EPISODE TEN — NEW WORLD IN MY VIEW

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER   ALAN BALL   |   DIRECTED BY   ADAM DAVIDSON   |   WRITTEN BY   KATE BARNOW & ELISABETH FINCH

Rewinding a few moments, Bill tells Lorena they need never meet again as immortals because she is now dead to him.  Lorena, streaming tears of blood, runs away into the night.  As Luke presses the trigger, Bill senses Sookie's fear but too late as Godric's home erupts in an explosion.  In the smoky aftermath, Bill finds Sookie safely protected from the blast by Eric, who tells Bill to go after the remaining human attackers.  Bill rips one man out of the escaping van and bites his neck, despite the coward's protest that they never thought Luke would actually detonate his bomb vest.

Inside, Isabel combs the bloody ruins for survivors while Godric stoically surveys the toll his unification efforts have taken.  Sookie pushes Eric off her and sees Jason survived the blast safely.  But Eric's body is peppered with silver shrapnel and he begs Sookie to suck out the pieces of metal before it kills him.  Sookie is repulsed by the idea of such intimate physical contact with Eric but reluctantly begins sucking the silver shards from his wounds.  Eric's weakness instantly gives way to devious delight, obviously feigning the severity of his injuries.  Bill leaves his victim alive to show the Fellowship vampires have mercy when they exhibit none.  Jason finds half of Luke's bloody hand on the floor, his silver honesty ring still on his finger — there but for the grace of God and stupidity would have gone Jason himself.  Isabel reports to Godric that five are dead in the blast, including Stan.

Very much unharmed is Eric as Bill enters to find Sookie sucking the silver out of Eric's wounds.  Bill, angered and humiliated, reveals to Sookie that Eric was in no danger and that he played on her sympathies to form a blood bond with Sookie.  Eric can now sense Sookie's emotions and location, exactly what Bill has fought to avoid for so long.  Godric informs the survivors to seek refuge at the Hotel Carmilla where security arrangements will protect them from any further Fellowship attacks.  Eric seems quite self-satisfied that his scheme to infiltrate Sookie's life worked, at least until he sees the forlorn expression on Godric's face as he exits through the ashes of his dream.

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At the Hotel Carmilla suite, Sookie berates herself for being so gullible to fall into Eric's trap.  Bill admits that Eric has had ten centuries to perfect his lies, and Sookie should feel no shame in her good nature, which Eric used against her.  Painfully, Bill reveals that Eric's psychic connection to Sookie is not the worst of it: she will likely begin to feel a sexual attraction to Eric now as his blood influences her body, even beyond her control.  Bill is resigned that Eric would have made the bond with Sookie inevitably, in part to prove his power over Bill and to better possess the advantages of Sookie's special gifts.

Jessica and Hoyt attempt to reconcile their emotions with her vampiric healing prowess which has, for now, spoiled any pleasure their sexual union might offer. Jessica urges Hoyt to break up with her, but he refuses, insisting she means so much to him that he wants Jessica to meet his mother.  She's overjoyed at his loving gesture, though Hoyt warns that she'll likely get a cold greeting from his vampire-hating, overprotective mom.  As dawn nears, Hoyt offers to stay out in the hallway and sing Jessica to sleep in the basement.

That morning, Tara and Eggs are battered and bruised, again having no memory of the violence they waged on each other the night before under Maryann's heart-pie spell.  The couple are now very worried they've gotten so out of control, while Maryann bristles at the concept of any moral responsibility aside from pleasing one's own basic urges and drives.  Maryann sells the notion that, instead of blacking out, Tara and Eggs are elevating their consciousness to a higher, mystical level like the shamans, priests and seers of history.  Now she's finally revealing glimpses of the hedonistic, ritualized practice in her own dark religion in which she's cunningly entrapping both Tara and Eggs.  For now, they remain unconvinced.  At the town jail, the cells are filled with arrested Bon Temps revelers, more victims of Maryann's spell of hedonistic abandon while Sam attempts to solve this growing wave of irrationality.

