'True Blood': The War Begins

By Sona Charaipotra

Special to MSN TV

Last week on "True Blood," Russell Edgington and Steve Newell, on their quest to daywalk, had found the faerie burlesque club, killed the Elder and were about to devour the rest of the faeries.

This week, we saw the showdown between Russell and the faeries, plus a lot more action -- including birth, death, and a new couple alert! Get ready for a heady body count in the bloodbath of a season five finale.

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• Russell was about to gobble up all those luscious pixies, but the lot of them joined forces and fired their faerie light at him. Russ claimed that the faerie fire didn’t bother him at all, that it was merely a tickle whetting his ravenous appetite. Something that did bother him though? The stake that always-the-hero-now Eric Northman – on the lam from the Authority, of course – shoved through his heart. "Oh f-ck!" Russell said as his face lit up with faerie fire just before he burst like a bag of blood. Eric noted: "That felt even better than I thought it was."

• Once Russell was vanquished -- and Newlin hightailed it out of there -- Sookie ran out of the faerie haven, worried about Jason, who was out cold from the blow. He awoke, but instead of seeing Sookie, he just saw his parents again. Nora was with Eric, and she had never spelled anything as delicious as Sookie. She wanted to devour her then and there, but Eric explained that Sookie had saved his life time and again, and now allowed him to settle an ancient rivalry. He made Nora swear on Godric that she wouldn't eat Sookie.

• Next stop: Fangtasia, where Tara told Eric that they got Pam. Eric started gathering some of the stacks of cash stashed in some underground cavern at Fangtasia. Then the three of them headed on over to Sookie's, where she was still trying to get Jason out of his stupor. Yup, Mom and Pops were right there in the room, sitting next to Sookie, telling Jason to watch out for those fangers. Eric asked Sookie to come with them to the Authority’s lair – but Jason said hell-to-the-no! Eric told Sookie that Bill was behind the bombings, and unless they got him out now, he'd lose himself completely. If anyone could reach him, it was Sookie. Of course, Sookie melted. Jason protested again, but them Pops reminded him that he could do plenty of damage to the vamps in their own lair. So he said he was coming, too. When Eric told him not to be a fool, Jason retorted: "If I wanna be a fool, then I will be a fool. That is my God-given right as an American." Yup. Classic Jason Stackhouse.

• In the holding cages, where Luna was consoling her pup, Sam shifted back into human form. He told Luna that Bill was nuts, and that the whole place was wired, so if she got caught, she’d have to shift and get out of there. But Luna refused to leave Emma. Buzzing around the headquarters, Sam flew into Steve Newlin’s room, where he came up with a plan. A little while later, Luna-as-Steve scooped up Emma-the-pup and hightailed it out of there. But before he could escape, Chancellor Rosalyn had some words for him – regarding that whole Greek tragedy the media was playing up. Luckily, she’d lined up a press appearance, which meant he’d have to leave the premises, with his pup in tow. On live TV, Luna shifted back into herself. And then she took the opportunity to inform America that vampires were holding humans prisoner in an underground bunker, feeding on them, killing them. As Chancellor Rosalyn was about to suck Luna dry, Sam-as-a-fly jumped down her throat, then popped her from the inside. But Luna was drained, nonetheless, exhausted from her final shift.

• Pam and Jessica, held in adjacent holding cells, were bored, so they chatted. Jessica told Pam about the Authority – and the cult it had become. "I could totally believe it about Bill," Pam said, still coifed and annoyed. "He’s always looking for something to feel guilty about. But Eric, no way." Jessica mentioned Russell’s obsession with Sookie, and Pam rolled her eyes. "Must all roads lead to Sookie?"

• Alcide was still at his dad’s place, enjoying a barbeque. But his dad was heavy with regret about having shown Alcide how awful the world was. Martha screeched up in her car, Alcide gal pal Ricki going nuts in the back seat. JD had been force-feeding the whole pack vampire blood, and she was worried that Ricki was ODing. Alcide’s dad used some medicine that made the V want to leave the body, but Ricki struggled. When she was coherent, she told Alcide about how JD had forced them all to take the V, shoving it down their throats – and then raping some of the younger girls. Alcide’s dad said the only way to have a fair fight here was to play the game and take V themselves – he had far better stuff than JD’s – and take the power-mad packmaster down. And Pops was right. JD – and his pack – were no match for a V-d up Alcide, who, in a fit of rage, killed him. Then he told the pack that they were getting back on track. "Tonight, we choose pack."

• Jason and Sookie, with Eric, Tara and Nora in light-tight trunks, hit up the Supe-killing shop to stock up on stakes. Jason informed Sookie that any vamp he saw inside the Authority was fair game. Sookie reminded him that they had to save Bill before things – "before things what? Spin out of control? That train has already sailed," Jason said. "There’s going to be a war. So if I have to kill Bill tonight – or any of the rest of them – I'm going to do it. The time for tolerance is over." In the car, Sookie kept trying to convince Jason that Bill was a good guy. But Jason told her: "The problem is us. We think we don’t deserve better than that. And maybe it's true." But he couldn't wallow for long. Eric, out of his coffin, told him to pull over. They bound and gagged Sookie, Jason and Tara -- for appearances, of course -- then drove into the Authority compound.

