Even muttering his name should be a curse. He walked in to Bon Temps and in a matter of weeks has turned a whole town upside down. How could one person cause such havoc and mayhem? It's not one person, darling. It's one evil, conniving vampire. Or as Lafayette would say "He's satan in a Sunday hat". And who is this vampire? Why, it's Bill Compton.
He walked into Merlotte's like a man on a mission. And of course, now we know that's exactly why he walked into Merlotte's. He was sent to procure her on the orders of Queen Sophie-Anne Leclerq. But we didn't know that in season one. We were also being romanced and procured just like Sookie. Many of us had our suspicions, but we had no idea how dangerous this vampire could be. He needed "saved" from the Rattray's, right? How dangerous could Bill Compton be?
Oh, Sookie. We wish we could have warned you. You were given warning signs, but they were so easy for you to ignore. For the first time in your life you were able to not hear another beings thoughts. That must have been blissful. That must have made you want to ignore the obvious warning signs that you were shown. Ignorance is bliss. But ignorance can get you killed.
In the matter of a day or two, Sookie was almost killed by the same people that tried to drain Bill Compton. Bill waited long enough to swoop in to save her-it was important that he waited long enough that he would be "forced" to give Sookie his blood.
This way he could keep tabs on her-of course for her "safety". Of course, Bill. She's met you twice, and he supposedly has no attachments to her-it makes perfect sense to want to protect Sookie, right? Something in the milk isn't clean. But Sookie, being naive and gullible, buys into everything. Bill even asks Sookie if he can call on her. Awww, he's a Southern Gentleman, err Vampire.
We watch as he shows up to "call" on Sookie (is this the nice word for procure?). He charms Sookie and Adele with his genteel southern charm. Who wouldn't be charmed by such a smooth operator? Bill asks to take Sookie for a walk, and plans are made for Bill to speak to Adele's group, "Descendants of the Glorious Dead". Sookie even offers to help Bill find an electrician for him home, since he moved back to Bon Temps to reclaim his ancestrial home. We hear one of Bill's first lies when he tells Sookie about his past as a vampire, "I killed a few by accident at first. I was never sure when I was going to get my next feed. But it's all different now. There's Tru Blood, I can get donor blood from a clinic in Monroe, or I can glamour someone into letting me feed on them for love, and then they'll forget all about it." What a nice way to smooth over a past that we will soon find out is not as nice as Bill wanted Sookie believe he had.
Wow, this sounds like the beginning of an epic love story, doesn't it. True love conquers all-even a century old vampire and a telepathic barmaid can find true love in the strangest of circumstances. I wish this was the case for Sookie Stackhouse, but she has unknowingly opened a Pandora's box that won't easily close. Women start dying. Two that can be linked to Sookie's own brother: Claudette Perkins and Dawn Green. People are scared, and if they aren't, they should be.
Sookie shows up to Bill's house, armed with an electrician's name. But what she is greeted with would make anyone with common sense RUN!
But Sookie doesn't have common sense. Or if she does, we've not been able to see it. She is confronted with three vampires that are not mainstreaming. And three vampires that should have made her question Bill's character. And she's scared, but we all know it doesn't last long. She gives Bill the phone number, and proceeds home. She's upset-her life was in danger again. And who is waiting for her: Bill. Sookie informs Bill that she doesn't want to see him anymore, but he tells her that she will never find anyone more suited for her than him as he is the only man she will ever be able to relax around. Bill, what sacrifices you make for a woman you've known for a matter of days.
Women start dying. Both of the dead women can be linked to Sookie's own brother, Jason. Adele begs Sookie to use her "gifts" to clear Jason's name. And Sookie asks Bill to take her to the vampire bar, Fangtasia in Shreveport. And of course, being the helpful man we all know Bill Compton to be, he agrees.
Flash forward to Fangtasia. Sookie begins to ask questions about the dead women, and is summoned by Eric Northman, 1000 year old vampire Sheriff of Area 5. Begin to swoon, darlings.
Eric is intrigued by Sookie. So much so, that we see a lot of fist clenching from Bill-and he can't wait again to claim Sookie as "his". Eric is even more intrigued with Sookie, as he should be-she is able to warn Eric of a police raid and they are able to flee before the police can get to them. Bill and Sookie head home, but Sookie says she needs things to "stop". Bill stops the car and within minutes a police car pulls behind them. Pay attention, darlings. We get to see another glimpse at Bill's "other" side.
Sookie is scared. She's afraid Bill is going to kill the officer. And she should be scared. After they leave the officer (alive, but so scared that he pees his pants) Bill admits to Sookie that he would have fed on the police officer if she hadn't been there. And we know now that Bill would have killed the officer if Sookie hadn't been there. Bill promises to not see Sookie again and leaves. I know I breathed a sigh of relief, but I knew it was going to be short lived. Bill is on a mission, and anything he says about leaving her alone and not seeing her are just lies.
