TRUE BLOOD: ONE WORTHY GUILTY PLEASURE

TRUE BLOOD: A SERIES YOU DON’T WANT TO SAY YOU LOVE MISS

Okay, this will probably be the most whimsical review I’ve written so far. I’m so delighted with its topic that you’ll probably end up thinking my review is too biased to be trusted. Warnings issued, I tell you I think it’s worth giving it a try – even in spite of my (and any other, for that matter) review.

‘True Blood’ is a series about vampires and werewolves and fairies and witches. And politics. And drugs. Oh, yes! And sex, lots of sex. Sounds a little too commercial, right? Yes, you’re right. Of course it’s commercial, it truly is. Yet why not tear that ‘commercial = bad’ prejudice apart? At least it’s honestly commercial (let’s not forget it’s broadcast by HBO, a commercial channel like no other.)

You may further argue: those all the topics that shouldn’t go together in a serious product. Yet, no one ever said ‘True Blood’ is totally serious. It’s a damn comedy. And a very good one, it is. It’s like: Kaboom! Right on your face. There you have all the elements that shouldn’t be mixed.

In my view, ‘True Blood’ makes a fantastic use of all those clichés (vampires, werewolves, fairies, witches, politics, drugs and sex) to, in a way, mock the uses previously given to them. There’s a duality about it: on the one hand, you can’t but laugh at how intentionally ridiculous some things are (Sookie, our female protagonist, whispering ‘Bite me’ during a sex scene with a vampire, for instance.) But on the other, the story in itself, ridiculous and all, is totally gripping. It keeps you hooked right from the beginning.

In the series, vampires are now mixed with humans thanks to the creation of synthetic blood. Yet it’s not all a bed of roses: there’s a great portion of society who finds them revolting and won’t accept their ‘coming out of the coffin.’ This, I think, is the issue the series most comically deals with: the way in which society rejects those who are ‘different’ or who don’t fit in their established, acceptable roles. Allan Ball, creator of the series, is an openly homosexual man. There are signs throughout the episodes which show society’s rejection of homosexuals through society’s rejection of vampires. One of these instances is the ‘coming out of the coffin’ mentioned above. There are also signs that read ‘God hates fangs.’ These two parallel ‘coming out of the closet’ and ‘God hates fags’ respectively.

Again: the setting is not happenstance. A small village in south of the United States wouldn’t be an (even remote) association for ‘vamp-friendly.’

I don’t want to forget the introduction of strange, new and very special creatures. There’s a maenad (yep, go google the term) and… wait for it… werepanthers, a species created for the series. Oh! And shapeshifters, who can transform into whatever animal they want. Except for the maenad, who appears only in one season and for specific purposes, the other species are also included in the racial bigotry affair – they are, however, ‘closeted’ species.

What I also love about this series is that there are loads of characters and yet all of them are really complex. One could write a more or less thick paragraph about each and every one of them (those who play a role in the story, of course – I’m not taking extras into account.) I won’t do it now, it’s not my purpose. But I assure you that can be easily done. There’s a lot to say about every character. My particular favourites are Pam Swynford (a very assertive, bitchy Barbie vampire) and Tara (a character that goes through the series as though on a rollercoaster trip.)

Many have argued that the latest seasons have by no means been up to the first one, as is always the case. The main topic (politics and bigotry), they say, is blurred away by the increasing addition of supernatural stuff and unconvincing, unrealistic species. Yet I think that Ball &co. have done a good job in keeping the series interesting by adding new ingredients again and again. Politics and bigotry are always there, even though not fully explicit. Season 5 (and season 6, inevitably) have tried to bring back that political confrontation again. This time, politicians (on both sides) are involved. I think it’s becoming more and more interesting as the seasons go. Probably you think that I’m too willing to accept what they offer. You’re probably right.

I think that (arguably) artistic projects shouldn’t be shaped to fit the reader/viewer/listener’s interests. You may say that with so-called ‘commercial art’ that’s the main purpose. Then we’d have to discuss whether HBO series are purely commercial or purely artistic. It would be endless and pointless. In a few words, I think that in HBO-like projects there is a tension between these two characteristics. The attention of viewers is a strong interest, but interesting, well-told stories are given great importance too. As long as I can see the tension between both, I won’t complain about forwards-and-backwards changes the creators may wish to apply.

As long as the story is interesting and entertaining in some (more or less crafty) way, I have no concerns about some element or other being given more priority than the others at a given point.

So, to sum up: if you are bored and don’t know what to watch next; if you aren’t afraid of commercial ingredients; if you’re interested in an ingenious, interesting story full of fantasy, fear and fun; if you want to laugh at intentionally cheesy stuff, then ‘True Blood’ is the show for you. I can assure you: once you’ve watched it, you won’t be able to stop so easily. Watching ‘True Blood’ is like taking a drop of V.

Interesting links:
Official Site
Facebook Page
True Blood's YouTube Channel
IMDb
True Blood Wiki (lots of info)