayette Reynolds, perhaps Bon Temps’ most hard-edged human, gets that detached exterior of his cracked by his mother’s caregiver, Jesus Velasquez. Actually, the tough shell of Lafayette’s was dinked prior when he was kidnapped and tortured by vampires, who induced a fear like no other in him. But a love interest for Lafayette helped evoke a softer, more tender side of the character. Letting his guard down to introduce his new boyfriend (who happens to be a witch, by the way) to “V” might make for some trouble down the line, but for now, Lafayette is embracing a wider range of emotions.

3. Chopped Liver (and Everything Else): It was only a matter of time. Her grandmother is killed, her cat is killed, every vampire in the Southeast is after her … why wouldn’t Sookie Stackhouse snap? While standing guard over Russell Edgington, who has been after her for her blood, Sookie decides to do a little bit of garbage disposing. She sends the remains of Russell’s lover Talbot down the drain at vampire bar Fangtasia, hits the switch and chops him to bits, all while laughing maniacally as Russell screams. Throw in a couple of werewolves she shot along the way and it’s so much for sweet, nice Sookie!

2. Cutting Ties: Tara Thornton, Lafayette’s cousin and Sookie’s best friend, has constantly been in need of filling the proverbial void in her life—whether through sex or alcohol or lashing out—over the course of the series. At the beginning of season 3, she’s at her lowest point after the death of “Eggs” Benedict Talley. She mistakenly ends up with probably one of the most psychotic vampires on the planet, Franklin Mott, who catches her at her greatest period of despair. However, she finds the strength to break away from him and channels her inner rage into survival. It’s not that, though, which shows a change in personality and perspective: It’s when she decides to start anew and drives off into the night, leaving behind her rage and Bon Temps for brighter days.

1. Bill of Rights—and Wrongs: Perhaps no other character did more to shatter their previously thought-of image than Bill Compton in season 3 of True Blood. In the first two seasons, Bill rarely went further than displaying his devotion to Sookie. The intentions behind Bill’s sudden change in behavior were never made clear: Did he want Sookie’s delectable fairy blood all to himself? Was that the reason behind his intended destruction of his main rival Eric Northman? Why did he pledge fealty to Russell? And so on and so on. Bill Compton was more than just a simple Southern gentleman with the desire to see vampires and humans commingle; he showed a devious side as well. His final scene this season was a flashback to his prior days of Sookie-or-bust when he challenged the Vampire Queen to a fight to the death—or was it? Maybe Bill has a final trick up his sleeve. You can no longer be sure what to expect from Mr. Compton.