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True Blood: I Wish I Was the Moon

Sookie: "But if you turn into a panther, won't the handcuffs just fall off?"

It's the full moon, and we got another cohesive and fun episode about transformation. And Sookie and Eric made love in the moonlight. About time. Did we really have to wait three and a half seasons for this?

Where was I? Oh, yes. Sookie had a point about everyone in Bon Temps changing into something else.

Eric into sweetheart

Arrogant Viking vampire Eric Northman has turned into a man that Sookie can love. And I think she does. This was by far their most romantic episode. Sookie was very protective of Eric, to the point of exchanging vicious insults with Bill. (I'm liking Sookie a lot lately.) And Eric doesn't want to remember his past. When Eric said he would go to the true death knowing what it meant to love, I was actually freaking a bit. (After what happened to Claudine, nothing Alan Ball does with these characters can surprise me.) Thankfully, we got sex instead of death. Definitely my preference.

After lying to the Authority to get Eric condemned to death, Bill changed his mind and let him go. Maybe Bill's full moon transformation was that he stopped being a jerk. Or maybe he's just still in love with Sookie. Bill knew that if he killed Eric, Sookie would never forgive him. I can't quite believe that he felt pity for Eric. Not after burying him in cement last season.

I'll admit I want my barbarian Viking thug back. Eric has always been fun. Can't old Eric and new Eric sort of smoosh together and become a more perfect Eric? You can't tell me Sookie didn't like the old Eric, too.

Jason into werepanther. Or not

Jason talked like he was terrified of transforming, but in fact, part of him was looking forward to being special, like his sister. That was actually rather sweet, and very much in character. I'm really glad the episode didn't end with a predictable shot of Jason's hand starting to turn into a claw or something. Instead, we got Eric and Sookie having sex by the... okay, back to the review.

It's nice to know Jessica enjoys being a vampire, considering the circumstances under which she was turned. It's also really nice to know that Jason is too decent to hit on Jessica, even under circumstances like these. I mean, there they were, out in the woods under a romantic full moon, and Jessica is apparently attracted to Jason. (Maybe it's Jason's fairy blood.) I wonder where they're going with this one.

Tommy into Sam

Back in my review of "You Smell Like Dinner," I said I could definitely see Tommy shifting in to Sam in order to fool around with Luna. Okay. Tommy didn't do it deliberately, but he sure took advantage of the situation. And just when I was feeling bad for Tommy. I don't suppose it killed him? If it didn't, Sam may do the job when he finds out Tommy had sex with Luna and fired Sookie. If I were Tommy, I'd regain consciousness PDQ and leave town. And get some serious therapy.

Marnie into Antonia

You know, Marnie was incredibly stupid to let Antonia take over, but we all knew it was going to happen. Although I didn't think Marnie would live through it. Maybe she won't.

The flashbacks finally reached their conclusion, and we saw the vampire priests getting necromanced out of their coffins as Antonia burned. And boy howdy, they really deserved it. Especially Luis, who certainly deserves what he's about to get in the present. But Bill, Eric, Pam and Jessica don't deserve it, and they're the Bon Temps vamps who are now in danger.

Speaking of fires (definitely another season four recurring theme), who was that beautiful black woman in the old-fashioned dress and hair who saved the Bellefleur kids? I got the feeling she was somehow attached to the doll.

Well, at least it wasn't a bunny rabbit

Meanwhile, somewhere in Mexico, Jesus and Lafayette are sacrificing a rattlesnake so Jesus can turn himself into his evil, powerful grandfather. This is such a bad idea. Big bad brujo grandpa was actually right about Marnie inviting possession. And there's a lot of that going around, as Lafayette transformed into Tio Luca, who looked scary but was apparently a healer.

Tara transformed back into Tara Thornton, and she and her girlfriend whose name I just can't recall may be about to turn into Pam's dinner. And Debbie transformed back into... okay, I won't say it. But what she wants is more important to her than Alcide is. And Alcide doesn't like being forced into a pack. He was looking at Sookie again. This can't end well.

Bits and pieces:

-- Loved the Eric/Bill fight in the opener, mostly because Eric was tossing Bill around like stuffed animal. Because Eric is a whole lot older, of course.

-- Sam Trammell did a great Marshall Allman imitation. In fact, I thought Sam Trammell did a great job.

-- Terry and Arlene lost their house. But at least Terry saved the armadillo under the bed. Why weren't he and Arlene looking for Cobe and Lisa? I thought I heard Terry say something about the kids when they were running for the door screaming for the baby, so I have to assume he checked and didn't find them.

-- Holly lost her home, too. And she's apparently about to start dating Andy. Maybe she can put a spell on him and get him off V, because I'm so tired of him being an ass.

-- Shifters can't be made, they can only be born. Good to know.

-- You know, the goat didn't exactly come to Jesus when he was little. It was tied up.

-- Poor Pam can feel herself rotting. Fortunately, she's still funny.

Quotes:

Eric: "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
Sookie: "Only because you can't remember anything else."

Pam: "Let me tell you a little something about 'King Bill'. He's a self-loathing, power-hungry pompous little dork, and you hate his guts."

Pam: "You are a Viking vampire god, and you bow to no one. If someone crosses you, you rip out their liver with one fang." Love the imagery.

Sam: "At least you all are okay. That's what matters, right?"
Arlene: "Yeah, okay. The ghost of my serial-killing ex-fiance just tried to murder us in our sleep. We're just peachy."

Sam: "I don't know what's going on with you, but if you don't shut the fuck up and stop fucking with me, I'm gonna turn into a Doberman and chew off your goddamn face."
Andy: "Then I will call animal control and have you put to sleep."

