"Fighter Flight" - Star Wars: Rebels Season 1 Episode 2 review

Despite seeming to have smoothed over their tumultuous relationship last week, Ezra and Zeb are portrayed constantly bickering, to the point that they almost cause damage to the Ghost. Hera orders the pair to go to the nearest town on Lothal and pick up some much needed supplies. Hera emphasises that they shouldn't bother returning without picking up a meiloorun fruit, which she knows full well is not indigenous to Lothal. One of the major problems I had with this episode was the degradation of the close-knit crew into a transparent symbolism for the average family- Ezra and Zeb are the bickering brothers, Sabine is the annoying sister, Hera is the mother and Kanan the father. The previous episodes have done a fantastic job of highlighting the close relationship of the crew members and the well-oiled machine they operate as during heists, con-jobs and battles with the Empire. This episode did the opposite.

Ezra and Zeb quickly find all of the supplies they were ordered to collect, apart from the meiloorun fruit. Eventually, Ezra is told by an old friend, Mr Sumar, that an off-world importer might have some of the fruit. Although the pair do find an off-worlder selling the merchandise, they learn that it has already been sold to the Empire.

The pair are of course caught in their attempt to steal some of the fruit for Hera, causing Ezra to flee for his life and Zeb to make his getaway in a stolen TIE fighter. Zeb eventually rescues Ezra, but only after forcing him to agree that they are now even for having both saved each others lives. This was another part of the episode that irritated me. Zeb is a grown Lasat, but has been mentally downgraded to the level of a child for the purposes of this episode. What adult would allow their friend's life to hang in the balance until they agreed to their demands? In fact, what child would?

After escaping in the TIE, the pair notice Mr Sumar and his family have been taken prisoner by a convoy of Imperials. Ezra takes out the stormtroopers and frees the prisoners whilst Zeb provides cover in the TIE fighter. This sequence was probably the best part of the episode; it was animated well, the suspense was there, and the characters finally began acting like the characters we have started to get to know over the previous episodes.

Kanan and Hera begin to worry because the pair have been gone so long, Hera having expected the pair to give up after not being able to pick up any meiloorun fruit. When they learn what has transpired they order the pair to get rid of the TIE and return to the Ghost immediately.

Overall rating: ★★½

"Fighter Flight" was by far the weakest episode produced by Rebels so far. I understand the idea was to teach the younger members of the audience the importance of harmony and working together in a family, however, I felt that the writers laid it on a bit thick. Let's hope this is simply a rare slip in an otherwise strong show!

"Welcome to Paradise" - The Vampire Diaries Season 6 Episode 3

SPOILER WARNING!! Do not read ahead if you have not seen the third episode of The Vampire Diaries Season 6!

Somewhat pissed following Ivy's murder at the hands of Enzo, Stefan goes to the mechanic workshop he has been working at over the past few months and compels his boss into letting him have time off, burying poor Ivy's body and of course, giving him a raise when he returns! What's Stefan's plan you ask? Return to his old life, kill Enzo, and leave said old life again. How long before he is forced to save eternal-damsel in distress Elena and prove he still cares for his friends? I give it 2 episodes max!

Speaking of Elena, she appears to be excelling in her new life, after Alaric compelled away her love for Damon in the previous episode. She even found time to try and set Caroline up with Liam (Cute Brag?) from her pre-med course. However, Liam actually has feelings for her and is obviously shaping up to be the obligatory post-Damon's death love interest that is sure to complicate matters when Damon magically returns from the dead.

For once it's Caroline who is struggling with her romantic angst over a Salvatore, rather than Elena! What a twist! Caroline emotionally appeals to Stefan to stick around because the gang, and specifically Caroline herself, needs him more than ever. However, Stefan is still angry about Enzo and walks away, leaving poor Caroline in tears. Later, Elena asks Caroline if she has feelings for Stefan, and finally, she openly admits it! I actually felt the collective screams of Steroline fans around the world the second the words left Caroline's mouth. 

Jeremy spends most of the episode shirtless at the watering hole party where Elena tries to get the old gang back together. Elena disapproves of his continuing relationship with Sarah, the girl she attacked whilst using the witchy-herbs Luke gave her in the premiere. Eventually, everyone realises that compulsion fades once someone breaches the border to Mystic Falls and that Sarah has known the whole time that Elena and Caroline are vampires. Jeremy tries to find her at the Salvatore's, but she has trashed the houses and fled!

In relatively minor news, Tyler continues to struggle with his anger issues and is constantly provoked by Liv Parker, who does mention that she is only acting like a total bitch so that she can stop herself falling for Tyler! To be fair, this is the only legitimate sexual tension on the show right now, so maybe this budding relationship is more significant than I first thought?

In other news, poor Matt buys Tripp's "red mulch" cover story for the mess left in his truck after mass murdering a group of vampires at the end of last week's episode. Oh Matt, it's a good thing you've still got those blue eyes Katherine loved so much! The gang soon learns that the group Matt has joined is full of vampire hunters when Matt's friend Jay, attempts to kill Stefan, only to be killed himself. Uh-oh! How is Matt going to gracefully exist this group without getting himself killed? After learning about the group, Stefan allies himself with Tripp by helping the creepy vampire hunter and helps him capture Enzo! I can only hope Enzo meets with a wooden stake in the next episode, but something tells me I couldn't be that lucky!

