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"Cold Ground"
Season 1, Episode 6
1x06
Air date October 12, 2008
Written by Raelle Tucker
Directed by Nick Gomez
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"Sparks Fly Out"
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"Burning House of Love"

"Cold Ground" is the sixth episode of Season 1 of the HBO original series True Blood, and the series' sixth episode overall.

Summary[]

Numbed by tragedy, Sookie looks for refuge from the cacophony of her friends' and neighbors' inner voices. After lashing out at his sister and decking Andy, Jason wrestles with withdrawal symptoms from his V juice habit. Tara resists the overtures of her alcoholic mother Lettie Mae, who's trying to rid herself of a demon and needs her daughter's help (and money). Sam and Tara make a connection in their mutual search for "something real."

Synopsis[]


"Give us a little girl time...
Come on Lafayette!"
― Tara Thornton


Sookie stands in shock, as her Gran lies dead on the kitchen floor, covered in her own blood. She bursts into tears. Bill comes up behind her and tries to calm her by putting his arms around her to make her feel safe again. As he holds onto her, Sam enters the front of the house. Bill grabs him by the throat and pins him to a wall, while Sam states he was making sure Sookie got home safe and the door was open; he sees the blood and asks what happened.

Sam puts a blanket around Sookie's shoulders and suggests she go upstairs to lie down. Sookie hears Andy with the other police in the kitchen. They are disturbed and say the Stackhouse kids, while crazy, didn't deserve this. Mike Spencer the coroner thinks they have a serial killer on their hands.

TaraLafayComforts

While trying to comfort Sookie, Lafayette offers her a Valium

The next day, Sookie holds a wake for Adele in the house. She loses it when Maxine Fortenberry attempts to make room in the fridge, by moving the last pie Adele made. Tara and Lafayette take Sookie upstairs. They tell her not to worry about entertaining the people downstairs and to just feel whatever she’s feeling. Sookie confesses that she doesn’t think she is feeling anything at all.

Jason, oblivious to his Gran’s death, shows up at work still feeling the effects of the V. He learns the news from Hoyt and René and races over to the wake. He storms into Sookie’s room and smacks her square on the face, screaming that it was her fault that Gran was killed. Tara pushes Jason out, telling him she doesn’t even know who he is anymore. Tara tries to comfort Sookie, but the damage is already done. Outside, Andy confronts Jason and practically accuses him of murdering Adele. Jason shoves Andy down as though he weighed nothing.

SookieFuneral

Sookie yelling at the crowd during Gran's funeral

Adele’s funeral the following day is more or less a disaster. Jason invites his and Sookie’s estranged Uncle, Bartlett Hale, which aggravates Sookie. While giving the eulogy during the funeral, Sookie is overwhelmed by her grief and is unable to block out the townspeople's cruel thoughts about her, ultimately screaming at them to "shut the fuck up!" Sookie then flees the area, and is followed by Jason. Jason tries to apologize for the way he treated her the day before, but Sookie wants nothing to do with it. Throughout the rest of the funeral Jason continues to struggle with his burgeoning V addiction.

Tara’s mother Lettie Mae shows up and gives a speech about Adele, a woman she barely knew. When the funeral is over, Lettie Mae approaches Tara, who is furious with her, telling her that she had no right to speak about Adele; Adele was more of a mother to Tara than Lettie Mae ever was. Lettie Mae tries to apologize and tells Tara that she has a demon inside of her that makes her drink. She says she needs money for an exorcism. Tara thinks this is ridiculous and storms off.

SookiePie

Sookie eating the final pie Gran will ever make

Sam takes Sookie home where she tells him that she needs to be alone. Sam doesn’t want to be alone and neither does Tara. Once alone, Sookie takes the pie out of the fridge. She finally lets out her grief as she eats it, sobbing over every bite. Tara takes Sam back to her hotel room and they have sex. Afterward, Tara starts to feel conflicted about her mother’s problem and leaves Sam alone in the room.

SookieBillLove

Sookie and Bill finally make love

Sookie races to Bill’s house. Bill hears her footsteps and sweeps her up. They finally make love. When Bill’s fangs extend he tries to hide them, but Sookie tells him she wants him to do it. Bill buries his teeth into her neck and starts to drink.

