True Blood recap - Season 4 Premiere

True Blood is finally back on the air. And I've got that old Xmas song, "It's the most wonnn-der-fullll tiiii-me of the year!" in my head.

Allow me to share some of my thoughts on the very first episode of 'The Season of the Witch' as A-Ball calls it. He must be a Hitchcock fan because he seems to enjoy both the macabre and directly addressing the audience on camera - he gave a brief introduction to the new season right before it premiered. Which personally made me wonder, does A-Ball ever actually blink while talking? Isn't non-blinking supposed to be a sign of deep honesty? Anyway...

Obviously: SPOILER ALERT. (Duh.)

It started with a bunch of Fairyland shizz. Sorry, not really a fan of this part of the storyline, neither in the show, nor in the books. It all got way too weird for me, though pleasantly reminded me of some of the tropes of the original Star Trek series where the protagonists are suddenly running from hideous creatures, across the landscape of some forbidden planet. And then a proverbial red shirt guy maybe gets killed.

Moving on...

Then Sookie is back home again after time-travelling for a year (well, sort of), only to find out someone has pulled an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on the Stackhouse property, and it looks like Jason is selling the home out from under her. I like what they've done with her place. Martha Stewart would definitely approve. Though nothing will ever beat Pam's delicious line about Sookie's post-Maryanne disaster of a home last season: "Now, why'd you have to go kill that Maenad? She was a terrific decorator."

Both Beel and Eric suddenly arrive on Sookie's porch again. I liked how we saw their immediate awareness of Sookie's return while they slept during the day and their eyes popped open - excellent 'showing' instead of 'telling.' I also loved the subtle way we initially find out about Beel's new job when Eric immediately follows Beel's suggestion to go back to Fangtasia only a few moments after reuniting with Sookie. Eric tells her he's the only one who believed in her. Hmm...

Sookie isn't the only one in Bon Temps to get a swanky home remodel - the Compton estate has gotten a serious facelift. I'm really loving that circular wallpaper with dark background in Beel's office. It is odd to see Beel on top of the food chain finally, no longer having to kiss anyone's ass anymore. I'm dying to see how that supposed Queen Sophie-Anne ass-whuppin went down. Maybe that's why he needed to remodel his whole house - their fight must have ripped the shit out of the place completely. That, or Hoyt's mama inadvertently took Sophie-Anne out - she was gunning for Jessica, another redheaded female vamp, and expected to find her at Beel's house. That's my guess anyway.

We also finally met Ms. Portia Bellefleur, Esq. I seriously, seriously hope the show does not follow the books' storyline with regard to Portia and a certain male relative (I don't think they will...) Her brother, police officer Andy Bellefleur, is hooked on V, as was alluded to last season. Jason is his enabler - they have an interesting, effed up friendship. Together they infringe upon the civil liberties of the African-American residents of Bon Temps and it goes completely unpunished. That scene with Lafayette in the kitchen at Merlotte's was really hard for me to watch. Spot-on critique of typical white male law enforcement macho bullshit there, A-Ball.

I'm skipping over the stuff that doesn't really grab me - stuff I don't really mind watching, but that I tend to think of as filler: (Tara has a new identity and is dating a very hot woman, Sam is in anger management and has made some shifter friends, Lafayette is still dating a hot nurse/presumable witch, Jessica and Hoyt are playing house and having issues, etc.) But I LOVE me some Arlene Fowler and some Terry Bellefleur. That scene with Arlene's reaction to baby Michael taking the heads off all of the barbie dolls was such a classic. Todd Lowe and Carrie Fowler are just pitch perfect character actors in these roles, and are so fun to watch.

Now for the scene I had been waiting months for... and that would be pretty much anything involving Eric and Sookie looking like they just might get it on.

What I generally always fast-forward to on the DVR, after having watched an episode once, are any and all sexy scenes involving Sheriff Eric Northman. Yum. While I don't usually like blonde pretty boys (I know, that sounds like saying you don't like chocolate), I find Eric so delicious in certain scenarios. Like the final scene in Sookie's bedroom. I especially liked how the 'Sookie is dreaming of Eric' music was playing - neat trick. Not a dream. Please let the next episode pick up right where this one left off!

One more thought. Am I the only one who thinks some of these actors are looking a little too gaunt these days? Eric, Beel, and Pam are all looking much skinnier than last season, and I think the weight loss is making their faces look slightly older. Nice for a change that it's not only the female actors who are too damn skinny.