True Blood: Season Four (1 Viewer)

[Shane D]

Originally Posted by Cameron Yee

Anyone know if the episodes will be available in iTunes or Amazon? And if so, how soon?

hbo never makes thier stuff available in those outlets until the day the dvd/blu's come out. so my guess is 3 weeks before season 5 comes out if they did it like season 3 and 4

 

[Citizen87645]

Thanks. I was hoping I'd be able to watch a bit delayed like I did with Mad Men S4, but I guess HBO is not AMC.

 

[Rhett_Y]

Mr. Ball, IMO, has ruined the show. If you have ever sat in on one of the panels at comic con, he gets an ear full. One of the better quotes and Charlene said it with a smile, is I don't tell him to make his show and he doesn't tell me how to write my books. I like the show and will watch it, but he completely ruined it for me. However having said that, I think he has made a lot of new fans of the series thou. Ball is basically using the names only and creating his own little "true blood" universe.

 

[JonZ]

I like Bill and Jessica.... but other than that cant think of any reason to watch this anymore.


I actually read a book while it was on and glanced up only when Bill and Jessica were on screen.


About Jason, I dont like the character really, but he sure has been entertaining to watch and some of his scenes have been down right hilarious.... when his police tests turns into egyptian hieroglyphics before his eyes, the threesome with the girls w/ bullets holes in their heads, 1,2 and c and so on. He says some of the stupidest things, you just have to laugh. Attempting to make the character more serious...and he looses his charm.


I dont know, maybe Ill continue to watch it, but Im not sure why.

 

[Jeff Brooks]

Gosh, I hope it gets better than this. Some of the previews looked interesting. I never liked Lafayette's new friend, and I do not think I am going to like the witch thing. The Tara character needs to just go away. They are ruining Andy for the sake of Jason. Even my girlfriend was disappointed, (and she rarely is if Eric is in the episode!) Added HBO back just for this, but may have to just wait for Boardwalk.

 

[Paul D G]

Originally Posted by Rhett_Y

Ball is basically using the names only and creating his own little "true blood" universe.

I don't understand why this should be a surprise. It's a given for me that the first season of a book-based show follows much of the first book or two, then after that it starts off on it's own path. 'Dexter' has had nothing to do with the books since season 2 and no one complains about that...

 

[MarkMel]

Ah but Dexter is a vastly superior show. At least in my opinion.

 

[TravisR]

Ah but Dexter is a vastly superior show.

Outside of the few people here, I've never seen anyone say that the books are superior though. I'm sure the books have their fans but I tried reading the first one and thought it was terrible. I have no problem seeing why Alan Ball took the elements and did his own thing with it.

 

[mattCR]

I think the fans would be OK with it except for the bait and switch. Season 1 was very much like the book.. damn near identical. Season 2 was a bit off track. Season 3 was very off track. Season 4 has now blown up the history of the books.


Here's the difference between this and Dexter.. books like Dexter have a somewhat continuing mythos, but the characters are fleshed out and the storylines change book to book. I Love the books (Dexter Dreaming Darkly) but the Dexter series maintains the characters at least behaving as expected, in line with the expectations of the books.


The problem with this is that you have a well established, widely read book series. It has it's own mythos to it with it's own conclusions and storylines. When you start drastically changing characters, it's off putting.


I think if they had done it right from the get go, season 1, there would be less bitching.


I guess I"ll wait for Season 3 of Game of Thrones for HBO to abandon the books then.

Originally Posted by Paul D G




I don't understand why this should be a surprise. It's a given for me that the first season of a book-based show follows much of the first book or two, then after that it starts off on it's own path. 'Dexter' has had nothing to do with the books since season 2 and no one complains about that...

 

[Charlie Campisi]

I think the fans would be OK with it except for the bait and switch.    Season 1 was very much like the book.. damn near identical.   Season 2 was a bit off track.   Season 3 was very off track.   Season 4 has now blown up the history of the books.

Here's the difference between this and Dexter.. books like Dexter have a somewhat continuing mythos, but the characters are fleshed out and the storylines change book to book.   I Love the books (Dexter Dreaming Darkly) but the Dexter series maintains the characters at least behaving as expected, in line with the expectations of the books.

The problem with this is that you have a well established, widely read book series.  It has it's own mythos to it with it's own conclusions and storylines.   When you start drastically changing characters, it's off putting.

 

I think if they had done it right from the get go, season 1, there would be less bitching.

I guess I"ll wait for Season 3 of Game of Thrones for HBO to abandon the books then.
 