And back in Mystic Falls circa 1994, Damon and Bonnie continue to bicker like an old marry couple and don't seem any closer to finding a way home than they did last season. However, when Damon is attacked by Kai, the other occupant of the other dimension the pair learnt about last week, Bonnie comes to the rescue. How you ask? By using magic! That's right, Bonnie's powers are back and Kai explains that he only attacked Damon to provoke the emotional response necessary for Bonnie to reclaim her powers!

Overall rating: ★★★★

Season 6 of TVD feels a lot like TVD circa seasons 2 and 3, when the show was at its absolute best! The series is yet to serve up anything other than a suspensful, twist-filled masterpiece this season and "Welcome to Paradise" is no exception.

 

Not only was this episode entertaining, it was filled with necessary plot progression- the Steroline romance was finally addressed onscreen, Jeremy's girlfriend Sarah finally seemed to have some sort of relevance, Tripp's creepiness was revealed to the gang and most importantly, Bonnie finally got her powers back!

"Droids in Distress" - Star Wars: Rebels Season 1 Episode 1 review

SPOILER WARNING!! Do not read ahead if you have not seen the first episode of the first season of Star Wars: Rebels.

This episode opens with the crew of the Ghost being pursued by an Imperial Star Destroyer and several TIE fighters. Hera quickly makes the jump to hyper-space and Kanan cockily reminds the crew that he had assured them that they would escape. Sabine reminds him that he had also assured them that they would escape with the shipment they had planned to steal from the Imperials, whilst Ezra loudly and frequently complains about the lack of Jedi training he has recieved from Kanan. Hera worried out loud that the crew is nearly out of supplies and fuel, and out of desperation, Kanan decides to take on a mission from crime lord Cikatro Virago to steal an arms shipment from an Imperial minister on Garel. 

The crew make their way to Garel and manage to find themselves on the same transport as Minister Tua and her contact Amda Wabo. Because of the language barrier between the minister and Wabo, they are forced to use a translator droid in order to communicate. This droid happens to be none other than movie favourite C-3PO himself, accompanied as always by his counterpart R2-D2!

The crew manage to convince the pilot to order all droids to the back of the transport, forcing Minister Tua to take Sabine up on her offer to translate for Wabo. Sabine of course mistranslates where the arms shipment is being held, causing the Minister to look for it in Bay 17 instead of Bay 7! Minister Tua eventually realises what has happened and attacks the rebels in Bay 7 with a squad of stormtroopers. The rebels overpower the storm troopers and manage to escape with the shipment- as well as Artoo and Threepio!

After realising that the arms they have stolen are illegal disrupters that were used in the Empire's conquering of his home world, Zeb pleads with Kanan not to sell them to Virago. Kanan goes ahead with his original plan, much to Zeb's chagrin, and meets Virago on Lothal for the exchange. Unfortunately, C-3PO makes contact with Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau revealing the crews coordinates. Kallus attacks the two groups during the exchange. Leaving the crew to fight their own battles, Virago escapes with half of the shipment, and without paying the crew.

During the battle Kallus goads Zeb into a duel, and reveals that he was the one who ordered the use of the disrupter rifles during the attack on his home world. Kallus defeats Zeb and is about to deliver the killing blow when Ezra instinctively uses the Force to blast Kallus against a wall, knocking him unconscious.

The crew escapes and returns C-3PO and R2-D2 to their rightful owner, who pays them handsomely as a reward. Unbeknownst to the crew the droids rightful owner happens to be Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, the future founder of the Rebel Alliance, who seems to be very interested in finding out everything R2 knows about the crew of rebels!

Overall rating: ★★★★

"Droids in Distress" was a strong follow up to Rebels' TV movie premiere. I felt that the use of familiar characters (Threepio, Artoo and Senator Organa) was pulled off well- their introduction to the series was subtle, with none stealing the show from the new cast of characters  the audience is getting to know.

Additionally, one of the great things about this series is the suspense that comes with every battle scene. Because none of the main cast are established characters, it is impossible to know if they will survive episode to episode, something that was always a downfall of the otherwise fantastic Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series.

"Yellow Ledbetter" - The Vampire Diaries Season 6 Episode 2 review

SPOILER WARNING!! Do not read ahead if you have not seen the second episode of the Vampire Diaries Season 6.

Following on from last week, Elena struggles to deal with her grief after Damon's death. Unsurprisingly, Alaric agrees to use his Original vampire compulsion power to compel Elena into forgetting that she ever loved Damon. Somehow Elena convinces those close to her into letting her go through with this highly unhealthy decision, and after several flashbacks to key moments in her relationship with Damon, Alaric successfully compels away her memories. Unlike most fans of this show, I have always liked Elena and found myself able to relate to her decisions. However, so far this season I am beginning to understand why so many TVD fanatics find her irritating, irrational and overly dramatic. Jeremy lost his girlfriend too Elena, but you don't see him making crazy decisions to erase the fact he ever loved her!

Furious after learning that Stefan has given up on saving Bonnie and Damon, Caroline surprisingly turns to the one person who seems as determined to save them as her- Enzo. Although Enzo learns of a witch coven that may be able to help them, he and Caroline first make their way to see Stefan, who seems to be enjoying his new life in Savannah with his new girlfriend, Ivy. What follows can only be described as the "dinner from hell", with Caroline left in tears, Ivy shockingly murdered by Enzo and Stefan left to deal with the broken pieces of his new life. I can't say I expected Ivy to stick around forever, however, I certainly thought she would remain an obstacle to Caroline and Stefan's eventual relationship for longer than 2 episodes! Well done writers!

