Sunday's new episode of True Blood, proves yet again, that new executive producer, Brian Buckner has brought new life to the series. "Life Matters" was an amazing episode from start to finish. The episode was finally the funeral of long time Bon Temps resident and Merlotte's cook Terry Bellefluer. The episode cuts back and forth between Terry's funeral and all the action surrounding trying to save the vampires from Vamp Camp. Seeing as that could get confusing for all, I'll first go through Terry's funeral and then the Vamp Camp action.
The funeral scenes begin with Arlene walking up to the grave site. She finds Reverend Daniels and Lettie Mae and she thanks them for doing the service on such short notice. They escort her to her seat. Sookie transports herself from faery graveyard to the real cemetery, which luckily no one seemed to notice. She greets Arlene, and then finds a couple seats for herself and Jason next to Maxine Fortenberry and Jane Bodehouse. Maxine briefly tells us that Hoyt has been well and has a new girlfriend, who isn't a red headed blood sucker. Alcide appears out of no where and greets Sookie, while the older women gawk.
Reverend Daniels gives a nice eulogy in which he describes Terry as a total family man. Andy then goes up to speak. We flashback to when Terry was hiding out at Fort Bellefluer. Andy keeps bringing him beer but he doesn't know what to get him. Terry finally speaks to him and tells him he wants Raging Bitch IPA. Andy tries to talk him into coming back home and saying that an old flame was single. Terry seems slightly interested until Andy says that she has three kids and Terry runs away. Andy says he'll find him a job and Terry replies with, "Good luck with that."
Sam speaks next about how Andy came to him asking about getting Terry a job at his bar. Sam says that Terry was one of the best employees he's ever had, but also one of the best and loyal friends he's ever had. We flashback to Andy and Sam at Fort Bellefluer, where they lure Terry out with his favorite beer and an offer to go fishing. Terry ends up catching a nice catfish and they're all excited...but Terry. Terry stops and tells Andy to throw the fish back in the water because every life matters.
Lafayette speaks next, remembering Terry's first shift at Merlotte's with him. He recalls looking into Terry's eyes that first shift, and being able to look into his soul. In one of my favorite flashbacks of this episode, we go to Merlotte's on Terry's first night. Lafayette finds Terry over cooking a batch of fries and staring off into space. Lafayette gets his attention and Terry admits he is extremely worried about screwing up his new job. Lafayette tells him he won't let him, and begins to show him how to cook french fries. Then he tells Terry to put his body into it, and begins to dip the fries with some dancing flair. Terry takes the cue and starts to dance while he's dipping the fries. This scene is probably one of the cutest scenes ever, in my opinion.
Portia then gives a beautiful talk about how Terry could have her laughing in five minutes. Reverend Daniels is about to call Arlene up for her eulogy, and Sookie can hear Arlene freaking out about how she isn't ready. Sookie then speaks up and says she has something to say. Sookie takes the podium and gives a slight nod to Arlene to let her know she had heard her. Sookie starts off by saying she's not comfortable talking in front of people, but she loves Terry and Arlene. She begins to talk about how small Bon Temps is and how everyone knows that she is different, but only a handful know what she really is. After steeling herself for a moment, she then tells everyone that she is a telepath.
She says that she remembers that same night at Merlotte's that Lafayette was speaking of. Sookie tells Arlene that she was listening to Terry's thoughts that night. We have a brief flashback scene to a new waitress with Sookie and Arlene at the pass with Terry. Arlene takes an order to a table and Sookie over hears Terry thinking sweet things of Arlene and he asks Sookie for her name. Sookie then says to Arlene, "He loved you from the second you walked into his life. Not too many peoploe can say they were loved like that but you can Arlene. You deserve to know it." Sookie goes back to her seat to find Alcide waiting for her. She wonders where Jason is and Alcide says he's sure he's fine and offers a shoulder for her to cry on.
Arlene then has the courage to give her eulogy to Terry. She tells the story of the night Mikey was born and how great Terry was getting her through it. The flashback shows them in the hospital and Arlene is having a difficult time getting him to feed. Terry calms her down and the baby begins to eat. The flashback ends with Terry saying how much he loves this family and Arlene tells him they love him and it ends with a kiss.
