We can't say that we weren't warned about Sunday's big death on HBO's "True Blood." But, is this just the first of more casualties as the series tries to right the wrongs of its superfluous storylines?
The reports of an original cast member's death have been floating around for months. But also, new showrunner Brian Buckner pronounced over the weekend during the show's Comic-Con panel that his goal was to eliminate some of the wayward storylines and unite the characters under fewer storylines.
"I feel like this show is ultimately about the relationships between vampires and humans and about these great actors. I want to rein that in," Buckner said to audience applause. "I think we screwed ourselves in the past and my goal is to bring our characters under the same umbrella storyline."
Also read: 'True Blood' Renewed for Season 7 by HBO
Note: Spoiler alert if you haven't watched Sunday's episode, "Don't You Feel Me."
Terry Bellefleur (Todd Lowe), an original cast member since Season 1, gave his life on Sunday's episode. He has become increasingly sidelined with a story of being haunted by an angry spirit for killing innocents during the war and then mentally for killing his friend, Patrick (Scott Foley), to stave off the specter's thirst for revenge.
At any rate, the character appeared to us as being the casualty of a series that lost its way and is now trying to rediscover it under the guidance of Buckner.
Also read: 'True Blood's' Anna Paquin on Sookie's Romances: She Has 'to Close Some Doors'
That doesn't mean the death is any less shocking to the hordes of fans who have embraced the show's characters and its cast. In an interview, Lowe was unable to tell us that he was the reported death to come, but he did tell us what it was like to find out the news.
"I know we were sad to see it coming," Lowe told TheWrap. "I can’t say too much more. It was a bit of a surprise and it was kind of an emotional moment – we’ve been together as a cast since the first season."
It remains to be seen who else will be let go as the series tries to find its way back to its central vampire-human premise on Season 6.
Look for the deadly signs in the video below from Comic-Con, which teases the episodes ahead: