True Blood II

[DanteGabriel]

Is she horrible or is she weak? I would submit her behavior is function/result of her weakness...would leads me to believe she is being set up for redemption late. No, I haven't read the books. Just my southern Gothic 2cents.

She's horribly weak. She is horrible because she is weak. Blames everything but herself for her fuckups. Lets her weakness negatively impact her child's life. Makes herself a burden to her child.

[awesome possum]

My feelings on just how self-serving MaryAnn's takedown of Tara's mom is comes down to

so what ?

Was anything she said even a lil bit less than true ? Wether it was pot/kettle/black, Tara's mother is completely and utterly undeserving of a single bit of sympathy. I guess its one of those questions to ponder.

If a harsh but true message is delivered by a less than stellar messenger, is the truth of the message diluted ?

Not to me.

I'm with Sword on this one. I just hope that it not only drives Tara's mom back to the bottle, but back to hitting the bottle so hard she quickly dies and her terrible, terrible character is removed from the show.

Murderering psychopaths, pedophiles, rapists, etc. These are the types that I think of that might be completely undeserving of sympathy. Alcoholic parent trying to rehabilitate and reconcile with their kid? Hardly

As has been said, you don't know the whole story. After spending Tara's whole life as a miserable, abusive drunk, she gets clean and then the first time Tara actually screws up she doesn't decide to try and rehabilitate and reconcile. She practically disowns her daughter, refuses to bail her out of jail and tells her she's not welcome back home. She's an awful

person, and I really hope she's not long for the series.

Is she horrible or is she weak? I would submit her behavior is function/result of her weakness...would leads me to believe she is being set up for redemption late. No, I haven't read the books. Just my southern Gothic 2cents.

According to my girlfriend, whose read the books, the only thing she recognized in the premiere from the novels was Sookie going through her grandmother's belongings. Everything else was new/different.

[Lupigis]

Is she horrible or is she weak? I would submit her behavior is function/result of her weakness...would leads me to believe she is being set up for redemption late.

She could also be set up to be killed. Maryann clearly wants to completely separate Tara from her mother. If she fails to do that I can totally see her deciding that Taras mom has to go (and no, I haven't read the books either).

[Green Apple Fossoway]

According to my girlfriend, whose read the books, the only thing she recognized in the premiere from the novels was Sookie going through her grandmother's belongings. Everything else was new/different.

They've got a little more in common. For instance the names of all the girls who died in book one are the same as those who died in season one. Also in the pilot episode when Sookie asked Bill what his name was and then laughed at him when he told her, that scene was straight out of the book. The ginormous bathtub Bill has in his house is in the book, as is Jason smacking Sookie after their grandmother's death, just to name a few.

[Annelise]

She could also be set up to be killed. Maryann clearly wants to completely separate Tara from her mother. If she fails to do that I can totally see her deciding that Taras mom has to go (and no, I haven't read the books either).

You hear a little about Tara's troubled past in the books, but everything they are doing with Lettie is a creation of the show, as her parents are never actually seen in the books IIRC. Trueblood Tara is a combo of 2 characters: the relatively minor character of Sookie's friend and Lafayette's cousin who is vaguely mentioned after he's murdered (the show has obviously gone in a different direction wrt Lafayette).

The books are written in first person, so the show had to round out/create more major characters as it wouldn't work to just follow Sookie around in this medium.

According to my girlfriend, whose read the books, the only thing she recognized in the premiere from the novels was Sookie going through her grandmother's belongings. Everything else was new/different.

Yeah, pretty much. Seems like they're going to very generally follow the plot of book 2, but they've changed a ton as far as execution. I think it'll be fun. :)

[Kallichore]

I loved the Lafayette storyline, I really wasn't expecting that. Hopefully it'll maintain the momentum.

There really wasn't much from this episode that reminded me of anything from the books (although the books aren't to hand so I can't check). I have to admit, the set up for this season interested me a lot more than the second book did. It just seems darker and more gnarled. And I love that.

[Jed o' Tarth]

I totally agee on Tara's mom as far as her character being horrible, in both ways. The character is annoying and contrived and should go. In addition, Lettie is a horrible addict who went from the bottle to 'Jesus' and she clearly gets off on treating her daughter like crap.

Maryanne's speech was much desereved. However, I just don't like the setup with Sam and Maryanne in the series, I really liked it in the book... different and cute. I don't think she's the same thing she is in the book. Wouldn't make any sense.

As for the correlations to the book... Body was in the back of Belleflur's car. Sookie did find the body helping drunk Andy to his car. Belleflur was going crazy trying to solve it to get the focus off him being a suspect. Sam did know Maryanne (although different set of circumstances). Sookie did clean out Gran's room. That's all I can think of right now. There are a *lot* of changes from the book. Some are alright, some I'm not all excited about.

I'm guessing they use Eric in his tinfoil killling the redneck to excuse his haircut. He was down there too long and the style set too long. Bye-bye hair. How are you gonna have a strong, handsome, viking with a metro hairdo? No. Just no.

[Annelise]

I'm guessing they use Eric in his tinfoil killling the redneck to excuse his haircut. He was down there too long and the style set too long. Bye-bye hair. How are you gonna have a strong, handsome, viking with a metro hairdo? No. Just no.

Could be, yeah. Although couldn't they do extentions or something if they wanted? Might also be the actor and/or costume director putting their own stamp on him. The tinfoil was priceless, but I also have to give his flip flops a thumbs up in that scene. :lol:

As far as Maryann being different than in the book.

