Namaste? More Like GaGa-ste.

 

This week got off to a great start. Sarah's efforts to change her identity didn't go much beyond a little hair dye, but I loved how she has been keeping herself fit. Although I think I would have preferred this guy to her grisly Guru.

Especially after the fuzzy little foreigner blew up my man Rick's spot for checking out Alison's "bum."  

 

In the end that cockblockin Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting looking mother fukker got his. 

Later on Sookie asked Bill if they were at war- and, like war, this installment was rather chaotic.

After Pam finally caught up with Eric to close out True Blood Season 7 Episode 2, I hoped we would get some clarity as to how he landed himself in his current predicament. Instead, we got a series of disjointed flashbacks that I guess were supposed to explain why Eric had seemingly given up on being immortal.

We were introduced to Sylvie, who Eric was apparently in love with back in 1986. Their moonlit coitus was interrupted by Nan Flanagan.

With Tru Blood set to make its debut, she was there to rein in freewheeling vampires like Eric. Nan had heard he was "tall" but Eric of course exceeded expectations. The partnership with the corporation stood to make The Authority a fortune, but only if vampires fell in line and ceased feeding on humans in plain sight.

 Pam immediately had her guard up, but Nan didn't.

 

We all know from seeing Nan's "taste in women" in past seasons just how she meant she and Pam could have been friends.

In typical Eric fashion, he told Nan what he thought of her warning, but Pam could read the writing on the wall.

She pleaded with him to run away with her and not jeopardize their life together for a silly girl. Now where have I heard that before?

Eric, of course, did not listen and was forced to choose between his progeny and his human lover when they were taken by surprise. Sylvie lost her life and Eric was taken away in silver, along with Pam. My guess is from there he walked the line The Authority set forth for him, took his place as sheriff and opened Fangtasia to usher in the sale of Tru Blood.

I loved everything about 80's Eric and Pam, so much so I couldn't help myself and made this.

The Eric we saw in 1986 was more reminiscent of the Eric we have grown to love... who served as a stark contrast from the Eric we saw back in modern day. Pam, however, was (thankfully) unwavering as ever. She did acknowledge that she felt Tara meet the true death, but did not falter from her search to find Eric searching the world over.

In one last effort, she mentioned the one name that would rekindle her maker's fire. The knowledge that Sarah Newlin was still alive did the trick.

Pam, she did what she set out to do and, as Eric rose from his chair, my hopes for the season were also lifted. Oysters anyone?

Back in Bon Temps, Violet gave a pep talk of her own to Jason. It's all well and good that he wants a family some day, but his timing could not have been worse to broach the subject.

At first I thought Violet's answer to him was rather cold, but she was right to tell him he needed to man up. She called to mind the men of her past in times of war, imploring her lover to be a warrior as they were in the face of adversity. Jason didn't totally abandon his point, but his overall response was I'm sure what she was going for.

Violet wanted him to put aside human emotion in this time of crisis and that is just what she herself did when she agreed to shelve her beef with Jessica until they made sure Sookie was safe. She then took that commitment to another level when she defended Jason and Jessica by disemboweling Mrs. Fortenberry. This Mortal Combat "Fatality" finishing move has become quite popular.

While everyone else was confronting reality head on, Lafayette and James were coming up with ways to escape it.

I'll never be mad at a scene where we get to see Lafa dancing in all his glory but playing chemist with James, which was genius, - along with others like the conversation between Willa and the reverend - just served to make the episode very choppy.  Lafa and James especially seemed out of place given what was going on in the world around therm, but maybe that was the point. While everyone else was getting the taste slapped out their mouths by reality, these two were tripping balls on a pharmaceutical pleasure cruise. I also know the story the good rev was telling Willa was supposed to be touching, but I just felt bad for the guy if Lettie Mae was his savior. And now because she can't get her shit together, he had to kick the only person who could protect them out of the house.

The result of which left little time at the end to see Sookie's poorly thought out plan backfire, which of course resulted in yet another major death.

I don't care how well Bill covered their tracks, Sookie should have known Alcide was going to come looking for her. And fearing the worse, you know his head was going to be clouded, leaving him vulnerable.
Case in point: he was arguing with Bill about Sookie the moment he was shot. Had Sookie appealed to the man she knew loved him and made him see her point of view, Alcide could have been part of the plan and might very well still be alive. Jessica offered to turn him, but she herself was also nearly lost. She still was not healing which seems to be from her lack of feeding.

Regardless, I am a seller of the entire Sookie and Bill reunion. The same goes for Bills's familial flashbacks as he sat perched in that tree while he and Sookie played Edward and Bella.

Alcide will be missed, certainly in the ongoing fight against the infected vampires, but also in the hearts of fans everywhere.If I looked like him, I would walk around in perpetual slow motion as well.

R.I.P. big boy. You deserved better.