Recap: 'True Blood' Season 2, Episode 10

"True Blood" officially careened into batty territory Sunday night with the entire town of Bon Temps possessed by Mary Ann's black-eyed maenad magic. Also, the episode lasted only 45 minutes, leaving the impression that somehow the writers simply couldn't figure out how to proceed after the B-horror-film level of nuttiness they introduced into the plot. (I'm not saying this is a bad thing, necessarily; I love B horror films. "I, Madman," anyone?)

Barely a nod was given to Godric's self-immolation. Except for at the beginning of the episode when Eric is shown in his hotel room, topless and crying blood. Sookie comforts him and in the surefire way that television grief inevitably gives way to hot sympathy sex, they are making out with verve. But wait; sorry, ladies, it's a dream.

Sookie wakes up in a car with Bill (in his coffin) and Jason as they drive into Bon Temps. The town has gone mad. Most everybody is bloody and naked, and someone yells, "We have to find Sam, it's almost time." Time for Mary Ann to sacrifice him at a pagan stake she has built in Sookie's front yard with what looks like fathers and meat -- organs, kidneys, livers. (I swear I built something similar once, you know, just for kicks.)

Sam is holed up in Andy's scuzzy motel room, terrified. Andy, for some reason, has not been affected by Mary Ann's spell. They discuss why Mary Ann wants Sam, and Sam concludes that it's because she wants to "cut out my heart while a bunch of naked people watch." Yup, sounds about right. Then Arlene calls Sam crying from Merlotte's. "They've got Terry, and they're gonna come for me next," she moans, Sam says he'll be right there. No, Sam! It's a setup.

Meanwhile, Bill, Sookie and Jason arrive back at Bill's mansion to find Jessica and Hoyt trying to deal with Hoyt's mother, who has gone as black-eyed crazy as the rest of the town. She's screaming terrible things about Jessica and playing Bill's Wii like a frat boy on adderall.

Jason has seen enough. He says he's going to Merlotte's to see what's happening. "I'm not gonna sit back and watch monsters destroy my town; this is the war I've been training for," he says.

When Sam and Andy show up at Merlotte's it's dark, but Sam knows it's full of people. Sure enough a crew of crazies, led by Terry and Arlene, come out of the woodwork (angry villagers with cocaine and cleavers rather than pitchforks and torches) and surround him. Andy shoots his gun in the air, the townspeople become confused, and he and Sam barricade themselves inside the walk-in cooler. The loonies howl with dismay.

Back at Lafayette's he and Tara's mom have a black-eyed Tara chained to a chair; she spits venomously and head-butts her mom. "He's coming," she says. Who's he? The devil or Dionysus? I like to think that Dionysus is a little more fun-loving than this.

Soon Sookie and Bill arrive at Sookie's house to see that it is indeed prepared for a sacrifice, with candles everywhere and eerie music playing. Mary Ann appears and grabs Sookie, so Bill bites her. She is poison to him, he vomits green bile. Sookie pulls Bill away from Mary Ann and tells her to get away from him. She puts her hand up to Mary Ann's face and a white light emerges out of it, blocking Mary Ann like a shield. This is delicious to Mary Ann. "What are you?" she marvels as Sookie rushes out of the house with Bill.

Fortunately for everyone, Jason has equipped himself with a nail gun and a chainsaw (conjuring up fond memories of "Evil Dead" for me). People are having vigorous sex in Merlotte's in ways that made me want to cover my eyes. "Hey, this party's over," Jason shouts, brandishing his chainsaw. Nothing happens. But when he saws the party radio in half the lunatics come to life. When he grabs Arlene and puts the nail gun to her head Terry says, "Stop! Don't hurt my special lady." Demon spawns do have feelings! Jason gives Arlene to him and the villagers retreat outside. Jason locks the door and tells Andy and Sam it's safe to come out. When they do Terry throws a keg through the window and they all come pouring inside again.

Sam realizes that Mary Ann will not rest until she gets him so he tells Andy and Jason to save themselves and gives himself up to the mob.

Meanwhile, Tara is still chained up and speaking in tongues. She calls Sookie ugly names, Lafayette slaps her. Sookie tries to read her mind but sees only darkness. Bill glamours her, which gives Sookie a window of opportunity to cross over the possession into the real Tara, she sees all the orgies and the anger, and manages to pull Tara out of her inner prison. Tara's eyes go back to normal, she hugs her mama. "I know it wasn't you, baby," her mom wails. "I know it wasn't you." (This must be how parents of teenagers regularly feel. I will never have a teenager, just a baby.) Tara tries to go find Eggs, but she is restrained again.

