TV: True Blood Episode 1 & 2 Review/Wrap Up...

Ahhh, vampires. How you have a horrible cinematic history.

Actually, only recently has the cinematic outings involving the toothy beings have been popular, and the quality has been quite a mixed bag. For every brilliant piece of celluloid like Let The Right One In, we the people get simply mediocre pieces of lard like Twilight. That said, TV really hasn't had an upstanding vampire television show since Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. Well, starting its second season, True Blood looks to add something to the blood sucking canon. And what an addition it is, and will be.

Here's what you need to know.

Based off of the best selling series of novels written by Charlaine Harris, True Blood follows the lives of Sookie Stackhouse (Rogue...uh...Anna Paquin), a mind reading waitress in a small Louisiana town, Bon Temps, who falls for Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a 173 year old Vampire who happens to have an eye for Sookie as well. In the first season, along with following these two lovers and their tumultuous relationship, there has also been a rash of murders involving women who have had relations with vampires. This is the main mystery, and it all stems back to women who not only have relations with vampires, but also have had relations with Sookies six packed brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten). Near the end of the season, it is revealed that Rene, a friend of Jason's, is actually a guy named Drew Marshall, who simply had a fake Cajun accent.

Along with the overall plot of season one, they also hint at plots that will play out in the current season, the second of three planned as of this date. Bill, to save Sookie, was forced to turn a young girl, Jessica, into a vampire, and in turn has to have her live with him, as shes "too annoying", for fellow vampire Eric, to care for. Also, while sitting in prison, Jason decides that he should join an anti-vampire movement, the Fellowship of the Sun. Also, for Merlotte's owner Sam, a shape shifter, has a past "friend" return, named Maryanne, whose powers don't become known until this new season.

The last shot of season one involved a dead body, with simply a few painted toenails showing, and Sookie and Tara (Sookies bff, played by Rutina Wesley) screaming. Many people simply thought that was Tara's cousin, Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), who was also openly gay. However, season 2 picks up at that very second, and to all of our surprise, it was not Lafayette. It was Miss Jeanette, who had performed an "exorcism" for Tara and her mother. Lafayette in turn has been kidnapped by the aforementioned Eric, and in the second episode, is for all accounts and purposes, being turned into a vampire.

Not much has really taken up yet in the season, but what is really nice about the first two episodes, is actually two fold. First, it's really heartening to see that, so far, the writers all seem to really understand where they want this season to go. Then, compared to the lackluster opening to the first season, to see the second season kick off with such a bang really has my hopes high.

A few things HAVE happened in the opening however, particularly in Bill and Sookie's relationship, and Jason and the G.O.D's relationship.

In the opening episode, Sookie discovers that Bill has been living, and will be living with another woman, who is not only younger, but quite the hot piece of ass Jessica. This throws Sookie off the deep end. However, she ends up taking him back, and in the following episode, begins to grow to really enjoy her company. That said, the end of the second episode leaves everything out in the open. Sookie brings Jessica to her families house, who have been on the hunt for her ever since her disappearance/turning. The episode ends with Bill telling Sookie to get the hell out of there, and both Bill and Jessica looking at confronting Jessica's father, who has been revealed to be quite abusive.

The other major storyline gets picked up primarily in the second episode. Jason is in full Jesus kick, and is now attending the Light of Day leadership camp, where he becomes the star pupil. Tara gets a lot more screen time, at least in comparison to the opening of season 1, as she is beginning to have some sort of romantic relationship with fellow "rehab" mate Eggs, and Maryanne has finally come out and shown us what her powers truly are. She "charms" people at Merlotte's Bar, and even charms Sam into turning into his shape shifting form, a Dog, all of which he is unable to control. That is the primary points that all should know, and for more information on the series, if you are interested, you can go to HBO, and actually watch the thing on Sunday nights at 9 pm.