Meanwhile in Mystic Falls, Tripp reveals to Matt that he is actually a member of one of the towns Founding Families- the Fells. Unbeknownst to Matt however, the viewer learns that not only is Tripp a Fell, he also knows about the existence of vampires and the anti magic barrier around the town, after he drives a truck full of vampires over the town border and exposes them to the sun to die. Although I expected Tripp to become some sort of minor antagonist for the Mystic Falls gang, I did not expect for him to be capable of mass murder! This story just got a little more interesting!

And finally, we finally get some of the answers about what happened to Bonnie and Damon after the Other Side disappeared. The pair appear to be alone in a pre-devastation Mystic Falls, and eventually learn that they are actually perpetually repeating the same day in 1994 due to the reoccurrence of a solar eclipse day after day. As the weeks till by, Damon comforts himself with bourbon, while Bonnie unsuccessfully attempts to re-teach herself magic in order to escape. At the end of the episode, Bonnie notices that the crossword puzzle she has struggled with over the past four months has finally been completed- and not by either her or Damon. There's someone else in the other dimension watching them.

Overall rating: ★★★★½

What a great follow up to a strong premiere! "Yellow Ledbetter" was one of the most enjoyable episodes this show has produced since the beginning of last season. It was classic Vampire Diaries- with Caroline's angsty pining for Stefan, Ivy's shock death and especially the creepy revelation that Bonnie and Damon are not alone in their seemingly abandoned dimension, it is clear that the best years of this show are not necessarily behind it!

"I'll Remember" - The Vampire Diaries Season 6 Episode 1 review

SPOILER WARNING!!! Do not read ahead if you have not watched the first episode of The Vampire Diaries sixth season!

The premiere opens four months after last season's finale, which saw the destruction of the Other Side, and the deaths of major characters Bonnie and Damon. In the aftermath of this tragedy, the Mystic Falls gang have mostly gone their separate ways in order to deal with their grief.

Caroline has dropped out of Whitmore and has spent the summer with her mother, Liz, on the outskirts of Mystic Falls as the Traveller's anti-magic spell prevents vampires from entering the town without dying for real. Caroline is preoccupied with researching magic and the Traveller's in the hopes of breaking the protective spell keeping her and the others from returning to their home town. In other news, Caroline brings up the fact that Stefan has skipped town without saying goodbye and has been ignoring her calls- and she is PISSED! Hopefully Caroline's angst foreshadows that the romantic tension that has been running  rampant between these two characters will finally amount to something this season!

Alaric, who returned from the dead at the conclusion of last season, is dealing with his new-vampirism by switching  the bourbon in his hip flask for blood. He is now teaching Occult Studies at Whitmore and providing Caroline with the books she needs in order to research the Traveller's anti-magic spell. Alaric appears to be the only character in regular contact with Stefan, who Alaric believes to be travelling the world in search of a way to bring back his brother Damon from the dead. Contrary to what Alaric believes, Stefan has settled down as a small town mechanic and is dating a new character named Ivy.

Meanwhile in Mystic Falls, Matt has joined the new protective services group in town. Matt juggles his responsibilities to this militia-esque group with babysitting Jeremy, who has gone off the deep end since his girlfriend Bonnie's death. According to Matt, Jeremy sits on the couch all day playing video games, getting drunk before noon and sleeping with a new girl every week. In other words, Jeremy is dealing with stuff the way Jeremy always does! I know Bonnie is dead, but I still couldn't help but scream at my TV when I saw Jer hooking up with another girl! 

Elsewhere, Tyler is dealing with the loss of his hybrid-powers by channeling his rage into training with the football team (much like he did when we met him back in season one) at Whitmore! Apparently he and Caroline are on speaking terms now, despite the fact that she slept with his arch-nemesis Klaus last season.

At first glance our main protagonist, Elena, appears to be dealing remarkably well with the loss of both her boyfriend and best friend, however, the audience soon learns that Luke Parker is providing her with magic herbs that allow her to hallucinate spending time with Damon, and therefore removing the need for her to deal with her grief at all. Unfortunately, a side-effect of the herbs is increased thirst for blood, which leads to Elena attacking a young girl on the outskirts of Mystic Falls, who manages to escape. Elena's vampirism is only kept a secret thanks to Matt kidnapping the girl and having Caroline compel her before she could reveal who attacked her. When Caroline reveals to Tyler what Luke had been doing, his barely suppressed rage explodes and he starts to choke the young witch, only to be stopped by Alaric. I quite like a return to the Tyler from earlier seasons, I found his character much more interesting when he was dealing with the revelation of the supernatural community and his werewolf gene than I ever did when he was a hybrid. On the other hand, I found Elena's choice to live in denial about Damon and Bonnie's deaths highly predictable and uninteresting.

After being encouraged by Stefan, who she hadn't spoken to in months, Elena decides to try and let Damon go by no longer using the herbs. As Elena breaks down, the scene shifts to show the audience Damon and Bonnie happily enjoying breakfast somewhere, revealing that they still exist in some capacity despite the collapse of the Other Side. Although I fully expected Bonnie and Damon to be resurrected, I am still eager to find out where they are and what they have been doing for the last four months!

Overall rating: ★★★★

I felt that this episode was an extremely strong start to the season, especially after the less-than-stellar Katherine-less second half of season 5. Most of the opening storylines for the season were compelling, apart from Elena's typically annoying decision to cling to Damon through psychedelic drugs rather than deal with her grief in a meaningful way!

