Tags
brujo, my what big teeth you have, sookie, southern vampire mysteries, supes, true blood, true blood retro, true blood season 1, vampires, vamps, weres, witches
I mentioned once before that I’m writing these True Blood recaps with the gracious assistance of my local public library, which was nice enough to buy all three seasons of the show so us broke people don’t have to. Unfortunately, with only two episodes left in the first season, I had to turn the DVDs back in. Those of us who live by the library card die by the library card. We’ll be back to the recapping game next week.
So while we’re leading up to season 4 ““ or for those people who have read the books, The One With The Shower In It ““ let’s review what teasers HBO has been spooling out for us. I won’t post any spoilers beyond what the creators have officially released since I don’t want a riot on my hands, but let’s say that if you were really interested, you could certainly find out some juicy rumors on the interweb.
The most recent tidbit has been the release of the first three minutes of the first season 4 episode, “She’s Not There”. Its fairy-rific.
It seems that poor Barry the Bellboy has not read nearly enough mythology. You don’t eat the food of another realm! How long do you figure someone would be sentenced to for eating a whole light fruit?
Dead to the World, the Southern Vampire Mysteries novel this season is based on, introduces a couple of new supernatural factions into the story world — witches and additional shifters. HBO seems to be heavily playing up the witches. We already met a couple last season ““ Holly, the new Merlotte’s waitress who tried to help Arlene out with her (possible) demon baby and Jesus, LaLa’s hottie boyfriend, who is implied to be a brujo.
The rest of the “˜Waiting Sucks’ videos can be viewed on the HBO website. Book lovers! Don’t miss Jason’s promo.
The poster art seems to be calling out the allegiances coming this season. Sookie, Alcide, Eric and Bill all make sense, since they’re all possible romantic entanglements. Tara, Lafayette and Sam make sense, since they’re people who have been harmed in some way by the vampires and/or expressed their hatred of them. I do not understand a Pam, Jason, Jessica allegiance ““ I think this was purely an “And the rest!” poster. And what is going on with Pam here? She’s nigh unrecognizable.
Finally, don’t forget: the most recent Southern Vampire Mysteries novel, Dead Reckoning, is out in stores now. Charlaine Harris has recently confirmed that she’s planning on ending the series after the thirteenth book. (This is number 11.) All of the Sookie Stackhouse short stories have been collected and re-released as A Touch of Dead, in case you’re a nerdy completist like I am. And if you are, you probably might want to pick up the True Blood graphic novels as well.
True Blood season 4 premier, June 26th at 9 pm. I’ll be watching it with you!
My Aim Is True 
I.am.so.excited.
Also, Fiona Shaw is in it! Love her.
The One With The Shower is pretty much how I remember it, too…
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Yeah. Everyone remembers the shower. I will take a bet here and now that it doesn’t show up in the show.
And that Eric never has Sookie’s driveway regraveled. That’s one of my favorite scenes from the entire series. And don’t worry, True Blood only fans, that comment is not a spoiler.
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Yea. If something happens, it won’t be like that. Which is sad. I have a feeling they’re going to water down that whole relationship. I read a review of the show awhile back, where someone said “It’s like a Bill/Sookie fanfic.” And now I can’t get that idea out of my head. It won’t stop be from watching, though.
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It has really gotten fan-fic-ish. Which is sad, because one of the things I love about the books is that Sookie doesn’t just have “one true love” but a more realistic love life ( minus the magic and such).
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I agree, that was the moment I really started to love Eric’s character. I think TPTB are making a big mistake to focus so much on the Bill-Sookie relationship. Not only does it deprive us of more shirtless men in sexy situations, but I really feel that they’re ignoring the huge section of the fanbase that is really getting tired of the repetitive Bill crap.
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I would be happy to have Eric getting Sookie’s house cleaned up as a trade. It was a very character revealing gesture, especially the conversation they have about it in the car, because its sort of the first understanding we have that Sookie isn’t getting what she wants out of Bill.
I know no-book readers, that sounds totally mysterious and weird. But its not a euphemism! There’s an important gravel-related character moment.
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I love when she finds the new coat. I watched the show before starting the books. The show made me adore Eric, the books make me want to be Sookie and grab on to Eric with all I have.
