True Blood

[Hemiola]

So, I guess I'll start this.

I think it has potential. Anna Paquin is certainly yummy, and she plays an intriguing character (a mortal who is also telepathic, telekinetic, etc.), The other roles seem well cast, and the parts they play are interesing.

As for the story, it seems full of metaphors. The vamps are, as would be expected, the "Other", so people talk about them as if they were Blacks, Jews, Homosexuals, etc. And all this appears to be on top of some kind of murder mystery.....

Anyway, I intend to stick with it, at least for a while. It would be nice if one or both of our two favorite witches just happen to put in an appearance.

[seurat]

We can dream about that appearance anyway, right? I liked it too. Don't recall seeing the telekinetic part though, maybe I need to watch it again. Certainly not a show for kids though, is it? Pretty clear why they didn't try to do it on network tv. I like Paquin, and the Grandma is fun. I'll certainly watch a few more.

[werewolf123]

spoiler question for people who have not read the books?




[spoiler]Sookie is an elf in the later books?[/spoiler]

[Hemiola]

Re: telekinesis -- cf. the part where Sookie throws the chain around the male "drainer's" neck and then tightens it with her mind.

[seurat]

*slaps forehead* Of course, she did. That should be interesting. Maybe she won't need help to get out of the final scene problem. (Which I would prefer to having her rescued by the vamp or her boss.) The show seems to have got a very good response, let's hope it stays good and lasts a while.

[Hemiola]

As expected, Sookie was indeed rescued by Will, yet it was still an interesting episode, since we got more information about both characters (Sookie's childhood and some of the "rules" for vamps in this universe [interesting that they maintained the "needs-an-invitation" rule!] ). Anyway, it looks like we're going to find out next week that there are nasty vamps as well as nice ones!

Did anyone else notice that the actor playing the county coroner/funeral director was none other than our old friend Dr. Phlox from "Enterprise"?

[Culzean]

Thank you!!!

I was trying to place the actor who played the coroner.

Did you notice the camera focused, for just a second, on a painting of a dog? I am guessing it's a portrait of the stray dog who hangs around the bar. I'm just not sure who it is when it isn't a dog.

[seurat]

Yeah, I thought they handled the "rescue" quite well, since she got to fight back with her powers first, and he only arrived to heal her and not to do the fighting. Although he did take care of them immediately after of course. I like how openly they talked about that, no pretense that she disapproved only that he should be more careful to make it look accidental. I'm actually not convinced those end vamps are bad, or at least that they will actually harm her. I think it might be they are having some fun with her. I'm sure they have the word already she is a) a friend and b) not entirely human. We'll see. The dog fascinates me. Glad to see the brother is not the murderer, that would have deep sixed the character entirely. I still don't like him mind you. I didn't recognize that actor at all without all his alien makeup. The voice should have given it away though. Very good show.

[Culzean]

I thought Bill did rescue Sookie. I thought he was moving really, really fast.

That was Sookie? Cool.

[seurat]

Yeah, Sookie tossed them around with her mind. I went back to doublecheck and also went to the forums to confirm. Which also led me to the info that the show has already been renewed for a second season. Seems the ratings for the second ep were way up.

[Hemiola]

So, as I wrote above, there are indeed nasty vamps who refure to, as they said, "tow the party line". It's worth noting that Will could only save Sookie from them by telling them that she was "his". Will practically confirmed that vamps probably murdered the hostile preacher-type.

There's no way around it, Sookie's brother is a moron.

I'm not sure where the Tara story is supposed to be going. I wonder what relevance it has to the rest of the plot?

Finally, there can be no doubt that the town is the hunting ground of a serial killer, but it's not necessarily a vamp! It'll be interesting to find out who it is.

[seurat]

Yep, they were definitely bad vamps. See, I was hoping they would do something a bit cleverer than that, but it was still ok. I can't stand Sookie's brother and fail to understand why anyone would like him, but I guess we're stuck with him since I don't think he's the killer. Sorry to see Dawn killed off, I quite liked her. Grandma is great, and Tara is growing on me, although you're right about her plotline so far. Boss barks in his sleep? Aha.

ETA: I did like the brother's line about needing Buffy or Blade in town. Certainly would liven up the show. And Tara's friend is a hoot.

