There was an interesting article we read and we thought you might find it interesting too. This article takes a look at True Blood and wonders if True Blood, is Truly Bad? This person takes an in-depth look at whether or not this show sucks, and if so – why do we keep watching?
Eric and Sookie: OUR reason for watching.
Here are some highlights from this article;
So first things first: is True Blood actually bad? I’ve thought about this quite a bit, and I think we might need to agree that while the show has interesting, compelling, campy, and extremely entertaining parts, as a whole, it’s a disaster. There are too many plot lines, none of which seem to coalesce into any realistic whole. The tone is too mixed, with some parts — I’m thinking of Sookie in the fairy land at the beginning of this season, or the winter wonderland love scene about half way through — that are so barefaced cheesy that I’m embarrassed to watch. As in the BF walks in the room and I have to turn off the television. There’s cheesy that’s funny, and then there’s cheesy that makes you wince and kinda hate yourself, and TB is coming down on the side of the latter far too often.
Soap operas are quintessentially serial television, and True Blood is, let’s be honest, a primetime soap opera with high production values. Through its use of narrative arcs — whether arcs that have lasted all four seasons (what will happen between Sookie and Bill?), arcs that structure a single season (how will Jason escape the Christians? Will Marianne take over all mystical creatures?) — we are pulled to watch the next episode even when we are disgusted with what we have just seen. Viewer curiosity — seeing the narrative through to its end — trumps viewer frustration.
And then there’s the romance. Romance is often a main (or only) serial hook — we continue reading or watching a piece of media simply because we want to know if the romance that has been put into motion at the beginning of the text will come to its obvious conclusion. Serial romance usually takes one of two paths:
1.) Will the obvious male protagonist and female protagonist get together, despite situational and attitudinal struggles? (See TB Season One).
2.) Now that the male protagonist and female protagonist have gotten together and satisfied audiences, what will happen now that one half of the couple has become an obvious drag and there’s another person, perhaps tall, Nordic, and f-ing BUILT, waiting in the wings? (See every season of TB after Season One).
What’s somewhat weird True Blood is that Sookie obviously sucks. Her character is annoying, her voice is annoying, she’s so inconsistent with her actions and choices, but the question of whether or not she will have very naked and very graphic sex with a.) Bill; b.) Eric; or c.) Alcide, complete with appropriately baroque soundtrack, again trumps the fact that her sole redeeming quality is her extensive sundress collection. But the likability of the all three of her love interests keeps audiences interested in who she’ll pick, even if we don’t necessarily like her. Or maybe we’re just willing her to pick who’d we pick? Which was so obviously Eric until he lost his memories and became so lame I cover my ears when he speaks?
Part of the popularity stems from people watching it for camp, which it obviously supplies, and many, many people watch it simply for the eye candy (HELLLLLLO, ERIC; hello Sookie’s boobs) and explicit sex scenes that would be at home on late night Skinamax.
You really must read the entire article (if you haven’t already) because a) they use the most famous photoshopped pic of Eric, with a caption that reads, “Why most people watch this show.” And b) it’s a really great article, which I’m sure many of you will agree, and feel the same way about the show.
Click here to read – “True Blood, Truly Bad?”
This person is obviously an Eric lover and I agree with many of her points. Cheesy soap opera? Check. Eric Northman is “tall, Nordic, f-ing BUILT”. Check. True Blood is “interesting, compelling, campy, and extremely entertaining parts, as a whole, it’s a disaster.” Check. (We won’t even get into the whole – based on Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series, because that’s not what this post is about, and I’m not even sure if this person has read the books.)
There is so much more of what I can agree with, but I’m much more interested in reading what YOU have to say!
Go ahead…make my day! Share your thoughts below!