 

Seeing all the complaints here about the departure from the books, I immediately thought of Dexter. Not only did the series change the stories, but the characters are also vastly different from the characters in the Dexter books. For example,

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

- Dexter in the books is emotionless. From page one through the last page of the most recent book, whereas TV Dexter is growing and learning to love and hurt when he loses people. Book Dexter does not have the capacity for any emotion. - Book Deb knows of Dexter's problem and not only tolerates it, but uses it to advance her own career. - Book LaGuerta is stupid and dead. - Book Doakes is about the same trait wise, just different physically. - Biggest difference aside from Dexter are Astor and Cody, who are brutal killers in training.

That's just off the top of my head, but every main character has significant differences to the Dexter books. It doesn't bother me though. Maybe it's because I saw the Dexter series before reading the books and also much prefer the tv storylines and for the most part, the way the characters have developed. I haven't read the True Blood books and the show for the most part still holds my attention.

 

[mattCR]

I think though, it's in part acceptance of changes that have some weight, let me go to your Dexter thoughts..



* You not Leguarta, that's true.. then again, in the True Blood universe, several secondary characters are dead - like Lafayette, but he's still alive in the series. I don't mind these as you have to flesh out a broader story.


* You note Dexter being totally emotionless... that's true in the first two books or so, but he does in the books start to have qualms, and while I think they've went farther in the series then the books, I didn't find that out of character with the expectations.


I always figure that some characters will have to change looks wise because you can't cast exactly per type.. for example, in the books, Tara is a self described "dumb blonde"... yet in the series, she's a black girl with issues. Those things don't change the heart of the series...



But I really want to point out where a lot of people who are fans of the books have real problems, and why it's a problem. NOTE: BELOW IS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 2. If you don't have HBOGo! Don't read!! Spoilers also contained for the book series!!!



Within the myth of the book series, Sookie is a part faeree, as he grandmother cheated on her grandfather, who was sterile, in order to have kids. At a point (should be this season) these kind of things come to a head, resulting in a near war; and the Queen of Louisiana is killed (she's already dead in the series, which we'll get to the hitch here).. at that point, the Vampires convene a counsel, and they divide up who gets what, as a Queen replaced means new leadership, and the leadership of Nevada takes over Louisiana, growing their territory.


The reason why this matters is because with the confines of the book story, the Vampires have a fairly well constructed social setting that divides the country and rules. In fact, the TV series has dealt with this in Season 1, with magistrates, rules, Kings/Queens, and the rights of division. It was even explained then that magistrates make those decisions and determine punishments, etc.


Now, in Season 4, we leave the books.. except we've also done it by retconning the books out of the past 3 seasons to replace them. We see a flashback this week of Bill in England, being recruited by the Vampire Rights Association to help mainstream vampires. That's fine, except we established in the first three seasons that he was recruited by Sophie Ann to look in on Sookie, and even the show struggles to explain that.

We also throw out the preestablished rules of magistrates and rules, and Sophie Ann dead, and Bill just instantly replaces her. Also, the death scene of her is one of the more gruesome - and frankly stupid - moments in the series, in which the VRA just guns her down. Really? With all that super hearing we've established over seasons, she didn't notice or hear a giant swarm of storm troopers coming across her lawn in full armor?


Add to that the fact we've changed Eric's role..


The problem here isn't just that they've changed the book, it's that in order to do it, they've retconned a big slice of their own series.

 

[Patrick Sun]

"Snookie!" Haha!

 

[Patrick_S]

The look on Eric's face after he said "Sorry' for killing the fairy godmother had me rolling on the floor laughing.

 

[Michael Harris]

I was wondering how Anna Paquin could say "You killed my fairy godmother" with such a straight face. What I'm liking about his show is how the actors take such silliness so seriously. Fun stuffl

 

[Henry Gale]

Vamp Up!

 

[TravisR]

What I'm liking about his show is how the actors take such silliness so seriously. Fun stuffl

I think the actors' performances are a big reason why the show works as well as it does. They know how to play the dramtic stuff and the silly stuff as equally well and can walk the line between the two.

 

[Mark Maltais]

It's getting better now, looking forward to the next episode...

 

[Spero D]

Good episode. But the whole the freaky baby thing is starting to annoy me now.

 

[Matt Hough]

I am caught up/fascinated in every one of these storylines at this point (though I was running out of patience with Jason's story; not any more).

 

[Patrick Sun]

The only storyline not jiving with me is Sam's brother's subplot. Too bad Joe M. (Alcide) couldn't do both True Blood and Superman, schedule-wise. Wonder what effect the vamp blood will have on Jason/Panther.