[Hemiola]

A good and sometimes amusing episode last night (9/28).

As painful as the situation was, Jason's problem was funny. An excellent satire on those "if you have an erection lasting more than four hours" commercials.

The visit of Sookie and Will to the vamp bar was interesting. "Fangtasia" is clearly derived from the vampire bar in the old "Forever Knight" series. I wonder how old Eric actually is (from his appearance, maybe a viking??)..

The encounter with the State Trooper was also interesing--a good example of Will's "glamour" power.

I am now really starting to wonder who the serial killer is, a "bad" vamp or a perverted human?

[seurat]

Ok, how creepy was that last scene with Sam rolling around sniffing the murdered girl's bed? Majorly creepy would be my answer. Really liked the Fangtasia stuff. Enjoyed Sookie's reactions and thought the casting was very good there, especially liked the female vamp who did the biting. Tara's thing for Jason was somewhat explained in her flashback, so perhaps he does have redeeming qualities. Very few of them I suspect, but whatever. We haven't mentioned how spot on the music choices have been so far, like Don't Fear the Reaper playing in the vamp bar. Awesome.

[Culzean]

Sam rolling around on the bed looked just like a dog after catching a scent. I thought he imitated my old shepherd-mix pretty well, actually.

So, is Sam a shapeshifter? He greeted the town stray as "My brother."

Bill and the trooper was kind of funny, but I can't imagine that vampires can intimidate cops and get away with it. Not a smart political move.

[seurat]

It wasn't that he was rolling around on a bed in that clearly doggylike way, it was that he was doing it on the bed of the girl who had just been murdered. And maybe he killed her. That's creepy.

Meanwhile I also liked the scene where the townsfolk are atanding around discussing the murder and deciding on what to drink. Very smalltown like I thought, and since this was the first script not written by the show creator, it was good to see the other writers can sustain the quality. (or one of them anyway.)

[Hemiola]

Last night's episode was important, in that

1. We got to learn how Will became a vampire...sad.
2. Merlotte made his first move on Sookie. How will Will react?
3. Looks like Jason is going to become a "V" addict and
4. The horrific ending, which makes me think that[spoiler]The killer is most likely a vamp-hating human, since he would probably have thought of the grandmother as a "vamp-lover" and the two women as "species traitors" [/spoiler]

In any event, can't wait to see next week's episode!

Edited to add: I forgot to mention my favorite line--

Little Girl: Mama, he's so white!
Mother: No, Darlin'. We're white, he's dead.

[seurat]

I'm not sure you really need to protect that with spoiler tags, since you're just guessing and don't have any insider knowledge. At any rate, you may be on the right track. I have a suspect in mind now, and it isn't Will.

I was shocked and saddened by the end of the ep, I will really miss that character. Anyway, whoever or whatever did it better watch out because the gloves are off now. We will see how powerful a really angry vengeful Sookie can be. Personally I wouldn't want to be nearby.

Fave line of the night": ...freaks. And people from Arkansas.." Must be an inside joke behind that one.

Will's background story was heartbreaking, just beautifully done. And the scene of the two officers in His house was priceless. ( I think I left my pen in there. *mives back as if to get it. * Just leave it.)

[Hemiola]

A sad episode last night (10/12)...

I truly feel sorry for Sookie, whose "gift" really can be a curse, as the funeral scene demonstrated. In her despair, she decided to give herself to
Will, which I fear will lead to bad consequences.....

I feel a lot less sympathey for Jason, who really seems to be a "trashy" individual.

And that dog...that dog...definitely wondering who (and not what) it is.

[seurat]

Yes, that ep didn't go in the direction I was expecting at all. Not to say that's a bad thing, but I expected a lot more investigation oif the crime and Sookie getting directly involved in it. It was a moving ep, but I kind of wished they had waited until later in the season to do it, when it would have been even stronger. No great lines for me this week, I think this is the third different script writer in the last three ep's and the first one where I felt it could have been better. Loved the acting though, and the direction and photography. So sad, though. I won't rewatch this one. Oh, and the dog (?) rules.

[Hemiola]

Last night's (10/19) episode certainly showed to what extent Bill is willing to look after Sookie by his "taking care of" Uncle Bartlett. I doubt very much that Bill is one of the four vamps killed in the vigilante attack, but I do wonder who is in the 4th coffin. It is interesting how the behavior of the vigilantes very much echoes that of the old racist "night riders"

Jason was once again unintentionally funny trying to hook up with the new-agey Amy--seems like "V" is a little bit like LSD under certain circumstances.

As for the exorcism scene, I know that opossums aren't generally counted in the ranks of "cute" animals, but I still found the drowning of one of our only native marsupials highly disturbing. :(

[seurat]

I'm late getting to this one since I've been off sick a couple of days, but I did get to see the ep and thought it was pretty good. A little more to enjoy in this one, even though I spent the brief drowning scene saying to myself, just a tv show, just a tv show, the possum is fine. I really enjoyed Amy and hope she sticks around and doesn't come to a bad end. I'm also guite sure Bill isn't dead - let me rephrase that - he wasn't burnt to a cinder in the fire. Yes, they are clearly drawing paralells here to the Civil Rights Movement all over the place, which is fine by me. No harm in reminding people of our recent history, especially in light of some of the anti-Obama rants I've seen on line lately. Perhaps the past isn't quite as past as I'd hoped.

[Hemiola]

So Bill isn't dead--I told ya so Likewise, in spite of the cliffhanger ending, I'm quite sure that nothing happens to Sookie, since without her there's no story. I fear that there may be some consequences to her "deal" with Eric.

A pity, though, I was really starting to like Amy--too bad she seems to be just a nasty "drainer" (like those Rattrays in the first couple of episodes). And I really kinda felt sorry for the hapless vamp victim who was Lafayette's supplier (at least they had an "arrangement").

I wonder if Tara is really going to get herself exorcised; I wonder if it will really help...,

Regarding your excellent remarks about prejudice, did you notice Arlene's reaction when she saw that Bill would be watching her kids along with Sookie?

[werewolf123]

I would not trust Bill around children either. Even with Sookie sitting beside him , it was touch and go with the sheriff. If an adult wants to pal around with Bill,what happens is on them.
I think of Bill like he was a badly trained pit bull. They can be friendly, "good dogs" but they can turn in a second and do a lifetime of damage before anyone can react.

If I had to choose between Dexter or Bill to watch some children,I would pick Dexter. I would consider either choice to be insane though.

[seurat]

I actually thought this last ep dragged a little bit in places, so although it had some good bits and a thrilling ending, it doesn't rank as one of my favorites. I'm quite sure Sookie will be fine, and will have made herself even more valuable in the "sheriff's" eyes. Which may not be a good thing of course. It may be time for Tara to get exorcised or something, because she's becoming a real drag to watch. And it looks like nature boy is busted.

I too am sorry to see the direction they went with Amy, they could have used a halfway decent person in the show. Alan Ball is a wicked talent, but he doesn't give you very many people to root for in his shows That was always my biggest complaint about Six Feet Under. It's a good thing I really like Sookie. I loved the floor cleaning scene and the flashback to her Grandma's death. On the other hand I could have lived withouht the graveyard sex scene. I get it already, she digs him (pun intended, forgive me.) I actually liked the stuff with the kids and the babysitting attempt. Would I leave any kids I was responsible for with Bill or Dexter? Talk about damned if you do and damned if you don't...

[Hemiola]

OH MAH GAWD!!!!! So Sam is a "weredog"--that certainly explains a lot of what went on in the previous episodes! It looks like Sookie's world is filled with a lot more supernatural creatures than just vampires. Anyway, a shapeshifter that turns into a likeable pooch certainly seems much more appealing than a werewolf! (BTW, kudos to whoever trains the dog--I loved the animal turning away while Sookie was disrobing. It makes one wonder if Sam maintains his human-ness while in dog form.)

As for the Sookie/Bill storyline, of course he had to save her. His "sentence" seems rather harsh. but there must some way he can get out of it (maybe an appeal to a "higher" vamp authority?).

It will be interesting to see if Tara uses Sam's money and gets herself exorcised.

Jason may be a moron, but he obviously has a core of decency. Maybe he will set the poor captive vampire free. I certainly agree with the vamp's take on Amy: she's a psychopath. Hey, maybe she's the serial killer!

