True blood Episodes 3 and 4 of Season 2
Jul. 31st, 2010 08:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatFinished watching episodes 3 and 4 of Season 2 True Blood this evening. The DVDs are annoying in that they only appear to have two - three episodes per DVD. I don't understand why this is.
Farscape DVD's have at least four to five episodes per DVD. Also True Blood only has about 13-14 episodes each season. What are they trying to do - spread it out and make it look like there are more episodes than there actually are? Or make it possible for operations like Netflix to make more money off of it? Disc two had episodes 3 and 4, Disc 4 - I think has 5,6, and 7.
At any rate, episodes 3 and 4 are actually really good. (Noticed this in the first season - it started out slow, then picked up speed as it went.) The writer is clearly focusing on Religion this season. Episodes 3 and 4 skip back and forth between a Fundamentalist Christian cult and a pagan cult. Showing the similarities between them, how both organizations seduce and indoctrinate vulnerable and lost souls, promising spiritual unity, friendship, and family. The characters who get indoctrinated - are Tara (who is a bit lost and floundering due to her abusive and somewhat co-dependent relationship with her mother and is clearly looking for a mother figure) and Jason Stackhouse (who is overwhelmed with guilt over what happened to his friend and girlfriend and grandmother, as well as a bit lost for a father figure). Tara ends up in a cult focused on a sort of Mother Goddess or Maenad, while Jason ends up in an anti-vampire cult that focuses on a paternal god, Jesus. Along commentary is provided on how people use religion to justify hating someone else or violent acts. I particularly love a sequence in The Fellowship of the Sun (anti-vampire/Jesus cult) - where Jason's roommates discuss Lazurus obviously being the first vampire - because Jesus brought him back from the dead, or the Eve - was the source of "EVIL" - it being a play on words, or being gay is a metaphor for vampire or evil, or Jason's rather hilarious contribution - if that's the case, then Jesus was a vampire - after all he asked us to drink his blood. But that's not the same, they state, that's not meant to be literal! (And yet all the others are?)
True Blood is deceptively campy. Because that bit is actually television at its best.
Another nice bit - is a discussion between Bill and Sookie about Eric. Where Bill points out to Sookie that good and evil exists in us all, and can often come out at the same time. We can be good and evil at the same time, it's rarely simple. (Took Peter Straub 300 pages to get to the same point, took True Blood three episodes. Kudos.)
Also, it appears to be following the books a bit more, except is better written. Eric and Bill have the same stiff dialogue that they do in the books, but Stephen Moyer and Alexandra Stasgard are well-cast in the roles and bring substance to the roles, and bite to the dialogue.
The sequence where Sookie has the argument with Bill, then storms off into the woods only to get attacked by a bizarre beast - is better played here than it was in the book. In the book, their argument made little sense - and I wanted to kick both of them. It was basically the old - you're a vampire, why am I with you, you are just like Eric routine. Here - the argument is about Jessica. Bill is understandably furious with Sookie for going behind his back and taking Jessica home to her family. Sookie is understandably furious with Bill for not understanding why she had to do it. Also, the set-up that leads to Sookie agreeing to help Eric works better - in the book it had more to do with money and the fact he saved her, here it has to do with saving Lafayette's life - which I prefer. Also, smart move by Ball to keep Lafayette alive - Harris had killed him.
Oddly enough - the male characters that I find the most attractive aren't really the vampires. I'm in love with Sam Merlott. In the books, I found him a bit creepy. Here, he's adorable.
Jason Stackhouse, while dumb as a lamp-post, is also hot. As is Hoyt, who clearly cares about Jessica. Moyer does little for me - but then I find the long-suffering I'm a vampire and I hate myself because I'm a monster trope a bit dull and overwrought. I got tired of it in the 1980s when Anne Rice did it. While I'm tempted to blame Anne Rice for this particular trope, I think it actually started with Barnabas Collins on Dark Shadows. Barnabas was the original Bill Compton/Angel/Louis/Stefan and let us not forget Edward... etc. Rice created Lestat and then fell in love with him - so we can blame her for Eric, Spike, et al. Starsgard however is rapidly growing on me. But then I admittedly preferred Lestat to Louis. Louis was a whiner, as is Bill. Whining (sorry, brooding) vampires gets old fast.
The books I keep wishing they'd do a series from - I've yet to see. The Kim Harrison - Rachel Morgan series and Robin McKinney's excellent Sunshine (my favorite vampire novel to date). Also wouldn't mind another version of the Dresden Files - based closer on the books. But that's just me. Probably just as well, the series they've done are based on books I have no interest in reading or have read and thought lacking.
Farscape DVD's have at least four to five episodes per DVD. Also True Blood only has about 13-14 episodes each season. What are they trying to do - spread it out and make it look like there are more episodes than there actually are? Or make it possible for operations like Netflix to make more money off of it? Disc two had episodes 3 and 4, Disc 4 - I think has 5,6, and 7.
At any rate, episodes 3 and 4 are actually really good. (Noticed this in the first season - it started out slow, then picked up speed as it went.) The writer is clearly focusing on Religion this season. Episodes 3 and 4 skip back and forth between a Fundamentalist Christian cult and a pagan cult. Showing the similarities between them, how both organizations seduce and indoctrinate vulnerable and lost souls, promising spiritual unity, friendship, and family. The characters who get indoctrinated - are Tara (who is a bit lost and floundering due to her abusive and somewhat co-dependent relationship with her mother and is clearly looking for a mother figure) and Jason Stackhouse (who is overwhelmed with guilt over what happened to his friend and girlfriend and grandmother, as well as a bit lost for a father figure). Tara ends up in a cult focused on a sort of Mother Goddess or Maenad, while Jason ends up in an anti-vampire cult that focuses on a paternal god, Jesus. Along commentary is provided on how people use religion to justify hating someone else or violent acts. I particularly love a sequence in The Fellowship of the Sun (anti-vampire/Jesus cult) - where Jason's roommates discuss Lazurus obviously being the first vampire - because Jesus brought him back from the dead, or the Eve - was the source of "EVIL" - it being a play on words, or being gay is a metaphor for vampire or evil, or Jason's rather hilarious contribution - if that's the case, then Jesus was a vampire - after all he asked us to drink his blood. But that's not the same, they state, that's not meant to be literal! (And yet all the others are?)
