Archive for September, 2008

TrueBlood_Eric In this episode Dawn, another of Jason’s women, is murdered which causes Jason to be placed at the top of the murder suspect list. If you’ll remember, Jason was arrested in Episode 2 in connection with Maude’s murder, another of his conquests. He’s arrested again in this episode but the police and townspeople become suspicious of his involvement in the murders because he was intimate with each victim right before their deaths.  On top of that a neighbor witnesses a fight between Jason and Dawn the night of the murder (which involved a gun) and reports this information to the police.  Because things look grim for Jason Sookie’s grandmother asks her to use her special talent (reading other people’s minds) to see if she can determine the identity of the true killer.

Other highlights include:

Jason’s “Big” Vampire Blood Side Effect:

In Episode 3 Jason obtains vampire blood from Lafayette, the short order cook at Merlotte’s , in exchange for dancing in his underwear in front of a video camera.  When Jason is arrested by the police and placed in the back seat of the police car he realizes that he still has the vial of blood in his pants pocket.  He panicks and drinks the entire vial of blood, even though he’d been warned not to take more than 2 drops at a time.

Later in the episode he realizes the blood has affected a certain body part that appears to be increasing in size at an alarming rate.  It’s only because of Tara that he seeks medical attention.

Tara Rescues Jason:

Tara visits the police station and determines that Jason had not been properly mirandized when arrested.  She also reminds the police that Jason is entitled to legal representation, and that they have to release him if they don’t have anything to charge him with.  She also provides him with an alibi by telling the police that Jason was with her on the night of the murder.  Her intimidation skills pay off and she’s able to take Jason with her.

Introducing Eric Northman:

This episode introduces us to Eric Northman, the blond sexy vampire who owns the Shreveport vampire bar Fangtasia. Sookie asks Bill to take her to Fangtasia to see if she can read the minds of the patrons and identify the person responsible for killing Dawn and Maude.  Although she isn’t able to get any information on the identity of the killer she does get to meet Eric Northman, a former Viking vampire who’s sitting alone in the shadows.  Their exchange is brief but before they part Sookie warns Eric that the bar will be raided.  Eric is curious about Sookie’s abilities but they all flee the bar just as the police arrive.

If you’ve read the Charlaine Harris books you know that Eric is a key character in the series. Sure he’s attracted to Sookie but more importantly, it’s Eric that provides much of the wit and comedic elements in the books. It’s also through Eric that we learn more about the true nature (and powers) of vampires. I’ve read all of the books and I can tell you that Eric is hands down my most favorite character. I’m glad to see that Alan Ball cast an actor (Alexander Skarsgård) that closely resembles the Eric from the books, based on Charlaine Harris’ description.

Bill’s Threat:

After leaving Fangtasia Sookie and Bill pull over so Sookie can calm down.  While there they’re approached by a police officer who pulls a gun on Bill once he realizes he’s a vampire.  Bill “glamorizes” the police officer, takes his gun, and threatens him, telling him to never point a gun at a vampire again.  This is a darker side of Bill we’ve not seen thus far.  Sookie is speechless at his actions.

Sam’s Attraction to Dawn’s Sheets:

The last scene in the episode shows Sam putting on latex gloves, going into Dawn’s house, entering her bedroom, and rolling around and sniffing her bedsheets, on the very bed on which she was murdered.

Alan Ball once again leaves us with a mystery that we’ll no doubt want to learn more about in the next episode.  Smart man.  I’ll definitely be watching.

See also: True Blood Episode 5: Bill Remembers His Past

Categories : True Blood
Comments (11)

A lot of people visit this site searching for terms like “watch True Blood free” or “watch True Blood online.” So I’ve put up some links so you can watch the episodes from the comfort of your computer.

I’ve spent countless hours reviewing tons of sites for free online episodes of True Blood and have narrowed the list down to the ones below. I have to keep updating this list because periodically sites get taken down due to copyright infringement.

It’s getting almost impossible to find a True Blood viewing site that doesn’t require a survey or a special viewer. Here goes – I hope you appreciate my hard work!

