3 Lucky Readers will get the following:

• A WHAT MAISIE KNEW poster signed by star and hunk Alexander Skarsgard
• An autographed copy of Julianne Moore’s newest children’s book from her Freckleface Strawberry Series
• WHAT MAISIE KNEW pens from Millennium Entertainment

To enter just fill out the form below. Winners will be chosen at random on May 24th. Good luck!

Also make sure to check out the trailer at the bottom of this post!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was pretty happy Bill would apparently be the big bad of season six, which meant he would be safely off the radar for Sookie romantically. Leave it to Compton loving Alan Ball to turn him into God gone wild. Anyway I hoped that the tender moments at the end of season five with Sookie and Eric were just a foreshadow of what we might see in season six. They could get closer as they tried to save Bill and perhaps rekindle a little of what they lost…or at the very least agonize about it a little as they spent more time together in this common goal. Yet as always Eric and Sookie fans get the shaft.

We already heard that Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner) has been cast as Macklyn…the sinister and creepy vamp who has ties to Sookie and Jason. The latest addition is a fairy who will apparently be Sookie’s new love interest. Dagnabbit! He will be played by Rob Kazinsky. They take mutual interest in each other as he helps Sookie and Jason get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the murder of their parents.

Why??????

Not only is the cover for the 13th and final book amazing I really like what it seems to imply. Of course this could be my wishful thinking but its looks as though Sookie is walking into the sunset whilst looking behind her to say goodbye to her old life. We see Quinn, Sam, and Alcide behind her and bats (the vampires) before her. If Charlene Harris had not said in interviews that she absolutely did not intend for Sookie to be a vampire at series end, I would swear that this book cover hints at that! Looking back at green grass, flowers, and food with a slight longing…cmon!

It could also mean that her life lies with the vampires though. Is there any significance in there being three bats?

Sookie is wearing lots of red too…Eric’s favorite color. Does that mean anything? It is going to be sweet torture waiting for this book to come out! Don’t forget to pre-order it!

What do you think of the cover?

The episode begins where the last left off, with Tara attacking Sookie. Pam at first just looks on and laughs but then orders Tara (as her maker) to not bite Lafayette or Sookie and to stay in Sookie’s house. A very frustrated Tara takes to destroying her house. It frustrated me immensely to see that after Eric got her house all fixed up for her last season. Grrr!

Meanwhile Nora, Eric, and Bill are taken to Authority headquarters and thrown into individual holding cells. It is here that we meet Salome, Roman, and other Authority leaders. They want to know what kind of agenda the three have and what happened to Nan. Salome also seems interested in getting flirty with Eric. Who can blame her?

Pam is completely in the dark about what is going on and no doubt thinks Eric is still angry with her and ignoring her. Her upset over this causes her to start remembering their history and we are treated to several flashbacks. During her human life she was a madam running a brothel. She seemed to treat her ladies with lots of care and respect but she is much harder when it comes to men, who frequently beat on or kill the girls in her employ. She is attacked in an alley one evening by a potential customer and a dashing Eric Northman comes to her rescue.

He kills her would-be attacker and licks the blood from his fingers. Pam is not even shaken up due to her previous experiences with violence and death, which seems to impress the tall Viking. Eric attempts to give her some friendly advice about ladies being out late at night but Pam makes a snide remark about not being a lady, which makes Eric smile.

Eric comes closer and admires her dress…and the stunning and fearless lady in front of him. She asks his name but he gives her one more sly smile and quickly makes his exit. I sooooo want to know where it goes from here. Does she pursue this amazing and mysterious man until he makes her like him? Is he unable to quit thinking of her and returns at a later date to make her immortal? I have to know!!

Back in more modern times we visit the cells of Eric, Nora, and Bill. The torture first begins with UV light being used in their cells. Then they are moved to different holding cells where they are hooked up to IV machines with silver. They are questioned about their loyalty to the Authority agenda and whether or not they are fundamentalists. Apparently there is a Bible that pre-dates the Old and New Testament in which God is mentioned as being vampire and his first creation being made in his own image, a woman named Lillith. Humans were created (according to this Bible) for vampire nourishment and nothing more. The Authority is dedicated (or so they say) to mainstreaming and peaceful coexistence with humans. They want to know if Nora, Eric, and Bill are associated with a faction who believe that mainstreaming is beneath them and want to farm humans for food as they see fit.

Eric and Bill are tortured with silver whenever their answers are not to the liking of their interrogators. Salome interrogates Eric and in his usual style he is evasive and sarcastic with his answers.

He is not smiling though when Salome falsely tells him that Nora has met the true death.

I am not sure what they gain by keeping mum about their relationship at this point. It seems to me that their paternity would make them seem less guilty of the charges levied against them. Hopefully it will make sense later.

