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Alan Ball’s True Blood series works well for television, as it has enough sensationalism to tantalize and enough story girth to make the viewer care about the characters. That one can finally invest emotion into monsters, including an undead Civil War victim, a transformer who can shapeshift into various animals, and a female mind reader, speaks volumes about America’s willingness to accept fantasy. Of course, television has always produced good fantasy shows (I Dream of Genie), but True Blood’s Southern Goth brand of fun horror is more macabre and more perverse, not to mention gorier, than most shows of its kind to date. Adapted from Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels, True Blood thrills because of its equal blend in each episode of erotica, humor, tragedy, mystery, and fantasy. Set in a rural, swampy Louisiana parrish, the show centers around Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and her clan, sweet grandmother Adele (Lois Smith) and air-headed brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten). Illicit love is spawned early on, when Sookie saves vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) from having his blood stolen in the parking lot of Merlotte’s diner, owned by Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) who completes what will form a complex love triangle. As tensions between Sookie’s suitors loosen or tighten, many side plots, such as her African American best friend Tara’s (Rutina Wesley) struggle with an alcoholic, Bible-thumping mother and her brother’s dangerous crush on drug addicted hippie, Amy Burley (Lizzy Caplan), keep one wondering who will succeed in this podunk place. The main tension throughout, however, is a race war waged between vampires and humans. As murders of “fang bangers” occur (human girls who let vampires bite them) and dumb policeman Andy Bellefleur (Chris Bauer) fails to find clues, one sees the metaphorical implications of vampirism and feels deeper resonance with what can be a downright trashy show. Gossip galore, especially about what kinds of babies interbreeding will produce, is rampant. One of the funniest characters is Tara’s flamboyant cousin, Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), who deals drugs, works as a fry cook, and services the local white politicians, while making sure he’s always up in everyone’s business. What makes True Blood smarter than pure soap opera is the parallels it draws between its monster mash and actual, familiar societal problems. Sookie and her friends watch the news, where Evangelicals bash vampires and prohibit mixed marriage, and everyone is addicted to V, a.k.a vampire blood, that effects like psychedelic heroin. Even its gore reflects a mix of serious and silly, as vampires explode into red, sticky goop. Though it may not be attempting to qualify for the best vampire footage ever shot, True Blood is as addictive as that substance the town’s youth obsesses over, which is a metaphor in itself. --Trinie Dalton
Stills from True Blood: The Complete First Season (Click for larger image)
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![user_comment True Blood: The Complete First Season (HBO Series) [Blu-ray]](http://manimoto.com/wp-content/plugins/ReviewAZON/images/user_comment.gif "True Blood: The Complete First Season (HBO Series) [Blu ray]") Completely addictive. Even if you don't watch television |
| Review Date: November 19, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Lisa M. Mims, Austin, TX United States |
Rabbit ears on pawn shop televisions are about my speed; needless to say, I don't watch television. However, kind friends mainline this series two or three shows at a time, and they got me hooked: were I to be completely honest, I might have to admit to giving serious thought to obtaining this by less-than-legal-means. It actually might be worth jail time.
Speaking as someone who was born in America's deep South, this series captures everything about Louisiana that is appealing. (Spanish Moss, vampires, latent racism and homophobia, the dichotomy between Christian Southern values and patriarchal, brutality-enforced poverty, sassy Southern women who know how to fight with chains, etc.)
What it makes it really stand out, though, is the casting: there isn't a bad actor in the bunch--and they are all believable as Southern archetypes. Nelsan Ellis as the short order cook/drug dealer Lafayette and Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin as the romantic leads give mesmerizing performances.
True Blood, or possibly the original series of books from which it arose, is an arresting set of stories: Faulkner says that the only thing really worth writing about (or thinking about, by extension) is the human heart in conflict with itself. The Southern United States depicted in True Blood is conflict embodied--you are a supposed to be a good Christian, and follow the rules of an established society, but you live in the middle of a swamp so dense and wild that it believably could be home to minions of Satan, like vampires.
