True Love for True Blood: A Conjoint Confessional
Written by: The CinCitizens
It’s hard to write a proper article on HBO’s smash series True Blood that doesn’t involve the following phrases: “Anna Paquin is naked a great deal,” “They’re REAL vampires, not those sissy Twilight ones” and “Because Alexander Skarsgard gives me a reason to live.” Unfortunately you’ll probably see some variation of those sentences listed here because those are some of the reasons why I love the series (although I prefer Anna Paquin for her acting ability, not her stripping prowess).
But what makes me love True Blood above other vampire things I’ve seen, and that includes Interview with the Vampire and the aforementioned Twilight…because it seems so realistic. The city of Bon Temps definitely gives off a backwoods, Louisiana vibe and the events just come off as realistic, maybe because if you look at the symbolism the vampires stand for it could seem like a whole mess of minorities we live with today. Compared to the excess and wealth of Anne Rice’s characters, or the overly sappy romance of Stephanie Meyers group, the vampires of True Blood seem like real people living their day to day life. Sookie and Bill constantly fight and make up, like every other couple, while poor Tara can’t seem to catch a break. We can all relate to the situations, minus the whole blood drinking issue, and that’s what makes the characters so lovable.
Another stand-out thing is the plot. Last season’s plot was riveting and engaging, even if you weren’t focused on who the Bon Temps killer was and even though I knew the ending from reading the books I was still hooked by the plots. To give some perspective for those who haven’t read the novels: 99% of the novel follows Sookie and Sookie alone, so all the sideplots in the show involving Tara, Sam, Jason, etc are totally new to the series and that’s the key to keeping the series fresh for fans of the novels. Sure we probably know the order the story will go in, but it’s how the other people are added in that keeps it fresh. The fact that season two seems to be taking a sharp divergence from the second book is also an added bonus to keep things fresh.
In terms of what I don’t enjoy or would change…there’s really not a whole lot. The side stories have their flaws, yes, but they all add something wonderful to the mix so I really can’t fault them. I am going to state my claim that Bill is a jerk, and if you read the books…he moves beyond jerk into asshole territory.
Season 2 has already delivered on the one big thing I wanted this season: MORE ERIC! Yes, I’m an Eric girl (and Eric could totally kick Edward Cullen’s ass by the way…excuse me I was having an episode) and Alexander Skarsgard is kick ass and perfect in the role. Season one he pretty much only had a few scenes but this season he became a full-fledged regular. His little one-ups with Bill are hysterical and if you’ve read the novels…well let’s hope they keep his story in line with the books.
— Kristen Lopez
Ignorant of the books, CC2K TV Editor Phoebe Raven still praises much of the same:
I am a sucker for vampires (pardon the pun!). If there is one archetype, one mythological figure, one iconic image in pop-culture I gravitate towards it is the vampire. I cannot explain where it comes from, but for a long time now I have enjoyed countless incarnations and adaptations of this ancient phenomenon. Nothing scares me more when showcased in horror fashion than the vampire and nothing intrigues me more when showcased ambiguously than the vampire.
It is exactly this love-hate relationship with vampires that True Blood plays into and it brilliantly draws on human fear and fascination to do so. The vampire is one of the most ancient myths that spreads all around the world, it has universal appeal, while harboring undying potential to scare us shitless (again, pardon the pun). I find this is exemplified perfectly by Bill Compton (and Eric to a degree as well). I can see why Sookie is intrigued by him, fascinated and drawn to him, but at the same time he can snap at any moment and become a cold-blooded killer and overly possessive boyfriend. In no single way is a relationship with Bill Compton healthy, but then again a lot of human men have flaws almost equally big as Bill’s, maybe just not as deadly.
True Blood is authentic to a point that it vibrates off the screen. Set in the murky heat of backwoods Louisiana the show has the exact right amount of sweat, blood and sex. The show doesn’t create an underlying level to society, an underworld in which the vampires dwell and which only certain humans know of (as in Buffy, for example). True Blood brings vampires out into the open, more or less willing to participate in society, and that is a truly refreshing take on the overworked scenarios of vampires hiding their identity, hiding out in castles, and neatly disappearing into dust when killed, so as to make it extra-easy to hide that you have murdered them.
No, True Blood is messy and most of the time it works in the shows favor. Sure, things like Jason Stackhouse suddenly turning into a church boy intent on destroying the vampire race, when he has just had a meaningful bonding experience with a vamp, are typical TV plot twists that aren’t particularly believable. And the introduction of the mystery lady MaryAnn to give Sam an even more interesting back story was a bit heavy-handed (after all, how many freaks can you gather in one small town?), but the consequent handling of the Bill-Sookie storyline makes up for a lot. Just how long can she put up with her boyfriend killing when he finds his property (HER) violated?
So far Season 2 has taken its time to get into the really juicy stuff, but that is just another check in the “awesome” column, because True Blood takes its sweet time only to shock you wide awake at the end of every episode. The beauty: the next episode picks up EXACTLY where the last left off (how is that for continuity?). The ugly: it takes you through some side plots on the way you sometimes couldn’t care less about.
I will say it here: I don’t want to see any more Jessica, she is annoying. I don’t want to see more Sam back story, it isn’t interesting. I don’t want to see any more Jason being a moron, Ryan Kwanten isn’t hot enough to make up for it.
I want to see more roller coaster moments between Bill and Sookie. I want to see more Eric being hilarious (“Did I get blood in my hair? Pam is gonna kill me!”). I want to see one of the main characters die. As for the last one, I may have just gotten my wish already, because if Lafayette is turned, then he is technically dead and that just gives the show a whole new level of gruesome depth.
True Blood is one dirty, sexy celebration of the flawed human nature (after all, the vamps here can be interpreted as a metaphor for all kinds of social minorities) and it makes it all seem so
vital.
— Phoebe Raven
Behind the page break, a special CC2K-exclusive presentation…