true blood
just running through because i'm not done with the series yet but wanted to get down these few quick thoughts...
i bought the dvd of season one of true blood (p.s. Barnes & Noble is a price-gouger! 69.95 at B&N; 49.95 at Target)
- note I'm a fan of the book series and you know what usually follows that kind of comment: "the books are so much better. they didn't get it right. they've left really important shite out. blah blah blah"
- that hinted at I'll say...
they got it right. in so many ways. i'm on episode 7 so maybe it will tank from here but... so far it's a great series that stays true to the basic concept of the book series
the casting is SUPERB
the guy playing Sam? physically fantastic. Sam in the books is a little more blonde but otherwise - damn, dead on
the guy playing Bill? again, damn, dead on (even though it's hard to like the guy knowing what I know from further down the series - he's supposed to be her hero here, kim, so shut up with the knowing stuff!)
Arlene is smack on and I'm intrigued to see if she metamorphisizes in the same way she has in the books
Pam? Fantastic! I mean dead on with that air of sophistication, the subtle hints at her sexuality, combined with hard-headedness that is oozing in - plus she looks "just like Pam" to me
Jason? Pretty damned fantastic
And as for Sookie? Well when I realized it was Anna Paquin - noticed that on the box before watching - I thought "oh, hell no. Anna Paquin as Sookie?" But, after watching the series? I forget she is Anna Paquin - I forget Anna Paquin is a brunette - I forget she ISN'T Sookie. She's great. Maybe her boobs could be bigger but that is the only comment I'm making :)
I don't like the guy who they cast as Eric. Is he hot? Yeah, I guess so. But not hot ENOUGH. Okay, no one could be hot enough, so I'll give 'em that...
They have definitely changed some roles
Lafayette just isn't that important in the books - but I won't go into the whole BIG "Why" because I'm betting they'll opt to change that
Tara isn't black. That's right - Tara is a white chick with Southern Hair who hangs at Fangtasia and owns a store called "Tara's Togs" and who was not Sookie's best friend since pre-puberty - but know what? I totally love this Tara. She's a great character and I can see why they changed her - they use her as a foil for Sookie to express out loud much of what only occurs in Sookie's head in the books. So Bravo on changing Tara.
They left out Bubba. Pout. This is a rockin'-sockin' character who is really a fun addition to the series, but maybe they didn't want to go into the whole "Elvis" thing. Too bad as he has a minor 'integral" role in several of the books.
Additional things
They are doing a great job with the hinting at stuff. Having read the series and KNOWING certain things to be true, its REALLY fun to see how they weave the details in. Masterful.
The best - for me - so far is "Sam's Secret" - LOVING IT; everything from the 'dog that hangs around at the bar', to the self-same dog mysteriously showing up certain places to watch Sookie, the dog standing with Bill to watch Sookie's house, Sookie's reference to Sam's brain-waves, Sam running buck-nekkid through the swamp... Oh, Sam "barking in his sleep". Hee hee hee. So fun. Even with the red-herring of Sam having a dog that he plays with, this is just so fun.
Knowing that there are 9 books in this series (to date) - and realizing season one on HBO is only the first book - wow, they have a lot of material to work with.
Wonder if Jason's Arc is going to follow the same? (Right now they've added the addiction issue so who knows)
The way they are treating Sam's Arc is interesting too - in the books you always get an inkling that he likes Sookie but it is never the out-there in-your-face thing that they are representing in the series. I can see why they are doing it - there is additional interest in the love-triangle/conflict between Sam and Bill, but just the same it is a considerable departure from the books. As they have moved up the timetable on this story I don't have a Danged Clue where it could possibly morph too. Well, that's a reason to stay tuned, right?
Tara's Arc MUST change as Tara is a totally different character.
And Lafayette? Well, that I am very curious about. Will they? Or Won't They? I will say no more (except i really like his character too, the guy who plays the character, and how he is played).
They are laying the ground work for other stories - most obviously by referencing Hadley - so I see this having legs. Here's hoping!
Ending the comments -
for those of you who may have said "i'm not sure if i want to watch another HBO series that is all about inserting the gratuitous sex" (you know who you are!) - the sex is not gratuitious or in your face. The whole series isn't peppered with sex. What is there actually was in the books (well, a little more but... it is representative) and almost all of it cycles around Jason whose character is a total horn-dog in the books (and needs to be for character growth and development and as a foil for Sookie's virginity - yes her VIRGINITY which she does retain in the series). I will add this caveat - sex is definitely depicted in the books (throughout the series) but it is not the central element like, say, in Laurell Hamilton's Anita Baker series.
Back to watching the dvds!