Recap: True Blood “Burning Down the House” and Family Reunions

Last night’s episode of True Blood, “Burning Down the House”, was another emotionally charged one, replete with sadness, anger, cheers and surprises.

I’ll start with the sadness. Andy is caught and called out by Terry and Arlene, and Terry is determined to clean up his cousin. He takes him to Bellefleur Fort, which is a treehouse in the woods. The very same place Terry lived when he returned from his tour in Iraq, messed up on drugs and nightmares. Terry knows how to deal with Andy, having been there himself. We learn some things about the boys’ years growing up. Andy has always been jealous of Terry because he was the favored one by the family, including his own mother. Terry argued that Andy always had the best of everything while he and his family never had any money, and received no help from the Bellefleur family. There were some pretty sad memories revealed by both, but Terry won the day when Andy was finally able to admit that he was scared and needed help. I laughed when Terry went to get his truck to take them home and ended up making Andy walk all the way. Hey, it’s part of the process, right?

More sadness occurred when Sam’s brother, Tommy, dies. For the second time in all four seasons of True Blood, I cried. Alcide carried Tommy to Merlotte’s where Sam met them. Tommy doesn’t want to be taken to the hospital, feeling he’s not worth saving and he’d rather just be allowed to die. Among the pain and the tears, Tommy tells Sam he’s sorry for everything he’s done. Sam in his right, apologizes for not being the brother he should have been for Tommy. “I didn’t know how,” he tells Tommy. It’s not that Tommy was dying that made me so sad. It was the idea of too little, too late, too much regret over things that should have happened but didn’t. And the end of a life that was doomed from birth.

Moving on to anger, I had a fair amount of it toward Jason after he and Jessica did their thing in the back of his truck. First of all, he couldn’t even bring her into a nice bedroom. What, she wasn’t good enough? Then he tries to persuade her to glamour him so he’d forget what they had just done. Jessica thought she was on her way to a new romance and he tells her he doesn’t want to remember it again. Nice touch, Stackhouse. Then he brings up the bromance between him and Hoyt. Well news flash, Jason: you should have kept your hands off of Jess in the first place then! I’m sorry, but Jessica was so very wronged, by these guys. Here’s what I’d like to see her do: I’d like for her to reveal, in front of Hoyt, having sex with Jason, and talk about how horrible it was.  Then she can walk away with her fangs out and on the arm of a hot new meal. Bam!

Antonia and Marnie have a confrontation that is award-worthy, to say the least. Antonia reveals that she was a healer in life, and that all the bloodshed and killing of innocent people was never a part of her plan. She only wanted revenge on those who abused and murdered her. However, Marnie wants to keep Antonia for the power that the two of them can wield together. She convinces Antonia that together they can rid the world of all vampires. So Marnie is the psycho, not Antonia. Didn’t see that one coming!

In an attempt to rescue Tara and the others held inside The Goddess Emporium, Sookie, Lafayette, Jason and Jesus formulate a plan. Jesus will go in to talk with Marnie because she’s his friend and he thinks he can talk some sense into her. As he’s breaking through her defense shield, we see a demon head form on Jesus. What?! As he talks with Marnie, he is shocked to discover that she really is mad and the one running the whole show. He translates this to Sookie via her telepathy, while at the same time Tara and Holly have found a way to break the spell holding them all inside and they make it outside. Mantonia catches them all and they suddenly disappear, leaving Jason outside alone. Surprise!

Saving the best for last, in the attack that goes down during the Tolerance thing, Eric gets to Bill and there is a fantastic fight between these two. As Eric is about to rip Bill’s head off, Sookie releases her fae power and it breaks the spell over Eric as Mantonia watches from the balcony. Eric and Sookie have a tender moment in which he professes his love for her and she reciprocates, but also tells him that she needs time to sort out her feelings for him and Bill. Seeing Bill almost killed made Sookie realize that she really does still love him. She tells Eric she can’t imagine a world without Bill in it. I gotta hand it to Sookie, this was a very mature and clear decision on her part. At least she is honest with Eric and doesn’t lead him on. I loved the moment.

Pam is reunited with her Maker and grudgingly thanks Sookie for breaking the curse. Bill tells Nan that she is no longer in charge and he will not listen to her orders any more. Good for Bill! In the final scene we see Jessica, Pam, Bill and Eric jump out of a van, dressed in black and packing some serious heat, walking toward The Goddess Emporium. They’re taking Antonia down once and for all. End scene.

It was a fantastic episode with brilliant acting, smart writing and cannoning us toward what promises to be an explosive finale.