True Blood

[gryeyes]

I meant hammy in the way a soap opera is hammy, not as a failing so much as an intentional thematic choice for the show. The language is always extremely dramatic,facial expressions and reactions are always overblown, how they cut to different scenes, that sort of thing. The second season is definitely better but the maryanne plot line is dragging.

[stray]

Bill is definitely dramatic.. But I think that's also to do with the whole civil war schtick. The rest I'm not seeing so much. Maryanne did drag on, but I think they've ramped it up a bit.. Her scenes get a little more freaky and disturbing now, and she's close to not hiding her true colors.

[Slayerik]

It's about time Sam figured out he could shift into something besides a fuckin' dog.

Maryanne plotline is FINALLY getting somewhere.

Bill's a pussy. Right when I thought he might show me some balls he let the human escape. He shoulda tore that fucker limb from limb.

Enjoying the season, but I tire of eggs and Maryanne. "Oh you guys had some fun last night!"  Die, god bitch. Or is it 'God, die bitch.'

[Sky]

Lafayette and mom were the best thing to happen to the stupid Maryann plotline in weeks, if not the whole season. Seeing the family bond over Tara was nice. Should at least be interesting when Sookie and Bill come home to find all these people living in her house.

Also, Sam's always known he can shift to more than a dog, and he has at least once before (a crow or something). But it's tougher and he has to have an example. I would be spending more time at the zoo imo.

I liked the confrontation with Hoyt and his mom, but I deal with a lot of the same thing irl, so it's personally satisfying.

[nurtsi]

The chick who plays Maryanne is a brilliant actor. The stuff she does just with her eyes is awesome.

[Tale]

The chick who plays Maryanne is a brilliant actor. The stuff she does just with her eyes is awesome.

Have you seen her run a battlestar?

[Hindenburg]

This chapter episode was utter shit.

[nurtsi]

The chick who plays Maryanne is a brilliant actor. The stuff she does just with her eyes is awesome.

Have you seen her run a battlestar?

Heh, I only watched first season. Never realized she was in it. Maybe I'll watch the entire show now since I don't have to wait between episodes.

[stray]

She sort of set the standard for Bajoran characters (they've all been just as bitchy since).

[Velorath]

When everyone's special, no one is.

Huh?  Aside from additional vampire characters (which is hard to avoid given it's the premise of the show), this season has added one psychic who has only had a couple brief appearances of far, and one shapeshifter who has already been killed off.  Not sure where the everyone is special thing comes from, but probably about half of the regular cast aren't.

[Tarami]

It's the same problem that I had with the second season of Heroes, when no one normal/human is any longer independent of the supernaturals. Sookie no longer goes to work, neither does Jason. Tara is spending most of her screentime as enthralled by Maryann. Sam is quite honestly not really doing anything of value. The new or extended human characters, like Eggs and Hoyt, exist mostly to act off one of the supernaturals. Fellowship of the Sun was a disappointment because obviously they weren't, at any time, a real threat to the vampires, except for any suicidal ones.

Seriously, the named supernaturals easily outnumber named humans at this point, and it's very rarely that we see two humans interact without a supernatural interfering. I think it's lame and obnoxiously lazy writing to have a character like Maryann that doesn't get any explanation apart from "well, it's who she is!"

[Tale]

I think it's lame and obnoxiously lazy writing to have a character like Maryann that doesn't get any explanation apart from "well, it's who she is!"

Maryann was fully explained to Sam for our benefit two episodes ago by Daphne.

[stray]

Maryanne is a maenad/nymph.

[Slayerik]

Sam needs to invest in a high powered rifle and at least try to red mist that bitch.

[gryeyes]

Seriously, the named supernaturals easily outnumber named humans at this point, and it's very rarely that we see two humans interact without a supernatural interfering. I think it's lame and obnoxiously lazy writing to have a character like Maryann that doesn't get any explanation apart from "well, it's who she is!"

Ive only read the first book so i can tell you they are intentionally restricting all manner of the supernatural shit in the show. The entire tenor of the novels is supernatural saturation. Several of the named reoccurring normal humans either don't exist in the novels or are also supernatural creatures. And the vampires are far far less "human". It is the most pulpy of fiction imaginable.

