‘True Blood’ recap: Bon Temps strikes back at H-vamps

Humans and supernaturals combine forces on a daring raid to rescue Bon Temps residents from rogue vampires on “Death Is Not the End,” Episode 74 of HBO’s “True Blood.”

Holly Cleary (Lauren Bowles) escaped from the vampires, who are on a killing spree as they succumb to the deadly Hepatitis-V virus. But because the vamps blocked Holly’s memory of her kidnapping and imprisonment, she doesn’t know where she was held captive.

When telepathic Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) unlocks those horrific memories, she discovers the prisoners are chained in the dungeon-like basement of Fangtasia, a boarded-up vampire bar in Shreveport, La.

Most of the captives have already been killed for food. But Arlene Fowler Bellefleur (Carrie Preston), Jane Bodehouse (Patricia Bethune) and pregnant Nicole Wright (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) are still alive – at least for a few more hours.

Mayor Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) drives furiously toward Fangtasia, determined to go it alone in saving his fiancée Nicole and their unborn child. Knowing it’s a suicide mission, Deputy Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten) aims a gun at Sam’s head and orders him to turn the car around.

“Whether we like it or not, we can’t do it without the vampires,” Jason points out, referring to non-infected vamps including Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) and his progeny Jessica Hamby (Deborah Ann Woll).

Jessica is weak from not drinking blood, however, which explains why she hasn’t recovered from a gunshot wound. Jessica refuses to feed because she lost control and accidentally killed three half-faerie daughters of Sheriff Andy Bellefleur (Chris Bauer).

“Vampires – we call ourselves immortal,” Jessica says. “But we aren’t immortal – not if we have to feed on innocent people to survive.”

Given the rapidly growing body count in Bon Temps, Sookie says the three girls Jessica drained are just “the tip of the iceberg.”

“Almost everyone I’ve known and loved is dead,” Sookie says, referring to her werewolf boyfriend Alcide Herveaux (Joe Manganiello) and many others.

“Are you going to help me or not?” she asks Jessica, needing her in top fighting form. This convinces Jessica to accept a blood donation from Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis).

Bill and Sookie do their best to round up volunteers for the Fangtasia raid, but they’re still badly outnumbered by the treacherous H-vamps. Reinforcements unexpectedly arrive when vampires Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsg¿¿rd) and Pam (Kristin Bauer van Straten) knock on Bill’s door.

Eric and Pam are uniquely qualified to assist, given they once owned Fangtasia and its predecessor – a video rental store. They also know a secret way into the building via a tunnel that was part of the Civil War’s Underground Railroad.

While Sam, Jason and other rescuers enter through the tunnel, Eric and Sookie approach the front door to distract the H-vamps.

“I’m diseased and badly in need of shelter,” Eric calls out. That’s true – at least the first part – because Eric is infected with Hepatitis-V and may not have long to live.

Chaos erupts when the rescuers attack from the inside and a vigilante mob led by redneck Vince (Brett Rickaby) strikes from the outside.

But Vince wants to slaughter all vampires, including the good ones. He nearly shoots Jessica before Bill intervenes and kills Vince instead.

Now the H-vamps are dead, but it might be too late for Arlene. Fading fast after being used for food, she has a vision of her late husband, Terry (Todd Lowe). Arlene longs to join him in the afterlife, but that means their kids would become orphans.

“You should stay,” Terry gently tells Arlene as she regains her strength. Then he has one last message for her: “Be happy!”