I’ve had the opposite reaction to Alcide. He’s fantastic in the TV show, can’t stand him in the books. Stupid Debbie Pelt.
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The coat was a great moment too. Its funny to compare the ideas of giving clothing in the books and the tv shows — Bill gives her that lavender dress for the proposal scene in the show, but in the books, he’s constantly replacing her clothes after he destroys them, AND he buys her stuff he likes, not that she does. He never gives her anything she needs.
Eric gives her the coat, redoes her driveway. He’s in tune with things that she needs and never seems to be about controlling or molding her, but just knowing her desires.
Sometimes I find myself very ambivalent towards Eric in the books but ultimately I think that’s the effect of being in Sookie’s head. She has a great deal of uncertainty about her feelings and how authentic they are and it translates into how she thinks about Eric.
I actually wish tv-Debbie had more book Debbie in her. She’s way more manipulative in the books and kinda comes off as meth-crazy in the tv show.
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I’m pretty excited about Season Four. I hope that the show isn’t so chaotic with all these new crazy supernatural things that it’s all over the place. I also hope that Crystal’s storyline disappears quickly, because I don’t like her character or the entire plotline centered around her family. I dunno, I just find it a little boring. All of Jason’s other love interests have been funny and quirky in their own ways, and they act as comic foils for him. Crystal doesn’t, and I don’t like their dynamic with each other.
Any scene with Eric will be wonderful. He’s my favorite. Yum.
I haven’t read the books (though I plan to as soon as I can afford the whole series), but I’m hoping that Bill’s character will have some cool storylines that don’t necessarily deal with Sookie. Bill is one of my favorite characters but he and Sookie together bore me to tears. Loved them together in Season 1, but now I’ve grown tired of ‘beehl and sookeh’.
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I won’t reveal anything (lips shut tight), but if you are planning to read the books, definitely try to either library them or buy a boxed set. I bought the first eight (I think) in an e-box set for my Kindle and it was much cheaper (I think about $25 for the eight). They really are light reading, and not worth shelling out full price, since you can probably burn through the entire series in less than a month.
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That was my thinking. I am a super fast reader anyway and I tend to read books in a series all at once. I can’t buy just one, because two days later I’ll be jonesing for the next. I have checked Ebay for the series and the prices aren’t too bad but nobody seems to have past the 8th or 9th book. I’m just keeping my eyes peeled for a good deal.
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Well, you know me — I’m just going to suggest getting them from the library. I’ve actually been buying this series since the beginning (they started as mass market paperbacks) because I usually get a good deal from QPB. Dead Reckoning is the first one I haven’t bought but I got my notice today that its waiting for me at the library.
I hope you like the books. I found the series very satisfying in many regards because I just really liked book Sookie, and as the series moves on, she becomes really affected by having the vampires in her life. Its a nice little bit of writing because Sookie’s narrative tries to make believe that everything is ok, so the hints of the dark stuff I tend to find to be very illuminating. Like, if I were in this world, maybe things wouldn’t be all hot sex and psychic powers either.
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Crystal is more important in the later books, but they seem to have moved her plot line more-or-less intact into this new season, so I think we’re going to see her for a while.
I’ve been pretty ok with the changes Ball has made in adapting the books, but I think the Hotshot/Crystal plot is a serious misstep. But so many things in season 3 were — the treatment of the women, for instance, was so tonally different from the first two seasons and so heavy handedly misogynistic. I just hope that the show has made some adjustments in those departments in the upcoming season.
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Well, they’ve led us to believe this far that Crystal is a victim in many ways – that she’s being abused and controlled by her father, and that her fiance beats her. So we’re to sympathize with her obviously, and Jason’s character wants to save her. Which is all fine…but then I saw a preview with her in it where she’s plotting with someone (her fiance?) to take Jason down. It kind of implied that she’s a big fat phony and I’m going to be really mad if they have yet another character on TV who lies about abuse. I’m just tired of seeing that shit because it paints women in a bad light. But, it was a tiny preview and I saw it a while ago, and I could be mistaken. So I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. 🙂
And I may just hit up the library for those books!
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I recommend Amazon. I got 6 books for $35 (the shipping was more than the books).
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