True Blood

A bright spot in what has prooved to be a rather dismal television season, this tale of a world where Vampires have been let out of their coffins by the introducton of synthetic blood has prooven to be consistently compelling, suspensefull, witty, and as with any good vampire story, terribly sexy.

Following the life of young Sookie Stackhouse True Blood reveals a rural Louisiana populated by a charming and suprisingly attractive group of young waitresses, road workers, cajuns, vapires, shape shifters, demons, voodoo priestesses, yankee hippies, and of course, a good old boy sheriff. If there is a downside to this wonderful little escapist romp, it is the accurate portrayal of the vivacious twenty-something Sookie, a simple Southern gal with the power to read minds. As a mature viewer (ouch) I suppose I am bound to be frustrated by the moody, tempermental, selfishness of an under 30 heroine. Happily, she is counteracted by the unrelenting charm of her man-slut brother and her troubled best friend.

The vampires are a wonderfully eclectic bunch. Vampire Bill, Sookies love interest and the first man shes ever met whose impure thoughts regarding her ripe young boosom are not readilly accessable to her sixth sense, is a troubled soul, plagued with guilt over her immortal blood lust. Much like Louis of the Anne Rice Vampire tales without the overly homosexual flair. Even more interesting have been the other creatures of the night that have come wandering into the story along the way. It is hard not to go into each episode hoping for less Sookie and more Vampires.

Engaging and suprising throughout, the series worked itself up Sunday to leave us pondering what new directions they will take us as we look forward to the last hour of a now painfully short 12 episode run. Cursed HBO! Just when we had gotten over the Sopranos and were free to wonder if we could save ourself 15 bucks a month, they do it to us again, pulling us into a strange world, too close to our own not to be seduced by the what-if it supposes.