When True Blood premiered last season, I watched the first few episodes and gave it what amounted to a shrug of a review. The Alan Ball series about Southern vampires, based on Charlaine Harris’ bestselling novels, didn’t seem all that original to me, and I wrote that the two main stars, Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, “frequently get lost in a series in which they’re the central couple.”
Well, thanks to the new first-season DVD compilation, I just finished watching the entire season and I now write as a convert: True Blood just kept getting better and better, and I’m officially eager to see Season Two when it starts June 14.
Why did my opinion change? Because Paquin’s Sookie and Moyer’s vampire Bill did indeed move to the center of the saga as the season progressed, and became rich, complex characters. Even better, so did some of the supporting players, such as Sookie’s boss, Sam, initially a nice but kind of bland sort, who was revealed to be a “shape-shifter” and a sensitive and anguished soul.
I also liked the way the series upped the stakes, so to speak, on most of the key players, including Sookie’s friend Tara, who really went through hell with her alcoholic mom. The show revealed the source of what seemed, in the beginning, merely like perpetual grumpiness. No: Tara was suffering on a deeper level.
But beyond filling in the chartacters’ backstories, True Blood improved as an exciting vampire tale, with lots of suspenseful, startling moments.
How about you? Are you looking forward to True Blood‘s second season?
As someone who’s read all the books and eagerly ran to the store to buy season 1 on Tuesday, I am very sad that I don’t have HBO. Love this series.
I watched the first season of True Blood. Although I really, really liked it and thought that it was a fairly faithful adaptation of Charlaine’s books, I thought that a lot of the humor and satire was missing from the television show. I love the books because they are so tongue in cheek and witty. I just wish that I could say the same about the tv show. Hopefully, next season will balance the humor with the chills and romance. I can’t wait for Eric, Alcide, Quinn and the rest of Sookie’s suitors to step up to the plate!
I read the books. For me alan ball is doing six feet under with vampires. He’s trivialized everything, added some racism in the mix (tara is not even a supporting character in the books and not black either), made the vampires all perverts without any redeeming quality, made fangtasia a pervert club instead of being the window into the vampire world and added some stupid plot about drug abuse.
I want ball to stop adapting the books and be done with the books mythology, doing a mix between creativity and trying to respect the novels is not working.Tara and lafayette are badly written, very annoying and i sure hope lafayette will stay dead. I can’t take another season with the way ellis is portraying him or his other functions… and if tara could go with being the vampire slave she’s supposed to be and disappear i’ll be very happy not to ever hear her whine about how her life is horrible.
Yes, I am sincerely looking forward to TB season 2 most fiercely. I absolutely loved season 1. The wait for season 2 prompted me to read the books that TB is based on. What a disappointment! While the concept was a good one, the execution was sorely lacking. Sadly, it’s written in the first person, and Sookie, in the books is not a likable person.
Alan Ball has taken something rather juvenile and presented us with a series chock full of intelligent wit, sexiness, social commentary and political intrigue. It’s the only TV show I can watch now.
Carine, I could not possibly disagree with you more. I’m not sure how Tara being black is ‘racism’ and both she and Lafayette are far more complex and enjoyable characters on the screen than they were in the books.
As for similarity in tone to Six Feet Under, I just plain don’t see what you’re talking about. The two shows have completely different themes and structures.
It seems any time a book is adapted to the screen there are a group of people who will just never be happy. You, for example, complain that the show is taking too many liberties with the source material, and then in your very next breath say it should take more liberties. Zoinks?
Finally, please be more considerate in the future when spoiling. Your anger at the show ought not be a license to impede others’ enjoyment of it or of the books. It makes you seem very petty.
XSE Drake, can Carine not give her opinion the same way you gave yours?
Part of the first season is about the black community and the racism in the south. This is what Ball does. He takes known social problems : drug abuse, intolerance etc and build a world around it.
And i’m pretty logical. Either he follows the books without taking the liberties or he doesn’t. He can’t do a half mix because it’s not working at all.
You can’t see it because despite the fact you liked the season, you weren’t so taken by it that you decided to read the books.
I don’t care if they’re not following the books actually.
What I dislike is under the cover of vampires which are in fashion these days, Ball is doing what he always does : a social study. And by doing so he’s just putting his own view on a world that is supposed to be outlandish. and you have to admit that there’s nothing outlandish about the world he is showing in True blood. Even their fangs are ridiculous
If you take it away from the books, the show is quite okay. But it’s not a good vampire show.
yes,eagerly awaiting True Blood. The first 5 seconds I saw Tara I hated her, but after those 5 seconds she became one of my favorite characters.
Very interesting. The reasons that Carine states for hating this show are the reasons that I love it. Social commentary? Bring it on. Fangs that click into place sort of like a snake’s? Awesomely sexy. Also, there’s so much more going on in TB; it’s incredibly more complex than a “vampire show.” Seriously, if someone is simply looking for that, I encourage them to check out the Twilight series.
I am looking forward to Season 2 of True Blood. I bought the Season 1 DVDs and have enjoyed all the commentaries. I do wish that commentaries were done for all 12 episodes. Maybe they can do that in the next DVD package.
This show is sexy, fun, and full of surprises even for those who have read the books I hear (I haven’t read any of them yet). Based on the trailers HBO is showing Eric Northman looks like he will play a larger part this season and cause problems for Bill Compton. I enjoy the Bill and Sookie Stackhouse relationship but I am admit that I’m very eager to see what “spice” Eric will add to their relationship. I hope there will be more than twelve episodes in this next season.
I enjoyed season 1, but I was hoping the explanation of the waitress/Gran murders would be more interesting than it was. And it was obvious by the end of the first season’s second episode that Sam is a shape-shifter. I doubt anyone was surprised by this reveal. Other “mysteries” were equally lacking in suspense. I was hoping for a lot more suspense than season 1 delivered.
I think of season 1 as a set up for (potentially much) more interesting stories.
Thus, I imagine season 2 will be better than season 1 – esp. with the introduction of Michelle Forbes at the end of season 1 (adding Forbes to a show is always a good move, imo).
The best thing about season 1 was the opening credits. Now, if season 2 can deliver a show that matches the quality of the opening credits, we’ll have another first-rate HBO series…
I loved the series and I am in the process of reading the books and loving them. Can’t wait for Season 2!!
I adore the show! I was encouraged to read the books and now that I’ve read them all, I can’t wait for Season 2. I like that the series does not follow the books exactly.
Can not wait for season 2. We have a party planned and everything. Now we have something to look forward to on sunday night’s.
I love the show. I tried to read the books, but could not get into them. And I know that this is going to tick some people off, but I could not get into the books as much as I could the Twilight books.
And Carine, you need to seriously lighten up. Watching movies and tv is about escaping and having fun. Your not supposed to pick apart every detail of the show that you are watching. I mean if that is your thing then fine, but I just don’t get it. The characterization and realistic nature of the show is what draws me in. Even though it is obvious fiction, it makes you feel like this world could actually exist.