SPOILER: Maryann

Read an interview with Ball and he referred to her as the maenad. Dunno how they plan to connect it all - in the one teaser, it kinda looks to me like they're setting up a Pan cameo out there in the woods, which would be supported by what (IIRC) Maryann said about that picture by the pool being of Pan and people believing the gods were more accessible? in those times, unlike today... the girl could be any one of them. Seems at least one version of mythology has Pan having orgies with the maenads, so perhaps that's the twist they're putting on it for the show? Best guess I've got so far.

[Max the Mostly Mediocre]

Eugenics? Maybe they're both unknowingly supernatural types?

I dunno.

[DanteGabriel]

Has anyone else mentioned the part where Maryann smacks the pool guy who brought towels out to Tara and the guy? Then she seems well pleased when they're making out at the bar. She clearly wants them to have a relationship but I'm not sure it's clear why yet.

I know nothing of the books so I'm just going with what I've seen on the show, and my theory right now is that she draws power from sex. Either her having it or people having it around her or on the premises of her sacred Temple of Fuck.

[Datepalm]

I know nothing of the books so I'm just going with what I've seen on the show, and my theory right now is that she draws power from sex. Either her having it or people having it around her or on the premises of her sacred Temple of Fuck.

That, and my guess was that she knows about Sam/Tara and is taking mean pleasure in breaking up Sams dysfunctional relashionship. (it is the only one hes got, at the end of the day.)

[Thor85]

I fell asleep halfway through that season premiere. Not enough sex and blood. The ending was so- so. Hopefully it will pick up next week.

[Guest thebadlady]

Just picked up the most recent book and am going to re-watch season one now that I read the books. The books are pretty easy going bubblegum, I am surprised they managed to make an interesting more adult show out of them.

hate hate hate Bill. Boring in the books and on the screen. I want to make crazy monkey sex with Eric tho... ohhhh yeah.

[Commodore]

I want to like this show, but it's just too dumb and silly for me, and not in a good way. The dialogue is painful and the main characters are wooden.

[Guest thebadlady]

This is awesome. Does this just mean like really rough and animalistic?

yes!!! :D

[Thor85]

I want to like this show, but it's just too dumb and silly for me, and not in a good way. The dialogue is painful and the main characters are wooden.

Well, the show is based on an awfully silly book series. So considering the kind of material they had to work with I would say they did a pretty amazing job adapting it. It's meant to be very entertaining and not cerebral. If you want to get entertained its probably the best thing on tele right now. The basic cable television shows just don't cut it for me anymore, being so tame and lame. HBO and Showtime is the only way to go.

That being said I just can't wait for Game of Thrones to come out. Hopefully it will be such a huge cultural success so as to break many of regular television boundaries.

ETA: Sopranos was pretty dumb and silly too, considering how stereotypical and predictable its characters were. Still despite all that, Sopranos was like the best show ever. If you want serious then watch the Documentary channel :smoking: .

[Andhaira]

To be toally honest, ASOIAF will never be as popular as more 'mainstream' shows. Why? Because ASOIAF is complex and mature with real interconnected plots. Sadly, most people in the world are dumb. Thus they will not appreciate something as sophisticated as ASOIAF.

[AverageGuy]

Are we to believe that Bill is obligated to kill the family for some reason? They've been tainted or compromised by the contact with their now vampirish daughter?

I think it might be an appearances thing. Can't have families going on TV talking about how vampires are stealing their underage daughters.

I'm trying to figure out what the woman is exactly. A witch? An immortal, probably. Lafayette was probably one of the more interesting developments, hope he's still around.

[Annelise]

I think it might be an appearances thing. Can't have families going on TV talking about how vampires are stealing their underage daughters.

Yeah, that would be a problem for the vamps. He could use his glamour on them, like what was done to Ginger by Longshadow, but I don't think it's permanent. Not sure how the Bill-ster is going to solve that problem but I don't imagine it'll involve killing Jessica's 10 year old sister and given that, killing Mom and Dad seems of limited use even if that were his inclination. I think Sookie is afraid following the Uncle Bartlett thing, not unduly, but erroneously in this instance. My guess is Bill just threatens them with vampire retribution if they go public.

"Is there blood in my hair?" :lol: I'm guessing Lafayette gets turned by Eric or Pam, he's too cool to write off the show. Going by the previews, looks like Sookie will perhaps have opportunity to discover Lafayette's fate one way or the other next week.

The saleswoman coming to the pride saving conclusion that Bill and Eric were gay and their return amusement was humorous.

Poor Sam. He tried, but he's just outgunned, so to speak.

Eggs has one serious physique, holy sixpack batman! I thought Jason was all muscle, but I think he's got Jason beat.

[SwordoftheMorning]

What conclusions am I reaching this early in the season ?

That Sookie is just as stupid as Jason, but she has the advantage of the mind reader thing to make her look smarter. It doesn't work on vampires right ? So even silly lil Jessica can talk/trick her stoopid azz into doing exactly what she shouldn't.

How many episodes til Jason is making the beast with two backs vis-a-vis Sarah ? lol

Lafayette is gonna be a serious vampire. Bad shit will happen to a lot of bad people, and some good ones too.

Maryann just gets more interesting by the minute

Tara has gone from being a truly irritating stereotype to damn near the heroine of the show.

Sookie and Bill bore the shit outta me, even when they are fighting. Cause they are gonna make up and be all "in love" again and shit ....

Eric and the Fangtasia crowd could be their own show.