# TRUE BLOOD 8/16/09 Open Spoilers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 17, 2009, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700 "2009-08-17T05:24:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/41 "2009-08-18T20:49:44Z")
I do like Pam and her twin sets. Where IS Pam, by the way? ---
**Author:** ![\_xiao\_wenti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/b782af/32.png) [@\_xiao\_wenti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_xiao_wenti)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2009, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/42 "2009-08-18T22:38:34Z")
I am up-to-date on the TB episodes and have read all of the books and I must say that while they follow in a rough fashion the plot lines in the books, they have done a wonderful job in changing the characters, adding new plot lines, and so on. Kudos to the writing staff. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/43 "2009-08-19T00:19:12Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Everyone is so gung-ho for Hoyt and Jessica, but that relationship is doomed. She is just tragic. They have NO future, and Hoyt’s momma, annoying as she is, pointed it out. Why don’t they have a future? The only thing she was even remotely right about is that Jessica can’t have kids. If that’s necessarily a barrier to having a future together, I better file for divorce right now. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/44 "2009-08-19T00:46:02Z")
Well, the obvious thing that comes to my mind is that Jessica is going to live for potentially hundreds or even thousands of years, and Hoyt…is not. I guess it could work for quite some time before the inevitable “you’re an old person and I’m still a teenager” thing came into play, though. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/45 "2009-08-19T00:56:28Z")
And then the “we’d love to come to your barbecue but unfortunately my immortal wife scares kids and would burst into flame in the daylight” aspect. Speaking of the show’s writing, does anybody know if Charlaine Harris (the author of the books) is involved in the show’s writing? ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/46 "2009-08-19T01:33:00Z")
I picture Hoyt, at some point, realizing he is hitched up with an angsty teenager who sleeps all day; has no family and is totally dependent on him for her needs; who will never give him kids; who finds sex painful; his mother hates her; she will never age; she will realize she never ‘dated’ anyone else and feels she’s missed out and she will mysteriously disappear for hours at a time. He’s a small town guy who most probably would realize giving up a small town life isn’t really what he wants. After the initial excitement of a relationship with a vamp dies down, and his head stops its giddy swimming after telling his momma to F-off, he will know he made a Big Mistake. Or Jessica will. Doomed, I tell ya! ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/47 "2009-08-19T05:29:39Z")
Why wouldn’t any human in a relationship with a vampire want to be turned at some point anyhow? Say, at least after ten years when the aging human and immortal vampire difference will begin to be visible. The show has featured three interesting human-vampire subcultures. 1. the “fangbangers” 2. the V users and dealers 3. Fellowship of the Sun While I like that they’re fleshing out what a world with vampires would be like, it seems to me that there’d be a large contingent (especially with the people in groups one and two) that would actively seek to be turned into a vampire. Vampires here have some serious weaknesses, but they pale in comparison to the benefits of super strength, speed, mind control, and immortality. Now with the human companion of Godrick’s second in command (the traitor), it seems that the show has applied the comic book trope of those who openly seek power are doomed to negative consequences and their own villainy, while those who have the power forced upon them are virtuous. The most intriguing cliffhanger this season was when Lafayette asked to be turned. Those vamps seems really choosy about it. But then you’d think a pathetic newby vampire like Eddie could be talked into it in return for setting him up on some blind dates and a stack of Boys Gone Wild DVDs. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/48 "2009-08-19T05:35:31Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > The most intriguing cliffhanger this season was when Lafayette asked to be turned. Those vamps seems really choosy about it. But then you’d think a pathetic newby vampire like Eddie could be talked into it in return for setting him up on some blind dates and a stack of Boys Gone Wild DVDs. That’s an interesting point, and something not addressed in the book because Eddie and Jessica aren’t in them, nor are any newly made vampires: is there a reason new vampires can’t turn someone? Could they turn someone a week after being turned themselves, or is it a skill aquired with age? Since the show has introduced young vampires, it’d be nice if they explained that. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/49 "2009-08-19T06:17:31Z")