[Velorath]

It's the same problem that I had with the second season of Heroes, when no one normal/human is any longer independent of the supernaturals. Sookie no longer goes to work, neither does Jason. Tara is spending most of her screentime as enthralled by Maryann. Sam is quite honestly not really doing anything of value. The new or extended human characters, like Eggs and Hoyt, exist mostly to act off one of the supernaturals. Fellowship of the Sun was a disappointment because obviously they weren't, at any time, a real threat to the vampires, except for any suicidal ones.

Seriously, the named supernaturals easily outnumber named humans at this point, and it's very rarely that we see two humans interact without a supernatural interfering. I think it's lame and obnoxiously lazy writing to have a character like Maryann that doesn't get any explanation apart from "well, it's who she is!"

So you want a show where Vampires reveal themselves and then everybody just kinda shrugs and goes back to work?  Also, the supernaturals on the show don't really outnumber the humans.  On the supernatural side you've got Sookie, Bill, Eric, Sam, Maryanne, Jessica, and up until recently Daphne.  On the human side, you have Jason, Tara, Hoyt, Lafayette, Bud and Andy, Eggs, Terry and Arlene, and Steve and Sarah.

[stray]

If we are going to talk non supernatural characters that need more airtime, it's Andy. 

[Morfiend]

If we are going to talk non supernatural characters that need more airtime, it's Andy. 

Anything to give crying vampires a little less airtime is a good thing. 

[gryeyes]

Andy seems to also be exceptional? The bitch has no power over him, but hes been in the background the entire time. Hes obviously going to be a central role in the final battle.

[Tebonas]

Not all of the humans turn out to be unspecial, according to the books (or so I read online).

[Tarami]

We've been told what Maryann is, not why she is doing what she's doing. That is my issue. Why is she so obsessed with Sam (seriously, it has been like twenty years), and why is she so damn incompetent about getting it done? Sam has been within her reach multiple times.

What you mention Gryeyes is part of the crux for the series, if you ask me. The supernaturals have been given a higher degree of humanity to better fit the TV format, but they largely haven't been properly equipped with the complex things that make humans act human, like larger cause and motivation. They're just oh so bored.

So you want a show where Vampires reveal themselves and then everybody just kinda shrugs and goes back to work?  Also, the supernaturals on the show don't really outnumber the humans.  On the supernatural side you've got Sookie, Bill, Eric, Sam, Maryanne, Jessica, and up until recently Daphne.  On the human side, you have Jason, Tara, Hoyt, Lafayette, Bud and Andy, Eggs, Terry and Arlene, and Steve and Sarah.

You forgot Godric (albeit now dead), Lorena (Bill's maker), Nan (the TV-vampire) and Barry (the other telepath) and probably more I've forgotten who have had multiple appearences and had impact on the story. That's more than you can say about Terry or Arlene this recent season, for example. The series has made a big shift towards "what vampires do when they're bored [hint: they kill themselves.]"

Also, as people are (perhaps rightfully) doing here, it's beginning to be presumed that everyone significant has a superpower. Yes, I think series (not just this one) work better if it's a relatively normal drama with a dramatic twist, not some completely arbitrary universe which no one knows the rules for. You can call that giving it a shrug and going back to work, but it's just far more sustainable than going overboard at first opportunity which is what the series has done. The first season is practically a literal translation of the first book, so that one couldn't derail all that much. It's making the same mistakes as Heroes did, all over again.

Yes, yes, I get that this series probably isn't for me.

[stray]

Have some patience.. Or don't and write your own fan fiction or something. Why she's so incompetent in getting it done is because each season is 13 episodes and umm, it needs to play out.   Seriously. It's that simple. It's like bitching about the writers not killing off Rene in the last season, during the 6 episode or some shit. That's no fun.

As for why she's doing what she's doing... She's into chasing around shapeshifters I think because they're the ones who have an inherent ability to be immune to her trancing (or whatever). Like the waitress chick said, they have to come of their own free will. So maybe that just makes Sam all the more enticing because he's been so hard to control for so many years. And she's just used to obedience (voluntarily or not) in general. So it's pissing her off.


edit: Also, this isn't the Lost Boys or something, or any other typical horror, where some wicked and mysterious element has moved into town, and the majority of the characters are normal people trying to cope with it. Neither the books nor the series ever tried to be that. The whole premise is that vamps have come out of the woodwork and the supernatural and mythological is now freely mingling with the entire world. So it's only natural for the writers to have fun with that idea.. Man, fuck "normal" people! I'll go watch Weeds or something when I want that. 

