A few days ago, HBO honored us by releasing some spoilers about the last two episodes of True Blood season 4, sadly leaving out the details for this week’s, Burning Down The House.
Last week’s episode left off with a tolerance convention going horribly awry when Marnie/Antonia (Fiona Shaw), her coven, and a bewitched Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) bust in to take down the vampires, including Bill (Stephen Moyer). So what happened this week on the beloved show? Read on, dear viewer!
Okay – so cut back to the tolerance festival: Antonia is controlling all of the vampires except for Bill and Nan (Jessica Tuck), and Eric has been ordered to kill the king. There’s about five seconds of violence, and then Sookie (Anna Paquin) breaks out the ‘ole reliable, her faerie powers. Just as Eric is about to make Bill meet true death, Sookie realizes that she loves Bill eternally and stops Eric, somehow revoking all of Antonia’s spells with her faerie magic.
What does this mean? Well, Eric just regained all of his memories. Once a ruthless viking killer, Eric had become a cuddly puppy without being aware of his past, so will he still love Sookie? We shortly find out that he does, but in proper Sookie fashion, she’s into Bill again. Eric just reminds her that it doesn’t really matter whom she loves, because she is “his,” in vampire terms.
As we get closer and closer to the season finale, it’s becoming clear that everything is shaping up to a climactic ending. We learn all about a “union” between Marnie and Antonia when Jesus (Kevin Alejandro) infiltrates the emporium with his goat demon powers. It seems like Marnie is the one in control now, unless the vampires have anything to do with it.
The vamps have a new plan: blow up the Moon Goddess Emporium where Marnie and her cohorts are. Obviously, Sookie isn’t pleased with this plan, seeing as how her oldest/bestest friend Tara (Rutina Wesley) is in there. Half-badass-half-puppy Eric is unfazed, and Bill knows the ramifications of war. The King rounds up his vamp gang of Eric, Pam (Kristen Bauer), and Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll), and they get ready to rumble.
Speaking of Jessica, she’s kind of going wild after having broken up with Hoyt (Jim Parrack). She hooks up with Jason (Ryan Kwanten), doesn’t really seem to care about it, and then she’s super excited to blow up a building. Meanwhile, poor Hoyt is a bumbling brook that can’t stop crying to his best friend Jason, who’s keeping the truth secret for Hoyt’s sake. This is True Blood; he’s going to find out and it’s going to be deadly, to say the least.
Speaking of death, say goodbye to Tommy (Marshall Allman). The boy was dead as a doornail shortly after transforming into his big bro Sam (Sam Trammell) to get beat up in his place by the local werewolf pack. Thankfully, Alcide (Joe Manganiello) the boring and uncharismatic stepped in and was able to transport him to Merlotte’s to see Sam before he gargled his last breath. We’ll miss your fantastic hair and accent, Marshall Allman.
Speaking of accents, whilst all of this was going on, Terry Bellefleur (Todd Lowe) held a V intervention for Andy Bellefleur (Chris Bauer) in their old treehouse, because they’re cousins and they love each other. It really wasn’t relevant to the episode, and the time wasted could’ve been spent on Eric or showing Jason in that stunning red hoodie outfit, but it was kind of funny and cute nonetheless.
Andy: “For a year after the marines, you lived up there like an insane squirrel!” Terry: “You kept the family off my back even when I thought you were an insurgent, and I’m gonna return the favor.”
There were a few other plot points this episode worth mentioning, such as Bill and Eric’s growing tension with Nan and the relationship blossoming between Debbie (Brit Morgan), Alcide’s crazy girlfriend, and Marcus (Dan Buran), the leader of the werewolf pack, but who cares. Let’s talk about the ending.
On their way to burn down the Moon Goddess Emporium and any of its inhabitants, Eric, Bill, Pam, and Jessica get out of a van, toting guns that probably weigh more than Deborah Ann Woll, dressed almost completely in black leather, and walk in a horizontal line towards the camera in slow motion. It was easily the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.
Will the vampires burn down the building, finally killing off Tara? Will they turn on Nan Flanagan? Will Jason wear that blessed hoodie ever again? Check back in next week to find out!