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Even the taxidermy knows how to party at Merlotte’s. (Jodi Ross, courtesy of The Vault www.trueblood-online.com)

Highlight: Lafayette: “I’m a survivor first, capitalist second, and a whole bunch of shit after that. But a hooker dead last. So if I’ve got even a Jew at an Al Qaida pep rally’s shot at getting my black ass up out of this motherfucker, I’m taking it!”

Nightcap: Daphne is Merlotte’s bumbling new waitress. In Greek mythology, Daphne is a river nymph who was turned into a laurel tree by her mother, Gaia, to escape Apollo’s unwanted advances. He created a crown out of her leaves and branches. In season 1, Amy told Jason about Gaia on the night they met.

Relationship Crypt Falls: Sookie, Sookie, Sookie. You meant well, but taking Jessica to see her parents is kind of like that aunt who gets her sister’s kid drunk on coolers. In hindsight, wasn’t such a bright idea. And how is lying to Bill any better than him lying to you? Tsk, tsk.

Paging Dr. Creepy: Lafayette is no stranger to personal grooming. He works out, primps, and waxes. While he isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, we know that he has his limits, notably with blood. Taking Eddie’s blood was a sterile, spiritual act, performed with respect and care, but he drew the line at letting Eddie feed on him. Even without that backstory, the sight of Lafayette in the basement, trying to grab Royce’s leg is upsetting enough, his bare feet wrapped up in bloody tendons, eventually pulling the metal pin from bone with his teeth. But the shudder-inducing moment comes just before that, when Lafayette breaks through the cartilage, digging his hand inside like it’s a lobster tail.

Encore: “Keep This Party Going,” performed by The B-52s, plays during the dance party at Merlotte’s. Go to church on Sunday. Party on Monday. And every other day of the week. This isn’t the first song one might expect to find on the Merlotte’s jukebox, but Alan Ball is a big fan of the band, and it tells us everything we need to know about Maryann’s energy and influence over Merlotte’s patrons, who seem powerless to keep themselves from giving in to a good time. Sam knows the score, but is unable to do anything. The B-52s are perhaps best known for their joyfully subversive pop and it’s what makes this track off their album Funplex the ideal choice. Because while “Love Shack” would have been just as appropriate thematically speaking, mainstream approval has all but stripped it of its raunch factor. Behind the beehive hairstyles, wildly patterned jackets, and go-go drum beats, The B-52s are the alternative band that infiltrated the ranks of mainstream radio. They’re our man on the inside, with “Keep This Party Going” adopted as Maryann’s sugarcoated anthem of scandal and debauchery.

Tribute: Kristin Bauer (Pam Ravenscroft)

“If it were multiple choice, choice A would be Sookie; choice B would be [Fangtasia waitress] Ginger; choice C would be Jessica. I would go all the way down to the multiple choice Z where it says ‘Everyone’ and pick that one! I could see Pam with anybody and everybody . . .”

— Kristin Bauer on possible female love interests in season 3

Some say that behind every great man there’s a great woman. Others say that a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle. I’d say that Pam Ravenscroft is her own man, and needs only what she takes. She is, however, devoted to her maker, Eric, and works alongside him in any capacity that he wishes: co-owner of Fangtasia, henchman, and one-time lover. To dismiss Pam as subservient to Eric would be to underestimate her abilities (which are so fine-tuned she simply doesn’t raise a finger unless she knows she’ll find the pulse) and Eric’s choice in partners for all immortality. Yet, as Eric would throw himself on the cross for Godric, so too would Pam for Eric. In her case, she’d more likely saunter toward it, arrange herself upon it, apply one last coat of lipstick, and make sure her pumps are fitting snugly before allowing death to commence.

In their