True Blood is Bloody Great!

The ad for the series

This is a change for me. I rarely watch TV, let alone review anything that comes on TV. But, I just had to do this one…

Since reading the insipid Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, my interest in vampire novels/ movies has drastically declined.

I am a fan of vampires but I’m also really particular, I can’t just read/watch any junk, and there is too much vampire-related junk available nowadays.

Ever since Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I’ve never seen or read anything vampire-related that’s really impressed me. I had heard of the Sookie Stackhouse vampire series of novels by Charlaine Harris, but really was not motivated to try them out after my Twilight disappointment.

All that changed when I was surfing channels on saturday, and came across the first two episodes of True Blood on HBO, which is based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels.

It gripped from the opening scene itself. It involves two teenagers stopping at a convenience store. They act very obnoxiously and are very interested in vampires. There’s a twist at the end of the scene that was really good, and within 5 minutes, I was hooked onto the series.

In this series, vampires are no longer just mysterious creatures who live in coffins. They claim not to be the blood thirsty killers. Most vampires have stopped drinking human blood and are vegetarians drinking a Japanese-manufactured concoction called “TruBlood”. Vampires are now struggling to fit into society and be accepted by others, and they are even fighting for a vampire equal rights bill in congress.

Anna Paquin as Sookie

The series stars Anna Paquin (who acted in the critically acclaimed “The Piano”) as Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress at Merlotte’s Diner in Bon Temps, a small Louisiana town. She can read people’s minds and that makes her life a little bit difficult.

Apart from Anna, there’s a strong and likable supporting cast that includes a foul-mouthed best friend, an over-sexed brother, and the bar-owner (also Sookie’s boss) who is in love with Sookie. And then, there are the bad guys – rednecks who want to steal vampire blood and sell it. Apparently, vampire blood is like some kind of drug.

The show finally starts moving when a vampire named Bill shows up at the diner much to the dismay of the restaurant’s patrons. Sookie is strongly attracted to him, and they become close when she saves him from an attack by humans who want to drain his blood and sell it.

Sookie and Bill

The rest of the episode sets up a murder mystery involving a local “fangbanger”, a sort of groupie for vampires who allows them to drink her blood. When she gets killed, the evidence points to Sookie’s brother, but the town is convinced that Bill had something to do with it. At the end of the episode, nothing is resolved, so this story line will probably continued into future episodes.

Btw, this series has been censored to reduce the violence and sex. This is info from a friend who has seen the original series…still, there are some scenes though, so be prepared for it!

So, did anyone else catch this show or read the novels? What did you think? For me, the best part was the small-town Southern atmosphere and the novelty of its premise. I also like the chemistry between Sookie and Bill. What did you like/dislike about it? Is the show better or the books?

Cheers,

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