Like many people probably do, I sometimes watch television shows on a streaming service. The type varies, and I don't just watch anything. I also don't tend to make any huge effort to watch a show just because it was very popular. I decide based on my own preferences, mostly, and have actually avoided some quite promoted shows, simply because they didn't interest me, or for other reasons. Those familiar with me will likely be able to speculate on that issue with some accuracy. For those who aren't, I don't go for "woke" attitudes, and have serious limits in some areas. I don't want some "PC" agenda, and if there's going to be sxeual material, it needs to be part of the story, not just there to sell a show. There need to be limits as well. Not looking for a porn "show".
Before going further, be aware that this will contain spoilers, so if you don't want to see those, stop reading. If you decide that you want too see this show, I don't want to ruin it for you.
Alright, with that out of the way, let's get to the main topic. This is my personal review of the old True Blood series. Having an interest in supernatural sorts of topics, and noticing the series on Hulu, I decided to see if it was any good. That's where this gets interesting. I did watch all seven seasons. Had I been watching when it aired, I am not sure that would have been the case. I will say that this isn't one I'd likely purchase on disc. Simply put, it's a mixed bag.
The premise is simple. The story is set in a small town in Louisiana, at some near-future point of time in which vampires have revealed themselves to be real, due to the production of synthetic blood that allows the vampires to feed without biting people. We get an interesting cast of characters, trying to adjust the the changes that have come to their world. The characters are mostly interesting, and secrets are discovered as the tale continues, so in basics, it' not bad start. Unfortunately, that doesn't continue to be the case.
Here's where it gets interesting. Before starting this, I decided to do some reading, to review key points and make sure I didn't forget something, and also to see what complaints others had. There have definitely been those, but I discovered (to no surprise) that none of them mentioned the biggest issues. Well, I am going to discuss those issues.
The main character is a young woman named Sookie. She's a bit naive, and seems mostly innocent. She has a brother names Jason, who is what I'd describe as a "horn dog' type. He's young and cute, and gets pretty much whatever girl he wants easily. We meet a vampire named Bill, a restaurant/bar owner called Sam, a waitress (which Sookie is as well) called Arlene, a homosexual cook named Lafayette, and some others. Sookie's best friend is Tara (Lafayette's cousin, as it happens), a young woman who is black, and whose mother has been a drunk for ages. Tara was raised more by others, including Sookie's family, than at her own home.
This is part of one issue. Tara had a HUGE chip on her shoulder, wanting to make everything about her race, even is there isn't even a real issue. This is a problem because this young woman was raised more by white people thn by her own, so the animosity is grossly misplaced. This isn't the only time racial issues are represented in such a fashion, either. It's so overdone you'd almost suspect mockery, but based on everything else, I think they were serious and just expected viewers to be so stupid that they'd buy it. I found myself wishing very early on that they'd just kill off her character, and quickly.
Next, it was obvious that they were pushing some correlation between vampires and homosexuals. I mean really pushing, too. As in, "Gee, you can't dislike ALL vampires because SOME are bad." sort of commentary. Never mind that they think of you as cattle; you can't dislike them or you're a (some PC/BS term s yet to be invented). That brings us to the sex stuff.
It seems, almost from the start, that half the point of the show is to have sex, sex, sex! All the time, far more than is needed to be seen, just to titillate the audience. Now, I'm not a child, and can certainly handle some sex in a show. Within limits. I don't see that excess is necessay, and certainly we don't need anything too graphic. I don't want to watch porn wrapped up in a theme. This show seemed to see sex as a major theme. No good plot? Toss in some sex! No real idea how to fill the time slot? More sex!! If it's homosexual, all the better! This is past the point where I draw the line.
That's another issue; if the show is about vampires, why does so much emphasis have to be placed on various same-sex relationships? I don't want an agenda wrapped up in a theme. It's dishonest, and it's not what we were supposed to be watching. When we have moments of a sex scene crammed in between this and that, with literally no connection to the story, it's clearly about pushing trash more than pushing an interesting story.
