True Blood Recap: She's Not There (HBO)

Well, truebies, we waited for what seemed like a long time (although what if we were in the fairy plane?) but True Blood finally returned for its fourth season premiere last night with a vengeance. Read no further if you do not wish to know the events of last night's episode. SPOILERS AHEAD...

In an amazing attempt at revitalization, we last left our heroine Sookie Stackhouse as she vanished suddenly into the light that on last season's finale that Nadine worried vampire Bill Compton would take from her. Last night's episode picked up where we left off, with Sookie inhabiting the fairy plane.

She sees a fairy eating a glowing fruit and recognizes him as the telepathic bellhop from season 2. She is told by the fairy queen to mingle and eat the light fruit, which looks like luminescent peaches. She does not eat the fruit but recognizes her grandfather in a corner grove by himself, also eating a glow fruit.

She tries to communicate telepathically with him, suspecting they are in danger. The other fairies hear her and the alpha approaches her. As she had done in past seasons, Sookie uses her light to rebuff the fairy and fling her across the field. However, in a "Lost" season 5 moment, the time seems to shift them to a different place. Fairies begin fighting and Sookie and her grandfather are momentarily brought to safety by two rebel fairies.

They are soon standing at the precipice of the real world and the fairy world which is rapidly closing (and apparently this was what the fairies desired...complete separation). Sookie and her grandfather jump through and are transported to the cemetery in Bon Temps. Her grandfather, having eaten the glow fruit, loves long enough to see Adele's grave and then vanishes.

Sookie returns to her old house only to find that someone Jason has sold it. She refuses to leave when the workers tell her to, and the police are called. Who shows up? Officer Jason Stackhouse, who is ecstatic to see her. In tow is Sheriff Andy Bellefleur, who we find out is now addicted to V. Bill and Eric also show up because they sense Sookie's presence, but not before Jason tells her she's been gone for twelve and a half months, even though in fairy time she was only gone twenty minutes. Time works differently.

Bill and Eric leave, along with Andy B addicted to V, and it is clear that Jason does not believe her story. That is, until she gives him a watch from her grandfather that he had with him in fairy land.

So as not to make this too wordy, let us visit other character's arcs.

Jason: Now a full-fledged cop, he is helping to feed the were panther family. he brings them food and one of the were panthers tricks him into thinking the box freezer is broken. Jason is then pushed inside and locked in. Still no sign of Crystal. What's up with that?

Tara: now a female boxer in New Orleans. In the only sex scene of the episode, we also find out that Tara now has a girlfriend apparently. When Lafayette texts her that Sookie has returned to Bon Temps, she quickly lies to her significant other by saying that her grandmother died. Will she return to Bon Temps to see Sookie?

Lafayette and Jesus: these two are exploring Jesus's witch inclinations and visit a coven in Bon Temps. The witches are sitting in a circle, holding hands, and chanting. Who is their leader? Why none other than Irish actress Fiona Shaw (Petunia Dursley from the "Harry Potter" movies).

The coven eventually gets Lafayette to join their circle after Shaw's character Marnie grabs his hand and channels Eddie, a character from Lafayette's past.

The coven eventually bring back to life Marnie's familiar, a bird, for a few minutes only to have it die again. Everyone is mystified and Marnie is very excited. To be continued, for now I guess.

Hoyt and Jessica: after a lover's quarrel over food, Jessica angrily scrambles a dozen eggs, shells intact. Hoyt eats them to make his point, and long story short they make up and go to Fangtasia. Once there, though, Jessica meets a mysterious fan anger albeit briefly, runs to the bathroom, and is berated by the lovable but mean spirited Pam. Pam mocks the idea of monogamy and Jessica dating a human.

The best of the rest: Nan Flanagan and the American Vampire League are trying to remarket themselves post Russell Edginton  with Eric and Sam as mouthpieces. Sam has joined a drinking klatsch of other shape shifters to deal with his anger management after shooting his long lost brother Tommy last season. Tommy has apparently been taken in by Mrs. Fortenberry who needs a son to take the place of her beloved Hoyt.

However, and most importantly, we come upon the last fee scenes of the episode. Sookie had earlier gone to a lawyer (Portia Bellefleur, no less) to try to get her house back. Later we see Portia enter a highly fortified compound not unlike bin Laden's in Abbotabad to meet with none other than Bill Compton, the apparently new Vampire king of Louisiana. How eerie.

As we leave the episode, we see the person who bought Sookie's house: Eric. He bought it so that he could own Sookie. This looks like it will be quite an interesting season and I will keep you posted. Hopefully the were panthers, witches, vampires, and fairies can all just get along, but I doubt it.