To me, the best thing about this show, and the primary difference between this and its closest relative, Twilight, is both the female lead, and her relationship to the male lead. In Twilight, the female is completely mindless, and no matter the amount of shit she is given, she will still fawn for the guy who would kill her if he had the chance. However, in True Blood, Sookie has a mind of her own, and Bill does as well. Both have a deep love for each other, and they go through fights, just like any couple. If Bella saw Edward living with a sexy piece of ass, she would be all like, I'm down with that, if you would still have me Edward, all in a wide eyed puppy dog face. But instead, Sookie flips her lid, and tells Bill just what she thinks. It's a much easier role and performance to get attached to, and that, in turn, allows for the viewer to get much deeper into the twos relationship as a whole. Moyer is also stellar as the southern gentleman Bill, and really brings a lot of heart into a show that otherwise could play itself out, at least play as some sort of high class smut that HBO has pumped out like Entourage. Without these good performances, the show would be of the same quality of Entourage, just with deeper themes.

Those themes also really add a lot to the show. The biggest theme that the show deals with is gay rights. Vampirism is a play for gay rights, and in the show, it really works, particularly with the new addition of the new Jason storyline, bringing religion into the equation. It may be a bit up front and in your face, but in the second season, it seems to be played pretty straight, and rather subdued. It's most easily comparable to what Bryan Singer did with X-Men and X-2 as to what Brett Ratner did with the drek fest that was X-3. It lets the story breathe, while still playing with these themes, instead of forcing these themes upon the story, as Hackner did in X-3, with the addition of Angel, and other things.

However, to me, the true star of this in the setting. The show takes place in a small town in the deep south, which not only has more than its fair share of religious background and history, but the area also breathes style albeit particularly Gothic. It's a grungy little town with a bunch of distinct characters, and for these people to live in such a stylistically Gothic and rural area, is something much more fresh than the urban landscapes that rule television.

Finally, the opening credits. Can we just have a moment here to mention just how awesome these credits are. In the midst of just a minute and a half, you get an, albeit brief discussion of redemption, all wrapped in this stylish opening, to the tune of Bad Things by Jace Everett. The song oozes sexuality and really matches the shows grungy feeling. It's a raw, twangy tune that is a pitch perfect match for the show. Watch the opening titles below.



All in all, the show may not be the biggest intellectual boost, but it's not just mindless smut like many people have said. It deals with many issues that, while sometimes standard fodder for television, have rarely been done with such an entertaining and raw style, that this show is really a must see. It's a message filled tale of love, wrapped in a Gothic shell, and I personally love every second of it. So will you.

I will be posting my thoughts on True Blood after two new episodes have aired, and they will feature my thoughts on only those new episodes, and season two as a whole. For my thoughts on season one, come back to this post, or check out my previous True Blood discussions by clicking on the True Blood tag below.

Go see something good!

TV REVIEW: True Blood Ep. 1 & 2 ("Strange Love"/"First Taste")

One of the television shows that I will still watch to this day, is Six Feet Under. One of the best modern dramas, Under was the brain child of writer Alan Ball, best known for writing American Beauty.

Well, Ball is back with his sexed up adaptation of the True Blood series of Vampire novels. Season One has hit DVD, and with Season Two about to kick off in a few weeks, I have decided to go through and briefly review each of the episodes, in hope that those interested may pick up when the new season begins.

With the discussion of True Blood, comes obvious comparisons to the monster hit film, Twilight. However, those comparisons are definitely unjust, at least through the first two episodes of this rather interesting television series.

True Blood as a whole is a new television series based around the Sookie Stackhouse series of books, and details the co-existence of vampires and humans in a fictional Louisiana town called Bon Temps.

In "Strange Love", we first meet the aforementioned Sookie Stackhouse, who is a telepathic waitress at a small bar in Bon Temps. The series takes places roughly two years after the coming out of vampires into mainstream public culture. Sookie's life is going as normal as a telepathic waitress' life could be, until things got even more out there when the 175-year-old vamp Bill Compton walked into Merlotte's Bar. We also meet Sookie's friend, Tara, who after quitting her job, comes to also work at Merlotte's, and we discover that she may have a slight little crush on Sookie's brother, Jason, a sexed up troublemaker who may be on the wrong side of the law after a sex act gone awry. The episode ends with a group of vampire drainers, the Rattray's, who were stopped by Sookie earlier in the episode, from draining Compton of his blood, which happens to be a highly addictive and sought after drug for mortals.

