True Blood The Complete Seventh Season   Starring: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgård, Rutina Wesley, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten, Nelsan Ellis, Carrie Preston, Chris Bauer, Jim Parrack and Adina Porter Distributor: HBO Home Entertainment RRP: £40.84 Certificate: 18 Release Date: 10 November 2014

The seventh, and final, season of True Blood bangs the final nail in the coffin as Sookie, Bill and Eric battle to end the Hep-V virus once and for all...

And so, at last, we reach the seventh, and final, season of True Blood. For fans that have been following the show from day one, this final season doesn't disappoint.

The main problem with an ensemble show, such as this, is that not every character gets as much of a look in as they should. Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) has very little to do this season and we don't really get a neat tie-up for his character. Likewise, Lettie Mae (Adina Porter) has quite an interesting part this season, but her character's conclusion is a little rushed and we don't really get to see what happens to her afterwards, and Sam (Sam Trammell) hardly appears this season and then he exits the show without any real goodbye.

But it would have been impossible to give every character a decent send off when it's obvious that the Sookie (Anna Paquin) / Bill (Stephen Moyer) love story will be the main focus. It's what's driven the show all these years and, I don't think, fans will feel like they've been short changed by the show's conclusion.

As you'd expect there are a few deaths, some nudity (but nowhere near as much as previous seasons) and even a marriage. The show's final episode is a double length one and neatly ties everything up. For hardcore fans there's the pleasure of seeing a lot of old characters returning to guest star.

It's hard to review this collection without spoiling things for fans... I will let you into one secret though... Ginger finally gets her one true wish... and the result is probably the one of the show's funniest scenes in its seven year run.

Extras include audio commentaries on episodes 2, 4, 6, 7 and 10; Season 6 Recap (4 min, 51 sec); and True Blood: A Farewell to Bon Temps (28 min, 12 sec round table discussion with cast and crew which focuses on various aspects of the show).

So we wave goodbye with a heavy heart to Bon Temps. Seven years of great entertainment is wound up in a beautifully satisfying way.

10

Darren Rea