"Thank You" - True Blood Season 7 Episode 10 Series Finale review

The finale opens with Bill reaching Sookie's house and attempting to explain his reasoning for wanting to die to her. Bill explains that he wants Sookie to have the opportunity to have a family, and in particular, to raise children, which she will never be able to do so long as he remains alive and a part of her life. He asks her to use her light to kill him, and in the process "de-fairy" herself. Also, by "de-fairying" herself Sookie would no longer have to deal with vampires constantly being drawn to her. Sookie is horrified that Bill would ask her to kill him, however, she does promise to think on it. I was actually quite surprised that the writers managed to find a way to make Sookie's "supernova" power from last season relevant in some way! Kudos!

Shortly afterwards, Jessica arrives home to Bill's house with Hoyt and confronts Bill again about his decision to meet the True Death. Despite not understanding how he could choose to die, Jessica tells Bill she will find a way to accept it and promises him that she will be fine. Bill questions Hoyt's intentions with Jessica, and asks whether he would ever consider marrying her. Jessica is angry that Bill would bring something so serious up so early in their renewed relationship, however, he explains that he needs to know that Jessica is spoken for before he dies. Realising how much it means to both of them that Bill be apart of her wedding, Jessica agrees to marry Hoyt that very day.

The main Bon Temps cast members (Sookie, Jason, Arlene, Holly and Andy) make their way to the Compton house to attend Jessica and Hoyt's wedding, all questioning why they had decided to get hitched so spontaneously. Sookie helps Jessica get ready, while Jason serves as Hoyt's best man, calming his nerves as he begins to have second thoughts. Bill walks Jessica down the aisle, where Andy presides over the ceremony, declaring Hoyt and Jessica husband and wife, despite the government not recognising vampire-human marriage. After the ceremony Jason and Sookie discuss Jason's obvious feelings for Bridgette, with Sookie confirming that she knows through her telepathy that Brdigette feels the same. Sookie tells Jason that since they had just come from Hoyt's wedding, she doesn't think he will mind if he starts to date Bridgette. Hoyt and Jessica's wedding felt extremely sudden and unexpected, however, it did serve to wrap up some minor unfinished storyline in one foul swoop- Andy, Jessica and Bill managed to put the death of Andy's fairy-daughters behind them, allowing Bill to organise to leave his estate to Andy, who will then grant it to Jessica, bypassing the law prohibiting vampire progeny inheriting property.

Sookie seeks out Reverand Daniels for advice regarding giving up her nature as a fairy in order to grant Bill his last wish. The Reverand explains that he believes that God makes everyone exactly the way he means to, and that nobody is made as a mistake. However, he also explains that God gave people free will with the intention that they should use it. When he asks whether this helped her, Sookie insists that it has and leaves.

Elsewhere, Eric is left seething over Mr. Gus's threat on Pam's life, and the pair concoct a plan to take revenge. Pam feeds Sarah her blood so that she will be able to feel her presence wherever she goes- and then sets her free. The maker-progeny pair then proceed to kill the Yakuza, including Mr. Gus, preventing them from assassinating Sookie for knowing about Sarah's nature as the cure for Hepatitis V. 

Pam tracks down Sarah to the carousel where Eric turned Willa last season. Sarah explains that she chose to hide there because she wants Pam to turn her, as she thinks that she would make a "kickass vampire". Pam refuses, and Sarah attempts to sway her by saying she intends to be a lesbian when she becomes a vampire, which Pam only finds amusing. When Sarah mentions Pam needing to replace Tara now that she is gone, Pam snaps and begins to choke her for daring to speak her deceased progeny's name. Pam then proceeds to begin feeding off Sarah in order to vaccinate herself against Hep V. As usual, Pam, Eric and Sarah were the most compelling part of this episode- the chemistry and superior acting of all three actors was as evident in the finale as it was throughout the rest of the season, and this episode could have done with a lot more of each characters participation!

After speaking to Reverand Daniels, Sookie calls Bill and says that she has made the arrangements at the cemetery to grant his wish at sundown. The pair meet there and share a final kiss, before Sookie creates her "supernova light ball" to grant him the true death and "de-fairy" herself. However, Sookie realises she will never be herself without her powers being apart of her and refuses to lose that part of herself. Bill insists that he still wants to die, so Sookie makes a makeshift stake out of a shovel. The pair whisper that they love each other, and together force the stake through Bill's heart, causing him to finally die the True Death.

One year later, Pam and Eric are shown filming an infomercial for their product, "New Blood", which is a synthesised version of Sarah Newlin's blood, which cures Hep V. Three years later, the pair are shown together at the stock exchange, where the company they own together has made millions of dollars. The pair return to Fangtasia, where business is booming as usual. In the basement, Pam keeps Sarah as a slave and allows vampires to drink from her for one minute at a time in order to vaccinate themselves- for one hundred thousand dollars a pop! Sarah continues to hallucinate visions of her ex-husband, Steve, who taunts her about losing her mind. Steve explains that since it's Thanksgiving they should say what they are thankful for- he is thankful that he gets to watch her descend into madness, whil Sarah looks horrified and whispers that she has nothing to be thankful for and begins to cry.

Sookie is shown heavily pregnant, hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for all of the surviving main cast members (besides Pam and Eric). Jason married Bridgette and they have several children, as do Sam and Nicole. Lafayette and James are still in a relationship, Arlene proves how much she has grown by being in a longtime relationship with Keith the vampire, and Holly and Andy are still together. Sookie is shown hugging her husband, who's face is never even shown, and the screen fades to black.

