True Blood Season 1: Love at First Bite

*Spoilers*

So, last week I finally watched the rest of the first season of True Blood, which basically involved watching 9 episodes over a couple of nights. I've been a fan of the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris for a long time, and have read the first five or six, so when I heard this was in development I was WAY interested. Then I heard that Anna Paquin had been brought on to play Sookie, and I was... well, disappointed. I didn't think the casting was right for the character. But I decided I wanted to give it a chance anyhow, because I liked the books and because in general if there's a new vampire or supernatural series out I want to support that.

After the first two episodes, I still wasn't sure. I still wasn't feeling Anna Paquin. Also, I REALLY don't like the title sequence and have to fast forward through it. It totally creeps me out.

But then I got four or five episodes in. Paquin started to grow on me. I thought the casting for Bill Compton was really good. Stephen Moyer comes across wonderfully - he's got that longing, that sadness that comes from losing the people you loved in life and experiencing multitudes more life than one person is meant to.

I loved watching the scenes with Tara, and think that Rutina Wesley was a perfect choice to fill that role. I loved the casting of Pam from Fangtasia. Perfect. The only casting complaint I have is Alexander Skarsgard as Eric. I just don't think he's right for the role. He's not big enough or tough looking enough.

I knew for sure that I was ABSOLUTELY hooked after watching episode 6, the one where Sookie & Jason's Grandmother is murdered. The last 10 minutes of that episode just blew me away. The parallel storylines, the music, the filming, it drew me in and made my heart race and break all at once.

It made me cry. It made me laugh. I mean, holy crap, that scene with Bill and the girl he was forced to turn was hilarious. That girl was so funny, how she went from emotion to emotion. Hilarious. Then it comes to Tara's mother and I'm just knocked down by the complexity of Tara's emotions and the longing she has for her mother to be right.

If you're a fan of the books, give it a chance. You may just end up loving it, like I did. If you're a fan of vampires in general, what's not to like? I can't wait for Season 2!