Over seven seasons, True Blood featured many relationships and characters getting together – and not just Sookie. As tends to be the case with television shows, not all of them were a good idea. This was true even for those that advanced the plot or meant a happily ever after for a character.
Something that fans wanted to know throughout the series, especially as it neared the end, was who Sookie would end up with. Sadly, the decision made regarding her love life was one that hurt the show. That was true even though it wasn’t the wrong move for her character.
Sookie wasn’t the only one who made bad decisions about love, however. Jason didn’t exactly have the best track record with women. Even a relationship that could have been good for him wasn’t often the case because of the other people involved. Those people had their own problems as well.
Sadly, most of the best relationships didn’t get the chance to work out until the end due to tragic circumstances. However, when those couples were together, the series was better for it.
With one couple, all it took was a dream sequence to earn them a spot on this list.
Some relationships hurt the show because they were clearly not going to last. They either served to keep other people apart or to stir up some drama.
In at least one case, it only took one request to put a couple on the hurt side. This affected how the rest of the relationship was seen as a whole.
With that said, here are the 10 Couples That Hurt True Blood (And 10 That Saved It).
Hurt: Sookie & her husband
Perhaps the biggest question of the entire series was about Sookie’s love life. Who would she end up with? Bill or Eric? Alcide? Someone else?
The answer was someone else. Not only that, but he was a complete mystery.
In the series finale, a flash forward showed that Sookie was married and pregnant to a random guy.
The audience never even saw his face (because they just used one of the stunt men). After seven seasons, this was Sookie’s relationship ending and it was a disappointment.
“What we wanted to know was that she was happy and living the life that she wanted to lead,” showrunner Brian Buckner explained after the finale, according to Entertainment Weekly. “To introduce some other stranger in the last five minutes of the finale wouldn’t have made a lot of sense.”
What True Blood did was worse.
Saved: Arlene & Terry
After Arlene’s bad luck with Rene, she deserved a good and happy relationship – and she got that with Terry.
In fact, their relationship was easily one of the best of all of True Blood, even though he met a tragic end.
They had to overcome some obstacles. These included her having Rene’s baby (and lying about his paternity) and the curse from Terry’s time in Iraq.
If anyone deserved a happy ending, it was these two. It was just unfortunate that they made it past everything, including him ending his friend’s life to end the curse, only for a glamour to be for naught.
Unbeknownst to her, he had already planned for his end and being glamoured to forget his pain didn’t change that.
Hurt: Steve & Sarah
Steve and Sarah ran the Fellowship of the Sun, the anti-vampire church with extreme methods. It should say something about their relationship that their scenes were better after they divorced.
There was nothing exciting or special about their relationship. It only became interesting— not in the romantic sense, considering that he came out— when they were on opposite sides.
However, there’s no way to find anything good about that relationship after his last words.
At the Vampire Camp, Sarah tried to put an end to the vampires by exposing them to the sun. Steve was the only one to suffer. His last words as he stared up to her were “I love you, Jason Stackhouse.” His last words were to one of her exes.
Saved: Lafayette & Jesus
Lafayette and Jesus are one of those couples that deserved better than they got. Just consider the fact that the former ended the latter’s life while possessed.
Still, Jesus was the one to push Lafayette into magic, which was good for the series.
Because Lafayette was a medium, he was also able to see Jesus even after the end of his life. That gave Jesus the chance to tell him he was “cool” with what happened and to “keep breathing.”
Most people don’t get a chance to say goodbye after losing a loved one, and True Blood allowed Lafayette to have that.
Jesus also pointed out that because of Lafayette’s power, he’d “always” be with him.
Hurt: Hoyt & Jessica
At first, Jessica and Hoyt seemed like a good couple. He didn’t care that she was a vampire. However, that soon changed.
She ended up glamouring away his memories of her before he left for Alaska.
When he returned in the final season, however, they crossed paths again and she told him their story. They rekindled their relationship.
Because Jessica wanted Bill to walk her down the aisle before he was gone, they then got married.
In the flash forward in the series finale, they were still together.
As sweet as it was on paper to have Jessica and Hoyt get back together, they shouldn’t have lasted.
They didn’t work out when they were together before. The only saving grace is that the show ended because it’s easy to imagine the same problems arising.
Saved: Sookie & Alcide
Alcide was easily one of Sookie’s best love interests, but sadly, it wasn’t meant to be. It would have benefited True Blood to have him be a strong contender as her endgame. Instead, it seemed like it was always going to be Bill or Eric – until the finale.
