True Blood: Review: Season 4 Ep 6

HBO, July 31 (US)

Bill arrives at Sookie’s house to take Eric into custody—at completely the wrong moment. Not that she has much chance to worry about this, though, since she also has Jason to worry about. He’s handcuffed himself to the bed in expectation of turning into a panther. Yes, it’s a full moon.

The series finally starts to explore the impact of Jason’s kidnapping might be having on him. It’s pretty much a game of bluff and double bluff, with hide and seek on the side. There’s rather a lot of supernatural creatures all out wandering the woods on this rather special night. Whilst a lot of the twists and turns are not unexpected, and the coincidences stretch credulity, it’s all fittingly done in a very funny—and also rather touching—way. The comedy is played up as well in the scenes when Tommy comes into his skinwalker powers—predicted and inevitable from comments made by Luna earlier in the season. Both Ryan Kwanten and Sam Trammell (pictured right) have a great episode. While Jason’s charming, idiotic stupidity comes to the fore for Kwanten, Trammell pulls off inhabiting the persona and characterization of Tommy brilliantly. It’s therefore almost annoying when serious sour-pusses Bill and Marnie are on screen, but these scenes do push the arc along a bit. That Marnie is turning into one bad-ass character—there will no doubt be a lot of cheering when she gets her deserved comeuppance.

Verdict: A were-what? Probably a were-load-of-laughs!

Episode 6 ‘I Wish I Was the Moon’: 9/10

Brigid Cherry