Some of the elements that could have made the show better were almost like a side thought, were poorly utilized at all, and then completely dropped. Some elements were the opposite - bad for the show, but promoted so much you'd get sick of the whole storyline. Season two, for example. MaryAnn is introduced, and seems to exist to promote orgies amongst the townspeople. Literally. It's as if half the season is supposed to be sex all the time, with anyone, anywhere. It's annoying, gross, and even involves some cannibalism. The rest is more about an anti-vampire group, presented as if they were a Christian group. Bias? Oh, yeah. Tara's mother? Straighens up at one point, wants to get back to normal, seeking her Christian roots, and she's treated like some sort of "fanatic". Bias, indeed. The main character bouncing from vampire to vampire to werewolf is fine, just don't be Christian!
Season one, they're seeking a killer, whose reason is that he thinks it's wrong for people to be intimate with vampires, and who is thus treated as biased or whatever, and more emphasis is on the sex than on the actual storyline. Apparently, the viewers couldn't figure anything out without video clips of vampire sex shown over and over.
Season Three involves an odd plot turn, which isn't as bad as some claim,,and also a vampire who wants to take over everything, and who is very overdone (and, of course, also homosexual). He's treated as far stronger than other vampires, though he isn't the oldest, and is highly annoying. We also get werepanthers, which look pretty cool, but are presented quite badly. Panthers, but they all live together, deal in meth and V (vampire blood), and feel a need to force Jason to replenish their gene pool? Lame, more than a little sick, and totally unrealistic.
Four brings in witches. In several renditions. One is annoying, poorly executed, and beyond realistic. Of course, we can't just have that, but hsve to include possession and other plot tools that don't work well at all. We finally have a hope of an annoying character dying, but no, that's too easy. Of all the characters to turn into a vampire, why that one??? The only decent note was Sookie being with Eric, which was a much better mach than Bill. Didn't trust Bill from his first appearance. Did I mention that Lafayette's boyfriend's name was "Jesus", a brujo? Yeah, more anti-Christian bias.
Five puts a lot of emphasis on Terry, the husband of Arlene and a war vet with PTSD issues. He's also one of the most decent characters in the show. The storyline goes definitively anti-military, of course, and we end up losing Terry. We discover that vampires mostly see people as food, more that Bill can't be trusted, and get information about a vampire that supposedly killed Sookie and Jason's parents. Far less interest than you might think.
Six brings us Super-Bill, a faerie grandfather, the evil vampire threat 9and he's got an odd twist), ad a virus that affects only vampires, and fatally. Yeah tossing stuff everywhere to try and retain viewers, I suppose. Somewwhere in this area, there was even some sort of vampiric "sex room" shown, with "toys" and other stuff, some supposedly historical, to entice a young couple. Sick, yes, and beyond pervy.
Seven tries to wrap everything, but does so awkwardly. By now, Sookie's ditched Bill, moved to Eric, then to Alcide, a werewolf. So, they kill off poor Alcide, so Sookie can go back (WHY?????) to Bill, try and resolve everything else, finally kill off Tara only to have her silent (Tara, silent....ok.....) ghost around, wrap up the vamp plague, toss in more sex, of course, have scenes I suppose were meant to me moving, then wrap everything with some big feast (Thanksgiving with no traditional signals??) with all sorts of odd couples included, and no explanations.
The series could have been so much better. No agendas, other than to entertain us, no PC boxes to check, no quotas to fill, and someone actually handling a good story line, and perhaps the show wouldn't be such a mess. When I read reviews and they ALL ignore the real issues, it's clear that they weren't concerned with a good show. When I read complaints that the gay cook's character didn't get enough footage in the finale, the agenda is clear. the problems were, in part, poorly done storylines and poorly handles plot tools. However, the biggest issue, I believe, was the emphasis on agenda over story. I don't think that most people want to be manipulated in this fashion, with trash and agenda wrapped up in supernatural trappings. I don't think most want to see anti-white, anti-Christian, anti-military nonsense, with nasty sexual content and other bad behavior tossed in to keep people hooked. I hope I'm not wrong.
Let me know what you think, especially if you've seen the show. Disagreeing is fine, but be polite.
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