THE BON TEMPS TIMES—TRUE BLOOD SEASON 5 EPISODE 1 RECAP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sookie, Bill and sexy Eric are back in action. But not all is well for Tara who hangs out six feet under with an irritated Pam whose all decked out in Wal-Mart duds. All in all, it was an exciting return of the bloody adventure that is True Blood.

True Blood, Season 5, Episode 1, “Turn! Turn! Turn!”—When we last left the citizens/vamps of Bon Temps, a lot went down. Eric (Alexander Skarsgaard) and Bill (Stephen Moyer) killed Nan, Alcide (Joe Manganiello)  killed a wolf pack leader and Tara got shot. Luckily, Sookie (Anna Paquin) made it out unscathed but now a free agent in the singleton world, who will she fall for next? I’m rooting for Alcide.

Kicking things off is Sookie’s bro Jason (Ryan Kwanten), who was practically in the buff (the way we like Stackhouse) who faces off with Reverend Newlin. It seems he’s been turned into the very thing he’s been fighting against, a vampire. Just when he declares his love for Jason (totally hilarious) and is about to bite him, Jessica storms in to save her boy toy.

The second guy to take his shirt off was Eric, seriously adding to the man candy. After getting caught by the Vampire Authority, Eric and Bill are thrown into the back of a trunk and taken for questioning. But just as they’re about to be killed by one of the authority members upon their escape, Authority member Nora saves them. And in True Blood fashion, the sex begins. As Nora and Eric go at it, and have sex so loud it could possibly be heard 60 miles away, Bill discovers it’s his sister!  “We fight like siblings, but we f*** like champions,” he tells Bill. Ahem…okay, we need more back-story on this incestuous relationship.

Meanwhile Sookie is once again cleaning her cursed kitchen. As she picks up the chunks of Debbie’s body off the floor, she tells medium Lafayette (who’s lover’s body is now MIA) she meant to kill her and that no one can know, including Alcide. When Alcide shows up on Sookie’s doorstep to warn her that Russell Edgington has escaped and will be coming after her, instead of taking his offer of help, she pushes him away. I feel some sexual tension brewing here. Come on, it’s Joe Manganiello, after all!

All hotness aside, Sookie strikes a deal with Pam to save Tara (Rutina Wesley) by turning her into a vampire. Something tells me Tara is going to be quite pissed that she’s been turned into the very thing that she hates. It was pretty funny to see sexy Pam in a pale yellow tracksuit from Wal-Mart. We get it Pam, it takes away your badass rep, but just be quiet and take one for the team, okay?

The wolves are also in chaos this season trying to find pack leader Marcus. Even though Alcide killed Marcus last season, Sam covers for him by confessing that it was he who killed him. Poor Sam is then captured and beaten by Marcus’ pack for info on the whereabouts of Marcus’ body. But being the standup wolf that he his, Alcide shows up before they kill Sam and confesses he killed Marcus. Then in some weird Were ritual; Marcus’ mother begins to eat his remains.

Something weird and intriguing is going on with Terry and his new friend Patrick. Startled to hear that Terry and Arlene’s home burnt down, Patrick tells Terry that he too lost his home in a fire and four of the guys in their squad have been burned out of their homes, and it’s because of “what happened in Iraq.”

Back to Eric and Bill, just as they are about to get new identities and flee the Authority, Eric, Bill and Nora are captured by their soldiers.

While this is going on Sookie and Lafayette wait patiently by Tara’s grave. But just when Pam, Sookie and Lafayette think Tara is gone, a hungry newborn vampire Tara lunges for Sookie.

Episode one was how a premiere should be—filling in holes and continuing where it left off and continuing with a bang and leaving you, in Pam’s words, F***tarded.

True Blood airs on Sundays at 9 pm on HBO and HBO Canada.

 

—Toni-Marie Ippolito