Friday, July 8, 2011

Spoiler Alert: True Blood S04E02

Tara's back in town, so you know things are about to get interesting. I say we skip the introductions and dive right in.

1. "King? King Bill?"

While the revelation of Bill as the King of Louisiana was no surprise last episode, many of us were left wondering how exactly Bill defeated a vampire twice his age for the crown. Well, the clean and simple answer is that Bill brought back-up.


Humans provided by Nan Flanagan and armed with wooden/silver bullets took out Sophie-Anne for Bill. It seems that Bill and Nan have a past that traces back to the 1980s. Bill wouldn't kill his victims, so Nan told him about how scientists are working on a synthetic form of human blood. This would allow vampires to be mainstream. All Bill would have to do is join a group of powerful vampires, presumably lead by Nan Flanagan, and infiltrate the vampire monarchy. This is why Bill is backed by Nan's resources. He's doing work for her.


While Nan would seem to be a powerful ally, she is not easily cowed by Bill's explanation that there is nothing special about Sookie. There's no doubt that Nan is going to know of Sookie's fairy origins. The question then becomes, "What will Nan do when she finally finds out?"

2. Rage Against the Coven

Eric is not only Sookie's landlord, but, regardless of the fact that he has friends in high places (which is certainly a lead-in to an upcoming plot thread), he's still one of King Bill's dogs. When Bill's spy Katarina, who he is currently sleeping with, reports that the coven has learned to resurrect a bird, things get serious, especially considering Marne wants to resurrect a human now.


Regarding Marne's power, Eric mentioning that he remembers the inquisition. Apparently, during the inquisition, necromancers learned how to control the vampires through similar techniques. When Eric attempts to shut down the coven, all of the members except Lafayette attempt to control him. It isn't until Tara is threatened that Lafayette joins in, and it isn't until Lafayette joins in that Eric is banished. Sookie finds Eric on the side of the road, feral-looking and with no memory.


Eric appears to still be a vampire, because he can smell the fairy on Sookie. This is especially interesting, considering Russel's thought that a fairy might be used to bring a vampire back to life. Could Sookie be necessary for the coven's resurrection spells? Could Sookie join up with the coven in order to bring a vampire back from the final death, or to turn a vampire back into a human?

3. "I'll never join you!"

In a Star Wars-style turn of events, Jesus reveals that there is no white and black magic; there is only magic which is used by light or dark souls. This discussion might have seemed like a filler scene, but my theory from last season is that a predominant theme in season four is which side Lafayette chooses, especially now that we know he's the most powerful witch in the coven.


4. Jungle Cat Fever

For those of us who weren't certain that Jason was about to be turned into a were-panther last season, it was made abundantly clear this episode. Crystal offers the transformation as a way for she and Jason to be together forever. It seems that inbreeding throughout the years has made her brother infertile, so the only way for there to be more were-panthers in their family is to induct a new were-panther into the family. How does one become a were-panther? Apparently, it requires that you are eaten by were-panthers. Who'da thunk it?


5. The Babe With the Power

While we're clearly being lead to believe that Arlene's child has either genetically or magically inherited the powers of a murderer, I am beginning to think that this is a red herring. Whether or not the child has power, the power of Arlene's fear is just as important. My shot in the dark guess is that Arlene has some powerful juju of her own, just like Lafayette, and the "evil" symptoms she is witnessing from her child are the result of a kind of mental poltergeist resulting from her unchecked abilities. There. I just went there.


6. Skinwalkers

During the first episode of this season, I was incredibly bored with Sam's side-story where he meets with three fellow shifters. During the second episode, this story got really interesting. Luna tells tales of Native American myths regarding "skinwalkers," which are essentially shifters who can turn into human beings. All one has to do in order to become a skinwalker is to kill a family member who also happens to be a shifter. It looks to me like Tommy was listening in, which undermines the whole discussion of trust between Sam and Tommy. The fact of the matter is that Tommy knows how to gain incredible power and all he has to do is kill his brother (or potentially his mother).


Finally, I beg that you take this Luna woman seriously. She can turn into any human being, which means that nobody is who they seem. Furthermore, the coven that's in town is called the Moon Goddess Emporium, and if I'm not mistaken Luna is a name used for the moon and potentially for a moon goddess in Latin. Is Luna working with the coven? Is Luna posing as Marne (hence, the weird "Black or White" metamorphosis while she was casting the spell on Eric)? There's got to be a connection here. I just am not certain what exactly it is.


See you next week!

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