Review: True Blood "Don't You Feel Me"

Non Spoiler Review:

Don't You Feel Me brings several plotlines to their climax, as Bill takes drastic measures to save his progeny. Sookie deals with her feelings for Warlow. Jason embarks on his plan to rescue Jessica, as well. Eric realizes all his planning hasn't amounted to much.

After a contrived episode last week, Don't You Feel Me really picked up the pace. As usual, Alcide's plotline struggles, and as yet there is no clear indication what sort of direction the werewolves are going. However, the big surprise was the developments for Terry and Arlene, but even that didn't bring the dramatic impact one might expect.

I have the feeling the season is going to shift into a different direction, given Burrell's plot against the vampires is quickly reaching its peak. That leaves the question of who is the season's ultimate big bad?

Spoilers Now!

Bill hears Sookie's screams but it's Warlow who arrives to pull Lafayette off her. Sookie stops him from killing Lafayette so Warlow uses his fairy powers to throw her father out of his body. Lafayette regains his senses and Sookie orders daddy Stackhouse out of her life forever. 

Lafayette gets filled in on Warlow's abilities, but the latter is called back by Bill. Sookie tries to prevent him from going and asks him to trust her, vanishing with him. Bill is alarmed when he loses his connection and goes to find Jessica, only to realize she's been taken. He seeks out the scientist to induce a coma so he can communicate with Lilith—which means removing nearly all his blood to bring him close to death.

Pam and Eric face each other off as she grows incensed he made another vampire. But instead of fighting, both strike at the snipers positioned behind the the grates and kill them both. Eric spies Newlin behind the glass, who protests his innocence in the matter. More soldiers arrive to disarm them.

At the LAVTF centre Jason impresses the recruiter with his vampire-killing history. He's brought to the internment camp, only to run into Sarah. Jason acts like they've just met, and she asks to speak to their new recruit in private. Jason warns her he's getting Jessica out of there, and if she tells them, he'll reveal what a whore she is. She later turns the tables on him and brings him in to view the copulation study, looking at what drives the vampire libido, which in this case involves Jessica. He watches her brought in to James, who explains what they're supposed to do. James refuses to commit rape, so he's shot with ultraviolet light. Jessica acquiesces but he's adamant he won't go through with it, so Jessica is taken away.

Nicole warns Sam that Emma is terrified about not seeing her grandmother. She doesn't think the solution is to run. As night falls, Alcide shows up at his father's motel room, who reveals Sam is there. He and Alcide go to the room but it's empty. Alcide plans to go after them but orders his father to stay. Sam has taken Nicole's advice and arranged a meeting with Martha as long as she doesn't take her back to the pack. Sam tells them to take care of one another. Later, Alcide finds Sam and faces him down, but Sam is tired of fighting. Alcide lets them go, but warns Sam if he shows his face anywhere that his pack can find him he's a dead man.

Andy's daughter recovers and asks for a real name. He calls her Adeline.

In their refuge, Warlow asks Sookie to tie him up before his blood lust comes upon him. When darkness falls he is no longer a creature of light. On the previous occasions they'd encountered one another he'd already fed. Sookie binds him to a tree and waits, allowing Warlow to lament how she found out the truth about her parents. She's the only one of them that is blameless in the matter. He fills her in on his origin and has waited so long for her because she's special. If she had agreed to be his, his pain as a vampire would be over. Sookie allows him to feed from her, and then feeds from Warlow, as well, then proceeds to have sex with him. 

The governor goads Eric that his death is imminent. They bring in Nora, who was offered up by Newlin, as well. Burrell wants him to feel the same loss he has and plans to inject her with a new creation called Hepatitis V. Eric rages as they do so. Burrell then visits Willa to reveal they're searching for a cure to vampirism, but she doesn't want to be treated any different.

Bill achieves his meeting with Lilith, who only annoys him with riddles. He challenges her wisdom for choosing the wrong fairy and dying the true death. She counters that the time to act is now and he can't come to her seeking answers again. 

Bill is revived and realizes he's out of time, so he drinks Warlow's blood. Bill steps out into the sun, unharmed. He arrives at the governor's mansion to a hail of bullets that do nothing, and instead controls the minds of the guards to shoot themselves, leaving just Burrell. He demands to know about the camp and the whereabouts of Jessica, then Bill rips his head off.

Terry shows up at Lafayette's giving him a safety deposit box key. He in turn alerts Arlene who tells Holly she thinks Terry is going to kill himself. Holly has an idea to get a vampire to glamor Terry. She knows one who owes her a favor. Holly arranges it and the vampire glamors him to forget the marines and the war. Terry wakes up, content. At work the next day Terry is quite cheery, but when he goes to take out the garbage he's shot. Everyone rushes out to the back to find him shot in the neck. Lafayette tries to hold Arlene back but she rushes to his side. She consoles him as he dies in her arms. 

Caged Eric watches Nora suffer, so calls upon Willa. She gets a word alone with a guard and glamors him to bring her to them. They make their escape through the prison and Eric (posing as a guard) enters the True Blood factory, which is being contaminated with Hepatitis V for release on the vampire population. 

The Verdict:

Don't You Feel Me was pretty good, and second best of the season, in my opinion. Most notable, of course, is Terry's death, which came fast and furious. It wasn't as touching as I thought it might be, but as soon as he was glamored I was certain the plot would play out over a few episodes, so at least it got resolved quickly. I have a feeling that means he's coming back via Lafayette's channelling at some point. I'm thinking that leaves only Andy and Arlene and Holly as characters who are still human.

I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering what is the purpose of Sam and Alcide's plotlines, which have sputtered along so lazily so far. Now it looks like it's being brushed off in a half-resolved manner. 

This is the first time the Warlow/Sookie pairing felt like it was working. I highly doubt she's going to get turned into a vampire/fairy, but who knows at this point?

Wouldn't all the guards in the internment camp be wearing the special glamor-proof contact lenses? Or did I miss an explanation?

The vampire plotline with the Hep V is also moving fast, and a surprise that Burrell was dispatched so quickly. Will Bill retain the benefits of Warlow's blood, or will it fade? I'm wondering what will happen once they eventually stop the True Blood distribution. Is there another, more dangerous threat waiting to carry the rest of the season?