Finally, it's the night that Bill talks to Adele's group at the church. We are shown Bill, sitting in the church's kitchen, sullen. We had no idea at the time what this means, but now I'm sure I know. He is cold. He is calculating. He has been spurned by Sookie, who is on a date with Sam Merlotte.
Bill speaks to the crowd, and he puts on his "nice, charming Southern Gentleman" face. He is charming when he chooses to be. We're aware of this fact now-there are two sides to Bill Compton. One the public sees, and another where we see the true face of Bill Compton. The one that will lie or kill to get his way. The one that we see when he's not with Sookie.
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| The public face of Bill Compton |
Sam and Sookie's date ends badly. Sookie doesn't want to hear anyone speak the truth about Bill Compton. Especially that he's dangerous. Sam takes Sookie home where she is greeted to this horrible, horrible scene.
We all know at this point this murder should not be connected to Claudette and Dawn's murder. They were both strangled. Why would a serial murderer that strangles women change his MO-especially to such a brutal, bloody way of killing? Exactly. They don't. Someone that strangles a person is looking to not get their hands dirty-it's a very efficient way of killing. Adele Stackhouse's murder was brutal. It's obvious there was a lot of rage behind this murder. And guess who shows up to save the day. Yep, you guessed it. Mr. "I promise not to see you anymore" Bill Compton.
Oh, he's quick to tell anyone that will listen that this couldn't be the work of a vampire because there is too much blood. That's always Bill's mantra. And I think we all know at this point that Bill Compton could have very well killed Adele Stackhouse and planted a false memory in Rene's mind. Remember, vampires are skilled at glamouring people-and he had the opportunity to do so with Rene either at Merlotte's or at the Stackhouse residence. And we know that Bill can withstand the temptation of blood. Sookie was near death after the Rattray's attack and he was able to save her and not feed on her. But we'll touch more on this later.
We watch Sookie mourn Adele's passing at the wake at her home and at the funeral. We watch her return home and eat the last piece of pie and sob for her grandmother. My heart aches for her-she loved her grandmother. Imagine my surprise to watch Sookie pull out a gown (and where exactly does one find a gown like this-a renaissance fair?!) and run down to Bill's house. She's a woman on a mission.
Bill (of course) hears her coming and runs out to meet her. I can't imagine having sex (especially for the first time) as something I would do after walking in and seeing my grandmother brutally murdered and attending her funeral, but hey, that's just me. We are forced to see a love scene that looks like Bill had pre-planned, like he knew Sookie was coming over. It reminds me of a cheesy, romance novel love scene-from her flowy white gown (we get it, Sookie-you're a virgin) and rug in front of the fire place.
Sookie obviously feels comfortable with Bill, so they snuggle up in a big bathtub and Sookie chooses this time to tell Bill about her Uncle Bartlett and the fact that he molested her. She doesn't realize what a foolish choice she has made.
She has her back to him and doesn't see the look on his face. At this point we know that Uncle Bartlett's days on this green earth are numbered. And I'm not saying that Uncle Bartlett wasn't deserving of his punishment. Sookie didn't realize she was signing off on Bill to kill him. And we just didn't factor in that he would die so quickly. Bill barely let Sookie go to sleep before he was off to kill Uncle Bartlett. And my dears, we are starting to see the true face of Bill Compton.
Meanwhile, Sookie is at work at Merlotte's. This is a much different Sookie. She wears a scarf to hide to bite marks from Bill, because she knows how people will react if they know. She is on top of the world. Sam and Tara (and the rest of the bar) are judgmental to Sookie about her romantic choices, but we see a new Sookie. A Sookie that is starting to show the effects of consuming Bill Compton's blood.
Enter Malcolm, Diane and Liam.
The show up to Merlotte's to start trouble and to let everyone know they have moved in. Bill shows up to save the day (eye roll) and they only agree to leave Merlotte's if Bill comes with them and leaves mainstreaming behind. Bill agrees, telling Sookie that he is vampire and belongs with them. Sookie is heartbroken, but three bar patrons plot to kill the vampires.
Sookie is frantic. She tries to call Bill many times, with each call going to voice mail. She feels the need to warn him about the plans she has overheard. She even gets Sam to try to intervene, but he refuses to get involved.
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| Why, Sookie, why? The sex can't be that good. |
Sookie goes to Bill's house, searching for him. There is no sign of Bill Compton. At this point, I would be washing my hands of Bill Compton. He had told Sookie (publicly too I might add) that he wants to be with vampires. He is unpredictable. But this is Sookie we're talking about, and to call her tenacious is an understatement. She decides to sleep it out on Bill's sofa.
Early the next morning, we see Chuck, Wayne and Royce at the vampires house. And they are going to set the house on fire, burning the vampires during their daytime slumber.
Burn, baby, burn.
And with this darlings, I end my review of the first 7 episodes of Season 1. Stay tuned for Part 2.