Updated 8/18/09


Watch True Blood Episode 1 – Nothing But the Blood

True Blood Episode 1 – Site #1 Click on the red play button. If an ad appears in the video box simply click inside the ad and the episode will begin playing.

Watch True Blood Episode 2 – Keep This Party Going

True Blood Episode 2 – Site #1 Click on the red play button. If the Gaming Harbor screen appears simply close it and go back to the video site. If an ad appears in the video box simply click inside the ad and the episode will begin playing.
   
True Blood Episode 2 – Site #2 Click on the red play button. If an ad appears in the video box simply click inside the ad and the episode will begin playing.

Watch  True Blood Episode 3 – Scratches

True Blood Episode 3 – Site #1 Click on the red play button. If the Gaming Harbor screen appears simply close it and go back to the video site. If an ad appears in the video box simply click inside the ad and the episode will begin playing.
   
True Blood Episode 3 – Site #2 Click on the red play button. If an ad appears in the video box simply click inside the ad and the episode will begin playing.

Watch True Blood Episode 4 – Shake and Fingerpop

True Blood Episode 4 – Site #1 Click on the red play button. If the Gaming Harbor screen appears simply close it and go back to the video site. If an ad appears in the video box simply click inside the ad and the episode will begin playing.
   
True Blood Episode 4 – Site #2 Click on the red play button. If an ad appears in the video box simply click inside the ad and the episode will begin playing.

True Blood Episode 5 – Never Let Me Go

True Blood Episode 5 – Site #1 Click on the red play button. If the Gaming Harbor screen appears simply close it and go back to the video site. If an ad appears in the video box simply click inside the ad and the episode will begin playing.
   
True Blood Episode 5 – Site #2 Click on the red play button. If the Gaming Harbor screen appears simply close it and go back to the video site. If an ad appears in the video box simply click inside the ad and the episode will begin playing.
   
True Blood Episode 5 – Site #3 Click on the red play button. If an ad appears in the video box simply click inside the ad and the episode will begin playing.

True Blood Episode 6 – Hard-Hearted Hannah

True Blood Episode 6 – Site #1 Click the red button to start the video. If an ad appears in the video box simply click inside the ad and the episode will begin playing.

True Blood Episode 7 – Release Me
True Blood Episode 7 – Site #1 Click the red button to start the video. If an ad appears in the video box simply click inside the ad and the episode will begin playing.

Watch True Blood Episode 8 – Timebomb

True Blood Episode 8 – Site #1 Takes a moment to load.
   
True Blood Episode 8 – Site #2 Click on the red play button. If the Gaming Harbor screen appears simply close it and go back to the video site. If an ad appears in the video box simply click inside the ad and the episode will begin playing.
   
True Blood Episode 8 – Site #3 Loads very slowly.

True Blood Episode 9 – I Will Rise Up

True Blood Episode 9 – Site #1 Scroll down to the second video window titled "Option 2". Click on the "Close to Play" button that appears on the ad inside the video window. The episode will begin.



If you know of a site that shows the True Blood videos and does NOT:

-redirect users to a paid site
-require users to complete a survey
-require users to download a viewer
-require users to install other software

add the site name in the Comments section below. However, if the site doesn’t meet the above requirements I’ll remove the link from the comment.


True Blood Books

True Blood BooksGet the True Blood books in a box set (books 1-7).

Get the True Blood Books



See also:
True Blood Episode Summaries and Video Trailers

Categories : True Blood
Comments (104)
HBO's True Blood vs. Charlaine Harris' Books

This site has received lots of inquiries about the Charlaine Harris Southern Vampire Mystery series. A lot of people are wondering whether the HBO True Blood series is similar to the popular book series.

Since I’ve read all of the books and I’m also watching the show I thought I’d answer some of the most common questions.