At the Carmilla, neither Sookie nor Jason can sleep and stop down from the chaos to open their hearts to each other.  In a moment of apparently lucidity, Jason admits that his own superficiality and need for acceptance led him so far astray in the Fellowship.  He realizes in his emptiness that he and Sookie are all alone now, and that scares him — no doubt a fear that pushes him into such extreme quests for love and acceptance by others, only to be betrayed by the likes of the Newlins.  Sookie insists that it's their turn to grow up now and care for each other, as painful and hard as it may be.  On the hotel TV, Nan Flanagan argues for vampire rights and against the violent, terrorist tactics of the Fellowship while Steve and Sarah Newlin continue to argue the church's anti-vampire dogma — though the two can now barely agree with each other, having already betrayed each other.

Arlene attempts to keep up with the lunch service chaos at Merlotte's, with Tara and Sookie AWOL once again and Daphne murdered.  Her blackouts only make her more petrified that there's a curse at the diner, especially for waitresses.  Arlene tearfully tries to reconcile with Terry, who admits he doesn't remember events either.  Typically, she's more relieved that Terry isn't mad at her instead of worrying why neither of them can remember having sex or anything else from the prior night.  Tara and Eggs arrive at the diner, setting off Lafayette's temper when he sees Tara's bruises.  Both she and Eggs insist he never hurt Sookie, but Lafayette insists that Eggs will bring her nothing but pain because he is trouble, plain and simple.

Maxine lays her guilt trip thickly on Hoyt's conscience for leaving her to run off with Jessica in Dallas, even while she attempts to baby her grown, defiant son with home cooking.  Yet Hoyt refuses to play into his mother's martyr act, calling her on the general hatred she holds in her heart for anyone who fails to meet her personal standards, and that definitely includes any girl interested in her son, vampire or human.  Hoyt insists his mother will meet and be civil to Jessica or he will leave the house and Maxine for good.   Three cheers for Hoyt! 

While Bill sleeps in the hotel bed next to her, Sookie tosses and turns in a dream fantasy that she's now laying next to Eric instead as the two playfully bicker over why Sookie should make a fine vampire.  Their romantic interlude is interrupted by Lorena sitting at the foot of their bed, reminding Sookie how she's forsaken Bill to be with Eric now, though Sookie weakly protests she still loves Bill.  Eric's kisses and caresses keep pulling Sookie back into his arms, while Lorena laughs at Sookie's abandonment of Bill.  Eric states this is the beginning — presumably of his plan to turn Sookie for his own desires — and Sookie awakens from her dream, Bill still sleeping next to her, effectively dead to the world and her emotions.  Sookie clasps his hands to her, and indeed Eric's blood has begun taking a hold on her.

Back at the town jail, Bud Dearborn is overwhelmed with riotous citizens to the point he's chained them to the lobby chairs.  Maryann arrives, thrilling her party-loving minions and throwing Sam into a panic in his solitary cell.  While Sam devises some means of escape before Maryann can get to him, he spies a fly buzz into a wall vent in the cell.  Maryann quickly casts a spell on Bud and frees all her followers, but finds Sam's cell empty save for his clothes on the floor.  She sends the mob out to retrieve Sam.

At the diner, a tense dinner ensues at the booth between Hoyt, Jessica and Maxine.  The young vampire tries hard to kill Maxine with kindness, but Maxine refuses to give an inch and insults Jessica at every turn.  A mean battle of wills ensues, with Jessica vowing to give Hoyt everything a human girlfriend could... except a child, Maxine snaps back.  The last straw pulled, Hoyt storms out of the diner with Jessica crying, insisting he will not be returning home again.

At Sookie's house, a fly crawls across the dining table where Tara, Eggs and Maryann play a chaotic, rule-free game of cards.  Lafayette and Lettie Mae arrive to take Tara with them for her safety, but both she and Eggs quickly fall under Maryann's black-eyed spell and a violent fist fight ensues between the foursome, much to Maryann's delight.  Still Lafayette hauls Tara over his shoulder and escapes with Lettie Mae in their car.  Eggs tries to pursue, but Maryann insists that Tara will return with both Lafayette and Lettie Mae under the spell.

