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But this is the war Jason’s been waiting for, and after two seasons, we finally get to see him own it! Even Bill gives him the thumbs-up. As Merlotte’s descends into a scene out of Lord of the Flies, Sam sacrifices himself to a fate sure to be less pleasant than Godric’s sunshine farewell. Jason becomes a mythical warrior, likely a combination of the demigod Heracles — masculine, courageous, and sexual — and Jason of the Argonauts, a friend of Heracles trained in combat (see pp. 187–188). He’s still hilarious, pulling from Steve Newlin’s arsenal of one-liners to smite the ravenous crowd. It’s an inspired turn of writing, and Ryan Kwanten looks to be having the time of his life as the king of the castle overlooking his dirty rascals.

Sam, after waiting for a distraction before changing, at last outs himself as a shifter. Most of the town won’t remember. And it won’t matter if he ends up dead, anyhow. But Jason and Andy now know. One’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, and the other is drunk. Sam couldn’t have imagined two more unlikely wingmen.

Poor Bill is unable to protect Sookie — again — poisoned by Maryann’s blood. He pukes out the window as Sookie drives, feeding on her arm in order to heal. In Eric’s only scene, another dream, he doesn’t say a word but still gets the girl. The only action Bill gets is a young frat girl he scares like it’s Hallowe’en after overhearing her try to buy V from Lafayette. Armed now with the knowledge that he’s dealing for Eric, Bill may have been given the upper hand.

Even though I miss the flamboyant Lafayette, new Lafayette is not without his charms. He’s evolved (there’s that word again) beyond his self-serving entrepreneur into a family man. All he needs to complete the picture is “a lil’ cocoa! A lil’ cocoa!” (Still one of my favorite lines from way back in the pilot) By staying put, Lafayette’s prepared to try to heal what ails Tara, and it won’t come from a plastic bag or vial. He’s always possessed understanding and wisdom, but now he has compassion. When Tara comes to, she is not alone; she’s surrounded by her entire family, blood and extended. And it’s been a long time coming to see Tara and Lettie Mae reunited. It was as if Rutina Wesley had emerged from a thankless storyline, although a brave performance, into the arms of Adina Porter and the hope that in the coming episodes we’ll get to see more of the old sarcastic Tara.

The vamps took a back seat in this episode. Jessica shows us her dark side, attacking Hoyt’s mother, something that’s bound to go over poorly. While Eric, with no dialogue, exudes more charisma than Bill’s entire appearance, he’s all but absent after having featured heavily in the last episode. And is it just me or does Bill sound more and more antiquated every time he speaks? Eric’s been around a lot longer, and it could be argued that he’s far more social than Bill who has chosen a reclusive lifestyle. But even Godric had adapted. Perhaps it’s because Bill’s so literary that we’re supposed to equate his speech patterns with class, moreso than the time period that he comes from. It really works when he’s talking about his desire to undress Sookie from a petticoat; it’s swoonworthy. But when faced with Maryann, in the time it takes Bill to express his deeply felt belief that Maryann should immediately vacate herself from these premises built on a balmy day one June afternoon, I believe Mahalia Jackson was playing on the radio — BAM! Not to be too hard on Bill, his affectations are some of the only remaining Southern gent touches left in Bon Temps. And there are bigger issues at hand, because between a vampire, a maenad, and a waitress, none of them has any idea what Sookie just did to Maryann, or where that energy came from.

As we gear up for the last two episodes, it’s hard to believe that Bon Temps will ever move past any of this chaos. But with the introduction of a powerful and unexpected character on the horizon, the certain return of newly sensitive Eric, and Sookie’s ongoing dreams about him, something supernatural is en route to Bon