Luke Trimble
Staff Writer
When school winds down and summer sets in, vampire enthusiasts around the nation anticipate the return of television creator Alan Ball’s “True Blood.” Set in the boondocks of Louisiana, “True Blood” began as an allegory for the gay rights movement by substituting vampires for homosexuals. Now, as “True Blood” enters its fourth season, that premise has all but evaporated.
In the early episodes of “True Blood,” vampires were the only known supernatural beings that existed with humanity and, for the most part, this concept seemed entirely plausible. However, as the show progressed, an increasingly implausible amount of otherworldly creatures and elements were added to the plot.
Currently, the show features werewolves, shape-shifters and fairies in addition to the original array of
vampire and human characters. During the fourth season, viewers find their vampiric heroes squared off against a group of irate witches, as “True Blood” ramps up its ridiculousness to a new level of absurd heights.
Last season ended with the adorably gap-toothed Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) uncovering her human-fairy ancestry. This year’s story beings when Sookie finds herself in the alternate universe of the fairies. From this point, all previous notions of “True Blood” bearing any sort of realism are thrown out the window, as the fantastic completely drives the show.
The rest of the cast also has fallen victim to the same levels of unpredictability, bloodshed and otherworldly encounters. Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten) has gone from town playboy to town sheriff with romantic ties to a were-panther. Tara’s (Rutina Wesley) newfound sexual identity comes into question now that both of the Thornton children shy away from the opposite sex.
Meanwhile, Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) has recently become involved with a male witch and discovers his own magical prowess, which begs the question: does every single character in the show need to have magical ability? The fourth season of “True Blood” has amped the show’s absurdity to extraordinary heights.
Although “True Blood” requires a bit of imagination to enjoy, it still ultimately provides compelling television. “True Blood” will return to HBO next summer.
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