However, at least the series had Sookie and Alcide together for a brief time instead of ignoring their chemistry.
Their relationship had a tragic end, as he lost his life in the third episode of the final season.
Even if that hadn’t happened, it’s hard to say if they would have lasted.
After all, as showrunner Brian Buckner said after the finale, according to Entertainment Weekly, they didn’t think it mattered who she ended up with and chose to make it the “everyman” instead.
Hurt: Russell & Talbot
It’s not a good sign for a couple— their relationship or effect on a show— when they’re more interesting after one’s life is over.
There is something romantic about becoming a vampire to spend eternity with someone else. This was what happened with Talbot and Russell.
However, after Talbot was introduced in season 3, he never left his mansion. Eric then staked Talbot after the two got together while Russell was away.
That was when Russell and Talbot got somewhat interesting. Russell carried remains with him in a jar and even talked to them. Perhaps the series should have shown Russell and Talbot’s relationship in a better way before that point, then maybe it would have been worth it.
Saved: Eric & Jason
Eric and Jason only existed as a couple in a dream the latter had. Still, it was awesome and memorable and couldn’t be ruined like most of Jason’s relationships – because it wasn’t real.
After Eric healed Jason using his blood, he told him, “When you dream of me, dream of nice things.”
True Blood didn’t forget about this, even though the healing took place in season 6 and the dream the following year. It was just awkward that Jason was in a church when he was dreaming.
As writer Kate Barnow toldEntertainment Weekly, “We wanted to make it feel like, ‘Oh, maybe, in Jason’s subconscious, he’s had feelings for Eric in ways that we’ve never known.’”
Barnow added that Jason probably admired the kind of vampire that Eric was.
Hurt: Sookie & Bill
For so long on True Blood, it seemed inevitable that Sookie and Bill would end up together. They would be together when the series ended.
However, that changed over the seven seasons. By the series finale, it was hard to remember why you were rooting for the couple.
This was what made all the time spent on the (ex-)couple worse. In the series finale, he turned to her to put him out of his Hep-V misery.
He thought that if she used her fairy light to do it, they’d each get something they wanted. His pain would be over and she could live a normal life.
By that point, they weren’t exactly relationship goals.
It’s hard to remember a couple’s moments together fondly after one’s covered in the other’s remains in a grave.
Saved: Eric & Pam
One of the best couples on True Blood wasn’t a romantic one, though they were together in the past.
Pam and Eric were by each other’s side through a lot. That was true even after he released her from their sire/child bond and she could have left him behind.
She was determined to save him when he got Hep-V, though he didn’t want to risk making her sick.
They even ended the series together, having started New Blood, a synthesized cure.
Neither had much luck when it came to romantic, lasting relationships, but they did have each other. Theirs was a relationship that fans were happy to see still going strong in the flash forwards in the finale.
Hurt: Jason & Sarah
It’s hard to figure out what was worse about Jason and Sarah’s relationship.
There was the fact that it started as an affair, even though Sarah and Steve’s marriage was never going to last. There was the fact that the Newlins wanted Jason to be part of their anti-vampire church army.
In addition, there was Sarah reappearing in his life and telling him they should be together because god wanted it. He actually fell for that before falling back into bed with her.
Their relationship was never about them. Instead, it was about other characters. First, it was about Steve, and later, it was about Jessica.
This doesn’t even take into account that Sarah’s ex-husband proclaimed his love for Jason in his last words.
It was just a complete mess of a relationship.
Saved: Sookie & Eric
Vampirism aside, Eric was the typical bad boy, and who wouldn’t be attracted to that?
Eric and Sookie were only together for a short period of time. However, by then, fans had been itching to see the series take advantage of their chemistry for years.
It was just too bad that their relationship started when he didn’t have his memories.
With Sookie’s feelings for Bill pretty much always a factor, they sadly didn’t stand a chance to last any longer than they did.
Even after their relationship ended, he still looked out for her. He went to see her when he expected his life to end.
Even as the series came to an end, he was still her protector.
Hurt: Arlene & Rene
Really, this relationship hurt Arlene more than it hurt the show. However, this doesn’t change the fact of who Rene Lenier (or rather, Drew Marshall) was.
Rene took lives (including a cat’s) and tried to take Sookie’s multiple times. This happened while he was dating and then engaged to Arlene, who deserved so much better.
True, Arlene’s relationship with Rene resulted in a baby, Mikey. However, because of Rene’s violent past, Arlene was worried about their child taking after his father.
