If you are new to the series then may I suggest you catch up with our look backs of the previous seasons. If you have seen the first episode or are just curious what all the fuss is about then read on McDuff.

The show seems to be suggesting throughout the episode that the reasoning’s for staying are far more built round the idea of resilience and determination. Sookie despite her faults has always strove to do what is right in her eyes, her moral compass though tends to point back to the love of her life Bill. It seems odd that such a person like Sookie should be so blind when it comes to the affairs of the heart but if you were unsure this episode is the one that really tells you how clueless she really is.

From there the melodrama comes thick and fast as we are taken through a number of encounters that show who is left to fight the Hep V band. With a force that feels somewhat undercooked we receive our salvation in the form of a diseased Eric. His appearance although shown in the show in a surprise for our resistance and Sookie especially. As always with the big Viking his entrance changes the mood of the mood of the entire place although it is tinged with sadness as we realise this is the end for Eric. His embrace with Sookie feels honest from his point of view however Sookie’s reaction does feel a little over cooked as she cannot contain her sense of loss. 

The gravity of the losses the folks of Bon Temps have had to endure would cripple most people but still the residents stay. You have to ask yourself why?

There seems to be some kind of loyalty to the area but much like the Hellmouth from Buffy the Vampire Slayer I still cannot fathom why people would stay here, the life expectancy (once the Vampires are taken out of the equation) must be well below the national average. It feels odd that dirt and building materials can have such a hold but then again I’m not sure I would want to give away my home for anything.

First there is the matter of the death of Alcide; we open with Sookie calling the Wolf’s Dad letting him know of his son’s passing. It is an interesting scene as at the same time Jason is calling a glamoured Hoyt telling him of his mother’s passing. Of the two phone calls Jason’s is certainly more touching as you have the issue the joint positions of the horrendous news mixed with the normally clueless Deputy Stackhouse realising his friend has no memory of him. His occasional attempts to try to instigate a response are well timed and do strike a chord. 

Of course all this background is really just the starter for the main course that is the final showdown at Fangtasia. Thanks to some rather convenient background storytelling we discover that the Club was once a video shop complete with an old underground railway tunnel from the civil war days*. From there you can guess what’s coming with the battle between the infected and the non-infected it is just as stylised as the first battle of the season except now we get to see Bill and co in top form with a slightly below par Eric still able to pull out all the stops.

The slightly lost Barmaid has been an ever present in the show and in this episode we finally get to find out why. The way she is portrayed as a clever student desperate to learn is an almost polar opposite to her current form. Her demise was Pam’s fault but it plays out well and does give her a great leaving plot, it would have just been better if she would have been made more of in earlier series.

If you are new to the series then may I suggest you catch up with our look backs of the previous seasons. If you have seen the first episode or are just curious what all the fuss is about then read on McDuff.

Karl Marx once said “Die Religion…ist das Opium of the Volkes which roughly translates as “Religion is the opiate of the masses”. If True Blood has one person who embodies this quote its Sarah Noolan, the once wife of the preacher come vampire Reverend Noolan has had her fair share of callings from God and at the start of the episode we find she has found a new opiate to follow, but it looks like her past may be coming back to haunt her in more ways than one. There is something about her that gives her the air of a Cockroach her ability to survive is actually a real strength but there are many who would love to see her get her comeuppance. 

In another search for seemingly divine inspiration Pam has finally found an ailing Eric, he is lying on his death bed seemingly from contracting Hep V. and in true Eric style he uses this time to reflect on his past conquests and the ones he has lost. His relationship with Pam has always been interesting and we find out even more about the pairs relationship with Nan Flannigan and the authority. The desire to rebel seems to run thickly through our rather large Viking and sometimes he seems to court danger just for shits and giggles. The problem is if he were to leave the series it would put a dampener on the end of the series, though the return of Mrs Noolan could be the tonic he needs to recover his resolve to at least go out swinging.

The time the two spend together is filled with the sombre True Blood music and flashbacks. Unfortunately I’m finding these a little unjustified for the past few seasons Bill has shown us a truly evil side and it is going to take more than a few daughter filled flashbacks to make him a sympathetic character again. He is charming and Stephen Moyer does a wonderful job making him feel like a character that we may be able to forgive, however at this time I feel he needs to do a lot more before I can trust him again. 

