True Blood review – 7×06: ‘Karma’

Courtesy of HBO

‘Karma’ is a b*tch in the latest episode of True Blood as everyone deals with the fall-out of Hep-V crisis.

Let’s bitch it out…

Last week’s cliffhanger revealed that Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) is infected with the Hep-V virus, which suggested that Sookie (Anna Paquin) may also be sick. ‘Karma’ flips things around by clarifying that it was actually the former waitress who infected everyone’s favourite Southern gentleman when she was sprayed with Hep-V blood earlier this season. It’s a nifty twist that puts the former lovers back in each other’s orbit once again, reiterating that they remain the show’s end game couple. I guess all of the Bill/Sookie fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

With the revelation that Sarah Newlin (Anna Camp) is the cure for the disease, the goal of the remaining episodes of the season is much clearer: set up a happy ending. Oh sure, there are still some outstanding issues to be dealt with (like the “ugh – why?!” storyline of Karolina Wydra’s Violet spiriting Bailey Noble’s Adilyn and Wade away for nefarious purposes), but in general the writers are setting up a race to the finish to get Sarah’s blood into Bill and Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) before they meet the true death. (Side Note: What do you want to bet that the Yakuza will find a way to hook Sarah up to a machine to synthesize her blood and sell the cure for record profits?)

The other ‘Karma’ storylines barely register, with one exception: Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) and Lettie May’s (Adina Porter) V-induced dream quest to decipher their Tara (Rutina Wesley) visions suggests that they need to revisit their old house for something. I’m intrigued by this plot because I no longer have any idea where it’s going (originally I thought it might be about a cure, but it seems unlikely two different storylines will explore that). So what is buried in the yard that Tara wants them to find? No clue, but I’m interested to find out.

Other Observations:

• Bill’s case of Hep-V is spreading exponentially faster than any of the other cases we’ve seen. It seems likely that this is due to his Lilith-inspired stint, but also because a dying Bill and a crying Sookie makes for a more emotional, desperate journey.
• Side Note: I love silly comedic bits like Bill’s excruciating waiting room experience, but it’s hard to believe that a rich, famous man like him would have to go to a dime-store lawyer. Also: stabbing Kapaneck and her bodyguard is amusing, but it’s kind of a dick move on Bill’s part – there are other people waiting for her services, even if she is a shark.
• Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) continues to get little to do, but it’s amazing how much a little bit of her makes me want more. More Jessica!
• Holly (Lauren Bowles) and Andy (Chris Bauer) fighting = I just don’t care. Arlene (Carrie Preston) as marriage mediator almost makes up for it, but not quite.
• Finally, if Nicole (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) wants to leave “Crazy Town”, then let her. Obvious Bon Temps isn’t normal, but she’s the one that sticks out!

Best Lines:

• Lafayette (after James agrees to let Lettie May drink his blood): “I’m letting you do this one last time and then we about to get some closure on this bitch.”
• Kristin Bauer von Straten Pam (surveying the room they’re imprisoned in): “I’ve imagined my death many times, but I never thought that I would meet the sun in a room with wall to wall carpet.”

Your turn: do you think that Bill and Eric will be saved by Sarah Newlin’s blood in time? Do you have any idea what Tara is trying to lead Lafayette and Lettie May to? Do you care if Adilyn lives or dies? And was Bill a dick for killing the lawyer? Sound off below.

True Blood airs Sundays at 9pm EST on HBO. *Please note* that there may be no review next week.