I was determined to resist HBO's True Blood, a Southern Gothicky romp through Bon Temps, Louisiana, where, thanks to the invention of synthetic blood, vampires have "come out of the coffin" to mainstream with humans. One such creature of the night is Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a 173 year-old reluctant vampire who has all the candor of a good heart but the physical attributes of the netherworld. Bill is enchanted by Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Pacquin), a waitress at Merlotte's, the town watering hole. Tormented all her life by the ability to read other people's thoughts, Sookie and Bill stare at one another across the crowded bar like Maria and Tony in their memorable scene from West Side Story, the world falling away before the two of them. Hopelessly attracted, yet fearful of Bill's bad boy side (after all, he is a blood-slurping vampire), Sookie vacillates, her heart telling her this is the one, her mind screaming, "Are you crazy? He's dead!" But- unexpected joy- she can't read his thoughts! Certainly, these two will never be able to gaze lovingly at one another across the breakfast table.
As the opening credits suggest in Alan Ball's clever and ambitious series, the south harbors the gamut of human- and inhuman- behavior, superstition, faith, love, hate, folksiness and generosity, charm and the KKK, all God's children frolicking in a world both dark and light. While vampires lurk in the night, seductive in their dangerous otherness, humans range from good ol' boys to southern belles, a mélange of the dramatic and the demure, the cast a surprising mix of eccentric and fascinating personalities: Sookie's brother, Jason (Ryan Kwanten), a relentless sex addict who loves a mirror almost as much as the willing ladies her pursues; the foul-mouthed, yet endlessly appealing Tara (Rutina Wesltey), as unable to govern her emotions as she is to cast out the "devil" who inhabits her soul; and Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), a real scene-stealer, gay short-order-cum-"V"-dealer (the potent and coveted vampire blood) who owns his scenes, his talented barely contained by the small screen.
Unfortunately for the incipient romance between virgin and vampire, a series of recent murders has focused the town on the vampires' tendency toward blood lust, although, as Bill informs local law enforcement, "Surely a vampire would have drained a body of every ounce of her blood." Still, the residents of Bon Temps are reluctant to cast suspicion on one of their own. Bill's seduction of Sookie drives the series, but the town is filled with such a delightful mix of characters that, like "V", there is never enough. Highly addictive, like the one-step-behind law enforcement team who bicker from crime scene to crime scene, there is always another volatile contretemps to charm, amuse and shock the willing viewer. Pacquin is stellar in her portrayal of Sookie, Moyer barely one beat behind her performance and closing (fangs extended). I have been bitten. I willingly drank the vampire's patented Tru-Blood and freely admit: one taste of "V' isn't enough.
"Must see" TV for me is defined as watching every episode of "True Blood" on Sunday night as originally aired then rewatching and savoring each episode as recorded on demand. We watched the first season of "True Blood" over and over again yet highly anticipate the preordered DVD just so we can view each episode with director and cast member commentary. For instance, at the 42 minute mark in the final episode of the season, Ryan Kwantin who plays Sookie's brother Jason comforts his sister recovering from the brutal beating she suffered and as Jason turns to leave, trips over the coffee table and nearly falls on his face. I personally think that pratfall was an accident. I'm guessing creator Alan Ball decided to retain that scene because it worked so well and so naturally to define troubled yet likeable Jason's basic humanity. The commentary track normally included with most DVD packages should disclose if my suspicions are correct. It will be fun to find out either way.
Virtually every single cast member in this wickedly funny and at times shockingly graphic series is so believable and so downright likeable that the basic story line of vampires coming out of the closet in Louisiana to openly walk among us while demanding equal rights has an uncommon way of encouraging the casual viewer to examine his or her own personal prejudices in off beat, highly entertaining and altogether unexpected ways.
Of course there will always be those who grouse that the storyline does not strictly follow the series of books by Charlaine Harris. Series creator Alan Ball argues there is a very good reason for that. The fact is Anna Paquin, recent Golden Globe winner for her turn as Sookie Stackhouse would be the most overworked actress on the planet if the storyline was strictly adhered to because as the books are written she would dominate virtually every single scene. Whew! Not only that, we would not have become so familiar with several of the wonderful characters we have been introduced to, specifically Tara, Jason and Lafayette as played by Rutina Wesley, Ryan Kwanten, and Nelsan Ellis respectively. These and many, many other gifted actors contribute mightily to making "True Blood" the runaway hit it has become. As any ardent fan of the book series knows, Season One barely scratched the surface and plenty of rich material has yet to be mined. If the series continues to be skillfully written, "True Blood" can easily air for 3, 4, even 5 or more seasons