I’ve been slowly binge-watching True Blood via Netflix DVD (I’m not set up for streaming video, hence the discs) and just finished the 5th season with “Billith” being born of the pile of Bill Goo. Of course I’m wanting to see what happens, and will likely watch all the way through season 7 no matter what, but I saw that on sites like Rotten Tomatoes there seems to be a BIG drop in critical approval in season 6, 40% positive versus 82% for season 5.
Does the series really tank THAT bad in season 5? Is it like Supernatural’s season 6?
Season 6 is where it started to go south, season 7 is almost unwatchable. However, I was a completest back then and stuck it out to the bitter end. These days I have far less time to watch TV and ruthlessly remove shows from my DVR if they have decreased in quality.
The last season is awful, just terrible. I was shocked at how terrible it was. But of course I had to watch every episode, how could I NOT? There was a lot I found pretty good in the series. The scene where the ‘bad’ humans are imprisoned in Eric’s dungeon and he goes charging down there, tears the guy’s arm off, and beats him to death with it. All this while wearing a pink plastic cape and his hair in foils, getting those sexy highlights put in! I truly found it equal parts repellent and hilarious - thought…should I laugh, or what?? so yeah, the earlier episodes were much better.
The novels that Charlaine Harris wrote, while not great literature, are readable and internally consistent. They are an entertaining and enjoyable read. The TV series started out the same, but soon departed from the books. The quality and enjoyability of the series dropped off in a direct ratio to how far the story line strayed.
Game of Thrones has strayed from the source material, but it has been done by people who understand the materiel and want to remain consistent with the narrative.
The people who wrote True Blood decided to see how far and how crazy they could stretch the source material. Mrs. Harris cooperated with this effort, and was even an extra in the series as a bar patron. Money talks…
OK, I’m about halfway through season 6 and I do think it’s not as enjoyable as the first 5 seasons, but it’s not AS horrible as I thought it would be maybe season 7 will prove to be as wretched as I’ve been fearing.
I do have to say I found it distracting and a bit silly that the Fairy Grandfather looks like Ian Holm as Bilbo in LOTR. I seriously thought he was going to give Sookie a Ring of Power at some point.
It is the only series I’ve ever watched that went from being really fun, campy, and entertaining (Seasons 1-3) to absolutely unwatchable by the end of the run in Season 7. Starting with Season 4, each year it just got worse and then in Season 7 it drove off the cliff causing the car to explode, the lone survivor pissed on the fire to put it out, then poured gasoline all over the smoking ruins and self and struck a match.
so yeah, the earlier episodes were much better.