Exclusive Fang Clubs

Last Friday, I finally saw Twilight. Man, I almost grew cobwebs on my seat. It had interesting characters, not to mention some good-looking people, but the vampire backstory’s pretty weak. And the dialogue was sappy and humorless. The movie felt like it went on forever. It was meant for a younger crowd, obviously, but it was still devoid of believable danger.

A few hours later, I finally watched episodes of True Blood. Now that’s one damn good show. I read somewhere that like Twilight, it’s also based on a series of books. The protagonist is Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a waitress who can hear people’s thoughts. She finds herself drawn to Bill Compton, a quiet, brooding vampire, because she can’t hear what he’s thinking. The existence of vampires in this world is known to the public, so you can just imagine its effect on different cultures, the debates it causes, and the interactions between humans and the nocturnals.

There are other likeable characters, such as the kickass gay cook LaFayette, the kind bar owner Sam, and Sookie’s horndog brother Jason, who’s played by Aussie Ryan Kwanten. Kwanten’s playing a musclehead that’s way dumber than his old Home and Away character. Jason’s escapades and antics almost always get him, and people close to him, into trouble.

Just like Anne Rice and Joss Whedon’s vampire myths, True Blood has an engrossing take on the undead. The different vamp characters here have their own society and unconventional family trees. Those things really need to be explored and improved more in the Twilight sequels.