Best. Gay. Week. Ever! My "True Blood" Preview and Northern Guys to Make You Feel Warm!

TRUE BLOOD'S CAST OF ... THOUSANDS?
I'm not sure how much overlap there is between Gleekers and fans of True Blood, but I'm certainly happy that just as Kurt and Company exit stage right we have Lafayette, Sookie and the rest of the gang from Bon Temps returning this week. We need something really buzzy on TV to write about, no? Trust me, it's not going to be Rookie Blue.

So what did I think after watching the first three episodes? For starters I never imagined Maryann would return and hook up with Lafayette. Kidding! There's no sign's of Maryann excepting all the missing memories folks have about those orgies, and as for Lafayette, he is still his fierce, fabulous self. 

Actually, I can't say much lest director Alan Ball send one of the werewolves to shut me up, although if that werewolf were Alcide (Joe Manganiello, pictured right), I might not complain too much.

The action picks up right where we left off, namely Bill had proposed but before Sookie could say "Bite me, Bill! Bite me as my vampire husband!" someone snatched Bill. Fortunately, since True Blood isn't a show that stretches out cliffhangers too long, we learn who did it fairly quickly.

So what can I say about the show? Not much has changed as it is still the same frothy, kinky Sunday night drama fangbangers came to love. Jessica is still trying to figure out the hows of being a vampire, especially a girl with a growing appetite. Let's just say that when she was human, she probably always ate the whole pack of cookies. We also learn more about Sam's backstory, plus Tara is dealing with the death of Eggs. 

Then there are all of the new characters. And there are a lot of them. We have Russell Edgington (Denis O'Hare) as the Vampire King of Mississippi, Talbot (Theo Alexander) Russell's companion of 700 years , Coot (Grant Bowler) who I think is the leader of the werewolves, a strange, freaky looking vampire named Franklin Mott (James Frain), and Tommy Mickens (Marshall Allman) who is related to one of the regulars, but I don't want to say who.

Talbot, Russell Edgington

And these are just the new characters who had significant screentime in the first three eps.

Those with keen eyes will notice I didn't mention Jesus (Kevin Alejandro) who is Lafayette's new love interest or Ruby (Alfre Woodard) who is Lafayette's mother. We do meet both in the first three eps and there is some definite chemistry between Jesus and Lafayette, but their storylines must kick into high gear a little later. BTW, in case you missed it, be sure to check out my brand new interview with Kevin. 

Alfre Woodard, Kevin Alejandro, Nelsan Ellis, Rutina Wesley

BTW, how cool is it that the show has not one, but two gay couples? Three cheers for Mr. Ball!

I really like O'Hare as the Vampire King of Mississippi and judging from what I have seen so far, I think he's going to be a huge part of the season. I was less crazy about Talbot who seemed kind of a cliche in many ways. But on a show with so many different gay characters, that is certainly less of a concern.

I did have one worry about the new season. With such a big cast, not everyone gets a lot of screentime and there are so many storylines, it can be a bit exhausting keeping track of them. But True Blood has juggled a pretty big cast previously (Maryann, Eggs, Steve and Sarah Newlin, Mike Spencer, and Amy just to name a few) so Ball and crew will hopefully manage it again.

And for those of you with a more prurient side (**cough cough** all of you **cough**), I can report that not only does Ryan Kwanten still get his gear off, but there is a rather extended scene of Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård) showing off the fact he's definitely been working out. There is also one very homoerotic scene between two male characters that promises something it damn well better deliver on!

Check back Sunday night for our recap so you can weigh in with your thoughts! And if you missed it, be sure to check out True Blood Season 3 photo gallery.

Next page! Gaga against Minogue to the death in the Thunderdome!