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very violent with only slight provocation. The Veterans Administration has determined that both mental and physical harassment of my person may be hazardous to your health and well being. So stay the hell out of my face. Thank you.” “Beaucoup” is French for “very much,” and “Dien Cai Dau” is a Vietnamese saying that is the equivalent of “crazy as a kicking rooster.” The saying was adopted by U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War. When Jason says that he loves the smell of nail polish in the morning, it’s a bastardized allusion to Francis Ford Coppola’s epic war film Apocalypse Now (1979) in which Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore (played by Robert Duvall) says, “I love the smell of napalm in the morning,” one of most memorable lines of American cinema dialogue. In the scene, Kilgore almost bears resemblance to an older Jason Stackhouse, unblinking as bombs fall all around him, distracted by the surf, his sense of play just as important as his duty to his country. Jason would be at home in that chaos. The original title of this episode was “Before the Night Is Over,” a Jerry Lee Lewis and B. B. King song that plays while Sookie and Bill dance.

Location, Location, Location: The French restaurant in which Bill proposes is a bed and breakfast called The Stockade Bed and Breakfast, located on the south side of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The property is listed as an archaeological site on the National Register of Historic Places. The Highland Stockade was a Civil War–era Union fortification and camp site, built in 1862 by Union troops as a check-point to protect the southern entrance into the city.

Suzuki Sets the Scene: For the destruction of Sookie and Gran’s home, Maryann’s paganism, not to mention invasion, was explored by bringing the outdoors inside. Shooting the scene proved to be a challenge, however, as the set dressers had to remove all the dirt, clean the set, then bring it back in. Can you imagine the challenge of continuity on mud and branches? As for Maryann’s “meat tree,” yes, real meat was used, replaced every day as it began to decompose. The crew even coined a nickname for the tree: Demetri. (De Meat Tree.)

Encore: The song that plays during the end credits is “Beyond Here Lies Nothin’,” performed by Bob Dylan. Born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941, Bob Dylan is one of the most influential singer-songwriters in American history. Songs such a “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are a-Changin’” became anthems for the civil rights and anti-war movements. In 2008, the Pulitzer Prize jury awarded Dylan a special citation for his impact on popular music and American culture, “marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.” Dylan’s musical tastes span a wide breadth of genres: folk, blues, country, gospel, rock ’n’ roll, and even traditional Christmas songs. He’s been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. “Beyond Here Lies Nothin’” is the lead single from the 33rd studio album from Bob Dylan, Together Through Life, released in April 2009. The song was produced by Jack Frost, Bob Dylan’s pseudonym of late. The song also appeared in the HBO second season teaser, making it the perfect way to bookend the beginning and end of a season that showed us that while love may not conquer all, it’s a powerful tool when wielded — be it for good or evil.

Bill Compton’s reservation at the French restaurant where he proposes to Sookie. Note the superscripted “r” in Mr., just like they did in the olden days. It’s all in the details! (Eleanor Tivnan)

An Exclusive Interview with True Blood ’s Patricia Bethune (Jane Bodehouse)

There are a number of character actors on True Blood who are all but unrecognizable out of costume: Adina Porter, Carrie Preston, and, another one of my personal faves, Patricia Bethune as Jane Bodehouse, Bon Temps’ resident drunk. Initially a mix of sadness and desperation, Jane became the very picture of uncensored abandon when she was under the influence of Maryann. Yet Jane relishes in this state,