Lala: "Goat tongue for breakfast. Wow. It smells... well done. Yummy."

Jason: "It's like a werewolf except it's a big ass cat."

Jason: "The second I start sprouting fur, I want you to shoot me right in the head."
Sookie: "I'm not gonna shoot you."
Jason: "But you promised."
Sookie: "I promised I take care of you."
Jason: "What you think that meant? Change my kitty litter?"

Sookie: "I thought witches were just in fairy tales."
Jason: "Or that goth store at the mall buying pentagram stretch pants. Scary."

Jason: "I'm a police officer and a were panther! Back off!"

Sookie: "You've already helped me more than you know. Go shed, kill stuff, do whatever werewolves do. I got this."

Eric: "Sookie. Tell her I was born the night she found me. And because of her, I went to my true death knowing what it means to love." Awww. You know, it's not easy pulling off a line like this. Skarsgard is doing such a terrific job with amnesiac Eric.



Any episode that begins and ends with Sookie and Eric making passionate love gets four out of four sacrificed rattlesnakes,

Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

58 comments:

  1. Billie, I'll say again that I love your reviews but this whole "Eric love" thing baffles me.

    He was a giant prick to Sookie in the first, second and third season and now that he's amnesia he's so "loveable and adorable". Does no one remember how he chained up and tortured her best friend, threatened her to use her abilities, and then chained her up as an offering to an uber-evil vamp? I mean, come on! The only attraction is that he's hot (definitely) and he's a bad boy that women (and men like me) love. But he is not a longterm love interest.

    What will happen when he gets back his memory? Sookie will dump him and he will be sad and then they'll probably end up together because he "miraculously" changed. Ugh. I'll hate that if it ever happens.

    Sorry for the rant. I just really don't understand the appeal of a guy who treats you like dirt. Had way to many of those in real life as it is. Anyway, sorry Billie for the tirade.

    On a random note, does anyone else think that Hoyt needs to leave Jessica? I don't see that ending well.

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  2. Yes, Troy, it's only because he's hot. I'm a slave to my hormones. Yes, that is my sarcastic voice.

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  3. Okay, I apologize if I was rude. It's just that I'm getting flashbacks to explaining why I loved Spike, over and over and over again. It never stopped in the years I reviewed Buffy, and it got old.

    Why I Like Eric, by Billie Doux.

    Eric has never exactly been a villain. I seem to remember that he was investigating the murders of several vampires when he was throwing people in the basement. He has since tried to make amends to Lafayette to some extent; I seem to remember an expensive car. Eric loved his maker. He loves Pam. Like Spike, he is changing because of love. He tried to protect Sookie from Russell by (1) pretending he didn't know her well or care about her, and (2) by trading her blood to save her life. He was ready to trade his life to kill Russell. And lots of fans are nuts about him, or he wouldn't still be in the series, so I'm not alone. Does this help explain why I like him?

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  4. Ha, ha, ha. I love the "why I love Eric" essay.

    I got to admit I love Eric as a character just because he is so incredibly free. At least the old-bada** Eric. He just went with his gut and didn't think much of what happened around him. And, yes, that gives him the bad-boy appeal. My theory is that people love a bad character that is turned around by love (and I am using my cynical voice here, because that almost never works out). I just wish he hadn't turned to mush. It's like Connan the Barbarian reciting Shakespeare. Somewhat out of character. Now, my "I love Eric" side is countered by "I don't think he is a good choice for a mate" side. I seem to remember him breaking a guy he had imprisoned in the basement in half and eating him in front of Lala. And he gave Lala the car to force him to sell V, didn't he? I mean, he's never been Mother Theresa.

    As for Sookie falling in love with him, it kind of looks like she is just desperate to love someone who would love her back. After the way Bill treated her, a soft-mannered Eric is what she needed (but I wonder what she thinks of Bill after he let Eric go... He looked so sad in the balcony). But she's been warned that this is temporary, so I am sure he'll break her heart when he gets his memory back. She needs to fall in love with someone who is alive!

    Is the woman to whom the baby smiled a spirit trying to possess something? The doll? Creepy... Terry did go look for the kids. I think he yelled at them to get up and out of the house.

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  5. The guy Eric tore to pieces and ate was the one who burned down the house and killed three vamps and a human, if I remember correctly.

    Sookie can't fall in love with a human guy because she can hear thoughts. Alcide is cute, but I'm apprehensive about any male who can't see through a woman like Debbie. And Sookie can hear his thoughts, too.

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  6. *Very minor book spoiler about weres*




    In the books Sookie found it harder though not impossible to hear the thoughts of shifters and weres, so if that's the case in the series then maybe she could be with Alcide more easily. But I don't see it happening as he's not been given much character to make him compare well with Eric and Bill, rather he just looks longingly at Sookie yet is completely Debbie-whipped.

    I enjoyed your 'Why I Love Eric' essay Billie. It made me remember the little kid saying "Why I Love Jasmine...I love Jasmine because she makes food taste good" at open mic night in Season 4 of Angel.

    I don't think either Eric or Bill is really a 'good guy' in any sense of the wood. They're vampires who both happen to be positively affected by their love for her (as they both showed in this episode) yet they've both been very ruthless, cold-hearted, deceitful and opportunistic in the past. I enjoy watching Eric's character more than Bill's but think the writers have done a stellar job keeping Bill layered, complex and sympathetic this season.