• At Merlotte's, Lafayette – who was really enjoying Sam’s absence – mixed up some margaritas for Arlene and Holly. Then Sheriff Andy Bellefleur showed up, his faerie baby mama, the very-pregnant Maurella, in tow. He knew he had to tell Holly. He just didn’t know how. So Holly made it easy. "Who was it and how many times?" she said. He'd barely told Holly that Maurella was pregnant when the faerie went into labor, right there at Merlotte's. Man, that place truly has seen everything: vampires, werewolves, ifrits, and now a faerie birth. "I can not believe I’m midwifing for your pregnant girlfriend," Holly spat as Maurella enjoyed her orgasmic birth, "that I just found out about." It was a girl! Then two, then three, then four. And them Maurella was out of there. "Take good care of them,” she said. "You sired them, and now it is your sacred duty to ensure that at least half them survive into adulthood." As Andy looked at Holly with a sheepish grin, she told him he was a d-ck.

• Salome kneeled at the altar of Lilith, swayed and intoxicated by Bill's message from Lilith. "Guide me o' mother, as I surrender to you, completely." She was about to drink the blood of Lilith when Eric and Nora led Jason, Sookie and Tara into the Authority headquarters, where they took down every vampire in sight, bathing the place in blood. Salome escaped to her lair, though. While Jason held down the main hall with his stakes – seems all his video gaming and police training came in handy here – Eric and Nora headed to the control room, and Sookie and Tara headed to the cages, where they freed Jessica and Pam. Pam was so proud, she could kiss Tara. And so she did. Like serious, making out. "I knew it!" Jessica proclaimed, giddy with happiness. So when she saw Jason, she too, confessed her love. But he said: "I can’t ever love a vampire. Sorry, I just can't do it." No time for that now, though. Eric told them to reload and head on up to the top. He and Sookie were going to go get Bill, so they'd meet them there. As the elevator ascended, Jason seemed to be pondering his position, surrounded by vampires, armed with stakes. Before he could act, though, the elevator doors opened, and he led the troop into battle, proclaiming: "I'm coming for you, Warlowe." Which stopped Nora in her tracks. "Warlowe?" she asked him. "What do you know about Warlowe?”

• In their chambers, Salome told Bill he was to witness as she drank the blood of Lilith. He told her to think about what she was doing. "If it were to affect you adversely, you would be a tremendous loss to the movement," he said. She told him that it was no mere movement – this was the Rapture. He still had doubt, and that's why she was chosen. And so, with a smirk on his face, he let her drain the vial. He told her then, as she convulsed, that her lust for greatness had been her own downfall. He'd silvered the blood, which, of course, was not truly Lilith’s. That, he had saved for himself. And as he staked his beloved adversary, she said, "Lilith chose wisely."

• And he was about to drink the real blood of Lilith when Eric and Sookie barged in. "Don't do it," Eric said. "She's a mad god, Bill. She's nothing but destruction." When Sookie said this wasn’t the Bill she knew, Bill told her he didn’t know him at all. "The light you bear, it's a handicap. It blinds you to the most obvious truths. That you are an abomination – just like the vampire bible states." But she told Bill he was stronger than this – that he was capable of kindness and generosity and sympathy, unique amongst all the vampires she’d met. He said he was done with the guilt, done apologizing. "Lilith grants us freedom from fear," he said, again quoting the vampire bible. "I told you the first night I met, vampires often turn on those they love the most." And then he drank the blood of Lilith. Immediately, he began convulsing, melting into a pile of blood. As Sookie sobbed and Eric looked on in shock, he was reborn, horrific, Bill 2.0.

• And he was about to drink the real blood of Lilith when Eric and Sookie barged in. "Don't do it," Eric said. "She's a mad god, Bill. She's nothing but destruction." When Sookie said this wasn’t the Bill she knew, Bill told her he didn’t know him at all. "The light you bear, it's a handicap. It blinds you to the most obvious truths. That you are an abomination – just like the vampire bible states." But she told Bill he was stronger than this – that he was capable of kindness and generosity and sympathy, unique amongst all the vampires she’d met. He said he was done with the guilt, done apologizing. "Lilith grants us freedom from fear," he said, again quoting the vampire bible. "I told you the first night I met, vampires often turn on those they love the most." And then he drank the blood of Lilith. Immediately, he began convulsing, melting into a pile of blood. As Sookie sobbed and Eric looked on in shock, he was reborn, horrific, Bill 2.0.

"True Blood" will return with a sixth season of new episodes on HBO in 2013.