True Blood (TV SHOW)

TRUE BLOOD
Season One
Format: HBOGO
Genre: Tragedy, Drama, Romance, Soap Opera

Rating: 10 out of 10.

SPOILERS.
Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress in Bon Temps, Louisiana, or at least that's what she just tells everyone. The blonde bombshell is actually a telepath. She doesn't know why she's different like this, just is. She meets a very handsome stranger in the bar where she works, a vampire named Bill. After laughing at the absurdity of his name ("Bill? Are you kidding me? Vampire Bill.") she saves him by giving him blood. Later, Sookie is attacked and given his blood. Bill can trace and feel her no matter where she goes. They become love interests, and intertwine themselves into each other's life. They meet at Merlotte's, a bar owned by a shape-shifter named Sam Merlotte, who has a boner for Sookie. Tara, Sookie's childhood best friend, becomes a bartender there that night, Tara's cousin Lafayette is a short-order cook and a fabulous homosexual who flaunts it every second, Arlene Fowler and Dawn are two waitresses who also work there, and rounding out the crew is Big Jon and Terry.

As the season goes on, we see Sookie's brother Jason being just screwed over at every turn. All of his sexual conquests are being killed. Everything from his hit-and-bang Maudette, to waitress Dawn, to his fellow "V" addicted girlfriend, Amy. All women who are in any way associated with vampires or having been on Jason's dick are killed. The Sheriff's Department brings in Jason for questioning, and he's almost in fact convicted. Jason is rescued instead, by the anti-vampire church movement, The Fellowship of the Sun.

Stephen Moyer carrying Anna Paquin. Aka Bill and Sookie.

On the vampire side of things, to stop the murders, Sookie investigates the lifestyles of the women who were killed, even going to a vampire bar called 'Fangtasia.' There, Sookie and Bill meet the Sheriff of Area Five, Eric Northman and his progeny, Pam. Eric is intrigued by Sookie and makes her indebted to him, for future usage. Turns out, someone is stealing from Fangtasia and they are trying to figure out who it is. Bill ends up saving Sookie's life, when the bartender, Longshadow, tries to kill her to keep her quiet. Bill is later prosecuted by the Magister, and he is forced to 'sire' a new vampire, a teenager from an overly protective Christian home and lifestyle, Jessica Hamby.

The only blonde I've ever found
attractive, Eric Northman.

Towards the end of the season, Sookie gets closer to mental images of who killed these women, after her own grandmother is killed in the kitchen. The murderer is committing these crimes to anyone who is a vampire sympathizer, let alone a 'fangbanger.' Sookie and Arlene both discover that Rene, Arlene's fiance, is not what he seems. He's not a Cajun laborer, but rather a runaway murderer by the name Drew. He killed his sister after finding out she was having sex with vampires. He then has come to a new town, to again...kill anyone who is on the side of the vampires.

Now, I've been a "True-bie" since the show aired it's first episode. I was in high school and was getting into the vampire/supernatural genre when my mom saw an article about it in a newspaper. We decided to watch it, since we had HBO, and I have to say....watching this show with your mother for the first time ever...is awkward. The first season has so much sex in it, it can make it almost uncomfortable. Still though, till this day...it's the only show that both my mother and I like. We call each other each week after the episode airs (she watches it the second it airs on HBO, and I usually do it at my convenience during the week on HBOGO) and talk about it. Here's the kicker though, I haven't rewatched the first few episodes in almost 6 or 7 years. I went back just for this review. Here's my refresher perspective:

Eric Northman naked on the Swiss Alps.

At first glimpse and thought, True Blood is a smutty show that is following almost like standard fan-fiction. There's lots of sex, there are people with ridiculous names (seriously....Sookie?,) and the vampire and supernatural elements are all within the grasp. Smell that Twilight fans? Your smut has been delivered. At second glance though, and after giving the show a chance....I came to realize that this is dark. This show cares nothing about happy endings, neat bows, and pretty packaging of vampires. It shows the nitty gritty. What will actually most likely happen to society if vampires existed and decided to 'come out of the coffin.' The realistic human reaction and disgust, along with those who are perfectly in harmony with the idea, is rather interesting. The actors themselves, are each able to capture their character as well. Tara is bossy, funny, and doesn't give a shit. I love Anna Paquin, and she plays Sookie like an annoying child...which is kind of what she is. Bill has humanity in him and is brooding, Jason is an idiot who just screws everything, and Eric is charming, cunning, and dripping of sexy Viking King. Never has a show been this close to what I deem 'good' television. There's a reason my mother only buys HBO during True Blood season, because it's that good.