Season 5 is the season of the Authority, finally we learn more about this organization. USA Today reveals a few spoilers about what awaits us.
This season explores political maneuverings in the vampire realm between The Authority, a mainstream group that seeks accommodation with humans, and the Sanguinistas, fundamentalists who believe mortals are simply food for their vampire superiors.
“We wanted to play with the politics/religion angle, since that seems to be something that never stops,” creator Alan Ball says. “Some of the things being said by some people during the Republican primary were so horrifying to me that I thought, ‘What if vampires wanted a theocracy? What would that look like?’ Whenever anybody thinks they know what God wants and wants to apply that to government, whether Americans or the Taliban, it’s kind of a terrifying thing.”
Christopher Meloni plays Roman, the powerful, mesmerizing and corporate-looking Guardian of The Authority. “He’s a vampire wanting to change the system, fighting against what he sees as fanatics. He’s a man interested in co-existence. I think he’s a forward-thinking guy,” says Meloni, “this supreme example of a man of authority, and yet there are certain moments of him that are surprisingly childish.”
Bill and Eric now must join to try to save their lives, offering their assistance in catching the suddenly resurrected vampire Russell Edgington (Denis O’Hare), a thorn in The Authority’s side.
“Russell is a pretty powerful vampire. He really represents chaos and anarchy. That is the one thing that my character just disdains, both personally and professionally,” Meloni says.
For Skarsgard and Meloni, the union of Eric and Bill represents a twist in the characters’ relationship. They must work together or die the vampire’s True Death.
“Steve is a really close friend of mine, and I really enjoy the bromance,” Skarsgard says. “Eric hated Bill. He thought Bill was insignificant, a young, naïve vampire. Suddenly, he’s in a position where he cares about this guy. He protects him and saves him. That’s definitely something new for Eric.”
And this time, Moyer says, it’s not just personal. “At different times in the past, things were about stuff going on for them individually. This is on a different level. This is global,” says the actor, who’s married to co-star Anna Paquin. “They’re not just thinking about themselves.”
Sookie “can’t make her mind up and doesn’t want anyone to be hurt, so she’s walking away. It’s horrible and painful and sad,” Anna Paquin says. “But she’s never had a chance to stand on her own as a real grown-up. She’s giving it a go on her own. It doesn’t necessarily go well, because she’s Sookie.”
The trio’s paths will cross again, especially considering the return of Edgington. “Russell would be a common enemy,” Ball says. “He wants Bill and Eric dead since they put him into the ground, and he wants to drink Sookie’s blood so he can walk in the sun again.”
The show, which juggles humor, sex and violence, has a darker tone this year, too, Moyer says. “I don’t think it’s as frothy or quite as camp as it usually is. It feels like it’s very serious this year, but I don’t mean that in a pejorative way,” he says. “It feels like there’s more at stake.”