Overall rating: ★★★½

I felt that the series finale, like the rest of the seventh season, had both it's strengths and it's weaknesses. More specifically, this episode gave the viewer one last taste of everything that was great about True Blood- as well as everything that wasn't great about True Blood. Kristin Bauer van Straten, Alexander Skarsgard and Anna Camp each gave fantastic last performances as their long-term characters, with their stroyline easily being the most positive aspect of the episode, and season, overall. Anna Paquin, Deborah Ann Woll and Stephen Moyer also put in stellar performances during the long-march to Bill's inevitable True Death, with the emotion they invoked being the most positive aspect of the drawn out approach the writers took to finally killing off the controversial character. Unfortunately, most of the characters we had come to love over the years did not show up until the very end of the episode, and although their storylines were somewhat wrapped up in preceding episodes, it would have been nice to know a little bit more about where characters we have been invested in over the last seven years ended up. Although True Blood's quality has certainly diminished over the years, this season did manage to invoke several episodes that were reminiscent of "old school" True Blood. It is these episodes I will remember in the years to come, and will miss immeasurably. Thank you to the cast and crew for seven years of fun, suspenseful and emotional television! 

True Blood - 10 Biggest Deaths

True Blood would not be True Blood without death! The writers have shocked the viewers time and time again with surprise characters deaths since season one. To pay my respects to the fallen, I have compiled a list of the "10 Biggest Deaths" in True Blood history.

10. Roman Zimojic

Although Roman was only with us for a short time, his death was both huge and shocking because of the caliber of actor who portrayed him- no one expected Christopher Meloni to sign onto the series and last only a handful of episodes as the Guardian of the Vampire Authority before being staked through the heart by Russell Edgington.

9. Adele Stackhouse

No one saw the brutal murder of Sookie's kindly grandmother coming! Few deaths have had such a lasting impact on the characters left behind, with Adele being perhaps the most referenced deceased character throughout the series.

8. Maryann Forrester 

The main antagonist of season 2, Maryann was mysterious, psychotic and seemingly invincible. Up until her final moments, it seemed unlikely that the people of Bon Temps would ever be able to destroy this crazy maenad!

7. Queen Sophie-Anne

Although no one really expected Bill to perish in his battle with the much older and stronger Queen Sophie-Anne at the end of season 4, it was a shock to discover Bill's decades old alliance with Nan Flanagan and the AVL which lead to the bloody death of the Queen of Louisiana.

6. Nan Flanagan

The highly sarcastic and witty spokeswoman for the AVL and Chancellor of the Authority, Nan Flanagan always seemed untouchable, until her position of power slowly deteriorated over the course of Season 4, culminating in her unexpected death at the hands of Bill Compton in the season finale.

5. Nora Gainesborough

This former Chancellor of the Authority and member of the Sanguinistas, was the beloved vampire sister of Eric and progeny of Godric. Nora has the distinction of being the first victim of the deadly Hepatitis V, and her death scene was among the most gruesome of the True Death's seen on True Blood, and one of the only moments seen to cause Eric to cry.

4. Alcide Herveaux

Poor Alcide never really stood a chance- he constantly put himself in harms way in order to protect his beloved Sookie, only to never have her truely love him back. If only he had of stayed in Mississippi, he never would have feel victim to the anti-supernatural vigilantes in Bon Temps.

3. Terry Bellefleur

One of the most emotional death scenes in True Blood history! Who didn't shed a tear as Arlene sung to her husband Terry as he slowly passed away from a fatal gunshot wound in season 6 or during the emotional scenes that followed in subsequent episodes?

2. Godric

The death of this two thousand year old vampire devastated his progeny, Eric, providing the viewer with the first glimpse at the Viking vampires capacity for loyalty and love and is one of the most memorable moments of season 2.

1. Tara Thornton

Tara has the distinction of being the first top-billed regular character to meet the True Death, and that is why her death was undoubtedly the biggest in True Blood history, despite the insulting off-screen nature of her demise and the bizarre storyline that followed this gigantic characters death in the season 7 premiere.

True Blood - 10 Best...Characters

Now that True Blood's finale is rapidly approaching, I thought I would mark the occasion by writing a series of "Best" posts, beginning with True Blood's 10 Best Characters.

10. Bill Compton

Of all the regular characters on the show, Bill's allegiance was perhaps the most in question. Although he began the show as the most human of the vampires we were introduced to, Bill switched from "good guy" to "bad guy" countless times over the seasons. His romance with Sookie has been the anchoring storyline of the show and has endured countless betrayals and even his transformation into "Billith" in season 6.

9. Sookie Stackhouse

The main protagonist of the entire series, Sookie Stackhouse, has been at the centre of all the drama and action that's taken place in Bon Temps over the years. Although she has made countless questionable choices and infuriated the shows loyal fanbase immeasurably, True Blood could never have been True Blood without this telepathic waitress.

8. Jason Stackhouse

Sookie's sex-crazed and lovable brother has produced much of the comedic value to be found in the show as he struggled to make sense of the crazy-happenings that Bon Temps has endured over the years. Jason has also undergone some of the most substantial character growth of any of the series regulars, transforming from a selfish boy to a responsible, if slightly thick, officer of the law.

7. Jessica Hamby

The shows resident baby-vamp, Jessica, has been at the centre of countless romances and the dramas that come with them since her introduction into the series. She has grown from a naive Christian teenager into a strong, independent vampire under Bill's watchful eye after he was forced to turn her at the end of season 1.