    I am tentatively enjoying the Eric/Sookie love this season, but I do miss real Eric's humour and seductive ways. The two Eric's are such polar opposites that I am eager to skip to the time when Eric will surely get his memory back and have to reconcile his docile former self and his 'centuries of killing, f**king and loving every minute of it' current self. I am more interested to see if the healed Eric is still a man(pire) who Sookie can allow herself to love.

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  7. This episode was fantastic!!! I love how they're building things and leading to a major battle between disparate factions.

    One point:
    Sex in the humid woods isn't all that great.

    Especially in the summer.

    Sookie's right about the mosquitoes - they eat you alive. But they're not the only insects out there.

    If you're thinking about a little vo-dee-o-doe-doe in the woods, at the very least, you should leave your shirt on, so your back doesn't get bit up....by insects, not vamps.

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  8. I haven't read the books, so I don't know what Eric is like post memory return – if his memory even fully returns.

    Like Spike, he is changing because of love.

    For me, that's part of it.

    The other part is that Eric is now living a different unlife, not that far off from Faith-in-Buffy. (I know I tend to refer to BUFFY a lot, but it IS my second favorite TV series – right below the original DARK SHADOWS – and BtVS' influence is clear in pretty much every "genre" TV series that has followed it.) So when (if?) Eric's memory returns, I think he'll remember what it was like to be loved by Sookie for being the nice, sweet, shy, innocent, "aw shucks" Eric that he is now and I think he'll be changed fundamentally changed because of it.

    The "nuEric" will still have the arrogance of vampire Viking god, but it will be softened by Sookie's taming of the vamp.

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  9. My personal obsession this season is still the horrible horrible clothes. I hope they lost them in the woods and have to go buy some decent stuff.

    I and every friend I know who watches this show love Eric. I've kinda given up trying to analyse why at this point! (It makes no sense. As a friend pointed out, I had ethical issues with Twilight, but switch off brain and ethical moral compass for Eric Northman, it seems. Luckily he's fictional so it doesn't matter too much!).

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  10. Troy, I'm totally with you. I really don't see the appeal of the "Bad Boy" archetype, be it Eric, Spike from Buffy or Damon from VD, it all comes off as cliched and played out. The whole bad characters changing for love really infuriates me. Do serial killers all of a sudden become sympathetic because we find out they've never known true love?

    As characters I love all of the above, it's when they turn into love interests that I take issue.

    Alcide and Debbie's relationship is the same only the sexes are reversed. Are you saying men can't fall for the "Bad Girl", bit of a double standard there. Maybe Alcide thinks he can change her, with love.

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  11. Felipe, I am with you on hating when characters change for love. Harry, I do agree with you that AB has tried to keep Bill complex and likeable, although the complexity has come only in this season. Bill also said very romantic things to Sookie at one point, almost smiilar to some of the things Eric has said (I remember Bill saying he could smell sunshine in Sookie's hair).

    Billie, I get that Eric killed a guy who had also killed a vampire, but I'm sure that does not make the killing more justifiable than when Bill killed Sookie's uncle because he had molested her.

    On a random note, I have a friend who viscerally hates the show, and as the rest of our group were obsessively dissecting last night episode, she finally blurted out "I can't believe y'all like a show in which people have sex with their food." That made me wonder whetehr Eric has bitten Sookie. That is a huge difference from Bill...

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  12. Cecilia, I think that Sookie has made sure that Eric doesn't bite her because of her fairy blood it would become addicting. She wants him to care about here, love her for her not her blood, which one one of her problems with Bill.
    As for this whole Eric love/ annoyance debate. I have to say I love Eric, the old one and the new one because they are in fact the same person only with completely different pasts. As was seen in the first scene of this episode, Eric still has the power to be violet and authoritative, he is just so unsure of where he stands in this world that he can't use it. This sweet guy is in Eric with or without memories. It's just that his past has made him think the worst in so many people and trust so few that he's jaded(who wouldn't be after 1000 years).
    Sookie liked Eric before this season she was just unwilling to be with him because of his actions. In the moments where she can see his true self it's obvious she cares(for example after Godrics death when Eric is crying).
    So in other words I don't see Eric as a bad boy, I see him as complicated pragmatic and interesting. Do I think a Sookie Eric relationship would work? Maybe, maybe not but it still doesn't stop me from loving him as a character. (And yes his is also super hot)

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  13. "I can't believe y'all like a show in which people have sex with their food."

    Definitely the funniest thing I've read this week. Thank you, Cecelia!

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  14. These past two episodes made me like Eric. I liked him as a character, but would never be friends with him. I LOVE Hans Gruber. Be friends with him? NEVER! I'll explain why I like Eric now.

    I don't believe in punishment. I believe in forgiveness, hard as it may be, and in redemption. But these are only worth a damn if there's repentance. And Eric, until a few episodes ago, was an unrepentant bastard, similar to Luis in relation to Antonia. It's undeniable he's done many horrible things, even if you find excuses. I didn't believe he was trying to make things right with Lafayette, for example. He needed somebody to deal V, and he was establishing a business relation. The car was only to sweeten the pot. He wasn't sorry for what he did for a minute. He stalked Sookie and seemed proud of that.

    Loosing his memories did two main things: for one, it made him more accepting to new ways of thinking, since he didn't have any ideas crytalized through experience; and it also made him hear about himself as a different person. Only then he stopped to think that he may hade done wrong. Someone said that when he recovers his memory, he'll be his old self again. Impossible. Like filming yourself and watching the video later, Eric will never think of himself the same way. I believe he'll go back to being a BAMF, but he'll be much more thoughtful about the harm of his actions.

    As much as Billie about Debbie, I'm apprehensive about any woman who can't see through a bad boy. I think Eric will be more than that, though.

