True Blood - Scratches

Scratches certainly throws quite a curve ball at us: Sookie is attacked by this “bull-human” that scratches her across the back with its infected, poisonous talons! Sookie gets pissed at Bill for straight tearing into her for taking Jessica to see her parents. Parents for which he must glamour in order to shore up Jessica’s confronting them. Bill takes Sookie to Fangtasia, and Eric calls on a human nurse to help heal her wounds. These gruesome gashes across the back leave Sookie foaming at the mouth and Bill’s blood does nothing to help, with the nurse having to use a particular medicinal substance in a bottle in order to help the healing process. This is an especially nasty piece of business, too. Good makeup effects. I like how she reads Ginger’s (Tara Buck) mind and discovers that Eric has Lafayette chained in the basement of the club. I like that Sookie is responsible for Lafayette’s rescue and how she confronts Eric with a nice slap to the face, informing him after he tells her he might grow on her, she’d prefer cancer! He does need her in Dallas so he can find Godric, the missing centuries-old vampire, certainly to benefit his own stature and standing. Sookie is quite something in this episode. She negotiates with Eric on achieving a hefty sum, Bill to tag along, and Lafayette’s safe passage out of the club. Lafayette is forever changed by this whole experience. He wants no part of vampires, and that moment when he returns home, you just see a hobbling Lafayette collapse in a chair. You feel his weariness. You see his exhaustion. You sense his relief. And Sookie is responsible. Sookie nearly dies. Yet by episode’s end, she not only survives, but Eric will be paying for her services and she rescues Lafayette from further misery and possible death!

Jason’s story is still rather developing gradually. He is haunted by Eddie’s vampire in his dreams. He is having doubts about whether or not this camp with the Newlins is where he is destined to be. Sarah, during a group confessional, follows after Jason who is disenchanted, allowing her to talk him out of walking away. They pray after she tells Jason about her sister’s succumbing to V and disappearing (they marched for vampire rights and then losing her sister sparked a change in her). Soon she’s presenting her reverend hubby and Jason with her ‘nanner pudding. The story seems to hint at Jason and Sarah maybe “getting closer”. Steve talks about his family’s tragedy, and how hate drives his mission for God, for good.

Sam is thinking about “cutting and running”, requesting Terry run Merlotte’s while he’s gone. Terry calls him out as a coward, not sure he’s the kind of social animal needed to run a bar. Obviously the experience with Maryann, turning the customers into horny misfits, left Sam unnerved. And Maryann willing Sam into a dog didn’t help his state of mind, either. But this is home and you can see that Sam is having second thoughts. And after another very bad night from Daphne (Ashley Jones) not securing payment for the drinks, Sam is angered and frustrated with her overall performance as a waitress. With Sookie missing and Tara at Maryann’s “house party” (where folks normally congregating at Merlotte’s have made their way to her estate to get wasted and wild), Sam is under great stress, to say the least. Daphne, though, confronts Sam who has dived into a nearby lake for a night swim, wanting to join him…she has marks similar to Sookie’s on her back! That is the cliffhanger into the next episode.

Tara and Eggs are still approaching a romance. It seems to be hot and ready to become quite romantic, but the party Maryann has initiated has devolved into naked inhibition and making out all over the place. Tara is not pleased when a hot, naked masseur wants to rub his shoulders; she feels that if this is how Maryann’s conducts her lifestyle, and Eggs is okay with it, she wants no part of it. Maryann, appeals to Andy, responding to a noise disturbance call and finding a pig in a little shack (only to vanish when he mentions it to her), easing his bruised ego, offering him liquor to settle him into her party. So as of this point, Maryann has it all in the palm of her hands. She’s in control.

And Jessica is alone while Bill and Sookie are away at Fangtasia. She gets dressed and goes to Merlotte's where she finds Hoyt, sits down, and is flattered by his approach towards her. He doesn't impose himself, isn't intimidated or turned off by her being a vampire, and takes the gentlemanly approach to conversing with her. This leads to them going to Bill's and making out, only to be interrupted by Bill, not happy she's already involved romantically with a human. So that bit of soap opera arrives at a point where Bill hasn't yet laid down his parental imprint on her. That won't be easy. Jess is a handful.