Outside of Merlotte's, Sam is being strapped to the roof of a car when a booming voice yells "silence!" It's Jason, he's shirtless, wearing a welding mask and shooting flares off to great effect. He claims to be God, but the townspeople say God has horns, so Andy helps by holding some sticks up behind Jason's head. Sam takes advantage of the moment, jumps off the car and pleads, "Lord, smite me!" Jason has no idea what that means, and he fumbles a bit trying to figure it out, but then he regains his footing and thunders, "I smite thee, Sam Merlotte. Die!" At that moment Sam shifts into something imperceptible -- a fly maybe -- and disappears entirely, leaving only his jeans and boots behind (boy, he goes through a lot of jeans and boots, and where does he keep his wallet?).

"I'm very pleased with my offering," Jason tells the confused townsfolk as they stumble away, thinking their work is done. After they're gone Sam reappears naked, wrapped in an apron. Andy is baffled.

Back at Bill's mansion, Hoyt's psycho mom is still heaping abuse onto Jessica, who says, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't drain you dry. Lady, you have no idea how little control I have over my actions," before flying at her and biting her with a solid crunch. Hoyt runs to her, yelling no.

Finally we are left with Bill making a visit to the vampire queen of Louisiana's house for help. The house is gorgeous and lush and imbued with an unsettling silence. He approaches the queen; all we see is her naked foot -- it drips blood.

Roll credits.

--- Jessica Gelt 

Photo: Anna Paquin (Sookie), left, Ryan Kwanten (Jason) and Stephen Moyer (Bill). Credit: HBO

Comments

[Andrew]

Yeah. It was a shorter episode and a lot of it felt like filler. Hopefully they're just putting the pieces together for a grand season finale.

[NoJunk4Me]

So, WHY doesn't Sam turn into a bird and simply fly away to another town? It took Maryanne approximately 20 years to find him last time.

Why is Andy, Hoyt, and Lafayette immune to her spell?

If she is some kind of "god" why does she even need townsfolk to find Sam? Can't she do it herself?

Obviously Sookie and Bill have figured out how to bring crazy people back from spell. Great--only 312 more to go...

[dgrant]

This episode moves along the track, twin tracks really, of how Bill is getting pushed to the side in Sookie's mind by Eric (I mean she was dreaming of HIM, with Bill in cold storage about a foot away - she even pats the "air coffin" when she mentions him). So track one, Sookie hanging around with dear old dependable Bill, who recycles, probably fixes the plumbing and so forth, and dreaming of bizarro vamp sex with Eric. The alterna-track here is Sookie herself, maybe thinking she made a mistake with Bill, who is after all always there, except when he is held prisoner, or has to go get the vampire queen to clean Sookie's house for her, etc. and while this is all okay, really, there is the excitment of Dallas (Sookie notes she has never been away from Bon Temps before in the opening), and the glamour of Godric, and self-immolation, and terrorist bombs, and human sacrifice, and now, its back to...I am guessing mopping up the kitchen floor - again, and...waiting for the train to come through, or whatever people do in hopelesly hot and boring Southern places.
You overlookd the best line of the night, too - Lafayette getting hollered at in some foreign language by Tara and looking at the camera and saying "This has to be the worst moth******ing intervention in history."
I'd also keep in mind the over and over again repetition of the fact that Maryanne is "immortal" and "can't die" as a pretty heavy duty road flare for the season finale next Sunday.

[Jewell Allen]

I felt it was a little odd that Mary Ann wanted Sam, and she never got him... I was not too interested in that... but what got me was Sookie's new powers... I'm love that girl... she is so unreal... she has no thought of what is going on now...LOL... LOL... I hated the fact it was 45 mins... and I was even more upset that they didn't show me any clips of next weeks episode!!!!!!!! I love the suspense...:-)

[Deborah]

Andy, Hoyt and Lafayette are immune due to not participating in Mary Anne's crazy parties...which I assume helped her possess the other townsfolk. Sookie of course is immune because she is special and is always immune to otherworldly mind controls. Hope this helps!

[Alaris]

I think that either strong faith (Tara's mum) or the ingestion of vampire blood makes Lafayette and Hoyt immune to Maryanne's black eyed zombie control. Also none of them were around when MA was doing the vibrating thing. Andy, I don't know- maybe he's a virgin. Perhaps that protects them too.
I love this show. I'm a V addict!

[Bron]

Hoyt is in love, so because of that, he is safe. Lafeyette is with V blood and because Sookie is really a good hearted person, she is immune.
Remember everbody that is affected has had some kind of addiction or mental ill.
I think they will kill Maryanne in the season finale, but open 3 with the angle of Sookie and Eric. Bringing the tention of Bill and Eric to a head.