True Blood --- No Spoilers Please

[rabid1st]

My cyberbuddy, Carrie, convinced me to give True Blood a second chance.

I had watched the pilot episode and frankly wasn't very impressed.

Part of the reason why is that I was a Buffy fan way back when and am completely over the concept of vampires. Vampires don't do much for me, in any case, as I'm not a fan of submission games or any of that "My Master" subtext that seems to permeate the genre. Nor am I a fan of graphic gross outs. I suppose I am intrigued by the vampire/human relationship only for the alien nature of it.

And, to be frank, again, most vampire fiction is yawningly predictable.

Which brings me to where I am in watching True Blood...Episode Eight.

That's the one (for those of you who don't know episode numbers, but plotlines) where Sookie is asked to use her gifts by the vampire community and ends up covered in gore, ala Carrie at the Prom. There is also a gratuitous vomit spew. That entire sequence reeked of lame in my book and is just the sort of thing to make me blow off the show. In fact, I tended to groan whenever the trio of "bad" vamps showed up, because they were a sure sign that the creative nature of this show was going out the window. Yes, you leer and purr and lust and oh, are we all scared. Someone give me a bottle of tequila and a match, I say. So, go rednecks!

What I do like...is the people. I've spent most of my life in the deep south and I easily recognize these characters as genuine people. For the most part, the show avoids going too far over the top with the stereotyping. Some characters are truly well drawn...Tara, the sheriff, his detective, Tara's Momma, the Hoodoo Lady and Sookie. I did not like Sookie's grandma. Well...I liked her...but she was just too predictable and busy trying not to be. I did feel for Sookie when she died. You know, come to that, I wouldn't say Sookie is so well drawn as well acted. Tara's cousin, the gay entrepenuer, is probably my favorite character. I like that he's ruthless as well as pretty. And I've known a number of people just like him. It's not easy being different in the deep south and some of the most creative people are also the toughest. Bill is interesting still, mostly because I do believe he's quite dangerous. Just like Ten, he gives me a greater sense of his power in relation to how he is with his beloved.

Carrie is a fan of Sam! But, right at this moment, I'm getting rather tired of Sam (who I suspect is a werewolf and better the heck not be). Sorry, Carrie! He's a complex guy, and likable enough, but I'd rather he really was a nudist.

Being a librarian, I know that these stories come for a series of books that reaches back beyond the point where Sam being a werewolf would be a :headdesk: cliche, but still...SIGH...I'm not sure I could take it. In fact, I'm not sure I can take much more of the sex, gore and brooding, even with the Spanish Moss-Covered Live Oaks. I will press on though, because I am interested in so many of the people and in the murder mystery. We will see what transpires in the next few episodes. I should say I also suspect the sheriff is our serial killer of fangbangers. I wish it was Sam though...that would make him interesting...especially if he didn't get caught for it.

Comments

[ladyoneill.livejournal.com]

I hope you continue to give it a chance. The first six- eps really followed the first book but then it began to branch out, especially where human characters are concerned--Tara is quite different from the book, pretty much completely different actually, and much more interesting on the show.

I'm an Eric fan, but that's mostly due to character development in the books and not what little we've seen of him on the show. But then I do love vampires. :)

And I love tv Sam a lot. Both his and god blanking on Sookie's brother's name...their characters have been tweaked for the show and it works.

Ah...that could explain about episode 8

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

Sort of having no real attachment to the previous episodes in my mind. I don't blame you for liking Eric. I sort of enjoy him myself. And you are, as you say, a vampire lover. I tend to enjoy animal and human behavior in real life and so whenever I watch predator/prey interaction I tend to draw parallels. This is readily apparent in my writing...but all too often I find that vampires in fiction don't really go beyond their stereotypes and I don't find that compelling. I suppose it just doesn't press the right buttons for me. Though I can see how it could for other people.

There is definitely enough dark power bubbling below the surface in this show to satisfy the vampire lovers among us, I would think. I sort of like Eric's female sidekick. I find her ennui refreshing. His, too, for that matter. Like Spike, I hate seeing people I wouldn't hangout with on a bet given immortality. The least people like that 1970's Foxy Brown-esque vampire can do is die in her own era and avoid skanking up eternity...in my less than humble opinion. :smirk:

Sookie's brother is...eye candy. There are very few rednecks like him. There are a lot of them who are moderate horndogs and lazy good-for-nothings...but they don't have that sort of body or any sort of commitment...even to stupidity...in my experience. He is too frantic to be a real person...people like him stumble into the trouble...like with the first woman who died. That was right. But, the way he is, there is nothing much to him beyond his trouble-magnet ways. A true good-for-nothing would have more charm. Tara's Momma was better at the weaseling...though they move through hers too quickly. Actually, pacing is definitely a problem in the show...maybe because of the HBO-ness of it.

Rae

[bloodypoetry.livejournal.com]

Everyone keeps asking me why I like Eric. I have to stammer and say "Because...there's books..."