Questions

HBO’s True Blood

Charlaine Harris Books

1. Is Sam a dog?

In the series we get several glimpses of a dog standing in the woods. There’s also a scene at the end of True Blood Episode 3 where we see a painting of a dog with a young girl, similar to a “Lassie Meets Goldilocks” setting. You should read the book to determine whether Sam is a dog. It’s FULLY explained in Dead Until Dark, the 1st book in the Charlaine Harris series.
2. Is Jason a ladies man in the books?

In the series, Jason Stackhouse is quite the womanizer. Some of the sex scenes with he and his “dates” are pretty explicit. Absolutely. The books make it clear that Jason gets around. The books and the TV show agree on this issue.
3. Is Lafayette in the Charlaine Harris books?

In the series Lafayette is the wise-cracking cook at Merlotte’s. Yes, Lafayette is definitely a character in the books. He plays a prominent role in the book Living Dead in Dallas, the 2nd book in the series.
4. Do Bill and Sookie have sex?

In the series we’re shown several scenes in which Bill and Sookie start taking off their clothes. Yes, this occurs in the 1st book, Dead Until Dark

.

5. Is Tara in the Charlaine Harris books?

In the series Tara is Sookie’s close friend. We learn a lot about Tara’s home life with her alcoholic mother. Yes, in the books Tara Thornton is a friend of Sookie’s. However she’s not African American and doesn’t make an appearance until Book #2. She’s also less abrasive than the onscreen Tara.


Here’s what Book 4 says about Tara’s parents: “But Tara’s parents had been evil, both alcoholics and abusers. Tara’s older sisters and brothers had left home as fast as they could, leaving Tara, as the youngest, to foot the bill for their freedom.”
6. How did Bill betray Sookie?

This is explained in the book Club Dead, the 3rd book in the series. It’s quite shocking but very well explained in the book. It takes Sookie a LONG time to get over the betrayal and for a while, she and Bill don’t see each other. The betrayal makes Sookie wonder whether Bill’s feelings for her were sincere.
7. When does Eric Northman appear?

Eric appears in Episode 4 titled “Escape from the Dragon’s Den.” Eric appears in the very 1st book, Dead Until Dark.

Here’s how he’s described in the book:

“the vampire was handsome, in fact he was radiant. Blond and blue-eyed, tall and broad shouldered.”

Eric is a very strong and powerful vampire. Eric has authority over Bill and immediately shows an interest in Sookie. Eric owns a vampire bar in Shreveport called Fantasia. Out of all of the characters in the books, I like Eric the most. Sure, he can be scary, but he’s also incredibly funny in the books.

8. Are Malcolm, Diane, and Liam (the bad vampires that visit Bill) in the books?

In the series these 3 vampires visit Bill and almost attack Sookie. Yes, what you see in Episode 2 and 3 of the series is VERY close to what happens in the book Dead Until Dark.
9. How tall is Eric Northman?

In book #4, Dead to the World Charlaine Harris says this about Eric:

“Eric was way over six feet of pure magnificence (if a marble white magnificence), and he well knew it.”

10. Do Eric and Sookie have sex? If so, in which book does this occur?

YES! This happens in Dead to the World. It’s my most favorite book in the entire series. The scenes between Sookie and Eric are really sweet. They’re also absolutely hilarious.
11. Is Sam a werewolf?

Absolutely Not! Sam’s “special condition” is fully explained in book #1, Dead Until Dark.
12. Does Sookie’s grandmother die in the books like she does in Episode 5?
At the end of True Blood Episode 5, Sparks Fly Out, Sookie returns home to find one of her loved ones is dead. This occurs in Dead Until Dark, the 1st book in the Charlaine Harris series.
13. Do they find the killer in the books?
In the True Blood series several women living in Bon Temps have been killed. In the books the murderer is discovered at the end of Dead Until Dark. You’ll be shocked to learn the identity.
14. Do Tara and Sam have sex in the books?
In the True Blood series Sam and Tara have an intimate “no strings attached” relationship. Tara and Sam don’t get together in the books.
15. Do Tara and Jason have sex in the books?
In the True Blood series it’s clear that Tara has a huge crush on Jason. No, Tara and Jason don’t have sex in the books.

