(June 19, PDI-Entertainment)
By Oliver M. Pulumbarit
Season 7 of the fantasy-drama series “True Blood” opens with
a melee, a bloody purge executed by savage vampires passing through the Louisiana
town of Bon Temps . It’s somewhat
symbolic of the chaos that has characterized the past seasons, but the
fast-paced action sequence seems, intriguingly, like a necessary move intended
to bring back some semblance of much-missed order.
It starts with a mainstay’s unexpected death, rallying the
core characters in no time and giving them renewed purpose, at least for now.
And while it truly has gotten difficult to care for them—the messy story lines
and inconsistently written personalities saw to that a few seasons back—its
longtime viewers may find their curiosity piqued for this final, euthanizing
season.
Fairy heroine Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) is now paired
with the werewolf Alcide (Joe Manganiello), after a string of truly horrid
monster boyfriends. It’s been a long time coming, as the partnership makes
sense, and the actors have chemistry. But this back-to-basics last hurrah may
not augur a happy ending for the two, as hints are being dropped that she and
vampire ex Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) might reconnect, in some way.
“True Blood” started out strong as adult fantasy fare,
giving a different spin on vampire mythology: The existence of such nocturnal
beings is known to the public, and the mass-produced drink “Tru Blood” is
introduced as an alternative to actual human blood. Peaceful coexistence,
however, is another matter altogether, hence the conflicts. Malevolent
vampires, ignorant or predatory humans, other antagonistic creatures—they’ve
threatened Sookie and company season after season.
And while the conflicts have been many, in time, it became
hard to stay invested in the fates of the characters. The situations have
gotten silly, not to mention repetitive. When it was establishing its unique
vampire hierarchies and political structures, it offered creepy but fun
scenarios. Even when the show expanded on the other beings—the shifters, the
werewolves, and to some extent, the fairies—much was shown of this distinctly
bizarre universe. But alas, the potential was not fully realized.
At times, it dwelled too much on the main character’s
topsy-turvy world, Sookie’s discovery of her nonhuman identity, as well as her
obligatory hooking-up with the man of the season. The previous relationship was
iffy; the focus on her kinky imbroglio with the fairy-vampire Warlow (Rob
Kazinsky) dragged a bit, their scenes mostly titillating (aptly so), but
ultimately, empty and disconnecting. The shape-changing Sam (Sam Trammell) had
a similarly rushed and questionable relationship last season.
So, are things looking up? If the first two episodes of
Season 7 are any indication, the show can improve. So far, the villains are
nondescript characters, but things are made a tad lively by the collection of
loopy, crazy regulars. There are interesting developments in the individual
arcs of young vampire Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll), jaded immortal Pam (the
incredible Kristin Bauer van Straten, who always gets the best lines) and
relapsing addict Lettie Mae (Adina Porter).
(The final season of “True Blood” premieres on June 23 on
HBO Go, and June 29, 10 p.m. on HBO.)
No comments:
Post a Comment