EPISODE EIGHT — TIMEBOMB

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER   ALAN BALL   |   DIRECTED BY   JOHN DAHL   |   WRITTEN BY   ALEXANDER WOO

In the Fellowship basement, Godric quickly breaks Gabe's neck then hears a disturbance upstairs.  Godric calls out to "his child" and Eric arrives in a blur, kneeling before his ancient maker.  Godric identifies Hugo as the traitor and berates Eric for sending humans to rescue him, but Eric insists he had no choice.  Eric is ordered to escape with Sookie and spill no blood during their exit, Godric insisting he can take care of himself.  There is little doubt he's telling the truth, and it's a fascinating moment to see Eric so behind the curve on his maker's plan.

Jason comes to on the trail, finding only the splotch of a paintball on his chest where Sarah shot him.  She is furious that she betrayed her husband's trust, her marriage and her faith all for Jason, and all for lies.  Jason wonders how Steve knew about  his affair with Sarah, until she clues him in that she and the Fellowship hold Sookie hostage — it's telling that all Jason fears is being found out as an adulterer, while Sarah is outraged that Jason and Sookie have betrayed the Fellowship's plot, proving she's just as spiritually vacuous as her brains-in-his-pants lover.

Alarms continue to blare in the Fellowship church as Steve rallies able-bodied parishioners to defend the flock against the vampire intruders.  Sookie realizes that Godric is Eric's maker, and Eric insists she trust him not to wage violence against the humans because he must follow Godric's orders.  Eric overpowers three guards, but he and Sookie are trapped in the sanctuary by Steve and his Soldiers of the Sun.  Eric surrenders himself to take Godric's place in the dawn sacrifice, insisting to Sookie that he will be fine.

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At the Hotel Carmilla suite, Lorena holds Barry captive, tempting Bill to join her in feeding.  Bill refuses and Lorena's first bite distracts her momentarily while she wonders why Barry tastes so different from other humans. In a blur, Bill bashes her skull with a flat-screen TV.  As she lay senseless on the floor, blood oozing onto the carpet, Bill escapes with Barry.

Jessica and Hoyt enjoy their first sexual encounter, at least until Bill bursts into the room, terrifying them both.  Jessica is once again mortified with embarrassment, these two kids just cannot catch a break in attempting to live normal lives.  Bill insists that if Hoyt truly cares for Jessica, he will drive her back to Bon Temps immediately before dawn.

Meanwhile, Lafayette attempts to divine Tara's future reading Tarot cards, insisting that the love entering her life (Eggs) will force her to pay a high price in "matters of the heart."  True enough of multiple levels, with Tara's unlucky past experience with any love, romantic or familial, not to mention the more literal cutting out of hearts by Maryann.  Eggs bursts into the scene, seeking Tara's help.  Lafayette doesn't need cards to read this situation.  Eggs admits he's blacked out again, horrified that he's done something terrible but unable to remember he just killed Daphne.

Jason speeds into the parking lot of the Fellowship compound, showing he can be clever by insisting to the guards he's a LODI cadet sent to deal with the captive vampire — all true words per his silver ring vow of honesty. Then he clobbers the guard with the paintball pistol and searches for Sookie.

Sam awakens from sleeping in his car when his cell phone rings.  The call ID reads Merlotte's but when he answers, the caller hangs up.  Sam cautiously enters the dark, abandoned diner to find the meat locker door ajar.  Inside it is the bloodied corpse of Daphne, her heart cut out of her gaping chest.  Sam hides his gun and rushes to bag up her body in a panic until he calms down and calls the Sheriff's department — but too late, flashing lights outside and knocks at the door indicate sheriffs just arrived on the scene, and that Sam has been setup  for Daphne's murder.  Maryann sings with joy in Sookie's kitchen while she cooks up a meal, slicing Daphne's bloody heart into a frying pan, another sacrifice, another betrayal all serving Maryann's deadly, chaotic plans.

Eric writhes in pain upon the Fellowship altar, silver chains searing the flesh of his neck and arms while Steve boasts of their victory.  Eric offers his life in exchange for the freedom of Godric and Sookie, but Steve insists Sookie is as culpable as Eric in betraying humanity.  As Steve threatens to tie Sookie to Eric so they may burn together at dawn, Bill bursts into the sanctuary.  Steve pulls a pistol on Sookie before Bill can save her, but from across the room, Jason fires his paintball rifle to disarm Steve then shoots him directly in the forehead.  The non-lethal distraction allows Bill to retrieve Sookie from her guards.  Yet her first move is to pull the silver chains off Eric, who then throws Steve to the floor.  Sookie implores Eric not to kill Steve while Jason urges him to do so, as does Steve who proclaims they are all ready to die.  The Fellowship flock look much less certain they want to perish, and their fears grow as Stan and the Dallas vampires barge into the sanctuary. 

