True Blood Premiere Dark Invincible Bill Compton

For those of you who watched the season six premiere Sunday night, let’s talk a minute or two about the new “invincible” Bill Compton and the show’s shift into darker territory.

True Blood started right where the last season ended. Which has been the show’s modus operandi ever since season two. To start the ball rolling, we’ll recap the episode’s start. If you haven’t seen it yet, you probably want to skip this next bit.

The show opens with the “new” Bill’s point of view as both Eric and Sookie look at him in horror. Obviously, last season’s close of Eric yelling for Sookie to run, was ignored. Or she hasn’t been able to get those faery feet to recognise that command just yet.

When Bill drank Lilith’s blood and became an amalgamation of himself and Lilith, he picked up a few new abilities which, to be honest, run the gamut of cool to confusing. One of these new “talents” is that Bill/Lilith can see light shoot out of Sookie’s mouth. That is the confusing new talent. It will most likely become a pivotal plot point later on the in the 10 episode season six. But all the rest of the Bill/Lilith abilities are tres cool.

Among his new “cool” talents is a Superman-like ability to start fire with his eyes. Bill show off his new eye trick by burning the Authority building to the ground. Sookie, Eric and their gang (which consists of Pam, Jessica, Tara, Nora and Jason) are all escaping the scene of Bill’s “reincarnation” in an SUV. Eric starts to stomp the gas petal when his sis tells him to hold it.

The blood drenched survivors watch as the claret covered Bill/Lilith comes out of the burning Authority building. In an exchange that brings forth a combined feeling of humour and impending doom, Jess asks, “Is that Bill?” Sookie, who watched Bill do his version of the “wicked witch of the west” in reverse says, “Not anymore.”

Eric peels rubber and the group disappear in the darkness and Bill takes to the air.

There is a long interlude with the group learning that the other “big bad” that they have to deal with is the arrival of Louisiana Gov. Truman Burrell as the True Blood universe’s latest villain. Turman hates all vampires and he urges the human citizens to arm themselves and kill every vampire they come in contact with.

But Bill’s list of new tricks is getting longer as we find out that he can summon his “daughter” Jessica Hambry via a sort of long distance telekinesis. As Jessica puts it, the feeling isn’t pleasant and definitely cannot be ignored; she says it’s, “like his fist is squeezing my heart!” The other vampires are happy to bid adieu to Jess, but Tara talks them into following her to Bill.

Once there, we find out a few more of Bill’s new “evil Superman” abilities. He is fantastically strong, he defeats the 1,000 Eric quite easily and when Sookie stakes him, the wood leaves Bill without a scratch.

Uh-oh.

Jess decides to move in with “daddy” and while she’s in Compton Manor, we learn about Bill’s other new trick. Jess spills a glass of TruBlood and Bill, using that telekinesis again, stops the glass and the TruBlood mid-air and doesn’t spill a drop.

Bill then implores Jess to keep him sane, as he sees himself as the vampire version of the Civil War General Sherman ans he tells her that she is the only one he can trust.

But the most disturbing about the new Bill/Lilith, is that apparently he’s now housing more than just Lilith in his reincarnated form. Later that night, Bill hears a voice calling his name. He follows the source of the voice and walks into his study. Three blood-drenched vamps who are not Lilith appear and they shoot into Bill’s body as the end credits start rolling.

Looks like Bill may need to build an annex to fit all those other vampires in.

But the overall feeling of the show and, especially Bill, is that the theme of season six is going to be dark. Very dark. News is already out that one of the major characters is going to die so we know that the humour that has always tinged the world of Bon Temps might just be missing in this season.

Bill has been getting darker each season and with the news that Stephen Moyer (who plays Bill, in case you’ve forgotten) directed last night’s episode, it does make you wonder if he will be the major character to die, so that he has the freedom to devote more time to directing, or since he now has so much power as Compton that he will be doing the killing.

However it turns out, the main thrust of the sixth season premiere seems to be the darkest episode yet of the show, and the True Blood introduction of the seemingly invincible Bill Compton, looks like he’ll be casting one hell of dark shadow over Bon Temps, Louisiana.

By Michael Smith

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