True Blood Review

Fans of Charlaine Harris' southern vampire series already know that Sookie is pronounced Soo-key. It is an old southern word for sister. The character of Sookie is about the only one taken heavily from the books. Vampire Bill, played by Steven Moyers, is the same only in residence, life situation, and accent. Eric needs work. I'm sorry but that's just the way it is! Eric needs to be more like the Eric in the books not some pimped up beefcake. Pam is too hard edged for my tastes but I'm willing to give her some time to mature.

I miss the close friendship between Jason and Hoyt but I do like HBO's Hoyt as a person. Also, I enjoy the relationship between him and his girlfriend.

One of the things I miss in True Blood is the population of Weres. The Were community has been predominant throughout the Sookie novels since "Living Dead in Dallas" and I always enjoyed Sookie's interactions with them. The lack of them is leaving a flat feeling to the series, I think.

Speaking of "Living Dead in Dallas". The Godrick arc of this season took a complete left turn. First, I was completely flummoxed by Jason joining the Fellowship of the Sun. Second, True Blood's Godrick was too innocent! In a nutshell that is my biggest problem with the arc. This arc is radically different than the book series and yet it is almost identical in many ways. I was dissapointed at the lack of Weres to help Sookie solve the case and the True Blood Sookie is not as physical as the book Sookie. (To be honest, I'd like to see Ana Paquin be a little less "southern belle" and more "steel magnolia".) I think the thing that disappointed me the most in the season two arc is that Godrick was not Eric's maker in the books. The True Blood Godrick is trying to bridge the gap between humans and vampires while the southern vampire's Godrick was truly seeking redemption for insanely criminal acts.

Still the story line is powerful, moving, and visually effective. And while I frequently want to shout, "that's not the way it happened!", after several dirty looks from my family I was finally able to shut my mouth and just watch. I did enjoy the show at that point.

Sookie's brother Jason started as a treat for me, then moved to a disappointment, and then became a complete surprise! I absolutely loved his statement about where he found heaven.

I can't really comment on Vampire Bill since I never cared for him in the books and don't care for him in the series. But, I am not impressed with the changes to Sam or Andy Bellefleur. Specifically, Andy being a drunken, redneck, bigot of an idiot does not work for me.

I hope to see more of the book series' plot development incorporated into True Blood though, I do understand that they are two different enterprises. Stil the plot in the books is powerful and moving and the plot of True Blood seems more like a Buffy rip-off than a long running series.

All in all, HBO's True Blood is not the books, though it does borrow heavily from the them. Fans of Ms. Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series will find many disappointments and many pleasant surprises in the show. But it will take fans some time, I think, to fully endorse the series.