True Blood Season 3: Out with a Wimper

True Blood: Season 3

HBO

If you haven't watched the season finale, do not read!!

This was the season that was going to take True Blood to new levels of greatness – it's popularity has never been higher, and vamp-omania was still sky high. The season started out on a high note with the introduction of the werewolves including new cast member Alcide (Joe Manganiello), as well as Crystal Norris(Lindsay Pulsipher) and her were-panther family.

The mysteries surrounding Bill's arrival in Bon Temps and of Sookie's lineage are a major part of this season's plot. We eventually find out that Bill is not exactly who he says he is, and Sookie and he have a rough patch this season, which ends badly for Bill. Sookie s finally revealed to be part fairy. To quote Sookie Stackhouse, “I'm a fairy? How f**kin lame!”

Tara was treated very badly this season by vampire Franklin Mott(James Frain), leading her at the end of the season to be suspect of any supernatural creatures (besides Sookie) even going to far as to walking out on Sam when she find out what he is. Tara sure has been mistreated the last two seasons – first by Mary Anne and then by Franklin. She has got to be a severely damaged person by now, and it shows.

Jessica and Hoyt start out the season no longer a couple, but by the end of the season are a couple again, although it looks like Hoyt will have some resistance to this relationship next season as we saw his mother purchasing a shotgun.

Lafayette has an interesting character arc this season as he begins the season getting over the torture he endured from Eric Northman for selling V, and this season he is asked by Eric to sell V. Later we meet his mother Ruby Jean Reynolds (Alfre Woodard) in the hospital being taken care of by her nurse Jesus Velasquez (Kevin Alejandro). Jesus and Lafayette immediately hit it off, and end up eventually dating. While on V, Jesus and Lafayette have a strange experience, a spiritual history lesson about their heritages, and it seems there is dark magic in both of their histories. As Lafayette comes out of his high, he sees visions of things people want to hide (such as that Jesus is a witch and that Sam has blood on his hands). It will be interesting to see where this plot goes next season, as I imagine witches will be a major part of the next season.

Jason has a small subplot this season, and the payoff (as with Lafayettes storyline) is likely to come next season. Jason decides to become a cop after dealing with the guild of killing Eggs and then blackmails Andy. He catches a drug dealer, and eventually meets Crystal Norris and her family of drug-dealing, white trash, were-panthers. In the end, Crystal's mate Felton kills their father and points the gun at Jason. Crystal leaves with her brother/mate Felton who is about to kill Jason, leaving Jason to take care of Crystal's family of were-panthers.

Arlene finds out she's pregnant this season, and then she realizes the baby is Renee's. She doesn't want to have anything to do with the baby, considering it a “demon child” and tries to get rid of it, but the baby is strong and it is likely she'll have a child next season. This is kind of ridiculous because Renee was not some kind of demon, he was just a man. And yet he still has all this power over Arlene. We'll see whee this plot goes next season.

Sam;s turn this season is a bit unbelievable. He went from the nicest guy on the block for the last two seasons, to a man capable of killing. He met his blood family, including his shape-shifting brother Tommy Mickens. He eventually took Tommy in, because he was being used by his parents to win dog fights. We soon see flash backs to Sam's darker side (something which hadn't emerged through the maenad plot from season 2 or the waitress killer plot from season 1) and find out he killed someone for money. And at the end of season 3, we see him willing to do the same to his (admittedly) trouble-making brother. We don't actually see if he's done it or not (another plot for season four).

Bill and Eric are involved in a number of double crosses this season – they all seem to be designed to protect Sookie, but in the meantime it makes them look like they have gone to the dark side (or in Eric's case, the darker side). They renounce their loyalty to Queen Sophie Ann and join Russell Edgington (Dennis O'Hare), vampire King of Mississippi, who is over 3,000 years old. It is in Mississippi that much of season 3's action takes place.

The majority of the werewolves in season 3 work for Russell, and they were the ones who kidnapped Bill in the season 2 finale. Bill begins working for Russell, as does Eric, until Russell goes over the deep end, killing a news reporter on live TV. Bill and Eric then reveal their true colors, as Bill seeks to protect Sookie, and Eric seeks payback for what Russell and his werewolves did to his (pre-vampire) family over 2,000 years ago. Eric kills his lover, a vampire named Talbot, which sets Russell even farther over the deep end.

There is some fair time spent on Lorena as well this season, including one grotesque sex scene between Bill and Lorene which was more like a beating then sex. He twists her head completely around as he is having sex with her in what I think is one of the most disgusting scenes I've ever sen on TV. Later she is killed by Bill and Sookie as they try to escape Russell's mansion.

In the end, the season went out with a sputter. The best episode, in my opinion, was “I Smell A Rat” which revealed much of the mysteries throughout the season, including Sookie's lineage. In fact, I thought there were perhaps too many reveals in this episode, giving very little time to any of them, and leaving little to be dealt with in later episodes.

The season ending cliffhanger also could have been more effective, as Sookie disappeared with her fairy godmother Claudine. It wasn't the most exciting cliffhanger, nor did it leave me aching for the next season. I am hopeful that the next season will get better – the groundwork was laid out this season for an exciting season four. This season seemed like a “between” season laying the groundwork for some exciting plot twists next season.

This seasons deaths: Cooter, Lorena, Talbot, Franklin Mott

3 fangs out of 5..more questions than answers