The penultimate episode of Season four played just like a Season Finale with nearly every storyline reaching conclusion. Or at least like one of those season finales that precedes a haunted stand-alone episode. I'm thinking of Buffy's Season 4 two-fer "Primeval" and "Restless" where all the story threads are sewn up but then the heroine begins to fray in mysterious ways.
Show me future."
Soul of Fire
Not that True Blood is Buffy's equal, I hasten to add. Nor could Sookie fray in mysterious ways since her dramas are always "who to sleep with?" related and never any deeper. Even her "what am I, exactly?" identity crisis resulted in no character growth or behavioural change. And anyway, the pre-credits twist (glorious!) punishes you for thinking things are sewn up and tidy. Did I just negate these first two paragraphs? Uhhh, damnit. May I glamour you and wipe them from your memory?
The penultimate episode begins with the great album cover ready shot of the four lead vampires in black leather ambush gear heading for Moon Goddess Emporium and we stay there for nearly all of the episode with all eyes on Marnie. She admits that she likes it that way... and so does Fiona Shaw, don't you know.
We learn that Marnie's forcefield is impenetrable and actually composed of solar power and thus deadly to vampires. But the death count doesn't stop there. Marnie kills one of her own with a telekinetic knife throw marking her for certain capital punishment within the moral laws of True Blood the series. Though Marnie wouldn't be pleased to hear it only vampires can slaughter innocents and maintain anything like redeemable moral ambiguity in the show's relative value system. Sure enough by episode's end, the future that magic pool of blood showed her, has come to pass and she's dead with a bullet through the brain.
The best thing one can say about the episode's frequent action is that nearly everything is one part resolution and one part set-up for future episodes, which can't be an easy thing to pull off as a show runner or team. Consider the two subplots: Andy meets a fairy as he's kicking V (resolution) and swears to protect her (set-up). Alcides and Sam attack and kill Marcus (resolution) which leaves Debbie dangling and the werewolf pack without an alpha (set-up). And even within the vamp/witch war you've got this two-fold approach to story. Jessica and Jason rescue each other again and accept their feelings (resolution) but still don't know what that means for their future (set-up... or continuation. Something needs to happen there. They can't just keep having this conversation for another season). Pam saves Bill and Eric from their terrible negotiation skills -- the worst mankind or vampkind have ever seen (seriously? two deaths to free someone who is locked in a shop?) -- which is resolution but this pisses Eric off and he basically banishes her from his presence (set-up).
Body Count: 3 vamps, 3 humans, 1 werewolf; Sex Scenes: 1 Andy seduced by (and sworn to) a fairy; Fresh Meat: Marella the new fairy in town and down Andy's pants; Best Sookie Moment: Her reaction shot at episode's end when Bill and Eric are seen talking to each other but neither of them come to console her. Ohmygod, Sookie. You're going to have to finally sleep with Alcides if they both won't put out; Trashiest Moment: Eric sucking on a fresh heart just to gross Marnie out.
gif via Foolish Flower
I don't know about Marnie but it sure grossed me out;
Funniest Moment: There were quite a few very funny beats amidst all the mayhem including Fiona Shaw's hilarious awkward high five to her most annoying acolyte. Lafayette's and Tara's deadpan quips ("that ship done sailed" and "a regular huminatarian"( but the one that actually made me LOL was Arlene's simple concerned "Andyyy" when he tells her that he was just in the woods shtupping a fairy after swearing to her finger light after which she vanishes in a ball of light.
MVP: Marnie (Fiona Shaw) for my money the best Big Bad from all four seasons or as good as Maryann within a better season; Episode Grade: B+ Honestly this would have been an A episode for all the excitement and the beautiful story cohesion were it not for a too much repetition like Marnie coaxing everyone back into the circle with "but they want to kill us" speeches (and that was just one example) to a couple of enormous leaps in character motivation logic like Sookie joining the witches circle (and that was just one example). Regarding the latter, couldn't she have refused but still interrupted their spell with her fairy powers and thus stayed in character without the plot changing at all?
Previously on True Blood
4.1 "She's Not There" MVP: Marnie; Grade: C
4.2 "You Smell Like Dinner" MVP: Eric; Grade: A
4.3 "If You Love Me Why...?" MVP: Eric; Grade: B+
4.4 "I'm Alive and On Fire" MVP: Sookie; Grade: B+
4.5 "Me and the Devil" MVP: Arlene; Grade: A-
4.6 "I Wish I Was the Moon" MVP: Pam; Grade: B
4.7 "Cold Grey Light..." MVP: Jessica; Grade: B-
4.8 "Spellbound" MVP: The Fortenberrys (Hoyt & Maxine); Grade: B+
4.9 "Let's Get Out of Here" MVP: Sam; Grade: B
4.10 "Burning Down the House" MVP: Marnie; Grade: A-