True Blood Season 6 Review

After drinking the blood of Lilith, Bill has become more powerful and unstoppable than any vampire. Sookie and Jason are on the hunt for Warlow, a mysterious vampire who killed their parents and has been contractually promised to Sookie, helping them is Niall their Fairy-Great-Grandfather, played excellently by Blade Runner’s Rutger Hauer. Eric, Pam, Jessica, Tara and all other vampires are in danger, with the Authority destroyed the Louisiana Governor has taken to control with new weapons and vows take down the vampires once and for all.

This season is one of the better seasons of the show! However, not everyone seems to think so, a lot are saying it is a big letdown of what was setup and that it was just filler. Now I get what they mean there were three potentially epic stories setup:
(1) Billith – after Bill goes crazy and drinks the blood of Lilith he rises up as a blood covered monster

(2) Warlow - the mystery of whom this dark and scary figure is, who killed Sookie’s parents and whom Sookie is contractually promised to

(3) Humans vs. Vampires war now that humans have developed new weapons.

Epic setups right there! So what do we get out these setups?
(1) Bill is not evil, just a prick with new powers. And his big mission is find the right fairy blood for vampires to drink and be saved from vampires meeting the sun (as he saw in a vision) and no real payoff after the mission is complete, he just becomes old Bill after.

(2) A handsome man who is a fairy/vampire hybrid, who obsessively waited thousands of years to find the right fairy to turn into his fairy/vampire bride –Sookie

(3) A vampire prison camp, therapy sessions and other bizarre experiments and contaminated TruBlood, no epic war.

But let’s make this clear, this was never meant to be an epic-action-horror show, this show is and always been a social commentary. It uses the vampires and other supernaturals as allegories of what goes on in today’s society. The narration of the show is in serialized soap-opera style and any soap fan should know that what goes in a story doesn’t really matter – what matters is the characters! This season was dedicated to give us character moments as opposed throwaway action. Now let’s explain why these three stories work.

1) Yes the Season 5 finale left us on it’s most intense cliffhanger by having Bill rise up as Billith. The premiere gives us an intense 5 minutes of the red monster before he flies off and we see him as Bill again. Admittedly the mission to find the right fairy blood is not the most interesting but where it leads to us is; Bill killing the Governor in broad daylight was awesome. It led to Jessica’s arc with the guilt of losing control and draining Andy’s fairy daughters. It was enjoyable getting to learn of Bill’s new abilities and grow an ego, so when he loses them in the finale it shows a great contrast and his struggle of being his old self again. He loses his powers by having numerous vampire drink from him, to being almost completely drained. There was a brief moment after where we thought he’d be killed by Lilith after completing the mission but it seems as though she just turned back to old Bill. So yes not the evil monster we were expecting, but a great character moment and redemption arc for Bill as he sees what a nasty person he has become and the remorse of the acts he committed the past season and the danger he let Sookie into with Warlow (see 2).

2) Again Warlow is not the scary monster setup in Season 5, in which he was played by an un-credited actor dressed in a long black coat and large hat so we couldn’t see his face. And when we see him escape the portal still wearing the large hat he looked a bit like Rob Zombie. So when he is revealed in person he turns to be the handsome fairy Ben whom Sookie just met. Turns out he killed Sookie’s parents because they (mainly the father) attempted to kill her that night to keep her from Warlow. Also turns out he can’t control his vampire thirst at night, as though his fairy side fights his vampire side. He hates being a vampire, he was a fairy whom Lilith turned against his will and he uncontrollably slaughtered his own fairy neighborhood including his own family. So he wanted a fairy/vampire bride because he feels that’s the only companion he can ever have. So his long period of waiting for Sookie has made him more desperate and obsessed. This puts Sookie in a difficult position and practically puts her at rock bottom, she just discovered her loving parents tried to kill her. She has found difficulty trying to fit in with the community most of her life because of her gift and now she has another love interest in Warlow, with similar abilities, whom she now sees as her rescuer. He wants her for eternity even to the point of blackmailing to do so, as his blood is just the fairy blood Bill needs to save the vampires. When Sookie realises she has a place in society and tries to bargain with Warlow into dating her first, he hits her and ties her up before biting her. Warlow is a complex character, he just desperately wants Sookie to fill what he has lost and now that he’s close to get what he wanted for so long he was not willing to have it taken away from him. Warlow is an excellent contrast to Bill, Bill himself had been obsessed with Sookie which resulted in an abusive relationship however despite the big heartbreak Bill let Sookie go while Warlow was not willing to. He was going to physically force her, an interesting look at how Bill and Sookie's relationship could’ve been like and also to show that Bill is really not the evil character he is often made out to be. Warlow is still a sympathetic character and in many ways the idea of Sookie being his fairy/vampire bride would’ve been good but his desperation and approach turned Sookie away and exposed his evil side. It’s also interesting that Warlow did not kill anyone on his hunt for Sookie since he already just drank from her he can control himself, he chooses not to kill anyone just keep them out of his way and that shows he’s still the complex character and not the 1-dimensional monster. I’d like to say Rob Kazinsky was excellent in the role, going back rewatching his performance with all the ways he looks and talks to Sookie is uncomfortable as you watch with a different perspective. You can see wants her but whether or not it’s for the right reason and whether he is sincere or just manipulating her, you see all those sides in his performance therefore you are uncertain if he can be trusted, yet you are rooting for the character to do the right thing which is supported by such great chemistry he shares with Anna Paquin. So thank you Rob, you have been missed since you left EastEnders and you’ll be missed in True Blood too.

