TV Verdict

The initial sequence in “Keep This Party Going”, Episode 2 of True Blood’s second season, is disarming. Literally. One thing is clear: HBO’s hottest vampire drama will pull no punches this season. Things are going to get messy. Spoilers below.

As Eric finishes his messy meal in the dungeon of Fangoria, Lafayette watches in terror. A dismembered arm gets casually tossed aside. Eric is annoyed mostly because he got blood in his hair, which is being bleached. In order to save his own skin, Lafayette eagerly agrees to tell the vampires anything they want to know, but in doing so, fingers Jason Stackhouse as the person who might have brought a sticky end to his supply of V (all last season).

As for Jason, he’s enjoying his newfound attention and respect at leadership camp with the Fellowship Of The Sun, as well as more than a few admiring looks from the preacher’s wife. For Jason, this is a chance at redemption, at finding a purpose in his life–but a nasty bit of roleplaying brings out some bad memories about close encounters with vampires. Jason has secrets, and if they ever got out in the Fellowship, things could go very badly.

Jason catches the flag!

At Merlotte’s, the party gets started early with the arrival of Maryann, who immediately sets upon eating everything in the building. Sam is uncomfortable about her presence, but since she so generously forgave his past criminal misdeeds, how can he object? Her presence seems to be having a peculiar effect on the locals, however. Everyone keeps dancing, dancing, and dry humping each other, lost in a flurry of singing and pleasure and joy. It would be kind of fun, except for how their eyeballs keep turning black.

Tara and Eggs continue their relationship, one that Maryann seems eager to nurture. Eggs is not forthcoming about his past, but with some poking, reveals a criminal rap sheet that would make a gangster blush. Tara isn’t quite sure how to handle the news, having had bad trouble with men in the past, but Eggs genuinely seems to want her in his life. It would almost be sweet, if it wasn’t so sinister.

After being sent back down to the dungeon, Lafayette realizes that all his wheeling, dealing and sweet-talking might not be enough to save his black ass from his current vampiric predicament. In the greatest MacGyver moment ever on television since, well, you know, he uses the metal hip from his dismembered cellmate to pick his lock and escape. Now that’s using your… hip. Unfortunately, he sustains a gunshot wound to the leg trying to escape. Now prisoner of Eric and his cronies again, Lafayette tries one final, desperate gambit to escape–a proposition to Eric that might be too delicious to resist.

As for Sookie, she’s stuck on babysitting duty, watching fledgling vampire Jessica while Bill runs some errands. Sookie is eager to get to know Jessica, and Jessica even seems amicable, but the evening is spoiled by watching newsreel footage of Jessica’s parents, begging for her daughter’s safe return. Jessica is insistent she get the opportunity to see her parents one last time, and Sookie (against better judgment) agrees, driving her.

Once they arrive, Jessica quickly breaks her promise to Sookie to stay in the car and goes into the house, inciting a tearful reunion with her mother and sister. But when her father comes home, the happy moment turns sour when his anger spills over. Jessica, not quite in control of her newfound powers and emotions, immediately springs out the teeth. It seems Jessica’s happy home life might not be so happy after all.

Just as things are about to get deadly, Bill springs into the room, defusing a bad situation. His anger is apoplectic and he tosses (literally) Sookie out of the house, furious. As for the fate of Jessica’s family–we’ll have to wait until next week.