Special edition| 1 a taste of

season five

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yet?W ith the release of True Blood

season four on DVD, my excitement has built up once again for the upcoming season, which is set to premiere Sunday, June 10 on HBO.

The series, based on Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire Mysteries books, left us with some major cliff hangers last season.

Primarily, Bon Temps faced trouble from the local Wiccan group and bad-A Marnie, who was possessed most of the season by a ridiculously old witch who has a bone to pick with the entire vampire species.

Blood was shed and heads did

roll, though in the end the vampires seemed to “save the day.”

In the meantime, Sam Merlotte, bartender and shape-shifter, has united with more of his own kind. He has an unfortunate mix-up with the Shreveport werewolf pack, but ultimately walked away victorious — and with his damsel by his side.

What will become of season five? My guess is that we’ll be seeing a lot more of the shifters.

Flip through this handy little season preview I’ve created and join me on this crazy journey where everything’s a little more bloody at night.

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Seriously? Tara? That was the real shocker in the season four finale as Debbie shot Tara. The end shot was spookiest as Sookie cradled Tara’s limp body, screaming for help.

I believe that this is the season for the shifters. There are a lot of unresolved issues with these people. The Shreveport pack is in disarray, the werepanthers were left with nothing and it seems to me that Sam’s in for another action-packed ride this season as he adjusts to dating a shifter whose daughter is part-werewolf.

Nan Flannigan was given the ‘true death’ from Bill last season and Eric killed all her bodyguards in the midst of the Authority firing her. It also appears that Russell Edgington has been dug out of his temporary cement grave. Another storm is brewing among vampires and I’m ready to savor the drama.

If you’ve read the books, you know there’s still more in store for the Bellefleur family. Last season, we saw Bill Compton and Portia Bellefleur hook up — only to realize that they were related. Also Andy hooked up with a faerie briefly. And then there’s Arlene and Terry to consider.

I mean, come on. You had to see this one coming. This is the show is all about. Jason and Jessica? Sam and Luna? Sookie and ... everyone? Bring it.

Top 5 reasons

to stay tuned

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Characters to

Russell was supposed to be “buried.”

After a season of silence, this angry, vengeful vampire has broken through some serious cement and will surely be after Bill and Eric — and probably Sookie, too.

Denis O’Hare has made brief appearances in the trailer promo, so my guess is he’ll be back and badder than ever.

Look out, world.

This one’s pretty self-explanatory. Sookie Stackhouse is the protagonist.

She’s desirable to every vampire she meets because, gasp, she’s part faerie. Her blood is delicious.

She’s now turned down two big-shot vampires and I’m sure we’re going to see more drama in the relationship department this season.

Luna’s got a lot of baggage.

She killed her mother when accidentally shifting into her. Her daughter is part-wolf and her ex was murdered by her current boyfriend.

This newly-introduced shifter has some issues to sort out in season five. My guess is that she’s going to have a hand in some major plot points this season.

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watch closely

Jessica has really come into her own as of last season. She’s breaking hearts and taking names.

Bill’s little protege has had a taste for human blood and has consciously decided to feed from humans.

Dumping both Hoyt and Jason last season, Jess has some re-evaluating to do and will certainly be kicking more butt.

After essentially raping Jason Stackhouse last season and fleeing the scene of the crime, I’ve still got a ton of questions about Crystal.

How will the were-panther cult survive without a figure head?

Plus, I’m not entirely convinced that she’s gone for good. I think we’ll be seeing much more of this innocent-looking vixen in season five, and I’m nervous.

This stylish, says-what-he-wants man is in for a whole new realm of possibilities this season.

After discovering last season that Lafayette is a “vessel” who can host lost souls in his body, I’m guessing there’s going to be more to that in episodes to come.

He’s mourning Jesus and potentially Tara, but he’s also going to step up in the future.

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War against the Authority

Things got pretty heated last season when a pack of witches lead by

Marnie took over Bon Temps in a short matter of time, putting the entire vampire species in danger.

