Is Sookie becoming a fairy-vampire? Is Billith a dead man?
There was plenty for fans of HBO's "True Blood" to sink their fangs into when the show presented its San Diego Comic-Con panel on Saturday. New showrunner Brian Buckner — who replaced creator Alan Ball this season — gave Truebies plenty to think about with a jam-packed new trailer for the remaining half of the season.
The video kicked off with a funeral scene, hinting yet again at the major character death that many of the cast members and Buckner himself teased before season six even premiered. In addition to the passing, it also looks like Warlow gets a taste of Sookie, Bill defies Lilith, Sam and Alcide face off, and more.
"I feel like this show is ultimately about the relationship between vampires and humans and it's about this town. I want to bring it in a little bit. I feel like at times we've hurt ourselves," Buckner said of upcoming episodes. "My goal is to get all these people living under the umbrella of one story and one threat ... and make it about this small town we've all come to know and love."
“You're going to feel that the show is going to return back to its roots and be about this gang of people living in Bon Temps," he added. "We're going to try to condense the number of stories we're telling and really make this feel like we're going home."
Star Anna Paquin, who plays Sookie Stackhouse, is happy that her character is much more fearless this season.
"She's not being anyone's doormat. She's sick of taking whatever from whomever," Paquin said. "She's more independent, strong and tough. I feel like she's actually finally learning from all the incredibly odd, bizarre and unfortunate stuff that's happened to her."
Other highlights from the panel:
- When asked what it was like to be married to co-star Stephen Moyer, whose character this year seems to think he's a god, Paquin quipped: “I’m agnostic, so I haven’t decided if I’m going to accept his godliness.”
- Joe Manganiello addressed the enormous fan criticism as to how his character, werewolf Alcide, has evolved into a not as nice a guy this season: “I don’t like that everybody’s upset at my character,” he admitted. “Being pack master is a pretty thankless job."
- Sam Trammell lamented that his character, Sam Merlotte, seems to have nothing but bad luck when it comes to romance. “My girlfriends keep getting killed!”
- About that vampire-blood-induced dream Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten) had about Warlow, Rob Kazinsky, the man behind the fairy-vamp, said: “Ryan made me feel like a lady that day. He couldn’t have been more gentle. Not too much tongue. Just the right amount. A little peekaboo.”
- And how does fan favorite Nelsan Ellis get into character as Lafayette? “A little Rihanna and makeup gets me to LaLaLand!” he revealed.
"True Blood" airs Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO.