TV Guide features an article called, Ask Matt – where he answers questions submitted by fans based on his reviews on TV shows.
In the latest segment, he uses Eric and Sookie as an example of ‘bad boy/good girl’ relationships when answering a question about Damon/Elena (an another popular ‘bad boy/good girl’ vampire/human duo) from The Vampire Diaries.
We figured we’d post it here so everybody could share their thoughts on the ‘bad boy/good girl’ relationships, since Eric and Sookie fall under that category.
This is what was said;
Question: I had a question about the concept of the bad boy. I watch The Vampire Diaries religiously, and I enjoy the character of Damon. I understand that he is a vampire and his very nature is evil, and I also understand that he longs to be more caring and loving, especially with Elena. However, I remain convinced that Elena’s best love interest is Stefan. Even though Damon has shown some redeeming qualities, he mostly has tried to kill everyone Elena loves (sometimes accomplishing it), used her friend for blood and sex and forced her to drink his blood so she would turn into a vampire if she died. I am not sure how anyone could root for them as a couple. This trend of wanting the heroine of a show to be with the bad boy instead of the decent guy is upsetting. We see it on True Blood and that show from last year, Life Unexpected. I think it shows young girls that you should strive to be with the bad boy because he is more exciting and overlook all the horrible things he has done to you and others. People may think Stefan is boring, but he respects Elena and would never do anything to intentionally hurt her despite his vampire nature. — Rachel
With True Blood, the whole time Sookie indulged her torrid fling with the “good Eric,” she dreaded the day he might revert back to form.
Matt Roush: The allure of the bad boy is hardly a new phenom; just think Marlon Brando and The Wild One as an icon that set the trend. What I like about the way Vampire Diaries has evolved Damon, and True Blood Eric, especially in Blood‘s last season (my favorite since the first), is that we get to see the side they’ve long repressed in their embrace of evil and/or power: the romantic who lurks beneath the villain, which only makes them more interesting and compelling as characters. With True Blood, the whole time Sookie indulged her torrid fling with the “good Eric,” she dreaded the day he might revert back to form. With Diaries, we have Elena leaning on Damon and drawn (as any romantic would be) to his inner struggle to honor his brother while protecting the woman they both love from this evil incarnation of Stefan. None of this ignores their past bad deeds, but supernatural tales tend to be stories of redemption as well, and the reason these shows work is that the respective heroines have chemistry with both the good and the bad vamps, and our ambivalence about who to root for is part of the fun. In Diaries, no matter what wickedness Stefan commits under Klaus’s spell, we’re still meant to believe that he and Elena are soulmates. Ditto (departing from the Charlaine Harris books) Sookie and Bill, though that’s less clear at this point. But if you’re looking at these characters to be role models for the young audience, you’re barking up the wrong genre.
There it is again…saying that Bill and Sookie are soulmates on True Blood. PUKE. At least he mentioned that it’s a departure from the books and not 100% clear on True Blood…yet. 
GAG ME. I think Alan Ball made it perfectly clear when he said it.
I think that what most of us love about Eric and Sookie, is that Eric shows a softer, kinder side of himself with Sookie and doesn’t show it to the rest of the world. Sure, he’s no angel, but in his heart and soul, he’s a decent kind of guy. He’s honest and isn’t ashamed of who and what he is. While some of the things he does aren’t what Sookie likes, he’s not afraid of being who he is and is the take it or leave it type of guy. If Sookie wants to be with him, he’s not going to force her.
To me, that’s worth a lot more than this ‘bad boy vs. good boy’ crap. Honesty is the best policy. And being with someone who keeps secrets from you, could be worse than someone committing murder, IMO. It affects you emotionally. You never know if you can trust them completely. After being married a number of years, I can definitely tell you that being able to trust the person you love is one of the key ingredients to a happy, healthy life.
Unlike Bill, who likes to keep his true nature hidden and while he may have genuine feelings for Sookie, he’s a liar and a cheat. He’s ashamed of who he is and lies to cover up the terrible things he has done.
I found it interesting that Matt Roush also compared Damon and Elena to Eric and Sookie. I’ve heard them being compared to each other before. They do share many similarities between them, but I think the books (especially) showcase Eric and Sookie’s relationship much better than the show does. In that, they are very different.
What do you think? Which would you prefer? Sound off below!
