Season Three Episode Five Trouble

At its core, True Blood is a soap opera, and the relationships are the most entertaining part. This week's episode gave us plenty of new and old relationships which were good, bad and very, very disturbing. We also got Eric's backstory and the return of Sookie's magical powers.

The Good Relationships

Bill and Sookie: These two finally reconnected after Bill found out Sookie was in Jackson. Their reunion was short-lived when Russell and his werewolf pack interrupted, but we did get to see Sookie use her magical powers to zap away Cooter. As Russell said, "Fantastic!" It looks like True Blood is finally going to start explaining Sookie's telepathy and special abilities.

Lafayette and Jesus: The sweetest thing ever happened when Lafayette's mother's orderly Jesus came to Merlotte's to ask Lafayette on a date. The normally cocky cook was flustered and very awkward when a cute, normal guy just wanted to go on a date. Hopefully this will blossom into a beautiful relationship, unless it turns out Jesus is some weird freakazoid.

Jason and Crystal: Jason in a relationship is always a good thing, mostly because it means he'll take his shirt off while washing a cop car then try to pull the mysterious new Crystal over without a shirt. If all cops looked like Jason and didn't wear shirts, people would be speeding all the time.

The Bad Relationships

Alcide and Debbie: The werewolf and his psycho ex are like a couple you'd see on Jerry Springer, with her insane jealousy erupting when she threatened to cut Sookie for stealing her man. With his abs, Alcide could do a lot better.

Tommy and Jessica: When Hoyt came into Merlotte's on a date, Tommy tried to flirt with Jessica to take her mind off of it. I'll admit that Tommy is a much better match for her since they're both a little wild and reckless, but I just love Hoyt so much that I hate to see his relationship with Jessica crumble.

Jason and the Law: Desperate to be a cop, Jason showed up at the station and just started working. However, it's obvious the law and him are not a good match because, in one of the funniest moments ever, Jason tried sitting on his chair and fell down. The poor, dumb hot guy isn't cut out to be a cop.

The Ugly Relationships

Tara and Franklin: The best part of the whole episode was the evolution of Franklin Mott into a psychotic, vampire who seems to genuinely be infatuated with Tara, going through epic mood swings by choking her, threatening to kill anyone who looks at her and eventually promising to turn her into a vampire so they can be together forever.

Eric and Talbot: Talbot's lurid obsession with Eric was disturbing but very understandable. However, the relationship hit a sour note when Eric found a Viking crown that belonged to his father, the king, which was stolen when a pack of werewolves led by Russell attacked and killed him. I appreciate that True Blood is taking cues from The Princess Bride, so long as we get a scene where Eric says to Russell: "My name is Eric Northman. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

Tommy and His Dad: Tommy spent the night and Sam's and his crazy dad came over screaming and demanding that Tommy return because he owns his son. There's something very, very ugly about that relationship.