First Impressions of True Blood
September 12th, 2008
I’ve never been interested in the extra expense of the premium movie channels, but when I found out that HBO was going to be doing the True Blood series, I had to order. As a result, our cable bill is actually going to be lower due to some promotion. True Blood is based on the Southern Vampire Series by Charlaine Harris. These books were very quick reads, but I really enjoyed them. I had recommended the books to a friend based solely on the cover art, and then she loved them and recommended them to me…you know, based on content. I guess you could say I judged a book by its cover.
The main character, Sookie Stackhouse, is a barmaid in a sleepy Louisiana town who has the ability to read minds. Vampires are coming out of hiding and trying to change their image since the development of a synthetic blood, TruBlood. Sookie is intrigued to encounter her first vampire in the bar, Bill Compton. She’s also fascinated and relieved that she can’t hear his thoughts. It’s love at first bite, er, I mean, sight. The first episode, “Strange Love,” sets up some of the mythology of the series as well as a few of the primary characters.
I’m excited about the show! I had concerns about how the south would be portrayed. I generally hate how Hollywood makes southerners speak with an exaggerated drawl and show everyone as toothless and brainless. Fortunately, I wasn’t annoyed with the portrayal in True Blood. I think that a series like this will definitely be better done by HBO versus a regular network. It’s definitely not for the kiddies!
Oh, and I was amused when we saw Sookie’s grandmother reading one of the books from the Southern Vampire Series.