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from a self-conscious pretty girl to one hot mama who knows how to keep her cool in the face of uncertainty, hatred, and whacked-out coroners. While Jason prepares to lead the troops into battle, Sookie’s our sniper — one moment at a safe distance, the next right under your nose. Which clearly doesn’t leave enough time for her to listen in on anyone’s thoughts, or she would have known Lettie Mae planned to help Tara escape. Sookie’s telepathy is too distinct a trait to only employ it occasionally as a narrative device. We know she tries not to listen in on family and friends, but, just once, I’d like someone to confront her about it. Seems lately more people are getting hurt than not. It kind of makes her a strange accessory to the fact, don’t you think?

Religion in all its forms has been scathingly critiqued since last season. The Newlins are portrayed as self-righteous extremists, whereas Maryann’s paganism is met with equal disdain and distrust. While it’s difficult to accept Sophie-Anne’s assertion that Maryann is just a pathetic human, we do see a large crack in her veneer when the mob arrives to say that her God came, but she’d missed it. And by crack, we could say hissy fit. If last season was about trying to find moderation, in particular drugs and alcohol, this season’s addictions are fear and self-loathing and what practices and communities we can cling to to carry us out of the darkness.

Thank God or whomever else you pray to for Alan Ball and his team of writers, because nothing is ever served up without a side of something truly ecstatic, namely humor. Jason and Andy’s confrontation in the truck was hilarious. Chris Bauer and Ryan Kwanten are remarkable actors, and it’s an inspiring turn to have both of them play the straight man in their scenes. As always, Pam is delightful, as is Eric in full lounge position, a hulking man trying to come down to the level of Arlene’s “teacup humans.” It was also quite touching to see Sam take such good care of the children, something he didn’t get growing up and can’t easily offer anymore at Merlotte’s because, let’s face it, no one needs a roof over their heads to party when the great outdoors is your dancefloor. It’s a bittersweet sentiment that leaves us wondering if there’s anything left for Sam, or if it’s time for him to pack up and move on.

Gran’s kitchen sink in happier days, sans creepy naked guy. (Jodi Ross, courtesy of The Vault www.trueblood-online.com)

Highlight: Sookie: “I am gonna kick that bitch’s evil ass out of my Gran’s house, and then you are going to shoot her.”

Nightcap: Eric can fly! When Sam is at Fangtasia with Arlene’s children, Pam says, “Jag avskyr dom. Dom är korkade,” which in English means “I hate them. They’re so stupid.” To which Eric responds, “Men delikata.” “But delicious.” When Jason mentions he read a book about the oral history of the zombie war, he’s most likely referring to the 2006 novel World War Z by Max Brooks, the post-apocalyptic follow-up to Brooks’s 2003 book The Zombie Survival Guide. World War Z is a series of character interviews about a 10-year war on zombies, noting specifically the aftermath of the war and its impact on religion, politics, and the environment. World War Z was directly inspired by The Good War, an oral history of World War II by Studs Terkel. Referenced here, it’s funny because Jason’s so gullible, it’s hard to know if he does or doesn’t actually believe in zombies, but he’s willing to strategize nonetheless. Frenzy, this episode’s title, is also the name of a 1972 movie by Alfred Hitchcock. It was the penultimate film of his career. Coincidence that this is the penultimate episode of the season? Probably, but it’s fun to make the connections! One of Hitchcock’s signature moves was to reveal a mystery’s answer (such as a killer’s identity) early in a film so that the remainder focused on building dramatic tension around the audience knowing something the characters didn’t. It was around this time in season 1 that the audience learned Rene was the killer before his intended victim, Sookie, did.