Episode Commentary: “Scratches”

Vampires, mind-readers, shape-shifters and now, well, what the hell was that? The town of Bon Temps is filled with all sorts of strange characters who all have their own secret. The third episode of the season begins with a bang and ends with another mystery, just as we’ve come to expect from the series.

Only minutes into this week’s episode does an entire new layer to mystery reveal itself as one of “True Blood’s” characters is attacked by a strange new creature. Unlike vampires, who have “come out of the coffin,” the world in which “True Blood” takes place has a bevy of creatures that have yet to reveal themselves to the world and it’s going to be interesting to see the direction the writers take with them.

Over the first two episodes, began a story line that is almost assuredly going to be a major story arc this season, the disappearance of a vampire Sheriff in Texas. Eric (Alexander Skarsgard, “Generation Kill”), the 1000-year-old Viking vampire Sheriff in Louisiana, requested the help of Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin “X-Men,” “The Piano”) to investigate what happened. Sookie’s ability to read minds is of immense use to Eric and Bill (Stephen Moyer, “The Starter Wife”) and Sookie knows it. Despite Bill’s wishes, circumstances lead Sookie to making a deal with Eric to find out what happened.

Last week finally revealed at least two abilities the sultry Maryann Forrester (Michelle Forbes, “Battlestar Galactica, Wonderland”) possesses when she was able to enchant the entirety of Merlotte’s Bar into dancing and then actually forced Sam (Sam Trammel, “Alien vs. Predator: Requiem”) to transform into a dog against his will. The fact that little that is actually known about her makes her character that much more interesting.

Jason Stackhouse, played by Aussie Ryan Kwanton (“Summerland”) has always been a character that was somewhat lacking. Not to say that Jason didn’t add to the show. He did provide one of the most disgusting yet simultaneously funny scenes last year, but this week adds some depth to the character. Jason always been fun to watch, but his time spent at the Light of Day Institute has given him a chance to think about the events of the past few months. The loss of his Gran (Lois Smith, “East of Eden”) and girlfriend Amy (Lizzy Caplan, “Mean Girls”) and having to watch Amy stake the vampire Eddie (Stephen Root, “King of the Hill”) seems to have resonated within him. Whether or not he realizes the Fellowship of the Sun is nothing more than a hate group remains to be seen, however his past naivety makes it easy to guess.

The episode also follows up on the budding romance between Tara Thorton (Rutina Wesley, “How She Move”) and Eggs (Mechad Brooks, “Dollhouse”), baby vamp Jessica’s coming into her own with her new life and a secret that the sexy new Merlotte’s waitress Daphne (Ashley Jones, “The Bold and the Beautiful”) has been keeping to herself.

Every episode teases you, adding new aspects to the mystery, while dropping little hints here and there of what may happen. Like every episode, “Scratches’” wonderful writing and excellent acting make “True Blood” a must watch series. The only bad part is that we have to wait two weeks to see the next part of the story.

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