6. Tara Thornton

Sookie's best friend and the shows resident survivor, Tara, suffered tragedy after tragedy, culminating in a gun-shot wound to the head that resulted in her being turned into the thing she most despised- a vampire. Against the odds, Tara seemed to find some solace in her new life with her maker, Pam, only to meet the True Death in an insulting off-screen death in the premiere of season 7.

5. Sarah Newlin

Although certainly not the most threatening villain in the history of the show, Sarah was undoubtedly the best. Hilariously portrayed by Anna Camp, Sarah's downward spiral from religious zealot to full blown mental-case has been some of the most entertaining television provided by the show (who will ever forget her thanking Jesus after her murder of Ms. Suzuki at vamp camp?)

4.  Arlene Bellefleur

Although initially one of the more minor regular characters, Arlene's ability to invoke both overwhelming emotion and fits of laughter have made her one of the most beloved and important characters on the show. Here's to hoping this feisty waitress gets the happy ending she deserves after ensuring so much tragedy over the years!

3. Lafayette Reynolds

The flamboyant short order cook at Merlotte's Bar and Grill, Lafayette has endured, racism, homophobia, spiritual possession and the death of his boyfriend, all the while managing to deliver line after line of superb dialogue and never messing his make-up.

2. Eric Northman

This one thousand year old Viking vampire has been one of the most popular characters on the show for good reason. Eric has personified what it means to be a vampire in the world of True Blood since the beginning of the show, often in form-fitting sweats or with no clothes at all.

1. Pamela Swynford De Beaufort

Eric's progeny and only weakness, Pam has been True Blood's most compelling character over the years due to her snarky attitude, loyalty to Eric, impeccable style and most importantly, her ability to consistently produce the most quotable dialogue of any character on the show. If only there was a Pam-centric sequel in the works!

"Love Is To Die" - True Blood Season 7 Episode 9 review

SPOILER WARNING!!! Do not read ahead if you have not seen the ninth episode of True Blood's Season 7 "Love Is To Die".

The penultimate episode of the series opened in the all-to-familiar dungeon of Fangtasia, where Bill refuses to drink Sarah's blood in order to cure himself of Hepatitis V. Sookie and Jessica are left reeling from this twist and both react heatedly to his surprise decision. When Bill refuses to relent and attempts to leave, Jessica demands that Bill release her. The scene that followed was one of the strongest and most emotionally charged of the entire season, with Deborah Ann Woll's performance as Jessica being a true highlight, as she breaks down during Bill's releasing-speech.

After seeing Sookie home safely, Jessica instinctively seeks out Hoyt, who continues to argue with his frustratingly annoying girlfriend Bridgette. Jessica reveals that Hoyt and her were previously in a relationship, to both Bridgette and Hoyt's confusion. Hoyt and Bridgette break up, and Jessica tells Hoyt about everything that happened between them over the course of the series, before she glamoured him, and proceed to have sex and seemingly get back together. Bridgette stays with Jason after her break up with Hoyt and there is clear indications that the writers mean to push these two characters together, after the surprise twist of reuniting Jessica and Hoyt. I really hope this is not the case, as I find it highly unconvincing that Jason would find his "happily ever after" in an entirely new character and not somebody more meaningful like Jessica. On the other hand, I have always loved the Jessica-Hoyt combo and would like nothing more than to see the pair back together for good.

In other news, Sookie seeks out Sam, only to find his trailer completely empty and a note left explaining that although he loves his friends in Bon Temps, he needs to be with Nicole and watch their daughter grow up. The major qualm I have had with True Blood this season has been its poor treatment of some of it's original core characters such as Sam, and of course Tara. These characters were a major part of the story since the very first episode, and yet they have been undeniably forgotten about this season and relegated to background character status. It is a slap in the face for major characters who's storyline you have followed for seven years to be killed off screen, or written out of the series via a goodbye note. Bad, bad writing!

Arlene attempts to drum up some business by throwing a party at her bar (which no one but the core cast attends). While there, Jessica and James finally make peace over their break up earlier in the season, and I was especially glad to see Jessica acknowledge that she had not been an entirely fantastic girlfriend. Arlene and Sookie have another uplifting chat that showcases Carrie Preston's fantastic emotional range, and Andy learns about Sam's departure from town and resignation as mayor. Something tells me that Sherrif Bellefleur will soon be Mayor Bellefleur.

After releasing Jessica, Bill returns to his home and receives a surprise visit from Eric, who attempts to convince the younger vampire to take the cure. Bill explains his belief that vampires are only capable of bringing darkness into peoples lives and this is why Sookie, a creature of light, is so instinctively drawn to them. He feels that the only way to protect Sookie and help her move on is for him to no longer be alive. However, he wants to explain this to her himself and so asks Eric to speak with her and convince her to give him a chance to talk to her. Eric grants Bill his last wish and manages to convince Sookie to speak with him, who proceeds to head across the cemetery to her house.

