First Word

Where are we going with this? Is the idea to kill off every character before the final episode? I'm beginning to think so. (Spoiler Alert) The demise of Alcide was anti-climatic and downright boring. Alcide, our beloved burly werewolf, finally met his end with a few quick gunshots and then bam! Dead! Well, except for one brief moment of Sookie having learned her lesson about sanctioning the creation of new vampires. The very first episode saw the demise of long-time character Tara who went through so much only to end up dead after all. Other long-time characters are biting it, too. What did we learn in this episode? Alcide loved Sookie more -- and that made her feel bad. Okay ... Sam had a gay vampire escort who got immediately shot down (we didn't have any investment anyway) so all right. Eric has Hep V and was ready (a la Godric) to just go on his 1,000-year-old way. Note: How many times do we have to see the retread scene of Pam begging Eric not to die? She loves him! Blah...

Welcome back my campy True Blood characters as June 22nd marks the beginning of the end of this truly unique vampire show that even from a non-vampire lover such as I managed to be absorbed  season after season. I have read that the sexy Viking vamp Eric Northman as played by the red-hot Alexander Skarsgard (my future daughter-in-law and I had quite a conversation about sexy men, and we had a mutual meeting of the minds that Skarsgard AKA Skarscandy wins! Well, she did have an admiration for Tatum Channing, which I can feel her on). I did ask Kirk for a hall pass should I run into Skarsgard and his eyes narrowed and he scoffed, "No! You're too pretty! He would probably go for it." LMAO ... maybe ... ;). Last season sadly went down the tubes as creator and executive producer (and master storyteller) Alan Ball stepped down and his directing team and head writers stepped up. The story line took on this discriminatory hate theme that ended with our favorite vamps locked aw...

How is it I missed the chance to comment on my favorite show's last episode? First, I have a lot on my mind. Second, I just forgot LOL. OK, back to Bon Tempe and the myriad story lines going forward in a season that got off to a fantastic start and veered a little and then for some reason kind of started losing me a bit. Now as a publisher and writer, I try to review the show from the writing and storytelling angles. I have enjoyed the Bill and Eric storyline and the romp with the Authority. I especially appreciated that finally they showed Eric still wants Sookie when he glamoured our resident werewolf Alcide into not having romantic feelings for her. Go Eric! And I must say, the "heat" between Sookie and Alcide ... not there! Sorry! The other favorite storyline is Tara's rising into her vampiric skin. She's going to come round just you wait and see. We've had hints of her settling in, so to speak. Then we have poor Hoyt's personal self-desctruction. What...

Ah, it's Monday which means Sunday night has come and gone with a healthy dose of True Blood . I usually watch the episode twice in one night to get a really good recap for you. Last night, I was tired and only watched one. So, this might not be as "enthusiastic" as it could be if I paid closer attention. OK, I thought that at least Sookie got some better time, but the whole drunken make-out session with Alcide with her two great loves Bill and Eric watching, and their decided lack of interest in it ... not ringing true. It was less than a week ago in show time that Sookie and Eric declared their undying love. What happened here? Both have forgotten their strong feelings? This whole season love story wise with Sookie and Eric is a total numb void of non-reactions and non-reflection. I can tell you from experience (especially since I have my own love life in action and this is a not-so-subtle message to my guy), love doesn't die like that ... not real, true, connected,...

Last night the long-anticipated True Blood Season 5 started with some fantastic and fast storytelling. Alan Ball, who is still at the helm of the campy vampire show, pushed every single story forward from the conclusion of Season 4. I don't think the season opener missed a single beat. From the pick-up where Sookie shoots Debbie and Eric and Bill go on the lamb from the Vampire Authority, it moved from scene to scene and from continuation to continuation. I have to say I think it was the best season opener I've seen so far. The only story line not ringing true is the Eric-Bill sudden alliance and friendship. Eric's sudden loyalty to Bill ... huh? Eric hates Bill. He's normally very cool toward him and the "not without Bill" statement just fell on the side of ... huh? The animosity disappeared when exactly? Additionally, Eric's blithe reaction to Sookie's fear and his statement that "she dumped both of us" and his ignoring her peril ... not r...

