# HBO's Trueblood begins on Sunday **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 2, 2008, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740 "2008-09-02T19:07:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/21 "2008-09-04T18:16:41Z")
I tried to post this yesterday, but must have pushed the wrong button… Anyway - My first exposure to this show was a 15 minute show on HBO named something like “In Focus: Vampires in America”. It was played completely straight as a 15 minute news show about how vampires had recently made themselves known after the introduction of the synthetic blood, “True Blood”. The “news” piece ended with interviewees pushing for the Vampire Rights Amendment to the Constitution – with the tag line “After all, vampires were people, too.” I found it all pretty funny… J. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/22 "2008-09-08T13:44:42Z")
Well, looks like we’re getting the pornographic version of the Sookie Stackhouse series. I was disappointed with this first episode, although Anna Paquin was really good as Sookie, and I thought the mind-reading was done well. The character of Tara was horrible. In fact, it seemed like they deliberately made all the women around Sookie as rude and crude as possible, to emphasize Sookie’s sweetness. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/23 "2008-09-08T14:17:52Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > The character of Tara was horrible. I’ll second that. She was too over the top with her abrasiveness. Her character was so annoying it took away from the rest of the show. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/24 "2008-09-08T15:21:45Z")
I watched the show last night. I never read or heard of the books so I have no expectations. I am not sure what to think of the show, but I will watch the next episode and see how it goes. I was confused by the Vampire Bill not being there at the end of the episode. I guess next week should show more. I agree the Tara character was too much. Can someone tell me more about these Vampires without spoiling the series? It appears they are the walking dead and can move freaky but jerky fast. What else should I know about them? You should probably spoiler tag the answers. ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/25 "2008-09-08T15:27:33Z")
Was also kinda “meh”, but that’s often the case with a first episode. We’ll see how it develops. Agree with the consensus that the Tara character was bad. I know that in real life, decent people sometimes have a friend who’s a total asshole with no apparent redeeming qualities, but I don’t get it in real life, and it really throws me off in fiction, where you can’t just say “Well, that’s the way it is.” If Sookie likes her despite her atrocious behaviour, I’d like a little indication as to why. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/26 "2008-09-08T15:51:12Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I was confused by the Vampire Bill not being there at the end of the episode. I guess next week should show more. Bill comes to Sookie’s rescue. In the book, anyway. > [@What\_Exit](#): > > Can someone tell me more about these Vampires without spoiling the series? > > It appears they are the walking dead and can move freaky but jerky fast. What else should I know about them? In the books, it’s not clear if the vampires are undead or not. They claim that vampirism is caused by something like a virus, but Sookie figures that’s what she would say in their position, so she’s not convinced. These vampires go dormant and helpless during the day, and are burned by sunlight. They have super strength and speed, and they can fly (which for some reason makes me :rolleyes: when the other stuff doesn’t bother me). They’re incapacitated by silver, but I don’t think holy items affect them. They appear to be immortal: Bill is 170 years old, and there are some much older vampires that show up later. Vampire blood has an extraordinary effect on humans, including healing powers (hence the Rattray’s attempt to drain Bill’s blood to sell) but it also gives the vampire a link to the human that consumes it. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/27 "2008-09-08T15:54:27Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > Bill comes to Sookie’s rescue. In the book, anyway. > > In the books, it’s not clear if the vampires are undead or not. They claim that vampirism is caused by something like a virus, but Sookie figures that’s what she would say in their position, so she’s not convinced. > > These vampires go dormant and helpless during the day, and are burned by sunlight. They have super strength and speed, and they can fly (which for some reason makes me :rolleyes: when the other stuff doesn’t bother me). They’re incapacitated by silver, but I don’t think holy items affect them. They appear to be immortal: Bill is 170 years old, and there are some much older vampires that show up later. > > Vampire blood has an extraordinary effect on humans, including healing powers (hence the Rattray’s attempt to drain Bill’s blood to sell) but it also gives the vampire a link to the human that consumes it. Thank you, that was an excellent primer that should help me out with the show. ---
**Author:** ![AT\_Love](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@AT\_Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AT_Love)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/28 "2008-09-08T16:04:06Z")
I haven’t read the books either but I caught it last night and thought it was really weak. I thought every character was bad except for the grandmother. I’ll admit i’m biased though, Anna Paquin’s face is really difficult for me to look at so a whole hour was too much to bear. I think i’ll probably end up reading the thread about it but skipping the actual show. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/29 "2008-09-08T16:08:36Z")