When Eric returns to Fangtasia, he surprisingly begins to seduce Ginger, who apparently orgasms within second of foreplay. After finishing with Ginger, he calls out to Pam, only to recieve no answer. He makes his way downstairs and finds Pam chained down with a wooden stake dangling over her. Mr. Gus forces Eric to admit that Sookie knows about Sarah being the cure- in order to save Pam as the stake is slowly lowered towards her heart. As Mr. Gus menacingly asks where Sookie lives, the camera zooms in on Bill as he knocks on her door (hinting that the Yakuza will attack the Stackhouse home in the opening minutes of next weeks episode). Although I'm not sure what role Bill will play in this final battle, I am convinced that Eric will manage to defeat the Yakuza and exact revenge for Pam's capture. In fact, I predict the maker-progeny pair taking over the Yakuza's plan to manufacture "New Blood" by the end of the series finale.

Overall rating: ★★★★½

This was a really strong episode of True Blood, that not only focused on character relationships and the core storylines of the season, but also had truely suspenseful moments that left the viewer unsure about what's going to happen next. The emotionally charged opening scene was especially strong, as was the finale scene where Eric was forced to choose between betraying Sookie or letting his beloved progeny Pam meet the true death. These last two episodes have definitely increased my excitement and suspense leading up to series finale, and can only hope that the show delivers once again!

"Almost Home" - True Blood Season 7 Episode 8

SPOILER WARNING!!! Do not read ahead if you have not seen the eighth episode of True Blood's Season 7 "Almost Home".

Picking up where the previous episode left off, Eric, Pam and the Yakuza track Sarah Newlin down to the Fellowship of the Sun camp. Sarah, encouraged by a hallucination of Jason, gives herself up willingly as she is under the impression that the cure running through her veins makes her a modern-day Messiah. Eric is intent on killing Sarah, despite threats of the True Death by the Yakuza, however, Pam manages to stop him by threatening her own life. Instead, Eric takes a sip of Sarah's blood and begins to laugh as the black veins of Hep V begin to disappear from his body. After capturing Sarah and setting up base at Fangtasia, Pam and Eric question Mr. Gus about how long it will take to synthesise Sarah's blood and manufacture a cure. Mr. Gus reveals that the process has already been completed, however, the Yakonomo Corporation plans on reducing the effectiveness of the cure so that infected vampires are forced to continue to buy their new product in order to remain alive.

Meanwhile in Bon Temps, Jason helps Hoyt and his new girlfriend sift through Maxine Fortenberry's possessions, before receiving a text with pictures of Adilyn and Jessica being held captive by Violet. After fighting with Hoyt, his girlfriend Bridgette storms out and joins Jason on his rescue mission. However, Jason is quickly subdued by his former girlfriend, who proceeds to inform the captive group about the myriad of ways she plans to make them suffer in order to make up for Jason's betrayal. Just as Violet seems set to begin, Hoyt appears in her doorway and shoots her through the heart, causing her to violently disintegrate as she meets the True Death. Unlike the psychotic Violet, I am not a religious person, but all I have to say now that she has finally been reduced to a simmering pile of vampire goo is: praise Jesus! I have been waiting for this moment since the very first scene she appeared in last season.

Jason drives Jessica home and the pair share a sweet moment as they discuss the nature of their relationship, deciding that it can only be defined as a "beautiful friendship". Later, Hoyt confides to Jason that he can't stop thinking about Jessica, and after learning that her maker, Bill, is dying from Hep V he heads over to the Compton house in order to offer fresh, untainted, blood for him. The chemistry between Hoyt and Jessica is absolutely palpable in this scene, reminiscent of their relationship back in season two. I'm not sure whether the writers are teasing us with the possibility of a Hoyt-Jessica reunion or not, but I am certainly open to the idea!

Elsewhere, Reverand Daniels is called by the current owners of Tara's childhood home to find Lettie Mae and Lafayette digging through the front yard. James arrives shortly afterwards, and allows Lettie Mae and Lafayette to drink his blood so that they can reunite with the spirit of Tara and learn what it is she wants from them. In an emotional plea, Lette Mae manages to convince the Reverand to join the pair on their spiritual journey. The V somehow shows the trio a vision of the past, where Tara's father beat Lettie Mae for wasting money by throwing Tara a birthday party. Unknown to her parents, young Tara is shown holding a gun at her fathers back, however, she can't bring herself to pull the trigger. The spirit of Tara begs Lettie Mae for forgiveness for not pulling the trigger, however Lettie Mae believes she is the one who needs forgiveness for her failures as a parent. Tara tells Lettie Mae that it's time to move on and live her life, and that she needs to let her go. The pair hug, and the spirit of Tara walks off into the distance and finally disappears for good. I have been highly critical of this storyline since it began earlier in the season, however, I enjoyed this plot lines conclusion. Tara's death and the traumatic life she lived were finally handled with the emotion and respect that the character deserved, and the plot itself did not feel like a hastily put together side-storyline for the first time this season.

Finally, Sookie receives a visit from Eric and is amazed at his sudden recovery from Hep V. Eric promises to return the next night with a cure for Bill, however, in typical Sookie fashion she makes her way over to Fangtasia anyway and reads Mr. Gus's mind, learning that the Yakuza are keeping something in the basement. Sookie manages to break into the basement and finds Sarah Newlin being held captive. After reading Sarah's mind she learns that her blood is the cure and then returns to the Compton house where she tells Bill and Jessica about what she has discovered. The trio then break into the basement, where they find Sarah, as well as Pam and Eric who were in the middle of stealing some of Sarah's blood for Bill. However, Bill decides to throw a spanner in the works by refusing to cure himself! Queue credits! I felt that there was quite abit of foreshadowing throughout the episode that Bill would choose to refuse the cure, so I was not particularly surprised by this turn of events, especially now that the suspense of Eric's illness has been removed,

Overall rating: ★★★★

Two problems that True Blood has suffered with in recent years have been a focus on minor characters and a tendency to produce exposition episodes (such as the previous one) that simply fill the gaps from one episode to the next. However, fortunately, this episode was everything the previous episode wasn't: it had  action, it answered questions, several storylines were wrapped up nicely and some new ones began in the lead up to the ultimate climax of the series. Let's just hope that the final two episodes keep up the pace and end the series on a high note! 

