And Every Shadow Filled Up With Doubt

I was never under the impression that I would like a show about vampires on HBO. Honestly, I never thought I would like anything much to do with vampires. But Twilight had changed my impression, though I would never say that the Twilight series was a saga about vampires so much as it is about young love. So from that vampire story I had jumped to reading Interview with a Vampire, which was awesomely good in the beginning but about 50 some pages before finishing it I had to stop because of just how morbid it got. I have yet to finish it, though I plan to because it was well written. So when friends tried to convince me that True Blood was something I might like, I was a skeptic. After all the show was going to be about vampires and being on HBO I could count on two things: sex and violence.

Just as a overview, True Blood is a show placed in Bon Temps, Lousiana. Bon Temps is french for Good Time and here is the hub of vampires meet humans, trying to integrate. The title is based on the blood substitute for vampires, a step towards joining "normal" human society again. The show opens with the audience meeting Sookie, a telepathic human who is working in a bar in this small southern town. The bar is run by Sam, a secret shape shifter, who is not so secretly in love with Sookie. On the first night of the show Bill, the first vampire to live in Bon Temps (that the humans know of) comes into the bar. A series of events that has Sookie saving Bill, Bill saving Sookie, blood being drank leads us to the forming love relationship of Sookie and Bill. There are several other characters and I just grossly under summarized the beginnings of the show, but it's just to point out the gist.

Don't get me wrong, I like plenty of things on HBO. I was an avid fan of Rome when I discovered it a few months back. I'm excited to see John Adams soon. I watch Entourage occasionally and enjoy it. But I know what kinds of shows they produce, so with the proposed subject material I didn't think it was going to be my thing. I watched the first season in about a week. First I noticed and appreciated was the mere quality in which the show was presented. The production of True Blood is film quality which was shockingly visible after watching Friday Night Lights. Aside from admiring the work of the show, I started having trouble accepting the story. It was not because of its outlandish nature, it is completely acceptable that vampires exist and are part of society (or trying to be). The problem wasn't the idea, it was how the idea was presented during the first few episodes. The concepts felt forced and it seemed a bit like the audience was just pushed into a pool with all their clothing on.

I did not let that deter me from the show, because there was enough going for it to keep me watching. The theme song and title sequence alone was probably worth watching the rest of the show. But the actors played their parts well and the characters were sincerely endearing. So I keep watching, the twist of adding more mythical characters and a very real human were nice. But I must admit that the truly connecting idea of the show for me was that the story could mirror society. The treatment of the outsider,  the social misfits is really what is driving the story from the beginning and that is a powerful narrative to tell.

I also had an issue accepting how fast Sookie falls for Bill. Interestingly I never had a problem with Bella and Edward or Romeo and Juliet, but maybe because those were written words that had their build up over several pages I was satisfied. After discovering the call of the blood (which was assumed, but not explained at first) I came to accept and understand their relationship much better. The first season though not outstanding in my opinion, was a great foundation for what was to come and without it the second season could not have stolen my heart.

The last episode of season 1 is where I finally was truly hooked. It has to be handed to HBO, each episode of  True Blood leaves you wanting more and it just comes down to how interested you are in the action that has been going on. I was interested at this point. I blew through what I had of season 2 (because it is still airing) in a matter of two days, which including the waiting time for the newest episode to even air on HBO. The new relationships presented in season 2 really bring a whole new air to the show. Jessica, a newly formed vampire, gives the Bill and Sookie relationship a layer that you couldn't tell you missed until it existed. She also provides some new blood and spunk to the series. Also the new threat in town is edge of your seat type intriguing but yet holds true to the ideals of the show established society vs. the rest of the world. My personal favorite new character is Godric, a two thousand year old vampire, that really brought in new perspective to the vampire group on the show. The character was enthralling and truly well acted.

The new conflicts of the show are truly well plotted out. New characters are well developed. New actors have great chemistry with the seasoned cast. It has truly come into its own and deserves all the hype it has received. If you haven't checked out season 2 of the series yet, it comes highly recommended. Personally I am on the edge of my seat, waiting to find out if Bill and Sookie can save their town from the ancient created power of Maryann!