Stan vows they will preserve themselves despite the Fellowship by killing Steve, just as Stan killed Steve's father.  Newlin screams with rage as Sookie and Bill cringe, knowing Stan is about to get his wish by starting all out war with the humans.   Before Stan's vampires can draw first blood, Godric calls them off from the attack.  Godric offers a negotiated peace with Newlin, that no bloodshed need arise between the species, but Newlin refuses and urges Eric to kill him for the Fellowship cause.  Godric intervenes in a flash, grabbing Steve by the throat and asking if any of his 'warriors' are truly willing to die for Newlin's madness.  None volunteer of course, and Godric calls off the confrontation, order Stan and the vampires to release the humans unharmed.  Stan appears ashamed of Godric's reluctance to fight, while Luke looks embarrassed and angry at Newlin's humiliating defeat.

Eric checks if Sookie is unharmed and Bill quickly steps between them, insisting Eric go with Godric.  Jason and Sookie reunite with an embrace.  Jason apologizes to Bill and Sookie for ever falling under Steve Newlin's twisted spell, though Newlin insists he'll have the last laugh when he enters heaven and all disbelievers are sent to hell.  Jason counters with a smile that he's already been to heaven "by being inside your wife."  The shock and betrayal can barely register on Steve's face before Jason decks him with a punch on the jaw.  Jason throws the silver honesty ring back at Steve, and the trio leave the sanctuary and Newlin behind.

Sheriff Dearborn and Kenya question Sam about Daphne's murder, stating they got an anonymous tip about the crime.  Sam insists he's being set up for the crime, insisting they must trust him despite two heart-ripped corpses found at the diner now.  Bud states he can't trust Sam because nothing about his past checks out against any public records: Sam's lifelong secrecy and mistrust of others is now leveraged against him, having just paid the price of opening up to Daphne only to be betrayed by her demonic devotion to Maryann.  Not only is Maryann a supernatural sorceress, but she's a prime manipulator of simple human events in service of her larger scheme to usher in her god of destruction.  Andy arrives at the diner, insisting that Sam is innocent, but of course his irrational belief that dark magic is afoot in Bon Temps coupled with his drinking have exhausted his credibility with Dearborn too.

Tara and Eggs glumly try to piece together the blacked out memories as Maryann teases them about partying too much, though they both suspect some other cause is at hand.  Maryann offers to cheer them up with a snack of Hunter's Souffle, aka Daphne's Heart Casserole.  They dig in, seemingly unaware they're devouring a bloody human organ under all that puff pastry, chowing down on the delicious dish and once again succumbing to Maryann's ploy to dominate her prime acolytes.

At the Dallas nest of vampires, Godric casually holds court while his followers pay their respects to his safe return.  Jason's apology to Godric for the Fellowship's actions touches the ancient sheriff, who insists that Jason's bravery has earned him friends in Godric's area.  Eric corners Jason, less impressed with his heroics but not wanting to go against Godric, offers to forgive Jason's past selling of V in Bon Temps which remains Eric's domain.  Ever the strategist, Eric can no doubt see value in Jason's bravado and easily manipulated mind, the latter certainly an avenue to gain more influence in Sookie's life. 

Sookie questions why Bill didn't come to save her sooner from Newlin's clutches, yet Bill is reluctant to explain Lorena's hold on him.  Eric steps in to stir up more trouble as Sookie berates him for allowing her to walk into a dangerous trap all to save Godric.  Eric insists that the bond between a vampire and its maker is stronger than she can know, but (with a sly smile) hopes she'll find out for herself someday.  The implication forces Bill to summon all his restraint, angered by Eric's impertinence as much as he no doubt fears Eric will reveal too much about Lorena to Sookie before he can explain it himself.  The battle of wills between Eric and Bill continues, much to the delight of fans.

Back at Bill's mansion, Jessica and Hoyt attempt to resume their interrupted lovemaking, enticed by the danger of Bill returning home early and the impending dawn deadline.  Yet once again Jessica's nascent vampire nature betrays her happiness: being a supernatural healer, her physical virginity has "grown back" to be torn once again by Hoyt during intercourse.  She's horrified at the prospect of being a perpetual virgin, never escaping the pain and embarrassment of sex always being her 'first time' with Hoyt.

