RECAP: True Blood 4.07 “Cold Grey Light of Dawn”

Bill: “Killing is what led us to this.”

This was another strong episode that just flew by. Maybe it was all the sex. There were people who actually complained last week that we didn’t get enough Sookie and Eric. I don’t think they can say that now. The porch, the floor, the bed…

The vampires

Are we seeing Eric’s true personality as it would have been without his privileged Viking parental rebellion and a thousand years of power and violence? Where else could this new Eric be coming from? Eric told Sookie he doesn’t want his memory back, that wants to remain who he is now. Maybe he’s just a reflection of Sookie’s love. Eric said that when he was close to Sookie, he could imagine her heartbeat was his own. How romantic.

It’s not just Eric that changed. We’re also getting a more likable Sookie. Anna Paquin has always done a great job with the character, but I haven’t felt the same affection for her that I have for book Sookie. Until now.

For that matter, I have never liked Bill more than I did in this episode. His paternal relationship with Jessica has always been the best thing about him, and his gentleness with her, his inability to put the silver around her neck was very sweet. I actually thought at first that Bill was overreacting with all that silver, but no. His love for Jessica may have just backfired on him. I refuse to believe that our baby vamp Jessica is about to die. Jason will get there on time.

Bill didn’t have to drop by and warn Eric, either. Bill may be a front for the Authority, but he’s actually a good King, and clever. He just saved nearly every vampire in the parish.

The silver chains made for some interesting depth. Bill and Jessica talked about love and goodness and their relationship as they were literally and symbolically chained by their vampire natures. Bill even admitted that what Antonia did in 1610 was justified. And I agree. Nobody deserves what happened to Antonia; Luis and his maker were evil incarnate. But who is suffering this time? Maxine’s neighbor Beulah and Jessica, the baby vamp. I really do not like the feeling that “our” vamps are in serious danger.

The Sookie, Bill and Eric love triangle is being echoed by Jessica, Hoyt and Jason. It’s so sad that Hoyt knows he’s losing Jessica; he just doesn’t know he may lose his best friend, too. Oddly, as much as I’ve always liked Jessica with Hoyt, I’m starting to see her with Jason and I’m not hating it. Jason has changed a lot, and his recent horrific experience in Hotshot has made him even more sympathetic.

Witches, mediums and possible zombies

Marnie has insisted on seeing Antonia as a poor victim who suffered for practicing their “religion,” but all we’ve seen so far is Antonia’s imprisonment and death. We don’t know what she did to get arrested in the first place. Whatever it was, I bet it wasn’t a case of mistaken identity.

I totally get why Tara felt compelled to join Antonia. And Holly was also a victim of violence — I get that, too. I just hope joining the circle won’t be the death of either of them. Well, actually, if I’m honest with myself, I’ve always liked Pam more, so if we’re going to have a Pam/Tara death match, I’m rooting for Pam. (This is hilarious — as I was typing, I mistakenly wrote “rotting for Pam” instead of “rooting”.) Poor Pam! Six shots, four times a day? And I cringed when she dropped that silver mesh over her own reconstructing face.

(Ginger riding Pam’s padded pink coffin like a mechanical bull was one of the funniest, weirdest things I’ve ever seen on this show. It was actually kind of sweet, too.)

Jesus said that Lafayette is a medium, just like Marnie. Maybe the way to stop the escalating vampire/witch insanity will involve channeling the rather cool Tio Luca, or the lovely black ghost witch who sang to Mikey in French. Or both. I may have been wrong about Jesus and his lust for supernatural power. Maybe he just needed to see Grandpa Crazy again and say no to his face.

The Shifters

If Luna weren’t a shifter, her relationship with Sam would be over. Maybe it is. How can they possibly get past this weirdness? It’s too bad, because I like Luna, and I think she’d be good for Sam. I like how she’s honest about her mistakes.

And speaking of mistakes, Tommy is now a total wild card. I simply cannot see him quietly leaving town. The number of ways he could screw up Sam’s life are practically endless: financial, personal, romantic, possibly even fatal. It pretty much depends on how good or evil Tommy actually is, and he’s not tremendously stable right now, what with killing his parents and all.

Alcide is all hang dog about Sookie, pun intended. Surprisingly, the volatile Debbie Pelt has been somewhat reasonable until now, although the jealousy she just showed didn’t bode well for their future happiness with the pack and each other. If Alcide murmurs “Sookie” in his sleep, or at the wrong intimate moment with Debbie, that’ll be all she wrote.

Bits and pieces:

— A dozen WinnDixie roses, Holly touched Andy’s hands, and he practically started choking. Was that an actual physical reaction to Holly’s witchy power, or just V withdrawal?

— Tara broke up with her hot girlfriend. That was unselfish, as well as the right thing to do. Bon Temps is just too dangerous for the average boyfriend or girlfriend.

— Arlene told Holly that she and Terry and the kids were staying with the other Bellefleurs, and Andy was on the couch.

— Couldn’t they have thought of something less painful than all that silver? Like maybe chains around their coffins?

— Eric finally moved on to some adult clothes. Better.

— I bet Kristin Bauer has pretty much had it with the makeup department by now.

— Gold acting stars for Fiona Shaw. She went from crunchy granola to majestic and scary without breaking a sweat.

Quotes:

Bystander: “What, now there are zombies?”
Pam: “I am not a zombie!”
Actually, she is, isn’t she?

Bill: “Since when has any fanatic been held back by the improbability of their righteous mission?”

Doctor: “I can get you a bulk discount on the shots.” Shudder.

Can I pause for a moment and express my happiness with season four? So far, it’s been more cohesive plotwise, strongly romantic and dramatic, and I am really enjoying it. Four out of four truly painful anti-zombie shots,

Billie Doux

(Billie Doux and her contributing writers review science fiction, fantasy and cult television shows at BillieDoux.com.)