[Here’s a youtube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7BBG4tw2zI) of Ryan “Jason Stackhouse” Kwanten at the Golden Globes speaking in his real/Australian voice. It’s almost freaky. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2009, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/50 "2009-08-19T06:37:50Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > [Here’s a youtube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7BBG4tw2zI) of Ryan “Jason Stackhouse” Kwanten at the Golden Globes speaking in his real/Australian voice. It’s almost freaky. It’s weird hearing that voice come out of Jason Stackhouse. I now realize that Ryan Kwanten is an even better actor than I thought. Too bad he was being interviewed by a complete idiot. “What’s it like playing a vampire?” ---
**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/51 "2009-08-19T07:14:04Z")
Hmm. I suppose I’m the only fan who likes Sookie and Bill together. While reading the books, I was disappointed that they broke up but I’m still holding out hope that they’ll get back together. I’m dreading that part in the show, because it has to be a plot point that can’t be ignored. Blah. I also think Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer look good together and have great chemistry. Moyer as Bill is hot; Eric is cute but is too "pretty boy"ish for my taste. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/52 "2009-08-19T09:02:36Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I’m always amazed at how non-Americans do much better southern accents than American actors. Most of the accents on TRUE BLOOD I actually know. > > Ryan Kwanten- Australian- dumb redneck accent- convincing. > Stephen Moyer- English- old aristocratic southern accent [with a slight touch of Elvis when he says “Sookie”]- convincing. > Anna Paquin- Canadian born/New Zealand raised- working class modern southern- convincing. > Alexander Skarsgård- Swedish- did a convincing southern accent last week when he approached the Fellowship members in disguise. > Yet if you tried to get American actors to do convincing southern accents you get this generic patois that doesn’t matter if the character lives in a trailer park or a mansion, in the country or the city, in 1780 or 2009, is gay or straight or a surgeon or homeless or ‘whatever’ exactly. > > Anthony Hopkins and Julie Andrews are the only two famous Brit actors I’ve ever heard flop at doing American accents. Neither barely even tries. > > Also have to give kudos to Nelsan Ellis (Illinois born, Birmingham AL raised) who plays Lafayette. His “I may be gay but I can eff you up as needed” is perfect- reminds me of a couple of people I’ve known who can go from “would make Liberace say ‘oh butch it up a little bitch!’” to “would make R. Lee Ermey say 'Sir, yes sir!” in nothing flat, though in interviews he speaks absolutely nothing like that. (No idea if he’s gay in real life.) I think more than anything this is just a credit to the group of voice acting coaches and directors that HBO brought together to make the show. I don’t think there’s much to the idea that furriners are better at southern accents than merkins, I suspect you are just suffering from confirmation bias. _Maybe_ being an aspiring actor in a foreign country hoping to break into a US dominated industry leads to them placing a high degree of emphasis on voice coaching and attention to accent and dialect which makes them more receptive to good direction than Hollywood actors. However I think this show is a special case and not particularly instructive in the general case. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/53 "2009-08-19T09:27:40Z")
Wow, just watched the most recent episode. I’ve watched all the episodes in just the past 2 weeks, since I’m late to the show. Some good acting, great accents, and interesting characters. There’s an element to this show that tastes of daytime soap, but raised to the next level. Kinda trashy, kinda romance novel, but at times funny and touching, and they have quite a knack for the cliffhanger ending. I said ‘good’ acting, but really, GREAT acting. Quite enjoyable. The actor who plays Lafayette is quite fun to watch, and he’s probably the most filled-out, multi-layered character on the show. Jason Stackhouse is dumb in that, “I know that guy” way. He means well, but too often takes 1 + 1 and comes up with 11. The actor that plays Terry is sometimes impressive with his frequently understated, constant discomfort, and the scene with him comforting Lafayette through his post-traumatic stress was a great touch. I also liked the scene with Eric and Sookie, when they were talking about Godric: “Don’t use words you don’t understand.”, then, “Don’t use words I don’t understand.” There are many other actors I’m leaving out, but I haven’t hated anyone. Like I said, it has a soap-opera/romance novel feel, but the acting is way too good for it to be a guilty pleasure, and I never know what out-of-left-field thing they’re going to come up with next. Maryanne’s character is such a peculiar choice -a [Maenad](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maenad)? - that it shows you’ll never really know what they’ll throw at you next. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/54 "2009-08-19T11:25:52Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > That’s an interesting point, and something not addressed in the book because Eddie and Jessica aren’t in them, nor are any newly made vampires: is there a reason new vampires can’t turn someone? Could they turn someone a week after being turned themselves, or is it a skill aquired with age? Since the show has introduced young vampires, it’d be nice if they explained that. There is at least one newly-made vampire in the sixth book - Sookie’s vampire cousin Hayley comes across a Were - wolf, I think? (there are were-tigers and were-panthers featured in the books, with Werewolves being the only ones that are Capitalized, since they’re thought to be purer than other shape-shifters) that has been almost killed in her apartment in New Orleans, so she turns him to save him, rather than just let him die. This sets him up to be a miserable, dejected creature, since this type of “mixed race” creature is abhorred by both vampire and weres. His struggle is an interesting read. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/55 "2009-08-19T12:33:20Z")
So, if drinking a vampire’s blood leads to developing such a strong bond, how does V using work, exactly? Wouldn’t the vamp whose blood you just gulped up for a quick high know it and ‘get connected’ to you? ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/56 "2009-08-19T13:24:42Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > True but I wasn’t over fond of the actor. He had a lot of physical presence but his acting was quite wooden. I thought his best scene was when he turned Eric in the flashback - he was ever so Puckish. After that he was just.. stilted and boring. True, to a point, but I didn’t consider it bad acting - on the contrary, the contrast between his original lust for life, war and blood and his current sort of blank niceness, coupled with the situation he was in completely phoned his eventual fate in for me (ancient vamp that everyone agrees is the worst badass, gets nicked by a bunch of kumbaya wackos with delusions of paramilitary-ness ? Come on. That was vamp world weariness writ large :)) His “stilted and boring” persona striked me as some good depression acting. I do agree with you that he was way more enjoyable to watch in the flashback - but that’s depression for you :p. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/57 "2009-08-19T13:52:17Z")
That’s a really good assessment of why I thought his acting was so powerful. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/58 "2009-08-19T16:23:56Z")
> [@singular1](#): > > There is at least one newly-made vampire in the sixth book - Sookie’s vampire cousin Hayley comes across a Were - wolf, I think? (there are were-tigers and were-panthers featured in the books, with Werewolves being the only ones that are Capitalized, since they’re thought to be purer than other shape-shifters) that has been almost killed in her apartment in New Orleans, so she turns him to save him, rather than just let him die. This sets him up to be a miserable, dejected creature, since this type of “mixed race” creature is abhorred by both vampire and weres. His struggle is an interesting read. Well, that’s true, but even she was two or three at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/59 "2009-08-19T18:11:02Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > True, to a point, but I didn’t consider it bad acting - on the contrary, the contrast between his original lust for life, war and blood and his current sort of blank niceness, coupled with the situation he was in completely phoned his eventual fate in for me (ancient vamp that everyone agrees is the worst badass, gets nicked by a bunch of kumbaya wackos with delusions of paramilitary-ness ? Come on. That was vamp world weariness writ large :)) > > His “stilted and boring” persona striked me as some good depression acting. I do agree with you that he was way more enjoyable to watch in the flashback - but that’s depression for you :p. Well said. He didn’t strike me as bland, but tired. World-weary. It worked for me. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2009, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700/60 "2009-08-19T21:24:28Z")
Though his name is the British sounding Allan Hyde, the actor playing Godrick is also Danish and more of a singer than an actor. No idea how fluent he is in English, but this may have been an issue as well; it’s possible his English wasn’t good enough to really connect with the dialogue. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/true-blood-8-16-09-open-spoilers/506700.md?page=4)