A few days without a cable hook-up and I was forced to dig into my DVD collection for entertainment. I decided to go back to season 1 of True Blood and re-watch. Since I really only like the Eric Northman/Sookie Stackhouse romance, it meant having to endure the original Bill/Sookie romance. I have to say the initial heat between the couple was there, but then you know Bill turned into such a controlling ass and got all paternal and "protective" to the point where you really started to dislike his treatment of Sookie as if she were a child. It's also pretty interesting reflecting on the show through the lens of the proceeding seasons that revealed Bill's true intentions from day one, which were not so honorable in that Queen Sophie Anne sent Bill to procure her. Then you have Eric Northman's interest in her and the difference in how he treats her. He lets her speak for herself and make her own decisions. He doesn't try to control her and he respects her. For t...

I love spoilers -- there I said it. I like to have at least some clue where my favorite shows are heading in the new season. Well, they just released the new trailers for True Blood, Season 5 and how lame! Come on now, let's see some better clues than your past catches up with you or doesn't stay buried ... or whatever. Let's see some hints with the actual actors and not the mundane set pieces we've all seen a hundred times over. I want some action here! Some clues! A spoiler or two or three. We already know that Bill and Eric are on the run and sharing some boo-hiss "bromance" time (yuck). Does Tara get turned into a vamp or zombie. I vote zombie, that's way more off-kilter and interesting. Mark my words, Tara isn't gone. Will we get to see any Eric-Sookie loving at all? I hope so. Here is an idea, let's send Bill off to meet the sun while Sookie and Eric make mad passionate love on Eric's Barbados estate (we know he has one from Season 4...

If page views and reading interest are votes then it's safe to say that my First Word readers do not liking this whole "bromance" notion on the forthcoming Season 5 of True Blood . While Eric Northman's portrayer Alexander Skarsgard has been promoting his new movie Battleship , he's been perpetuating the "bromance" notion. I think he's probably messing with us a little and the storyline will likely center around the two southern vampires on the run from the Authority and forced to endure each other's company. I will say that if Alan Ball and company are paying any attention to the fans then they can't be completely oblivious to the fact that nobody wants to see an entire season without Eric and Sookie interaction. I also know the enthusiasm sorely lacks over the idea of putting Sookie together with Alcide, who some of the "bookies" think will blend the Quinn/Alcide characters. Now here is my spin as your writer in residence. Most ...

Some characters we love. We even love to hate certain villains. Some characters are murky, and we don't know if we're supposed to love them, hate them, or feel ambiguous toward them. I believe when you create emotionally ambiguous characters that the audience is left to ponder their feelings about him or her, you have actually created a masterpiece. Most people are not black and white -- they're not all good or bad but shades of gray. As a writer when you've created a character that has so many shades and depth, it's not surprising if his or relationship to the audience becomes unclear. Do realize, though, if you create a completely unlikeable character who is supposed to be the protagonist in your story, you run the risk of losing your audience's rooting value altogether. As a writer you walk a fine line here. So, I'm going to go over the characters I've either loved, hated or just didn't know how to feel about. Bill Compton in True Blood -- comp...

Now that Alexander Skarsgård is out promoting his forthcoming popcorn flick Battleship , which I will go see to support my favorite actor but only with my teenage son, who loves that sort of thing; he is promoting Season 5 of True Blood . I've decided he's being cheeky about the whole notion of the Eric-Bill " bromance " nonsense. First of all, he's a funny guy anyway and is constantly making jokes. Check out his low-key joke that aliens and vampires would be lovers ... yeah, right, naturally! Second, my guess is that Eric and Bill team up and have time on the run together evading the Authority. Skarsgård's remarks about having a new appreciation for Bill, I'm going to just go on the side that he's being facetious. Maybe they won't be quite as venomously at each other's throats then in the past, but I don't see the Viking sincerely bowing to the Southern schemer anytime soon. Also, I've noticed that in years past that while small spoile...

Eric and Sookie Lovers Posted this Picture! I want to personally thank Erika over at the Eric and Sookie Lovers blog who has reposted two of my blogs. She also allowed me to use some of her very cool pictures, and this one to the left was her response to my big shout out, "Hell to the no" to the "bromance" idea between vampires Eric Northman and Bill Compton on the forthcoming Season 5 of True Blood . Nobody seems to be Team Erill! Or is that Errrrrrill! We all keep praying to the great shrine of Alan Ball that maybe, just maybe he's throwing us all off! No shipping Eric and Bill! Maybe he just planted that idea to send us all screaming into the Scandinavian forest in Narnia where Bill will be tossed down the Wardrobe and fed to the Lion and the Witch! How about that one?! Although my disappointed little shipper heart noticed that right before Season 4, Alexander Skarsgård hinted about what was coming, and it turns out the hints were accurate to what happens...