That is where "First Taste" picks up. Compton comes to Sookie's aid and kills the Rattray's, but Sookie is badly beaten. To save her, Bill forces her to drink a large amount of his blood, which is not only a drug, but aids ten fold in the healing process. It also allows Compton to know if Sookie is in trouble, as he is now able to "feel" her. If she is in trouble, he can come and aid her, no matter the distance. In return, Sookie invites him over to meet her Grandmother and her brother, who has been released from custody. He is discovered to only be a person of interest, which leaves us begging the question, who is causing this rash of murders, with all of the victims being females who have had relationships with vampires. This episode ends with Sookie running into a few interesting looking vampires while out looking for Bill.

I had heard of the series before the DVD release, mainly with the fact that the series has received insane critical acclaim and star Anna Paquin won a Golden Globe for her efforts.

However, while waiting to go to a bonfire, I watched a 30 minute documentary on the series, that was a recap of season one, narrated by creator Alan Ball. That documentary, which I have posted, was so interesting, and showed me the major plot points, which all seemed very intriguing, that I just had to pick the DVD up. Well, I was not disappointed.

The main reason for watching this show is the acting. Where I thought films like Twilight brought out very wooden acting, particularly in Twilight, that this came off as the polar opposite. Anna Paquin is really fun to watch, as she not only is stunning to look at, but her character is very intriguing. She is able to read everyone's mind, and there are many things that that could cause. She has never been able to have a real or lengthy relationship, and her friends, while close, can't completely open up to her. While she doesn't hit every note, the character is interesting enough that it drives the show forward.

As does the rest of the cast. Stephen Moyer is great as Compton, and while it's a cliche role with a few cliche moments in the performance (particularly his first appearance) as he plays it dark and brooding, that when he opens up to Sookie, their interchanges are really well done, and very sweet. He's a good guy who happens to be a vampire, and not a robot (like say, Robert Pattinson in Twilight).

The look of the film is also great. It's got a very realistic feel, a much more intimate style than most vampire stories, and reminds me a lot of Six Feet Under, at least in style and scope. The story is allowed to be more intimate as it's not an over the top tale of love and loss, but is much more of a Heroes-esque style show. Vampires, Shape-shifters, and Mind readers live in the open, and this is the story of what that may cause. It doesn't have many special effects, if any, just good character developments, as small as they may be at this point. It's intimate, funny, and did I mention that it is the sexiest show I've seen in a while? Yeah, good stuff.

Also, this may be a little more smart than people may admit.

"You can't blame an entire group for what a few members have done."

Not only is this film sexed up, highly entertaining, and interesting to dig into, but with the first two episodes, come a few quotes like this one that make me think that this show is attempting to be a bit more than entertaining vampire smut. You can look at it many ways, from an allegory for homosexuality, as many of these "superheroes live out in the open" stories have been, but maybe more so it can be read as an allegory for the modern state of American civil rights and racism, particularly with that of people of Islamic faith in post 9/11 America. While the show is primarily entertainment, some of the scenes within these first two episodes are apparently striving for something deeper, allowing for more to chew on.

Oh, and did I mention the music to this show, particularly the opening theme, is badass? No? Well it is.

All in all, there is still a lot left, 10 episodes to be exact. Sure, I do know what happens, but the first two episodes have been such a good time, that I hope you all check out at lest the documentary before season two kicks off in June.

Go see something good!

VIDEO: Taste of True Blood With Alan Ball...

A Taste Of True Blood


I just watched this this evening, and I must say, I am beyond interested. This gives you any and everything that you need to know about season one of the hit vampire series from famous writer, Alan Ball, and it's a perfect set up to season two, which airs June 14th.

Thanks to the awesome blog Loving True Blood In Dallas for the video!

Go see something good!