HBO’s True Blood Series: Episode 2 Review

At 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.

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?