Seeing Red: Does 'True Blood' Have Too Much Blood in Season Three?

By John Clarke Jr. Posted Aug 9th 2010 04:30PM

Pop-Ed: 'True Blood' fans can remember back to that first season when a campy gem was born. The fangs were shorter -- almost Ricky Gervais-sized -- while plots focused around the social strife and political tensions between vampires and humans, with overtones of heated 1960s race relations. We met a motley crew of characters, lovable, hated and some in-between. Alan Ball's HBO creation was funny and dark in that deep south way where danger seems to lurk behind the kudzu and Spanish Moss. Love interests, requited and not, sprouted. We marveled at the raunchy 'vamp speed sex' (a ramp up to this season's vamp speed texting!) and lurid human copulation set a standard. But gore was almost more inferred in Season One.

Then Season Two rolled over us in a weird wave, topping out with frenzied, bloody cult orgies that climaxed with eating fresh hearts and group sex slathered in blood. Those scenes were not likely to be topped, right?

Don't underestimate Season Three tricks. The 'True Blood' team seems to know third seasons are clutch and must hit hard and fast: shock and awe type of stuff. And so far, that's just what Ball and his team have done. Oh yes, there will be blood.

While the camp and gore has its place, it already eclipses the character depth that drew fans in the first place. Then there's the werewolves mess, which at times has threatened to sink the series and lose its way from the funky, murky, sexy, funny draw that is clearly its strength.

Ball has been tight-lipped on the increasing violence and has only commented on character development. He did slyly offer that Season Three would be "wicked," yet admitted the shocking windfall of violence sticks closely to Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse book series on which 'True Blood' is based. During Season One and Two, he took liberties to build characters and only loosely based his series on the books. Season Three, he says, is staying close to Harris' work.

Yet once it veers into soap opera torridity with gratuitous gore, 'Blood' might as well just be phoned in. Producers and writers may want to nurture the secondary characters such as the outstanding Jason Stackhouse, the Sheriff, pitch-perfect Lafayette and perhaps build on the weird alluring periphery of goons, sexpots, hillbillies, grifters and ex-cons. Or focus on the season's saving grace: Vampire King of Mississippi Russell Edgington and the struggle between vamp royalty and their loyal subjects over state rule. So we won't be concerned with the ultraviolence. Ball is a genius with unconventional story arcs and perfectly comfortable with jarring his viewers by ripping out a plot line. Let's drink up to that and dive into some of these season's bloodiest moments.

Viewer Beware: These Season Three Clips Are Not For the Faint of Heart

The sultry and sadistic Lorena, evil sexpot and Bill's maker, takes her time torturing Bill within an inch of his life. Bill lays splayed on the floor covered in blood. "Just make it quick," he pleads. She lovingly peruses her array of blood-splattered mid evil-looking torture devices, as she berates Bill, her unrequited love, for rejecting her and the traditional vampire ideals.

'True Blood' is educational, in a really gross way: We now know what happens to a vampire when they're staked. Earlier in the season, Bill has a violent bout of hate sex with his maker Lorena (he twists her head fully around and she's still smiling). In this highlight from last week, Sookie impales her and gets showered with gooey, vein-filled, sticky, bloody, web-like viscera that looks awfully hard to wash off. What's left is a mangled pulp.

God love this season's breakout star, the vampire freak Franklin. He's crazy as a loon, dangerously insecure, passionate, joyous to embrace carnage: a beautifully cracked deviant that gives 'Blue Velvet' sociopath Frank Booth a good run for his money. After being held hostage as a forced lover, Tara escaped by channeling her inner cave man and graphically bashing in Franklin's skull, leaving his bloody noggin caved in and crumpled like a discarded yogurt cup in a stately four-post bed.

Weird, charming and foppish Vampire King of Mississippi Russell Edgington shows some depravity in Season Three. After reading the vampire magistrate the riot act, explaining he holds the reigns to the vampire nation, he suavely lops off weasel's head as if popping a fine champagne with a sword. A beheading never looked so debonair. Leave it to the King to pull of a bloody, yet somehow classy, Sabrage.

Tags: true blood

Comments

(32)

Tuesday 10 August

By Janet

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I like True Blood. Watch it every week but I do believe the gore and same sex scenes have gotten out of hand. If you read the series like you said Jersey Girl you would know that LaFayette was killed in the second book. There are many artistic licenses used on the TV series. Some story lines enhanced others forgotten. Just wish some story lines were shorter lived like the deal with Sam and his parents. Enough all ready!

By zap

its a show about vampires!!!!!!!

By Tiger

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It's about Vampire and the supernatural. how can there be too much of ANYTHING when you have vampires, werewolves, and the supernatural involved. if you dont like it dont watch it. thats the beauty of television

By daisy

Too Bloody? Should I remind everyone the name of the show is...TRUE BLOOD!
I have read all of the books I hope they stay true to the book's story line next season - that was my favorite of the series thus far.

By Stephan

The blood doesn't bug me that much...it is a show about vampires after all, and the name is True Blood. What gets me is the absolutely pervasive use of the f-bomb. I mean, seriously, I don't think they manage to go a full minute without someone resorting to it...and when it's not eve necessary. Especially Tara, dang! She's the trash-mouthiest character to hit TV in, well, forever. And that is definitely NOT reflective of Harris' work.

Saturday 28 August

By ioanna

is so amazing. is the best movie EVER!!!!. the blood is not never enough. is a move for vampires..

By Amelia

Not making a judgment either way, but for Ball to say he is closely following Book 3 is like saying my dripping faucet looks just like Niagra Falls. The only thing similar is water is falling down.

Season 3 has nothing whatsoever to do with Book 3 except that Bill was held captive by Lorena in Russell's house and there is a werewolf called Alcide. Similarities stop right there.

The blood doesn't bother me cause it just looks so fake! But it annoys me that he claims he is following Book 3 closely.

Saturday 14 August

By girlfeathers

"her array of blood-splattered mid evil-looking torture devices"

Did you mean medieval-looking?

Monday 23 August

By KK

YES! I was hoping someone already said that! RIGHT ON! Makes me nuts.

xoxo
KK

Wednesday 18 August

By Gigi

LOVE the books...have been reading them since the beginning(also like her Grave series). Loved season one of the show...season 2 was ok, but season 3 is getting to the point of almost being stupid. It's so far off from the book, regardless of what Alan Ball says. It makes me wonder what Charlaine Harris thinks of the story lines...awful funny the last novel (Book 10) circled largely around Eric's maker Ocella (NOT Godric..since there is no Godric in the books). It makes me think she did it for her book fans =)

By Monique

Me and my sister watch this show every sunday. it always leaves us burning for more.it's sexy,addictive,funny,and get our blood boiling.we say if u dont like it dont watch,but u better stop knockin it cause u have to be nuts to watch it and have the nerve to say u dont like it.true blood fans all the way!!!!

Sunday 29 May

By Naomi Burton

So on target. I loved the first two seasons, then the third. It was too bloody, too violent, too disgusting. I had nightmares after watching them feast on the stripper. Too dark for me.

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