Sookie, Jason and Bill rallied up their vampire friends and staged a rescue mission to save Arlene and Nicole from becoming Hep-V dinner in True Blood’s “Death Is Not The End.”

Still reeling from the deaths of Alcide and Mrs. Fortenberry, Sookie (Anna Paquin) and Jason (Ryan Kwanten) have the honor of making death notifications to Alcide’s father, Jackson (Robert Patrick), and Hoyt (Jim Parrack), who is working on an oilrig in Alaska. After his talk with Hoyt, Jason feels beat, but Sookie tells him to man up – with Andy taking care of Holly and Kenya working with the crazy vigilantes, Jason is the law of Bon Temps and they have things to do.

First stop for Jason, Sookie and Sam (Sam Trammell) is the Bellefleur’s. Holly (Lauren Bowles) doesn’t remember anything that happened to her before she was found bleeding and stumbling in the woods, and Andy (Chris Bauer) is hesitant to let Sookie try to get her to remember. But, Holly decides to let Sookie into her head to help them find Arlene (Carrie Preston) and Nicole (Jurnee Smollett-Bell). Sookie is able to get Holly to remember what happened: she was kept in the basement of Fangtasia and taken into the woods where she was snaked on before reuniting with Sookie & the gang. Sookie also sees that Kevin the deputy is dead, so Jason takes Sam to see Rosie (Tess Parker), Kevin’s girlfriend. During their death notification, Sam lets slip that they are all going to Fangtasia at night to rescue Nicole and Arlene and kill the Hep-V Vamps.

Fangtasia: A History

Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) and Pam (Kristin Bauer van Straten) are on their way to Baton Rouge to begin their search for Sarah Newlin (Anna Camp), but Eric instructs the flight crew to change course – they’re going to Bon Temps so he can see Willa. It will be a fun trip down memory lane, he tells Pam. After Eric was busted by the Authority in France in 1986, he and Pam were brought to Shreveport by the Authority’s Magister. There, they are informed of their sentencing: they must own and operate this small local business (a video store) and Eric will act as Sheriff, operating out of the video rental store. Pam is, of course, horrified, as the Magister takes them downstairs, where the bulk of the video store’s business comes from: the porn section. The porn section is very important, he says, and just happens to sit next to a piece of history – a tunnel used in the Underground Railroad leads right to the basement.

In 1996, Pam and Eric meet Ginger (Tara Buck), a film student who is obsessed with vampire films and almost faints at the sight of a ‘90s Eric. She begins to work there for the day shift and in 2006, when vampires are coming out of the coffin, she pitches her idea for Fangtasia to Pam, who glamours her to steal the idea as her own.

Jessica Feeds, Eric And Pam Return

After seeing Holly and promising Arlene’s kids, Lisa and Coby, that she will get their mother home, Sookie heads over to Bill’s to start planning the rescue. When she gets there, Bill (Stephen Moyer) and James (Nathan Parsons) are just beginning to stage an intervention for Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll), who hasn’t eaten in weeks. The bullet wound to her shoulder is not healing, and she is getting weaker by the minute. Sookie offers Jessica to drink from her, but Jessica refuses – she doesn’t want to lose control with another fairy. Sookie tells her that she doesn’t care about Jessica’s problems. Right now, she needs Jessica to eat so that she can be strong enough to fight the Hep-V Vamps with her. Since Jessica refuses to feed from Sookie, James calls Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis). Lafayette sweet talks Jessica and relaxes her enough to get her to eat. She doesn’t want to feed off innocent people anymore, but he tells her he isn’t innocent. He killed the man he loved and he hasn’t forgiven himself for it, but he lives on, and she needs to do the same. Meanwhile, Bill tells Sookie that he’s participating in the rescue effort because he owes her everything, and she lets him feed from her neck for lunch.

When the sun goes down, Bill, Jason, Violet (Karolina Wydra), Jessica, James and James’ friends Michael and Keith (Riley Smith) meet up at Bill’s house. Jason attempts to give the gang a pep talk before battle, but doesn’t quite manage to rally the troops when he tells everyone, “This is our Normandy.” Still, it’s a nice effort.

The preparations are put on hold when Eric and Pam arrive. Sookie gives Eric a huge hug hello and Eric summons Willa (Amelia Rose Blaire). Eric and Sookie catch up a bit – he tells her of his travels (he survived almost being burnt to a crisp by triggering an avalanche in Sweden) and she informs him that he cannot die on her. When Willa shows up, she’s pissed. Eric changed her and then abandoned her, and she’s not going anywhere with him until he apologizes. Eric responds by ordering her to help them storm Fangtasia. And, just like that, Eric, Pam and Willa join the rescue team.

Sookie And Bill Lead Rescue Effort

Eric tells the gang about the Underground Railroad tunnel, and Sam sneaks in first as a rat. He transforms in front of Arlene, who is stunned but seems happy to let it go if it means they are being rescued. Sam tells them that vampires are coming, but they are nice and will rescue them. All they have to do is stay as quiet as possible. Outside, Eric, weak with Hep-V, is having trouble punching down the wall to the tunnel, so Bill takes over. Eric attempts to go in, but Pam tells him that she will go in his place. When they get to the dungeon, they see that the Hep-V Vamps have taken Arlene upstairs to eat her. Pam gets Arlene and Nicole out as Bill sneaks upstairs to wait for backup.

Eric knocks on the door and identifies himself as a Hep-V vamp looking for a place to rest. He has a human, he says, and he is more than willing to share. Once inside, the vamps are quick to swarm around Sookie, but she declares that she is Eric’s, and the two stall until Bill and Eric are ready to attack. When the fight starts, Vince and Rosie and a few other vigilantes arrive with fire grenades and guns. They begin to shoot indiscriminately, drawing the Hep=V Vamps outside and leading to an all out war between Bill and the gang and the Hep-V vamps.

Arlene And Nicole Are Rescued

Arlene is barely alive, and she mumbles something about seeing Terry and wanting to be with him. Sookie tells her to stay awake, to hang on, but Arlene is so happy to see Terry. Sookie pleads for a healthy vampire to help heal Arlene, but all the healthy ones are fighting, even Bill was drawn away from Sookie by his need to save Jessica from Vince, smashing his head open.

Sookie grabs Arlene’s hand and suddenly can see what she sees: Terry (Todd Lowe) is standing in the doorway. He tells Arlene that he misses her so much, and then asks her about the kids. They both agree that she needs to stay there and raise their children, and Arlene drinks the blood of new friend, vampire Keith to heal. Before Terry leaves, he tells Arlene to be happy.

Outside Fangtasia, all the Hep-V vamps are dead, and the vigilantes are either dead or subdued. Not one loss for the good guys, though Eric is still dying slowly from the Hep-V. Inside, Arlene holds onto Sookie for dear life.

True Blood airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.

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