Retro Roundup: Speculating About True Blood Season 4

With True Blood season 4 coming out on DVD and Blu-ray combo pack in just a few days, and season 5 right around the corner, we thought it would be fun to look back at the information we had about True Blood season 4 around this time last year. Do you remember speculating about the season based on the nuggets of information from interviews, casting calls, videos, and photos? How much did we get right? What did we get dead wrong? Take a walk down memory lane with us!

• Casting Marnie: Our very first clue about season 4 came while season 3 was still on the air – Alan Ball revealed that they would be casting Marnie/Hallow Stonebrook.
• Yvetta’s Coming Back!: A few weeks before season 4 began filming, actress Natasha Alam confirmed that her character, exotic dancer and sometime Eric lover Yvetta, would return, possibly having been turned into “something interesting.” Many speculated that she’d be part of Marnie’s witch coven, but in the end, Yvetta never showed.
• New Sets Mean New Speculation: When we heard that two new sets were being built for True Blood season 4, many theories were floated about their purpose. The “bakery” ended up being a red herring – it was probably Moon Goddess Emporium – while the metal shack  is probably where Jason was held captive in Hot Shot.
• Jessica & Hoyt Headed for Splitsville: “The honeymoon’s over” is how Alan Ball chose to describe the relationship between Baby Vamp and Bon Temps’ Sweetest Man. Did you predict her turning to Jason in the end?
• Alcide, Sookie, and a shocking sex scene: For months prior to the start of season 4, we were teased with the idea of Sookie and Alcide getting together. Which means that season 5 marks the third season in a row that we’ve been teased with that same idea. Hmmm… Meanwhile, a sex scene involving Jason and an unknown person was supposed to be even more shocking than the Bill/Lorena twisted-head scene from season 3. How’d that work out?
• That Creepy Doll: One of the final shots of True Blood season 3 was of that creepy doll sitting in Jessica and Hoyt’s new home. Speculation ran rampant about the significance of the toy, but I don’t think any of use predicted how it would impact our favorite short order cook.
• Bill & Eric Address a Witch Problem: This video surprised a lot of people when it showed Bill in his new leadership role – and newly refurbished home – talking with Eric about handling the new coven in town. It was a precursor to both Eric’s amnesia and the relationship between Bill & Eric that comes into play at the end of the season and on into season 5.
• Show Your True Colors Posters: When this set of character posters was released a few weeks before the beginning of the season, we put on our analytical hats and went to town! Why these groupings? Why these colors? What does it all mean?!?
• Promo for Season 4: We were jonesing for new footage and boy did this video deliver! Kisses, growls, fangs, and so much more had us alternately cheering and groaning that we still had 6 weeks to wait for the season premiere.
• “Sookie, You Are Mine.”: And with that, a million Eric/Sookie fans rejoiced. The clues in this video went far beyond the status of that relationship, however. Should we have foreseen Sookie’s decision to go it alone?