Recap 4.12 True Blood “And When I Die”

Shakespearean bloodbath, anyone? How many characters did we just lose? So many that I actually lost track. That’s a lot of dead characters.

Jesus and Tara

Let’s start with Jesus. The writers have been signaling for awhile that we were going to lose Jesus, but it still made me cry. Jesus’ spirit seemed to be okay with passing beyond the veil, but how on earth is Lafayette going to live with what he did, even though it wasn’t his fault? And how will he be able to bear losing his beloved cousin on top of it?

As soon as Tara said she hoped she’d be rocking on the porch with Sookie when they were old, I knew she was toast. And I knew Debbie would eventually show up with a shot gun — it’s a book thing and it was obvious they were working up to it. We even had the foreshadowing of Gran dead on the kitchen floor. But those last few minutes? Still a shocker. Tara hasn’t been the most successful character in the series, but I didn’t dislike her and wasn’t expecting to lose her. Sookie and Lafayette are both going to be devastated.

I certainly didn’t hate Nan, either. She’s a hoot. Correction, she *was* a hoot. She got a lot of great scenes this season, mostly involving hilarious arguments with Bill that were chock full of obscenities. I’d probably be more upset about losing her if it weren’t for the cement scene. Russell Edgington returns! Hallelujah!

Bill and Eric

That menage a blood? What a super tease of a scene. Sookie forgives Bill! She’s gonna go back to Bill! (Noooooo!) Sookie admits she’s always wanted Eric. (I knew it!) She’s gonna choose Eric! My word, for a moment I thought she was going to do both of them. And who does she finally choose? Neither? You’re kidding me.

Is it wolf time now? Alcide did all but tell Sookie outright that he was in love with her. Once again, noooooo!

I hated seeing Eric and Bill burn, even knowing they could heal from it. Ick. I did like that it was Antonia who blew out the flames that had tormented her for so long. Antonia came full circle as a character, which is pretty cool for a ghost. And all this burning at the stake together and assaulting the magic shop has apparently made buddies out of Bill and Eric. They took out Nan and her bodyguards like they’d been working together forever. And I like that. They’re going to need each other now that they’re both targets of the Authority.

Eric and Pam didn’t make up, and that’s sad. Eric still cares, though. When he was about to die on the pyre, he didn’t call Pam for help. It was sweet that Bill didn’t call Jessica, either. Eric and Bill are both good vampire fathers. Awww.

Jessica and Jason

Jessica showed up at Jason’s house as Slutty Red Riding Hood. She was a good girl her whole life, and now she wants to have fun and be bad, and she wants a bad boy to go with her new lifestyle. It’s too bad for her that Jason really isn’t a bad boy any more. When they were going at it on the sofa, I was expecting Hoyt to show up with his chain saw. And Jason, for future reference, when you go to tell someone that you’ve slept with the love of his life, don’t do it while he’s holding a chain saw.

In conclusion

Marnie was an excellent villain. I don’t care how misunderstood she was — death was too good for her. Gold acting stars for Nelsan Ellis, who walked and talked like Marnie in this episode. I cheered when Gran yanked Marnie out of Lafayette.

The Halloween trappings were the perfect backdrop for the next season set-up. Russell Edgington returns! The missing Steve Newlin is now a vampire, because you can never have enough irony. Bill and Eric are in trouble with the Authority, which probably means Bill won’t get to be king any more. The ghost of Rene warned Arlene about Terry and his friend, Sergeant what’s his face, and I have no idea where they’re going with that. Alcide’s relationship with the Shreveport pack is still up in the air — and was Sam about to be attacked by one of them? Holly’s costume was really funny, and a big reminder about the looming fairy threat.

All this un-book-like setup makes me wonder if Alan Ball has decided to leave the one-book-one-season structure behind? You know, maybe it’s time.

Bits and pieces:

— Lisa’s costume (pregnant teen) was pretty hilarious and sort of disturbing. Much like True Blood itself.

— Andy was actually cool with Holly. Maybe there’s something going on there, after all.

— It’s been a really bad year for humans working as vampire bodyguards, hasn’t it?

— Nan was 816 years old. Not a bad run.

— Maxine needs some grandchildren to dote upon, because Sam is never going to call her “Mom.” Sam doesn’t need adopting or a pork rind casserole.

— I’ve never heard of a pork rind casserole, and I’ve lived in the deep south. Was that perhaps a transparent dig at southern food?

— Sookie and Holly both had premonitions of doom. I like Holly. What she did with the salt circle was awesome.

— My candidate for Most Obvious Symbolism was Lafayette sticking his fork in the eggs Jesus made for him.

— Loved Arlene’s zombie costume. And Bill and Eric in matching royal bathrobes.

— Bodies everywhere. Good thing Andy and Jason know about the supes, huh?

Quotes:

Sam: “Nobody taught Tommy how to love somebody without hurting them.”
Poor Tommy. Another poorly attended funeral, like Eggs.

Terry: “I heard you were dead.”
Devins: “I heard you were crazy.”
Terry: “Well, that’s still true.”

Marnie: “Nobody cares what I want!”
You got that right.

Marnie: “This fucking sucks.”
Antonia: “Change is hard.”
Good one, Antonia. I’m glad she turned out to be cool. So to speak.

Gran: “Being alone ain’t nothing to be afraid of, my Sookie. We’re all alone in death.” And yet, wasn’t there a massive crowd of dead people hovering around the Bon Temps cemetery? It looked like a convention.

Eric: “Excuse me? We’re feeling a little crispy up here.”

Pam: “I’m so over Sookie and her precious fairy vagina and her unbelievably stupid name! Fuck Sookie!”
Ginger was there to comfort Pam. I thought Pam was going to rip her to shreds.

Bill: “You saved my life. Both our lives.”
Sookie: “It was my turn.”

Jesus: “Dude, I’m dead. You’re a medium. I’m always with you.”

Steve Newlin: “Trick or treat!”

Luna: “I just feel like if we are too cute and cheesy, that God is going to drop a brick on our heads.”
She got that right.

Eric: “Hi, Nan. And gay stormtroopers.”

Four out of four dead characters,

Billie Doux

Thanks for following my True Blood reviews this summer. This fall on my site, BillieDoux.com, we’ll be reviewing Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, Dexter, Fringe, The Walking Dead, Glee, Community, and Chuck. I’m also planning to review all of the Sookie Stackhouse novels for our friends here at True-Blood.net and my site this winter, so stop back and check it out.