Claude Crane
Neil Hopkins (season 4)
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- "Relax, we do not believe in the harvest of humans. That's why we escaped to your world before the last portal closed."
- ―Claude to Sookie[src]
Claude Crane was a recurring character in the fourth, fifth and sixth seasons. He is portrayed by guest star Giles Matthey. The character debuted in "She's Not There" where he was portrayed by single episode guest star Neil Hopkins. Matthey took over the role for the fifth season and debuted in "Whatever I Am, You Made Me". Claude is a brash, cynical faerie, and brother to 17 sisters, including: Claudine, Claudette, Claudia, Claudwina, Claudija and Claudellen. After the death of his sister Claudine, Claude has taken it upon himself to guard and protect her goddaughter Sookie Stackhouse.
Personality
As a faerie, Claude is a gentle person by nature and does not believe in violence.
He also has a very protective streak, helping Sookie escape from the land of the fae and running Hot Wings as a faerie safehouse. When His sister Claudine died, Claude took over her duties in protecing Sookie.
Biography
From an early age, Claude was the “black sheep” of his family, refusing to become a godmother. He instead took on a carefree life of exploration and wandering between the faerie and human worlds. When Queen Mab began her campaign to stop travel between the two worlds, Claude joined those opposing Mab’s decision, channeling his passionate belief in freedom against Mab and her followers.
Claude first appeared when he and some other faeries, where helping Sookie and her grandfather Earl escape from Queen Mab and the other faeries.
He guided them to the portal to the human world but he told them that only Sookie could go because she hadn't eaten the Lumiere fruit. He encouraged Sookie to jump before Queen Mab could close down the portal, grandpa Earl trusted in him and took his granddaughter through the portal. ("She's Not There")
A year later, while in the human world, Claude goes to Tracy's Togs clothing store to collect an order for his 16 sisters. There he encounters Jessica, who is instantly drawn to him, due to the smell of his fae blood. He flees from the store and abandons his car in a field, escaping Jessica. ("Whatever I Am, You Made Me")
Claude in Season 5.
Jason brings Sookie to Hot Wings. They quiz Claude, Claudia, Claudette and Hadley inside the faerie club. Sookie asks if it's true that vampires killed her mother and father. Claude says that he only knows what Claudine told him: an Unknown Vampire ambushed their parents because he was drawn to something he smelled in the back seat of their car. In a flashback, Sookie's parents stop their car on a bridge so they don't hit a man standing in the middle of the road. The man rifles through their backseat, finding a bandage with Sookie's blood on it. Sookie angrily says that she doesn't believe Claude. She tries to manifest her photokinesis but it fails, and a group of faeries in the bar shoot their own beams at her as she screams. ("Hopeless")
Claude and Claudia tell Sookie that since she is only half-faerie, her magic is finite. They warn that if she isn't careful how she uses it, it will run out and she will no longer be faerie. Sookie is intrigued by this possibility. She later attempts to expend all of her power. ("In the Beginning")
The faeries take Sookie to the bridge where her parents were killed. The help her to connect with her mother the night she was killed to help them figure out who was responsible. She becomes her mother, watching as a vampire breaks into the car and kills her father. But then she starts seeing the event from the vampires point of view, as he kills her mother and then finds the band-aid with Sookie's blood in the backseat. Claudine shows up and drives the vampire away. Sookie is knocked off her feet (as the vampire was) and the vision ends. ("Somebody That I Used to Know")
Sookie's investigation takes her to former sheriff Bud Dearborne who was first on scene when her parents were killed. Sookie visits him, not knowing that he has joined an anti-supernatural hate group. He takes her hostage and she narrowly escapes being murdered, rescue coming in the form of the police raiding his farm because of his involvement in a spate of anti-supernatural attacks.