As the funeral is about to finish, Lettie Mae announces that Big John has something he wants to say. Big John says how much he loved Terry but how he's not good with words. He instead decides to sing a song that his grandmother used to sing to him. A song called, "Life Matters." After the song is over, the military ceremony of the funeral begins. It starts off with a 21 gun salute, then followed by a performance of Taps on the trumpet. Finally the soldiers fold Terry's flag and present it to Arlene. In her head, Arlene admits that the funeral didn't feel like a lie like she thought it would. She ends her though with, "I think Terry would've been ok with this."
The episode opens up with Sookie, Bill and Warlow in the Faery cemetery. Warlow has been almost completely drained by Eric. Sookie bites into her own wrist and feeds Warlow her blood. Bill, incredibly impatient, insists that Warlow come with him now to save the vamps at Vamp Camp. He grips Warlow up, and asks how to get out of this place. Warlow tells Sookie to use her light and even though she doesn't believe it will work, she blasts Bill who is thrown right out of the Faery plane, landing ambly on ihs feet. He then vamp speeds away.
We next come across Eric, who is now daywalking at the location of Vamp Camp. He speeds up to assess the situation with the guards. He drops fangs and goes to attack the guards. We then see Bill come up to the same area...except now the guards have all been massacred. Bill can only utter one name again....Eric. We then see Eric carrying a couple severed arms to a door in Vamp Camp. He finds the one he can use to enter the room...which is where he finds Doctor Overlark. Eric vamp speeds to the doctor before he can realize what's happening, and rips from the doctor, his manhood. Eric casually tosses the member behind him and tells the doctor he'll be back in ten minutes to make sure he's bled out.
Eric then goes to the male Gen Pop area and enters with an adorable little jig and he then tells them they are all free to go. They all flee, with the exception of one sad looking vampire. While Eric is removing the security chip from the arm he used to gain access, he notices the lone vampire who has not fled to his freedom. Eric encourages him to go on and kill his captors. The young vampire can only answer with, "My maker is in that drawer." Eric goes and opens the drawer to see an older vampire who has clearly has Hep V. Eric confirms that the vampire has drank the Tru Blood and apologizes, closing the drawer. He tells the yonger vampire that his maker will die a horrible death, and it's up to him whether he chooses to stay and watch or go free.
Bill then comes across Doctor Overlark, laying on the floor in a giant puddle of his own blood. He immediately asks if it was a tall blonde vamipre who did this to him. Doctor Overlark confirms it was Eric and which way he went. Overlark begs for Bill to kill him and Bill asks if he's hurt his progeny, Jessica. Doctor Overlark says that he did, which prompts Bill to swiftly stomp his head in. Bill continues around vamp camp looking for Eric.
Eric then releases the female vampires commanding them to go and kill the humans. He then notices a badly wounded Jason. Jason tells Eric that all the girls have been taken away. Eric asks how well Jason knows camp and asks if he's ever healed Jason before. Jason thinks for a moment and says he doesn't think so. Eric tells him he's in for a treat and to dream nice things of him when he does dream of him. Once Jason is healed, they start off through vamp camp to find Eric's girls. We see Sarah Newlin crawl out from under a pile of dead bodies after they have passed. She gets out from under them and runs off in the opposite direction.
As they're going around the camp, Eric happens to find Pam's shrink, Dr. Finn being held by some newly freed vampires. Eric asks them for a moment alone with the doctor. Eric sits down with the shrink. After a brief exchange, Eric tells the doctor he's going to die to which he replies that he doesn't care, he'll die a happy man. He then tells Eric that he had sex with his progeny, Pam. Jason, obviously high off Eric's ancient blood, interjects with probably my favorite line from this episode, "Oh you did not just go there! That's gonna cost ya doc." Eric swiftly rips the anti glamour contacts out of the doctors eyes and glamours him to find out if he's telling the truth, which he is. Eric becomes enraged and grabs the doctor. He tells the doctor that he's going to help him find Pam and when they do, she's going to be the one to kill him because she's earned it.
As the three go search for Pam, Eric hears a scream...a scream he's positive he knows. Telling Jason to hold this, Eric makes off for the scream and finds good old Ginger. She's delighted to see her knight in shining armor and she joins them as they continue searching for Pam and the others.
Bill comes across a guard who is still alive. He lifts him up and tells him that he's going to take him to the white room where his friends are going to meet the sun. We then see Sarah climbing a long stairway up a huge white cylindrical tower, all while reciting a prayer. Sarah rushes to a huge crank and begins turning it, thus opening the ceiling to the white room. As the crack opens up further and further, we see Bill has made it to the room and all the vampires there are feeding on him. Except for Steve Newlin, who is circling them all begging for someone to let him in so he can drink. There are too many vampiress and not enough Bill.
Eric, Jason, Finn and Ginger find their way into the observatory room looking into the scene. As they take in the scene before them, Eric notices Steve's struggle. As Steve is about to run out of the room, he runs right into Eric who grabs him by the throat and forces him back into the room. Bill tries to reason with Eric to let Steve drink, but Eric won't allow it. Steve begs and promises he won't be so weak in the future. Eric tells him he has no future and puts him directly into the sunlight. Steve yells out his final words, "I love you.....Jason Stackhouse!" as he ignites into flames and then bursts into a pile of firey goo. Ginger screams, as usual. Jason's facial expressions after Steve's final words and Ginger's screaming are priceless.
Eric then goes to Pam. He lovingly tells her that he saved the therapist for her. He points behind the glass and Finn sees this. As he begins to attempt to flee, he turns around only to see Pam right in front of him, fangs out and hissing.
Bill is almost lifeless as Violet caresses her face with his hands, thanking him. The vampires are all now clearly high off of the Lillith/Warlow blood that they've drank from Bill. They're all dancing about giggling and talking about the sunlight. Pam is dancing with the dead body of the shrink. It's all very mad. Finally Pam has a moment of clarity, asking if they've killed everyone that needs to be killed. All the vamps appear to believe so, but Jason realizes there's one more baddie left. He rushes off to hunt down Sarah, while the vamps all begin to file out of the white room. As Violet lays Bill on the ground and all the vamps are gone, Bill sees Lilith's sirens who all begin to shush him.
Jason catches up to Sarah and tackles her to the ground. They have an intense screaming match about God. She tells him he's not a killer and pleads for him to let her go. Jason grips her up and backs her up against her car. Jason gives her a funny message from God and she screams at him asking what will become of his soul. Jason puts the gun to her head but after a moment, he releases her and lets her go.
Eric leads the gang of day walking vampires to cases and cases of the tainted Tru Blood. They all begin destroying it. Vampires are shown knocking over cases, stopping a Tru Blood truck in California, we even see Tara with an automatic weapon shooting out cases of the bad blood. We see a vampire attack the truck driver and vampires come and take away the product.
Lilith's sirens begin to approach Bill. They tell him his time on Earth is over. Bill tells them he's not goin anywhere. As Jessica is relishing in the moment that they're all free, daywalking, and she has a new vamp, she suddenly feels a pull from Bill. She breaks away from her embrace with James and goes back to the white room, where he was left. They can hear him talking but he's alone in the room. She first tries to call to him through the glass in the observation room. When nothing happens, she goes right into the white room. Bill tells her to stay away. She goes to him and walks through the sirens. He tells Jessica about the sirens coming closer. James decides to try to feed Bill to see if it will help, even though vampire blood usually won't heal another vampire.
The final scene of "Life Matters" is all the vampires walking out of the camp. James and Jessica join the group first and after a moment Bill emerges from the white room, in perfect condition. All the now daywalking vampires applaud Bill for saving them from the Sun. Jessica turns to Bill and gives him a hug. Willa comes up and thanks him and Jessica says to take the party back to their place. Ginger shouts that she'll feed them al. Violet goes over to Jason and reminds him that he only feeds her. Pam slowly stops and we see her turn around to see Eric across the way from her. She tells him, "Don't you dare leave me." He gives her a soft look before he zooms off into the sky, leaving her shocked and gasping.
Overall, I loved this episode. I thought the funeral was done beautifully and respectfully. I felt it was the perfect send off for Terry. I thought the flashbacks were a nice touch, bringing to life the memories they had of him. I only would have liked to see Felix there, but that's just me being silly. I'm proud of Sookie for finally coming out and telling the town what she really is. The action around saving the vampires from Vamp Camp was great and really intense. I'm happy that all of the vampires made it out of camp. I only wish Steve had made it out also, although I do feel he did deserve it. I'm intrigued to see what the season finale will hold for us, but I can't believe there's only one episode left!
I am a reviewer for SpoilerTV, reviewing True Blood and American Horror Story. I also enjoy Grey's Anatomy. I also run and or contribute to several True Blood accounts across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.
