'True Blood' recap: Tainted blood

Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) shows her gratitude to gallant vamp James (Luke Grimes) on tonight's episode of "True Blood." (HBO)

Another semi-major death on "True Blood", and while this one wasn't as heart-rending as the end of nutty yet noble Terry Bellefleur, it was certainly ... gooier. Eeesh.

Eric watches the tainted Tru Blood get loaded onto a delivery truck and sees a cache being sent back into the vamp camp; he sends Willa back into Vamp Camp to warn Pam not to drink it and escapes with the Hep V-infected Nora by hiding under the delivery truck, killing a guard doing a sweep in the process. Willa, who is still carrying around the dead doctor's severed arm to gain access through the prison facility, finds Pam doing yoga in solitary. Pam sneers, "Eric sent you to help me?" Willa hilariously shows off the arm; Pam is a wee bit impressed despite herself. She tells Willa to inform Tara and Jessica about the Tru Blood, but not anyone else, otherwise the powers-that-be will know something is up.

Eric takes Nora to Bill's mansion; as much as it probably pains Eric to admit it, he tells Bill that he believes he is a god, and that only he can save Nora through his blood. But Nora refuses to drink Bill's Lilith-infused blood, and Bill says he has to honor her dying wish. Um, if you feed her and she doesn't die, it won't be her dying wish. Duh.

Sarah Newlin discovers Gov. Burrell — or rather, his head — in the garden of the Governor's Mansion. As God is her witness, she Scarlett O'Haras, his death will not be in vain! How so? She ropes a state senator into spinning a yarn about Gov. Burrell escaping the attack and going into hiding. She doesn't want the Republican-in-name-only lieutenant governor taking over and derailing her anti-vamp initiatives. The senator — whom Sarah knows has a big gay secret — will cover for Gov. Burrell with the legislature, and Sarah will take his place overseeing vamp camp. How long can she keep it up, the senator wonders. She says it won't be long until the tainted Tru Blood does its job.

Sookie wakes up with Warlow in the sun-drenched fairyland; it's a first for her. He takes their night of lovemaking as confirmation that she's going to be his; she's not so sure. And then she hears Arlene sobbing in the real world and excuses herself to comfort her friend. Yes, she gets dressed first.

She transports herself back to the cemetery, where she finds Arlene, who doesn't know how she's going to tell her kids about Terry. Sookie tells her she's strong, and promises to help. They head back to the Bellefleur mansion, where Arlene briefly unloads on Lafayette about opening up a can of worms with the call about Terry giving him a key to his safe-deposit box. Lafayette and Sookie realize they have to see what's inside before Arlene — they discover a $2 million life insurance policy taken out three days before Terry's death. They realize Terry knew what he was doing. Why would he do that, Sookie wonders. "You do it when you believe it's the best thing for everybody," Lafayette says. Leaving your family behind can be the best thing?, Sookie wonders. Oh, Sookie, it's not always about you.

Sam checks in with Lafayette, who tells him about Terry. Even though he promised Alcide a few hours earlier to never return to Bon Temps, he realizes he has to go back. He tells Nicole that it's not safe for her, so she reaches out to her mother to pick her up — but not before some shower nookie with Sam.

At Vamp Camp, Jessica gets called into an office, where she finds Jason waiting. He tells her that he wants to help her escape, but Jessica, who still feels horrible guilt about massacring three of Andy's daughters, says she's going to stay. Jason: "You don't have that Stockholder's Syndrome?" Jessica says that the only thing she wants from Jason is for him to find the vampire who refused to engage in the copulation study with her so she can thank him. Oh, is that what we're calling it these days?

Jason brings back James, and Jessica asks for some privacy. Jessica says that when she was brought to Vamp Camp, she thought she was a monster, that they were all monsters. So why wouldn't James have sex with her? He says that he believes vampires choose to forfeit their souls; "I made a different choice." So Jessica warns him about the Hep V in the Tru Blood. He says that while he's never really believed in true immortality, he now wishes he had time to accomplish more — like find his father and tell him how he was proud to be his son. Swoon. It's like someone is writing his lines for him. What does Jessica want? To jump James' bones. She's never made love with a vampire, "and you have this humanity just coursing through you." Needless to say, his humanity is soon coursing through Jessica.

