“Life Matters” Recap – Bill Compton Style
Picking up just where we left off at the end of episode 6:08, we are in cemefaery. Sookie is cradling Warlow in her arms, urging him to, “come back to me,” while Bill, looking very aggravated, is insisting that he needs, “the little blood he has left.” Sookie objects, “He’ll die.” Bill reminds her, “we made a deal, Sookie.” Sookie responds with a newly empowered voice, ringing with defiance and sarcasm. “I know we did Bill, but Eric took our deal and fucked it in the ass. You’re the God of all vampires, deal with your vampire!” She starts biting her forearm. Bill drops fang. Sookie retorts, “Seriously, I’m gnawing on my own arm and you’re gonna drop fang on me?” Bill silently retracts his fangs. As Sookie gives Warlow her arm, coaxing him to drink, Bill offers his own sarcasm to the occasion. “You see that? He’s lookin’ better already. Shall we go, Warlow?” Sookie stands her ground, refusing to relent to Bill’s demands. He grabs Warlow by the throat, “How do I get out of here?” Sookie won’t give in. “God dammit, Bill, you don’t have to do this!” Bill shouts, “I have no choice!” Sookie comes back at him with a reality check. “Right now Eric has more of Warlow’s blood coursing through his veins than Warlow does. If you want Warlow’s blood, take it from Eric and leave us the fuck alone!” Bill is not dissuaded. Still holding him by the neck, he demands that Warlow tell him how to get out of faerie. No answer. He adds a threat. “Tell me how to get out, or Sookie dies!” Warlow tells Sookie, “Use your light.” He assures her it will work. Sookie sends her light stream straight at Bill, who is propelled into the air, and out of faerie. Landing on his feet, but without Warlow, he furiously vamp-speeds off into the night.
Bill and Sookie continue to be at odds, angry, distrustful, and unsympathetic toward each other. Bill makes demands, Sookie refuses to compromise her safety, or Warlow’s. Crossed purposes continues to plague them. Sookie is her scrappy, spunky self, but with a new fearlessness, a nothing-to-lose attitude that imbues her words with an added sense of purpose and strength.
Bill speeds to the vampire death camp, where we see him stop and gaze over the landscape of guards’ body parts strewn about outside. Again, Bill utters one name. “Eric!” Since no one is left to guard the place, Bill quickly finds himself in Dr. Overlark’s lab, where the despicable doctor is writhing on the floor, as blood pours from his ‘nether regions, his genitals lying on the floor near him. Bill ascertains that the doer of this deed was “Northman” and continues to search for him, pausing only to smash the doctor’s face into the floor with his boot, in retaliation for his confessed mistreatment of Jessica.
As Bill walks through the labyrinth of halls and doors throughout the camp, he knows time is running out for Jessica and all the vampires in the white circular room. Pondering his predicament, he recalls Sookie’s last words to him: “… Eric has more of Warlow’s blood coursing through his veins than Warlow does!” He remembers drinking the vial of Warlow’s blood, allowing him to daywalk. He knows what to do. Pronouncing, “Fuck Northman!” he finds a guard, wounded, but able to walk, and instructs him to take him to the white circular room where vampires are being held.
Sarah Newlin, reciting the 23rd Psalm, climbs up the spiral staircase to the top of what once was an oil refinery tower, now housing the vamp camp. Turning a large wheel, which opens the sliding panels in the center of the roof. As the roof opens, light pours into the large room below. There we see Bill, white Henley bloody and torn, held face up by a crowd of vampires, as they all feed on him at once. His arms outstretched, fangs bared, eyes open, he is without words or expression, he is barely conscious. As the sunlight hits Bill and the vampires feeding on him, there rises a collective voice, as vampires moan, sigh, and exclaim in varying states of shock, surprise, and ecstasy.
Steve Newlin is there, circling the crowd around Bill, pleading to be let in so that he can feed on Bill’s blood. No one listens. It seems there is consensus of attitude toward Steve. No one cares. Suddenly, Eric is there, holding him by the neck, suspending him in air. Steve begs for his life, promising to be better. Bill musters enough strength to say, “Let him have my blood.” Eric answers bluntly, “No. He’s a fucking turncoat.” While standing in shadow, Eric extends his arm, putting SN fully in the sunlight. Gazing up at his ex-wife, Sarah, on the roof, Steve Newlin smiles broadly, and loudly proclaims “I love you, Jason Stackhouse!” Sarah is angry. Jason, watching from behind the glass window, is embarrassed.
This next scene has me puzzled, perplexed, and more than a little irritated! The vampires are now dancing around the room, exulting in the sunlight. Their endorphins are obviously elevated to extreme levels, because they all dance round, then out of the room, into the bright outdoors. They are joyous in their revelry. And there’s Bill, prostrate on the floor. The vampire who just saved all their lives is immediately forsaken and forgotten. If that isn’t typical vampire (and human!) selfish behavior, I don’t know what is … aaarrrgh!
Bill is lying on the floor, arms outstretched, fangs bared, too weak to move. He can barely speak. Across the room, standing against the wall, Lilith’s three sirens appear. Staring intently at Bill, they whisper, with index fingers up to pursed lips, “shshshsh.” As they walk slowly toward him, they instruct. “Come! Your time on earth is over.” Weak as he is, Bill manages to reply. “I’m not goin’ anywhere.” Outside, Eric leads the vampires in destroying all the TrueBlood waiting for transport. Boxes are thrown, bottles smashed. Jessica and James are dancing and smooching. Suddenly Jessica stops, listens, and hears Bill’s faint voice calling her name. She starts to run. James asks, “Where you goin’?” Jessica says, “We left Bill behind.” At last! She realizes he’s still in there! Meanwhile, the sirens are advancing on Bill. They repeat, “Come!” He answers, “Leave me alone. I did what you wanted me to do. Stay away from me!” Jessica enters, Bill manages to tell her, “They’re comin’ for me.” It’s James who realizes Bill must feed now. Although Jessica tells him vampire blood won’t work, James figures there must be enough, “whatever is in his blood” to give some back to him. Smart guy! James kneels down, lifts Bill’s head up to his neck, urging, “Drink. Drink!”
We see James come out from the building, followed by Jessica. Finally, after an interminable pause, Bill comes walking out. He even has a small smile on his face! The vampires stare in wonder. Some shout to him, some clap, and some even thank him! Jessica gives him a big hug, which Bill returns. Then she invites everyone back to, “our place” to continue celebrating. Ginger joins them, as does Jason, accompanied by the new woman in his life, vampire Violet.
What an outstanding episode for Bill! I’ve been waiting and wondering all season how Bill would fulfill his mission. Would he succeed or fail? Would Lilith help, or hinder? What about Warlow? Well, Bill saved the vampires … with Sookie’s unsolicited help, and despite Eric’s interference. Bill gave himself up to save his progeny, and all the vampires. He survived because his progeny saved him in return. And the core of who Bill is has unmistakably survived his ordeal. Yes!
snowghoul
tangentwithtanner
kianamaiart
romaincrisis
