"True Blood" recap: Sun, sun, sun -- here it comes

Spoilers for this week's "True Blood" below. Don't click through if you don't want to know.

Before we start this week's recap, let me just take a minute to thank Mike Calia for filling in for me last week. He did an excellent job, and I implore you to go check out his blog, Cynic by Trade, Romantic by Nature. However, I am pissed that he got the episode in which we learned Crystal was a werepanther. Having read Charlene Harris's books, I knew that twist was coming, and was looking forward to using my own "Anchorman"-sex panther reference. Damn you, substitute blogger and your eerily similar to mine wit!

Anyway, on to the recap.
On this week's "True Blood," well, everyone was losing their damn minds.
Sookie, having been freed by pissed-off Estonian dancing girl Yvetta (really? Could they have picked a more random person to free Sookie?) is deeply annoyed, and doesn't become less so when she learns Eric plans to feed her to Russell. Bill is none too pleased himself, after getting spraying in the face with liquid silver by Pam. He, too, is annoyed by Eric's plan for the fairy feeding frenzy, but eventually sees it as a way to save Sookie's life.
And Russell, of course, came after Eric -- still carrying that damn bowl of Talbot jelly. Seriously -- wouldn't that thing have oxidized and turned brown by now? That container does NOT look airtight. Eric, thankfully, is able to divert him with the news about Sookie's fairy-ness and the tantalizing prospect of becoming a day walker.
Elsewhere, Sam was bad-mouthing everyone in sight after going on a massive bender (sidenote: Between Sam and Don Draper, Sunday was quite the night for binge drinking, no?). Meanwhile, Tara was continuing her bad will tour of Bon Temps, confronting Andy for his lie about the Eggs shooting. Arlene was beside herself when her Renee-spawned demon child didn't give in to Holly's Wiccan miscarriage ritual. This is what happens when you invoke your mama's spirit during a ritual, Arlene. Mamas want grandbabies, even if they're evil.
Oh, and lest we forget Lafayette, whose V hangover led him to hallucinate that lovely Jesus as a demon. Could it be that our favorite nurse actually is a Satan in a Sunday hat? Sigh. Poor Lafayette. I so want him to be happy.
Of course, all this was a prelude to the show's climax, in which Eric and Russell fed on Sookie, then went out in the sun to fry. Sooo...did they die? I don't know. I mean, they can't kill Eric, right? Something that pretty can't die, dammit! No, no, no! NOOOO!
Sigh.
Anyway, here are some more of my thoughts on this week's episode, "Fresh Blood."
* After his hilarious work last season, Chris Bauer cruelly has been given too little to do this season as Andy. But he got a great juicy scene this week during the confrontation with Tara. Tara, in her anger, treats Andy like he took responsibility for Eggs's shooting in a quest for glory, but he pulls the rug out from under her by showing genuine remorse. His explanation -- that he was trying to protect Jason, and that he truly did feel responsible for the shooting -- gives even Tara pause. It's a nice scene.
* Also getting to do some more nice work this episode was Kristin Bauer van Straten as Pam. The development of this character has been the highlight of the season. Her devotion to Eric, and his devotion to her, has given this all-over-the-place season some much-needed emotional heft. That bit at the end, in which a heartbroken Pam watches Eric risk (and possibly end) his life to rid the world of Russell was truly searing.
* Actually, there was a lot of nice sentimental stuff this episode, including that sweet scene in which Bill and Sookie fantasize about what their lives would be like if they were just normal human beings. Yeah, it was a little reminiscent of the "tell me about the rabbits" speech in "Of Mice and Men," but it was still nice.
* And, of course, there was that lovely bit with Hoyt and Jessica, who shared a heartfelt conversation about her true nature. She tells him about the trucker and her need to feed on human blood. Hoyt offers himself up as a one-man buffet, and Jessica takes him up on the offer. It's a sweet, sexy moment, but will it last? Or will Hoyt tire of being Hadley to Jessica's Sophie-Anne, and go back with the adorable yet terrifying Summer? Yes, if Maxine -- seen far too little this season -- has her way.
* Sigh. I wish I could bring myself to comment on the whole Jason-Crystal thing, but if I can't make a sex panther joke, what is the point?
* I might be alone, but I was actually kind of pleased at the resurgence of the Sam-Tara relationship (if, indeed, it can be called a relationship). I like them together. I feel their mutual hatred of the world makes them suited to one another. I'm weird.