Eric once again presses his case to Bill to save Nora: "I believe you. I believe in you. I believe that you are divine." Bill tells Eric about his visions, which include Eric, Pam, Jessica and Tara all meeting the sun. It is Warlow's blood, not Lilith's, that allows Bill to walk in the sun, so they have track him down. Eric says he'll help if Bill helps Nora. Bill agrees, but it turns out Bill's blood doesn't do anything for Nora. Perhaps Warlow's blood can.

At the Bellefleur mansion, Sookie and Lafayette find Andy, Holly, Adilyn and a very drunk Arlene. Before they have a chance to tell Arlene about the life insurance policy, in waltzes Bill in broad daylight. Everyone is gobsmacked, but Bill merely goes to Arlene to pay on his sincere condolences. (After all, Terry was one of his descendants.) Then he approaches Andy, telling him that they are both fathers, and as such, no duty is more sacred than protecting their daughters and making sure they live long and happy lives. Subtext, subtext. "I wish you and your daughter the very best," he tells Andy, holding out his hand. Andy looks past Bill at Holly, who gives a barely perceptible nod, and then shakes on it. Lafayette: "I'm so (bleeping) glad I took my beta-blockers. Deuces!"

Then Bill takes Sookie aside. He tells her that Jessica, Tara and Pam are all in a death camp, but Warlow could save them. If she refuses to help, "there will be many more days like this." Sookie: "If I refuse you, I'm killing my friends." Bill: "There will be blood on both our hands. Bring me Warlow, and soon."

pruitt-taylor-vince.jpgPruitt Taylor Vince plays a psychiatrist who becomes attached to Pam.

At Vamp Camp, Pam is brought to the psychiatrist's office. They discuss her sexual appetites, and pretty soon she has him wrapped around her little finger. Putting aside his notepad and shifting in his seat, he says, "I'm very interested in your specific knowledge." Pam: "So you want inside my head?" Oh yes. She will let him go "deep" if he lets her back inside gen pop. "I think that can be arranged."

Sarah returns triumphantly to Vamp Camp, and tells Jason that any leverage he had on her is gone now that Gov. Burrell is dead. She has one of her goons make a deep cut on his wrist and throws him inside one of the female vamp cells. "Have fun with our sluts," Sarah calls. Jason finds himself surrounded by a dozen hissing vamps, but Tara jumps in front of him protectively. At the back of the cell comes a voice: "Ladies, please. He's mine." It's the attractive brunette alpha vamp. Jason, ever the horndog, looks interested.

Eric is with the dying Nora, and the reminisce about the first time they met. Flashback to London, 1665, and Eric has been asked to see King Charles II, who is played by the British actor Hal Ozsan but I was convinced was Andy Samberg until the credits. The king wants Eric to track down Lady Gainsborough, who has been tending to the victims of the Black Plague. The regent would rather Lady Gainsborough tend to his needs — in bed.

Eric finds Lady Gainsborough — Nora — in some unfortunatel hovel. "You're too late," Eric is told. "The pustules have formed." That's a fine how-do-you-do. Eric tells Nora that he wants to move her to better conditions, to her house in Surrey. "em>His house in Surrey," she says, referring disgustedly to the king. "My death shall be my own." Eric is taken with her bravery, and tells her he will take her to his father, Godric, who will heal her.

Back in the present day, Nora tells Eric that Pam and Willa help heal him. "You saw in them what you saw in me. Let them walk beside you. They want to."

"I promised you forever," Eric sobs. "I only ever asked to live fully, and you gave me that," Nora tells him, the black veining that is the hallmark of Hepatitis V spreading to her face. "Don't leave me," Eric sobs, hugging Nora, who starts to disintegrate in his arms. Gross. Eric looks up and sees Bill looking meaningfully at him.

Meanwhile, Alcide returns Jackson back to his out-of-the-way mobile home. Jackson is itching for a reconciliation, but realizes he's disappointed Alcide too many times. He even points out a lovely piece of land nearby that Alcide could move to. "You don't have to go back," he tells his son. "Pack life ain't for us. One day you're gonna realize it."

Well, today might be the day. When Alcide returns to his pack, he tells them that Sam and Nicole are both dead, and that he gave Emma back to Martha. The heat should die down quickly, he says. "That should make you happy," he adds, looking at Rikki. Rikki says they'd be happier if he wasn't lying through his teeth. Turns out the weres captured Nicole and her mother, and the pack is most seriously displeased with Alcide.

What's happening on next week's "True Blood":