True Blood Recap – ‘She’s Not There’

After a long hiatus, True Blood is back!

I might have overhyped the season four premiere for myself a bit because I was a bit disappointed with the first episode. I suspect I wasn't the only one. I did like that we were bumped up a bit in the timeline, finding out how all the characters had changed over the past year. This jump in time makes a lot more sense than the only few weeks that had passed from the start of the previous seasons. So what have the residents of Bon Temps been up to?

We kick things off with Sookie entering the fairy world, or what looks like the set of some Shakespearean play. There she meets Barry, the bellhop from Dallas and her grandpa Earl who had been trapped there for 20 years. Claudine reveals herself as Sookie's godmother. Yes, her fairy godmother.

The Queen Mab tries to force Sookie to eat a "light fruit" to keep there so they can harvest humans. Sookie uses her powers to free herself and Earl and are helped out by rogue faeries. Because Earl had eaten so much of the light fruit he dies in the real world. He gives Sookie his pocketwatch to give to Jason and Sookie returns home to see her house under renovation. While she had been gone, Jason sold it to an insurance company.

Eric...UNF. Daaayum.

Later, both Bill and Eric visit her and Andy Bellefleur shows up, demanding to know where Sookie had been. They drained a lake looking for her, okay??  Bill, who everyone thought had killed her, lies and says that she was on official vampire business. I know we're supposed to hate Bill, but damn if he doesn't look now.

Jason is now a police officer, for real. Seems like most of his time is spent trying to keep Andy off V. Much like his regular clothes, his uniform is almost a little too tight. Loving the new goatee though! He's still taking care of the panther people in Hot Shot, regularly feeding them franks and beans. Panther people don't ask for much. Sam is still running Merlotte's and taking anger management classes which are actually some sort of shape shifter's anonymous group. Of all the things to turn into--horses?

Tommy, who is living with Hoyt's mom, Maxine, is taking advantage of Sam paying for his physical therapy. How long until we find out his leg is fine and he's blackmailing Sam? Arlene is worried about her son Mikey, who is apparently some sort of devil child. If pulling the heads off dolls is a sign of someone being a future serial killer then I'm late to the criminal game.

Tara from Bon Temps is now Toni from Atlanta. When we last saw Tara, she chopped off her hair and drove away from town, hoping to start a new life. Now she's beating up girls and then making out with them. I have to say, her scene with her girlfriend was pretty hot, but this kind of came out of nowhere. Her girlfriend Naomi seems to care for her, but lying doesn't get you anywhere on this show.

Tara/Toni seemed surprised to learn from Lafayette that Sookie was alive, but wasn't in a rush to get back home--although we do see her hanging with Lafayette and Jesus in the preview for the next episode. (If she had been around for the past year she could have told Laffy to do something about whatever the hell that is on his head. I mean really, a mohawk afro?)

Jesus has been trying to get him to embrace his witchiness, but that has failed until they meet a group of Wiccans, including waitress Holly, at the MoonGoddess Emporium. The head witch in charge Marnie, channels the spirit of Eddie, the gay vampire who used to supply V for Lafayette, which freaks him out and helps Marnie to realize her powers.

Since the death of crazy Russell Edgington, the vampires have been trying to get back into the good graces of humans. Nan Flanagan is overseeing a commercial from the American Vampire League for Fangtasia. Eric, more camera friendly than Pam, steps in to deliver the message that humans are safe at his club.

Meanwhile, Bill continues his duties as King of Louisiana by opening a new retirement home. Hoyt and Jessica aren't exactly enjoying their mundane domesticity, fighting over eggs. Ah, just like any regular young couple, except she sleeps underground. Later they go to Fangtasia where Jessica is asked out by a fangbanger, but rejects him. Pam tells her to forget the tree in the plaid shirt and enjoy being a hunter, but Jessica assures her that she loves him. For now. After another meeting at the MoonGoddess Emporium, Marnie brings her dead pet bird back to life with the help of Lafayette.  A member of the group makes her go to Bill's compound. Ugh, Bill what are you planning now?

While bringing the panther people food, Jason gets locked into a freezer. Dirty backwoods kids sure do love their ice cream. At home, Sookie undresses and finds Eric in her room. He assures her it's not another dream and that he now owns her house, and her.

And here we go again.

UNF, Beeeel.

The episode did an okay job setting up the storylines for the season but this all seems so...familiar.  Will Jason get out of the freezer? Will Jessica and Hoyt stick together? Will Lafayette get rid of that hair? Where the hell did Portia Bellefleur come from? Why does Bill look so good now? Seriously, you guys.

Welcome back, True Blood!