True Ambivalence
Ok, so what's the deal with this new HBO series "True Blood?" Do I love it? Do I hate it? Perhaps a bit of both?
I must say, when I heard that Alan Ball (creator of Six Feet Under, an awesome show) was making a new series about vampires, I was pretty interested. Of course, I don't have HBO, so finding it online has been a challenge. But anyway...back to my rant.
The first episode sucked. (no pun intended)
Sookie Stackhouse? Really? That wouldn't be so bad in itself (yes I know, these are based on books) if it weren't for the fact that serial killer/molester-looking-ish Vampire Bill didn't always pronounce her name as "Sucky." (hopefully no pun intended) This is really annoying. How can I get interested in a potential romance when the guy keeps calling her "Sucky?" And has the most irritating looking vampire teeth I've seen since that one cheesy episode of the "X-Files?" And whose skin tone is practically green? And who, by the way, comes across as a total, boring wuss?
Ok yeah, I get that she likes him because she doesn't hear his thoughts (her being psychic and all, which is a bit of a weird addition to the storyline if you ask me), but from the blank and souless expressions he makes I'm wagering that there isn't much to hear.
But then, daylight comes. And joy of joys, Bill goes away to sleep under a house or something. Finally I can enjoy the show...which, without Bill, is actually pretty good. I love Sookie's best friend Tara, especially after the recast. At first I was like "Oh great, another stereotypical African-American female character with a total 'tude;" but now I actually think she is the most interesting character on the whole show. The scenes between her and her mother made my heart hurt, and I appreciate her toughness much more now that I know the vulnerability that lies beneath. Ladies and gentleman, we have a three-dimensional character in the house.
Admittedly, I think Sam is kind of dreamy. Not sure if I could call him three-dimensional yet, but at least he has that unrequited love thing going for him, which always jacks up the interest points with me. He and Tara are definitely my faves. I don't want "perfect" Mary Sues (AKA Bill), I want real characters, damn it! I think Micheal Slezack, writer for EW.com's PopWatch is dead on the mark in his review of the show. Of the character Bill, he writes:
"[...]despite having apparently lived through the disco era, the Reagan years, and the fabulous '90s, [Bill] still utters groaners like, 'May I call on you sometime?' Come on!"
Indeed.
Episode 6 made me like Sookie more. The part where she finally cried over her grandmother while eating pie was, while a little cheesy because it was so obvious she wasn't really crying, pretty powerful. Most everything up to that point was pretty powerful, and the direction reminded me of why I had liked Six Feet Under. I think Alan Ball is a talented man, but OH MAN. What was he thinking in casting Bill?
So now I am stuck in a weird place...liking a show but absolutely despising the main character and any scenes with him in them.
Hmm.
I must say, when I heard that Alan Ball (creator of Six Feet Under, an awesome show) was making a new series about vampires, I was pretty interested. Of course, I don't have HBO, so finding it online has been a challenge. But anyway...back to my rant.
The first episode sucked. (no pun intended)
Sookie Stackhouse? Really? That wouldn't be so bad in itself (yes I know, these are based on books) if it weren't for the fact that serial killer/molester-looking-ish Vampire Bill didn't always pronounce her name as "Sucky." (hopefully no pun intended) This is really annoying. How can I get interested in a potential romance when the guy keeps calling her "Sucky?" And has the most irritating looking vampire teeth I've seen since that one cheesy episode of the "X-Files?" And whose skin tone is practically green? And who, by the way, comes across as a total, boring wuss?
Ok yeah, I get that she likes him because she doesn't hear his thoughts (her being psychic and all, which is a bit of a weird addition to the storyline if you ask me), but from the blank and souless expressions he makes I'm wagering that there isn't much to hear.
But then, daylight comes. And joy of joys, Bill goes away to sleep under a house or something. Finally I can enjoy the show...which, without Bill, is actually pretty good. I love Sookie's best friend Tara, especially after the recast. At first I was like "Oh great, another stereotypical African-American female character with a total 'tude;" but now I actually think she is the most interesting character on the whole show. The scenes between her and her mother made my heart hurt, and I appreciate her toughness much more now that I know the vulnerability that lies beneath. Ladies and gentleman, we have a three-dimensional character in the house.
Admittedly, I think Sam is kind of dreamy. Not sure if I could call him three-dimensional yet, but at least he has that unrequited love thing going for him, which always jacks up the interest points with me. He and Tara are definitely my faves. I don't want "perfect" Mary Sues (AKA Bill), I want real characters, damn it! I think Micheal Slezack, writer for EW.com's PopWatch is dead on the mark in his review of the show. Of the character Bill, he writes:
"[...]despite having apparently lived through the disco era, the Reagan years, and the fabulous '90s, [Bill] still utters groaners like, 'May I call on you sometime?' Come on!"
Indeed.
Episode 6 made me like Sookie more. The part where she finally cried over her grandmother while eating pie was, while a little cheesy because it was so obvious she wasn't really crying, pretty powerful. Most everything up to that point was pretty powerful, and the direction reminded me of why I had liked Six Feet Under. I think Alan Ball is a talented man, but OH MAN. What was he thinking in casting Bill?
So now I am stuck in a weird place...liking a show but absolutely despising the main character and any scenes with him in them.
Hmm.