Finally they are dragged out to meet Roman and other Authority council members for their punishment, which was to be a stake through the heart. Bill bargains for their lives by telling them that Russell Edgington is alive and now on the loose again. This infuriates Roman and he is ready to stake Bill for this incompetance. Eric bravely tries to intervene by telling Roman that it was he who made the call to let Russell live (intimating that he should be the one to die). The more we learn of Eric, the more we see that the Viking is full of honor and integrity. He continues to amaze me!

Roman is unswayed though since Bill is King and this is ultimately his responsibility. This is very true. Bill had a year as King to rectify this Russell situation if he had wanted to. Yet both of their hides are saved for now because despite Roman’s desire to kill them both he knows that if Russell is out there and about to wreak havoc…Bill and Eric can serve as bait AND they brought him down once already and can do it again.

Sookie spent the length of the episode dealing with collateral damage from the Tara situation and talking Laffayette out of staking her. I am quite bored with it frankly and cannot wait until she rejoins Eric and Bill. At any rate Laffy thinks something is seriously messed up with Tara but Sookie thinks she is in there somewhere. Sookie’s belief is somewhat confirmed when Tara rises for her second evening and she tells them both that she will never forgive them for turning her into a vampire. Then she takes off  (which I thought she couldn’t do) but gets sprayed first with a silver device that Sookie had installed on her porch to keep in her in the house (I think). It will be funny to see if either Eric or Bill get sprayed when they come to enlist Sookie’s help, which we know from season teasers that they will.

Another solid episode even if I thought Sookie’s story line was a total snoozefest. Loved the Eric/Pam flashbacks, the interrogations, and the insight into vampire history.

HBO has released two previews for the next episode. In the first one Eric and Bill are transferred to holding cells whilst they await their fate with The Authority. Is that Roman in the painting on the wall??

In the second Sookie and Laffy are hesitant to try and deal with an out of control Tara. I guess Pam decided to let them fend for themselves, LOL. I love the way Lafayette covers his neck with his sweater.

Last night was the night we waited anxiously for all year, the premiere of season five of True Blood and what a premiere it was!

Last season had most of us Eric/Sookie fans on pins and needles because we knew that a real relationship between Eric and Sookie would be established in season four. We were dying to know how their love affair would come to life on the screen and how Alan Ball would find ways to mess it up. We were not disappointed on either count. Some fans were upset at season’s end by Sookie’s rejection of Eric  and others expected it from the get-go. Some vowed not to watch True Blood anymore and others made it clear that Eric Northman was reason enough to watch no matter which way the story went. I am in that second camp and Eric Northman was clearly the star of episode one, season five. I am confident that he will have a kick ass story line this season and I will enjoy every second of it, Sookie or no. This first episode had such a great story and such great action that all the Sookie and Eric drama kind of melted away for me.

Though I must say the start was rocky and it had me quite angry…

It started out with Eric cleaning up Bill’s office after he and the King killed Nan Flannigan. Bill is leaving a chatty message for Jessica while Eric cleans solo and gets kinda miffed. Both settle in to finish the job and they sense Sookie’s fear. Eric’s response is to say “Fuck Sookie” and then rant about how she rejected them both and that if they don’t concentrate on their own fate they will be dead. He is of course absolutely right but it is yet another of those writing inconsistencies that drives many fans crazy. Eric was ready to die for Sookie not once but twice only days previous to this event. He and Bill also killed a powerful ally (Nan) just to protect Sookie’s fae heritage from being discovered. I don’t think our Viking would throw Sookie to the wolves (literally) as he is cleaning up the goo of a dead vamp he just helped kill to protect her! He wouldn’t do that, even if he is hurting. Bad form writers!

To make matters worse, when they hear a gunshot (the one that hit Tara) it is Bill who runs to save her, not Eric. Both end up being caught in silver nets by the Authority just then but the very idea that Eric stays behind while Bill gets to play hero, irks me.

Anyway…

Sookie is visited by Pam, who is looking for Eric. Lafayette asks Pam to turn Tara into a vampire to save her. Pam is not down with that, at all. She hates Tara and half her head is missing which could mean that she ends up one messed up vamp. She only agrees to try to when Sookie promises to help fix the rift between Eric and Pam and also owe Pam a favor. That should be good when that favor comes due. Pam goes to ground with Tara, wearing a pale yellow Walmart jumpsuit (LOL) and everyone waits to see what will happen.

Eric and Bill meanwhile are stuffed in the trunk of a car on their way to execution. They find an umbrella in the trunk which they use to puncture a hole in the gas tank and then they cause an explosion. A four vamps in the car are ejected but Bill gets the worst of it, getting hit by some shrapnel. Eric refuses to leave Bill behind even when told to. In a very heroic moment he tells Bill he will not leave him behind and thus we see some character growth and writing that makes sense. Eric has always had little respect for Bill, even as the King of Louisiana but his memory wipe and the experiences he had during that event have changed him I think. Bill did the honorable thing by allowing Eric to go free and pursue a relationship with Sookie and now Eric does the honorable thing by insisting upon saving Bill when it is his time of need. I have always felt that both of these men can be very good and honorable but the show rarely allows us to see that part of Eric. When together they bring out the worst typically. Now though we see a total flip of the switch and it is refreshing.