3) The Vamp Camp was an excellent idea. It was fun seeing the vampires in a prison/mental institution-like facility and watching different experiments taken so the humans can figure out their psychologies and physical abilities. This did give us some great action moments such as the vampire hunts with the new weapons, Eric and Pam staking the guards, Governor’s beheading, the castration! But it’s the character moments that hit the marks: Pam’s therapy sessions; James being a gentleman to Jessica; Sarah becoming crazier and crazier, there was much plea from fans to have her killed and Jason almost does but he spares her showing how much of a good guy he is; Nora’s slow death from the Hep-V virus leaving the biggest impact on Eric.

So yes this season was not as much dedicated to the action but more on characters that does not make it just filler, the big character moments may not bare anything on plot make it does not it a waste. Terry Bellefleur was killed off and his death was focused on a lot, even having his funeral take up almost a whole episode. There were complaints that it was a waste because Terry was not one the main characters, he was a side character. However he was there from the beginning, he was likeable and he was part of the Bon Temps community. By having a human character die a human death for that matter it brings the majority of the Bon Temps characters together. The funeral episode gives us flashbacks from some main characters perspectives while giving a funeral speech, gives them some great character moments. So towards the end of the season the show has been grounded to a more personal story. And as usual the whole main cast give excellent performances to these characters and they all let their moments shine.

With the infected vampires that is a threat to humans and vampires, both will need protection and sets up a human/vampire pairing for Season 7. A pairing that the vampire can claim the human is theirs so no other vampire can bite them but also a human to feed on without catching the virus. With Season 7 being the final season, the human/vampire pairing is a great idea to give us humans and vampires living together is their intention from the beginning with massive potential for character development. There is also question who gets who so far we got – Jason and Violet, Tara and Lettie Mae, Jessica and Andy (well maybe, she’s determined to protect them after killing 3 out of 4 of his fairy daughters), while Sookie and Alcide choose no vampire but each other. How Sookie’s story will end- Will she embrace her fairy-side or become human? Will she stay with Alcide or get back with Bill? Will she stay in Bon Temps or leave to start a new life? And on another note what happened to Eric? How he survives meeting the sun, who knows? Roll on Season 7 and give this show the perfect ending.

True Blood

The Ultimate Supernatural Soap Opera

This is one of the most addictive shows. This is very silly, even down to it’s premise: The whole world knows vampires exist and now vampires become part of mainstream society. But what makes it work is that the show doesn’t take itself too seriously, it’s very self aware, satirical and smart.

The show centres around the residents of Bon Temps, a small town in Louisiana and their encounters with the supernatural, not just vampires. There are Shapeshifters, Werewolves, Witches, Maenads, Fairies etc. 

With a serial narration every episode ends on a cliffhanger, especially the finales. The show has come under criticism for having too many storylines, however this is a soap opera style show multiple subplots that may go nowhere were bound to happen. Like with most soap operas what happens in the stories doesn’t really matter, what matters is the characters.

