I think it's now official. I would vote for Russell Edgington for president.

Sure, he'd probably place me under the subjugation of a race of vampire overlords, but, man, he's one charismatic dude, and he sure knows a way to make his point in a memorable fashion. Indeed, the last scene of this episode was one of the best the show has ever done, and that was almost all due to Denis O'Hare's performance as Russell. Sure, the speech he was handed was well-written, and the moment as conceived was such a brutally shocking one, but O'Hare had to make all of this come together, and he reminded me of just why he's become the most fascinating "True Blood" villain to date. This was the kind of shocking TV moment people will be talking about for years to come, and everyone involved carried it off with absolute aplomb.

American Vampire League spokeswoman Nan Flanagan is in her limo, driving on her way to the airport to head for Oregon to try and drum up support for a vampire rights bill. She's been in Bon Temps to try to suss out why, exactly, Eric killed Talbot and try to bring him back under the sway of the Authority. After she finally lays the problem of what to do with Russell at Eric's feet and tries to wash her hands of the whole mess, it seemingly becomes obvious that Russell is going to make Nan the next target of his campaign of terror, after killing the Magister a few weeks ago. It certainly helps that she's in the midst of a romantic moment with a lovely young lady, all the more unlikely to be ready should Russell somehow invade the limousine. Above her, the TV babbles on about the rights amendment and how Oregon is the latest battleground, the anchor distilling the story as much for the people of the world of "True Blood" as for the viewers at home.

Wow.

Some of you REALLY disagreed with me that last week's "True Blood" episode was stuck in the mud and not going anywhere. I heard from you in comments, in e-mail and every other possible way. One of you even wrote a blog post about how stupid I was!

I'm not complaining; I love this kind of response. And it must be said that it's fun to argue like this about the show, about what it is and what it should be. Keep sending me those thoughts because you guys are smart and passionate fans of this show, and it's always fun to read just what it is that you think, even when you fiercely disagree with me. That said, let's toss it to you guys and see if you can change my mind on the ultimate worth of last week's episode.

A reader named Ellen wrote me to say that she didn't believe the final reconciliation between Bill and Sookie was supposed to be as permanent of a reconciliation. She thinks it's all a buildup to the two having a more permanent breakup, since when you leave a longstanding relationship, it's often hard to completely write that person out of your life. A number of you took this tack, and I have to say that this is probably a case where I'm being a bit hasty in my judgment of the show. There's every possibility that Sookie and Bill will be split up again in a couple episodes, and I'll have egg all over my face. I don't hate the idea of Sookie and Bill together -- though I think their scenes can drag the show down -- but I was pretty miffed that an episode that began with such a clear statement of Sookie and Bill being split up for good would end with a question mark being put on that statement. Let's wait and see what happens.

Morgan Earle writes to talk about what Sookie is, a question the show moved to the back-burner last week. Morgan sent me a handy list of Naiad subcategories after I raised the possibility of Sookie being a Naiad two weeks ago. But Morgan hopes the show doesn't go that way because:

"All that aside, I will still be disappointed if they turn to Greek mythology to explain the origin of 'True Blood's' most important character. It's already been done, why do it again? Major fail. To be blatantly honest, I think I would rather her turn out to be a fairy. Then, at least no one would expect that, and it wouldn't be redundant."

I still think making Sookie a fairy would be obvious, but Morgan has a good point. Going back to Greek mythology could feel like a cheat. Let's hope the producers of "True Blood" have an answer that makes sense but also is something few people are guessing.

Now, let's turn to comments.

"Family ties" may as well have been the theme of tonight's "True Blood," "Night on the Sun," which slowed the plot way down in favor of scenes where characters who haven't spent a lot of time together this season got to check in with each other, while other connections were forged and broken. It was also quite a come-down after the last two blisteringly paced episodes, though I suppose that sort of thing is inevitable. I just wish that the whole episode hadn't been a long journey to a place we already knew we were going back to and that it hadn't undid one of its most interesting plot developments within the same exact episode. It makes it seem like the writers don't have a great deal of confidence in their characters to sustain interest, outside of the way we first came to know them.

Here's what I'm complaining about, less obliquely: In the first scene of the episode, Sookie breaks it off with Bill. Then, in the last scene, the two are back together again and having ravenous sex. I suspect that this is a part of a general motif in the episode, of people going back to things they should know are wrong for them, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating to have the show dangle a potentially interesting storyline -- let's see what Sookie and Bill are like apart, instead of together -- then take it away from us within the same episode. Anyone who's ever watched TV ever is going to know that these two are going to end up back together again by the end of the series. It's just the way the medium works. But along the way, we should get some interesting stories of what they're like both separate and apart. This episode is frustrating in that regard, though, again, it seems possible that this is all set-up for a more permanent break-up down the road.

It's probably time for us to have a chat about spoilers here at the Show Tracker "True Blood" blog.

I know that the series is based on a series of very popular books. I know that many, many of you who are into the TV series have read the books. And I know that it can be very hard to sit there and watch the series string out big revelations from the books when you already know what's going to happen. But I'm going to ask one thing of you: Please, please don't spoil the experience for the rest of us.

