It hurts me to say it ... but this week was a bit of a snooze-fest on True Blood. Its leading up to the finale next week, so one can forgive an episode that is more time-filler than record-breaking once in awhile. They cant all be winners!

In this episode Bill went after the Queen of Louisiana, Sookie unsuccessfully kept Tara from Eggs, and Jessica realized she doesnt stand a chance at getting between Hoyt and his precious mama. Who hasnt had that startling realization come over them with a potential boyfriend at some point in their lives? Just like Buffy the Vampire Slayer did, this show draws many a parallel to real life instances that most have seen in their own lives one way or another.

Sophie-Ann, the Queen, told Bill how to defeat the maenad after making him stay with her in her new day room. Like many other vampire shows and movies, it would seem that most have an unusual obsession with daylight. Some want to hide from it and revel in the fact that they are night dwellers, and some miss it constantly. The Queen seems to be someone that loves being a vampire, so its strange that she would want a day room.

Sam, Jason, and Andy decided to take the fight to Marry-Ann. Theyre tired of waiting around, but they need weapons first. Jason doesnt want anything happening to Bon Temps. Just a few episodes ago it would seem he was itching to get out and into the trusting hands of The Fellowship of The Sun, but now he just wants his life back to normal.

Tara manipulated her mother into releasing her from Sookie and Lafayette, and found out some unsettling news. She is the reason the maenad is in town. Last season, she called on the help of a woman to exorcise a demon from both her mother and herself. The woman was a fraud, and ended up dead in Andys cop car at the beginning of the season. During the phony ritual, Tara had a very real experience. She killed her younger self, and banished what she thought was a demon from her body. Turns out she called Mary-Ann to town instead.

Whether or not this explanation for her presence works for the audience is one thing, but Bon Temps without Mary-Ann would make it a hell of a lot less interesting.

Sookie returns to her Grandmothers house with Lafayette. Sookie states that shes ready to kick that bitches evil ass out of Bon Temps. I believe thats the only time the southern belle has ever cussed on the show! Its nice to see Sookie grow from watch your mouth to saying something so unladylike.

What Worked

Finally getting to see the vampires fly! Those who have read the books have been wondering whether or not they could do that in the show, and apparently they can. The argument between Bill and Eric at the end of the episode absolutely worked. Eric mentions the fact that Bill made Sookie drink his blood when they first met ... just like Eric did a few weeks ago. This begs the question; does Sookie only love Bill because of their blood-tasting connection? What does that mean for their future? And is their relationship any less valid because of it?

The creepiness that is John Billingsley and Patricia Bethune as Mike Spence and Jane Bodehouse. Chopping off your own finger is startling enough, and then having an almost naked Billingsley on your kitchen floor reminding you of the murder of your grandmother takes it to a whole new level. And then Sookie has to pretend shes going to have sex with him to make him stop spooning her!

Lafayette as one of Mary-Anns new minions is a great new twist! They even mentioned weres for the first time in the show, wonder what that could mean ...

What Didnt Work

The obsession with eggs. Theres a character named Eggs (because his first name is Benedict, at least thats what the books say), Jason wants to know if Sam can become a chicken and lay his own egg, and theres a massive nest with a perfect egg inside of it at the end of the episode. Even those of use who have read the books have no idea what that means! Unless Sam is the one that laid the egg in the bedroom ...

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

"True Blood" stars Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Ryan Kwanten, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Alexander Skarsgard and Michelle Forbes. The season finale airs on HBO Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.