Bloody Good

Yesterday while exploring one of the new highway clogging malls along LDP, Tropicana Mall, I found this series in a DVD pirate joint. I have read about it before, from the creator of one of my favourite TV series, Six Feet Under, Alan Ball. A series about vampires set two years after "coming out of the coffin" due to the invention of artificial blood. With no need to feed on humans anymore, vampires now live in the open. The premise, unfortunately resembles the recent stupid vampire movie, Twilight which had fan girls frothing and orgasming at the same time, a romance between a human and a vampire. The only difference is, under the creative direction of Alan Ball, True Blood becomes a masterful piece of storytelling, if you don't mind the often distracting graphic sex scenes and nudity. Hell, even the title sequence is crammed with 18SX rated visuals, so I think you wouldn't be seeing this on local TV anytime soon. But you can take some pointers from here Miss Meyer, that you don't need an over-the-top good looking vampire from your wet dreams to a hold a story. Seriously, sparkling vampires?

I digress, the series is based on the Sookie Stackhouse book series by Charlaine Harris. That's right, the protagonist has the kooky name Sookie Stackhouse (played by Academy Award winner Anna Paquin), who happens to be a telepath. Due to her abilities she finds herself unable to have a normal relationship, which brings her close to a vampire named Bill Compton who walks into the bar where she works as a waitress one night. Bill who is undead has no brainwaves, which makes his thoughts silent to Sookie - a match made in Heaven. Though the awkward romance between the two takes centerstage in the series, what makes it move are the colourful supporting characters set in the fictional redneck Louisiana town, Bon Temps. Sookie's boss, Sam Merlotte, who also happens to harbour romantic feelings for her is a closet shape-shifter, her best friend, Tara Thornton is believed to be contaminated by demons, and her brother, Jason is a horny womanizer and spent most of the first few episodes with his clothes off in often graphically simulated sex scenes. I have only watched four episodes and I am already loving it. Unfortunately it is still in its first season. Oh well, there is always House MD and Grey's Anatomy to distract me in the wait.