Topic: True Blood -- HBO TV Series

[MysterD]

I have been meaning to talk about this series on here (directed and written by Alan Ball; starring Anna Paquin), as I've been watching Season One since it began on HBO.

And so far, it's been pretty good.

Has anybody been watching it?
And if so, have you been liking it?

[Xessive]

It's alright. I really like the Southern vampire theme and I love the show's opening! The song "I wanna do bad things with you" mixed in with the imagery really got me!

The show has its cheesy moments and some characters are more than a little irritating but overall it has my attention.

[nickclone]

I've been watching this show from the beginning and I'm not going to say its good, but I do like it. I thought the show would be a little more action oriented, but its still a cool show...even if it can be methodically slow at times.

[gpw11]

I've been watching it as well, and pretty much feel the same way as Nick.  I also really hope it's going somewhere.

I really wish Carnivale and John From Cincinnati didn't get canceled, and this doesn't seem to be on the same level at all.

[MysterD]

I really wish Carnivale and John From Cincinnati didn't get canceled

I really loved those two shows.

[gpw11]

Complete shame that both got canned when people loved them.  Carnivale was going to some very good places as well.

[Quemaqua]

Firefly syndrome?  Fox caught it, made out with HBO, and now HBO has the ugly red bumps?

[MysterD]

Firefly syndrome?  Fox caught it, made out with HBO, and now HBO has the ugly red bumps?

LOL. Sounds about right.

It's really a damn shame that Carnivale and John From Cincinnati were canned.
Loved both of those shows.

I'm still waiting on John From Cincinatti Season 2, dammit.
Too much stuff still left hanging...

[MysterD]

And tonight's Season Finale for True Blood...freakin' sucked.

Too much stuff packed into that one hour, leaving a feeling of important stuff underdeveloped and resolved way too quickly...

**SPOILERS*** About The Killer...

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...The killer, Renee, was revealed too quickly in this episode and it felt too rushed -- and killed off in the first half hour.

Not only that, some old threads are left hanging...

Also, it felt like the last half hour of the episode was basically beginning Season Two already, introducing too many new threads that were left hanging at the end of the Episode. They could've waited until next season to start all that stuff up...

Overall, it was a pretty good season of True Blood, except this horrible Season Finale...

Until next season...

[Pugnate]

Firefly syndrome?  Fox caught it, made out with HBO, and now HBO has the ugly red bumps?

Well, maybe Fox was on to something.

Look how "great" Family Guy is since it came back.

Though maybe its sudden drop in standard upon comeback came because Fox dropped it.

Or maybe I am just too old now, and don't find it as funny as I did when I was in my early 20s.

[Quemaqua]

All sound about accurate.  It's not as funny, and they did change the formula upon coming back because they knew they could get away with a lot more.  And the older we get, surely the less funny Seth Macfarlane will be (oh the irony of "Adult" Swim).

[Xessive]

The best of Family Guy are without question the first 3 seasons (before it got cancelled).

Both Family Guy and American Dad have their ups and downs but they both seem much lower in overall quality than earlier shows.

[Quemaqua]

Except that American Dad was never funny to begin with.  That show just sucks.

[Xessive]

Except that American Dad was never funny to begin with.  That show just sucks.

It has its moments but I agree overall it's pretty dull. It feels like a bunch of inside jokes I can't relate to.

[Ghandi]

Every time I hear that alien from American Dad talk I start destroying things.

[Xessive]

Every time I hear that alien from American Dad talk I start destroying things.

That frickin' annoying bitch is intolerable. I think it's one of the main reasons the show sucks.

I just watched the True Blood season finale. Itw as alright, but I get what MyD was saying about it seeming rushed.

[MysterD]

That was one of the worst season finales ever.

In Regards To Vampire Bill in The Season Finale...

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Oh, c'mon -- we all knew when Sookie was in trouble, he'd jump out into the sunlight and wind up getting scorched up pretty good.

*yawns...*

How fuckin' predictable...

[Cools!]

SOOKIE!!!!!!

[gpw11]

No no no.  It's SsoooKIE.   

I pretty much stopped watching it right around episode 4 or so.  It didn't seem like it was going anywhere.

[ScaryTooth]

So, I just started watching this show a little bit. I'm on episode 8 of the first season. I like it a lot so far. But it does move slow in parts. There are certain things that are really interesting to me, like, what is up with, Sam? Is he crazy or something? I would like to know more about certain vampires, like Eric, and Bill. And what the hell is up with that dog? Lafayette is pretty awesome, heh.

I could care less about Tera and the relationship with her mom. Although that bits gotten slightly more interesting. Jason isn't really interesting any more, just kind of annoying. And whats up with Sookie and reading peoples minds. Does it become a big plot mechanic later on? Because right now it's just there, and kind of weird. It's like they just use it for filler. I guess thats kind of what makes her interesting though.

Oh, and please dont spoil it for me. I don't really expect anyone to answer this stuff. Just kind of rambling about the show.

[wizall]

I had the same questions/impressions when I started. Just keep watching. It's not the most narratively-(word?)-sound show, but it's worth watching. It's basically candy. At this point you won't be disappointed.

[Xessive]

I like the show because it stands out from the crowd. I've just started watching the second season and so far my favourite character is still Sam.

[MysterD]

I have NOT been thrilled too much w/ Season 2, so far.

It's been still wrapping up too much crap from last season, it's been quite slow, and often predictable (which it really wasn't doing in the earlier episodes from Season 1). Not only that, I hate the way the show ends basically every episode teasing always with a new thread and doing it VERY abruptly -- and leaving you hanging....often, it's for a while.

