S1 Ep2: The First Taste

AIR DATE: September 14, 2008
PLOT:
Mack viciously kicks Sookie in the side. The battered and bloody girl cries out in pain. She is a mess and continues to sob as they beat her up. Denise kicks her in the other side so hard, she rolls over. Then Mack kicks her again. Denise gives her another swift kick and then bends down, grabbing her hair and pulls out her ponytail. Denise slams her head into the ground as Mack delivers a brutal blow. Then he rears back and yells. Laughing, Denise grabs him and they kiss oblivious to Sookie's blood spattered body and gurgling coughs. The Rattrays profess their love for each other as the dog begins to growl. Mack turns around and pulls out a gun, aiming at the dog. Just as he is about to fire, Sookie grabs his legs and a second later, he is flying though the air. He hits a tree and falls to the ground at the base. He is dazed as something races toward him. Suddenly, his neck breaks as his head is jerked toward the side. Denise frantically looks all around. “Show you fucking face, freak!” Something races towards her as she screams. She is flung through the air. Coming back down, she lands in a broken heap amid some trees. Sookie looks over in that direction and sees the dog staring as well. The dog turns to look at Sookie and begins to whimper. At the animal starts to approach, a man leans down with arms out to pick her up.

At the sheriff's station, Sheriff Dearborne, Andy Bellefleur and Jason Stackhouse are all present. They are watching the video of Jason and Maudette having sex at the apartment. Jason grows more agitated and looks more guilty as the tape progresses. On the tape, he chokes her and runs out when he realizes what he's done. In a flashback, as Jason chokes Maudette, her body goes slack, supported only by her wrists. Her head is thrown back and sightless eyes stare up at the ceiling. He is looking down into her eyes, and getting response, whispers her name and starts to shake her. Hanging his head he starts to cry as the video keeps playing. He shakes Maudette a couple of times. Getting no response he grabs his head is disbelief. He grabs his pants and hurriedly puts them on. Then he grabs his other clothes and runs out the door; ending the flashback. Just when things seem hopeless, Maudette opens her eyes, sighs and then begins to laugh as she unties the ropes; calling him a moron. Grinning, she walks toward the video camera and turns it off. Jason's excited to learn he didn't kill her. Andy angrily protests that somebody sure as hell did.
Bill carries a bloody and battered Sookie through the dark woods. Sookie wakes up for a moment, looks at Bill, and drops her head back down, losing consciousness.

Jason suggests that Maudette’s killer was a vampire. The cops are skeptical as he describes that she had fang marks on her inner thigh. They know because they examined the body and ask if it was the same vampire his sister is messing around with. Jason defends Sookie, objecting that his sister isn’t messing around. But he doesn’t know who the other vampire is, he never met him. Andy asks what did this vampire on the video look like. Best as he can, Jason says the vampire was bald, with weird skeleton tattoos and he looked crazy out of his mind. Andy volunteers that it’s interesting because this the only videotape they found in the apartment. Jason broaches that that means somebody took them all. That somebody didn't want the cops to see them. Andy, still skeptical poses that maybe somebody only wanted them to find this one. Because it supposedly clears him of a crime that maybe he came back later to commit. Jason scoffs, claiming he’s not that smart.

Bill carries Sookie to the river, gently laying her on the ground. She's in bad shape. Bill cradles her head as Sookie moans and gasps. She can’t feel her legs. He raises her up and rests her against his knee. He rolls up his shirt sleeve and takes a big bite out of his own wrist and tells her to drink. She chokes she doesn’t want to be a vampire. He says no, she won’t be and asks if she wants to live or not. He places his bleeding wrist on her mouth. She gulps as she swallows, but then jerks back. She refuses at first, than Bill ignores her protests and presses his arm against her lips. As she drinks, Sookie loses all reservations. Grasping Bill's arm in both of her hands, she drinks ravenously.

Tara goes home, finding the television on with some game show playing, while her mother is passed out on the sofa. Tara picks up a near empty liquor bottle and stares at it. Damn. She takes it into the kitchen and calls her cousin, Lafayette to come get her. Lafayette is on his was to a party way to a party in Monroe. And hell, no. He isn't swinging by to pick her up. She pleads with him saying that she can't face cleaning her mother up and putting her to bed. It's just too damn depressing. What's depressing is how often he gets this phone call from her, teases her for not calling Jason and that she needs to move out of her mothers’ house. He finally agrees to come get her, but she may have to find her own ride home.