    Speaking of Debbie, besides the fact that she looked much less Stepford-y and more like a real person (she also looked better), her plea to join the pack sounded very reasonable to me. It's not healthy to devote your life to your partner. Whether it'll end up well or not will depend mostly on the pack's behavior, and since it seems vampire blood s not involved, there's a chance it'll be alright. But I'm not betting on it.

    Sam Trammell did such a good job that I couldn't tell if he was immitaing his brother's voice or if Marshall Allman was dubbing Sam.

    Two asides:
    1) It'd have to be a very good friend of mine to make me turn down a girl like Jessica. Though, perfect looks or not, I'd want to stay away from a girl who messed with my mind.

    2) I don't know about goat, but cow and pork tongues are delicious. You have to know how to prepare it, though, otherwise it's as disgusting as it looked in the scene.

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  15. I have to agree with Troy and Felipe. I don't get the Eric love. I would get it if he were a love-to-hate character, and he CAN be fun. But I think a lot of the fanbase have such a physical attraction to Eric that they try and make excuses for him. Like he's some misunderstood hero. The same goes for Damon Salvatore; they're both villains, and they both deserve scorn, but they're both interesting characters.

    And of course, Billie, we all know you're a sucker for bad boys. ;) I kind of love when you start reviewing a series for the first time, because you'll refer to the most evil character as scum, but halfway through or near the end of the first season, it'll be 'I think Topher/Sawyer/whoever is the best character'. If Cooter were still on True Blood, you'd have a shrine to him by now, hehe.

    I agree with Gus about Debbie, but then, I always liked her. She was so wonderfully fucked-up and had some great lines.

    Loved the review.

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  16. I *loved* this episode - not just for Eric/Sookie yay! but for the way all the storylines were running. Sam Trammell did a terrific job as Tommy-in-Sam - the voice, the walk, the body language were all perfect. Seriously brilliant. And Pam losing Eric is so sad - he's better off as he is in some ways but he's not the same person. Or maybe he's Viking prince Eric, the way he was before Godric. A warrior, fiercely protective of Sookie and so forth but also very vulnerable because doesn't know who anyone is or what he's done. Crying over Godric last week when he couldn't even remember him was very sad.

    I'm enjoying new Eric but I don't want him to stay like that. I'd also like to see him get his memory back but to change because of this experience.

    I've thought about this 'bad boy' thing a lot, especially since I was such a huge Spike fan back in the day and I think it's just too easy to dismiss it as 'he's hot, forgive him everything'. Apart from anything else, if I don't like the character, I won't find him hot! There are plenty of pretty boys out there on One Tree Hill and so on that do absolutely nothing for me!

    Bad boys can earn redemption by fighting for good, Angel-style or maybe finding love causing them to reevaluate their lives and change for the better. But I think it's important to remember that in any incarnation, (Vampire Diaries, Buffy, True Blood, Being Human etc) vampires and other supernatural creatures are not the same as humans.

    It's not as simple as making the serial killer analogy. Vampires or weres or whatever are a lot like animals, killing to eat. And if they enjoy killing, even when it's not for eating, it's all part of this drive, this hunger inside them, for death and sex and blood. There's a different code of conduct, different rules, different acceptable ranges of behaviour. Judging them on human morality seems unfair, especially considering human moral codes change depending on the era or country or whatever.

    There's also the fact that as a different species, vampires can see humans simply as prey, as lesser, making it acceptable to kill and eat them. Any humans that they form a bond with might make it more difficult to maintain that belief or they could simply apply the idea that 'he/she is different', like farmers having a pet lamb while slaughtering the rest of the flock.

    I watch a lot of fantasy/supernatural type stuff so this comes up again and again and I never think it is as simple as forgetting the hot guy is a murderer simply because he's hot. I had a hard time forgiving Logan for some of the shit he pulled in early Veronica Mars because he was human and I couldn't use the blue-and-orange morality distinction. It makes a real difference for me when the 'bad boy' is a supernatural creature.

    It probably doesn't hurt that we don't see all of the stuff Eric did over the centuries - some of what we saw Bill and Lorena doing was horrific but he seemed to have turned away from that kind of behaviour. Made the move into lying and manipulation and other forms of cruelty but hey! You can't have everything...

    In real life, I have no interest in bad boys at all. Never have.

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  17. Hi everyone,

    A few of the comments seem to imply that Billie is a writhing bundle of lust given to TV-induced orgasms and incapable of coherent, rational thought when faced with the prospect of a sneer and a nice set of abs.

    As her friend, I just want to mention that she is, in fact, a full-fledged intelligent human being capable at all times of logic and mastery of her bodily functions, and that one of her greatest strengths is a strong sympathy towards both people and characters.

    :-)

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  18. Thank you, Josie. :)

    Eris, I loved your comment. You're exactly right. Vampire characters are not human characters and I don't see them as human characters, either. It's one of the things I like about vampire fiction -- that vampires have different character boundaries because of what they are.

    Jon, I appreciate that you said what you said in fondness. Or I hope that you did. But I hope I'm not that predictable. Yes, I changed my mind about Sawyer from Lost and Topher from Dollhouse, but the entire audience was meant to do so and I was never actually into either of them. But I always loved Eric. I always loved Spike. I liked Damon Salvatore from the first episode of Vampire Diaries. As Eris said so well, vampires are not humans and I don't see them as human characters. In real life, a boyfriend like Damon Salvatore would be a nightmare -- if you survived.

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  19. Thank you Billie! :-)

    BTW, I've been reading your reviews since the very early Buffy ones - am a big fan of your site. I always come here whenever I start watching a new genre show.

