The title, Beautifully Broken, really speaks a lot to Jessica and Tara’s story lines. Jessica, still a fairly new vampire, is lost and doesn’t know what to do without her maker. The deadly nature she clearly has inside of her has made her afraid to let herself get close to Hoyt again even though he is extremely understanding of everything and fighting to win her back. She physically doesn’t know how to hold back and knows what she has already done could endanger her greatly.
At the end of the last episode, Tara had a breakdown, one she barely walked away from. In fact, she wouldn’t have if Lafayette hadn’t physically took her away from it. He understands everything she is going through with losing Eggs. Still, she’s just about the only family he has left and he refuses to let the darkness take over her. She gets her chance to let out all of her aggressions and everything she has kept inside. A new vampire in town even lends a helping hand in clobbering those speaking ill of Eggs.
Beautifully Broken begins with Bill battling it out with a pack of werewolves. As he has just fed, he is ready for the fight and viciously bites off one of the werewolves’ ears, bringing him back to his pissed off human form. Bill finally learns why he was kidnapped. The wolves were simply doing the vampire king of Mississippi’s bidding for him. They are under his order, but clearly have a bit of their own motives in mind as they took the liberty of sucking ample amounts of vampire blood from Bill. We aren’t dealing with normal werewolves; these weres are fueled by vampire blood.
Sookie slowly finds more out about Bill’s whereabouts and that werewolves are the connection. Jessica and her found the mark of the werewolf on a dead body and go to Eric for help. Eric conceals information from Sookie, partially to protect Sookie and partially for his own self-interest. Both him and the Queen’s eternal life might be cut short if anyone finds out about their involvement with selling vampire blood. It’s hinted that there is more reasoning than making money off pushing the drug, V.
Through Eric we see two flashbacks, taking us back to World War II in Nazi Germany. Within the war itself existed a more instinctual war; the war of vampires against werewolves. Even then there was consorting with the enemy. Sookie finds out about these Nazi werewolves, but Eric claims they are older than the Nazis. Werewolf, Alcide, makes his appearance in Sookie’s home, forcing her to invite Eric in. Just when the two were about to have “passionate primal sex”; Alcide is such a cockblock.
Bill’s situation works even though he’s not quite the tortured victim he is in the book. In the last episode it did seem like he got away a little too easy. He’s not in any great anguish. He is given warm blood bisque infused with petals and blood gelato for dessert, not exactly a deprived victim. However, Bill is essentially a prisoner until he gives in to what his captor wants. He clearly doesn’t plan on doing that. Lorena makes an appearance, who I was hoping played a role in all of this. Unfortunately, the story line with her is not true to the books at all. She’s a villain and Bill is the victim in their relationship, at least at present. This is not something I’m thrilled with, but I was very happy that Bill’s flaws and secretive nature were hinted at in another way. I suspect this will be developed or it wouldn’t have ever been mentioned in the first place. It can change many of the character dynamics, making room for the characters to develop and story lines to go in a completely new direction; a direction I am anxiously awaiting.
