True Blood, Season 1: Once Bitten, Twice Shy

One part small town murder mystery, one part paranormal romance, and quirky comedy to taste – “True Blood” is a delicious cocktail of genres.

The show’s title comes from the name of a synthetic blood beverage that has allowed vampires to come out of the coffin and rock it among the living. I think you know what that means. Hot girl on vampire action and pla-enty of it, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

One such bloodsucker has recently moved to the tiny burg of Bon Temps, Louisiana, home of a telepathic waitress slash blond bombshell by the name of Sookie Stackhouse. That rascally vamp’s name? Bill. Vampire Bill Compton. Coincidentally (or is it!?) a string of young female residents start turning up murdered. Who the hell done it?

Alan Ball’s vampire series came with a wide range of high expectations, both as Ball’s follow up to “Six Feet Under” and as the adaptation of Charlaine Harris’ bestselling Sookie Stackhouse series. Rabid fans of each had wildly different expectations. The possibilities seemed endless. Would this be an HBO version of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer?” (Fun fact: Ball claims to have never watched the Joss Whedon series.) Would it lean to the quirky or scary side?

TV Casualties Rating:

Created by: Alan Ball

Starring: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Ryan Kwanten

Season Premiere: 09/07/08

DVD Release: 05/19/09

Nielsen Rating: 2.4 million viewers

Metacritic Score: 64/100

The biggest question for fans of the books: Who would play heroine/narrator Sookie? Oscar winner Anna Paquin landed the role to a mixed reaction. She had the reputation, though she wasn’t much of a match in the blond bombshell department. How’d she do?

Not great, unfortunately. Paquin plays Sookie a little too airheaded and lacks the charisma to carry the series the way the character does in the books. Don’t get me wrong, I would happily forgive the mismatch in looks in exchange for a strong performance. She doesn’t deliver. She’s so uncharismatic, in fact, that she often borders on unlikable.

Conversely, Stephen Moyer brings an understated charm to Vampire Bill. There is a lot of subtle humor in his drawn out delivery, which is a far cry from Paquin’s pouting and yelling.

Whether that’s a bad acting choice or bad writing is certainly questionable, though. All of the female characters often come off as shrill and irrational, while the men get the bulk of the funny lines and are generally more generous. The second most likable character after Bill is Sookie’s dimwitted hornball brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten.) Despite the fact that he’s a selfish, womanizing prick, he grows into one of the most sympathetic characters and the primary source of comedy. The writers aren’t nearly so inspired when writing for the girls.

Similarly, the murder mystery is mishandled. The basic plot elements follow the book faithfully enough, but the pacing is erratic and suspense is practically non-existent. The dramatic reveals weren’t.

On the other hand, the show pulls off the spooky deep south atmosphere well. From Bill’s decrepit yet distinguished house to a bevy of mossy exterior locations, it all looks pretty kick ass.

“True Blood” also makes for a weird juxtaposition of lighthearted humor and graphic sex scenes that come pretty damn close to raunch-o-rama.

So what does that all add up to? Honestly, I’m still not sure how I feel. I am curious to see where the second season (premiers June 14th) will go, which must be a good sign. Maybe what happens next will ultimately cement my feelings about season one.

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