'True Blood' Season 4, Episode 1 Recap and Review: 'Evil is Going On'

What the Hell is Alan Ball thinking?

"True Blood's" third season was a roller coaster ride just like the two previous seasons and season four started off with a blast out of the gate with the first episode entitled "Evil is Going On." Season four is based upon the fourth book of the "Southern Vampire Mysteries aka Sookie Stackhouse Novels" by author Charlaine Harris--"Dead to the World."

Season four brings in a new supernatural element to the "True Blood" world--witches. Season three brought us werewolves and introduced us to fairies and witches while revealing more about shapeshifters. "Evil is Going On" starts with Sookie once again in peril, only this time it is in the fairy realm. The title for this premier episode is certainly accurate--evil has gone on and it's turned a great series of vampire stories (as in the Harris novels) into a steaming pile of television gunk (much like the pile of bloody vamp glob that True Blood vampires become when they are staked).

As a long-time viewer of "True Blood" and an avid reader and fan of the Harris books, all I can say is "What the hell is Alan Ball thinking?" The opening scene with fairies and glowing fruit reeked of ridiculousness and made me wonder if season four is going to be worth my time and energy to watch it or if the story lines would simply be a bastardization of the wonderful Harris stories.

Sookie manages to escape from fairyland with her granddad in tow and discovers that her home is undergoing renovations, her brother Jason has become a cop and she has been gone for over a year. Not only that, but Merlotte's cook Lafayette now looks like Mr. T and Arlene and Terry have a Damian-baby who decapitates dolls. Tara is now participating in Amazon-style women's cage fights as she's sworn off men and adopted a new persona. Hoyt and Jessica are living in domestic not-quite-bliss as they fight like an old married couple over eggs and groceries and Jessica is restless.

The vampires are trying to offer good PR after Russell Edgington gave vampires a bad name in season three and Eric is putting on his best face to do just that.

The rest of the episode? A hodge podge and mish mash of story lines that completely lost my interest. Yes, that is my opinion and I know for a fact there are countless True Blood fans who are singing this new episode's praises and can't wait for the next week.

As for me, I'm glad I made use of the weekend of free HBO and haven't wasted my money on paying the fee for the channel. True Blood has finally lost me for good and I think I will just stick with the original books.