Dawn wakes up to loud incessant knocking on her door. She exits her bedroom and walks quickly to the front door. Its a very traumatized Jason. He walks past her and slowly sinks down on the sofa. He says that she no idea what he been through since last night. He spent the whole day thinking he'd really killed Maudette. And Bud and Andy waited 12 whole hours before showing him a videotape that proved he didn't do it. He starts to cry and kneels down next to her, burying his face against her body. He thought he had ruined his whole life. He starts kissing her, leaning back as he becomes more ardent.

At the riverbank, Bill is licking the blood from Sookie's battered forehead. He draws away as she regains consciousness and opens her eyes. She asks if she tastes different from other people. He says yes and asks again, “What are you?” Focusing, she states that apparently she’s not dead. What she is is telepathic and can hear people's thoughts. He inquires, “Even mine?” She admits no and that why she likes him so much. She can't hear him at all and that how peaceful it is after a lifetime of ... blah, blah, blah. She continues to heal and starts to rise up. He helps her move so she is leaning up against a tree. Sitting back, he asks if he can ask her a personal question. She gently chides him that he was just licking blood out of her head and it doesn’t get more personal than that. He probes at how she manages a social life with men her own age, with their only thought being… She tells him she doesn't date and flashes back to dates where hearing a man's thoughts ruined it and how it always ends up the same. He guesses that there must be some people who know about her talent. She tells him only the people closest to her know, but they never talk about it. She does her best to stay out of their heads. Over the years she’s learned how and figured it's kind of unethical to listen in to her family and her friends, her boss. But they know. Other people suspect or think she’s psychic and most people just think she is crazy. Bill is intrigued, asking what does it sound like. Going on, she says it’s like a stream of consciousness. That it gets weirder when people are mad, or upset and sometimes it's just images. They stare at each other for a long minute. As Bill draws closer, Sookie breaks the building tension and says she should be getting home. She starts to move around, amazed. She feels completely healed and Bill, exact, says that she is. Still in awe, wants to know if doctors know that V-juice can do this. He tells her no and they want to keep it that way.

Tara and Lafayette arrive at the backyard party. There are lights strung up and a number of tables and chairs scattered around. Something is cooking on the grill towards the back. The party is crowded and loud rap music can be heard. She sits on a couch by herself while Lafayette, her cousin, works the crowd. A man tries to pick her up, but she makes up a story about her husband being a mercenary just back from Iraq. The man becomes uncomfortable with her and leaves. Tara than looks around the party, not able to find Lafayette.

At Dawn's house, she and Jason have rough sex in her bedroom. At one point, Jason pushes Dawn down on the bed and her head hangs off the side exposing the perfect unbroken skin on her neck and throat.

Bill and Sookie walk chastely down the moonlit street, back to her car. There's a dusk to morning light that illuminates part of the area. Sookie ask about his age and his life before being a vampire. He was made a vampire in 1865 when he was 30. He was in the Civil War. She asks him if he'd speak to her grandmother's group. He asks if it would make her happy. She says yes. He asks again to call on her. She's off work tomorrow, he'll see her just after dark. As she turns to unlock her car, Bill disappears. She looks around but doesn't see him anywhere.

Morning light shines through Dawn's bedroom window. Jason wakes up in bed next to Dawn, who now has her shirt off. He glances over at her as she is sleeping soundly. His eyes travel to her neck. He leans in closer and sees vampire bite marks. Jason lays his head back on the pillow now deep in thought. He isn't happy about this.
At Gran’s house, Sookie is sitting at the kitchen table, watching a shouting news program between a Reverend and a representative from the American Vampire League. She turns off the television as Gran enters the kitchen and they decide Jesus wouldn't mind if someone was a vampire. Sookie eats sausage, tasting more flavors in it than usual. She describes it to her grandmother, who seems to know what happened. Tara comes in, looking and feeling lousy. She is standing at the counter about to pour a cup of coffee when Gran goes over and gives her a kiss on the cheek. Gran tells her to sit, while she makes a fresh pot. She and Sookie banter for a few minutes. She than ask for news about Jason and Sookie tells her that the cops let him go last night. And Tara is glad to see Sookie is still alive. That she obviously did not hook up with that vampire last night. Sookie doesn't answer but looks downward. Tara thinks that she is just plain dumb. Sookie shushes her as Tara asks if Bill bit her. No, Sookie whispers. Tara wants to know for sure, because vamps can hypnotize a person. Sookie gives her a sarcastic retort as Gran comes back into the kitchen with a bag of coffee.