Season One and Season TWO Plot-Points with Jason Stackhouse

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Personally, I thought the show started losing its steam when Lizzy Kaplan's modern-era hippie character from Season 1 got killed off. Since that episode, the whole thing where Jason's turned to try to "Find God", been kind of bible-thumping, and been predictably going after that guy's girlfriend/wife/significant other/whatever the heck she is has been dull and boring -- the current worse thread in the story right now.

It was even more predictable that the girl ALSO been through some stuff w/ vampires -- just like Stackhouse. How freakin' predictable. They're gonna make-out or get it on -- just give it a FEW episodes, in which this boring thread of a storyline has been VERY dragged out since them two first met. I've been hating this bible-thumping storyline -- it just needs to end NOW.

Sunday's past episode

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WTF at that corny-ass lookin' demon-looking thing that went after Sookie. I thought I was watching some awful crap-tastic corny F-grade film from Chiller channel, for Christ-sakes. I was waiting for some corny campy-ass music, just to go with that shot. That shot was awful -- and they should've NEVER showed the demon with the silhouette and all. Would've been better to leave that out.

Though, the stuff afterwards -- with Sookie fuming from the mouth and the doctor trying to take care of her -- that was good stuff.

Though, the ending with the girl having the marks on her back (like Sookie had, after the demon got her) -- big flippin' deal. Another thread left danging here, as we will have to wait until next week to see what happens w/ her and Sam in the water. Plus, that girl's eyes were jet black -- just like all the people that were at the party, thanks to that shapeshifter of a woman that seems to have power always over people like she's some sort of witch...Just like she had the power over everybody at Sam's bar, a few episodes ago and had them all acting like dogs in heat...

[MysterD]

And whats up with Sookie and reading peoples minds. Does it become a big plot mechanic later on?

It's been an important factor through-out most of the episodes. When things hit a dead-end, usually she winds up bumping into someone who thinks the wrong thing/right thing (depends on how you look at it). And then, it's used as a plot device to push the story even more forward.

It just pushed ahead an important plot-point in Season 2 in the most recent episode, actually.

Because right now it's just there, and kind of weird. It's like they just use it for filler. I guess thats kind of what makes her interesting though.

They do use it for that, too -- hehe.

[gpw11]

I totally fell off the wagon with this one.  Is there like a continuous plot direction?    I got about half way through the first season (maybe more) and just dropped it.

Fuck, I'd kill to have Carnivale back.

[MysterD]

I totally fell off the wagon with this one.  Is there like a continuous plot direction?    I got about half way through the first season (maybe more) and just dropped it.

Well, Last Episode of Season 1:
1st half ends the main storyline.
2nd half feels really like the start of Season 2.

[MysterD]

OMG, tonight's newest episode that aired on HBO was absolutely the worst one of Season 2 so far. Can it get any worse than this?

[nickclone]

I'll one up you and say it's the worst of the series. What really pisses me off is that it started out so well and then the writers chickened out and took the most retarded way out.

[MysterD]

I'll one up you and say it's the worst of the series.

You know, I don't think I can argue this one. Even the worst episodes this season have had their moments. This episode has NO moment worth a damn. NONE.

The whole Maryann angle has been awful, anyways -- but dedicating a whole episode to that mess, which often gets painfully corny, unrealistic, and even worse special effects than B-movie horror -- ugh!!! What a mistake. Some ideas that sound really good and creative on paper -- yeah, should stay on paper, if they can't really come up w/ any way to make these ideas work on film.

The 2 episodes before that last one were, I thought, on the right track.

You know, I really am lookin' forward to this Season to just end...

[nickclone]

There are a lot of things that I don't like about the series: Sookie, the Fellowship of the Sun and how they build up a climax to the plot to just take the easy way out everytime.

I would like to see more of Jessica and Hoyt, more of Bill's background, more of Lafeyete and less of Sookie. Maryanne doesn't really bother me as much...oh yeah...more Sam and Bellefleur.

[MysterD]

I still wish Lizzy Kaplan's character didn't get killed off in the first season.

[Cools!]

I didn't enjoy the show in the beginning and stopped watching after a few episodes. Then I watched an episode from the 2nd season and wanted to know wtf was going with the witch lady. So I ended up watching the whole 1st season back to back and enjoyed it.

Then I started watching the 2nd season and what a waste of time. Boring and predictable. I can't stand Sookie or Tara. It's like the writers gave up at all. All the mystery and suspense is gone. They pretty much spelled out the ending in the previous episodes and the season ending was a big fat snore.

[MysterD]

Last night's Season Finale for Episode Two was pretty bad.

Season 2 - Season Finale Spoilers
Best Part...

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Best part was when Maryann got killed.
And I had a funny feeling Sam was the damn animal she was ready to "die for," when the bull-like creature walked on-screen.

Cliffhanger

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Plus, the cliffhanger at the end -- in which it hinted earlier that Eric would go after Bill...and at the end, Bill got taken -- ugh, that sucked.

The episode should've ended w/ Sookie putting the ring on in the bathroom...

[Cools!]

The episode should've ended with a nuclear bomb dropping and killing everyone. 50 minutes of deaths, ending with Sookie where we'd see a slow motion of her disintegrating into a cloud and then Bill trying to grasp that cloud and blowing up himself. Or something like that.

[Xessive]

It's the same formula as the first season. The first half of the finale is wrapping up the story in a shamelessly rushed and plain fashion, the second half is setting up the next season.

I have to admit the death of Maryann was the best scene in the episode.

[MysterD]

It's the same formula as the first season. The first half of the finale is wrapping up the story in a shamelessly rushed and plain fashion, the second half is setting up the next season.

Exactly.