'True Blood' Season 4 Episode 12 (Finale): 'And When I Die'

It’s Halloween, also known as Samhain – the pagan New Year holiday when the veil between this world and the spirit world is at its thinnest. This all amounts to even more chaos, death, and romance in Bon Temps than usual.

Marnie is squatting in Lafayette’s body, no doubt enjoying the wide range of silk kimonos now at her disposal while Jesus Willow Rosenbergs all over the place cooking eggs and promising Lafayette a magic-free life if that’s what he wants.

Alas, this is not in the cards and Lamarnette kills Jesus in order to acquire his powerful ancestral demon.

Meanwhile, Sam buries Tommy at the most pathetic funeral ever. Luna and Emma show up to support him and we get a nice graveyard shot of the three of them. It looks like Sam has the family he’s always wanted but death hangs pretty heavy around them, making the image delightfully uneasy.

Back at Merlotte’s, Alcide shows up and proposes that he and Sookie give romance a go even though they are both in love with other (crazy, murderous) people. Even though Alcide goes full wolf-puppy eye smolder on her, Sookie (wisely) passes.  Later, Holly and Sookie are hanging out by the dumpster, while Holly smokes a joint and exposits on the nature of Samhain.  Both women reveal that they’ve had a feeling something really bad is going to happen all day. On cue, Tara drives up with the news that Marnie’s back .

I love how Nelsan Ellis is fully revealing Marnie even as she’s hijacked Lafayette’s body and wardrobe. All the skinwalking, amnesia, and possession storylines have lead to some really fun acting this season. Anyway, Lamarnette is rocking a crazy purple caftan and getting ready to burn Bill and Eric at the stake. Holly, Tara, and Sookie quick-cast some spell that brings all the spirits in the Bon Temps cemetery to the rescue.

Antonia and Gran (hi Gran!!) get their second wave feminist sisterhood rhetoric on and finally talk some sense in to Marnie. They walk her over to the over side and ding-dong and all that, the witch is finally dead.

Jason tells Hoyt about sleeping with Jessica and Hoyt beats the crap out of him. It all seems worth it when Jessica shows up on his doorstep, dressed like a street-walking Little Red Riding Hood. They totally do it and afterward Jessica lays down some awesome relationship boundaries and then takes off without a even a snuggle to snack on some other human.

There’s a knock at the door right after she leaves and Jason answers all happy and cocky, thinking it’s Jessica. I think it’s Hoyt, come to murder Jason and have my hands clamped over my eyes. Surprising the hell out of both me and Jason is Steve Newlin (STEVE NEWLIN!!!), now a vampire but still with that hairdo, popping fang and making trick or treat jokes. I love, love, love this plot twist  -- thank you, show!

Speaking of relationship boundaries, Sookie is letting Bill and Eric drink her blood at the same time. The boys are hilariously clad in matching bathrobes, which is a nice touch. They are both throwing some major romance her way but like Kelly Taylor before her, Sookie chooses herself and dumps the both of them.

So when Nan Flannagan and her gay storm troopers show up a little while later, Bill and Eric are in no mood shenanigans. Nan has quit the AVL and the authority and wants Bill and Eric to join her mutiny. She makes the mistake of threatening Sookie and the boys go totally nuts, killing her and her crew.

Speaking of totally nuts, Sookie gets home post-break up and is greeted by Debbie Pelt and her shotgun. Debbie aims for Sookie but Tara comes running and pushes her out of the way, catching a shot in the head. Sookie grabs the gun and MURDERS DEBBIE PELT right there in the kitchen.

We leave the season with Sookie cradling Tara in her lap and screaming for someone to help them.  Dang. Oh and also, it looks like some one let Russell Edgington out of his cement grave from last season. Double dang and see you next season!