9 Crimes -- of Passion!

Ask and ye shall receive! See that. Just a little bit of grumbling about the previous episode, I float that idea that the way to make it up to us is to give us shirtless Manganiello, and VIOLA! It's better than a magic trick. Alan Ball knows how to keep his faithful female fans happy. First scene this week, and we've got shirtless Joe Manganiello. They are totally picking up what I'm putting down! All apologies to Alexander Skarsgard, who's still one sexy sonuvabitch, but I'm not quite sure we can make human beings more good looking than this:



Seriously, congrats to True Blood for snagging an Emmy nod for best drama, even if the cast did get snubbed. But when they roll out the award for best-looking cast, Blood will certainly be in the running. And this from a show that I totally bitched about the lack of sex appeal in the men in the first season. Then again, the first season was being carried by Bill. Pfft. Bill.

Speaking of Bill -- Cripes! He's up to his ass in alligators, again. He's back in Lorena's clutches -- again. He's got to stay away from Sookie for her own good -- again. He's procuring strippers as entrees for royalty -- again. Oh, wait, that's new. He's getting totally dogged by Eric -- again! I do love that one, though. Because frankly, if it's Bill's fangs in the Magister's pliers or Pam's, go right on ahead and rip Bill's fangs on out, baby. Anything to save our fabulous Pam! If you weren't about sick and tired of Zeljko's asshole routine yet, then him taking silver to Pam probably tipped the scales. But I did love that Eric was fully on board to sell Bill up the river to save his progeny!

Though his intentions are noble, Bill's breakup with Sook-ay sent her into desperate sobs. Well done, again, for Anna Pacquin. That chick can pull off drama like crazy with tears and snot and all sorts of sympathy. Another thing she's good at? Throwing sparks with nearly any costar. As ambivalent as I am about Bill, she and he were hot. And then Eric? Off the charts. I love the twist that it was him dreaming about her this week. We are so gonna get Sookie-Eric sex before this is all over. But for now, her cuddling up to Alcide and his shirtless body just makes perfect sense. And when she went all bad-ass brunette and wore black? HOT!

Let's see, what else happened this week? Oh yeah, Jason went deeper into his psychosis of wanting to be law enforcement. Evs. Tara got bitten and abducted by Franklin -- the fucker. I hope she ends up staking his ass. Lafayette drove his new car! And Eric saved him from a bunch of redneck methheads! How IS Lafayette supposed to deal with all this fucked-uped-ness? Sam, he's got hillbilly trouble with his homefolk. But he hired Jessica! Let's hope she's not filling the "waitress-to-be-killed-later" slot at Merlotte's. And then, last, but certainly not least was the appearance once again of that Patrick Swayze-lookin' werewolf. I did a double-take the first time I saw him, then when he cornered Sook last week I was all, "Huzzah?" Then, this week, I read the credits and see that his IS a Swayze! Just as I was hoping he'd say, "Nobody puts Sookie in a corner" she damn well did end up quite cornered in a roomful of crazed wolves. Now I tell you, what more can a show do to get that Emmy statue. Swayzes and leather-clad Sookie and werewolves and silver and exsanguinated strippers and shirtless hot guys. If it doesn't get the Emmy, it at least gets my appreciation.