Speaking of which, this show has awesome characters and well casted actors portraying brilliantly. The main character telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse, played by Anna Paquin, gets a mixed reception since she can be stupid, irritating and has to be rescued a lot. But she feels real, and she can be very loveable, sympathetic, brave and hilarious. She really balances out sweetness and feistiness. Even when she becomes damsel-in-distress you never get the feeling she’s going to give up.  Her supernatural ability makes her feel like an outcast and has her questioning her humanity, which makes her interesting and relatable. The two main vampires are: Bill Compton who is gentlemanly yet darkly mysterious, then there’s Eric Northman who is a bad-boy vampire yet hiding a soft spot. These two vampires are like the yin to each others yang, perfect contrast.

Other characters include: Sam, a shapeshifter; Tara, Sookie’s feisty best friend; Jason, Sookie’s equally dimwitted brother; Alcide, a werewolf; Jessica, a teenager and newly-turned vampire; Pam, a sarcastic vampire and Lafayette the most hilarious gay character ever, even homophobes won’t help but love him.

Season 1 – A serial killer is on the loose killing women who associate themselves with vampires. Sookie is in danger of being the next victim as she falls for vampire Bill. The chemistry between Sookie and Bill is perfect (it’s no surprise the two actors got married) he’s the dark to her light. The season does a very good job at introducing the audience to this universe and characters, bringing the audience into this alternate reality. 

Season 2 – Sookie and Bill head to Dallas searching for a missing vampire, which leads them to an anti-vampire church "The Fellowship of the Sun". Meanwhile, a mysterious woman called Maryann possesses the residents of Bon Temps. This season ups the ante, creating more havoc. The Maryann story is very interesting but does drag in the middle and gets a little confusing, you’ll be scratching your head trying to work what she is. However it does get explained and the conclusion is very satisfying and Michelle Forbes is fantastic in the role. The highlight of this season however is Jessica coming to terms with being a vampire, it’s fun getting to see her learn and the character is just so likeable.

Season 3 – Bill has been taken by the Vampire King of Mississippi and Sookie, accompanied by Alcide, searches while discovering secrets about Bill and herself. This season introduces werewolves, while slightly underused, they still look awesome instead of using cheap CGI wolves or costumes, they use real wolves.  This season is full of revelations we discover the secrets Bill is hiding and we find out what Sookie is, which makes this season take a darker turn than the previous two. Most of the characters actually this season go on a dark path. Russell Edgington is so far the best antagonist of the series he is fun to watch and a vampire wanting be the evil vampire you see in films, definitely doesn’t see humans equal to vampires.

Season 4 – Sookie returns to Bon Temps, after being away with the fairies (get the metaphor) and realizes a year has passed without her. While the vampires are recovering their image in the press, now that Bill has become Vampire King of Louisiana, a coven of witches are set to bring the vampires down! The leader of the witches is Marnie played by a perfectly cast Fiona Shaw, who isn’t playing the typical wicked witch, to start with she’s just shy and vulnerable but once she’s possessed by the spirit of the powerful Antonia she can be quite menacing. The highlight though is romance between Sookie and Eric, great chemistry between the two that has been built-up since Season 2. Eric losing his memory from the witches curse does develop his character a lot as we get to see his inner goodness that he’s been hiding. The finale is fun and it’s set on Halloween and it takes advantage creatively with that.

Season 5 – Bill and Eric have been arrested by the Vampire Authority, Russell has escaped his cement grave and Sookie is becoming sick of life and on the verge of breakdown. This season has multiple villains, but neither you can call the main antagonist, the main villain can be the Authority itself and the misuse of power it has. It certainly causes Bill and Eric to take a turn on different paths, just after we get to enjoy their new bromance relationship. This season also goes into vampire mythology although just like religion there are no straight answers. It was great the direction Sookie’s character goes, she takes a back seat in the main story and has her own subplot for us to follow. First of all she’s now single! And after everything she’s been through the past seasons you wonder how long her sanity will last. Then, she along with Jason set out to finally find out how their parents have died, it was great seeing their brother-sister relationship unfold. This season is also the golden era for Tara, the direction her character goes is a surprise twist and her relationship Pam (who is also at her peak this season) is one of the main highlights. The season finale is jaw-dropping and a bloody mess and ends on it’s biggest and most shocking cliffhanger yet, roll on Season 6.