It's a lot to think about. If you are one of those artistic/professional types with too much to do, don't start watching this; it becomes an obsession.
And Now: A Short Review of the Actual DVD--this is the regular, not Blu-Ray version, as my $100.00, cigarette-burned, pawn shop t.v. doesn't do Blu-Ray.
Price: $10.00 less than my local electronics store.
Extras: There is some very funny stuff here that was not on the original websites for the series: ads for lawyers for vampires; vampire hotels; vampire dating, all done with the appropriate levels of fake bad acting and camp.
Don't be afraid to look at the French language ad as well. It uses all of six French words which you probably already know.
There is also a short video parody of someone like Hugh Downs doing an in-depth report on vampires. Complete with bad video backgrounds for foreign locales and hokey vampire internet conspiracies, this is a well-done, satirical background take on some of the 'vampire movement's more glossed-over history.
One negative: the commentary tracks play over the original episodes; it's neat to watch for about five minutes, and then it's a little bit like dissecting a romantic relationship--the mystery dies once the magic involved gets out into the bright light of day.
However, overall, True Blood Season One is well worth watching again--particularly in the pilot episode, the acting, and the effort the cast and crew put into characterization and detail, is even more obvious the second time around.
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True Blood is Television at Its Bloody Best.
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| Review Date: October 20, 2008 |
| Reviewer: G. Merritt, Boulder, CO |
"Thou Shall Not Crave Thy Neighbour."
True Blood ponders the question: Why do good girls fall for bad boys? Alan Ball is perhaps best known for his originality and aesthetics in writing the Academy-Award-winning screenplay for American Beauty, and for creating the HBO television show Six Feet Under. Based on Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series, Ball's new HBO series, True Blood (which recently premiered on HBO on September 7, 2008), is another good reason to own a television these days. Set in Bon Temps, Louisiana, the Southern Vampire television series tells the gothic love story of Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a telepathic waitress, who falls in love with the town vampire, Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). Sookie is a virgin, "cursed" with the ability to hear people's thoughts. Bill is a 173-year-old vampire who, despite his Southern charms, has only one thing on his mind when it comes to Sookie. Meanwhile, as religious leaders and government officials debate the safety issues surrounding the co-existence of vampires and humans, "Bad Things" (as the show's theme song suggests) are happening to the residents of Bon Temps. The show's soundtrack (by Gary Calamar) is equal parts "swampy, bluesy and spooky." Ryan Kwanten plays Sookie's brother, Jason Stackhouse, a sex addict who is also addicted to "V" (vampire blood) for its viagra-ecstasy-like effects. William Sanderson and Chris Bauer play the small town's rather inept investigating law enforcement officers. Much like Six Feet Under, True Blood reveals Alan Ball's genius for original storytelling. True Blood is not only television with fangs, it is television at its bloody best.
12/12/08 Update: True Blood received a Golden Globe nomination this week.
G. Merritt |
A Blu product review from a non-follower
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| Review Date: May 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Steve Kuehl, Ben Lomond, CA |
I usually watch everything HBO, but I have fallen behind of late. I had customers asking about this since last year so I was interested in what Ball's latest foray was about. I had to spend a fair amount of money to risk having Blu depth on these TV on Blu sets - but this one did not disappoint me in any way. The story has been reviewed plenty here, so I dissected the features and quality.
The picture looks very professional, and there was plenty to go wrong with the majority of it being filmed at night. The colors of the outdoors in each night landscape look vivid, and the special effects still appear adequate considering the difficulties of getting it right (darkly lit interiors). There is some sparse grain depending on the location, but it was a pleasure to see everything - plenty of flesh tones (yes there is lots of sex) that all look clear and porous.
The sound is what sells this though. The DTS gets used extensively in each episode. Sookie's thought reading can be overwhelming at times, you almost want to isolate one of the channels and listen to that one thought as all five channels are sometimes filled with conflicting voices. Even the low-key scenes had some nice outer channel usage - loved every minute of it.