If you are new to the series then may I suggest you catch up with our look backs of the previous seasons. If you have seen the first episode or are just curious what all the fuss is about then read on McDuff.

The aftermath of the attack is a total bloodbath, as well as more than one of Bon Temps residence being taken to places unknown (it turns out Fangtasia is the hives home for now). This though is overshadowed by one of the shows most notable characters meeting the true death. There is no ambiguity revolving around this death as Tara is now just a blood riddled pile of goo covering her mother. There is a question over who killed her (I have my own tin hat theory) but losing her should be a major point in the show instead though I think the creators missed the mark with their depiction.  It may be because we have no time to grieve as the world is being turned upside down but I felt more emotion the first time she was killed. Unfortunately now though one of True Blood’s most sarky characters is now no more and for one will miss her greatly.

One of the main characters not present at the party is Jessica, she instead is keeping a vigil over the last of the Sheriff’s daughters. In the last season she decimated the family draining three of the sisters and leaving the fourth for dead. In her determination to do the right thing Jess is not eating and almost kills herself trying to save Adilyn from a Hep-V vamp who has caught the half Fairies scent. The two actresses play their parts really well and you get the idea of a strained relationship growing between the two. 

Elsewhere we do get a spot of time with Lafayette and Sam and of course Sookie. This is a particularly rough episode for our Fairy Halfling especially at the conclusion in her dealings with the grieving Mrs Daniels (Tara’s Mum). The way the human population of the town have turned on her is small minded with a hint of the understandable. It remains to see where she will end up by with the lone Wolf Alcide at her side she may not be around to save the population of Bon Temp for very much longer.

With the final season of True Blood just around the corner we decided to look back at the wonderful if slightly dangerous town of Bon Temps and its eclectic band of residents. Based on the Sookie Stackhouse series from Charlaine Harris and adapted for television by Alan Ball, True Blood was an instant hit thanks to its mix of mythical creatures, mystery with a touch of original sin thrown in for a touch of flavour.

Politics and religion are two institutions that should stay separate in many people’s minds and if you ever wondered why Season 5 of True Blood is probably one of the best visual examples of why this is the case. This series is known for its sex and violence and at first glance it fulfils both of these quotas with all the passion of a vamp at feeding time, at its core though the themes that have run through the seasons are so much more. We have seen a look at bigotry and racism, questions raised about the death penalty and revenge as well as forgiveness and many other themes as well. There may have been points where the story went a little off the wall but again it’s the central themes that help bring viewers back to the show. 

As for Sookie she is a large piece in the game that manages to get Bill and Eric exonerated, the troubling fact for her is the return of Russell Edgington. The crazed 3,000 year old Vampire however is the least of her worries as it turns out she is the payoff in a very old blood contract that makes her the property of the vampire that killed her parents. It’s a convoluted story but it sets up the story for future seasons and gives us some of the best CGI this series has seen. The Stackhouse’s do not have the best of seasons as the husband of one of Jason’s conquests comes back to put a little more trouble in his life.

I'm both a book and TV show fan, I have read the books all to date and so am coming to the table with some foreknowledge. However the wonder of the show is not just that they are not just retelling the book instead they are putting their own stamp on events. As such watching the show has actually spoiled the book in certain plot lines. I will try my hardest not to spoil any future events but as far as I'm concerned events in this and past episodes are fair game. 

Theon Greyjoy and Sansa Stark may seem worlds apart but this episode above all others showed their main common theme. We have had what feels like years to see the breakdown of Theon by Ramsey Snow (now Bolton) and what he has achieved with Reek is amazing. Pieter Baylish on the other hand has brought Sansa in to the fold a lot quicker and with much less brutality.

In his moment of triumph Oberyn points to Tywin Lannister and virtually calls him out as the man who ordered the Mountain to kill his sister.
The problem is the mountain is not a man to be underestimated and even with a spear through the chest still manages to trip the Viper and literally smash his face in.
The finale of the scene was gruesome to say the least, the Mountains first blow smashed out loads of the Vipers teeth, he then gouged out his eyes and fianlly squashed his skull with a sickening clench of his hands.
The most powerful thing though was the big man's recital of Oberyn's taunts;
"Elia Martell, I killed her children and I raped her, then I smashed her head in like this"

Daenerys Targaryen has shown she is a woman of conviction but today she was tested to a whole new degree. The revelation that Jor Moremont was a spy came as a huge shock. The betrayal in the young Queen's voice was obvious to hear and she did what we expected by banishing her former Queens Guard.
Elsewhere in Meereen there is an odd blossoming relationship between the Unsullied leader Grey Worm and Dany's translator Missandei. This gives us a comical moment when Dany and Missandei are trying to figure out if the Unsullied lose both the Tree and the Rocks. Its a nice moment and shows the growing relationship between the two women.

