Season 3
"Bad Blood"
- "Don't say that. Women say that, everything goes black and I wake up surrounded by body parts."
- ―Franklin, to Tara[src]
After Eggs is accidentally killed by Jason, Tara becomes increasingly distraught and depressed. After finding out that Sookie used her telepathy to help Eggs remember what he did during the blackouts that Maryann caused, Tara is at a point close to choking Sookie with her bare hands and only through Lafayette's interference was Tara prevented from hurting her best friend. Lafayette brings Tara back to his house, and leaves her with her mother to comfort her, but when Lettie Mae invited a preacher to console Tara during her ordeal, Tara excused herself to take a shower. While Lettie Mae was distracted, Tara proceeded to swallow several bottles of pills in an attempt to commit suicide. ("Bad Blood")
"Beautifully Broken"
Fortunately Lafayette comes home just in time and forces Tara to throw up all of the pills she's taken, saving her life. He yells at Lettie Mae for not paying attention to her daughter and plans to take Tara to the hospital, but on the way changes his mind and takes her to a psychiatric institution to visit Lafayette's mother so she can see that "there is darkness in this family" but that they are strong enough to rise above their suspect gene pool. ("Beautifully Broken")
"It Hurts Me Too"
Trying to overcome her depression, Tara gets involved in a love affair with vampire Franklin Mott, who she met one night at Merlotte's. He saves her from two rednecks in the parking lot and shortly after the two have mind-blowing sex in a seedy motel room. After a one night stand, Tara leaves without giving her name, knowing that she's way too messed up to get involved with anyone, even a vampire, and shortly after reconnects with Sookie at Eggs' funeral after she paid for the arrangements. ("It Hurts Me Too")
"9 Crimes"
Eventually Franklin glamours Tara for information about the whereabouts of Sookie, and although Tara initially complies, she soon realizes what is happening and tries to escape, but the vampire catches her and leaves her tied up. Franklin then takes her to Jackson, Mississippi and keeps her hostage in the King's mansion. ("9 Crimes")
"Trouble"
Tara was relieved for a second when she finds Bill living at the mansion, but after he refuses to help her, she realizes she's on her own. To make matters worse, Franklin turned out to be a deranged vampire and plans to make her his "vampire bride", so she decides her only option is to play along until she had the opportunity to escape. ("Trouble")
"I Got a Right to Sing the Blues"
With time running out, Tara seduces Franklin and convinces him to untie her and let her drink his blood. In the morning, Tara wakes up and escapes by bludgeoning Franklin's head with a mace. After finding and rescuing Sookie, who was taken to the mansion under Russell's orders, they escape together but split up so Sookie can find Bill and Tara can find a car. While she's trying to find a way to get off of the property, she meets Alcide for the first time. ("I Got a Right to Sing the Blues")
"Hitting the Ground"
She and Alcide get his truck and find Sookie in the "slave quarters". Tara thinks Bill is officially dead but Sookie explains that he would look like Lorena, who was a puddle of goo at that point. Tara is disgusted by what she sees while Sookie starts to remove the silver manacles and chains from Bill. Debbie Pelt walks in with a hand gun and points it at Alcide. Alcide tries to talk Debbie down but fails after Sookie calls her a bitch. Tara speaks to Sookie telepathically and tells her to do something to distract Debbie. Sookie says no at first but Tara encourages her and Sookie screams. Debbie becomes distracted and Tara attacks her, slamming her against a wall. Because Tara drank so much vampire blood her stamina and strength were enhanced. Alcide grabs the gun just as Cooter comes in. Coot makes a move towards Alcide but he shoots him in the chest. Coot then tries to morph into his wolf form but Alcide shoots him in the head.
After Alcide locks Debbie in the shack, Tara and Sookie roll Bill up in a carpet and carry him out to the truck. Sookie stays with Bill in the back while Tara and Alcide get into the front. As they are leaving, Alcide runs over another wolf. Tara is surprised by this. After they get out and are miles away from the mansion, Alcide tells Tara to breath. Eventually they pull over so Alcide can relieve himself and Tara checks on Sookie. Sookie doesn't answer to Tara's bangs on the back door of the truck. Tara opens the back of the truck and is shocked to see that Sookie is unconscious and bleeding. Tara kicks Bill out of the truck and she cradles Sookie while Alcide closes the door and drives off without Bill. Tara and Alcide wait in the waiting room of the hospital. They are eventually told by a doctor that Sookie is in a coma and does not have a blood-type. Tara calls Jason to tell him about Sookie. She and Alcide wait in Sookie's room. When Jason and Lafayette arrive, Tara tells them that Sookie was attacked by Bill and that she has no blood-type. Eventually Bill arrives at the hospital. Tara is livid and shocked when Jason decides to let Bill give Sookie his blood. She objects but Jason tells her that it is his decision. After a while, Tara falls asleep next to Jason while they wait for Sookie to wake up. ("Hitting the Ground")
"Night on the Sun"
After Sookie recovers, Lafayette takes care of Tara and asks her is she still has suicidal tendencies. Tara reveals that she has never realized how much she wants to live. She remains troubled after her experience with Franklin and argues with Sookie about Bill. Back at Merlotte's, she spills a bottle of Tru Blood which triggers a memory of Franklin. Sam finds her crying and hugs her, and warns Tommy not to approach Tara. ("Night on the Sun")
"Everything Is Broken"
Tara decides to attend a support group meeting for victims of violent crimes, and runs into Merlotte's newest waitress Holly there, where a bond begins to form between them. That night at the bar, Franklin appears, confirming that he survived Tara's attack and snatches her up, asking why she tried to kill him. When Tara confesses that she did not love him, Franklin goes insane and threatens to kill her, but Jason appears just in time wielding a shotgun and destroys Franklin once-and-for-all with wood-stake bullets. ("Everything Is Broken")
"I Smell a Rat"
A stunned Tara and Jason come back to Jason's place covered in blood and find Sookie and Bill there. Tara is angry to see Bill and when the vampire leaves, Tara reveals to Sookie that she was abducted, held captive and raped by Franklin at Russell's, and that Bill did nothing to help her. Tara swears she will not forgive Bill or trust any vampire anymore. Not long after, in her emotionally unstable state, Tara kisses Jason. Tara immediately apologizes, feeling ashamed for kissing him, and Jason tearfully confesses that he was the one who killed Eggs. Tara, horrified, says nothing and leaves. ("I Smell a Rat")
"Fresh Blood"
Tara comes in to Merlotte's to find a drunk Andy and reveals that she knows the truth about Eggs. She calls him a bunch of names but indicates she doesn't plan on ratting him out. While Sam continues his rampage against seemingly everyone around him, he demands that everyone leave Merlotte's, Tara, however, refuses. Sam and Tara begin drinking together, and Tara points out all the people he alienated that night before saying he still has her as a friend. He complains about being the walkover nice guy, while she complains about being just the opposite. They head to his trailer and have sex. ("Fresh Blood")
"Evil is Going On"
After finding comfort in Sam again, he reveals to her that he is a shapeshifter. Tara is stunned at Sam's news, particularly given that they had sex without her knowing about his powers. Recalling her experiences with Franklin and Maryann, she says she wants to start her life over without knowing anything she knows about the Supernatural. He then tells her that there are always ways of escaping your life. She then proceeds to leave Bon Temps but not before seeing her mother, seeing Sookie and cutting off all her hair as a symbol of her fresh start. ("Evil is Going On")