HBO recently unveiled True Blood, its new TV show by Alan Ball, the guy behind American Beauty and Six Feet Under. True Blood takes place in a sleepy Southern town circa now. The only thing is…vampires are real, they have legislation behind them and Japan created a synthetic blood substitute so that they don’t have to kill mortals unless they want to. Vampires roam the streets openly, but only at night of course in this version of America.
That’s not to say that the vampire community is accepted by the townsfolk, particularly in the Louisiana town the show is set. The South isn’t known for its open-mindedness, now is it?
The parallels between the prejudice faced by the vampires and the modern prejudice faced by the GLBT community are blatant in the script. No, seriously. The opening titles contain a shot of a church message board saying “God Hates Fangs”.
No, most look down on the community, but several of the townsfolk do hook-up with vampires for the thrill of it.
Indeed, when Bill Compton, one of those “vampires,” rolls into town it causes uproar. Only telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse shows him any affection.
Therein is the key to the show and why I keep watching to find out what happens next. The first two episodes completely set up the world.
The mis-en-scene is fabulous. Gossip mags are strewn on the coffee table saying things like “Angelina adopts a vamp!”, religious pundits and vampire lobbyists debate the merits of Vampires on CNN and bumper stickers like “Honk if you’re a blood donor” abound. By focusing on the little details and establishing the connections between the townsfolk, the viewer then believes it when the proverbial and literal fangs come out.
This isn’t some Anne Rice homo-erotic gothic vampire love letter. Rather the tale of a group of outsiders just trying to fit in where they are not accepted.
Love and a hint of iron mingle so well with the scent of magnolias in bloom, don’t they? Will the budding love prove too much for never-dated-anyone Sookie? Will Bill be able to resist his temptation to play rough? Tune in and see!
Read Also
Tweet
