Season 5 of "True Blood" finds Bill and Eric embattled with the AVL (American Vampire League), aka "The Authority," Jason and Sookie on the hunt for the ancient vampire that killed their parents, and Tara adjusting to life as a newly turned vamp.
The fifth installment picks up right where Season 4 left off, finding Tara accidentally shot by Sookie and lying dead on the kitchen floor. In order to avoid losing Tara forever, Sookie and Lafayette hesitantly decide to have Pam turn her into a vampire. The results are less than optimal, as Tara would rather be dead than, well, undead. She eventually takes up a bartending job at Fangtasia and cuts ties with her cousin and Sookie.
Meanwhile, Bill and Eric have been held captive by the AVL, who accuse them of being Sanguinistas, a faction of vampires who believe in a literal interpretation of the "Vampire Bible" and are opposed to the AVL's attempt at mainstreaming. Of course, these accusations are false, and Bill and Eric are forced to do the AVL's bidding amid planning their escape. Upon learning of the possible escape of Russell Edgington, the AVL commissions Bill and Eric to track him down and bring him back to their underground bunker.
As to be expected, the retrieval of Russell serves as the turning point of the season, as the Authority Chancellors turn on their leader and claim to be secret Sanguinistas who worship an ancient vampire goddess simply named Lilith. Bill is brainwashed by the de facto group, as the reformed AVL turns into a glorified terrorist group with the intention of feeding on humans.
In order to do so, the group blows up a series of True Blood factories in order to force the hand of vampires worldwide into feeding straight from the source. Eric and his sister, Nora, are visited by the ghost of their maker, Godric, who implores them to reject the Sanguinista way of life for it will be the death of their species. The siblings plan a revolt, but Bill is seemingly past the point of no return.
Meanwhile, Sookie is embracing her magical powers with the help of a rogue group of fellow fairies. She and Jason find themselves on the hunt for their parent's killer, whom they know little to nothing about, a subplot of which goes nowhere by season's end. Jason has a heartfelt goodbye with his best friend, Hoyt, who is glamoured by Jessica in order to forget that she slept with Jason. Hoyt thusly moves to Alaska in pursuit of a brand new start.
The various other subplots are of varying intrigue. There's a right-wing group of rednecks donning Obama masks, roaming Bon Temps and killing vampires and shifters, who arrive at a miraculously mundane ending. Alcide finds himself reunited with his estranged father after getting kicked out of his pack, the leader of which is a "V"-addicted halfwit.
However, the most bizarre storyline of the past season is that of Terry Bellefleur and the Iraqi fire demon. Through a series of flashbacks, it's revealed that Terry and his Army buddies in Iraq fired upon innocent civilians, one of which has cursed Terry and the rest of the men in the company to death by a fiery supernatural demon. Indeed, it's just another Manic Monday in Bon Temps.
Season 3 marked a significant dropoff for the series with too many extracurricular characters being thrown into the mix. However, with Season 5, it's as if "True Blood" has hit a stride once again. The whole AVL vs Sanguinistas plot manages to bring together a majority of the characters' motivations, particularly Bill and Eric, who are bonded in the experience. Sookie has almost become a secondary character at this point, being relegated to fairy subplots and faux heroine motifs. With Anna Paquin soon to be on maternity leave, it would appear her role as Sookie will be even more greatly reduced come Season 6 this summer.
As far as the Blu-ray release of season 5, the box set is top notch, as to be expected from an HBO product. Included in the extras is a less-obnoxious "pop up video" feature for each episode equipped with fun facts, trivia and insight into each scene. There is also a feature entitled "True Blood Lines," which acts as a family tree including each and every character, divided into species and categorized by the bloodlines they share with one another. Finally, there is an "Authority Confessionals" bit featuring each Chancellor revealing stories into a single-use camera ala a reality show confessional booth. Albeit somewhat corny, the amount of detail put into the bonus disc is truly impressive.
Onwards and upwards to Season 6 this summer.
Season: 3.5 Yaps Extras: 5 Yaps
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaDSocA0hAw]