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  20. I didn't mean to offend you Billie (your first comment caught me off guard because I didn't mean to seem impolite) and I certainly didn't mean to imply that you only look at how hot a guy is when watching/reviewing a tv show. I just noticed the decidedly pro-Eric tone of your reviews and felt the need to comment on it. At least some great comments have come out of this!

    And I'm glad that I'm not alone out there with my Sookie/Eric feelings.

    As always, I really enjoy your site. Keep up the good work and I guess I'll try to seem less offensive the next time I post. :)

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  21. Josie, LOL!

    Billie I don't think any of your readers would ever consider you one of those annoying vapid fan girls. On the other hand given your history one wouldn't be entirely amiss in suggesting you have a type.

    The Bad Boy debate aside, my main issue with the Sookie/Eric pairing is what it implies about Sookie, "Writhing bundle of lust" and what not. It's a little too romance novel for my tastes, at least Buffy made it clear that she was using Spike for the thrill the rush, not that she was falling for his puppy dog eyes. Maybe I think too highly of Sookie.

    In the end I have to admit I'm a hypocrite, cause if Alcide came to me after massacring a field full of bunnies and said he was still hungry... I'd let him nibble a toe or two.

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  22. I really didn't expect the comment section of any review to end up being about me, but I'm feeling the need to explain myself a bit more.

    Yes, I probably have a type. Believe it or not, Alexander Skarsgard isn't it. Yes, he is undeniably attractive, but it's the character he's playing that I am into. I am deeply into book Eric, and Skarsgard has nailed him. Usually, there's a disconnect between a book character and the movie/television version, but not here. That takes a lot more than good looks and blond hair. It takes acting talent.

    I was crazy about Willow and Tara on Buffy. That didn't mean I was panting after either of them, but I certainly got a lot of comments and even some hate mail saying that I was. I was also crazy about Spike and especially about his relationship with Buffy. I thought, and still think, that James Marsters is a massively talented actor and that they wrote an exceptional character for him. Is he my type? Actually, no.

    On shows that I've reviewed, there are three actors I personally find wildly attractive to me personally. Jensen Ackles, Alex O'Loughlin, and Roy Dupuis. So if I have a type, they're it.

    Troy, you posted another comment and deleted it. I'm sorry if you were bummed by what I said, and I apologize for giving you a hard time. I hope you don't leave and never come back. The thing is, I put a lot of effort into this site. I spend hours writing every week and doing other html stuff to keep it up. It's become a huge hobby, and I feel that I'm a fairly decent critic. Being told that I like a character because the actor is hot is just one of my buttons, I guess. I'll try not to lose it next time it happens. And I'm sure it will.

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  23. Actually I posted a commment saying that I didn't mean to offend you. :)

    Anyways, some great comments came out of this and they are really intelligent and more enjoyable than anything I could have contributed. I'm glad there are people who see my side of it and I respect other people that disagree with me.

    And I love your reviews, so no worries. I truly didn't mean to sound impolite or mean though!

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  24. I thought it was more selfish of Alcide wanting to be a "lone wolf" than Debbie wanting to be part of a pack. I would think that as werewolves they would be more social creatures, and apparently Alcide isn't into that. But I sympathize more with Debbie because I would hate having to hang around my significant other all the time. And she doesn't even have other friends there! It seems he only wants her to stay with him out of a pack due to over-protectiveness. He doesn't even seem to understand her need for company. Maybe she does have an addictive personality, but unless Alcide is also a therapist he alone can't help her.

    Plus, the Russel Edgington pack was probably an isolated incident. If they do go back to "vigorous honesty", he won't even have to worry about her hooking up with people at the were-bars either. Really, though, I just don't think they're that compatible at all. There is definitely drama ahead.

    Also, I'm a new reader and I love the reviews! They're very smart; I didn't even notice episode "themes" before you pointed them out. Plus, you're a lot less alienating with your biases. You know, on some sites people express so much hate for a character or plot that after a while their readers just have the same opinions as them because they have argued out the other opinions and it's just irritating to read after a while. Just thought I'd point that out. :)

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  25. I want to make it very clear that I don't assume Billie or any other Eric fan likes him only because of his looks. Though it may be the case of a few of them, I don't think it's the general case. And when I say I don't understand why people like him or any other character, I'm not saying there are no reasons for that, just that I don't see them. And I reserve the right of not seeing or knowing everything.

    I also understand that it's a different thing to love the character and to think you'd love him/her in real life. For instance, I love Starbuck. She's a really, really great character, she has a good heart and she's probably a part of the 1 or 2% most beautiful people. But she's too work driven and distant in many ways, and, let's face it, a crappy partner. I'd be turned off by a woman like that in real life.

    I don't think Billie would pursue a relationship with someone who's killied maybe hundreds of people, but that's me assuming. Though anyway she responds, it won't make me respect her any less. I like her criticism, and a big part of that is that she's honest about her feelings and her reviews are not cold. I wouldn't have her review any other way.

    And that extends to all the other reviewers in this site. Keep up the excellent work.

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  26. Welcome to the site, Caitlin! And thank you so much for the kind words.

    Gus, you're one of my favorite commenters and an important member of our little community. Thank you so much for *your* kind words, too.

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  27. This has been an interesting line of comments to read. Different opinions, reasons for each one, people agreeing to disagree, fair indeed!
    Just for the records... I also like Eric as a character, and I also think Alexander has been pretty good being Eric.

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  28. Billie,

    I'd like to extend an apology if I in any way offended you. The comment about you having a type was intended to be tongue in cheek and not a comment on your taste in men.

