Well, well, well. Suddenly season three gets very serious indeed. After something of a meandering start, It Hurts Me Too has some quite stunning revelations contained within, the most stunning of which being that Bill has an entirely hidden and terrifying dark side. Ok, maybe not entirely hidden. Clearly not events easily forgiven or forgotten, and in the knowledge that his continued refusal of the King’s offer would put Sookie’s life in danger once again, he capitulates, and betrays Queenie. Ralph calls off the dogs, or weres, and the vile Lorena does what she does , berates Bill for his weakness. What follows is something that has already been branded the ‘most shocking sex scene – ever!’ Bill, for all intents and purposes, sexually assaults Lorena (she does give eventually consent but by that point, it really doesn’t matter), and the sheer brutality of the scene belies that consent. Bizarrely, though, Bill’s one hundred and eighty degree twisting of Lorena’s head so he doesn’t have to look at her, somehow lessens the shock, such is its surrealism. It’s brief respite, though, as Bill’s anguished cry at his sire’s proclamations of love are just as affecting as his hatred. True Blood has never been a show to shy away from controversy, and with this scene, they’ve got it in spades. From the very grey shade of consent to Bill’s complete loss of humanity (and apparent personality swap with a certain sheriff), as well as the ramifications for those not directly involved, like, say, his fiancée, and said sheriff. Once in the bar, in a hilarious déjà vu moment, one of the weres tells Sookie she looks like dinner, and before we know it she’s interrogating shady characters and being attacked herself, just like old times. Turns out Patrick Swayze’s Nazi werewolf brother survived the crash, but Sookie’s clumsy attempts to read his mind force Alcide to earn his keep, and save Sookie from a fate similar to the vile Lorena’s. Still, we do find out that Alcide’s ex is engaged to none other than Cooter, leader of the Nazi werewolves, so he’s in for the long haul, which can only be a good thing. Elsewhere, Tara is laying the ground (in places, literally) for yet another spot of supernatural trouble over at Sookie’s house. After her uncharacteristic pummelling of the rednecks last week, this week she’s back to her very characteristic ways of being brainwashed by any passing non-human. Franklin, Bill’s tall dark and mysterious replacement, glamours his way into to the Stackhouse place, after first talking his way into Tara’s knickers not twelve hours earlier. The new vamp in town is now the repository for all current Bill Compton knowledge, courtesy of Jess, and as Tara is the next best thing to Sookie, he makes a beeline straight for her. It’s a little worrying just how easy Franklin is finding the women of Bon Temps. If only Sam were a little more… vampy. He doesn’t find things anywhere near as easy as Franklin, as his handling of the new family bears out. Stung by little bro Tommy’s little stunt with the truck, he turns tail and runs back to Bon Temps. Unfortunately, his new family follows him straight there. The second family reunion is as fraught as the first, albeit with way more alcohol, but you know your family is trouble when they try to rob as payback for trying to keep your liquor license. But at least Joe Lee had some trousers on. Pray to God they make him keep them on. It’s no surprise that the scene is the last of the episode. Any earlier and the entire episode would have been lost to extended gasps and incredulity. As it stands, it’s already been hailed as the ‘twist heard round the world’ by one reviewer, and has ensured that, if nothing else, the controversy machine rumbles on. That’s not necessarily a complaint, mind. I’m sure the scene was completely necessary to show Bill’s unravelling in what he sees as an eerily familiar set of circumstances. Having said that, Lorena has threatened Sookie before, and the outcome was altogether different. OK, so it’s a small complaint, but definitely a valid one. Of course, there’s no way Lorena will be able to keep this little incident to herself. Sookie will eventually find out, and then… Well, I do believe there’s a very tall, very old vampire that would happily step in. Which will be all kinds of fun. The ramifications of It Hurts Me Too will be interesting, at the very least, but knowing True Blood, it’ll be a few weeks before we really see them. In the meantime, we’ve got plenty to keep us going, like, who the hell is Arlene’s baby-father? What the frick does Franklin think he’s playing at? And when is someone going to give Tommy a good old fashioned hiding? Anyone?