Sookie is visited by the faeries as she recovers. They bring her food and company. They tell her about vampires being behind the Tru Blood factory explosions. ("Everybody Wants to Rule the World")
Sookie continues her investigation into her parents death and finds a scroll written in a strange language hidden in her family home. She takes it to Claude and his sisters at the faerie bar. Claude does not recognize the language and suggests showing it to an older faerie, Maurella, who is almost 500 years old. Maurella recognizes it as a contract written in faerie blood. She uses her powers to reveal the meaning of the document "5 August 1702, I, John William Stackhouse, in reference to our binding agreement on this said date, do grant Mr. M. Warlow my first fae bearing female heir." Jason asks Claude who the first female faerie was in that family since 1702 and Claude says that there were none, until Sookie. ("Gone, Gone, Gone")
Maurella, Claudette and Claude lead Sookie to the Faerie Elder, explaining that due to her old age, it is very hard for her to concentrate on any one topic for very long. Sookie asks the Elder about Warlow and she tells her that her, Warlow and Sookie's destinies are intertwined. Jason interrupts, shouting for Sookie out in the field. He warns Sookie that Russell's is searching for her. The Faerie Elder is horrified that Russell is alive.
Sookie gathers the faeries in Hot Wings and explains the need to fight Russell, as opposed to just sitting back and doing nothing. Some of the faeries disagree, but the Elder sides with Sookie. After the meeting, Jason and Sookie have a heart to heart, and Jason agrees that he's going to fight alongside Sookie.
While keeping lookout for Sookie, Jason is attacked by Russell and Steve. Russell glamors Jason into leading him to Sookie and the other faeries.
Jason leads Russell to the faery's field. The elder tries to fight Russell, using her photokinesis to throw Steve across the field. She accidentally hits Jason too. However, Russell is too quick for her and drains her. Having consumed her blood, he is able to see into the faeries sanctuary. He sees Sookie with the faeries and moves to attack them. ("Sunset")
Having draining the Faerie Elder Russell can see the fae hideout and moves to attack. The faeries use their combined power to hold him back. Sookie has to pause several times as her dwindling powers leave her unable to sustain the attack. Russell's advance is slowed by their blasts, but he believes that their light has no further effect on him. As the Faeries continue their attempt to keep him at bay, Russell is ambushed by Eric just as he is about to enter the nightclub. Eric takes advantage of the situation and manages to stake Russell bringing him the True Death, satisfying a long held lust for revenge. Steve Newlin looks on in horror as his boyfriend is staked and then runs off into the woods. The faeries are relieved to be out of immediate danger. ("Save Yourself")When Niall visits Hotwings, he discovers that Warlow attacked the fairies who were there. He finds Claude on the floor severely wounded. Claude reveals that they were attacked by an extremely powerful vampire. He asks Niall not to leave him there like that. At first Niall said no, but Claude askes for the ultimate kindness to which Niall agrees. He tells Claude he was sending him home, as he sent a shock of light through his body. This turned him into dust, killing him.("You're No Good")
Powers & Abilities
Being a faerie, he has a vast array of fae magic, including Photokinesis and Telepathy.
Trivia
- Shortly after the announcement that Giles Matthey had been cast as Claude, HBO confirmed that Matthey had been promoted, and would return in Season 6 as a series regular.[1] However, Claude was killed off in You're No Good.
Appearances
| Season four appearances | |||
| "She's Not There" | "You Smell Like Dinner" | "If You Love Me, Why Am I Dyin'?" | "I'm Alive and on Fire" |
| "Me and the Devil" | "I Wish I Was the Moon" | "Cold Grey Light of Dawn" | "Spellbound" |
| "Let's Get Out of Here" | "Burning Down the House" | "Soul of Fire" | "And When I Die" |
| Season five appearances | |||
| "Turn! Turn! Turn!" | "Authority Always Wins" | "Whatever I Am, You Made Me" | "We’ll Meet Again" |
| "Let's Boot and Rally" | "Hopeless" | "In the Beginning" | "Somebody That I Used to Know" |
| "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" | "Gone, Gone, Gone" | "Sunset" | "Save Yourself" |
| Season six appearances | |||
| "Who Are You, Really?" | "The Sun" | "You're No Good" | "At Last" |
| "F**k the Pain Away" | "Don't You Feel Me" | "In the Evening" | "Dead Meat" |
| "Life Matters" | "Radioactive" | ||