It took an entire season, but True Blood was finally able to shake off the sins of the last two seasons and wipe the slate clean.  Was this the greatest True Blood season finale ever?  Not that it didn't have it's kinks -- this is a show about vampires, after all -- but in terms of the doors it closed and the things it set up for next year, "Radioactive" felt a lot like an early season episode, especially in the epilogue.  It turned its back on plot points and actually returned to character development, focusing on Bon Temps and giving time to the humans.  Hit the just for why we gotta go in heavy, because there ain't no other way.

Naturally, Warlow, the season-long villain, was taken out quickly and easily (as the season villains always are), but it made some kind of sense here.  Niall had been searching for him for thousands of years, and it was fitting he would come out of the portal to destroy him.  What didn't make any sense was why Sookie was ready to be his bride two weeks ago, yet decided this week that was all over with.  Things change quickly in True Blood (four hours can be an eternity!) and it was a confusing time, but Warlow's personality shifts, particularly in this hour, were a lazy way to make us stop caring (if we ever did) about his end.

As predicted, "Billith's" sacrifice rid Bill of the Lilith influence, and restored him to his regular vampire self, the first of many big reliefs in "Radioactive."  There was no way Bill could stay on the show still in that form, and yet, there's no way that True Blood is True Blood without him.  Overall, the vampires were dealt with in an interesting way in the episode.  They had their day in the sun, literally, but more importantly, many were given time to make amends (Bill attempts to do so with Sookie, Tara and her mother reconcile, Jessica offers Andy's family protection, Pam even hugs Sookie).  Only Eric was left with an uncertain fate.  The show gave him his grand exit last week when he freed the vampires, but when the fairy power wears off he's caught unawares in Sweden.  Surely it's not the end of our Viking Vampire?

The best thing that True Blood did though was not introduce yet another one-off supernatural villain for the upcoming season.  The Hep V vampires look an awful lot like zombies, don't they?  They roam from town to town feeding at will, sick and addled, thanks to a mutated virus that anyone could be carrying.  The writers have been watching The Walking Dead, it seems.  It's not a bad way for the show to go.  Vampires turning on other vampires en masse next year would be something the show has not done, and making the Hep V vamps an easy and manifold zombie-esque target could even be fun.

This season has been very uneven, but overall it's been on a positive trajectory.  It almost doesn't matter how we got to the epilogue, only that we did.  Sookie and Alcide finally dating shows her grounded like never before.  The town coming together and mattering, the reconciliations between vampires and humans -- all of this means that the show has legitimately calmed down and found a way to be supernatural without being completely batshit crazy.  Next year is looking very good.

Episode Rating: A-

Season Rating: B

Musings and Miscellanea:

-- I love that Sookie called Alcide out at the beginning regarding his spouting wisdom and knowledge. "You mix cement … you surprise me, is all."

-- Speaking of Alcide, apparently the pack stuff was all a waste of time, as was Sam and his shifting and his girlfriend no one cares about.  Not a big surprise.  This season should have been about 4 episodes long just to get rid of the bullshit from last year, but, the truncated 10 wasn't too bad, despite the filler.

-- The vampire BBQ was like the Robin Thicke "Blurred Lines" video.

-- I don't understand or care about Jason and Violet, does anyone?  He's just being manipulated by a strong-willed female again, what else is new ...

-- Of course Bill is already trying to drive a wedge between Alcide and Sookie.  Some things never change!

-- Oh Warlow, going from being all starry-eyed about his wedding to smacking and choking Sookie because she wanted to date him first.  The only explanation I can guess is that he was just trying a variety of tactics to get her to pledge herself to him, from sweet to hardcore.  It still didn't make much sense though.

-- "You really are a danger whore, aren't you?" - Warlow

-- I'm assuming Pam saves Eric before he burns up, right?  But if not … what a way to go!  He was marginalized for a lot of the season, so maybe the show is just not sure what to do with him for now.

-- Bill's book cover and title ("And God Bled") cracked me up.  That is so him.

-- Tara and her mother were kind of sweet.

-- Thanks for reading the recaps this season!  See you next year …