I love True Blood. I’ve been looking forward to Sunday’s Season 3 premiere all year, dutifully gathering up the breadcrumbs that creator Alan Ball has been dropping over the nine-month hiatus. The show’s gleeful display of bare and bloodied flesh, coupled with its wicked humor, make it my second-favorite show on television (Mad Men retains the top spot so I can continue to feel smug and cultured).
Which leads me to the following question: are we supposed to like Sookie? Ball adapted the show from a series of books that are told from Sookie’s perspective, and yet made True Blood more of an ensemble where the hijinks of Tara, Jason, Jessica, Sam, Lafayette, Eric and Bill are often as important on a weekly basis as whatever Sookie’s mad, sad or horny about. Which is not a complaint – any show that revolves entirely around one character can get tiring. But I also feel as though even though the show began as something of an ensemble, in the past two seasons it has moved increasingly away from having Sookie be its anchoring character. Yet I do feel as though I should, at least, like the female lead of my second-favorite show. At best, I find both the character of Sookie and her storylines entertaining for their sheer ridiculous camp value, but I can’t say that I’ve ever been moved by the character herself – even when she’s tragically wolfing down an entire pecan pie (still one of the show’s weirdest moments, which is saying quite a bit). But, by contrast, I constantly feel sympathy and affection for Sam, the tortured, lovelorn shape-shifter. Or even the unbelievably dim-witted Jason.
I’ve often joked that part of my love for True Blood has to do with the fact that the male eye-candy on the show is far superior to its collection of sexy ladies and that most of the nudity stems from the cast’s collection of brooding supernatural men. But in truth, who in the main female cast are we supposed to relate to, or even find charming? Tara, Sookie and Arlene only seem to be able to handle one emotion at a time and become flighty or hysterical at the drop of a hat.
The addition of Jessica is one rather large saving grace. Jessica, who is one of the few characters not borrowed from the book series, provides added depth and heart as we watch the once-sheltered good girl navigate her terrifying yet exciting transformation into a vampire. And, as ridiculous as that concept is, the show and the actress (Deborah Ann Woll) pull it off wonderfully. Woll’s Jessica is layered, interesting, sweet and strong. She easily could have been another Dawn a la Buffy – a sudden and unwelcome teen addition who hangs off the existing characters like an annoying baby sister. Instead, Jessica is the only female character I consistently like. And no, I’m not forgetting about Kristin Bauer’s Pam who woefully belongs to the supporting cast category because she is not featured nearly enough.
This concern about female representation on the show is not helped by the fact that Season 3 will introduce at least two new female characters – Crystal Norris (Lindsay Pulsipher) and Debbie Pelt (Brit Morgan), both taken from the book series – and without spoiling anything, I don’t see the trend of the angry/horny/crazy ladies ending any time soon.
My hope is that Season 3 sees a softening of Tara, a third facial expression for Anna Paquin, way more Pam and a continuation of the fantastic exploration of Jessica. But, most of all, I’m hoping for a continuation of the combination of bad accents, giddy gore and cheesy humor that makes this show so much fun.
So. Do you guys watch True Blood?
I’ve never liked Sookie’s character. She’s childish and melodramatic and, well, annoying. I’d like to blame it all on the fact that I dislike Anna Paquin, but I don’t think I can. Interestingly, my husband doesn’t mind Sookie’s character, but hates Bill’s. And yet we keep watching…it’s like crack, I swear…
Yeah — I can’t tell if it’s the acting or the writing, but something about Sookie continues to rub me the wrong way. Bill, on the other hand, I find entertainingly melodramatic. Or, y’know, pretty.
I’m just not getting this.
Was this supposed to be at Evil Beet or something?
Agreed. This doesn’t belong on ZL. If you want to discuss your favorite TV show and which characters you do and don’t like, put it on EB or some other appropriate, gossip-oriented blog.
This was my first article, and I’m afraid my intention didn’t come across as well is it could or should have — so sorry about that. The point was meant to be that I was concerned both about the fact that the character of Sookie seems intentionally unlikeable and that the show seems to slowly be moving away from making her the central figure. My concern, I guess, was that on one of the rare shows on television that has a female in the lead spot, both of these factors made the show a bit of a problem for me, as much as I like it.
I really like True Blood. When I was younger I read some of Anne Rice’s novels, so this is a bit like a more relateable version in a way. I like the production value, the cinemaphotography is pretty good. I’m also a fan of soapopera-esque storylines which keep you as hooked as this show does. Actually, abroad the everyday soaps are far superior in writing, acting, production, etc than those in the states- so I don’t want to confuse anyone I am being pejorative when I say TrueBlood is like a soap haha- becasue I watch a couple german and english soaps regularly. My film professors pick on me for it :)
I don’t think liking soapy shows makes you less of an intellectual. I’m passionate about 19th century American literature, but my brain appreciates having a break now and then. lol.
I -love- the books. I also loved the first season of Tru Blood. I don’t, however, like the way they’ve changed the progression. The first season was pretty much the entire first book. I know that, like movies, a television show from a book isn’t going to be the exact same. The tv show Flash Forward for example was basically a whole different story, except for the fact that at some point the whole world blacked out and saw into the future at the same time.
I guess I just felt that the books were so good, why fix what ain’t broken? Especially since they pretty much based the whole first season off the first book. It kind of ruined things for me when they changed the sequencing.
Also, forgot to say, the Sookie in the books is different than the Sookie in the show. I definitely liked the books perspective, from Sookie’s point of view, rather than the whole cast’s points of view.
I really don’t like the character of Sookie at all. I’m a huge book lover and I tried to read the books before I started watching the first season. I found that halfway through the first book, I couldn’t take it anymore. I’ll admit that the Sookie in the show is quite deeper then the Sookie in the one book I read, but I could hardly stand to read about her going around like nothing was the matter and her life was perfect when her gran died or when she found out Sam was a shifter. So, while I’ll admit that Sookie in the show may not be as well written as Jessica, she is a far far cry from the everything-is-perfect-and-always-will-be-no-matter-what-terrible-things-happen-in-my-life Sookie from the book that didn’t feel anything.
I fell in love with the books years ago and was thrilled to hear about HBO picking up TrueBlood. Season 1, I loved. Even though the series doesn’t follow the books to the letter, I loved it. It’s so electric and crazy. However, that being said….Season 2. SUCKED. WTF? Why not just call it the Maryanne Show and be done with it? The whole “vibrating” thing when she’s mad, the black eyes…don’t even get me started on Tara and Eggs…nauseating. The best part of Season 2 was when Jason shot Eggs in the head. So I’m waiting with bated breath for Season 3. There’s nowhere to go but up, right?? More Pam, more Eric!
I completely agree. Season 1 was great…season 2, not so much. I’m hoping season 3 will be better.
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I have to disagree…
Granted that I watched the TV show before I read the books, I think that the TV show gives a great amount of depth to the characters and the storylines. I love the books as well, but you have to admit, they’re rather shallow as far as characters and plots go. I think that the combination of the changes in cannon, the added importance of Tara and Lafayette, and the perspective of other characters makes it overall a more compelling story.
There is a reason besides the good looking actors and the sex that makes us all tune in every week.
I hate that show – everyone on it seems to have forgotten to wash their hair for a week or two.
They all need a scrubdown.
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