[purecreation.livejournal.com]

This show is honestly my summer guilty pleasure. I don't watch it for excellent storyline or in-depth writing or anything, but like you said, the characters are extremely entertaining and no matter how cliche, I do like the vampire aspects. Lafayette is AWESOME. lol He's my favorite character too. I'm glad you're giving it a second chance. And honestly, the S2 premiere showed some improvement from S1, IMO. :)

Also...

Just like Ten, he gives me a greater sense of his power in relation to how he is with his beloved.

I LOVED how you phrased that. So true. And is, in a nutshell, exactly why I fell in love with him.

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

I agree...it's entertaining, for the most part. And it is a good guilty pleasure to have. The pacing is off on their storytelling and there are some serious cliches, as I've said, but overall I'm very entertained by it.

And, I'm happy you liked my line about Ten. See? This is what I believe many fans of uber-emo, dangerous to know, Lonely-God Doctor don't understand. The power itself isn't nearly as compelling as the tenderness he's able to show Rose. When he was able to show her tenderness...

When he loses that ability...as he did in JE...he automatically lost a large chunk of his appeal for me. Because, what do I care if he's a bitch to the needs of the universe? How does that set him apart from...well...anyone else? We all are afraid and face loss.

Heroes are heroes because they rise above the ordinary, reach beyond their fears and find new potential in what someone else would see as an impossible situation. The Doctor fails to face his fears in JE...and that sort of failure is not an option for a heroic figure.

Rae

[queenrikki-hp.livejournal.com]

I've never watched the series but I did read the books the show is based on (I liked the books but I actually like the author's other series better which are -mostly- straight up mysteries). Sam isn't werewolf in the books but it's possible they may have changed that.

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

The books are very popular and I give them the respect they have earned on the library shelves. They are serious contenders. I do think interest was dying down a bit before the show took off...but now they are back up there, so, I must give the author her due. And the only reason I didn't read them is...I am sick of vampires! They really do absolutely nothing for me. I don't want to be bitten, or dominated, nor do I want to sleep in a coffin or fight for my place in the pack. I don't feel like dominating other people or drinking their blood. And I find most of the predator/prey interaction very textbook and cliched. So, it neither stimulates me nor fascinates me. Vampires leave me yawning.

I do, however, enjoy people and I enjoy any exploration of power balance that is shifting and unexpected. This, you can see in Disheveled and in other works. I like to explore love stories, but only those that involve people of equal power. This is, I think, rare in fiction. A lot of writers of fanfiction, at least, tend to write stories of submission with rather pedestrian interactions.

My jury is still out on Sookie and Bill as a romantic couple. Sookie walks a very thin line between powerful and pathetic. I find Sam less interesting because currently he is doing nothing but hoping to catch Sookie's eye. He has had a few tense interactions with Bill...but for the most part...I feel Sam is outgunned. :grin: Maybe, if he's not a werewolf, he can be some kind of vampire slayer. I did like his wishing that Buffy or Blade would visit. <<--A line from the show that may not be in the books.

Rae

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

Same is officially a werewolf. Well, a Were and we all count as :headdesk: material, I'm afraid. Even me.

:snicker:

Rae

[queenrikki-hp.livejournal.com]

I find that oddly disappointing. In the books, he is a shape shifter but not a were (an important distinction) and spends a lot of time as a collie. It just sort of makes me want roll my eyes. And it's not even a show I watch.

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

Ah...well...to me, shapeshifters and weres come from the same well of stale inspiration and it doesn't matter what they call themselves. Though I suppose having some control might make it less like sniffing the sheets...no...wait...still bugs me.

I have a few Were-archtypes in my original stories that fall a long way from the mark of howling at the moon, but they are still cliched, in my less than humble opinion.

Sam is a collie in the show, too. He is a very cute and cuddly Collie...now called, Dean. :snort:

And I am told there is much more to him than the urge to chase rabbits and put sheep in their place...so I will give him a few more episodes.

Shapeshifting is part and parcel of my religion and as old as the hills...and just so much a feature of this genre that it really bugs me when it crops up like this.

But you need not be disappointed...as Sam is exactly what he is in the books. Maybe you would really enjoy the show.

Rae

[queenrikki-hp.livejournal.com]

Oh, I misunderstood. There's just something about the show that makes me want to roll my eyes (I do that with the books too to be honest). But I am a little relieved.

I actually sort of want to see something that deals with the supernatural but doesn't go into vampires or shapeshifters. Or blood or sex and death (not that I have a problem with those themes, I just feel they're a bit overused these days).

[phdelicious.livejournal.com]

I'm curious to see what your reaction is going to be after finishing the full season.

Usually I'm all for it when people say things like 'if only show X was on HBO [showtime, skinemax, FX, whatever]', but I honestly really wish "True Blood" would tone itself down in terms of the graphic-ness of both sex and gore. Gore because I have the stereotypical EW! response to fake blood being vomited all over a person and the sex because I honestly don't find any of them attractive and most of it's just not necessary. That being said I LOVE Lafayette (Tara's cousin) and you probably wouldn't see him on network tv.