Tara asks Gran if she glad that they let Jason go and Gran replies that she can't even believe that they arrested him to begin with. That she has a good mind to call Bud Dearborne and chew him out. She gets a phone call and takes it into the other room as Sookie apologizes to Tara for being such a bitch the night before. Tara just smiles that she’s sorry that she’ been acting like her mother. She’s just worried because Sookie is her only friend. Just than Jason walks in, hoping he’s not to late for breakfast. He banters on they he doesn’t even know why the cops suspected him and how they had heard that he was with Maudette. Sookie is not so sure, teasing him a little as Gran comes in with new about a tornado touched down turned over a trailer. The one where the Rattrays lived. They were crushed to death.

Obviously curious after hearing the news, Sookie drives to the Rattrays rented trailer. There's crime scene tape, cordoning off the site. She ducks underneath the tape to get a good look at the destruction. She’s looking around, trying to figure out how or what really could have done this. A van pulls up, and it's Sheriff Dearborne and the coroner, Mike Spencer, who buried her parents. They remind her that this is still a restricted crime scene. The sheriff has also heard she didn't like the Rattrays much and ask if any of this has to do with the vampire living in the old Compton place across the field from her house. She tells him that the Rattrays were draining the vampire and she was simply doing her civic duty by stopping them. Now they are dead, killed by a tornado. He tells her that tornados hop and this one didn’t land anywhere else. He says no one heard anything like a tornado. They try, without much success to politely berate Sookie for associating with a vampire and go down the wrong path. She speaks that nobody's forcing them to watch and leaves to go home.

Sookie comes home to find her grandmother cleaning. She says that Bill sleeps in the ground and won’t be looking at the rug. Gran quips that she doing this so she can be proud of her home. She smells rotten food and starts looking around. She's moves a piece of furniture and finds a small piece under the chair. Gran tells her that Jason and Tara are coming over that night to meet the vampire, too. Sookie wonders why everyone's getting their panties in a wad about some vampire. She inquires to Gran to tell her to be careful and Gran says that she always is. Sookie nods her head and leaves the living room. Gran stares thoughtfully after her for a minute and then resumes vacuuming.

That evening, Jason, Tara and Sookie are in the kitchen talking about Bill, before he arrives. Jason doesn’t like Sookie associating with a vampire and she snaps that she’s just trying to get to know the man. He still thinks things could end badly as he knows more about vampires than he cares too. Sookie gets up and leaves the kitchen. Tara clears her throat as Jason is about the drink her beer.

Outside, Sookie is sweeping the front porch. She turns around startled because Bill is suddenly there. She doesn’t really like it when he does that. She has to invite him in before he can enter and so she does. Jason, Tara, Bill and Sookie are seated in the living room. Gran is walking around, offering a tray of food to everyone. She extends the tray toward Bill who just shakes his head. Jason stuffs his face and stares him down. Gran sets the tray down and then takes a seat. Bill talks about where he's from. He says he came back because in the last year because the last of his Compton line died and he has set up home in the old house. He says he expects the vampire rights act to pass. Jason gives him some vampire prejudice. Tara asks if he owned slaves. Sookie is shocked and he admits that he didn't, but his father did. He charms Gran with stories of the olden days.

Bill asks Sookie to go for a walk. Jason quickly puts his beer down on the table and stands up facing him. He doesn’t think it’s such a good idea, but Gran shuts him down and asks the he respect her for being the oldest person there in the house. Bills leans in and says that he is the oldest person there. Gran smiles and laughs. Bill extends his hand to Sookie and she takes it with the two of them leaving, but not before Bill gives Jason a dark parting look, which makes Jason take a step backwards.

Outside, Sookie tells him she went to the Rattrays' trailer. He says that vampires get stronger over time and learn to cover their tracks. She suggests that he might want to remember for next time that tornadoes hop, they don't just land in one place. She asks if he ever killed anyone. He grants that he yes, he killed a few by accident at first. He was never sure when he was going get his next feed. But its different now with Tru Blood or glamour someone into letting him feed on them for love. She questions if he fed on the Rattrays. Yes, after he'd given her his blood, while she were healing. She drank a lot. Inquisitive, she wants to know what that will do to her. Bill concedes that she’ll have keener senses and her libido will be more active. That he will always be able to feel her and be able to find her fast. If she’s ever in trouble, that could come in quite handy. She stops walking and asks for a minute because she is feeling overwhelmed. He obliges as they continue walking.
At the house, Jason is sprawled out on the sofa in the living room. Tara enters and hands him a beer. He moves aside and she sits down next to him. They begin talking about wanting to be seen and to matter. They snuggle on the couch and Jason remembers he was supposed to pick up Dawn from work. He gets up to leave. Tara, now sad, remains seated on the sofa.

