True Blood Season 3, Episode 4 Impressions: 9 Crimes

What Happened This Week: In a very New Moon Edward Cullen move, Bill breaks up with Sookie…over the phone. Undeterred by the break-up, Sookie still resumes her conquest of finding Bill, using werewolf Alcide as her guide. Alcide takes Sookie to the werewolf bar to experience the initiation of his ex-fiancee Debbie Pelt only to discover that Russell is in league with the werewolves. Franklin’s interest in Tara increases, while Sam finds himself reaching out to his family with a new offer. Jessica gets a new job as waitress at Merlotte’s while Jason seeks a new one for himself as a cop. Meanwhile, Eric finds himself in deep trouble with his vampire superiors once it becomes clear he’s involved in the illegal dealing of vampire blood.

In true True Blood fashion, the most shocking moments came at the beginning and end of the episode. 9 Crimes started off with Bill breaking up with Sookie much like Edward did with Bella in New Moon, only over the phone. The move, was totally untypical of a Southern man who previously up until this episode was known to love one woman with all his immortal being: Sookie. Sookie being Sookie, wouldn’t have any of this and demanded actual face-to-face closure. Closure unfortunately wasn’t granted because Bill, newly appointed Mississippi sheriff was instructed by the King of Mississippi to break up with Sookie. It was then that the biggest question of the episode arises: Can Bill be saved?

Obviously, having fallen so far away from home and his law-abiding vampire citizen ways, it’s not really clear what will happen to Bill next since he’s formed a partnership with the King of Mississippi as sheriff. Naturally, making up with Sookie again won’t be easy. Just ask any girl who’s been dumped over the phone.

Sookie however, isn’t always ‘any other girl.’ She’s determined to get closure from Bill and she’s gone so far in this episode as to dress-up as a biker chic to infiltrate the werewolf circle for more information on Bill’s whereabouts. Sadly, she doesn’t receive any helpful information for her pursuit to find Bill. The episode ends just as the entire bar begins their werewolf transformation. (Could you expect anything else from a True Blood episode?)

Sookie isn’t the only helpless person in this episode. Tara’s new vampire boy toy goes British charming and suave to flat-out crazy vampire in seconds. In this episode we find out that Tara’s mostly been used by crazy British vampire guy for more information on Bill and Sookie and blood. It’s also revealed that his employer is the King of Mississippi. This makes me wonder — doesn’t anyone have a cell phone? If the king was truly Brit vampire’s employer, couldn’t he have called him to say, “Hey we have Bill, your work is done.”

Speaking of work, Jessica has a new job as a waitress in Merlotte’s and Jason wants to blackmail his way to becoming a cop. With the bust of Eric’s ‘V’ dealing operation, I feel the series is become more political, more about laws and less about the supernatural. So far, we’ve yet to come across any maenads or crazy voodoo ladies.

What I Think Is Going to Happen Next: Sookie will manage to escape the werewolves thanks to Eric. Mississippi was most likely Eric’s next destination to retrieve Bill — why not meet Sookie? Jessica, being the new vampire that she is, may crack and just kill someone. Why else would she pick up a job at a bar frequented by humans?