Monday, June 27, 2011

Rant: True Blood


You would think I would have learned my lesson. Over and over, people keep telling me that I need to think of True Blood as something totally separate from the Sookie Stackhouse books. And that sounds easy enough, but I just can't do it. I mean, these are the supposed to be the characters I've cared about for all this time.

The basic premise of the series was the same... at least in season one. Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic waitress, gets her first real chance at a relationship with the first vampire she ever meets. Her shapeshifter boss is there, along with her slightly selfish, man-whore brother... The main story arc holds up, as someone kills people with ties to vampires. And not withstanding the horrific accents, it worked. Of course, the amazing casting of Alexander Skarsgard didn't hurt. His presence is what made me tolerate that whole ridiculous v-addiction storyline.

Then season two came and the bastardization began. Layfayette is alive (the one and only change I was ever on board with)... Jessica is born. The unnamed maenad gets a name and an extended storyline that nearly overshadows the trip to Dallas. There's the epic fail of the Fellowship of the Sun side-plot and changes involved with making Godric into Eric's maker. Season 3 gives us the gift of Joe Mangianello and I can forgive the show creators almost anything after that. Except maybe the train wreck that they turned Russell into. Or the terrible miscasting of Claudine and Hadley.

But here we are at season four. And I've been waiting, poised between excitement and fear for the adaptation of my favorite book in the series. Only to get the horrific, steaming pile of shit that I witnessed last night. In two episodes, there was nary a shred of storyline that can be reconciled with Dead to the World. In fact, it felt like Alan Ball was giving a huge middle finger to Charlaine Harris fans, making it essentially impossible for the story to mirror future books.  

Here are my top 10 complaints:

1. Faerie. This was wrong in so many ways, I don't even know where to start. Lumieres. Ugly fae. Grandpa EARL? This knocks out the whole Niall storyline and indicates (by Barry's presence) that Sookie's telepathy is linked to her being fae.

2. A year has passed.

3. Jason sold Sookie's house.

4. Tara is suddenly a lesbian.

5. Sam is in a shifter support group that has a soft spot for horses. (Who the hell are these people?)

6. Sam's stupid brother is still around.

7. Arlene thinks she has a devil baby.

8. Here's a big one. Bill kills Sophie-Ann. Knocking out huge storyline potential from future books. So much of the upcoming story should have been tied up in Sophie Ann, from Sookie's trip to New Orleans, to the vampire conference, to Mr. Cataliades, Andre, Sigebert & Wybert... All just wiped out with this one plot device.

9. Bill is King. (Seriously... I knew they weren't going to send him to Peru, but this utterly changes the dynamic between him and Eric forever.)

10. The witches don't want to have sex with Eric. Instead of some all powerful, evil witches, we've got an old lady who misses her dead bird and a bunch of dabblers. It's all wrong.

I could go on. Bitch about Crystal being part of the plan to turn Jason into a shifter... Or Andy's drug dependence on vampire blood. Or Lafayette's stupid new hair. But I'm starting to feel petty. They couldn't even throw me a bone and toss a naked shot of Joe Manganiello in there.

((**sigh**)) Alan Ball, you did a bad, bad thing.

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15 Comments:

At Monday, June 27, 2011 at 11:45:00 AM CDT , Blogger Cait said...

OMG I'm *so* glad I'm not the only one to have major problems with this series. Everyone seems to love it, and like you as soon as season 2 hit I went way off it. They've just completely RUINED it in my opinion, even Eric (as beautiful as that man is) is wrong character wise. So's Pam. She's too dominatrixy. I feel really betrayed that they've ruined something they didn't really need to ruin. What I saw of season 4 looks absolutely ludicrous and I definitely wont be watching it.../end rant.

The Cait Files

 
At Monday, June 27, 2011 at 11:56:00 AM CDT , Blogger KT Grant said...

The devil baby barbie decapitation had scene had me chuckling.

I think having Bill as King is pretty cool, although the whole Tara lesbian thing is one I find very odd.

The fairies ugh. Just ugh.

 
At Monday, June 27, 2011 at 12:16:00 PM CDT , Blogger Book of Secrets said...

I agree wholeheartedly with your rant! I was so disappointed in last night's episode. So very disappointed. Seriously, the least they could have done is given us a scene or two with a shirtless Alcide.

 
At Monday, June 27, 2011 at 12:17:00 PM CDT , Blogger Michelle Greathouse said...

I'm gonna have to go in the complete opposite direction and say I loved it.