[lac]

I read somewhere that according to the book lore she's pissed at both Erik & Sam because they are supernaturals who sell alcohol without giving her offerings and worship and that's apparently a big no-no to these draenads. So according to that she doesn't want to kill Sam or domesticate him or whatever, she wants to force  him into worshiping her.

[Velorath]

You forgot Godric (albeit now dead), Lorena (Bill's maker), Nan (the TV-vampire) and Barry (the other telepath) and probably more I've forgotten who have had multiple appearences and had impact on the story. That's more than you can say about Terry or Arlene this recent season, for example. The series has made a big shift towards "what vampires do when they're bored [hint: they kill themselves.]"

I didn't forget any of those characters.  I'm just not going to list every character who appeared in more than one episode (which is why I also didn't mention Luke, Tara's mom, or Hugo).

[gryeyes]

And its fairly irrelevant, the entire show is about vampires integrating into human society.  Its not like heroes where they are supposed to be a rarity. Im assuming there is hundreds of thousands of them around.

[Tale]

We've been told what Maryann is, not why she is doing what she's doing.

As a maenad she's a servant of Dionysus/Bacchus, the god of wine, ritual madness, ecstasy, who induces a frenzy in people, with a divine mission to bring an end to care and worry.

Her mission is to create this chaos for Bacchus. When Sookie listened in on her thoughts it was a loop of "something something Bacchus".

It's as simple as that: Bacchus wants more madness. Bacchus also appears to require animal sacrifices. Shapeshifters appear to be the best form of animal sacrifice. She also can't influence them, so if they get in the way, they must be sacrificed.

I can tell all this from the show (and by looking up maenad).

[lac]

Looks like the hunt for Maryanne is on. Damn, I hate cliffhangers.

[stray]

Yeah, what a cliffhanger...

Very funny episode. The Stackhouse God scene was ridiculous, but I guess it could go no other way. And Terry's extroverted/leader mode is funny too. More Andy too.. Actually, all of 3 of them are the funniest dudes on the show.

[Rasix]

Nothing like a Bachanalian trance to cure your PTSD.  That actor has very good comedic timing.  Sadly I know this from watching Gilmore Girls.

Very good episode overall.  The town is fucked.

[Evil Elvis]

Here's a link to the original cut of the pilot:
http://watch-trueblood-online.blogspot.com/2008/10/true-blood.html

It's mostly the same, with a few small changes, and a different actress playing Tara.  If you don't like the actress who's playing her now, it could have been much, much worse.


Late edit: Christ, that last episode was terrible.  They've been walking a tight-rope between farce and absurdity for the last few episodes, but they've gone full-on parody.  They better wrangle that shit in for the last 2 eps.

[Sky]

Shapeshifters appear to be the best form of animal sacrifice. She also can't influence them, so if they get in the way, they must be sacrificed.

That theory is completely blown to shit by Daphne. She was influenced and also not sacrificed. Her heart was used for Tara and Eggs, but she's used normal human hearts for the same stuff.

It was a great episode, last three have been strong.

[Rasix]

She was influenced

No, she never went all black eyed. She's the one that specifically said they can't be influenced.

edit: She can force shifters to shift, but that's it.  We've covered this before.

[gryeyes]

She never went blackeyed, but she had a scar from the poisoned claws. Its supernatural poison of some sort. And she clearly said other supernaturals can be influenced in different ways, just not completely possessed.

[Tale]

Apart from the scar and not going blackeyed, I thought she was helping Maryanne by choice. She had decided it was the way.

[lac]

Yeah, what a cliffhanger...

One of the protagonists travels to his vampire queen, the only one who has the answer on how to destroy their nemesis and when he finds her, we only see her foot dripping blood, be it from feeding or an attack. And cut. Tune in next week.
I'd say the scenarist was aiming for a cliffhanger alright.

I'm sure you're immune to such cheap tricks if you tend to watch weekly shows more than I do but since this is the first show I don't watch on DVD, I'm somewhat susceptible to suspense endings and having to wait another week to satisfy my curiosity.