With Sansa already at the house of the Arryn's and suffering under an interrogation (which she passes with a deft touch) it seems she may be soon reunited with her troublesome younger sister.
Arya has had a great road show with the Hound up to this point but t seems their journey is at an end. However if you ever expect things to go smoothly in Westeros then you have not been paying attention. 
I was not expecting Arya's reaction on the news of her aunts death, but the fit of hysterics makes perfect sense for a girl how has lost everything in the most brutal fashion. The question now is will how will the sisters reunion go, if there is one at all?

I'm both a book and TV show fan, I have read the books all to date and so am coming to the table with some foreknowledge. However the wonder of the show is not just that they are not just retelling the book instead they are putting their own stamp on events. As such watching the show has actually spoiled the book in certain plot lines. I will try my hardest not to spoil any future events but as far as I'm concerned events in this and past episodes are fair game. 

Back in 1977 George Lucas broke with convention and jumped straight into his film after the opening crawl. This caused outrage at the time as creators of the film were not being given their due for the work they created. Since then there have been more than a few ways where show/film creators have tried to get watchers to pay attention to their names and roles, from the Simpsons crazy antics to the vignettes at the end of the Marvel movies.
On the first Episode of Game of Thrones the clockwork movement within the opening credits had me enthralled and the fact each pop up denoted a place that would appear in the show made the credits even better. During this season the opening credits have wavered a bit but the last few episodes with the introduction of Bravos have seemingly brought the wow back to the opening.

This choice is his brother Jamie one of the greatest swordsmen in all the realms. For Tyrion Jamie fighting is a win/win situation, if Jamie wins he walks free and if he dies he gets to hurt his father and sister at the same time. Unfortunately for him Jamie is not so cavalier with his life and due to the fact he still has not learnt to use his left hand he turns his brother’s generous offer down. Tyrion does beg one favour from his brother and that is to send his former saviour to see him.

The meeting with Bronn is perhaps the most touching of the three meetings, this is due to the relationship they have developed on-screen. The man with money and the man who will do anything to get paid have been a perfect pair ever since the trial at the eerie. Bronn’s entrance unfortunately tells Tyrion all he really needs to know and from that point he is on the back foot. True to his word the sell sword honours his pledge to Tyrion by offering the opportunity to double Cersei’s price. Unfortunately the younger Lannister is unable to give Bronn any guarantees and so he turns the offer down. The handshake as the two part company tugs at the heart strings and cold hearted bastard that is Bronn appears like he almost break. However as always pragmatism reigns and it seems Tyrion must face the Mountain in a true David and Goliath contest.

Now we turn to the main event on the episode the going’s on of Little finger. In an episode mostly created to put the pieces in place for the last few episodes of the series we are still given a shock to end with. Baylish has begun to show his true colours this series from his accent to his plan to take over Westeros but perhaps his most sinister plan was revealed this episode. It has been apparent for quite a while that his wife his actually Lisa is a poor substitute for the woman he truly desired her sister Catelyn. Now with Catelyn dead he has seemingly turned his affection to Sansa it’s a creepy moment as he initiates a kiss with the young girl but this sets up an epic finale. Unbeknown to Sansa Lisa was watching and calls her to the throne room where the Eerie’s executioner the Moon Door is primed for duty. Sansa is grabbed by her Aunt and called a whore and as the scene develops the rage within Lisa is seemingly going to spell the end for another one of the Stark children. Just at the last moment Little Finger enters and seemingly diffuses the situation by saying he will send Sansa away. As Lisa holds Baylish for comfort he utters the immortal words “I have only ever loved one woman……Your sister”. This is when we find out whether you are a Knight or a Queen every flight out of the Moon Door ends in the same way. It’s a very strong ending to the show and you have to ask yourself how the master of the spoken word will be able to talk himself out of this one.