    It should be clear to anyone who reads your reviews that you enjoy these characters because of their complexity, their grappling with various emotions and the effects it has on the people around them. Not because you could scrub your laundry on their tummies.

    In other words no one should feel the need to explain their perverse sexual desires for murderous, psychopathic monsters who enjoy playing and f****** their food, and I am sorry if I made you feel like it was necessary.

    PS. That was a joke.

    PPS. Not the sorry part.

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  29. All these comments have got me thinking about which TV characters I would actually want to date if they were real. After all, Damon Salvatore is hot, but I wouldn't let him in my bedroom. I love my cats too much.

    My Top Five Datable Characters:

    1. Wesley Wyndam-Price
    2. Alaric Saltzman
    3. Ianto Jones
    4. Special Agent Dale Cooper
    5. Please don't laugh: Watson from Sherlock. Okay, laugh if you must.

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  30. No offense taken, Felipe, truly.

    Oh, Josie. Datable characters -- I really had to think about it.

    I'm with you when it comes to Wesley Wyndham-Price. I like Gunn from Angel, too. Mick St. John from Moonlight is probably the nicest and most datable vampire. Eli from Stargate Universe is a sweetie and so smart; we'd have so much geekitude in common. But if I can't have Dean Winchester, then I don't want to play. :)

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  31. This really is just the Buffy/Angel/Spike dynamic over again. It gains points for not making 'new Eric' boring, which was always the issue with puppy love Spike. But on the downside, the subplots are so uninteresting that whenever one of the three isn't on screen, the show's a chore.

    It also feels like the writers are too terrified to have Bill take that next step. He didn't bury Eric in cement just because he was a rival for Sookie; oh no, he had the fairy reasoning. And here, when he really could've made the transition to a really interesting villain, he steps back.

    To keep up the Buffy comparisons, Bill would be a whole lot more interesting if he had an Angelus moment, and I don't think Alan Ball has the guts to give it to him.

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  32. Oh that whole datable characters deserves a post all its own. You need to get all the other reviewers on board.

    My Top 5:

    1. Alcide Herveaux
    2. Jack Carter
    3. Xander Harris (w/eyepatch)
    4. Jack Shephard
    5. Nathan Young (I feel a little guilty about liking him so much)

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  33. Ooooh, I love top5 lists! I've actually got a list of fictional characters I would *marry* for quite some time. In no particular order:

    1- Monica Geller (don't judge me!)
    2- Veronica Mars
    3- Rory Gilmore
    4- Juliette Burke
    5- Hermione Granger (I'm thinking about the book char, who is more developed as a character, but if she looks like Emma Watson, I won't complain).

    Felipe, from your comments, it's pretty clear you're gay, and I just realized that all my gay friends who watch the show prefer Alcide to Eric, but none of the straight women do. Interesting...

    I forgot to say that this season of TB is pretty strong, and I think AB has finally found his foot on episode structure.

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  34. Jack Shephard? Interesting.

    I'd forgotten Sayid. Sayid is my #6.

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  35. Gus that is really interesting. I wonder why that is, maybe he's just more visually appealing to gay men then women, after all he is a rather under developed character. I'll admit my main attraction is his looks, but the fact that he's so kind and protective sweeten the pot.

    Josie don't make me write an essay detailing why I love Jack Shephard.

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  36. I'm in! In no particular order...

    1. Ellie Bartowski-Woodcomb (Chuck).
    2, Laura Roslin (BSG).
    3. Juliet Burke (Lost).
    4. Caroline Forbes (Venereal Disease).
    5. Anna Torv (Fringe).

    Point number 2: there's nothing wrong with liking a TV show purely for its hot characters/nudity/hot characters getting all nude and such. It's all that kept me watching Heroes for 3 seasons. 'Nuff said.

    Point number 3: check out this link. Kristin Bauer‘s story is really quite touching.

    Point number 4: Josie, I can totally understand Watson from Sherlock. Martin Freeman's brilliant in any role.

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  37. Okay, here we go:

    1. Chloe Sullivan (Smallville)
    2. Jessica Hamby (True Blood)
    3. Myka Bering (Warehouse 13)
    4. Veronica Mars
    5. Amy Pond (Doctor Who)

    And, just for fun, here are the characters I'm attracted to but would never, ever date:

    1. Katherine Price (The Vampire Diaries)
    2. Faith (Buffy/Angel)
    3. Callisto (Xena)
    4. Amanda (Highlander)
    5. Eric Northman (True Blood)

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  38. This is tough. For the most part, the characters I find most compelling are not characters I would want to date. Here's a few that might be good dating material.

    Matt Saracen (Friday Night Lights)
    Benton Fraser (Due South)
    Jack Carter (Eureka)
    Eli Wallace (SGU)
    Marcus (B5)

    There's some others I think would be good partner material, but I'd never want to separate them from their onscreen mates (like Coach Taylor, for instance, or John Sheridan from B5 or Vaughn on Alias).

    I'm surprised people are choosing Wesley. I adored Wesley, but he was some serious damaged goods and I doubt he'd be good dating material for anyone but Fred! :)

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  39. You can see a show/episode is good when you can't get to the last comment EVER, lol...
    I'd been waiting for Eric and Sookie getting together since season 2,and the wait was worth it. In the book, they had at least gotten almost that far much before, and the chemistry between the two of them could only lead to that. I love Eric. He's intense, straight, sarcastic, charming and he'll do whatever he has to in order to protect or get what he wants. The new Eric is almost as loveable, especially because little by little, he will get a little of his old self. And he never lied to Sookie. And he almost got killed to protect her (and get his vengeance at the same time). Either way, I too want to make my list (which is not necessarily in this order):
    1. Sayid (Lost)
    2. Damon Salvatore (VD) - women sometimes have a tendency to try to fix the unfixeable
    3. Alcide Herveaux(True Blood)
    4. Derek Morgan (Criminal Minds)
    5. NuEric Northman - but maybe that much sweetness could turn me into a diabetic...
    Either way,thank you, Billie. Your reviews and the comments always make the show a lot more fun.

