The air went out...

...of my lungs approximately half a dozen times during the course of tonight's True Blood episode. The episode opened with Sookeh being coerced into sucking a wound on Eric's man-nipple, ostensibly to remove a piece of silver shrapnel embedded there during the suicide bombing from the end of last week's episode. Eric's predatory smile directly at the camera was so perversely awesome, it made the scene seem like a castoff from the cutting room floor of Lady GaGa's "Paparazzi" music video that Alexander Skarsgård guest-starred in.

This episode's main purpose was definitely to set up the love triangle between Eric, Bill, and Sookeh. Yawn! I mean, the episode was very enjoyable, and Sookeh's Eric-centric sex dream was funny and titillating, but I am just so bored by Sookeh and especially Bill now. I was never an Eric fan, until Godric came along and he suddenly became interesting. Okay that's a lie -- I think I started to like him when he worried about blood getting in the way of his dye job. I just think he could do better? I don't know, Sookeh was uncharacteristically exciting in her sex dream, so maybe Bill's dragging her down? We'll see. In any event, I enjoyed her scene with Jason, and I'm glad to see we can finally root for him.

Meanwhile, in Maryann-land, the story chugged along as slowly as usual. It's been kind of difficult for me to care at all about this storyline. I mean, I don't want Sam to die, but if he does I won't be too bothered. I hope Tara doesn't end up a casualty here though, as she's been likable in earlier episodes. Only three eps left in the season, and the mains are finally returning to Bon Temps, so I guess everything will start ramping up for the finale.

On to my favorite characters, Lafayette and Jessica. Lafayette had some excellent badass moments tonight, and I definitely want to see him end up saving the day at season end somehow. Jessica didn't get a whole lot of screen time, but Hoyt did finally introduce her to his momma, which raised a question about this show's vampire mythology which I have wondered about. Are the vampires on this show fertile? I would imagine not.

Alas, the show ended with Godric, a wonderfully written and acted character that I think we got far too little of. The final scene was very touching, of Godric accepting God and rising up in flames. It didn't make sense to me at first why Sookeh would want to be with Godric at his death, but after seeing him with Eric, and her with Eric, it began to make sense. Here's to Sookeh becoming likable, thanks to Eric.

True Blood season 2, episode 9, "I Will Rise Up." True Blood airs Sunday nights at 9pm on HBO.