Recap 7.3 True Blood “Fire in the Hole”

“The fall wasn’t the worst part. It was the waiting.”

Much, much better. Even with the Shakespearean bloodbath. Okay, maybe it was just a Shakespearean puddle.

Last week, we were told that anyone could die, but I just wasn’t expecting to lose Alcide. Although I probably should have. Alcide had committed to Sookie, she didn’t include him in her “plan”, and now he’s lying dead in the woods, literally and metaphorically naked. There has been a lot of emphasis on family this season, on having children. Alcide wanted to have children (or puppies) with Sookie, and he was probably her best shot at a somewhat normal life. Not any more.

(Sookie said no to Jessica’s offer to make Alcide into a vampire. She was right. He would have hated that.)

Sookie’s plan to trap the Hep V vamps did actually work, and I thought that Sookie/Bill conversation where (obvious symbolism) she was sitting on the ground and he was perched in a tree way above her was another strong clue that the series will end with the two of them together. We even got a flashback to Bill saying goodbye to his family in 1862. Sookie can’t have babies with Bill, though. I wonder if Alcide left her something genetic to remember him by?

I thought Maxine Fortenberry’s demise was as unexpected and nearly as shocking as Alcide’s. Maxine has been comic relief in the series for a long, long time. I liked that little 1862 flashback bit where the photographer turned out to be a Fortenberry, by the way — nice touch. I’m just hoping that whatever Maxine shot Jessica with doesn’t turn out to be fatal, too.

Now that I have the Bill/Sookie possible re-pairing and our two shocking deaths out of the way, thank you, True Blood writers, for lots and lots of Eric and Pam, even if they are still in France. Their connection is one of the best things about True Blood, and I love Pam for refusing to let Eric go, even if he’s lost his taste for oysters and French vintner’s daughters.

The flashbacks to 1986 France were a lot of fun, with Eric naked with a lot of fluffy hair and speaking French, ooh la la. Sylvie’s importance to Eric seemed to come out of nowhere, though, although it explained why he went to the Rhone Valley to die. Plus it reintroduced the dreaded Authority (it was lovely to see Nan again, even though she did look like a Nazi) and the Yakanomo Corporation, who likes to execute people with swords. Eric had to choose between his lover Sylvie, and Pam. We all knew what he would do. Again with the family and children theme.

(Hey, even Jason was talking with Violet about adopting kids. Good luck with that, Jason.)

At least Pam managed to get Eric out of his deathbed and interested in life again. Or more accurately, interested in exacting revenge on Sarah Newlin, now a brunette, who has been hiding in Los Angeles with her guru. The Yakanomo Corporation is after Sarah, too. I do love Anna Camp in this role, and I’m happy they brought her back. Namaste.

Pam confirmed that Tara really did meet the true death. Willa is still alive, though, and I liked the blood-drinking scene where the Reverend told Willa about his sad past and how he met Lettie Mae. He thinks that Lettie Mae has replaced her addiction to alcohol with an addiction to vampire blood, and if this were real life, yes. But this is True Blood, so I doubt it.

Let’s see, what else? I’m confused about why and how the Fangtasia vamps were using Holly. It’s too bad that Carrie Preston is spending her final season of True Blood chained in a basement. And Vince and his maddened townpeople just saw their mayor sprout feathers and fly away. I hope this doesn’t mean Sam will have to leave Bon Temps. Oh, well. Maybe they’ll kill him off. They appear to be killing a lot of characters off.

Seriously, I wonder who’s next? I will say yet again that I’d very much like it if my favorite vampires made it out the other side. And that’s Eric, Pam and Jessica. If they don’t make it, I doubt I’ll ever rewatch the series again.

Bits and pieces:

— I enjoyed watching Lafayette and James reliving my college days, but it felt removed from the rest of the story. James confirmed that he’s interested in Lafayette but is being faithful to his unsatisfactory relationship with Jessica.

— James said that vampires can’t swallow pills. That makes sense. And that made me think about … maybe I’d better stop there.

— When Sookie was leaning over Alcide’s body, I kept expecting that Hep V blood to drip into her mouth. It took some of the gravitas out of that scene.

— Adilyn and Wade are finally connecting. Or connecting again.

— I don’t recall a lot of the details about Authority, but clearly, the Yakanomo Corporation didn’t just develop Tru Blood for the profits. Were they always the power behind Authority?

— Let me say again that I particularly liked the Sookie and Bill ground/tree conversation. It was shot beautifully and showed their connection.

Quotes:

Pam: “Saint Petersburg. Eric, you know how I hate the Russian people.”

Eric: “Did you play the bucket game?”
Pam: “I did.”
Eric: “I love the bucket game.”

Nan: “We can’t have it both ways. Either living in hiding, or out in the open. But we can’t very well remain hidden if we are publicly biting, fucking and sucking the vintner’s daughter.”
I’ve missed Nan.

Nan: “With Tru Blood, mainstreaming is going to become a reality.”
Eric: “And everyone lived bored and suicidally ever after.”

Pam: “I am as big a fan of the French vagina as you are, Eric, but come back to earth. She’s just a human.”

Kenya: “Your daughter struck me with lightning that shot out of her hands.”
Andy: “I know, and I’m very proud of her.”

Sookie: “Come on, y’all, I taste of sunshine and flowers and I’m right fucking here.”

Eric: “For more than a thousand years, the world has been my oyster.”
Pam: “And it still can be. I’ll do anything.”
Eric: “I’ve lost my taste for oysters, Pam.”

Best episode of the season so far, and it felt so much like True Blood of old. Three out of four oysters,

Billie Doux
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Billie Doux is the founder of Doux Reviews and has been reviewing her favorite shows for a ridiculously long time. More Billie Doux.