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  40. My top 5

    Methos (Highlander)
    Xander (Buffy)
    John Chrichton (Farscape)
    Joe Dawson (Highlander)
    Pete (Warehouse 13)

    Ok so maybe Methos would be dangerous to date, and all of Xander's girlfriends have died but it's worth the risk. Pete seems immature but fun and Joe can sing to me anytime.

    Anna

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  41. Oh, I'm SO in!

    Characters I would date:

    1. Friday Night Lights - Coach Taylor, although it's hard to imagine him without Tami so maybe I should go for Matt Saracen instead. They're both SUCH good men. And I love how even though they can both be quiet or inarticulate, when they're with their women, they talk away non-stop.

    2. Due South - Benton Fraser. Again, such a good man. Good-looking, intelligent, educated, morally upright. And sweet.

    3. Gilmore Girls - Luke. He's grouchy but good-hearted and he cooks wonderfully. And he is not averse to incredibly talkative women, whatever he might say.

    4. Supernatural - Dean Winchester. He's a problematic one because unless he loved me as much as he loves Sammy, there'd be endless difficulties. Plus, he kind of has a death wish a lot of the time. But he's a good guy underneath all the angst and trouble.

    5. Vampire Diaries - Tyler Lockwood. Tyler started out as seemingly a total asshole but his backstory and his 'condition' have made him into a much nicer character. It doesn't hurt that he spends so much time with everyone's favourite baby-vamp, Caroline! I would marry Tyler in a heartbeat. Love him!

    Honourable mentions:

    Deadwood - Seth Bullock; The West Wing - Josh Lyman; Mal Reynolds - Firefly; Highlander - Methos; Battlestar Galactica - Helo; Wesley Wyndham-Pryce - Angel.

    Characters I'm wildly attracted to but would never date:

    1. True Blood - Eric. True Blood vamps are just too different to humans. They feel much more like a different species than the vamps on Vampire Diaries.

    2. Vampire Diaries - Damon. He still hasn't made the shift into doing good for good's sake instead of for Elena or for some other manipulative reason. Plus, what he did to human Caroline is shudder-worthy.

    3. Being Human - Mitchell. I love Mitchell, he's absolutely wonderful and he was trying so hard. But he's too much of a wildcard. I would never feel safe with him.

    4. ROME - Lucius Vorenus. He's far too tightly wound and when he lets go, it's frightening.

    5. Veronica Mars - Logan Echolls. Aside from his tendency to rush out and sleep with other people five seconds after any kind of rejection, his penchant for violence is off-putting. I would never imagine Logan hitting me, were I to date him, but I really don't like the idea that he would assault other people for doing things he disliked or hurting people he loved.

    Honourable mentions:

    Buffy - Spike; Coupling - Patrick; Supernatural - Castiel; Dollhouse - Paul; The Tudors - Charles Brandon.

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  42. Tyler Lockwood, really? I wonder if Caroline or Matt ever casually bring up the time he tried to rape Vicki. Same goes for Back to the Future; giving the school bully/wife rapist a job which involves having a key to the house might not be the best idea.

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  43. I think we need a separate post on dateable and sexy characters! But here are some of mine

    Shaggable:
    Eric Northman
    Spike
    Mulder (I love him but don't fancy spending my life on the run!)
    Jeff from Community
    Jason Stackhouse

    Marriagable:
    Mr Darcy (anything incarnation but preferably Colin Firth)
    Sam Merlotte (maybe book Sam more than TV Sam, who has so many rage control issues)
    JD from Scrubs
    Crichton from Farscape
    Daniel Jackson from Stargate
    (Honourable mention to Hoyt Fortenberry)

    Good-looking but push off a cliff-able:
    Bill Compton (though I like him much better now he's king)
    Angel
    Xander when he's being whiny
    Jaime Lannister
    Aragorn from the book, when he starts getting a big head about the whole being-king thing

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  44. @Anonymous - Without wishing to drag this thread into Seeing Red territory... Tyler treated Vicki shittily but I really don't put his behaviour in the woods as high as attempted rape. Drunk asshole teenager coming on far too strong with the girl he's sleeping with is more like it. If Jeremy hadn't interrupted, maybe it would have been worse but we don't know that. Vicki certainly wasn't overly bothered by it. I think his lack of respect for her, the way he insulted her and was ashamed of her was far worse treatment. Equally, the abuse Matt gives to his girlfriend Caroline and the appalling way Damon treated Caroline and his other compelled lovers is far more repellant to me than Tyler's oversexed attempts to screw Vicki in the woods.

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  45. Well this is certainly interesting  I wanted to say that I come to this website because of the positive energy and that all the people, reviewers and commenter’s , are intelligent people that go into the meaning of the show and have different viewpoints.
    I don’t actually find Eric all that sexy, yes he’s attractive, but that’s not why I like him. I don’t have a thing for bad boys but I love dynamic characters that are good or bad depending on the situation and Eric is his own person which I respect.
    TV Characters I would date but it probably wouldn’t work out for obvious reasons
    1. Methos-highlander (think of the stories he could tell)
    2. Castiel- Supernatural (he’s adorable)
    3. Dean- supernatural ( if he didn’t have all the apocalyptic baggage, but then would he be Dean?)
    4. Spike- Buffy (I love that guy so much I can overlook the fangs, plus he has that awesome leather coat)
    5. Jacob-lost (I still want answers)
    6. Captain Jack Harkness ( do I really have to explain?)