See also: The Complete List of Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse Books/

Twilight The Movie vs. Twilight The Book

Note: If you have any other questions about the True Blood series vs. the books, ask them in the comments and I’ll add your questions to the list above!

Comments (58)

True Blood Sookie Stackhouse PhotoEpisode 3 of HBO’s new True Blood series begins with Sookie being approached and almost attacked by 3 vampire visitors at Bill Compton’s house. They spend a bit of time taunting her and flashing their fangs but eventually turn her neck and get ready to attack. Fortunately, Bill steps in and “claims” Sookie as his own. He had to repeat his mandate to leave her alone several times but they eventually let her go.

These 3 vampires live in a “nest” and are therefore more removed from humanity than vampires like Bill that are trying to mainstream. As such they think nothing of killing humans or using them for their pleasure. In fact, one of them orders the female human to accompany them to, let’s say, pleasure him. What’s amazing about this scene is its graphic nature and how the vampire (and the human) are so oblivious to the others around them.  During this scene Sookie discovers that one of the humans is infected with Hepatitis-D, a disease that affects vampires.  The vampires leave shortly thereafter and Sookie follows suit a few minutes later, rejecting Bill’s request for a kiss because she’s so grossed out at the behavior of his vampire visitors and because she learns that Bill had sex with the female vampire in the group.

In the meantime Sookie’s good friend Tara, who now works at Merlotte’s bar, provides more insight into her home life by way of a conversation with Sam, the bar’s owner. It seems Tara doesn’t want to go home after the bar closes because she doesn’t want to face her mother, an alcoholic. Tara often comes home at night to find her mother passed out in her own vomit; it’s Tara’s job to get her cleaned up. She confides in Sam, telling him how difficult it is to see her mother in that condition.  The actress Rutina Wesley does a good job of getting the audience to empathize with her character.  In the first episode I couldn’t stand her.  She was brash and rude. 

By now, in the 3rd episode, I’m a BIG fan of hers.  Her home life explains a lot about her attitude.  She’s never had much stability and structure in her life.  Think about it.  As children, most of us had parents waiting for us when we came home each day.  As such our lives were fairly routinized.  Tara’s life has been unpredictable; from one day to the next she never knew what to expect when she got home. Ii can see how someone like that would have a hard time keeping a steady job or having steady relationships.  Now that doesn’t totally excuse her attitude toward others, but it does help explain why she seems to have trouble in those areas.

The conversation between Tara and Sam makes its way from the bar, to the porch of Sam’s house, and eventually ends up inside Sam’s home. At that point Tara poses a very interesting and surprising proposition to Sam. He initially rejects her suggestion but when she introduces a “no strings attached” clause, he agrees. This is interesting because it NEVER happens in the Charlaine Harris Southern Vampire Mystery books, the urban fantasy series on which the HBO series is based. Sure, I don’t expect Alan Ball, the director, to follow the books verbatim, but I’m curious about where he plans to take the series. Actually, that adds to the attraction; people like me who have read the books don’t know what to expect from week to week.

Later in the episode Sookie returns to Bill’s house and tells him that, although she’s never been with a man before, she feels drawn to him and would like to know what it’s like to have sex.  Bill kisses her and begins taking off her clothes.  The next scene shows Sookie waking up alone in bed.  This whole scene may have been a dream because later in the day Sookie tells her grandmother about her internal struggles with wanting to have sex.  If this was a dream, it marks the 2nd scene in which Sookie is “dreaming” about having sex with Bill.  Okay, these “alleged” sex scenes between Sookie and Bill are getting a little confusing.

Meanwhile, when Tara comes home she’s attacked by her drunk mother.  Tara runs out and ends up at Lafayette’s house.  Lafayette looks her over, tells her she doesn’t need stitches, and proceeds to give her Vicodin (and some marijuana) to soothe both mind and body. 

Read Along in the Book!