Damn--only three episodes left.

[seurat]

A much better ep, I've already watched parts of it twice. The very graphic death of the vamp was actually quite shocking, and I liked the sequence of Amy and Jason on V. Pretty good visual effects there. I'm still not sure what to think of Amy, she certainly isn't a conventional villain. When she's not jonesing for V she seems rational and likeable. Or maybe I'm just willing her to be half decent because I like the actress.

Lots to be explained and explored re. weredog or natureboy as I still like to call him. I'm sure he retains much of his human identity whle he is in that dog form. Obviously he doesn;t have full control though since he changes back at unfortunate times. Tara still bugs me, if she has a demon then half of the annoying cruds I.ve ever met have one too. But fine, if they want it to be a demon inside her so be it, as long as she stops being such a pain.

My favorite little scene is the one where the cop shows his petulance at being reminded that he always orders the exact same thing, but ends up ordering it any way. That was perfect. Sorry to hear we only get three more this year, but at least we know the show is comng back.

[Hemiola]

So Sam prefers to call himself a "shapeshifter"--apparently he can change into other things besides a dog. Furthermore, there are "class distinctions" among shapeshifters: it seems that werewolves don't rate!
Anyway, I guess this means that, as in BtVS, we will eventually meet a bunch of witches, demons, and other assorted supernatural creatures from different world mythologies. This seems to forecast problems for Sookie, since even though she has "special" powers, she's not a "Slayer".

It's a real pity that Tara met up with the exorcism lady in the drugstore. I had high hopes that the "procedure" would work for her as it did for her mother. I hope she doesn't tell her mother the truth. And just who was that woman she nearly ran into when she was driving away from the party? Some lady with a hog???

It looks like Amy showed her true colors: she had no hesitation about staking poor helpless Eddie the vampire. She gets my vote as the possible serial killer. BTW, does anyone know the name of the pretty and skilled actress who plays Amy?

Finally I felt really sorry for both Bill and the innocent young girl he was forced to "bring over". The sadistic bastard of a judge truly showed that he had been part of the Inquisition (interesting that he was called "Magister", a Latin word from which we get our English word magistrate)--maybe once the girl becomes a vamp, she'll go after him!

Did I ever mention how much I enjoy the theme song to this series?
"I don't know who you think you are,
But before the night is through,
I wanna do bad things with you."
Is this an existing country song or was it written specially for this show??

[seurat]

Ok, questions and answers first. Amy is Lizzy Kaplan who I know from the film Cloverfield but has also done a fair bit of tv. She seems to be doing mostly movies now, so I sense she won't be on the show next year. After what Amy did at the end of this ep, she will likely either be gone after the next ep no matter whether she turns out to be the serial killer or not. Still really like Kaplan though and she is doing a great job, the scene in the washroom with Jason was some great understated and effective acting.

The theme song is by Jace Everett who you can find over at www.jaceeverett.com

The ep was another winner, too bad Tara's cure didn't last because I still find her insufferable. The scene of Bill "making" the girl was spectacular and I agree we'll probably be seeing more of her. I enjoyed our shapeshifter's reveal,although the flashbacks were a little clunky. And I loved the scene where Jason is reminded that he isn't immune to the trouble that hit everyone around him. The secondary characters continue to be strong, in this ep the Irag veteran and the fiance both had excellent moments. One of my top five shows right now, too bad there are only two more episodes this season.

[Hemiola]

Well, so much for my theory about Amy being the killer! And of course Andy's got the wrong guy again since Jason was clearly out of it when the crime took place. IMO, this leaves two possible candidates: Hoyt and Rene. I know they seem unlikely, but consider that they are the only ones to whom Jason told his secret to. I guess we'll find out next week .

Of course Bill and Sookie will get back together, but it was still startling to see her "rescind" her invitation, and to watch Bill be forced to back out of the house! Even more surprising was the behavior of the newly created vampire, the young Jessica. I wonder if Bill and Eric will be able to control her (and I certainly hope that Bill won't get blamed for any problems with her--after all he was forced to make her!).

Finally, am I mistaken, or is "Ms. Forrester" the very same woman with the pig that Tara almost ran into?