The special features are catered to both the lay True Blood person like myself and the avid followers. Your player has to be enabled appropriately to handle all of the PIP and text boxes that appear in the enhanced viewing. The hints were somewhat corny at times, but I still learned some interesting things about the characters. The PIP is a solid 1080 and appears just little enough to not be that distracting on a first watch. The commentaries from Ball are the best, and provide some decent insight on his creative process while still getting a few slams in there on the critics and story changes.
I think it is a great investment for the followers, and might be a worthy rental for those that are sitting on the fence about trying this. Odds are though, after watching everything there is to offer on just disc 1 - you will be buying it. |
The diary of a mad fanger
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| Review Date: November 12, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Luan Gaines, Dana Point, CA USA |
I was determined to resist HBO's True Blood, a Southern Gothicky romp through Bon Temps, Louisiana, where, thanks to the invention of synthetic blood, vampires have "come out of the coffin" to mainstream with humans. One such creature of the night is Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a 173 year-old reluctant vampire who has all the candor of a good heart but the physical attributes of the netherworld. Bill is enchanted by Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Pacquin), a waitress at Merlotte's, the town watering hole. Tormented all her life by the ability to read other people's thoughts, Sookie and Bill stare at one another across the crowded bar like Maria and Tony in their memorable scene from West Side Story, the world falling away before the two of them. Hopelessly attracted, yet fearful of Bill's bad boy side (after all, he is a blood-slurping vampire), Sookie vacillates, her heart telling her this is the one, her mind screaming, "Are you crazy? He's dead!" But- unexpected joy- she can't read his thoughts! Certainly, these two will never be able to gaze lovingly at one another across the breakfast table.
As the opening credits suggest in Alan Ball's clever and ambitious series, the south harbors the gamut of human- and inhuman- behavior, superstition, faith, love, hate, folksiness and generosity, charm and the KKK, all God's children frolicking in a world both dark and light. While vampires lurk in the night, seductive in their dangerous otherness, humans range from good ol' boys to southern belles, a mélange of the dramatic and the demure, the cast a surprising mix of eccentric and fascinating personalities: Sookie's brother, Jason (Ryan Kwanten), a relentless sex addict who loves a mirror almost as much as the willing ladies her pursues; the foul-mouthed, yet endlessly appealing Tara (Rutina Wesltey), as unable to govern her emotions as she is to cast out the "devil" who inhabits her soul; and Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), a real scene-stealer, gay short-order-cum-"V"-dealer (the potent and coveted vampire blood) who owns his scenes, his talented barely contained by the small screen.
Unfortunately for the incipient romance between virgin and vampire, a series of recent murders has focused the town on the vampires' tendency toward blood lust, although, as Bill informs local law enforcement, "Surely a vampire would have drained a body of every ounce of her blood." Still, the residents of Bon Temps are reluctant to cast suspicion on one of their own. Bill's seduction of Sookie drives the series, but the town is filled with such a delightful mix of characters that, like "V", there is never enough. Highly addictive, like the one-step-behind law enforcement team who bicker from crime scene to crime scene, there is always another volatile contretemps to charm, amuse and shock the willing viewer. Pacquin is stellar in her portrayal of Sookie, Moyer barely one beat behind her performance and closing (fangs extended). I have been bitten. I willingly drank the vampire's patented Tru-Blood and freely admit: one taste of "V' isn't enough. I crave more. Luan Gaines/2008.