Jason Stackhouse arrives a bit later asking for Viagra.  Jason (both in the books and onscreen) is the resident “ho” in Bon Temps.  This guy sleeps with everyone.  He’s looking for Viagra because he’s unable to perform with Dawn, one of his women (while having sex he imagined he was having sex with a vampire, which killed his mood).  Lafayette doesn’t have any Viagra but he does have vampire blood, which is known to be a libido enhancer.  Because it’s so expensive he proposes a trade: he’ll give Jason some of the blood if he strips and dances in front of a video camera.  As you can guess, Jason agrees.  I mean come on, this guy has no shame. But guess what? I LOVE JASON’S CHARACTER! He doesn’t pretend to be something he isn’t. He’s a ladies man/horndog/ho and he’s proud of it!

Before I end this review I have to say a few things about Lafayette, the gay cook that works at Merlotte’s.  I love the way he’s portrayed on the screen.  He’s a free spirit that clearly loves to party but he also shows lots of compassion for others, based on his kind treatment to both Tara and Sookie. He’s the funniest character in the series to this point.  I hope we see more of him in the next few episodes.

That’s basically what happens in Episode 3.  I have to tell you that I find it hard to write reviews of these episodes because each show is comprised of a series of very brief scenes.  It’s not like a regular drama series; it’s full of short takes.  Additionally, the scenes don’t always occur in sequence.

Having said that, the shows are interesting to watch and I plan to tune in each week.

See also:
HBO’s True Blood Series: Episode 2

True Blood Episode 4: Meet Eric the Vampire

Categories : True Blood
Comments (7)

True BloodAt the end of Episode 1 Sookie is brutally attacked by the Mack and Denise Rattray, the couple Sookie prevented from draining vampire Bill Compton’s blood. She successfully drove them away but they regrouped and attacked her after her shift outside the Merlotte bar. This is one thing I do like about Alan Ball’s adaptation of Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire series: he doesn’t glamorize the violence. Although we’ve yet to see a full out vampire attack he doesn’t hesitate to show the brutal and merciless beating Sookie suffers at the hands (and feet) of the Rattrays. Fortunately, Bill soon follows and rescues her but we don’t really get to see how he took care of the Rattrays. Yet.

Meanwhile Jason Stackhouse, Sookie’s tom-catting brother is being held by the local police for questioning related to the murders of two local women Jason had recently spent time with. Or, to put it bluntly, had sex with. Jason’s a real ladykiller (sorry) whose prowess is known throughout the community. When the police discovered that he’d been with one of the victims just minutes before her brutal killing he became their prime suspect.

Jason’s sexual escapades are a bit risque, so much so that he sometimes videotapes his “performances” with some women. Believe it or not, it’s the videotape of this encounter that proves his innocence. Although Jason believes the tape will show that he killed the woman in question it actually proves his innocence. The tape clearly shows that the victim was still alive after Jason left. By the way, the tape is VERY graphic.

Read Along in the Book!

So, what does Jason do? Thank a higher force for his salvation? Attend a church meeting? Offer his condolences to the family of the deceased woman? No. He heads straight to one of his “stand-by” women and proceeds to be intimate with her. What a winner. But this is to be expected; this is exactly how he’s portrayed in the Charlaine Harris books.

Back to Bill and Sookie. In order to heal her wounds Bill persuades Sookie to injest some of his blood. She’s understandably reluctant at first but then agrees. During the course of their conversation you see the restorative properties of vampire blood.

Later in the show we discover that a mysterious hurricane had totally demolished the trailer home occupied by Mack and Denise Rattray, crushing their bodies underneath the structure. Oh. What a coincidence.

Overall I liked this episode better than the first but I wasn’t too happy with the pacing. There were lots of flashbacks that, while primarily providing backstory about Sookie, which was needed, didn’t adequately provide much material to justify Sookie’s relationship with Bill. The chemistry between them is vague. I’d like to see a few scenes with just the two of them getting to know one another. Just talking like 2 people attracted to one another often do.

I’m not giving up on the series because I know there are LOTS of great adventures ahead. I’m fairly optimistic that it will continue to improve.

You can also read the review of the 1st episode:   >>Review of HBO’s True Blue Series – Where is Charlaine Harris’ Plot?

Categories : True Blood
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