‘True Blood’ season 6, episode 7 preview: The latest Joe Manganiello scene

Can we all stop now and give Robert Patrick a round of applause? In playing Alcide’s father, he may be trying to tell him the one thing that could successfully save this character’s arc this season: Realizing that the world of packs is not necessarily for him, and if he really wants to be happy, he’s going to need to sever some ties with them.

The man’s got a point. Ever since Joe Manganiello’s character took over on “True Blood” last season, he’s become this power-hungry, threesome-loving, obnoxious egomaniac who has tried to kill his old friend Sam Merlotte, and also try to intimidate anyone who crosses him. It’s not nearly as interesting as the kindly werewolf who could get aggressive when he needed to, but actually interacted with the majority of the Bon Temps population like a regular person.

What makes this scene so effective is that it serves as yet another reminder that power is its own addiction. You go from little of it to a lot of it, and you’re suddenly giving a bear-hug to everything that it provides you. Along the way, you’re so infatuated that you may not realize some of what you’re giving up: Your dignity, or your connection to the rest of the world. Alcide had a great deal of this, but now he’s getting closer to being empty-handed on it. If he keeps going down this road, it could be too late to redeem him.

So yes, we have disliked Alcide’s story this year with a fiery passion, but this sneak peek could be evidence that the writers are starting to slowly turn things around.

What do you think about this “True Blood” video? If you want to see the other two sneak peeks for Sunday’s episode, no worries: We got them for you right here!

Photo: HBO