Very stoked!

Fun review (as always)! You know, I was watching preview clips from next week and thought the same as you about Tara's girlfriend, Naomi. Horrible casting. There is no way that stick figure model is a cage fighter. She looks like you could snap her like a twig.

Loved the recap. Lots of good insights. Agree about what a terrific satire Alan Ball has created with the vampire politics. My favorite moment was when Nan Flanagan ('we're no threat to humans anymore, we drink synthetic blood') was about to sink her fangs into a juicy femoral artery.
Especially liked your point about how Tara's experience in the support group reminds us how victimized Tara was and that Franklin is not deserving of our sympathies. As much as I love the character, I have to disagree about his demise - I LOVED how the guy went out. I loved that Tara got a chance to tell Franklin off and stand up to him and show her rage, and I love that Jason (finally!) got his moment as a hero. He did something decisive and effective and got to put some of his Soldier of the Sun gear to really good use. I'm a fan of the books too, but I love that True Blood can pull surprise moments like this.

I'm with you on Lafayette! He and Jessica are officially my two favorite characters.
I remember hearing somewhere that Alan Ball was a little taken aback when Nelsan Ellis first read for the part of Lafayette but kept straying from the script (and was brilliant!). So now I wonder if some of the priceless "Lafayette-isms" are ad-libs.
I wondered about Terry's flashes of rational thought too and also wonder that his cousin Andy doesn't seem to be affected by Maryann. Maybe those Bellefleurs have a touch of the supe about them? Just a thought.
Great review! Keep them coming!

Will definitely be checking this out. Marsters was brilliant as Spike! He also does a terrific job as a reader on the audiobook versions of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series.

Great review! A lot of good points here. I agree that the show is more enjoyable when the writers allow the characters more complexity and don't back down. Yes, it was great to see Vampire Bill go after the FOTS guys, but in the end, he seemed to lose interest. It became a midnight snack instead of a throwdown. I expected something more along the lines of Eric ripping apart the redneck in the Fangtasia basement. THAT is an angry vampire!
I was definitely not disappointed in the bed scene with Sookie and Eric but agree with one of the above posters that it was a little tame in the tooth department. But hey, it's Sookie's fantasy. And as a personal observation, I do think the 'magic blood' probably awakened an attraction that Sookie already had for Eric, but now she is going to fight even harder against it. Let's not forget that Sookie is a survivor of childhood molestation by a family member. Trust is key for her yielding to a man, and Eric has just blown it with his mischievous trick ( a mistake that Eric in the books keeps making too, IMO). Then again, drawing out the sexual tension between these two is a good thing for the longevity of the show, right? Like you, I am looking forward to seeing Eric bring out the humor in Sookie, and Sookie bring out the emotional depth of Eric.
Really fun review, Roth! I'll be coming back to see what you have to say about the last few episodes.