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  46. Valerie,

    if you want answers, Jacob is not the one to give you. The guy knows little more than what his mama told him. BTW, he's such a mama's boy.

    Juliette, I loved "shaggable". I won't make my list because it would be endless. But Jessica (TB) and Jill (Chuck) would be near the top.

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  47. I was going to post my list...but, as it turns out, most of them are entirely too young for me. So now that I feel like a dirty old woman... sigh ;-)

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  48. Nonsense, Sooze! Although Connor from Angel is always cougar-friendly.

    (Oh dear God, I just used the word "cougar." I should be banned from the site.)

    My shaggable list would be huge. So would my "interesting dinner party guest" list. I think Tyrion (GoT) would top that one.

    Ned Stark might be good husband material, too. Maybe he'd give me a badger-cloak for our anniversary.

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  49. In my fantasy world, Lorne (Angel), Emily Gilmore (in fact, all the Gilmores), Tyrion, Walter (Fringe, Mozzie (White Collar), Hurley, Maddie (Burn Notice), Chloe (Smallville) and Lily (Pushing Daisies) are constantly having dinner parties with me.

    Yes, I'm kind of sick in the head.

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  50. Gus, that would be such an excellent dinner party! I could watch a TV show about that group having different dinner parties every week!

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  51. My top 5 guys i would date in no particular order are

    1. Chandler Bing (sarcastic and neurotic and cute)
    2. Malcolm Reynolds (sarcastic and protective and cute)
    3. Michael Vaughn (sweet and protective and cute)
    4. Logan Echolls (sarcastic and protective and cute)
    5. Seeley Booth (sweet and protective and cute)

    And can i just say i love the weird and wonderful direction this thread has taken and the fact that people expressed opinions without resorting to name calling.

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  52. I don´t watch this show, but because of the comments in the side window I came here to see what was on with the lists of datable / shaggable / marriagablecharacters, and I’m laughing out loud just reading the endless list of comments (thanks Josie for starting this!). Definitely it must be a special post only for this.
    Sadly I don´t watch enough TV shows to make a list for me, and don´t think I would like to date any of the characters I like (because of the bad-boy thing and all of that). Bud what blow my mind completely was the thought of a series just having dinner parties with different and random TV characters. Jess, I think you have come with the most amazing idea for a TV show in the decade.

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  53. I hadn't thought about dinner party guests! Interesting one... I'll have to have a think, but like everyone else, Tyrion will definitely be on it!

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  54. Wow, this article has many comments. I wanted to add my thoughts on the following review paragraph (as I wanted to explain to myself after watching the episode):
    "After lying to the Authority to get Eric condemned to death, Bill changed his mind and let him go. Maybe Bill's full moon transformation was that he stopped being a jerk. Or maybe he's just still in love with Sookie. Bill knew that if he killed Eric, Sookie would never forgive him. I can't quite believe that he felt pity for Eric. Not after burying him in cement last season."

    I actually think it may not be any of those (sorry, Billie) - the way I took it: Bill is not a bad guy, and if he does certain things is because he believes they are the right things to do. He hated Eric and he was convinced he would hurt Sookie. And when he captured Eric - he thought Eric was faking the amnesia (mastered lying over 1000 years) - but when he realized that Eric truly did not remember - he could not kill him because Eric in front of him was not Eric that he hated and felt all other stuff for. For him killing Eric then would have been just killing some guy that Sookie just met and fell for - he was not evil to do that - that's what stopped him. I think he already had a resolve that if protecting Sookie meant not to be with her - so be it - so he would have killed "old" Eric to protect her despite what she thought (he tried that before). It's is this "new" Eric he could not kill. (which made me feel good about Bill).

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  55. wow! 54 comments! that might be a record :)

    a lot of people keep comparing Bill to Angel and Eric to Spike, the parallels are pretty obvious in many ways than one except for sex, where - so to speak Bill is more Spike (wild, dirt and blood everywhere...) and Eric is more Angel (very tender and romantic) That 'love making' at the end of an episode was unlike any other sex scenes in True Blood.

    Sam was so spot on Tommy. Not only the voice but gestures and manner of walking - simply great.

    Loved the episode. Also I kinda like the idea of Jess and Jason....

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  56. I liked this episode. It´s been fun seeing amnesiac Eric and Sookie interact and even Bill and Arlene are more interesting this season.

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  57. I must join in with the top 5. Thank you Josie for linking to it from 1st episode, season 4 of Fringe.

    1)Fox Mulder (X-Files)
    2)Damon Salvatore (Vampire Diaries)
    3)Dr. Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds)
    4)Gilbert Blythe (AoGG)
    5)Ben Hawkins (Carnivale)or non-alcoholic version of Jimmy McNulty (The Wire)

    The nerd in me would have loved to pick someone from B5 but they're more platonic loves.

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  58. My dateable men:
    Tyron Lannister- GOT - just my size
    Jessie- Breaking Bad
    Mulder-Xfiles
    Agent Dale Cooper-Twin Peaks
    Spike- Buffy
    Sawyer-Lost
    Jaime Lannister -GOT
    Rust Cohle-True Detective
    Sherlock-Sherlock
    Morse-Morse

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