SOOKIE
Sigh. I am such a sucker.
I have fallen hard for HBO’s True Blood. It was a love affair that started less than two weeks ago. When the show first aired I didn’t have HBO but I also thought the premise was kind of weird. A synthetic blood drink has been created so vampires can “come out of the coffin” and stop feeding off of humans? And they’re attempting to get equal rights? Six Feet Under is one of my favorite shows but I thought creator of both, Alan Ball, was being a bit too on-the-nose with the allegory there. Regardless, when talk started up about the second season I figured I’d give the first a shot seeing as how nothing is on tv now anyway.
Here’s the gist for anyone who’s never watched or couldn’t make it past the first episode (which I can understand). Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) is a telepath working as a waitress in the tiny town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. Soon after they announced themselves to the world, a vampire named Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) finds himself in her establishment. He gets into trouble with some vampire haters but Sookie winds up saving his life. She realizes she can’t read his mind, which is a huge relief for her as she’s suffered through the worst of humanity’s thoughts during the course of her life. Obviously, this makes her fall head over heels in love with him. I don’t blame her.
And really, that’s basically it. There are a host of other fantastic characters involved in the show who each get their chance to shine at one point or another and the first season is tied up in one giant murder mystery but it really is a simple show. It has a much smaller scope than what I first imagined. It’s based almost entirely in Bon Temps with short detours to the surrounding towns now and then and the overarching plot of vampire rights and equality is handled mostly in short news clips the characters happen to catch.
It’s hard for me to give an actual description of the show. It’s listed as a drama but it’s a lot more than that. I’d throw dark comedy and B-movie horror in as well. Oh and porn. I’d have to throw porn into the mix as well. There’s a LOT of sex in True Blood. Characters are naked for a large percentage of the show. And apparently having sex with a vampire will be the best you’ve ever had, hence the term “fang bangers.” Oh and I forgot to mention, vampire blood is used by humans as a new kind of drug.
I realize I haven’t really gushed about why I like the show so much yet. I said I fell hard, and I did, but it has that Twilight quality for me (although Paquin doesn’t think so). Deep down I know it’s terrible – when I first saw the fangs I thought of bunnies and Bill has sex with Sookie straight out of the dirt at one point – but I can’t get enough of it. Every time he says her name I swoon. It’s uncontrollable. Truthfully it’s not even a show I would recommend to someone unless I already knew they had similar tastes as me but the new season starts this Sunday and I, for one, am ready for some more sucking.
Yeah I read interviews after I watched the premiere and saw the same thing, they don't want the readers to know everything that's going to happen so they are going to change it up a bit.
Cool portrait Rob!
Haha, Jamie! I love it!
Jill – Omigod I just caught up on season one about three days ago. I watched every episode in two days! I'm obsessed and I totally agree with you. I didn't get the hype when it started, but now I'm so a fan!
I've never seen the show, but I had to do a portrait of Anna Paquin for a magazine while she was promoting the show (you can see it here)
Yeah, I want to read the books but I don't know if it will spoil anything for the future of the show. Don't know how close they're sticking to them.
My friend Kay, who is a total control freak about knowing how thing end, has read the books while I have not. She says that they've stayed pretty close to the books in the show but they've also integrated some things from later in the series. She's also said that they expanded minor characters to be bigger than they are in the books. A not-too-spoilery interview with Alan Ball I read says that they're going to stay close to the second book this season but they're also going to shake things up a little to surprise fans of the novels.
In any case, that's my long-winded way of saying that I'm gonna read the first novel as soon as I can find a copy at my local library. :)
Yeah, I want to read the books but I don't know if it will spoil anything for the future of the show. Don't know how close they're sticking to them.
I haven't seen the show, but it's based on a series of novels by Charlaine Harris http://www.charlaineharris.com/ . I haven't read the books, either, but they're fairly popular.
Haha oh no Rodney, you are definitely not the only one. That's a funny quote and oddly accurate. Rene was also one of my favorites. That damn cajun accent gets me every time!
Pegg, I adore that comment. Thank you.
Nicole, I know right? I expect it now though so it's less and less surprising each time there's a new boob or butt hanging out.
Mandy, I know! He's hilarious.
Love me some True Blood too.
I have to agree with Nicole. There was so much Jason Stackhouse bum in the first season, by the end it was just like, "OK, let's move past that, I've seen enough."
I'm really eager to find out what's happened to Lafayette. I adore him.
While it doesn't hold the same obsession Twilight does for me, I, too, am a True Blood fan. I never knew I loved vampires so much!
It is a good show and I look forward to the season premiere. I'm glad you added "Porn" in your description. It takes a lot to make me feel a sex scene is gratuitous, but good lord True Blood takes it there.
Nevertheless, it is a great show and I look forward to the premiere!
If your boobs are as well constructed as your blog you can stop bullets with them things.
Great blog as always!
I thought I was the only one who found the way Bill says Sookie's name to be unique.
The only struggle I have is how there are so many elements of Twilight in this that I have to remind myself that these books came first. (Kinda makes me like Twilight less)
I read a quote online about it and it said "Twilight is like True Blood with all the gripping sensibilities of Saved by the Bell" lol
But Sookie is hot (and still cute and sweet) and I just love the supporting cast. Rene was my favourite. I struggled with his storyline.