Now we're talking.  That's not to say this was a perfect episode - far from it. But at least this installment restored a sense of fun to the proceedings, while sustaining the show's signature wit. There's a long way to go before True Blood can reclaim its luster (it probably won't, though I'd love to be proven otherwise), but this was the season's first truly effective episode.

Simply put, I attribute this episode's success to the epic flashbacks featuring Pam and Eric. It was fantastic to see the beginnings of Fangtasia (an adult video store no less), and the defining moment of Eric becoming Sheriff. The fact that the writers managed to tie the bar's history to Ginger was just icing on the cake. It's subplots such as this one that supply the show with a sense of gravitas and weight after seven seasons worth of storytelling.

That said, why are we still wasting time on sequences as pointless as Jason and Sam visiting Kevin's wife Rosie? And if you don't know who the latter two are, I don't blame you because they're enormously superfluous characters. It boggles my mind that True Blood's writing staff is still so oblivious to the screen-time they waste on useless characters and subplots. I guess some things will never change and I need to make peace with that.

Some other thoughts: Sookie getting through to Jessica with her speech was probably one of the character's better moments.  The fight sequence wasn't bad, but it could and should have been longer after all that setup.  And as if I needed further proof that Carrie Preston was a exceptional actress, she went ahead and delivered that brilliant hallucination scene as she reconnected with Terry before almost-dying.  Easily one of the best moments of the episode.