Me, like millions of other people, fell in love with this series. It wasn’t just good. It was great. There are very few shows now that can create this kind of magic. And with the writer’s strike going on, I am not sure if we are going to see any magic for quite some time. Sheer boredom is the real reason why I binged watched the first season of True Blood. While watching it, I realized that this remarkable HBO series Isn’t just about fairies and vampires. It’s about relationships, more importantly it is a show about how we as people connect, disconnect, and avoid relationships while dealing with our trauma. So, in this video we are going to analyze many of the wonderful characters in True Blood, to really understand what makes this show great. Please stay tuned.
I have to be honest; I was never a big fan of vampire movies or shows, except of Interview with a Vampire, and I don’t think that I need to understand why I grew a sick fascination with the movie, series, and the book. I mean, just look at all the eye candy. In truth, I didn’t jump on the True Blood bandwagon when it was first released. I didn’t watch it until years later, and I was totally transfixed. Yes, there was eye candy, but more importantly, there was a story. In fact, vampires derived from some of the oldest folklore stories known to man. Vampires are known to feed on men, draining their blood, or stealing their souls. However, True Blood doesn’t portray vampires as parasitic beasts with no human qualities. No, vampires in True Blood were once human, and are yearning to reconnect in some kind of way. Bill Compton best embodies this concept. He is a Civil War Veteran, looking to return home after the war, when he attacked and thus later turned into a vampire. Bill had been roaming the world alone, trying hard to hold on to some semblance of his humanity. While other vampires seemed to embrace their wild, primal nature.
Vampires in spirituality represent beasts, or fiends who drain others of their energy. They are self-serving, self-absorbed, self-righteous and delusional. In many cases these spiritual vampires are cut off from the source, or light. In short, they live in the darkness. There is no balance between light and dark, so there is no self-reflection or growth. As a result of this, they are forced to derive virtually all of their sustenance from other people. They become parasitic, delusional with thoughts of superiority and entitlement. They developed brawn and power, both skills needed to continually exploit their victims. Yet, the spiritual vampire is a slave to the blood. And if their source is cut off in any type of way, they implode. The spiritual vampire is so consumed with darkness, that he can’t love. You need to be exposed to the light to love. So, they drift through life, in a perpetual state of emptiness and longing, with only cheap thrills and bursts of pleasure to give them comfort.
Bill Compton is the spiritual vampire in True Blood. His efforts to mainstream represents his desire to break away from the nest and reconnect with his humanity. He chooses to only drink True Blood, so that he can break the hold that human blood has over him. He walks alone, wanting to prove to the people of Bon Temp that vampires were once people too. He is handsome, charming, and after many years of darkness, manages to fall in love. Naturally, a vampire like Bill Compton would be incapable of falling in love with a mere human. He is only able to open his heart to a woman who is part fae. She is bright, kind, lovable, sometimes a little annoying, but she always seems to mean well. In True Blood, Sookie Stackhouse embodies the light. While Bill Compton and all the rest of the vampires represent darkness. The attraction is magnetic, because what do vampires crave more than blood? Sunlight.
I have to say that Sookie and Bill were one of the best power couples in television history. Aside from Edward and Bella from Twilight, and Rick and Michonne from The Walking Dead, I can’t really think of anyone else who can beat them. Anyway, I digress. What I am really trying to say is that Bill and Sookie had depth. Why? Well because the STANs could live vicariously through the characters. We too are looking to fall in love. We enjoy watching the rollercoaster of emotions on the big screen and wish that we can get a little of that action in our lives. Like the characters on TV, we are looking for people to complete us. I know, it sounds corny. In truth, we are subconsciously looking for people to heal our wounds and to make us feel whole again. You see, we mystics believe that we are all born on the vibration of love, but life and trauma weaken us over time. Then, we look for certain people and even experiences to bring us back to that high vibrational state of love.
Sookie was bullied in high school and most of her adult life. She was part fae, and considered to not only be different by the townspeople of Bon Temp, but just straight up weird. She could hear people’s thoughts, feel their emotions, and even see some of their experiences. Now the gift of telepathy is a skill that I would love to have. The only problem is that Sookie needs to work hard to control it. Otherwise, she hears people’s deepest and darkest fears and sinister thoughts. She had a terrible time dating, because, well, because some people are just jerks. Sookie, the crazy small-town waitress was destined to become a spinster. That is until Vampire Bill walks into the bar and changes her life forever. The attraction is magnetic, both on and off the screen. Both characters have qualities that the other desires. Sookie has the light and sweet blood that Vampire Bill craves. While Sookie is able to just relax and let her hair down, without worrying about hearing his thoughts. Sookie and Bill fall in love. Only Sookie falls deeper and deeper into the pits of darkness. She is a target of a serial killer because she associates with vampires. Worse, she becomes a vampire magnet, where every Eric, Malcom, and Dianne wants to get a taste of that sweet blood. This makes Vampire Bill very insecure, because he innately understands that he is incapable of protecting her from blood thirsty fiends. As the series develops, we see Sookie slipping more and more into darkness. She seems to be almost always in trouble. Until she finally stakes Bill, releasing them both from the downward spiral of negativity.
The most important thing to understand is that relationships can lift our vibrations to help us become whole. The wrong relationship, however, can cause us to degrade. Such is the case with Jason Stackhouse, and basically all the women he dated in season one of True Blood. Jason had many of the same afflictions as the other vampires in the series. No, he wasn’t shut off from the light, or craved blood. Yet, he learned to only derive pleasure from the physical act of having sex. Jason was so lost; he couldn’t even have an intimate relationship with a woman. When things became too series, he would pull away, deciding to focus his attention on another conquest. It is only when people start to die around him, that he begins to question his actions. Did he kill Maudett? Dawn? Amy? Sadly, Jason much like Bill and Sookie are people who mistake experiences for love. They focused more on how the other person made them feel, and not their character and flaws.
