I definitely agree with you on the improvements to the Tara character this season. I actually cheered out loud when it looked like she was finally being written out in the previous season's finale. I was really disappointed when they immediately revived her for this season. However this season she's had a brilliant character, certainly better than "whine of the week" Tara from previous seasons.

What the heck is up with Pam though, she was seen wearing a tracksuit again ...

I very much enjoyed the season finale Pam and Tara are going to be great fun. Nora knows a lot about Marlow, there is an extra scene on HBO well worth watching. Finally we might get to like Bill, I always found him a bit boring. The thing with the other cast members is you never know when their storyline is going to cause a problem or assist the main characters. I don't know what was in those cocktails Layfette created but I WANT one

I believe the Luna-Steve live on TV scene was the opening of a very wide shapeshifter door for the public. At least the public that don't live in Bon Temps.

I liked the "to be continued" this time round. It was a pleasant change from previous seasons where everything is neatly wrapped up quickly and then a bunch of new stuff goes down. I'm of two minds about Russell's ending, but he was overdosed on faerie elder so it did make sense.

I've said it before I think, but the supporting cast are needed for pacing and for workload management. You just cannot do a show that only uses Sookie, Bill and Eric. Much as the audience may wish otherwise. Anna Paquin's recent twins will result in True Blood season 6 only being 10 episodes long.

So if you have read the books then some of the things you're unsure of become clear. No, normal people don't know about shifters yet. Or weres for that matter... they haven't come out like the vamps did. And yes Pam wears velour tracksuits, more often in the books than in the show. I agree with you about Bill & Eric, they should not be working together. There should be a constant rivalry for Sookie. I disagree with you about the other plot lines... Terry & Alcides stories were the only thing that kept me watching this season. I really wish they had kept the plotlines more in line with the books, I really want them to have Sookie fall for Quinn the weretiger.

Agreed with the Terry Bellefleur story line, it was a waste of screentime. Getting a bit sick of the werewolves too. But as a whole, True Blood was much better than last season.

Weird, I normally agree with Chris on most things but I found Season 5 so craptastic I gave up on the show entirely by Episode 7. It was the religious vamps as master race rubbish and complete character assassination of Bill that killed my fangirl love. Many fans in the US weren't impressed either, and reviewers mostly hated it. Season 6 will be the last and I will not be sorry. What started out great is now an insult to my intelligence.

Regarding the Luna TV scene - yes, that was the first time the general public saw/knew about shape shifters.

Also, Allan Ball has moved 'on' from TB - he's still an exec producer but he's no longer a show runner or lead storyline/script writer.

The last couple of seasons involved a lot of shark jumping as far as the plots were concerned, but the characters had been built up so well that I couldn't help but continue to tune in. This season was the pay off for sticking with it during the bad times.

So glad to hear that you like Tara now, though I'm slightly biased because she was, dare I admit it, one of my favourites. Yes, she could be whiny, but considering what she was lumped with was misfortune followed by disaster at every turn you couldn't blame her. Like #1 Leon I also cheered when she drove out of town, but for a different reason - it was like seeing a person perpetually victimised escaping their attackers, though in this case the attackers were the writers.

My only disappoint was that there was no build-up as to why Eric and Bill are apparently now buddies - I feel like I've missed a couple of episodes explaining how this happened and because of this it feels forced. The other disappoint is how many of the fantastic supporting characters brought in for this season end up splayed across the screen in a shower of blood.

Pam continues to be the character with the best lines, and not even tracksuits can dim this. :)

I disagree about the last part. I love the side stories. The Sam one played perfectly to prove Bill wasn't playing a game he was truely sucked in. The Andy storyline was the lightening in a pretty daek story. I find Terry one of the more complex characters and hopefully now he and Arlene can settle down. Don't bag Alcide from taling off his shirt. he's a great character as well.

I'm in agreement with you Chris. The Terry Bellefleur story arc, in particular, was a complete miss. Tara has suddenly become interesting. Season 5 while an improvement over Season-4, is still adrift. If you go back and watch some of Season-2 featuring Michelle Forbes, you will immediately recognise how far Season 3 and 4 fell. I've come this far, so will be back for Season 6.