Plot: What’s it about?
Ahhhh, vampires. It’s for sure that these mythical creatures are no flash in the pan when it comes to television and the silver screen. Dracula is undoubtedly one of the most famous screen vampires and no matter how many times its done, it seems audiences really can’t get enough. One of the things that is interesting is that, since vampires aren’t real, there are no steadfast rules with them. What I mean is that in some movies vampires must sleep in a coffin, others can’t bear the sign of a cross, some must drink blood, and so on. Perhaps the hottest movie franchise out right now is “Twilight” which is, you guessed it, about vampires. Well, while channel surfing last Fall I came across a series on HBO entitled “True Blood.” HBO is well-known for their original series and mini-series and it was headlined by Academy Award winning actress Anna Paquin (better-known for her character as Rogue from the X-Men movies). So I figured I’d give it a shot and, well, I was pretty much hooked after the first episode.
The story is set in the Deep South – Bon Temps, Louisiana to be exact. Sookie (Anna Paquin) is a waitress at the local pub though she does have a unique gift in that she can read people’s minds. She keeps this to herself, of course. Sookie has a brother, Jason (Ryan Kwanten) with a passion for the ladies ? pretty much any lady that’s to say. One of the major plot points of the first season involves Jason and the ladies that he sleeps with seem to be, well, dying. It’s up to Sookie to try and prove his innocence. This all takes a back seat when Sookie meets Bill (Stephen Moyer), a 175 year old vampire whose just had a relative die. Bill is the voice of reason in a society that has recently seen vampires “come out” and live among the rest of us. One of the major advancements was the production of “Tru Blood”, a synthetic blood-like substitute that vampires can live on. Sookie can’t seem to read Bill’s thoughts and as such, it sets the basis of a relationship between the two. The question still remains, though, who killed all of those women?
“True Blood” is the epitome of an original series by HBO. It’s clever, well written and acted and highly addictive. Regardless of your taste, odds are that HBO has had a show that has appealed to every interest over the years (“Sex and the City”, “The Sopranos”, “Six Feet Under” and “Big Love” come to mind). While “True Blood” doesn’t necessarily pigeon-hole itself into the stereotypes of other vampire movies, it does hold true to some of them. Anna Paquin is arguably the biggest star on the show, yet the supporting cast makes the show work as well. As a fan of vampire and zombie movies, it’s nice to see one that’s so well-made and interesting to watch. To think, I sat down and watched an episode of “I’m a celebrity, get me out of here” and in the same time-frame my mind might have actually been used while watching an episode of “True Blood.”
Video: How does it look?
The episodes of “True Blood” are shown in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and these look stellar on Blu-ray. The opening credits have a montage of stock photography that really showcases the entire spectrum of what we see on the show. The entire series has a somewhat muted appearance to it, though there are certainly bold, bright colors. An in any feature that deals with vampires, we can be assured that blood will come into play and it does. This Blu-ray looks as good if not a bit better than the HD broadcasts that I watch episodes on and for anyone wanting to have the most pristine version of “True Blood”, well this is it.
Audio: How does it sound?
If the banner across the box isn’t quite clear enough, “True Blood” sports a DTS-HD Master Audio track that, at some points, rocks. While it’s true that a lot of television series aren’t really made for dynamic audio, this one might be an exception to the rule. This uncompressed mix sounds very robust during some key sequences. There are gunshots, fires, fights, car chases and much more that really make use of all 5.1 speakers. Dialogue is as clear as we can expect, though with the series taking place in Louisiana, it’s hard to make out some of the thick accents. This is a good mix and I’d forgotten how good this series actually sounded.
Supplements: What are the extras?
I’m sure the timing of this release is no coincidence as the second season starts in a few weeks, but so what ? I’m happy this is on Blu-ray. All twelve episodes are included in this set and we do get commentary tracks on half of them. The tracks contain Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer and executive producer Alan Ball who created “Six Feet Under” and wrote “American Beauty” among others. The trio is chatty and we learn of the production, the location and set decoration and the challenge of making an avant-garde vampire show. Some other feturettes include a history of Bon Temps and some bios on the more prevalent vampires and how they came to be. There’s an interactive map of Bon Temps and each episode is equipped with some pop up tips and factoids. All in all, another great series by HBO and one I’m happy to add to my collection; so should you.