Though I did run across this script on Tumblr and I don’t know if it is real or not but if it is.. I soooo wish they kept it in the scene. That would have been awesome!!!

One of the vamps driving the car sneaks up on them and is about to go for the kill when the second vamp (a female) stakes him, saving both Eric and Bill. Eric identifies her as Nora and they walk up to each for one heckuva passionate make-out session. Bill asks if they are friends and Eric replies that she is his sister actually. LOVED that hilarious moment. We of course know that they are not really related but instead both are products of the same maker (Godric). The brother/sister references are quite funny though.

Nora explains that she is working within the Authority as a Chancellor and is working against some of their plans and actions. She took a great risk assisting them but claims she will do anything for Eric and he for her. She tells the Authority that Eric and Bill are dead and explains that they must now disappear and never return to their previous lives. They both agree to do so and they all shack up in an empty storage container as the sun comes up.

Sookie spends the day cleaning up her house and helping Lafayette cope. Alcide comes by to tell her that Russell Edgeington is alive and on the loose which comes as a surprise since Bill told her he was dead. Alcide offers to protect her but Sookie cannot take him up on his offer knowing that she killed his girlfriend just the night before. She almost comes clean but Lafayette interrupts and sends Alcide packing.

When the sun goes down Bill steps outside the storage container and Eric and Nora commence with knocking boots. It was HAWT and apparently brother and sister really, really missed each other. Bill encourages them to be quieter or all of New Orleans will hear them. They are interrupted by Eric’s cell phone ringing which spurs a little fight whereby Nora decries his stupidity and Eric yells at her that his phone is untraceable. Eric comments that they fight like siblings but they fuck like champions. Oh lordy!

In the picture above Bill looks like he is admiring the Viking vampire God.

Eric takes a phone call from Alcide who no doubt tells him about King Russell being on the loose. Shit storm number two is now ready to hit the fan. It has been a very, very bad couple of days for Eric and Bill. We never see if Eric explains to Bill because they meet up with some kind of underground to get new papers. Eric’s new name is hideous – Ike Abblebaum.  Fortunately or rather unfortunately, he cannot slip into his new identity because the Authority shows up and kills all but Nora, Bill, and Eric. The trio are arrested by some seriously bad dudes.

While that is going down Sookie and Laffy are waiting for Tara to rise. Pam comes up first, prompting Sookie to unbury Tara and see if she wakes. At first she does not stir, leading them to believe their efforts failed. Then in a flash Tara is up and in attack mode, ready to feast on Sookie. She screams for help as the scene closes.

Overall the episode rocked. I loved the growth in Eric’s character and for the purposes of the story it made sense that Sookie is on her own and Eric and Bill are teaming up to take care of themselves. Eric and Pam still got all the funny lines and Eric got the hot babe. The relationship between Eric and Bill was also surprisingly believable. I think many of us groaned when he heard rumors of a season five bromance between the two but with such good writing and a plausible story, it works. Both vamps seem to have grown after the ups and downs of last season and while we always new Eric was likeable, Bill is also likeable when he is not trying to assert his authority or lay claim to Sookie.

I am THRILLED so far with season five. Bring it on!

Love the first TV Guide cover though. It has the feel of an old 40s or 50s mystery/detective novel cover ala Nancy Drew. Ms. Stackhouse and Ms. Drew certainly have a knack for trouble!

The BEST part is that we see some clear cut flashbacks of Eric from his younger days. In one he looks like some kinda mobster complete with pinstripe suit ala the roaring 20s or 30s maybe? I kinda like the idea of Eric as a mobster.

In another set of flashback scenes we see Eric with Pam, most likely when he turned her, in the mid 1800s. Eric is wearing a top hat and his opera best! OMG! He is also licking his fingers again. Dare I say he ripped another heart out? I am guessing from this scene that Pam was attacked and Eric saved and turned her. Cannot wait to see this unfold!!!

Another scene shows Pam and Eric in bed together! Booyah! Not sure when this happens/happened. But good lord how can she look away from that face??!!

Also interesting is the fact that Bill and Eric enlist Sookie’s help together, Eric reluctantly and Bill aggressively. Typical. In one scene they appear to be breaking into a building or are in some way sneaking around… Eric takes the lead.

Strong and silent and blah, blah, blah…

My two fave Eric pics are these:

I think it is obvious that HBO knows who fans want to see. There is a metirc ton of Eric in this promo as opposed to rat faced Bill. Let’s hope the season as a whole pans out that way too. Even if Sookie and Eric are not together I pretty much only want to see Eric and Sookie in scenes with lots of Pam thrown in for good measure of course. As long as I get lots of Eric I won’t even mind this so much…

That’s Sookie about to kiss Alcide. They best not be on the sex chair in her living room! Some things are sacred!

Screencaps thanks to Alexander Skarsgard fans.

See the rest of the season five cast posters below: