Late to the Party, ‘True Blood’ Still Has Our Attention (Review)

Written by: Wesley Thomas

I know, I know, I am late to the party. ‘True Blood’ is an epic supernatural series that ran from 2008 – 2014, produced by HBO, that I recently binge-watched. And boy am I glad I did! This show is brilliant for so many reasons.

This show is set in a time where vampires don’t just live in our nightmares but in our world. They are a part of society. They have officially come out….of the coffin.

Some are humane and just want to be treated with dignity and respect, which is known as ‘mainstreaming’, complete with drinking a blood-substitute called Tru-Blood. While others are vicious creatures that want to take control, and destroy humans.

We explore new rules, both in society and vampire abilities as well as weaknesses. Both are intriguing and unsettling. Vampires are fighting for equal rights, facing oppositions from a cult of vampire-haters known as the Church of the Sun. They are you typical bigoted, small-minded, hateful, dumb cult determined to exterminate all vampires.

And vampires themselves, have their own laws and regulations, doled out by sheriffs of counties and states. Killing humans and other legions of the undead have consequences.

But vampires aren’t the only creatures that make appearances. We see werewolves, shifters, gods, and more! Each season brings a terrifying and superb new threat to a small town in Louisana. In the end, despite their initial resistance, they realize vampires are the least of their concerns, especially when all hell breaks loose.

In this brave new world, we follow Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress with a rather peculiar ability. We grow attached to this blonde lady as she falls in love with a vampire and repeatedly throws herself in harm’s way to protect him and the townspeople. She is loving, kind, open-minded, spiritual, and unbelievably brave.

Let’s not forget passion! If nudity and sex scenes offend you, I’d give this a miss. Jason Stackhouse, Sookie’s brother, is a player, flashing flesh while sexing women more often than showering. But he’s not the only man who regularly exposes himself, or woman for that matter, love, romance, and naughtiness are this town’s bread and butter. Sweating, panting, and bed-banging are the background music to the show. But it’s not just sex for the sake of it, these scenes of lust are suited to each character and their relationship/s.

While I have never personally visited Louisana, I feel this show perfectly depicts the type of people that would inhabit a small southern town in the United States. You’d have the bigots, religious folk, genuinely kind people, crazy people, gossipers, normal citizens, hard workers, and on and on. This cast of quirky characters are extremely entertaining to watch and partly drive the show, they bring a sense of normality to break from the supernatural craziness.

But wait, this is a horror show, right? There’d better be gore! Well, you’re in luck, there is. From pints of blood, cannibalism, graphic scenes of violence, and moments so gross you can practically smell the stench of rot and decay, aided by remarkable acting.

There isn’t a weak link in the entire cast. From do-gooder Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), man-whore Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten), passionate vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), hilarious chef Lafayette (Nelson Ellis), anger-fuelled Tara Thornton (Rutina Wesley), honorable bar owner Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell), complex good / bad vamp Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgard) and others, they bring commitment to each role, spellbinding us in their performances as their characters develop and darken.

Breath-taking. Shocking. Scary. Tense. Addictive. Rule-breaking. Unique. Genre-barrier-exploding.

For those who love gore, death, monsters, unconventional romances, hilarious yet annoying townsfolk, unbelievable twists, and turns, I’d heed you to get started on this amazing show. A Little tip, it’s on Amazon Prime! Or you can purchase the DVDs or Blu-rays.

Whatever the case, get on it!

Rating: 5/5