In general, even though I don't really like the characters I'm enjoying the show - as much for what it's bringing me in terms of ppl to hang out with when I watch as for any actual story telling.

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

I totally agree. They overdo the sex and gore. For the most part, the sex doesn't do anything for me. I did like that one scene in the graveyard. Again, I'm not a fan of the biting. It leaves me cold. Points to Bill and Sookie for making their sex look authentic. Though it does wig me out a bit that the actors are a real couple...so that authenticn feel might be TMI. :grin:

No points at all to Sookie's brother for his acting. As I've said, he's not real. I don't know anyone like him. There are horndogs and there are stupid rednecks and there are selfish bigots and there are loudmouth louts, but he's too much of everything. And most of his sex scenes have all the appeal of a greased pig wrestling contest. I am afraid I just wonder if the women feel sick afterward...or during. And speaking of sick...I'm so happy that the pedophile uncle came and went. Go Bill! Though that sort of thing can come back on a predator, it was far more interesting than another lame child abuse story.

Lafayette...yes! He was amazing when he kicked some redneck ass there. And, unfortunately, I know several people like him, who have needed to kick ass and take names. I even like that he exploited Sookie's brother...because, again, it is in the nature of a person who has had stood apart like that to sometimes put profit over ethics. I know I've been upset at some folks I considered my friends...because they didn't share my ethics. I am, as I've said, rather familiar with most of these people...and you can't trust them...but they're a'right! :grin:

Rae

[phdelicious.livejournal.com]

Though it does wig me out a bit that the actors are a real couple

Didn't know that; apparently I need to read more gossip stuff. Now that's going to be bugging me all night (watching 2x01 with friends).

No points at all to Sookie's brother for his acting.

I could not agree with this statement more. Every time he's onscreen I get the urge to ffwd. I would feel sick touching him even high.

Lafayette makes for a great character (and apparently he's been changed from the books some) but man would it be rough to have to be that in real life. I remember reading somewhere that the actor who plays him is straight and more than a little baffled by the character's following.

[fidesangelus.livejournal.com]

I watched last season until the second to last episode and haven't gone back since. I agree that the characters are really fun and compelling, Tara and Lafayette are probably my favs, but in the end I stopped the episode before the finale and I haven't found the motivation to tune back in. Its well made but I decided it was over the top in pointless nudity, gore and played out story lines. That said, I completely understand why people watch it. It fits the description of a guilty pleasure to the tee.

[blueinsideout.livejournal.com]

I've never watched the show, but I tend to devour the books. I actually just finished the latest one in the series in one night (with a huge headache by the end of it). We don't have HBO. I might end up Netflixing it though, because a lot of people that have read the books like the show and it's always fun to see characters from a book on a screen (even if it isn't what you pictured).

I do like (in the books) that the Southernness is there, but it really isn't horribly clichéd most of the time. I'm from Alabama, and usually stuff set in the South ends with me cringing. I have no idea what's happened on the show or not, but my favorite characters are: Eric, Sam, Quinn, Pam, Amelia... Actually, aside from Eric and Sam most of the characters that I like most end up being relatively minor characters. Not that I don't like Bill, I do, but stuff happens in the books and right now he's not top of my list.

If you ever do decide to give the books a go they are very easy and light reading. I tend to read fast and have a hard time putting a book down, but even if I didn't I'd finish these in three days tops. I usually finish one the same day as I start it though. And as you said, they're popular enough that most libraries have them, so no money wasted if you don't like them.

[bloodypoetry.livejournal.com]

I do like the books better than the show (Though Tara and Layfette are MUCH better in the show than in the books and I adore them). The books are slightly-campy and funny as hell and not-taking-themselves too seriously.

[xlostangelx.livejournal.com]

Man, the pressure if you don't like it ... it's all my fault! Well, you know how I feel about the vampire aspect and really if it gets amped up in the second season, like I suspect it will, I may eventually tune out. I don't want the show to get bogged down in mythology, everything being supernatural, and I really really don't want it to get consumed with cliche vampire culture crap. But it is a vampire show and I am in the minority of watching it despite my aversion to vampire stories.

I have noticed though that I totally watch shows differently than I used to. I'm not sure I would have watched this show back in the day because I enjoy completely different things about shows now.

Yeah...pretty much...it IS your fault!

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

On the other hand...we watch for the same reason, I believe. It's not like you can just talk me into anything...like...twitter or whatever...uhm...

...wait...

:toothy grin:

Yes, I mean, I agree there is no reason to go around calling foul on the vampire issues when the show is obviously about them. I am just saying it could lose me if it gets bogged down in vampire mythology as well.

And I like the show...I do. I am just not sure about episode 8...and I feel we might just get more possums on the ceiling fan as we go along. I mean...mostly...these shows feel they have to get more and more graphic with time.

Rae
who rather enjoyed the complete lack of vampires in several of the episodes.

[dharkapparition.livejournal.com]

No spoilers, just a warning.

The only similarity between the show and the SVS books are the (some of) characters and some minor plot lines.