(S02E04) "Evil is making the pre-medicated choice to be a dick." - Jason

TV Squad has THE smartest readers on the Web. I'm even more sure of that after reading the comments about last week's episode, "Scratches."

Nancy said Maryann appears to be a Circe, and Crystal backed her up, noting, "Most notably, Circe turned Odysseus' crew into swine, but she had the power to concoct potions and cast spells to turn humans into any animal, which we saw when she forced Sam to shape shift against his will. Inviting her victims to a sumptuous feast to dispense her "Circean poison" is her classic trap."

There's no doubt that's exactly what happened in last night's episode, with Tara's birthday feast, culminating in Maryann doing her shaky thing that caused everyone to act like animals, whether they were smearing food all over themselves or having mad sex. Perhaps Eggs impregnated Tara with ... something ... ? Maybe that's why he's called "Eggs." And what was up with Maryann clawing the earth, then having her hands grow those three long fingers? Is that a characteristic of a Circe?

(S02E03) "He can do it. I'm wearin' my favorite pumps." - Pam to Eric, when he asked her and Chow to go troll the woods for the bull-creature

I could hear Lou Grant in my head during this episode of True Blood, saying "Sookie, you've got spunk." Only instead of hating Sookie's spunk, I'm loving it. I'd like to have just half the spunk Sookie's got. Last season, she not only buried her grandma and cleaned up all that blood in her kitchen, but she has no problem getting out of a car after fighting with Bill and stomping off into the night, knowing there are weird creatures out there. Ok, maybe not the smartest move on her part, but it did lead to good results for Lafayette.

Those were some serious scratches Sookie had after the bull creature attacked her. I hope True Blood gets an Emmy nod for makeup, because they really do a good job with the blood and guts, not to mention mouth-foaming on Sookie's part in this episode.

Well, eeewwww! I hope nobody was eating dinner during this episode, because there were some real gross-out scenes. The opener with a chained-in-the-basement Lafayette being hit by a severed arm and watching Erik drool large amounts of blood was bad enough. But later when Lafayette foraged through the guy's severed leg to find a piece of metal (at least, I think it was metal) to jimmy his chain lock open ... well, I was seriously cringing.

I'm really trying not to reveal spoilers on the front page, but there's not a whole lot about True Blood that isn't a spoiler. I guess I could talk about Bill and Sookie having makeup sex and post-sex pillow talk, and how interesting it was to Bill ... nah, that's just not interesting enough on its own for pre-jump text.

(S02E01) "I think I've seen enough dead bodies to last me a lifetime." - Sookie to Sam

Have I mentioned how excited I am to have True Blood back? Yeah, I think so. At least 43 times around the Web. And tonight's season two premiere did not disappoint. It was everything Stephen Moyer said it would be when I talked to him last week -- dark, sexy, mysterious and bloody good.

For those of you who need time to catch up with your Tivo, I'll keep this front part unspoiled. But I won't be giving anything away by saying that they tied seasons one and two together very nicely. Some of the questions we had from season one are answered. Some are not.

Vampires, shapeshifters, and a barmaid who can read peoples' minds ... HBO's True Blood returns on June 14, 9 PM.

I've been impatiently waiting for the white-hot series to come back since the toenail-painted black foot slumped out of Andy's car door at the end of season one. Is it Lafayette's foot? I asked Stephen Moyer, who plays vampire Bill Compton, but of course, he wouldn't tell me. No matter. I'll be glued to my TV next Sunday night.

Read on and find out what Moyer has to say about the new season, what it's like playing a 173-year-old vampire, and whether the love triangle between Sookie, Bill and Sam will continue. And I managed to keep my head, even as Moyer called me "Love" and "Darling" in his delightful British accent.

Now here's some news I can sink my teeth into. Aside from my Buffy fixation, I spend my days and nights awaiting the return of Alan Ball's True Blood on June 16. I'm on a vampire roll.

The HBO show has just picked up Evan Rachel Wood, who will play a vampire queen in the second season. You know, she sort of has that vampire look to her. Or rather, the goth look I imagine a female vamp might have. I think she'll be great in the role.

Wood's character is the Queen of Louisiana, a 400-year-old vampire who rules over the undead residents of the Bayou State. She's a pivotal character in Books 2 and 3 of the Sookie Stackhouse novels on which the series is based (loosely, some would say).

I was going to say that HBO's True Blood is one of my favorite new shows this fall, but looking back on the season, I'd have to say it's my favorite, with Fringe as a close second.

HBO continues to churn out some great shows, and True Blood is no exception. Season one will be available on DVD May 12, 2009, with season two premiering that month, as well. I'm not sure how I'll hold out until then!

The vampire thriller earned a Golden Globe nod today for Outstanding Drama Series, and creator Alan Ball (who also helmed Six Feet Under), dropped a few hints about what fans might expect in season two.

His comments contain a few spoilers, so I'll put them after the jump, in case you haven't finished watching season one yet.