Like, Alcide points out that she is not allowed to involve herself with Were business, due to pack laws going back to the beginning of time, and she's like, "I am psychic, therefore I can keep secrets. Explain that to your wolf god." She then threatens to just go ahead and dig it out of his head anyway, which is unsporting to say the least but good leverage because she knows he'll cave. He explains about packmasters, how they are the alpha and they make the decisions because, as he says, "Most Weres don't have much sense. You saw: They're all teeth and fight and sex," and anyway, Sookie is coming along. Alcide promises that she is not, but then Sookie reminds him that Debbie is going to come eat her skin and flesh the second he leaves her alone anyway, which is what actually wins the argument. "Work with me, Alcide. It gets easier."

Anybody else I would clench my fists, but the tiny way she pats him on his great big right pectoral -- like she feels sorry for him and his inability to bow to her wishes, resulting in mass destruction until he gets in line, not that she isn't sympathetic -- makes it feel funny, and earned, instead of annoying and winky. The Tracy Flick/Head Cheerleader/Steel Magnolia thing she's got going was always there, but the chemistry of it has really changed this year and I love it. Which I know I've said all season, but this episode is so wonderful throughout that I think it's really clear here what they're going for, and I couldn't be happier.

Growing up of southern stock you see/learn a lot of this butter-wouldn't-melt willfulness, this Lyla Garrity way of getting it done while still being sexy and frangible and blameless, that I find immensely comforting, because it's technically still within the bounds of etiquette but mostly because it's one of very few strategies for TCB -- from a position of arguable weakness -- that don't rely on Mean Girl cruelty or Drag Queen nastiness, or really anything alienating, which means you can keep playing that role forever, whenever you need to. Like, you would never treat another woman, or an equal, the way she treats these powerless southern men: "I had to be mean to make you listen!" only works if you define your terms. Raising your voice or asserting yourself (as a woman or gay man) are "mean," alienating and threatening, whereas this is merely providing the boy with an opportunity to make life easier for himself. It's a fine pink line, but if you live there you can move mountains. Even mountains made of wolf muscle.