Walking through a graveyard, Sookie gently presses him about glamouring people, which he says is similar to hypnosis. All humans are susceptible to it. She wants him to try on her. She goads him into it and he looks deep into her eyes, trying to take hold of her thoughts. She busts up laughing. He has no effect on her. Usually people are more squeamish about vampires, he says. She just sighs, saying who is she to be squeamish about something out of the ordinary.
She flashes back to her childhood, hearing her mom thoughts as she worries about bills and then getting talked to by a woman psychologist who is resolved to disprove she can read minds. She hears her mom anxious thoughts about her, being scared by her.

She tells Bill they diagnosed her with ADD. He asks when she lost them. When she was eight, in a flash flood. He talks about losing his wife and children after he turned. She quizzes him on his skills. He can't levitate, change form or turn invisible. She giggles that he’s not a very good vampire and if nothing else, what can he do? He assert that he can bring her back to life. Stopping in the front yard of his old home, they stare deeply at each other, she lets her hair down. He seeks permission and nuzzles her neck. Sookie nods and Bill slowly takes her hair in his hands. Then he leans forward and takes a deep breath. He can smell the sunlight on her skin. After a tense moment, they kiss passionately. He pushes her away and his fangs drawn, turns from her. He tries to calm down and says he'd better walk her home. Nodding her head, Sookie agrees.

The next afternoon, Jason is tied up in Dawn's bed as she gets ready for work. He quickly realizes she plans to leave him like that until she gets home from work. He screams to be let go, pulls on the scarves binding him to the headboard but doesn't loosen them as Dawn’s car is heard driving away.

At Merlotte’s, the bar is crowded tonight. Dawn calls out a greeting to a customer on her way to the food order counter while Terry Bellefleur carries a case of Corona behind the bar. Tara is tending bar. An older woman is sitting at the bar and calls out to Tara, asking another stinger. Tara, tells her off that the woman is already drunk as a skunk and no man in here will take her home. Sam comes in and she talks her way out of wearing a uniform. She asks why Terry doesn’t wear a uniform and Terry comments that he’s spent enough time in uniforms. She sets the drink down in front of the woman as Sam walks toward the back room.

Across the room, Sookie is waiting on a table of three guys, who think lewd things. She turns to leave as one reaches over and grabs her butt. As fast as lightning, René appears out of no where and has the guy in an arm lock with his face pinned to the table. He forcing them to apologize to Sookie and they leave soon after. Sookie, flustered laughs quickly, then turns and walks back toward the food counter area. René watches her walk away and then grabs the pitcher of beer off of the threes guys' table. She goes to Arlene and asks her to thank Rene for her, but instead hears her worried thought about how she might be pregnant. Quickly, she rushes over to Arlene and gives her a big hug but is pushed away. Arelene admonishes Sookie that her private thoughts are none of her business and quickly walks away.

Sam asks to talk to Sookie in his office and asks her about reading people's thoughts. She says tries not to listen and that she can’t always to keep her guard up. He says she should read his mind sometime. She says she doesn't want to; that she's had to quit every job she's ever had because she could read her boss' thoughts. She likes working at Merlotte’s. Accepting that she won’t read him, he assures her that she has a job there as along as she wants one. Sookie quickly leaves Sam's office and walks by the kitchen area. Lafayette tells her not to let anything get her down and it’s the only way to live.

At the bar, Tara draws a pitcher of beer, while Dawn stands at the counter adding up a bill. She asks Dawn about Jason, in a way that doesn't come across as completely innocent. Dawn laughs, saying he’s probably mad at her for leaving him all tied up, though he probably deserves it. Tara declares that she’s surprised that they got back together and ask if it’s going to last. Dawn stops laughing, “Is there a reason you want to know?” Tara just shrugs and adds that ever since she’s been friends with Sookie, she’s just gotten a kick out of watching Jason's escapades with women. Sookie comes up wonders about her tables as she sees a news program, reporting the freak accident and death of the anti-Vampire Reverend and his family.

Sookie drives up to the old Compton house. There are lights on in the first floor rooms. She notices another parked car with a bumper sticker reading, "VAMPIRES SUCK" and a Louisiana license plate, reading "FANGS 1". There's another sticker reading, "HONK IF YOU'RE A BLOOD DONOR!". Looking around, Sookie walks up to the front door and hesitates as she hears loud music playing. Just as she's about to knock on the door, a black woman vampire opens it. The vampire is clad in shiny gold outfit. Sookie says that she is there to drop off some information about an electrician for Bill and if he is there. Just than another vampire joins the woman vampire at the door. Both vampires sniff and display their fangs and begin to snarl at Sookie. She gets a little frightened and turns as if to leave, but finds a third vampire, bald and tattooed, standing directly behind her. All three vampires continue snarling at Sookie.