"May Be The Last Time" - True Blood Season 7 Episode 7 review

SPOILER WARNING!!! Do not read ahead if you have not seen the seventh episode of True Blood's Season 7 "May Be The Last Time".

The episode picks back up at Amber's house, where Eric, Pam and Mr. Gus have chained the young vampire down with silver, and interrogate her as to the whereabouts of her nefarious sister Sarah Newlin. Although Amber begins to co-operate by revealing that Sarah's blood is the cure for Hep V, Eric is overcome with rage and stakes Amber causing her to suffer the True Death, much to Pam's chagrin. Seeing an opportunity to make money, Mr. Gus devises a plan to synthesise Sarah's blood and sell it under the brand name "New Blood" as a cure for all infected vampires. Gus offers Eric the position as New Blood's spokesperson, as a means of persuading the vampire public to trust his company again after the Hep V fiasco. While Eric and Pam catch some shut eye, Mr. Gus uses the Japanese government's surveillance to pinpoint Sarah's location and when our two favourite vampires rise, they take off to capture her. I, personally, am really over the whole Mr. Gus/Yakuza storyline, and feel that Eric's uneasy alliance with them is unnecessary- surely he could take off at vampire speed with Pam to capture Sarah on their own? I suspect the Viking vampire may have a plan to punish the Japanese for their involvement with Sylvie's death in the 1980's.

In Bon Temps, Jessica and Sookie are devastated by the realisation that Bill has mere days to live. Sookie promises Jessica that she will find a miracle to save Bill, and calls Doctor Ludwig hoping to get some answers as to why his infection is spreading so rapidly. Doctor Ludwig seems to indicate that Sookie's royal-fairy blood is the cause, and Sookie resolves to seek out Niall for answers. Sookie's side-adventure with Niall seemed entirely pointless, as all he manages to impart, in an extremely roundabout way, is that death is a necessary part of life. Later that night, Sookie runs across the cemetery in a flowing white dress, reminiscent of a similar scene in season one, to Bill's mansion, where the pair have sex in front of the fireplace. I assume the episode's title is a reference to this possibly being the last time the pair have sex, which seems likely considering the appalling black veins spreading across Bill's body during the scene. 

Also in Bon Temps, Arlene reopens Bellefleur's, however, business is far from booming after the infected vampires attack there a week ago. She does, however, talk to Sam about Nicole leaving town and delivers an inspiring speech about refusing to give up on the belief that she might just be able to be happy again one day. Later, Keith appears after having sensed her emotional pain, and invites Arlene to dance. This was undoubtedly the most beautiful moment of the episode and cemented my belief that Arlene has become one of the core characters of this show, and has probably undergone the biggest character growth of any of the series regulars over the course of the series. 

Elsewhere, Hoyt arrives back in town and stops by Bellefleur's for breakfast before heading over to the Sherrif's office to pay his last respects to his mother. The scenes shared between Hoyt and Jason were wonderfully executed  and rife with underlying emotion, however, I found the new inclusion of Hoyt's girlfriend jarring, and did not believe that Jason would lust after ANOTHER girl in Hoyt's life after the Jessica-fiasco.

Andy and Holly continued to go on a wild goose chase in search of their missing children this week, and of course have absolutely no success! However, they did share a great moment together during their adventure, which showcased the rarely-seen emotional side of Andy, and the iron-clad strength of Holly, which I enjoyed, despite the lack of plot progression.

Meanwhile, whilst their parents searched frantically for them, Adilyn and Wade hid out at Violet's extraordinarily creepy house, whilst the clearly unhinged vampire slept the day away. However, as expected, at the very end of the episode, Violet unveiled her true colours by knocking Wade unconscious and handcuffing Adilyn to their bed (causing Jessica to immediately awaken in Bon Temps and take off to come to the half-fae's rescue). I can only hope that next week will finally see the end of Violet, who's character has served to irk me unbelievably since her debut last season.

And finally, the delightfully crazy Sarah Newlin attempts to seek shelter at the Light of Day Institue, which had served as her training ground for members of the Fellowship of the Sun back in season two. However, Sarah's mental state appears to be deteriorating rapidly as she hallucinates figures from her past (Jason, her former husband Steve, Governor Burrell and her Buddhist mentor) who all adamantly tell her that she is going to die tonight. Unaware that she has been tracked by satellite, Sarah is shocked to see Eric, Pam and the Yakuza appear at the camp.

Overall rating: ★★★ 

Although I did enjoy this episode, as I do any viewing of True Blood, I believe that it was merely a filler episode designed to slow down our march towards the ultimate climax of this series (or as a friend of mine put it, "nothing really happened"). The storylines showcased in tonight's episode were mostly side-stories that dragged on, with nothing happening until the final moments, eg. Sookie and Bill having creepy Hep-V sex, Violet finally showing her true nature to the naive Adilyn and Wade and Eric and Pam finally catching up with Sarah. We can only hope that with only three episode of True Blood left that the writers still have some classic True Blood-esque drama and action left to wow its viewers as it did in its earlier years.

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