Anna Paquin & Stephen Moyer sizzle in True Blood
HBO's Original Vampire Series Complete First Season
Nov 6, 2009
They live among us and are all the vogue. Their mythical lore has been noted for centuries throughout ancient Greece and Rome. Yet, the fanged demons mythology wasn’t officially scripted into the literary cannon until the 1800 debut of Johann Tieck’s novel Wake Not the Dead. Nineteen years later, it was John William Polidori’s gothic novella The Vampyre and its Lord Rutven as a supernatural sexual predator that entered sensuality and lust into the equation. Legend has it that the unique twist of literary expression was conceived due to the womanizing ways of Polidori’s best friend poet Lord Byron.
The fires were stoked further as the 1897 Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel romanced the sensuality with the undead as Dracula searched throughout the centuries for his deceased wife. That insatiable sensuality exploded vividly in living color with Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 cinematic adaptation of the namesake tome. The theme of sensuality has been reinforced throughout the ages with Hollywood hunks Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt playing vampiric leads in the 1994 cinematic adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview With A Vampire and now with Robert Pattison in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series.
True Blood The Series
The original HBO series True Blood, based on author Charlane Harris’ writings, is a modern evolution of the vampire trope excitingly entwining desire with mystery. Vampires are out of their coffins, retiring their fangs, and mingling freely among the citizenry thanks to a synthetic blood concoction invented by the Japanese that is bottled and marketed, with all its varying blood types to go, as a beverage called Tru Blood.
This ability to assimilate has endeared the Vampire population to some as they’re sought out for their “other worldly” sex by women and men known as “fang bangers.” The Vampires graciously decorate their victims with bite marks, readily identifying the bangers and exposing them to condemnation.
Integration is an uphill battle: those eager to assimilate are requesting their own Vampire Bill of Rights while religious factions vehemently oppose the “Can we all get along?” lament for the intermingling of species.
What makes this series even more contentious are the forces on both sides that aren’t willing to settle for the status quo. Humans still view Vampires as despicable entities, and die-hard Vampires reject the notion of synthetic blood and mingling among the masses. Venomous thoughts catapulting some to violent actions versus the predatory need to survive renders the living as dangerous as the undead in this backwater Mayberry-esque township of Bon Temps, Louisiana.
The True Blood Cast of Characters
The primary characters are:
- Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a waitress who is also telepathic. The rare ability to read thoughts has made her an outcast in the community and in her own skin. This same ability has given her the opportunity to connect with Bill Compton on a level she has never achieved with anyone else before.
- Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), the genteel Southern gentleman, is the first Vampire to enter Bon Temps with the desire to stake a claim in the community and plant roots. The attraction between him and Sookie fuels the cantankerous pull of love and lust enflaming them.
- Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten) is Sookie’s not-too-bright, blonde eye candy, older brother or, as one character noted, he’s “Sex on a stick.” Over-sexed and reckless, he becomes a suspect in several of the town’s murders.
- Tara Thornton (Rutina Wesley) is Sookie’s best friend who pulls no punches. She is wrestling with demons of her own, tormented by her alcoholic and abusive mother. Tara’s low self-esteem and trust is leading her down a path of unhappiness and loneliness that’s swallowing her whole.
- Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) is the owner of Merlotte’s Bar and Grill where the majority of the town either works or conjugates. He’s madly in love with Sookie who rebuffs him at every turn.
- Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis) isTara’s bodacious cousin whose primary source of income is cooking at Merlotte’s. What he does in his off-hours to fill an economic void and his social life is a show unto itself.
- Six audio commentaries with the cast and crew including: Executive Producer and Creator Alan Ball, Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer
- In Focus: Vampires in America: A mock-u-mentary about vampires in America.
- Tru Blood Beverage Ads
- Vampire Service Ads: Ads for vampire dating, vampire hotels and lawyers that service vampires
- Public Service Announcements: Both pro- and anti-vampire rights
Summary
In this tale of the supernatural, where everyone seems to have a secret, the writing is organic, boldly sprinkling the canvas with humor and authentically buoying these floundering souls.
- Title: True Blood: The Complete First Season
- ,Starring: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Sam Trammell, and Nelsan Ellis
- Running Time: 720 minutes/12 hours
- 12 Episodes/5 Dics
Sources for this article: Vampire Mythos: The Changing Face of Undeath by David Carroll, Hungry for Vampires by Jeff Jensen for Entertainment Weekly (8/7/09)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