I haven't read the books "True Blood" is based on. The show could reveal tomorrow that Eric is actually a man-eating plant of one variation or another, and I wouldn't bat an eye because I'd have no idea that this revelation was made in Book 7 or whatever. Now, honestly, if you spoil me, I won't be terribly upset. I don't have a huge aversion to spoilers, and I'm just going to shrug it off. But many, MANY of your fellow readers and comments section dwellers don't want to know what's coming up, even though you do. It's easier to avoid spoilers for books that have been out for years than it is for popular movies or TV shows, sad as that may sound. So when you say with all certainty just what Sookie Stackhouse is in the books and that she's likely the same thing in the show, well, it kills a little bit of the fun for a lot of people.

Here's the thing: The people who approve comments here at Show Tracker don't always know what's a spoiler and what's not a spoiler. So it can't be on them. It'll have to be on you guys to police yourselves and be polite. I know the temptation is always there, particularly when it seems like those of us who haven't read the books are being intentionally dense, but we want reading the Show Tracker blog for "True Blood" to be just as fun an experience as watching the show. So -- and let me bold this for emphasis -- let's ONLY discuss what's happened on the show up until the episode that just aired. Speculation is fair game, but if you know spoilers (thanks to reading the books or reading other spoiler sites), please, please keep them to yourselves. If this policy doesn't work out, I'll have to figure something else out about deleting comments or making sure spoilers aren't published.

In the meantime, let's talk about last week's episode. There were 34 comments on last week's article, and I got over a dozen e-mails, so I won't be able to get to all of your points. Suffice it to say that many, many of you have some interesting things to say about the series. Onward!

You have to give the HBO executives credit for candor. Speaking of "Game of Thrones," the upcoming series based on George R.R. Martin's fantasy novels, programming president Michael Lombardo admitted that he personally doesn't particularly care for those kinds of stories. "It wasn't the genre we responded to, it was the storytelling," he told reporters Saturday at the TV press tour in Beverly Hills.

That concession might count as a sacrilege in some quarters, but HBO knows a potentially profitable market when it sees one. The pay cable outlet is hoping that "Game of Thrones" will follow the path of "True Blood," the vampire drama that has steadily grown into HBO's first major hit in years and was likewise adapted from a series of genre novels with a ferociously devoted fan base. 

But HBO knows they've got work to do. "There's enormous pressure on the 'Game of Thrones' people," Lombardo said. "It's a very sophisticated audience; you have to get it right."

HBO co-president Richard Plepler pointed out that with "True Blood," creator Alan Ball found a way to tap into that passionate fan base. "Alan has created this extremely compelling and addictive world. ... When you get passionate fan bases, they talk with each other and that's catalytic," he said. But he noted that social-media services such as Twitter can also be a "double-edged sword." "You can obviously have a negative power of amplification," he added. 

The network showed about 15 seconds of "Game of Thrones" footage as part of a larger clip of coming attractions, but explained that CGI effects still had to be added (a network spokeswoman says the producers have been shooting for only two weeks). The show is scheduled to premiere sometime in spring 2011. 

In the meantime, executives dropped a few details about returning shows. "Entourage" will "definitely" end its run next summer after eight seasons, Lombardo said. He declined to speculate about the future of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," saying that the network had learned not to put pressure on creator and star Larry David. 

Executives also scrambled to reassure skeptics about "Luck." The upcoming horse-racing drama, which stars Dustin Hoffman in his first series role, was created by David Milch, whose last HBO effort was the roundly drubbed surfing drama "John from Cincinnati."

"Luck" will be different, Lombardo said, because Milch "has such a clear vision for the show." He added that reporters shouldn't pre-judge the show "whatever you think of 'John from Cincinnati' and its failings."

--Scott Collins

Photo: Opening scene of "Game of Thrones." Helen Sloane / HBO

 The question "True Blood" wants us to be asking is "Who is Sookie Stackhouse?" The entirety of the season apparently hinges on the answer to this question, and this episode delves into it more deeply than any episode before. The list of characters who know her secret is growing by the episode (even as the audience has yet to catch on), and the answer is so surprising that it even shocks Eric. I worry that this is a lot of buildup for this plot point, that by making it seem like it's so shocking, the show will force us to all come up with our own theories (which I'm about to do) and thusly create a situation where the final reveal is something everybody's figured out already and/or something everyone's speculated about, thus making it feel a little anticlimactic. Plus, if it's something that was hinted at or expressed in the books, there's a whole segment of the audience that already knows, and these moments must be painfully boring for them. 

So all those warning expressed, let's speculate about just what Sookie Stackhouse might be, shall we?

Everyone seemed pretty happy with last week's episode of "True Blood," considering the only major criticism of it in comments was the fact that it featured two men kissing. (And, honestly, if you can't handle seeing two men kissing, why the heck are you watching "True Blood"?) Scripted by series mastermind Alan Ball, the episode was equal parts funny, gory and heart-rending, and it  probably was one of the best of the season, if not the series. So much stuff happened that it's hard to imagine just where the show is going to go from here, but I'm looking forward to seeing it try Sunday night. 

