Following the success of Twilight's series of abusive-relationship-as-true-love novels for inexperienced teenagers (and many adults too, if my mother is anything to go by), it is easy to see HBO's vampire series True Blood as little more than a cynical cash-in.
What is the show about?
The central premise of the show, which is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries novels by Charlaine Harris, is the burgeoning relationship between Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress in a backwater Louisiana town, and Bill Compton, a vampire who fought in the American Civil War and who has now returned home to Bon Temps to reclaim his ancestral home. So far, so standard girl-meets-vampire story. This is where the fun begins.
Being an HBO program, it was almost inevitable that graphic depictions of sex and gore would be brought to bear on our screens, and True Blood does not hold back. The central plot of the show shifts quickly from 'love at first sight' to discussing the prejudice, intolerance and outright violence suffered by minorities in modern America.
Almost as soon as Bill Compton arrives in Bon Temps, a series of bloody murders begins; murders which the local police are shown as incapable of solving. At least they try, however; other towns' police are depicted as caring very little if vampire sympathisers meet untimely ends.
Vampire Rights
Since a Japanese company invented synthetic blood for medical purposes, the titular "True Blood",Vampires have been drinking it. This in turn lead to a mass 'coming out' of vampires across the United States and now the vampire population is demanding equal rights to the humans they have lived alongside for centuries. Like every other minority before them, however, they are met with revulsion, hatred and even fetishization wherever they turn.
This latter group, derisively called 'fang bangers', are seen as sick perverts by some and simply dismissed by others. In Bon Temps, they are on a hit list for its local serial killer. Vampire Bill is, naturally, the first suspect in the ensuing investigation into the deaths of vampire lovers but when it becomes clear that the local police can't cope, Sookie and her ever-loyal boss Sam Merlotte (who harbours a mysterious past of his own) take it upon themselves to solve the mystery.
The Original Novels
While there are twelve novels and short story collections in the Southern Vampire Mysteries series, the first series of True Blood covers only Dead Until Dark, the first novel. Unlike the book, however, the series attempts to bring depth to the supporting cast. In this respect, the show is far more rounded than the original novel but this comes at the unfortunate price of sometimes slowing the plot to the point where it's possible to forget where the show is supposed to be going.
Sookie's attempts to uncover the serial killer are sometimes put on hold for whole episodes at a time while the show explores her brother's growing addiction to V (as those who use vampire blood like a narcotic call it) or her best friend's attempt to rebuild her relationship with her alcoholic mother. These episodes are brilliantly written and the acting is superb, but they slow the plot down immensely and it can be difficult to look past the idea that they are there solely to pad out an adaptation of a short novel to thirteen hour-long episodes.
Overall, True Blood is a superb (if sometimes unnecessarily graphic) show that successfully combines small-town drama; serious issues of the struggle of minorities; and romance between a small town girl and her minority partner. The scripts are very well written – often mixing humour and drama to great effect – and the acting is never sub-par.
Zoe Kirk-Robinson - Zoë Kirk-Robinson is a freelance writer/artist specialising in legal writing, internet technology and creative writing. She holds a ...
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