REVIEW: True Blood Episode 41, "Me and the Devil" (with spoilers)

True Blood Season 4, Episode 5, entitled "Me and the Devil," in which various things of great consequence and import happen to our beloved cast of characters, imperiling their bodies and/or souls.

Without further ado, here are what I thought to be the highlights:

• Tommy whacks both his parents as dear old mom tries to bring him back into the world of dog fighting for not so dear old dad
• Lafayette and Jesus go on the lam to Mexico in search of Jesus's brujo father so that they can gain some way to protect themselves from big, bad, Eric Northman after their wicca group banished the vampire's memories and set Northman's child Pam to rotting
• Sam helps Tommy get rid of the evidence of his parricide, where we learn that 1. Alligators LOVE marshmallows and 2. Sam's killed before and done just fine afterwards
• Jason is rescued from panther hillbillie enslavement by best-friend Hoyt and redhead hottie vampire Jessica, only to have a dream of stealing said redhead hottie vampire away from Hoyt

And the biggest bomb of the evening

• Bill learns that Eric has been hiding out at Sookie's place, even after Sookie told him she had no idea regarding Eric's whereabouts (oh, Tara also find s out Eric is hanging at Sookie's, and storms out in typical Tara fashion)

This season of True Blood has been one of expanding mythology with the introduction of faeries and witches, and this episode's drama arises from the mischief wrought by the latter. Its also been a season of secrets kept and secrets revealed, of which there were plenty of this episode. I was a little unsure of how the expanding mythology would play on the show, and feared that it would weigh down the story rather than enhance and carry it along, but so far my fears have been (happily) allayed.

Here's to next week's episode, in which Bill Compton (angrily) goes to see about a girl and her Viking vampire! Will we see that Hell hath no fury like a vampire scorned?

REVIEW: A New Day (the online Burn Notice graphic novel)

"A New Day" is the serialized online graphic novel (GN) featuring the characters from the "Burn Notice" series on cable television's USA network. Both  feature Jefferey Donavan as Michael Westen, the spy in question who received the show's titular 'burn notice' - a notice issued by intelligence agencies that discredits or announces the dismissal of agents or sources who are considered to have become unreliable.

Michael's attempts to get his old life back with the help of his pals, along with acts of kidness to those in need that only a burned spy can provide,  make up the story.

The GN's release coincided with the premier of the show's 5th season. Its story arc takes place between seasons 4 and 5, filling in some of the blanks and touching on new content. It also provides some interactive games and activities between the e-pages for the reader to engage in as they make their way through each chapter. Some of the interactive content falls flat from being overly simple, but some of it is interesting enough that I felt it didn't take away from the story's overall narrative.

As a fan of the Burn Notice series, the online GN works well enough for me.  I've come to look forward to reading the latest chapter each week right before the newest episode premiers. If you're not already a fan of the Burn Notice show, I'm not sure that this online GN will pull you into watching it, as you'll lack context, but its not so continuity heavy that a Burn Notice newbie couldn't use it as an entry portal into the bigger Burn Notice universe.

RATING: 3 Yogurt Cups out of 4