True Blood Review: “Life Matters” (Season 6, Episode 9)

While watching the newly freed vampires destroy the tainted stocks of Tru Blood was awesome, there was one scene that left me more than a little confused. In Hawaii, a group of vampires ambush a delivery truck and steal the drink, probably to destroy it. I forget whether or not somebody already got a warning out about the Tru Blood, but if not, how did they know to destroy it? As for now, I’ll chalk it up to my forgetfulness, but we’ll see if this pans out into anything.

Perhaps the best highlight of the night was Jason’s confrontation with Sarah. Gun to head, he claims that if she speaks for God, he speaks for Jesus, and he claims that she’s just an average lay. This scene, mixed with a funeral guest singing the titular song, is tense to the point of snapping. Jason eventually lets Sarah escape, claiming he doesn’t want anymore blood on his hands, but I’m pretty sure her blood deserves to be there.

In the end, Eric takes flight and leaves the others behind, although it’s not really clear why he does this either. Is he just done with Bon Temps? Is he out to kill humans as he pleases? Maybe he was just craving some Chinese food? There’s still an episode left in the season, and even though it will probably be about Sookie (maybe) becoming a vampire, perhaps Eric can cause a bit more mayhem. It’s worked for him so far.

The highlights of the night, aside from Terry’s funeral and the dong ripping, have to be the creepy dances the vampires do once they realize they can walk in the light. It’s inconsequential to the plot, and actually kind of sweet, but it’s seriously eerie. I was getting some violent vibes from that dance, and I don’t think their intentions are so pure anymore. Bill’s grand entrance was also fantastic, even if the tease of his death wasn’t played out terribly well.

I was really expecting to lose a main cast member tonight, and there are so many moments where it could have happened, but everybody made it through unscathed (so far). Despite tonight feeling like a season finale rush of adrenaline, there’s still one more episode to go before the year wait that will bring season seven.

So believe it or not, Alan Ball’s departure from True Blood brought the creativity out of the staff, making this episode the easy highlight of the season and one of the best offerings the series has given us. The action is gory, the humor is extra dark, and the bonds we have with the characters made Life Matters emotionally impacting rather than exploitative. If the season finale is half as good as tonight was, then fans are in for a seriously twisted treat.