Last Stand

First off, this will be the last time I mention True Blood in my blog. I mean how pathetic right? It's a television show. But the thing is I don't really watch television. This is the only show I watch every single week without fail so it's pretty special to me. And that seems to be the case for me with all of Alan Ball's shows.

When Godric dies, the allusions to The Crucifixion are pretty obvious but the fact that he is a thousand year old vampire is all about Alan Ball's obsession with death, immortality and the endless questions that surround the meaning of life.

With Eric as his brother, father, son, there are also strong allusions to the intense bond between Jesus and Judas, and a clearly homo-erotic subtext.

And as for Sookie, if there was ever a moment to fall for someone who she believed was cold, conniving, blood thirsty and ruthless, this was it. Personally I was quite moved by the entire scene on the roof and am constantly amazed at Ball's ability to take the corny campiness of supernatural lore and make it so translatable.

"I Will RIse Up"

It's been while since I wrote anything about True Blood. I really had no idea that it was going to get this good. I mean the first season was like a guilty pleasure but in my experience Alan Ball has never produced anything for mere entertainment. I have trusted him ever since "American Beauty" and after he did "Six Feet Under" for HBO I watched anything with his name on it. For me, "Six Feet Under" was the series to end all series. Until now, "True Blood" has merely been skirting the edge of depth, with sex and gore and violence, and no shortage of commentary on inequality, prejudice, and injustice. But this weekend's episode, "I will rise up" has raised the bar several feet.
I watched the last 15 minutes or so of it speechlessly. I wish I could post the last few minutes here but there is no way HBO would ever let youtube get a hold of that. And yet I do manage to watch it online every week illegally. Sometimes, it just feels better that way.

Suckers

So I've become hooked recently to HBO's latest series, "True Blood", another creation from Alan Ball of Six Feet Under (my all time favorite) and American Beauty Fame. What I find sort for ridiculous though is how over the top the vampires movements are. I mean like they always make a point of moving at light speed, not from place to place but from like spot to spot. Like one of them will be lying out on the sofa and then sit upright really fast or like the phone will ring and they will reach out and pick it up in a second. That cracks me up. It's like their supernatural speed has been applied to really practical things that any human could achieve in one movement, like flushing the toilet or turning their heads. I'm sure this will improve in future episodes though. I'm only on the third one.