Sookie torn between two vampires on 'True Blood'

Sookie torn between two vampires on 'True Blood'



The action-packed third season of HBO's "True Blood" has been moving at such a furious pace, it seemed inevitable that executive producer Alan Ball and his team would use an episode to catch their collective breath. Although hardly anemic in terms of revelations and mystery, Sunday night's episode sure felt like a bit of a breath catcher.

With only two more episodes left in this third season, the supernatural series appears to be placing characters in position for a high-stakes end run. So issues of secrecy and trust were front and center in Sunday's episode, titled "I Smell a Rat."

We started with vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) telling telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) the big secret about what she is (a secret long known by readers of "The Southern Vampire Mysteries" by Charlaine Harris). Sookie, although mostly human, is part fairy. And, Bill tells her, fairy blood is particularly intoxicating and alluring to vampires. Rumor has it that drinking fairy blood allows vampires to walk around in sunlight.

Undead Bill declared his undying love for Sookie: "You have brought light back to my life, and hope, and gratitude." But Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgard), certian that renegade Mississippi vampire king Russell Edington (Denis O'Hare) will try to kill him, continued warning Sookie not to trust Bill.

Meanwhile, shape shifter Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell), drinking heavily after a violent outburst, recalled how he financed the bar as a jewel thief in 2003 (killing two people, including his lover, who tried to scam him). Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) rescued an injured Hoyt (Jim Parrack) from Tommy (Marshall Allman), giving him vampire blood to drink. Jason (Ryan Kwanten) kissed an emotionally rocky Tara (Rutina Wesley), then discovered that Crystal (Lindsay Pulsipher) is a were-panther. And Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) and Jesus (Kevin Alejandro) went tripping on vampire blood, embarking on a magical mystery tour that was part family movie, part fun house, part acid trip. They learned that Jesus had one scary grandfather who practiced dark magic.

Yes, this was a slower episode. It ended with a surprise. Eric stated his feelings for Sookie, kissed her, then took her prisoner and locked her up in the dungeon beneath Fangtasia. Doesn't anything ever happen on this show?