We can see all of this playing out with Jason and Amy. Amy is a psychopath and is able to manipulate Jason into kidnapping and later killing a vampire. Yet, Jason couldn’t let her go, because he truly believed that he loved her. He failed to realize that Army was insane, like the vampires, she too was consumed by darkness, and couldn’t really love anyone. Like many narcissists and psychopaths, she learned the art of manipulation. She had Jason wrapped around her finger. She needed him as a source of narcissistic supply and as a bum buddy to do V with. Amy and Jason seemed to have gotten along best while on V. But, their relationship was racked with instability and even resentfulness when they were coming down from it. However, I have to say that Jason Stackhouse had one of the best character arcs in this season. From his experience with drugs, crimes, and heart break. He learns that he is capable of so much more. Thus, he was able to elevate his vibrational frequency.
Now, Sam and Tara were the odd couple in this season. In truth, I never saw it coming. I got the vibes from Tara that she was lady lover. However, after watching this series for the sixth time, I realized that Tara and Sam have similar qualities. Yes, there are different races and different ages, but they both suffer from debilitating childhood wounds that make it difficult for both of them to find love and real intimacy. Tara truly believes that she can save her mother from alcoholism. By doing that, her mother Lettie May will be saved and be the great mother that she needs. While Sam believes that Sookie is the girl for him. He thinks because she’s different, she’ll understand that he is harboring a terrible secret. The secret of being a shapeshifter. While the other characters seem to be somewhat whole. Sam and Tara are the two characters who appear to be truly broken. They are looking for love but have no idea how to find it. They’ve never had positive relationships to model after, and don’t even know how to give and receive love.
When Sam shows Tara love, she pulls away, dishing out insults. This is a coping mechanism that she developed to protect herself from pain. But her shield also acts as a barrier, blocking her off from true connection and intimacy. The producers of True Blood have often said that Tara was one of the smartest characters on the show. I believe this to be true. Innately, Tara understands that she needs to fix the relationship with her mother. If she doesn’t, she will continue to complete the patterns of being codependent, yearning to be loved by people who simply aren’t capable of loving her back. Sam on the other hand seems to be totally content with living in his own imagination. He enjoys fantasizing about Sookie, and doesn’t approach her because he simply doesn’t want the fantasy to end. It is only when Bill makes the first move, that Sam realizes that he has to make his move, fast, or all of his dreams would be shattered.
I truly believe that Sam was a better match for Sookie. He was kind, generous, and he was keen on protecting her, even after she seemingly rejected him. If Sookie was more focused on looking for men of character, as opposed to experiences, she too would have realized that Sam was a better choice for her. Unfortunately, Sookie doesn’t learn this lesson, until the very last season, where she understands that experiences aren’t the same as loving a person entirely. Sam also seems to have closure, finding his family and trying to make peace with the fact that he is indeed a shape shifter. In short, Sam was never going to find love, until he became a whole person, and understood his innate value.
Lafayette hands down is probably my favorite character. He’s feminine, kind and loving to his family and friends, and can throw down and whip some ass, if you push his buttons. Of all the characters on True Blood, he is the most dynamic. He also has the most amount of depth. Of course, there is a reason why Jason and Lafayette became V friends. They are both two people, struggling with their manhood. Many men struggle with their masculinity, yet, gays may have more of a difficult time, due to bullying and shame. Lafayette wants to make enough money to leave Bon Temps. But he also wants to have the power and prestige that come along with being rich and successful. This will make him feel like a man. Jason needs to be a womanizer, philandering around town, because he believes that’s what makes him a man. It is only when Jason has a short talk with Vampire Eddie, that he understands that he never had any real examples of strong manhood. And much like Lafayette, he engaged in behaviors that brought him recognition and admiration, but not real love. I have to say that it was a lot of fun to see Layfette’s growth as a bruja and medium. It seemed that he was truly able to find his self-worth and manhood through magic.
Arlene and Renee or Arlene or Drew Marshal is an example of a relationship that is just shallow. Arlene was a bigot and hater of vampires. While Renea’s hate for vampires drove him literally insane. These are two people who are so entrenched in hate that they didn’t have the ability to truly love someone. Now, people can say that they only hated vampires, but had love for each other. I disagree. I believe that if you have hatred in your heart for anyone, you are incapable of loving someone. Hatred, along with shame is one of the lowest vibrations. You can’t compartmentalize it, because it will seep in and destroy everything that you hold near and dear. Renea’s hatred for fang bangers drove him insane, turning him into a murderer. And Arlene’s prejudice towards vampires caused her to turn a blind eye to Renea’s weird proclivities. All in all, I am happy with Arlene’s arc. She finds love with Terri and later with a vampire, who seems to really love her.
I really enjoyed the first season of True Blood. And all though, I am not a big fan of beating a down horse. I would like to see this show back on the air again. I hope that Alan Ball will come back as the head writer and breathe some new life into the series. I think that only he is capable of blessing us with the sense of nostalgia that we all crave. If not, we can all go back and watch the series, and pray that the producers and show runners can come up with a great show that was filled with so much love and magic. So, what do you think about all the relationships in True Blood? How do you feel about Sookie and Bill? Or Sam and Sookie? Please sound off in the comments below.