Trailer[]

Notes[]

Accolades[]

  • Bill and Sookie's love scene, begun in this episode and continuing in "Burning House of Love", was nominated for a Bravo A-List Award for TV's Sexiest Moment.
  • Suzuki Ingerslev, Cat Smith & Rusty Lipscomb were nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series.

Allusions[]

  • In the scene where Tara and Lafayette are cleaning up after the consolation party held at Sookie's house, Tara asks if she should check on Sookie sleeping upstairs, to which Lafayette replies "Trust me, that child is dead to the world right now." Dead to the World is the title of the fourth installment of the Southern Vampire Mysteries written by Charlaine Harris upon which "True Blood" is based.

Bloopers and Continuity Errors[]

  • While Sookie is eating Adele's pie, the amount of pie she picks up with her fork does not match the amount on her fork from other angles.
  • When Sookie finds William's grave, the amount and placement of the dirt over the plaque changes between shots without her having made any movements that would alter its position.
  • In the scene where Tara and Sam are in Tara's motel room, they are drinking Steam Whistle beer. This particular brand of beer is not sold anywhere outside of Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. It is highly unlikely that Tara would have possession of this brand of beer in Louisiana.
  • The Capital "M"s in the "BON TEMPS CEMETERY" sign are installed backwards with the wide stroke to the left. On "M"s and "A"s the wide stroke should be to the right.

Continuity[]

  • There are no continuity notes for this episode.

Flashbacks[]

  • There are no flashbacks that occur in this episode.

Miscredits[]

  • There are no miscredits that occur in this episode.

Music[]

  • "You Shook Me All Night Long" - AC/DC
  • "We'll Meet along the Way" - Hem
  • "Lullaby" - Dixie Chicks
  • "Half of You" - Cat Power
  • "Take Me Home" - Lisbeth Scott
  • "Cold Ground" - Rusty Truck

Production[]

  • There are no production notes available for this episode.

Title[]

  • The title and the song of the episode probably notes Sookie's empty soul after Gran's death or it's an indirect allusion to Adele's funeral.

Trivia[]

  • During the close up shots of Sookie at the funeral, René can be seen right behind her, staring at her with no one else in the picture. Possibly foreshadowing his dark actions in the future.

Memorable Quotes[]

Bill Compton: "This isn't the time or the place for you to be marking your territory."

Lafayette Reynolds:

  • "What the f*** is it with white people and jello? Sookie don't need no bad ju ju cookin'. Smell this. You can smell the fear and nastiness coming up off that corn bread."
  • "Sook, relax. This is not drugs, this is just a Valium."
  • "If she talked any more shit, she'd be shaped like a toilet."
  • "Oh my f***ing God, girl! This is about to get ugly."
  • "You's a stupid bitch, Jason Stackhouse."

Maxine Fortenberry: (thoughts as overheard by Sookie) "I heard they almost cut off her head. I don't see any blood. Should have got here sooner. Maybe I should have brought my red velvet cake instead."

Sookie Stackhouse:

  • (To Maxine) "This is Gran's pie!"
  • (To Bill) "Do it. I want you to."

Tara Thornton:

  • "Nothin' says I'm sorry like a tuna cheese casserole."
  • "Y'all excuse us. I need Sookie upstairs. Just give us a little girl time. Come on Lafayette."

Memorable Dialogue[]

Jason Stackhouse: "Sookie, please. I mean, we're all we've got."
Sookie Stackhouse: "We've got nothing."

Tara Thornton: "Do you think they're capable of lovin' a person?"
Lafayette Reynolds: "Who knows what they're capable of."

Cast[]

Starring[]

Recurring[]

Special guest starring[]

Guest starring[]

Co-starring[]

Uncredited[]

Gallery[]

Trading Cards[]

Episode B1[]

Episode Ratings[]

Episode # Episode Title Viewers (in millions)
#1.06 (6) "Cold Ground" 1.82


True Blood Season 1
Season 2 >>Season 3 >>Season 4 >>
#01 "Strange Love"#07 "Burning House of Love"
#02 "The First Taste"#08 "The Fourth Man in the Fire"
#03 "Mine"#09 "Plaisir D'Amour"
#04 "Escape from Dragon House"#10 "I Don't Wanna Know"
#05 "Sparks Fly Out"#11 "To Love Is to Bury"
#06 "Cold Ground"#12 "You'll Be the Death of Me"
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