At the vampire nest, Bill corners Eric, expressing with enraged restraint his disapproval of Eric sending Sookie to do his dirty work at the Fellowship and insisting that she will remain Bill's despite Eric's incessant interference.  Eric feigns amusement at Bill's rebellion, knowing he remains one step ahead as Bill's maker. Isabel marches Hugo into the nest to confront Godric, saddened that her human love betrayed their kind.  Godric insists that Hugo be set free unharmed, though forever banished from Godric's domain.  Stan and other vamps react in disbelief at Godric's benevolence toward a traitor and lack of justice for vampires.  Godric orders Eric to escort Hugo safely out of the area.  Bill is about to explain he was held captive by Lorena and not Eric, but Jason interrupts to speak with Bill in private.

Bud Dearborn locks up Sam in jail as suspect in Daphne's murder, where other cells are filling with Bon Temps residents arrested for various, hilarious acts of lewdness and disorder under Maryann's spell.   Sam realizes that none of them retain any control of their actions under Maryann's influence, which make them all a threat to Sam and the town's safety unless her plot can be thwarted.

Bill and Jason share a comically awkward moment outside the nest as Jason apologizes for joining the Fellowship and posing a danger to vampires.  Jason insists he now seems more humanity in Bill's love for Sookie than he ever found with the Newlins and their hypocritical cult.  Bill thanks Jason for coming to Sookie's rescue just in time.  Inside, Eric returns to Godric's side, insisting that Hugo is safely on his way to Mexico, and admitting bewilderment why Godric did not escape when Eric came for him.  Godric admits that most of the Fellowship flock were ordinary, harmless humans and that, indeed, vampires are justifiably frightening to such people.  Eric seems torn by his maker's willingness to treat humans as equals, a radical idea which contradicts centuries of Eric's experience and attitude... but is it so radical that it's the answer to end hostility between the two species?

Tara and Eggs feel energized and invincible after consuming Daphne's heart souffle a la Maryann, and their flirtatious play quickly turns violently uncontrolled.  Their eyes blacken under the spell as they derive corrupt pleasure out of beating each other, while Maryann watches her minions with evil delight.

Back at Godric's nest, a male figure lurks in the shadows outside yet it is Lorena, dressed to the fangs in a bright red dress who has come looking for trouble, and Bill.  She confronts Sookie, revealing that she is Bill's maker who held him captive while Sookie was trapped by the Fellowship.  Sookie refuses to back down, insisting that she's already won what Lorena lost years ago, Bill's heart.  Before Lorena can bury her fangs in Sookie, Godric intervenes.  He uses Lorena's mad impulses as illustration of why humans hate and fear vampires, insisting their kind can control their lethal instincts in order to leave peacefully with humans.  He deplores vampires like Lorena for not bettering themselves over the centuries, predicting that such reckless waste of their immortality will be the end of both species.  Godric banishes Lorena from his area before Dawn, ordering Bill to escort her out of the nest.  Humiliated, Lorena weeps blood over her unrequited love for Bill, who insists they will never meet again.  Yet Lorena, ever devoted and ever mad, insists that their immortality is bound to see their paths cross again — and that is how you stay a recurring series character, fans.

The male figure quietly enters Godric's nest, mingling among the vampires until Jason recognizes that he's Luke, his former soldier in arms at the Fellowship.  Luke urges Jason to leave immediately, revealing he's wearing a vest of explosives swathed in silver chains and wired to a hand trigger.   He has a message from Steve Newlin, Stan snarls in fury, Sookie gasps and Luke's thumb presses the trigger.  Beck's "Timebomb" plays over the end credits, aptly enough, as events reach a dangerous flash point on all fronts.

SUMMARY:  Pacing and intensity continue to build this season and Episode Eight successfully raises the stakes for every main character in the series.  Godric, who through his own admission pre-dates Jesus Christ, offered himself as a potential sacrifice in an attempt to forge a fragile, peaceful truce between vampires and humans.  Yet the more extreme forces pulling on the ends of this equation seem too rooted in their mutual distrust and prejudice to ever ease tensions between them.  More surprisingly, it's looking like Godric is acting on his own initiative, since none of his trusted nest have any clue of Godric's reconciliatory efforts.  Save for Eric offering to take Godric's place in Steve Newlin's vampire roast, not Isabel or Stan (Godric's apparent deputies in the area) seemed to know about Godric's ploy, and indeed work working against his intentions.  While Godric exposed that much of the Fellowship's human warriors were nothing of the sort and failed to risk their lives in Newlin's cause, he also revealed that his tactics had no backing within the vampire community either.  As next week's preview imply, Godric's altruistic dream may well prove a nightmare for the larger vampire community, and if he's acting alone, will he pay a price for his actions?   Keep reading along at the FilmEdge blog for continuing TRUEBLOOD analysis and commentary as this surprising season rolls on!

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