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Sensuous, Steamy and Hot
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| Review Date: November 12, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Boston Legal addict, Redlands, California USA |
| What can I say? Only two more episodes left to this first season and I'm so hooked. I'll leave the synopsis-writing to others and tell you my impressions. First of all, before I knew it took place in Louisiana (didn't know that the first couple of shows) I could have told you that the humidity level was as high as my home state of Florida. I wondered (and still do) why everyone isn't getting attacked by swarms of mosquitos - I'm itchy just watching the show where everyone is walking around in shorts and sleeveless shirts. But from the opening music and steamy scenes, this show is hot and makes me the same....Even though there may not be anything sexual going on in the show at a certain moment, the atmosphere is enough (and it's usually at night) to make you loosen your collar and wonder when your honey is coming home. I'm reminded of the movie Body Heat - the scene where he goes up to her house to see the chimes - the misty night air, the slight, hot, humid breeze making the chimes sound....this is the feeling I get from the atmosphere of the show. With all this, the acting is excellent. You have Sookie who finds herself being accepted for who she is (a clairavoyant) by all things a gorgeous vampire, Bill. Both of these actors, in real life, are English (I believe) and if you see them in interviews have lovely English accents and yet do a wonderful lazy southern Louisiana drawl. On a sociological level, I find it very interesting to think that a subculture like vampirism could be on the verge of acceptance by general society. Some humans, of course, want nothing to do with them. You can form your own parallels in our own society, I know I have. (And now you have a shapeshifter - makes you wonder who we're sharing the planet with).They can't be all bad if they're willing to drink "true blood", a synthetic drink they can drink in public and be out to dinner with friends. There's a lot to like about this show and I'll be buying the DVD of the first season as soon as it's out. I don't usually buy TV shows. |
True Blood....Hot Blood
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| Review Date: November 18, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Aslinn Dhan Dragonhawk, Huntington, West Virginia USA |
Nay sayers don't know what they are missing. While I did enjoy the first three books of Charlaine Harris' series, I think Alan Ball has done a terrific job interpreting the books for us and putting his own spin on things.This is a grown up Twilight, so don't expect a lot of beating around the bush as far as sex and violence are concerned.
The central stories are two fold: The serial murders of women who "associate" with the newest minority in America, the Vampires and the love story of 25 year old telepathic barmaid Sookie Stackhouse and the 172 year old Vampire and Civil War Veteran, Bill Compton.
The show also delves in the notion of acceptance and bigotry in a new and unique light. It gives us a fresh look at notions of racism and inequality. I love it.
Let me say that the series, now about to finish Sunday night (11-23-08) is fantastic. I hope they release the DVDs soon. Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin light up the screen with their story. The peek inside the world of Vampires is fascinating and Alex Skarsgard as Eric is fantastic. Well worth your time to check out on On Demand if you haven't yet and well worth the investment for the DVD set.
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Great show!
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| Review Date: January 11, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Isis Nocturne, In the loving arms of my favorite alternate reality |
I've read all the books and now I've seen the show. I have to say, though I may be one of the few, I prefer the show. For me, Paquin's Sookie is MUCH more likable than the Sookie in Harris' books. Paquin plays "Crazy Sookie" very well, and shows a lot of emotional vulnerability that makes her character believable, which I've never noticed in my several readings of the books. In the books, though, she's just crazy and ignores a lot of good advice, and is very self-involved, never thinking about other people having reasons for doing the things they do.
Maybe my favorite change from the books to the series is that it's not all about Sookie. Other characters also get attention, and their own storylines, which makes the show that much more interesting to watch. On top of that, Stephen Moyer is an INCREDIBLE Bill with very real issues that show up in his personality. I look forward to dealing with the issues Bill has that were set up in the last episode of season 1 when the show comes back for season 2.
I can't wait to continue watching this show next season. I'm sure it will be great! And as for the books, I do agree that reading them is a good thing, but I completely prefer Harris' other book series over the Stackhouse series. For me, that series is bland, and underwritten, especially compared to her Aurora Teagarden series. |
Not the Books
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| Review Date: March 7, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Cremekat, Idaho |
True Blood: The Complete First Season (HBO Series) I love this series. Don't bother trying to compare it to the books because it can't be done. I began reading these books when they first came out because I was looking for something to read that would be fun. These Books did the trick. I so was looking forward to the series that I had a party for the first episode. We sat around eating Gourmet Chicken GARLIC Pizza and anticipating the show.
None of us were disappointed. It became a weekly event at my house. Food and True blood. We loved it and intend to do the same thing next season.
While the series attempts to follow the books (and does a credible job of it) it is a different kettle of fish altogether. I can't wait for season 2 to begin. We are planning another party for that season as well. Everyone of us in the group has pre-ordered the season.
Have fun with these characters, the scenery, and the music. |
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