tvthatdoesntsuck

REVIEW FOR

TRUE BLOOD
Episode Two
“The First Taste”
Written by Alan Ball  

I saw the pilot episode of Dead Like Me for the first time this weekend, thanks to TV on DVD, so excuse me if I seem a bit underwhelmed by the rest of the television I review this week.  That sometimes happens to a dude when he sees the best first episode of any show he’s ever seen.

But on we go with the topic of the night.  True Blood, episode two.

 Definitely a step up from the premiere.  Not a full number rating step up, but things are definitely starting to fall into place.  All of the characters were immediately recognizable, and the interactions between them set up some nice conflicts that I know–knowing Ball’s writing–are going to have some nice, emotional, bittersweet (or maybe just bitter) climaxes.

Anna Paquin’s portrayal of Sookie Stackhouse is still definitely the reason most viewers will return.  She’s sexy, she’s quirky, and she really gives a nice pep to the character that I didn’t expect.  On the otherhand, Bill the vampire is mucho drama, almost to the melo, and I’m not really convinced that the dude is a good actor.  Nothing about him jumps out at me as bad, except for the way he says “Sookie.”  “Suhkeh.”  Sounds like a Dewey Cox accent at times.  Also, why end two episode in a row with Sookie in a dire situation out of the blue?  Everyone knows the car is going to survive its trip over the cliff.  Other than a few nits I’m picking with old Billy Boy, the cast seems to be pretty solid.

I like the show.  It has the potential to be really good, but I’m not sure this one has greatness in it.  I’ve seen everything Alan Ball has touched, and while this is entertaining, it doesn’t quite measure up.  I’ll definitely keep watching, because it’s entertaining, but those expecting the brilliance of Six Feet Under might walk away scratching their chins. 

 7/10

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