“True Blood” Season 3, Episode 4: “9 Crimes” Television Review

“True Blood” Season 3, Episode 4: “9 Crimes”

Television Review

By Julie Lam

Production owed us a double header this Sunday for leaving us blue-balled after that agonizing two-week hiatus. In line with its previous episodes, the latest installment should have left me hot-blooded and glowing, but no--quite the opposite. “True Blood” is now peeling away its layers, and letting us peer into its gooey, emotional core.

“9 Crimes” opens with Sookie caring for Alcide’s wounds, which were inflicted during the melee at Lou Pines in the last episode. Sookie tells Alcide that the Were he fought at the bar was juiced with V. Alcide is disgusted for a brief moment, and then starts to admire the little unimportant things about Sookie. The moment is interrupted by a phone call from Bill, who tells Sookie he’s breaking up with her. Sookie’s “STFU” is timely and perfect. The vamp assures Sookie that he is serious, and goes into nasty detail about all the naughty things he’s done with Lorena. “I didn’t hold back for fear of hurting her as I do with you,” he tells Sookie. “Our worlds are too different. Our natures, too.” Lorena, basking in her post-coital afterglow, is enjoying every second of this conversation. Bill tells Sookie not to look for him, and hangs up the phone. Sookie is obviously devastated. Alcide, who has also been heartbroken by Debbie Pelt, appears cold at first, but then puts his arm around Sookie.

Relations between Sam and the Mickens head on a downward slope as Sam chases Tommy out of Merlottes after he catches him red-handed right by Sam’s safe, and discovers the Mickens’ van in the parking lot. Mama Mickens tells Sam that they are behind on their rent, and that they’ll be on their way as soon as possible. Sam, of course, lets them stay.

A glamoured Tara spills the beans on Bill and Sookie to Franklin. He asks her if Jason has telepathic powers, but Tara says no, and then talks about how she was in love with Jason for a long time. Franklin orders Tara to find out Sookie’s whereabouts via phone. She phones Sookie in Jackson, but doesn’t get any information out of her. Tara snaps out of her glamour spell, and tries to escape. Franklin pins her to the door, and fangs her.

Lorena and Bill are still in their room. As she audibly cracks her neck, Lorena says the sex was the best she had in decades. “At least somebody enjoyed it," Bill snaps back. Lorena spurts some lovey dovey nonsense, to which Bill responds by punching her in the face and across the room and out of the door. I definitely cheered for joy. I actually like mean Bill. Commiserating with him was getting too emo.

Eric hovers by Sookie’s window. Sookie lets him in, and eases him into bed. She tells him she can smell the ocean in winter and his memories growing up on the North Sea. “I’ve got skills you can’t even dream of, cowboy,” she coos. Yeah, that’s something Sookie would totally say. Rolling my eyes. Dream sequence! And it is. Eric wakes up. He’s at Fangtasia, and clearly bored with the dancer he just hired. I knew it was too good to be true.

Sookie insists that Alcide take her to Debbie Pelt’s engagement party, so that she can pick the minds of the Weres, and figure out where Bill is. Alcide’s sister dolls Sookie up so she can fit in. Through her mind-reading abilities, Sookie discovers that Debbie Pelt’s engagement party is actually her initiation into the clan of V-drinking Weres. Later on that night, we find out The King of Mississippi is fueling their addiction with his blood. It looks like Russell is building an army to fight Queen Sophie-Anne when the time comes. Can some crossbreeding and mayhem start…like now?

Bill tells Russell that he worked for Sophie-Anne for 35 years as a “procurer.” In return for passing on information about the Queen of Louisiana, he wants Lorena killed. Russell seems like it’s in the pocket. He tells Russell that Eric has been selling V at Sophie-Anne’s request because the IRS is now taxing her fortune. Hard times for everyone, eh? Things will get interesting, because Eric has accused Bill for the same crime, and has two days to find him before the Magister turns Pam into dust.

Jason tells Andy that he is going to be a cop. Andy doesn’t take him seriously, but then Jason fires back with the knowledge that Andy was rewarded for shooting Eggs, when it was Jason who did it.

Sam hires Jessica as the new waitress in Merlottes. Arlene quickly opposes because she doesn’t want to split her tips with another red-head (they apparently are tipped well). A boy from Bible Study recognizes Jessica, which forces her to glamour him and makes him forget he ever saw her. Hoyt watches her from the sidelines, and thinks she has found another lover. Cue sadface. Now, working at Merlottes may hold off Jessica from impulsively chomping necks, but the bar is a public place. Anyone can walk in, including her parents. Would she have the willpower to wipe their memories too? Nah. She’s still a baby vamp.

What really tugs on my heartstrings was the last scene. Russell commands Bill to bring back din din from the local strip bar for the vampiric trio. Bill receives a lapdance from Destiny, glamours her, and asks her if anyone will miss her. Her reply is in the negative. What follows is a cruel bloodbath initiated by Lorena and Russell. The top-down shot of Destiny being chowed down on to Damien Rice is spine-chilling. Like how Alcide could not prevent himself from shifting at Lou Pine’s, Bill could not suppress his vampiric nature. As Bill stated in Season 1, no vampire can resist the warm and fresh blood from even a corpse. Sometimes no matter how hard you try, you can’t chain down instinct for long.