Bill, who has made a power grab and is now king of Louisiana, took matters into his own hands after the vampire Authority refused to act. As a result, his boss was fired and his and

Eric’s names are both on the Authority hit list.

On one hand, the sudden union of Eric and Bill seems to work in everyone’s favor, given that they are two powerful vampires. On the other, they now fight on the same team. If one dies, so probably will the other. There’s much more at stake. Pun intended.

With Russell Edgington also

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making a comeback, much remains in the air. The Authority already has a beef with Bill’s brief stint of rebellion, but add Russell to the mix and it’s becoming harder to determine where each vampire stands.

With the Magister’s head rolling on the ground from season three and Nan’s not-so-surprising death at the end of season four, we no longer have a figure head for the vampire Authority.

The Authority is going to be a huge part of season five. Louisiana has been causing some serious problems in the equal rights movement for vampires, and the Authority is going to reach the point where they lay down the law.

Sookie, of course, will be put in danger once again when these powerful vampires will come to settle the score with Eric and Bill. She will want to know what’s going on, and her fairie identity will be exposed once again.

Pam, Eric’s right-hand woman, is getting fed up with the drama, but I’m positive she’ll still have an active role in protecting her turf in this inevitably bloody war.

“I have been alive for 816 years. I refuse to be retired like a fat

first wife.”

Nan Flannigan played a crucial role in last season’s constant back-and-forth for vampiric power.

She was easily the most identifiable vampire woman in the human world, constantly doing interviews with the press.

She was the Authority’s go-to on most matters in each kingdom. With her assassination, the real question is who will step up in her place?

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Shifters to play a bigger part this season

The moon is full, and I see more werewolves in Bon Temps’ future.

And after last season’s fiasco, we’re also going to be seeing more of Alcide.

To refresh your memory, Sam Merlotte started dating fellow shifter Luna. As their relationship progressed, we learned that Luna had a daughter with the head honcho of the werewolf pack in Shreveport, Marcus.

Marcus wasn’t too keen on Sam

spending time with his ex, so he sent a few hit-men to do his bidding.

Alcide, meanwhile, dealt with strange encounters in Shreveport as he and his crazy girlfriend and werewolf Debbie attempted to “settle down” and make friends with the local pack, headed by none other than Marcus.

Push comes to shove (quite literally) and suddenly Marcus finds himself in a fight with Sam and Alcide

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It’s been confirmed that actress Dale Dickey will play the fierce, cunning role of Annie, Marcus’ mom this season.

She’ll be seeking revenge on Alcide and his associates for the untimely death of her unpredictable, violent son.

Dickey’s known for her tough, grungy roles and she’s one of the characters I am most looking forward to getting to know this season.

on the other side.Marcus gets killed, leaving Debbie,

his secret lover, enraged and determined destroy everyone in her path. This leaves a major leadership role open for the Shreveport pack.

With no one even slightly as charasmatic to turn to, my guess is that Alcide will end up taking on head of the pack. Ideally, he will be able to turn the pack around, steering Louisiana wolves into the right direction.

But that’s awfully optimistic of me to think, given that this show is painfully masochistic and bound to give us a ride.

What’s really going to happen is Marcus’ old comrades will feel the need to seek justice for their dead friend and Marcus’ kin (see below)

will step up. Alcide and anyone who is associated with him (cough, SAM, cough) will be in danger.

Meanwhile, Sam and Luna try to move past this dark and twisted bump in their relationship, while maintaining friendly contact with the local pack since Luna’s daughter has blood ties.

Sookie, too, will deal with the wrath of the wolves, seeing as she was responsible for Debbie’s death. She will eventually need to ‘fess up to Alcide, though I also suspect the romance between the two of them will heat up this season.

Do you hear that howl?That’s the sound of shifters

everywhere, warming up as they prepare to take us on a long and twisted journey this summer.

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