Mr. Doggett Talks "True"

Last season we were left with a lot of things going on in Bon Temps. [WARNING! HERE BE SEASON 3 SPOILERS!]

• King Russell started a war after Eric killed his lover but was eventually buried in cement by Bill and Eric. Bill turned on Eric and tried to bury him as well but Eric escaped.
• Sookie learned that Bill had been using her all along to dig up information on her fairy background. Sookie revoked her permission for him to be in her house.
• Tara survived Franklin Mott and quickly left town for something resembling a sane life.
• Sheriff Andy Bellefleur was getting addicted to vamp blood while trying to show Jason the ropes of being a police officer. A position that Jason resorted to blackmail to get.
• Sam shot his brother Tommy for trying to steal from him.
• Lafayette was getting to know his inner witch thanks to new boyfriend Jesus.
• Jessica and Hoyt finally hooked up once Hoyt renounced his mother.
• Arlene wrestled with the idea of aborting the baby she was carrying because the Rene was the father. Fearing she was giving birth to something evil she reluctantly decided she was going to fess up to Terry and have the baby.

[WARNING! HERE BE SPOILERS!]

Creator Alan Ball brings back most of the wild characters of Bon Temps and introduces some new ones for Season 4. We begin the season with Sookie off in a serene fairy land where everyone there is beautiful and quite content to just be. She is escorted by her fairy godmother which the writers couldn’t resist having Sookie literally question the absurdity of a real fairy godmother. Through the crowd Sookie spots her good old grandpappy Earl Stackhouse. Only problem is old Earl isn’t so old.

In fact we learn, as Earl does, that while it feels like he just saw Sookie yesterday, he has actually been there 20 years. Sookie uses her spidey-fairy sense to realize that this whole Shangri-La is a sham. Before she can warn Earl the head fairy shows up and is royally peeved at the mess Sookie has caused by letting a vampire taste her fairy blood. She swears it will never happen again but it’s too little too late. While trying to force feed her the glowing fruit that keeps everyone under thumb the fairies true nature is brought to light, pun intended, by Sookie’s glowing hand.

Underneath all that shimmer and shine lurks fairy creatures that look to be more of a goblin crossbreed. Earl and Sookie bolt and are helped in their escape by some renegade fairies who don’t necessarily carry the same beliefs as the others. Only Sookie can jump off the cliff to return to her world because she didn’t eat the fruit. Poor Earl has been eating it for twenty years. But when the window of escape starts closing Earl grabs Sookie and leaps off the cliff …

Where they land in present day in the Bon Temps cemetery. Happy to be back Sookie notices Earl isn’t looking too good. Knowing the end is near he hands her his pocket watch with the instruction to give it to Jason. He gets out his last goodbyes just before he goes poof into dust. Sookie returns to her house to find it all cleaned up and workers all over the place. She is told she is trespassing and she thinks they are. So the police are called.

Lo and behold the police show up in the embodiment of Jason Stackhouse himself. Now this isn’t the Jason we last saw who was fumbling around trying to pretend to be a cop because he was blackmailing Andy. This Jason struts in with authority and freaks when he sees Sookie. He explains that she has been missing for over a year and that everyone thought she was dead. They all thought the vamps, Bill Compton in particular, had killed her. During this reunion we also learn that Jason sold the house to some corporation.

As soon as the sun goes down Sookie steps out onto the porch and awaits her suitors. Bill gets there first. Her heartbreak still fresh she makes sure to let Bill know that he’s still in the doghouse. Before Bill can start begging for forgiveness Eric shows up to tell her that while everyone else gave up on her he never did. As usual Bill is frustrated with Eric trying to get close to Sookie. But suddenly Bill takes a tone with Eric that we’re not used to seeing. One that Eric is not comfortable with either but one that he abides by. At Bill’s demand Eric takes off to go deal with pressing matters at Fantasia. Andy shows up and can’t believe the cost and manpower wasted trying to find Sookie. Bill offers to pay for all of the cost and covers for Sookie by saying she was away on secret vampire business for Bill.

At the end of last season Russell’s antics caused quite the problem for human and vampire relations. Since then the vampire community has been trying to smooth things over as best they can. Nan, the AVL spokeswoman, is doing her best to coax a believable performance for a PSA for Fangtasia from Pam. But, like the frosty vamp diva she is, it’s just not working. With his usual impeccable timing Eric walks in, replaces Pam, stares into the camera and smiles. He then unfurls, off-the-cuff, a completely Emmy worthy (it is television after all) monologue to convince humans that they’re not in danger from vampires.

Arlene has given birth to a son by her ex Rene, the serial killer. Worried the apple didn’t fall far from the tree she watches for any sign of his development into something evil. In the premiere he is tearing the heads off Barbie dolls while under Terry’s oblivious watch.

Tara is now a lesbian mixed martial artist in New Orleans and going by the name Toni. Inside the ring she is very fierce but once she steps outside the ring she is very Zen. Later when Lafayette texts her that Sookie is back she lies to her girlfriend and says her grandmother died. When prompted about going to the funeral she opts to stay put.

With several characters gone from last season it’s time to introduce some new ones. One of the main villains, depending on which side you’re on, is the leader of a coven of witches, Marnie. Creepy as all get out Marnie definitely freaks out Lafayette when he is dragged to a witch meeting by his boyfriend Jesus who is trying to get him to embrace his ‘gift’.

Bill Compton has been busy in Sookie’s absence. Not only is he bossing Eric around but he is helping dedicate a new senior home in Bon Temps with the Mayor and has taken over as King now that Russell is gone. Seems like the political power might go to his head this year.

Hoyt and Jessica are now living together but the relationship is starting to become strained. Jessica is feeling held back by domestication and monogamy while Hoyt tries to continue to make his good old boy routine work on her.

Jason somehow has become the responsible one while Andy Bellefleur is now trying to score V from Lafayette. These two have totally switched places and it will be interesting to see how far down the rabbit hole Andy goes before someone pulls him out. Jason is also still caring for the little waifs out in the woods but Crystal has taken off somewhere and he is left to care for them by himself. However, Jason’s efforts are not as appreciated as much as he thinks.

It was assumed that Sam killed Tommy. Nope. Turns out Sam is not that great of a shot. Oh, he did hit him. Just jacked up his leg enough to keep him in a brace for the past year or so. Tommy is now living with Hoyt’s church going, vamp hating momma and putting on a holier-than-thou act while Sam is attending anger management sessions to deal with his issues. We later learn these sessions involve good food, good drink and fellow shape shifters who like to end each session with a run through the woods as thoroughbred horses.

We’re briefly introduced to Portia Bellefleur, Andy’s sister, as the attorney Sookie hires to track down the buyer of her house and and as some sort of confident to King Bill. It’s a waste of money for Sookie as Eric reveals that it is he who bought the house because he wants to own Sookie. Turns out he was telling the truth after all about having never given up on her.

All things considered this was a pretty solid premiere episode. All of the bases were covered and we were able to see how everyone has moved forward, for better or worse, in their lives. I think the writer’s made good use of the time difference gimmick. It puts Sookie in a different place emotionally than everyone else and leaves us, the viewers, wondering just what all went down in Bon Temps to get these people to where they are. We can only assume that Sookie’s absence had a profound affect on the people in her life. It will be interesting to watch what kind of affect her return will have as well.

Moving forward I’ll be curious to see how long before Marnie and her witch crew create problems for Lafayette and will the become an even bigger threat for the Vamp community than the werewolves. The villains of this show have been hit or miss along the way. I’ll admit that I’m really going to miss Russell though. As King he felt he was better than everyone else and he didn’t mind letting you know it. And now that Bill has replaced Russell as King what will he do with the power and position? He has already shown in this episode how being King can alter ones personality. As proven by his overpaying for the Stackhouse house, and in this economy no less, Eric has shown that he will continue to pursue Sookie. But to what end? We could assume that it’s because he loves her or has he puts it “I want to own you”. But her torrid love affair with Bill was nurtured along with deceitful maneuverings from the kindly vamp so who knows how far Eric will take it.

How long before Tara returns to Bon Temps? And when she does finally return how long will she be able to hold on to this new Zen thing she’s working in New Orleans? I’m betting based on her history with finding trouble it won’t be long. Jesus believes Lafayette has a ‘gift’ and is pushing him to embrace it. I don’t think Lafayette sees it that way and it will be interesting to see what this inner gift will do for him or to him. There’s a lot going on and we’re hitting the ground running. I, for one, am ready for Episode 2.