HBO'S "True Blood"

HBO's "True Blood" is the brilliant hit show that centers around the life of Sookie Stackhouse. Set in the fictional town of Bon Temps, Sookie begins a love affair with Bill the vampire. In this refreshing vampire story, synthetic blood has been invented, and thus, many vampires like Bill have "come out of the coffin".

True Blood is, in one word and a deep breath...wow! Never mind the graphic sex scenes, the gore, the shock value- it is brilliantly written and the interwoven message strikes at the senses with such beauty and depth that you forget that you are watching yet another vampire story. Okay, I will admit that I love a good vampire tale, but this one stands apart.  Based on the the books by Charlaine Harris, like all well-written stories, at the core of it, it is really about human nature.  The story works on many levels: the explicit nature of the show is very entertaining on a superficial level, but for the analytically-minded viewers, watching "True Blood" is a rich experience.  I'm on my third run-through of the first season since it was released and it gets better every time!

The show takes place in Bon Temps, an old and dusty town, where everyone knows everyone.  After the invention of synthetic blood, vampires everywhere have "come out of the coffin".  Amid heated campaigns for pro-vampire legislation, Bill the vampire enters the quaint community, and most of the town folk are not pleased with his arrival.  But the moment the mind-reading waitress, Sookie Stackhouse and Bill lock eyes, a passionate, yet tumultuous love affair begins.  

Although not all of the characters feel mutual sentiments, vampires very existence makes them a miracle, it makes them magical. The concept of magic equating to miracles is thrilling to me and in True Blood it is a subject that is brought up throughout the show.  Magic does exist, and we humans are proof. Call it what you want, say it originated however you want, but there's no denying that the complexities of how all "animated" things function is simply amazing.

The first season of HBO's "True Blood" was released in May, so you can catch up on all of the episodes if you missed it.  The second season of "True Blood" started a few weeks after the release of the first season on DVD.