TV: True Blood

Again, this post is entirely my own opinion. It's a summary of the show and why I think you should watch it, or at least consider it.

I started watching this a few years ago. I was babysitting for someone, it was 1 o'clock in the morning and I had watched everything on TV already. They had HBO and I saw that True Blood was airing. I figured why not and clicked. It was the second season finale. I was fascinated by the show. I didn't know about the characters or the story so I was confused, but I was drawn in. So then I started watching from the first season. And I have to say that I wasn't expecting any of it.

The series initial core plot with vampires and humans co-existing was appealing to me. I've watched vampire movies and shows and read a lot of vampire literature. And most of the time, the vampires are portrayed as being feared by humans. So the idea of supernatural creatures and mortals co-habiting. The show is currently airing it's fifth season so in addition to vampires, the show have explored stories with shapeshifters, werewolves, fairies and witches. I like the way these supernatural beings that have been written to death are written. There's nothing completely new, but there are certain details added that make these old beings fresh. Even the way vampires are written in this show avoid certain cliches. They can see their reflections, garlic doesn't do much, silver hurts them, they can enter church and drink synthetic blood in order to survive and avoid feeding from humans. The vampires in True Blood are fighting for their rights, like African-Americans and gays in America had and have to fight for their civil rights.

The strange thing about True Blood is that they have their ups and downs with their episodes and seasons. One week it's great, the next it's not so good and the next they're back up. For me personally, the same applies for their seasons. The first two seasons as a whole were brilliant, the third went downhill, the fourth was an improvement from the fourth and now with their fifth, they're in the middle, with some good and not so good stories. Despite these mishaps, one thing that I believe is that True Blood always keeps you entertained and enthralled. True Blood isn't one of those shows that you can watch every now and then. You have to watch every episode, or at least catch up on the plots and characters, in order to keep track. Because episodes pick up where the previous episode left, so if you missed an episode or two before, you may be confused.

I have mixed feelings about the show's characters. The characters are usually good, but there are times where I can't stand them. Sookie is the show's main character and there are times I like her and times I wish she was gone. I don't think that's a good thing to say about the main character. Bill, Tara, Eric, Pam, Lafayette and many of the other characters I feel the same way. But maybe this is a good thing because it shows us that these characters are flawed and you're not always going to root for them.

I will praise the writers for making the characters distinct and giving them their own stories. The supporting characters aren't always the plot points for the stories for the lead characters. They have their own stories and lives separately and it allows us to embrace them.

Despite my mixed feelings about the characters, the acting is fantastic. The show has a fairly large cast. Anna Paquin, an Oscar winning actress, is very good as Sookie. She's sometimes wooden, but I think that that's how the character is. Stephen Moyer plays Bill and I think he's wonderful. He and Anna Paquin (who are married in real life) have great chemistry together. Alexander Skarsgard is Eric and I think he's a talented actor and has chemistry with Anna Paquin. Rutina Wesley is Tara, Sookie's best friend. Despite the fact that Tara gets on my nerves mostly, Wesley is a talented actress that makes the material work. Sam Trammell is Sam, Sookie's boss and I think he's good. He has a spark with Paquin and I wish they could've gotten them together or at least have a fling. Ryan Kwanten is Jason, Sookie's brother. Jason is probably one of the stupidest characters to grace our television screens, yet Kwanten makes it work. Nelsan Ellis plays Lafayette, Tara's cousin. I think Ellis is fantastic and Lafayette to me is the show's breakout character. He's hilarious yet Ellis also has a good dramatic balance and is able to pull off both comedy and drama. Carrie Preston is Arlene, Sookie's friend and I like Arlene (one of my favourite characters) and I think she's underused and could be given better stories. Chris Bauer is Andy, the local sheriff. I haven't always liked Andy, but Bauer makes the character work and plays the character's smugness and arrogance well. Jim Parrack is Hoyt, Jason's best friend. I like the character and think he could be used more. Todd Lowe is Terry, Arlene's partner and I think he's a good character but I wish they could use him in a better story. Deborah Ann Woll is Jessica, a girl that Bill turns into a vampire. Jessica is another of my favourite characters and I think she's really underused. Kristin Bauer van Straten is Pam, the vampire that Eric made. I think she's a highly entertaining character and is always fun to watch. Joe Manganiello is Alcide, a werewolf, who was introduced in season 3. I think he's a good addition and he's actually a talented actor. Lauren Bowles plays Holly, a witch introduced in season 3. I'm not a big fan of the character, but Bowles is good. I praise the entire cast for making over the top material well.

The show is incredibly violent. HBO is cable, so they get away with much more than network shows. The show has bodies exploding into blood and guts, faces being peeled off, violent murders, hearts being cut out and those are just a few examples I can think of. So if you don't like blood, you may not want to watch.

In addition to the violence, the show has a lot of sex. It's basically porn. This show really is for a mature audience. In my opinion, no kid under sixteen should be watching this. I think they'd be surprised and not in an entirely good way.

Why should you consider watching this? For me, it's unlike recent vampire shows I've seen. We have a suspenseful and thrilling series that feels like a long movie. The episodes follow one another in terms of story. There's no distracting, it's chronological. The visual and attention to detail really makes you feel like you're watching a really long movie. A really long film filled with distinct characters, slightly melodramatic plots and good special effects.

Of course this isn't everyone's cup of tea. For me, I think True Blood is one of those shows you'll either love, hate or love/hate. What I mean by love/hate is that you love and hate certain characters and plots. So you have a balance between the two.

There it is. To me, True Blood is a thrilling, different, entertaining and sexy show.