The Cruelest Cut: Betrayal, Sacrifice, and Blood Debts on "True Blood"

"Betrayal is the only truth that sticks." - Arthur Miller

I raced back from San Diego's Comic-Con last night to catch the latest episode of HBO's seductive and slick drama series True Blood ("Hard-Hearted Hannah"), written by Brian Buckner and directed by Michael Lehmann, and I'm glad I did as the installment featured several betrayals that had me gasping for air, even as some of them seemed rather obvious from the start. (Cough, Daphne, cough.)

Throughout the season to date, various factions have been moving into place and this week threats to our protagonists made their moves, with Daphne betraying Sam, Sookie and Hugo being taken by the Fellowship of the Sun, Eric luring Lorena to distract Bill, Sarah making her choice to betray Steve, Eggs learning a truth about his past, Pam forcing Lafayette back into the game, and Maryann, oh, pushing everyone into a frenzied state in the woods behind the Stackhouse place.

"Hard-Hearted Hannah" offered one of the most shocking and twisty episodes of the second season of True Blood and made me wonder just how dark things are going to get in Bon Temps before the end of the season. After all, this episode was just the half-way point for Season Two and I have a sinking suspicion that things are going to get very grim for Sookie and her friends.

You can read about my recap of the True Blood panel at San Diego Comic-Con here and then let's discuss "Hard-Hearted Hannah."

Daphne. As I mentioned in last week's write up, it was way too coincidental that two shifters should just happen to be Bon Temps at the same time... and that Miss Daphne showed up at just the same time that Maryann did. This week, we learn that Daphne's go-to form is that of a pig... right before she betrays Sam for good and turns him over to Maryann and her frenzied minions. Is this the payment that Maryann was after before? The forfeit of Sam's life to repay his debt to her... or is she willing to trade his life for servitude?

The wicked looking knife that Carl is holding is clearly meant to reference the remains of the ritual sacrifice that Eggs and Tara discovered in the woods, which would lead me to believe that Maryann wants to make a blood offering of Sam Merlotte himself. But there's no way that Alan Ball and Company are killing off Sam like this so I imagine that something must give.

As for Daphne, did her shifter nature render the maenad's scratches less poisonous than they would have been to a normal human? Is Daphne acting of her own accord or did those wounds enable Maryann some control over her? And if not, why has Daphne willingly joined up with Maryann after she was so savagely attacked? Curious.

Eggs. Poor Eggs gets the shock of a lifetime when he and Tara head out to pick up a spare part for the Stackhouse's old water heater and he experiences a strong sense of deja vu while driving. Drawn to a spot in the woods, Eggs leads Tara to the aforementioned sacrifice site. While Eggs can't remember anything, he knows something awful happened there--the blood on the rock and the torn clothes were a clue--and he's deeply disturbed by what he sees. Could it be that Maryann's glamour over her victims is fading? Or that Eggs is somehow growing less susceptible to forgetting what he saw/experienced?

Sadly, Eggs and Tara discover what Maryann is up to in the back of the house and are sucked into the spell, becoming a part of the dark orgy that Maryann has unleashed. I'm hoping that the duo remember something afterwards about what they saw as someone has to put a stop to Maryann before she destroys Bon Temps or has her followers turn on each other in a blood-fueled rage.

Hugo. I loved that Isabelle (Valerie Cruz) also has a human lover and that she made it clear to Bill right away that he belongs to her. Given their relationship, it seems as though the logical traitor in their midst would be Stan but this could be a red herring. Could it be that Hugo has infiltrated the Dallas vampires just as Sookie plans to do with the Fellowship of the Sun? (Yet Sookie read Hugo's mind and discovered that he was madly in love with Isabelle but that could have been trickery. After all, Steve Newlin seemed to know that she was a telepath.)

Sookie. I'm actually quite terrified to know just what the Newlins have planned for Sookie Stackhouse. Sarah seemed quite upset when Steve wanted Sookie to participate in the lock-in; it's not a good sign that they have Godric chained up somewhere in the basement and then dragged her downstairs. Gabe seemed to think that Sookie's, uh, decolletage would be a plus. I'm not sure if they mean to incite Godric or the Light of Day soldiers. Whatever their intent, it's not good and Sookie is dragged, kicking and screaming, down the stairs while Sarah watches, helpless and crying.

If only Jason knew his sister was imprisoned just downstairs from where he and Sarah are going at it in the church balcony. Oh, Jason, your abstinence pledge lasted all of two hours or so. Sigh. I'm beginning to think that Steve Newlin knew all along just who Jason Stackhouse was--and his connection to Sookie--and that he's been maneuvering him into place all along. This does not bode well.

Bill and Lorena. We got a lovely flashback to Bill during Prohibition Days when he and Lorena posed a sexually adventurous Parisian couple and then murdered their party hosts in their bedroom. It's clear that as Bill's maker, Lorena holds much sway over Bill and physically she is much, much stronger than he is. As for why Eric summons her to Dallas, I'm not sure. The logical reason would be to distract Bill so that Eric can swoop in and possess Sookie for himself... but if that's the case why send Sookie into danger and make it impossible for Bill to rescue her? Surely, Sookie is more valuable alive than she is dead....

Jessica and Hoyt. But among all of the betrayal and animosity and evil, there was one flickering sign of hope this week: the burgeoning romance between Hoyt Fortenberry and baby vamp Jessica Hamby. After Maxine cuts off Hoyt's cell phone access, Hoyt drives out to Dallas to be with Jessica (with flowers no less!) just as she awakens at dusk (and pours out two very expensive bottles of Tru Blood into the sink).

The look of surprise and love on Jessica's face as she hears Hoyt at the door was absolutely beautiful and a testament to the redemptive power of love. She's walking a fine line between innocent girl and cold-blooded vampiric killer and Hoyt could keep her on the straight and narrow. These two might just be the most adorable couple on television and once again I have to give massive kudos to Jim Parrack and Deborah Ann Woll for playing it just right, imbuing their interactions with a sweet innocence laced with the slightest edge of simmering sexuality.

But my favorite scene of the episode has to be the one between Todd Lowe's Terry and Lafayette after Lafayette freaks out when Andy badgers him about his disappearance and Lafayette, clearly suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, cowers in the corner. That Terry--who, more than anyone would know what Lafayette is experiencing--stands up to his cousin Andy was a testament to how far Terry has come as a character. That he would then comfort Lafayette and hold him was a brave and truthful scene about kinship and understanding. And, yes, I'll admit that I did get more than a little choked up. Just a beautifully understated scene that spoke volumes about both Terry and Lafayette.

As for Lafayette, his troubles are just beginning as Pam turns up at Merlotte's to call in a favor. (We didn't really think that Eric offered Lafayette his blood without any strings attached, did we?) It looks like Lafayette is going to be dragged back into the V game whether he wants to or not. But I can't quite figure out why Eric would want Lafayette back in business selling vampire blood. Just what does Northman get out of this arrangement? Hmmm....

Just what will happen next? What are the Fellowship of the Sun's plans for Sookie? Is Godric the vampire they intend to roast in the sun? Why did Eric bring Lorena to Dallas? Who can stop Maryann? And how am I going to wait until Sunday for another installment without going insane? Discuss.

Next week on True Blood ("Release Me"), Sam finds himself in a predicament at the hands of Maryann and her wild-eyed minions after Daphne's betrayal; imprisoned with Hugo by the Fellowship of the Sun, Sookie attempts to telepathically reach out to Bill, who’s being detained Lorena; Jason tries to sever his ties with the Fellowship of the Sun, but gets plenty of resistance from Steve and Gabe.