True Blood is deceptively campy. Because that bit is actually television at its best.
Another nice bit - is a discussion between Bill and Sookie about Eric. Where Bill points out to Sookie that good and evil exists in us all, and can often come out at the same time. We can be good and evil at the same time, it's rarely simple. (Took Peter Straub 300 pages to get to the same point, took True Blood three episodes. Kudos.)
Also, it appears to be following the books a bit more, except is better written. Eric and Bill have the same stiff dialogue that they do in the books, but Stephen Moyer and Alexandra Stasgard are well-cast in the roles and bring substance to the roles, and bite to the dialogue.
The sequence where Sookie has the argument with Bill, then storms off into the woods only to get attacked by a bizarre beast - is better played here than it was in the book. In the book, their argument made little sense - and I wanted to kick both of them. It was basically the old - you're a vampire, why am I with you, you are just like Eric routine. Here - the argument is about Jessica. Bill is understandably furious with Sookie for going behind his back and taking Jessica home to her family. Sookie is understandably furious with Bill for not understanding why she had to do it. Also, the set-up that leads to Sookie agreeing to help Eric works better - in the book it had more to do with money and the fact he saved her, here it has to do with saving Lafayette's life - which I prefer. Also, smart move by Ball to keep Lafayette alive - Harris had killed him.
Oddly enough - the male characters that I find the most attractive aren't really the vampires. I'm in love with Sam Merlott. In the books, I found him a bit creepy. Here, he's adorable.
Jason Stackhouse, while dumb as a lamp-post, is also hot. As is Hoyt, who clearly cares about Jessica. Moyer does little for me - but then I find the long-suffering I'm a vampire and I hate myself because I'm a monster trope a bit dull and overwrought. I got tired of it in the 1980s when Anne Rice did it. While I'm tempted to blame Anne Rice for this particular trope, I think it actually started with Barnabas Collins on Dark Shadows. Barnabas was the original Bill Compton/Angel/Louis/Stefan and let us not forget Edward... etc. Rice created Lestat and then fell in love with him - so we can blame her for Eric, Spike, et al. Starsgard however is rapidly growing on me. But then I admittedly preferred Lestat to Louis. Louis was a whiner, as is Bill. Whining (sorry, brooding) vampires gets old fast.
The books I keep wishing they'd do a series from - I've yet to see. The Kim Harrison - Rachel Morgan series and Robin McKinney's excellent Sunshine (my favorite vampire novel to date). Also wouldn't mind another version of the Dresden Files - based closer on the books. But that's just me. Probably just as well, the series they've done are based on books I have no interest in reading or have read and thought lacking.
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no subject
Date: 2010-08-01 03:19 am (UTC)Also, it's possible that the masters were shot in hi-def and the downconversion to standard DVD may just have been done at a higher data rate than usual.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-01 08:53 pm (UTC)Not really. With Farscape - the discs that had less episodes - did have these special features. But all True Blood has are "Next On", and one audio commentary (and that was on Disc one, nothing of that sort on Disc 2).
Hi-Def may be the reason, but I'm not watching Blue-Ray, and while it is full wide-screen as it was shot, Farscape did the same thing in S4 and has multiple episodes on its discs, as does Angel for that matter.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-01 03:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-01 08:59 pm (UTC)LOL! Enuf said. All my project managers are engineers and oh, so true.
Also, a good portion of my mother's side of the family and my current boss.
But they can definitely do things that I can't. Deciphering technical drawings and complex numerical equations comes to mind. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2010-08-01 05:22 am (UTC)WELL, THEN EXPLAIN EUROPE TO ME! LOL!
I think this is actually one of my favorite scenes in the entire series so far, and completely cemented my love for the dim but pretty Jason Stackhouse forever more. In season 2 he really gets a more enjoyable plot than he did in season 1 (seriously, all the girls he bangs end up dead, and it's supposed to be frothy and fun?!), but this storyline perfectly shows why he's so damn entertaining: he may not know much, but he commits so whole heartedly to whatever it is he thinks he knows. Gotta give the boy credit for that!
Sunshine is my all-time favorite vampire novel, too! I remember being miffed that they were bringing True Blood to television and not it, because it's a world I'd love to see further explored and expanded. If McKinley ever decided to write a sequel, I would absolutely love her forever.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-01 09:08 pm (UTC)Harris isn't as good a writer as McKinney in my opinion, but I give her credit for coming up with far more translatable premise.
Jason is growing on me. Didn't much like him the first season - for the reasons you state above. And he's actually more interesting in the tv show than the novels. You want to kick him in the books. Here, he's far more sympathetic, and a nice foil for Sookie. Often doing the opposite.
Have to admit, I'm liking the religious cult bit more than I thought I would. I was dreading it. It's been overdone on tv, but this is sort of different.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-01 08:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-01 09:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-01 09:48 am (UTC)Jason is a great character. I think he's the only example in TV I've ever come across of a male 'good hearted bimbo.'
no subject
Date: 2010-08-01 09:20 pm (UTC)And yep, Jason is perhaps the only male bimbo I've seen on a tv series.
He's actually less of a bimbo in the tv series than he is in the books (if that's possible) and far more likable.