True Blood – the Television series Phenomenon provides a “Dripping” good Time

Vampires, werewolves, shape-shifters, maenads and telepaths may sound like characters from any list of horror, fantasy or mythological tales, but in HBO’s “True Blood,” they’re just the average town locals–welcome to the fictional town of Bon Temps, Louisiana.

The True Blood series creator, Alan Ball, (American Beauty) already collaborated with HBO for five seasons on his previous hit show, Six Feet Under. When the legendary series, Six Feet Under, came to an end in 2005, Ball came across Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Mystery books. After reading her first installment of the series, Dead until Dark, Alan Ball won Harris over and convinced her that he was the man to helm her books into a television series, even though she had already had two other adaptation offers on the table. But in the end, she felt that Ball’s dark sensitivities would capture her novels best.

The TV pilot first debuted in 2008 to modest ratings. Yet as each new episode was aired each week, it created a devout following and a cult-like craving that by the end of the second season has now made True Blood HBO’s most watched series since The Sopranos.

The world of True Blood is filled with supernatural humans and creatures – often times a morphing of both occurs. The lead character is Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a telepathic barmaid living in a back-woods town, far off the map, where strange and mysterious incidents literally come into play, every night.

The premise of the story is that two years prior to the series opening debut – the once secret species of vampires have “Come out of the Coffin,” (lifted from the coined term “Coming out of the Closet”), after a group of Japanese scientists have invented a synthetic form of blood, otherwise known as “Tru Blood.”

No longer a slave to drinking human blood to survive, the vampires are subsequently free to integrate themselves into human society.

A rub occurs along the way:

The vamps soon find out that they are not free or welcome among us (humans), and that their craving to hunt and feed has not been curbed by a lifeless, and mass-produced synthetic blood beverage (Tru Blood).

Sookie finds herself forming a connection with Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a charming 173-year-old vampire whose avant-garde ways towards the human race separates him from the typical vampire’s thoughts on both species integrating. Sookie’s telepathic ability is a gift and a curse. She has to learn how to harness her mind reading powers, by shutting it off and on, to avoid an over-load of countless thoughts and brain wave activity – all coming at her at once from every person in her vicinity. Unable to hear Bill’s thoughts, Sookie finds comfort in his company and a romantic bond takes place.

This is True Blood’s main story line – the romance between a gifted, good-hearted human and a compassionate vampire with a conscience, torn between his previous life and the immoral urges his new transformation has given him. Though close to two hundred years old Bill is still learning to control the vampire tendencies within himself (173 is considered a baby in vamp years).

The sub-plots and supporting cast of characters in True Blood are in my opinion what really gives this show the extra ingredients that make it unfeasible to stop watching the series, now in its third year – and let’s not forget about its gorgeous group of actors that are the sexiest “small-town folk” that you’ll never see in reality.

These alluring characters all have or had (somebody’s got to die, right?) significant challenges surrounding them at every startling plot swing:

Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell), the rugged and handsome owner of the only bar in town, “Merlotte’s,” has a serious crush on Sookie and he seemingly has no past while possessing a secret that he desperately wants to share with everyone but is petrified to actually act upon.

Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten), Sookie’s brother is a man-whore, who can charm any girl he wants into bed and does. He’s also having trouble grappling with the idea of his sister dating a vampire, has a knack for dating women in town that end up dead, and develops an addiction to vampire blood – otherwise known as “V.”

Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgard), portrays a very powerful vampire and the owner of the vamp club “Fangtasia.” He’s also the over-seeing vampire sheriff of “Area 5,” in Louisiana. His keen interest in Sookie and her abilities forges an on-going feud for her affections between himself and his fellow vampire – Bill.

Maryann Forrester (Michelle Forbes), character is an ancient form or supernatural goddess of sorts called a “Maenad,” that is linked with the worship of the god Dionysus. She’s on a destructive mission to reconnect with her god by seducing the entire town for her evil purposes—including murder, sacrifice, orgies and cannibalism which are just the starting point for the sickest and most wicked character on the show to date.

These are just a handful of the intense and dangerously sexy characters that make up this celebrated show’s bizarre storylines. I don’t want to give out the entire recipe for this well prepared entrée of episodic television – but there are many more compelling characters and surprises that you have to see for yourself.

A enormous element to True Blood’s widespread success is partially connected to its being the first of the vampire genre to place humans and vampires in co-existence – on a regular day to day basis.

It’s a fresh take on a repeatedly offered tale that more often than not has vampires hiding in every dark corner, feasting, until they’re tracked down and get a stake rammed through their heart—making for the end of a story line that’s been rehashed ad nauseam.

True Blood transposes ongoing issues of our contemporary society and places those problems upon another species and creatures with their own set of unique advantages and disadvantages, in dealing with them. No matter how universal or chic these tribulations are, it makes for first-rate drama. The show also adds in the fascinating plot point that the vampires have been secretly studying humans and our behaviors for thousands of years–as opposed to humans knowing very little about vamps with only two years of integration.

And no, I did not forget about the excess of hot sexual debauchery that goes on between every type of person or creature – in just about every episode. True Blood has exposed flesh all over the place, male and female – human and vampire.

On a deep-rooted level many critics believe True Blood is a series heavily draped in metaphors and is seen as a possible allegory for the civil rights and gay rights movements. Charlaine Harris, the author of the novels on which the show is based, acknowledged that her initial depiction for the vampires were meant as a minority that was demanding to obtain equal rights. Many phrases throughout the series are borrowed and personalized from expressions used against and in relation to homosexuals, such as – “God Hates Fangs” (God Hates Fags) and as I mentioned earlier “Coming out of the Coffin,” (Coming out of the closet).

The show’s anti-vampire, hate-filled church, the “Fellowship of the Sun,” is a clear portrayal of many religious sections of today that are outspoken about their dislike and disapproval of certain groups and minorities. The church’s and anti-vampire movement’s derogatory slur, fang-bangers, is an expression they use for humans that sleep with vampires.

Even if you’re not a fan of the vampire genre you might be unexpectedly sucked in (I had to use at least one bad vampire pun before I was done here), by True Blood’s addictive nature–its sexy cast and some of the best television series writing and character dialogue – period.

Don’t take my word for it – take a bite at the show and taste it for yourself (okay, now that’s two bad vampire puns, I apologize but I couldn’t help myself).

True Blood airs Sundays @ 9PM on HBO.