True Blood season 3 episode 6 review

3.6 I Got A Right To Sing The Blues

After the somewhat ambling pace of the last few episodes, the delectable True Blood got well and truly up to speed this week with the fantastic I Got A Right To Sing The Blues. With Sookie and Bill both in Russell’s clutches, their arrival at the palace means the whole gang is back together, joining as they are Eric and Tara at His Majesty’s pleasure.

After a bizarre attempt on Russell’s life leads to Bill’s removal and torture by the vile Lorena, Russell is free to spend a little quality time with his latest acquisition, Sookie. During a fantastic exchange between the two, Russell reveals Bill’s Stackhouse dossier, which doesn’t seem to bother her anywhere as much as it should, not that His Majesty notices.

Almost too confident, Russell’s cheery demeanour befits a villainous vamp that’s older than Jesus, and in true James Bond style, his arrogance means that he reveals his plans to the least trustworthy people at any opportunity.

Eric has been part of His Majesty’s inner circle for precisely five minutes, and already is privy to Russell’s grand plan for eventual world domination, his possible involvement with Hitler (they appear to have been on first name terms), and his centuries-long manipulation of the weres. Eric is, without doubt, going to kill Russell, and his effortless transformation into His Majesty’s closest confidant is delicious, if a little over the top at times.

When Queenie finally capitulates to the King’s demand of marriage (playing the lottery will never solve your tax problems), Eric’s outrageous flirting is almost too obvious. However, surviving for three millennia is bound to make anyone a little arrogant, and blinded by the hot, His Majesty will probably never see it coming.

One vamp that definitely didn’t see it coming is the fabulous Franklin. So enamoured was he of our Tara that it didn’t even occur to him that he was being played. After some particularly bloody pre-marital tomfoolery, Tara puts her plan into action and a mace of some description into the super-psychotic vamp’s head. Repeatedly. Poor Franklin, he will be missed. Sort of.

Free of her stalker, Tara finds Sookie and together they give Patrick Swayze’s Nazi were brother the fight of his life, before almost effecting an escape from the compound. Whatever Tara was labouring under at the beginning of the season has most definitely been exorcised, and the girl has got her shit together at exactly the right time. Clearly, murdering your psychotic captor is quite empowering. It’s good to have her back, so let’s hope it’s not too short lived, particularly considering she’s going to have to save Sookie at least once more, this time from the vile Lorena, last seen having a Sookie-flavoured morning snack. Surely it’s time to put that vamp down for good?

Back in Bon Temps, the Merlotte family have finally shown their true colours. In addition to being thieving rednecks, it appears they’re also into blood sports, more specifically, dog fighting. Which is just lovely, and when you think about it, not very sportsmanlike. Suddenly being abandoned at 14 doesn’t look quite so horrific. And in true Bon Temps style ( if something seems too good to be true, it’s because it is), Laf’s perfect date ends in disaster when Jesus finds out exactly where the cook really gets his money. Someone really should tell Laf that no one is allowed to be happy in that town.

So, we’re just about at the halfway point and season three is starting to hit its stride. Episode six was characterized by a series of superb two-handers. From Sookie and Tara to Arlene and Jess, and most of the cast in between, the scenes hit the perfect balance between exposition and action. The entire episode was more coherent and felt more like a whole than a couple of the previous episodes.

If they keep this up, season three may well be a season to remember. Having said that, the Jason storyline is still lagging somewhat and the persecution of his younger self is getting a little weird. This, however, is a small complaint. With everything else that’s going on, Jason does seem a little unimportant right now. Particularly when Sookie is in danger of having her ribcage pulled out and worn as a hat. Gotta love that vampire sense of humour.

Read our review of episode 5 here.