> [@AT\_Love](#): > > I haven’t read the books either but I caught it last night and thought it was really weak. I thought every character was bad except for the grandmother. I’ll admit i’m biased though, Anna Paquin’s face is really difficult for me to look at so a whole hour was too much to bear. I think i’ll probably end up reading the thread about it but skipping the actual show. I’m confused. I am not going to declare Anna Paquin a great beauty, but she looks cute to me and easy on the eyes. Did I missed something in your post? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/30 "2008-09-08T16:17:58Z")
I agree that vampires are really really played as a concept. Even the concept of Vampires drinking synthetic blood and living among us has been [done](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403407/) (Interesting if flawed steampunk vampire movie, BTW.) Still, that doesn’t mean this show will be bad, I just wish epic horror fantasies would move to something new and fresh. I thought it was OK. I find it very hard to judge shows based on one episode. It’s got promise, but it needs to grow. Since Sookie is telepathic, I assume this means there are more mystical things out there besides vampires. Hopefully the series will discover them, as Buffy did. ETA: I think Anna Paquin’s fairly easy on the eyes. Her accent seems fake, though. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/31 "2008-09-08T16:18:49Z")
For a show about vampires, rough sex, and murder, I found it surprisingly boring, and the Southern-stereotype pulpy humor didn’t really “click” for me. (Not that I personally have anything against Southern stereotyping; it just seemed rehashed and unfunny.) Paquin is cute, though. I’ll give it a while, but I’m already beginning to fear a “John from Transylvania.” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/32 "2008-09-08T16:20:42Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > Good lord, I can’t imagine putting the Anita Blake books on TV. I’m surprised that they even produce audio editions of the later books - it must have been challenging to find someone who can read that stuff out loud with a straight face. They should just recognize what they are and film them as soft-core porn aimed at women on SHO. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/33 "2008-09-08T16:21:59Z")
OK, so I missed it: we were at the in-laws’. Will they be replaying the first episode? ---
**Author:** ![AT\_Love](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@AT\_Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AT_Love)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/34 "2008-09-08T16:27:40Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I’m confused. I am not going to declare Anna Paquin a great beauty, but she looks cute to me and easy on the eyes. Did I missed something in your post? Nope didn’t miss a thing I just find her incredibly unattractive. Its weird but to me she doesn’t really look like a person. I think its the mouth and beady eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/35 "2008-09-08T16:43:21Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > OK, so I missed it: we were at the in-laws’. Will they be replaying the first episode? I’m sure they’ll re-run it one or two nights this week. You never have to fret about missing an episode on HBO. Not only do they show episodes repeatedly the first week, as soon as we get three or four episodes in they’ll do a marathon. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/36 "2008-09-08T16:44:00Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > OK, so I missed it: we were at the in-laws’. Will they be replaying the first episode? HBO will show it again and if you have it, it was already on HBO On Demand last night. That is how I saw it. > [@AT\_Love](#): > > Nope didn’t miss a thing I just find her incredibly unattractive. Its weird but to me she doesn’t really look like a person. I think its the mouth and beady eyes. OK, Beauty, eye, beholder, check! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/37 "2008-09-08T16:48:54Z")
I thought it was fun–a little silly and cheesy, but unapologetically so. After _John from Cincinnati_, it’s good for HBO to not be so far up its own ass. The over-the-top characters and even the thick Louisiana accents just add to the pulpy feel. My only complaint is that they violate what I call Occam’s Supernatural Razor–don’t multiply supernatural entities unnecessarily. Here we have vampires, and Sookie is a psychic, but (at least for now) these things don’t have anything to do with one another. I’m curious to see how they play it. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/38 "2008-09-08T17:05:09Z")
I thought it was fairly entertaining in a lightweight way. At least it seems to have a sense of humor about itself. I also think Anna Paquin is just fine to look at. ---
**Author:** ![kasuo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8c91f0/32.png) [@kasuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kasuo)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/39 "2008-09-08T17:29:20Z")
Is there a lot of nudity? If so, is Anna among the nude? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740/40 "2008-09-08T17:39:24Z")
> [@kasuo](#): > > Is there a lot of nudity? If so, is Anna among the nude? Yes, and not yet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-trueblood-begins-on-sunday/461740.md?page=3)