My truth about 'True Blood'

One of the best things about TV is its ability to immediately transport us to other worlds.

Sometimes it is a world I want to live in. After one episode of The West Wing, I thought, "I so need to be working in the White House. Why didn't I ever think of that?"

Sometimes it's a world I don't want to live it but I look forward to visiting every week. I didn't necessarily want to be a part of the New Jersey mob, but I liked hanging out with Tony Soprano every week. And there's no way my eye contacts would survive all the smoke on Mad Men, but I relish being a fly on the wall as Don Draper, Peggy and Pete work their way through office politics.

There are times when a TV show creates a world that is divisive and evokes extreme positive or negative reactions from the viewers. Pushing Daisies is a recent example --- the show created a vivid world that I can appreciate is creative and understand why viewers want to hang out with the pie maker each week. But, as we all know by now, the show wasn't for me.

True Blood, the new series from Alan Ball (Six Feet Under) which premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO, couldn't be more different from Pushing Daisies. But my hunch is people's reactions will be just as divided.

I fall squarely on the thanks but no thanks side. Anna Paquin stars as Sookie Stackhouse, a sassy, mind-reading waitress living in Bon Temps, Louisiana. In the pilot, Sookie meets 173-year-old vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). He doesn't have a soul but he does have the synthetic blood drink True Blood. This popular concoction apparently has allowed vampires to live among the living without feeling the need to vant to drink their blood.

Paquin's performance is amazing. She disappears into the role that is distinctive and charming. She puts a new spin of the typical damsel in distress cliche. Moyer is intense as Sookie's immediate love interest. I liked his performance but didn't love it. The rest of the cast is pretty great. Ryan Kwanten, last seen as Jay on Summerland, is great as Sookie's brother and Rutina Wesley is immediately engaging as Sookie's best friend Tara.

But they all hang out in a world I kind of want no part of. True Blood is disturbingly graphic and violent. Often I think merely for the sake of being graphic and violent and not because it necessarily advances any plot points. And the show shifts in tone are jarring. The romance, murder mysteries, and horror movie antics are all kind of jumbled together. The metaphors are hard-hitting and the mythologys, at times, a little goofy (vampire blood as an aphrodisiac seems silly to me).

For me, this was a two and a half star show. But I'll be so curious to know what you think. After you've watched the series premiere, let me know what you think and talk about it below.

Entourage

The boys of summer when they return for their fifth season this Sunday at 10 p.m. I kind of felt the way about the first two episodes of the season the way I felt about the Sex and the City movie. I can quibble with many of the plot points, but it's good to see my old friends again.

The biggest challenge the show faces, much like Sex and the City did, is that the characters have to evolve. Sure there are plenty of people who don't change from year to year but as TV goes a stagnant character can get really boring. So we really need Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) to grow up a little bit and stop acting like a spoiled actor. Hints of that appear toward the end of the second episode and it happens just in time.

Leighton Meester returns as Vince's love interest Justine Chapin and I just have to give kudos to Meester (Gossip Girl) because there's not a hint of Blair in Justine and vice versa. And I just love watching Ari being Ari.

I'm not in love with this season yet but I'm definitely ready to give it a hug and see what happens next. Are you looking forward to Entourage? Talk about it below.

Quotes of the Week

"You look like you ate some bad Mexican." ATV rider to T-Bag on Prison Break. Thanks to Gil for the funny yet disturbing quote.

"Oh, yeah, I used my last bottle of chloroform when I was on Murder She Wrote." Dale to Rusty on Greek. Thanks to Sue for the quote.

"Put some clothes on. Jamie's home and if he sees you topless he's going to be scarred for life. I know I am." Nathan to Deb when he catches her topless in the pool on One Tree Hill. Thanks to Sandy for the quote.

"I want it and I got it and it's better than they said." Bobbie to Don on Mad Men.

"Damn that mother chucker." Blair to Serena on Gossip Girl. That quote isn't going to get old for a long time.

"You want to be taken seriously, stop dressing like a little girl." Joan to Peggy on Mad Men.

"Don't you see we're the same. Stop trying to fight it." Chuck to Blair on Gossip Girl.

"You've broken out of two penitentiaries. I'm thinking breaking into a building isn't too far outside your wheelhouse." Donald to Michael on Prison Break.

That's all for today. I'm back on Monday with a review of the new J.J. Abrams series Fringe (is it as good as Lost?) and the new CW series Privileged from one of the executive producers of Everwood. I'll also take a look at the second season premiere of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and more. Have a question? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week? Write me at amytvgal@zap2it.com. Have a great weekend.

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