"True Blood" recap: Heart habit to break

Warning: Spoilers for this week's "True Blood" below

This week on "True Blood," we learned that there are benevolent vampire dictatorships; that, if you find a dead woman in your freezer, your first move should NOT be to partially cover her with garbage bags; that you never give an idiot a paintball gun and that Maryann has seen the Hannibal Lecter trilogy one too many times.
I'd like to start with Maryann, if I could. I must say, the Maryann/Tara storyline is probably my least favorite part of this season. Yes, Maryann is creepy and Michelle Forbes is undeniably rad in the part. But so much of it just seems like ickiness for ickiness's sake.
The cooking of the heart; the feeding of the souffle de nasty to Tara and Eggs; the laughing maniacally when dinner devolved into an impromptu fight club between Tara and Eggs -- it was all so over the top. Granted, this show is built to be over the top, but usually, there's some anchor grounding it in reality. There's no emotion in this storyline, just discomfort. Yes, I'm scared for Tara, but I know she probably isn't going to die, so I just want the story to hurry up and be done with.
But I'm nit-picking. Overall, this was a good episode, mainly because the vampire/Fellowship of the Sun stuff was so strong. I've been really impressed with the way Jason has evolved from the dumb hunk of season one into something more complicated. Still dumb, but with layers of bravery and decency that make him a pretty admirable character. I loved the twist that he -- not Bill or Eric -- was the one to save Sookie from Steve. Jason's tender heart-to-heart with Bill was also great, just because Bill is so obviously uncomfortable with Jason's outpouring of emotion.
And how awesome is this Godric fellow? I love that the Dallas vampires have a benevolent leader who is sympathetic to humans. And I think it means something that such a principled vamp is Eric's maker, don't you?
Lest we forget, this episode had the most shocking ending of the season, with Luke wandering into the vamp party, tricked out with a bomb made of anti-vamp weapons. A Fellowship suicide bomber? Oh yes, "True Blood" -- bring it on.
Anyway, here are some more thoughts on this week's episode, "Timebomb."
* So, Bill finally overpowered the evil Lorena, only to have her turn up at the vamp party to harass Sookie. Is it just me, or did Sookie look a bit turned on when she heard that Bill walloped Lorena with a flat-screen TV?
* Sarah, it turns out, shot Jason with a paintball gun, not a real gun. She has good aim, but not as good as Jason, who uses it to shoot a REAL gun out of Steve's hand. I played paintball once and couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Jason Stackhouse is BADASS!
* This week, we also learned, courtesy of Jessica, why it's important for a woman to lose her virginity before becoming a vampire. When you're a vamp, things tend to heal whether you want them to or not. Things like a broken hymen. Ow. Hope you got your ears pierced before getting turned, Jess.
* I haven't yet mentioned the framing of Sam Merlotte for Daphne's murder, mainly because I thought that storyline was a little flat. But let me say that the whole awful Maryann story will be worth it if we get to see a crime-fighting team comprised of Sam, Andy and Lafayette. I don't think it will happen, but wouldn't that be fabulous?
* Look, I love Eric and loved that we saw so much of him this week. But he needs a new outfit. A man who has been alive for hundreds of years surely owns more than a single black tank top. Spice it up, Northman! How about some colors? Maybe not pastels with your skin tones, but some brights could really perk you up.
*Speaking of Eric, I did adore this exchange between him and Sookie, about Godric:
Sookie: He's your maker isn't he?
Eric: Don't use words you don't understand.
Sookie: You have a lot of love for him.
Eric: Don't use words I don't understand.
Sigh. Oh Eric, I forgive you your poor fashion sense. You're awesome!