True Blood
POSTED BY: deadlockvictim
UPDATED: Friday, October 31, 2008 15:17
VIEWED: 5549
PAGE 1 of 2
The new series from HBO.... Seen it ? Like it ? Hate it ?
http://www.hbo.com/trueblood/
this ain't your Whedon's vampires...
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I've seen it. So far, I like it. Liked it enough to order the first four books in the series.
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I wasn't quite sure about this one. And the sad southern accents certainly didn't help to sway my allegience.
By the end of the episode, I was hooked. Now I can't get enough. Don't ask me why. I'm still trying to figure it out.
"The Status Is Not Quo!" - Dr. Horrible
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It’s a little blunt in its metaphors and Paquin really needs to visit the South for a little while before she decides she can reproduce the accent, but so far I’ve enjoyed it. I don’t think I’m going to go out of my way for it, but I like it.
I especially like the analogy that is being made to gay people. Using vampires as a metaphor for the homosexual community is a bold, but all too unsettlingly accurate comparison. When you examine the gay community you see a community full of moral and ethical diversity – many homosexuals live lives no different from anyone else – they go to work – they love their significant other or children if they have them – they argue politics, which isn’t always left-wing – they are regular folks. But then there are the dry-humping cross dressers who display themselves in disgusting, inconsiderate spectacles. Or worse the homosexuals, trapped in a bitter and hateful life, seeking to spread AIDs to punish society for not accepting them as they want, or exploiting teen-age boys for sex. Much like a vampire community might be envisioned – the gay community is composed of both good and bad, and while society could happily accept the good, they are rightfully afraid and disgusted by the bad. Along with this is the idea that society does not work to distinguish between the good vampire and the bad vampire, but both are regarded with suspicion, until such time as people’s views can mature.
I think the show has promise.
Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.
Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.
-- Cicero
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Haven't seen it, but I'm intrigued by it. NPR's "Fresh Air" devoted a couple days to talking about it with the series' producer and director and Anna Paquin, and reviewed it. I found it funny that the reviewer on NPR said he liked it, but not as much as he likes Buffy. Also, he said the show isn't near as subtle as Buffy in its themes and metaphors.
Always nice to see our Slayer get some respect, especially from such "elitist" media as NPR.
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I really dig it. I'm drawn to anything that Alan Ball does, since he's responsible for both one of my favorite movies (AMERICAN BEAUTY) and one of my favorite series (SIX FEET UNDER). I can't wait to see his new film TOWELHEAD. I think Alan Ball doing this show, as well as Tim Kring doing HEROES, actually gets me more excited than a new Joss, J.J. Abrams or Ronald. D. Moore series. The latter know genre tv inside and out, but for the former, having made more straightforward dramas, they can truly approach genre shows from a new angle. Alan Ball has said that going into TRUE BLOOD, he had never seen BUFFY or read TWILIGHT or immersed himself in vampire fiction. So while we could all write an ep of BUFFY in our sleep, he's only delving into the vampire mythos. So he could actually come up with new stuff.
As for the show, I'll admit that the pilot was a little rough around the edges, but I think once you key into the shows Southern Gothic wavelength, that you'd really get into it. The second episode was a lot more subtle. And I just loved the scene of Bill meeting Sookie's family and the tension between all of them. It's this kind of stuff, as well as the social commentary that I'm drawn more into than the vampire romance. While it's not bad per se, I think it's a case of bad timing, with those stupid TWILIGHT books being all the rage and TRUE BLOOD being perceived as a knock off. Plus, after 11 1/2 seasons of BUFFY/ANGEL, nothing rolls the eyes more than a good looking vampire. Whatever happened to NOSFERATU and Count Orlock. Of vampires actually being cadaverous, rat-like creatures like Willem Dafoe in SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE.
For those who say that it's not nearly as subtle as BUFFY, let me remind you all that season 1 of BUFFY was as subtle as a sledge hammer. "Teacher's Pet" was probably the worst ep of the series due to it's obvious take on Mary Kay Letorneau, and even well into season 2, it got pretty cheesy. It was only around season 3 that the show I feel, actually took off. It was their Sgt. Peppers year. So give it time. HBO certainly is. And while the "God Hates Fangs" sign in the opening credits may not be a downey feather of sublety, it actually made me laugh and smile, since it was so direct.
Also, I was wondering if anyone noticed that the opening scene of both TRUE BLOOD and BUFFY were similar in that it involved a couple trying to get laid, and the last person you'd expect showing their fangs.
Elvischrist- You've obviously never read an issue of Entertainment Weekly. The amount of gushing they do over BUFFY would make your head spin. They'd pretty much bend over backwards to gratify Joss for BUFFY.
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"And it starts with a sentence that might last a lifetime, or it all might just go down in flames. If I let you know me, then why would you want me? Each day I don't is a shame. Each day I don't is a great shame."
Loudon Wainwright III - "Strange Weirdos" off the "Knocked Up" soundtrack
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Speaking of the intro, I like that song: "I Wan’a Do Bad Things With You." It’s an awesome WCS.
Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.
Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.
-- Cicero
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That's so weird. I was just about to bump this thread.
Tonight's ep actually paid lip service to BUFFY. When the bar owner was talking to the dog that keeps showing up, he says to the dog that he wishes Buffy or Blade or any kind of vampire hunter would come and ride Bill out of town.
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"And it starts with a sentence that might last a lifetime, or it all might just go down in flames. If I let you know me, then why would you want me? Each day I don't is a shame. Each day I don't is a great shame."
Loudon Wainwright III - "Strange Weirdos" off the "Knocked Up" soundtrack
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I first thought that vampire's name was "Bell" because Paquin's attempt at a southern accent is so abysmal.
Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.
Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.
-- Cicero
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