Back for the seventh instalment in this superb series, Burning House Of Love is an episode of firsts for many of the Bon Temps residents. Sookie’s first time over with, it’s time for Jason Stackhouse to try a few new things, starting with a trip to Fangtasia on a yellow brick quest for some V. After Lafayette scored a first of his own by refusing to sell Jason any more blood, the boy’s arrival at the club could well have been his first and last trip anywhere if the vamps had figured what the hell he was talking about. Luckily he’s picked up by Amy Burley, fluent in redneck, who gets him out of the club before he can do any real damage. Amy, your typical upper middle class dropout, living the perfect piss-off-your-parents lifestyle, dazzles the naïve road worker with some long words and basic philosophy before showing him how to really take V. Like all good junkies, Amy believes that V is the path to enlightenment; unlike other junkies, she might actually have a point if the visions of golden energy flying between them are to be believed – no wonder the vamps don’t want anyone to know how good the stuff is! While Tara was watching her first, and hopefully last, exorcism, Sam Merlotte was embroiled in a first of his own. Those pesky nesting vamps are back, and this time they intend to stay in town for good, even investing in some property just down the street. In an attempt to draw Bill back into the fold, they descend on Merlotte’s to taunt Sookie and generally camp it up as much as possible. When they refuse to leave, Sam finds himself at the mercy of the bald, tattooed vamp his waitresses are so fond of. Bill, out of town faking the accidental death of Uncle Bartlett, senses Sookie’s fear and arrives in the usual nick of time fashion to save Sam from his fate. Aware that the vamps won’t leave unless he agrees to rejoin them – mainstreaming is after all, for pussies – Bill does exactly that, leaving the inebriated patrons in no doubt where his loyalties really lie. Another satisfying and beautifully made hour of television, Burning House Of Love is the very definition of a supremely confident production, happy to take its time and let the story unfold at its own languid pace. And yet, at no time does anything feel like filler – each scene feels crucial to whatever is coming next, a feat managed by few shows currently gracing living rooms across the world. The V scenes in particular are beautifully rendered and make for a convincing portrayal of the wonders of vampire blood. In a similar way to hearing the thoughts of the town through Sookie, seeing the effects of V through Jason is a great dramatic device, saving on exposition and allowing the scenes to continue uninterrupted. Which is and of itself slightly unusual – for a show to acknowledge that its audience is actually capable of concentrating for more than 2-5 seconds is almost unheard of these days. While not the most action packed of episodes, the latest chapter in the Sookie saga added new layers to the mysterious goings on in the Louisiana backwater – suddenly there are demons abroad, and naked bar owners streaking through the swamps. Incongruous as those events may seem, in the grand scheme of things they’re probably both as significant as the death of Maudette Pickens. And that’s one of the best things about True Blood – there’s just no way of knowing. At least until next week… Check out our review of episode 6 here.
