Well, I said earlier that joining of forces would be the way to defeat Maryann in True Blood, and it sure was, but the joining consisted of fewer forces, which in turn led to a surprise at the very end.

With all humans under Maryann's power, it's up to Bill and Sam to bring her down, which they do with Sam almost sacrificing himself, Bill quietly reviving him, and Sam coming back as a Dionysius bull to Maryann. She embraces him, thinking him her god, and Sam gores her to death (she's vulnerable in the presence of an entity she at first believes to be her god).

So far, so good. The town is slowly coming back to as normal as it can be, given some of its denizens. Bill asks Sookie out to dinner, and proposes. She doesn't say yes immediately. Is she thinking of Eric?

Eric was absent from the destruction of Maryann. He earlier tells the Queen that he intends to take care of Bill, and not in a good way.

In some ways, I think the ending would have been stronger had Eric come to Sookie, while she was in the powder room, thinking what to do about Eric's proposal ... and gone away with Eric...

Instead, it's Bill who is apparently taken away by Eric - or someone - against his will. Sookie decides to say yes, only to find him gone...

So Sookie's left alone to start the next season. If Eric kidnapped Bill, Eric will surely come back to consummate his relationship with Sookie. If someone else kidnapped Bill, Eric and Sookie could join forces to rescue Bill. Either way, there's some face time ahead for Eric and Sookie, and the possibilities are, as always with True Blood, intriguing. Bring on the bad things of Season 3.

See also Love and True Blood in the Air and Likes Coming Together in True Blood and True Blood Boiling and Godric, Eric, and Sookie on the Roof and Maryann vs. the Good in True Blood and Illusion, Eisenhower, and Texting