I’ve written before about how the writers of ‘True Blood’ often have a frustrating disregard for narrative structure or crafting storylines that will play out over season-long story arcs. That trend continues to be the case with this week’s episode, which seemingly wraps up a couple of the year’s big plot threads early, even though we still have a few more episodes to go before the finale.

First, there’s the matter of the rednecks who’ve run around killing supernaturals while wearing Obama masks. Episode ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ officially dubs them “The Obamas.” (Clever, huh?) I previously guessed that former sheriff Bud Dearborn was most likely their mysterious leader known as “Dragon.” Well, I was close. It turns out that Bud’s big-boned girlfriend Sweetie is the Dragon, and Bud is a happy accomplice.

Bud and Sweetie had already captured Hoyt, and have kept him tied up and drugged in a pig pen. When Sookie comes around to ask Bud some questions about her parents’ murder, he can’t keep his secret from her, so they have to knock her out and toss her in with the pigs as well.

Proving that he’s in fact not the worst sheriff that Renard Parish has ever had, Andy eventually pieces together the clues to Bud’s involvement. As Bud and Sweetie are about to kill Sookie, Sam rescues her by shifting into a pig and sneaking into the barn. In the ensuing fracas, Andy has to shoot Bud. Sweetie tries to run away, but Luna catches up and gives her a good beating. This would seem to bring the matter of the Obamas to a tidy close.

Meanwhile, in order to settle the matter of their curse like proper men, Terry offers Patrick a fair fight. Patrick decides that he doesn’t want a fair fight, and takes Arlene hostage instead, but Terry and Arlene manage to turn the tables on him. As Patrick begs for his life, Terry takes a dark turn and puts a bullet in him. The spirit of the Iraqi woman and her fire demon appear and swoop the body away. I guess that’s the end of that.

Other Stuff That Happens

• Factory bombings have left Tru Blood in short supply. Pam orders that Fangtasia keep the drinks flowing anyway, to discourage their customers from feeding on humans.
• Trapped in lockdown in the Authority headquarters, Eric seeks the help of I.T. girl Molly (Tina Majorino). She can only get them past security if they steal some of Salome’s blood. For this, they need Bill’s help. While Eric silvers and kidnaps Nora, Bill has to seduce Salome and drink some of her blood. Doing so, however, causes him to fantasize about Sookie and about Lilith. At the end of the episode, he betrays Eric and seems to be a full-on religious zealot like Salome. Is this for real, or just another ruse?
• Alcide has a flashback to his younger days, when his father (Robert Patrick) instilled in him the values of staying true to his pack. This seems to trigger a crisis of conscience in Alcide for giving up on his new pack. In the present day, his father is a washed-up loser living in a trailer.
• Eric has been deposed as Sheriff of Louisiana. A new douchebag takes his place and immediately lifts the ban on public eating of humans. Pam is concerned.
• Russell shows up at the wolf pack to spread a little of his blood around. When Martha refuses to drink, he steals her granddaughter Emma (Luna’s daughter) to take as a pet for Newlin.

I hope that the closure of the Terry and Obamas storylines means that the next few episodes of the season will focus entirely on the human/vampire war. However, knowing this show, I kind of expect that to be wrapped up next week, and the last couple of episodes to introduce all new storylines that will just be left hanging at the finale. That’s the sort of thing Alan Ball likes to do.