At the Carmilla, Nan scolds Godric, Eric, Isabel, Bill and Sookie for creating a publicity nightmare for the vampire social cause.  Godric stuns them all by revealing he surrendered himself to the Fellowship in an attempt to forge a peace between the species. Nan disapproves of such a reckless act, while Eric seems filled with disillusionment and shame that his maker acted alone without counsel or support.  Godric accepts full responsibility and Nan fires him as sheriff.  Eric bristles and Nan's treatment of Godric, his undying loyalty remaining defiantly in tact.  Even Isabel insists that Godric fight back against the ruling until he calmly orders his subordinates to be silent.  Eric is crushed to see his maker defeated without the slightest resistance, and rises to challenge Nan until Godric orders him to stand down and cooperate with Nan's rulings. 

At Merlotte's, Maxine continues to maker herself out the martyr until Maryann marches through the door, a tempest of wind and leaves following her.  She orders all in the diner to bring Sam to her for sacrifice, the eyes of everyone turning black under her spell.  Meanwhile across town, a fly lands on the doorknob of a motel room.  Inside Andy hits the bottle until a knock at the door reveals Sam naked and returned to form, seeking Andy's help as the only ally who believes the supernatural threat Maryann presents in the town..

Godric apologizes to Nan and everyone for his actions and the lives that were lost in his plan.  Eric is distraught, insisting Godric not accept Nan's verdict but the ancient vampire refuses, asking Eric to meet him on the roof for a final discussion.  Bill settles his score with Eric, belting him with a blurry-fast punch in the mouth for taking advantage of Sookie and forcing his influence on her.  Eric insists the deed is done and that he is a part of Sookie now, but clearly Eric takes no joy in the victory over Bill with Godric's rule and reputation in danger.  Sookie insists she must go help Godric, insisting she owes him a debt for what he tried to accomplish.

Eric refuses to let his maker sacrifice himself, but Godric insists that without an attempt to peacefully co-exist with humans, the vampires' presence on Earth in sheer insanity and wrong.  Despite every passionate plea Eric makes for Godric to stay, bloody tears staining his cheeks, the elder insists Eric release him if he loves him at all.  Sookie watches this mournful scene from afar as Godric commands Eric to leave and let him die at last.  Eric has no choice but to obey, and Sookie assures Eric she'll stay with Godric to the end.  The dawn sky brightens slowly as Godric admits to Sookie his plan failed because he no longer thinks like a vampire.  Godric wonders if God can forgive his actions, and asks if Sookie will look after Eric now.  The first glowing rays of dawn illuminate wisps of smoke wafting from Godric's body, though he insists he is filled with joy at the prospect of his release.  Sookie weeps at Godric's impending immolation, though Godric takes comfort that perhaps his dream of reconciliation has come to pass in a small way, with a human by his side at his end.  Godric walks toward the sunrise and evaporates in a quick burst of blue flame and ashes.  The sun rises on a new day.

SUMMARY:  The price of battle between these warring factions has risen drastically now, leaving all sides except Maryann's weaker for the effort.  While Nan Flanagan may be politically satisfied with Godric's dismissal as sheriff,  his fiery sacrifice leaves Eric and the others in emotional retreat.  Meanwhile the population of Bon Temps, with few clear-minded resistance fighters, teeters at the chasm of chaos and destruction, and the Week 10 preview hints that the entire town will descend into madness.  The triangle between Bill, Sookie and Eric now complete after the latter's scheme to insinuate his power over Sookie, can there be any peace for the three of them without one losing the clash of wills?  It's both ironic and dramatic to see Eric lose his beloved maker the same day he makes his first conquest over Sookie, showing that even a master manipulator such as he can easily fall victim to fate or circumstance.  Even a vampire as powerful as Godric cannot master the outcome of all events, as indeed free will and perhaps chance can vastly affect the outcome in any moment, large or small.  Yet this universal truth may well prove the saving grace for all who have survived thus far, as the series is deliberately setting up Maryann as the immovable force, the unbeatable enemy waging war to control and destroy all souls in Bon Temps.  We don't know the answer yet, but Alan Ball, novelist Charlaine Harris and the series writers will no doubt hold Maryann to the same unbending standard in this alternate reality.  Control requires power, yet absolutely power inevitably destroys those who attempt to possess it, and such a fate has befallen every such abuser but one.  With only three episodes left, the end of TRUEBLOOD Season Two is near, but the action is far from over!

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