I was able to disconnect from the books very early on - when LaFayette didn't get killed. And though it does not mirror the book - I am glad LaFayette is still around, he is one of my favorite characters. :)

So I am pleased - but I do agree with you about Alcide. A nekkid Alcide would make everything better. :)

M

 
At Monday, June 27, 2011 at 12:18:00 PM CDT , Blogger Jennifer @ The Book Nympho said...

WOW. I actually liked the two episodes last night. Yeah it was different from the book but I don't want it to be word for word or it would be boring.

I agree on some of your points like: Tommy, Tara and Bill.

But I like some of the changes that has been made I'll just have to watch to see if I continue to like them.

I grown to like the show better than the books. The last 2 books have been blah for me.

Here’s my thoughts.

 
At Monday, June 27, 2011 at 12:36:00 PM CDT , Blogger Jen at Red Hot Books said...

Thank you guys for sharing your opinions. It's interesting to see which things bothered some people and not others. Despite my rant, I will keep watching the show.

I can't run the risk that they'll do the shower scene and I'll miss it...

 
At Monday, June 27, 2011 at 1:48:00 PM CDT , Blogger Beth D. said...

Sam's side stories so far have been upsetting.

 
At Monday, June 27, 2011 at 2:00:00 PM CDT , Blogger Alexis @ Reflections of a Bookaholic said...

I had to stop watching a couple of seasons ago because I couldn't separate the two. It sounds like they ruined my favorite book of them all. Sounds so sad.

 
At Monday, June 27, 2011 at 2:51:00 PM CDT , Blogger Michelle Greathouse said...

Jen,

I can't remember where I read it - but I did read that the shower scene will be included....I can't wait. :)

M

 
At Monday, June 27, 2011 at 2:54:00 PM CDT , Blogger Jen at Red Hot Books said...

Score! Skarsgard + Naked = Happiness

 
At Monday, June 27, 2011 at 9:10:00 PM CDT , Blogger Molli @ Once Upon a Prologue said...

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Damn. This show was also a little silly, a little ridic, but SO SO fun. And. GAH. I can't help but love the books a little more than I love the show (and I love me some Jessica/Hoyt.) So I want the show to kind of fall in line. It did at first, but S2 was epic fail in so many ways (MaryAnn, really?!) and now this. Yours isn't the first mixed reaction I've heard. What are they doing to our show?!

I'm especially disappointed in the Sophie-Ann events. I loved the book where Sookie went to the convention/etc.

 
At Monday, July 4, 2011 at 7:01:00 AM CDT , Blogger Megan@Riverina Romantics said...

So as soon as I saw that you were talking about the second ep as well I stopped reading this post and didn't come back till today. (HBO GO doesn't work w/ my cable provider) Anyways, I agree with a lot of what you said. I spent most of the first ep saying WTF? I'm happy that I'm able to seperate the show from the book or I would be throwing things at the TV anytime Alex wasn't on!

 
At Monday, July 11, 2011 at 5:51:00 PM CDT , Anonymous Mothermayhem said...

I totally agree with your whole rant. I really liked the small changes from the book that enhanced the show in the beginning. But AB has taken a brilliant story and awesome material from the books and turned it into complete shit. The show has become predictable in it's attempts to seperate from the books. It made me so happy to find your post and find some solidarity.

 
At Monday, July 25, 2011 at 1:11:00 PM CDT , Blogger Paula Calvanico said...

*bowing* Right on girl!!! That's what my rant was all about! A.B. has absolutely flipped all of us So.Vamp series lovers the bird big time. Again, make your own friggin screenplay instead of stealing loved characters from the books. I have to wonder if Charlaine would've put caveats in her agreement if she knew what he was going to do.

*spoiler*
In the book, Jason's gay friend, who is in love with Jason and of course Jason is absolutely clueless that he is gay let alone crushing on him big time, kills Crystal. I wonder if he'll keep that plot in or if he feels that it put's gay men in a bad light? Never mind that he keeps saying that Marnie is wiccan when they were witches which is so unfair to them.

And while I'm enjoying Eric, he was still a strong personality not a crybaby. And forgive me, but I have hated Tara since I read the books and found out how AB changed her, like you Lafayette is the only real change I can accept. We can only hold our breath and watch for shades of our beloved characters.

Paula
Tomes Devotee

 
At Monday, July 25, 2011 at 1:14:00 PM CDT , Blogger Paula Calvanico said...

Oh and I am starting to truly doubt the whole shower scene to the bedroom happening.

Paula
Tomes Devotee

 

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