According to a well-known social media site, I am one of 92,463 people who all love the same thing: True Blood.
TrueBloodHBO currently has 92,463 followers on Twitter (87,059 when I started writing this post pre-Glastonbury on the 21st June, two weeks ago) and that number is set to rise due to the overwhelming response that Season 3 has received so far. The Season 3 premiere was broadcast on Sunday, 13th June and the Associated Press said that a massive 5.9 million people watched it.
After a friend suggested I watch it, I looked up the synopsis and had a nosey on Wikipedia about the original book series, The Southern Vampire Mysteries, by Charlaine Harris. I realised that the books could have been written especially for me: it seemed a tailor-made adaptation of my favourite fantasy elements.
To help you understand, this is why I knew True Blood would be right up my proverbial street:
- I’ve done a degree in English and one of my favourite modules was Theories and Monsters in which I learnt all about Dracula and Frankenstein. My other favourite module was Arthurian Adaptations, which leads me on to my second point…
- If anything is related to the words “King Arthur”, “castle” or “magic”, I am bound to love it. The legend of King Arthur is one of my favourite stories. Anything mystical rocks my boat.
- Vampires are fascinating. The whole premise of a blood-sucking monster should be disturbing; vampires were created as a personification of humanity’s nightmare – an evil being feeding on our very life essense. However, through imaginative and elaborative retellings, modern vampires have become seductive and intriguing. To an extent, they always have been.
So, did True Blood live up to my expectations? A thousand times: “yes”. I raced through Seasons 1 and 2 quicker than you can say “I heart Edward Cullen”. True Blood is exciting, sexy and dangerous and I love it.
I own True Blood series 1 and 2 on DVD and I’m hoping that by the time I’ve watched every single episode on every single disk and laughed along at the special features that Season 3 will be on its way to a HMV or WH Smith near me. I could be exceedingly naughty and watch it online but such a fast-paced and gripping show demands high quality.
I love Sookie’s innocence, Bill’s silent brooding and the way Eric is so deliciously naughty. I admit that I too am rather fond of the way Bill says “Suu-keh”. What I love most though is the in-depth history behind the storyline; the flashbacks and narrative from other characters which reveal the dark past of each character and what really happened when the vampires “came out the coffin”.
There is an intricate story running throughout each episode, but it is the hidden touches within each episode which really make True Blood stand out. The painting of a dog and blonde girl in Sam’s office, the portrait of a vampiric George Bush biting the Statue of Liberty in Fangtasia, the distressed wallpaper in Bill’s house: all these delicious extras are the result of a fantastic production designer.
The script and storyline are exciting but all the juicy phrases, take “fangbanger” for instance, must be credited to the original book series. While the writers and producers of True Blood are definitely worthy of praise, it is Charlaine Harris’s writing and original story which deserves the highest commendation and I will endeavour to read them soon.
While it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, I am definitely a Truebie and would recommend people who enjoy the fantasy genre to watch at least one show. The box set is rated 18 so I would give this word of advice: if you’re not a fan of sex, drugs and fangs n’ swearing, then maybe stick to something a little more tame…
Cinematic Delights 
Leave a Reply