She even lied and told Terry that the baby was his for a while before admitting the truth. Lying about paternity is never a good storyline for a show.
This only happened because of her relationship with Rene.
Saved: Tara & Pam
Pam and Tara could have been one of the most interesting couples of the show. That is, they could have been if True Blood had ever devoted enough time to and explored the relationship.
Pam saved Tara by turning her into a vampire at the beginning of season 5. Tara then proceeded to work at Fangtasia and learn from her maker for the rest of the year.
They didn’t get off to the best start, but after Tara helped rescue Pam from the Authority, the two kissed.
After that, Tara took a silver bullet with U.V. light for Pam and both ended up in a Vamp Camp.
Tara was a final season casualty, and there was no time to ever see the two of them together. Still, the tease of their relationship was a smart move.
Hurt: Alcide & Debbie
The problem wasn’t that Alcide and Debbie were ever together. What wasn’t good for True Blood is that they got back together in season 4.
They were never good together. In fact, their relationship hurt both of their characters.
Debbie’s jealousy of Sookie was the least of their issues. She wanted kids, while he didn’t. She was engaged and still didn’t like Alcide with Sookie.
Then, the werewolves got back together when she cleaned up her act and was sober. They still weren’t good together and it still wasn’t going to work out.
She was unfaithful to him with Marcus, who offered to give her something (kids) that Alcide wouldn’t.
The only saving grace was that their relationship ended before Debbie met her bloody fate.
Saved: Andy & Holly
Andy and Holly didn’t get off to the best start for their first date. He was in the middle of withdrawal from V, as he later admitted. However, she forgave him.
They managed to get past that and several other obstacles.
Her sons posted a photo of him in her bed on Facebook. He had four half-fae children (though Jessica ended the lives of three of them). Holly was even the midwife while the mother of his children gave birth.
Even though they had their problems, they were a couple you wanted to see make things work. You wanted them to be together because their drama wasn’t nearly as bad as most of Sookie’s relationships.
In the series finale flash forward, they were both at Sookie’s Thanksgiving dinner and were happy together.
Hurt: Jessica & Jason
There were some good moments between Jessica and Jason, whether they were together during those times or not. However, there was too much stacked against them for it to work.
It hurt the show when it returned to their relationship, especially since it wasn’t going to last.
First, there was Jessica’s relationship with Hoyt and Hoyt and Jason being best friends.
It’s not a good sign when someone moves to Alaska and asks a vampire to take away all his memories of his ex and best friend.
Then there was Jason and Jessica getting together in the final season when it ended with her marrying Hoyt. Was that just to give those who wanted Jason and Jessica to be together one last bit of hope?
Saved: Sam & Luna
Sam and Luna were easily one of the series’ best relationships. This is not just because it moved him away from his unrequited crush on Sookie, though.
Like all TV couples, they had their obstacles. His brother once posed as him to be with her.
She tried to push him away so he didn’t have to deal with her ex (and daughter’s father).
However, he refused to let her. Instead, series’ highlights for Sam’s character definitely included seeing him with Luna and with her daughter, Emma.
Sadly, they both had to do some drastic things to rescue Emma. Luna’s actions (skinwalking as Steve Newlin) ended up costing her her life, which she had known was a risk.
Hurt: Debbie & Cooter
Debbie and Alcide were together, but then she left him for Cooter. However, it was clear that she still had feelings for Alcide when they crossed paths and she saw Sookie.
Debbie and Cooter were never a relationship that was going to go the distance.
They were addicted to V and weren’t exactly nice people together or apart.
Despite Debbie initially wanting to hunt Alcide down after he ended Cooter’s life, the exes got back together.
Debbie’s time with Cooter didn’t make her a better person (or werewolf). It didn’t even matter in the next season. There was no real reason for it to have happened, other than to delay her and Alcide’s reunion (and then end).
Saved: Jessica & James
The two vampires didn’t meet in the best of circumstances– they met at the Vampire Camp in season 6. However, he showed that he was a good guy (or rather, vampire).
He refused to go along with one of the studies conducted there. He even had one of his fangs broken for this.
They did end up getting together on their own terms, though, and not for a study.
Even after they got out of the Vamp cCamp, they were together.
It wasn’t a relationship that was going to ever last. Jessica had enough going on with Jason and Hoyt. However, it did lead to James and Lafayette getting together (infidelity aside). After Lafayette lost Jesus, he deserved something good in his life.
Can you think of any other True Blood relationships that hurt or saved the series? Let us know in the comments!