But before all of that, let's see what you thought.

"I Got a Right to Sing the Blues" is one of the better episodes "True Blood" has ever done, blending the grandly dark drama, the daffy over-the-top humor and the insane twists and turns the show is known for in nearly equal measure. There are a few scenes that don't work as well as they might -- Tara breaking Sookie out of the room where she was imprisoned was awesome in theory but edited a bit confusingly -- but for the most part, this was an episode that revealed the show clicking along on all cylinders. Remember, even as I complain about some things, I thought this was one of the show's top episodes. Now, let's complain about some things!

The Jason and Sam plot lines continue to feel essentially disconnected from everything else, as did the story of Arlene and Jessica dealing with the disgruntled customer. With all of the insanity going on over in Mississippi, with the way the show will occasionally just cut over to Sophie-Anne doing something equally crazy, it sure drags the show down when it returns to Bon Temps and a bunch of story lines that have nothing to do with anything. It's becoming increasingly clear that the theme of the season is staying true to oneself and embracing one's true nature, and I don't mind the ways these stories tie in to that idea. But I do wish that they didn't feel so disconnected from everything else going on. Last season, the two main story lines -- the Newlins and Maenad -- each had elements to keep us invested and tied in all of the characters. If you weren't really feeling the Maenad story line during a certain episode, well, at least Michelle Forbes' performance was reliably goofy and fun (I mean this as praise). This season, if you're not really feeling the Sam story line, there's just nowhere for it to turn. It can't suddenly reveal, out of nowhere, that Marshall Allman is an all-star actor on the level of Denis O'Hare, because he's not.

The powers behind HBO's vampire hit "True Blood" -- currently in the middle of its third season -- came to Comic-Con on Friday bearing a provocative reel of highlights from episodes coming up the rest of this summer. Yes, that's right -- some mild spoilers follow! (Find the reel here).

Executive Producer Alan Ball thanked the raucous crowd in Ballroom 20 at the San Diego Convention Center for its support and described the clip reel as a "gift to you." And an appropriately puzzling gift it sometimes was, with some brief glimpses of a red-eyed werewolf, quite a bit of fang-sprouting and a suddenly bad-ass Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) toting a shotgun and yelling: "Get out of my house, bitch!"

 Offscreen, there was some news too: Panelist Joe Manganiello, who's played the werewolf Alcide Herveaux this season, confirmed that he's just been promoted to a series regular.

Otherwise, the panel was the "Comic-Con" love-in that might be expected for a vampire show whose ratings have only grown since its breakout last season. 

Among the highlights:

-- Asked for further upcoming plot developments, Ball replied:"Everyone goes to therapy, everyone goes on medication and everyone is really happy." Joke, it's a joke, people.

-- Ball said he'd like the show to run as long as possible. "But I don't want to get to the point where we have to explain why vampires are aging," he added.

-- Author Charlaine Harris, who writes the books on which the show is based, said that "things are evolving differently" in her fictional world than they are in the TV version and she advised fans to treat them as "two separate entertainment experiences." She also said she's known for eight or nine years how the story ultimately ends. "But please don't capture and torture me to try to find out," she said.

-- Scott Collins (follow me on Twitter @scottcollinsLAT)

Photo: Joe Manganiello and Anna Paquin last season. Credit: John P. Johnson.

 There's some of the best stuff that "True Blood" has ever done in "Trouble." Eric's random flashback to his days as a Viking(!) in Norway are gloriously over-the-top and full of Gothic fun, right down to Russell standing at his doorway in a cape and then walking away into the softly falling snow. Sookie trying to put the pieces together of just what's going on continues to be fun, and so does the gradual reveal of whatever Bill's grand master plan happens to be. But then the show will cut to what is, essentially, a completely different show, and it loses a bit of its momentum. Now don't get me wrong. I could see Sam's family drama being interesting in isolation. I could see Tara's weird, psycho-sexual relationship with Franklin being interesting all by itself. I could maybe even see Jason's visit to the Dukes of Hazzard and love match with yet another inappropriate woman being kind of fun without the other stuff going on.

But when you compare all of these storylines to the building war between Louisiana and Mississippi and the secret histories of Bill, Sookie and Eric, there's no way they match up. They all feel like they're taking place in different TV shows, even though each and every storyline reaches a major turning point this episode. Sam realizes his little brother is in a massive predicament. Jason gets much, much closer to being a deputy and meets the mystery girl up close. Tara tries to run away from Franklin plus gets brought to Mississippi, where she meets Russell and sees Bill. Oh, and then Franklin proposes that she become his vampire bride. I mean, all of these things are fun in isolation, as mentioned, and I enjoyed most of the scenes that went into them, but there's little to no connective tissue among them. Even last season, when the two major storylines didn't have a whole lot to do with each other, they somehow felt more cohesive because they kept bringing in more and more folks from Bon Temps. This season, it just feels like everybody's off in their own little world.