I’ve been watching True Blood for
almost as long as it’s been on the air, and it’s hard to find a lot about it
that isn’t Southern. True Blood is set
in the rural Louisiana town of Bon Temps and is filled with the standard set of
stereotypes along with vampires and other supernatural beings. There are the “whitetrash” Rattrays, the
bumbling deputy Andy and the main character Sookie, a blond waitress with the
unusual ability to read minds. At the
heart of the story are romantic entanglements of Sookie and Bill, the 150 year
“Southern gentleman” with fangs.
However, it is the characters that are obviously not Southern who pose
the biggest threat. The Southern
characters while dangerous and occasionally unpredictable are understood. Eric, the vampire Sheriff of the area, is
obviously not Southern; he’s a 1000 year old Viking. To the characters in the show he is the most
dangerous and unpredictable menace to Bon Temps. True Blood asks the viewer whether the
familiar stereotypes we know are safer than the ones we don’t. Eric has the power and authority in the
vampire community to threaten the sleepy life and status quos of Bon Temps. The setting in Louisiana makes the appearance of vampires and other supernatural beings more believable. Louisiana has a long history of supernatural stories and legends. Southern gothic stories were basically born in Louisiana. The definition of Gothic is the emphasis on the mysterious and grotesque and barbaric; all of which True Blood embodies. Violence, death and mysterious people and situations pervade season 1 and subsequent seasons. Without giving anything away the end of the season introduces a new character from a “good” “Bible thumping” family whose life is completely turned upside down by the vampire community. While the vampire community contains “Southern” members it is, like Eric not safe. The Southern community Sookie lives in rarely surprises. Only the “other” characters offer anything new to Bon Temps and Sookie, but they also offer danger and change to a stagnant culture.
True Blood shows the South at its best and worse. Sookie’s grandmother is kind and nuthuring but another member of the community is a killer. Bill is a “Southern Gentleman” but has also killed and the end of season 1 brings a complication to his “mainstream” life. These “Southern” characters are not, however, leaving Bon Temps anytime soon. The vampires and other supernaturals bring change and newness to Bon Temps. While the Southern characters seem much safer than vampires, True Blood poses the question that only something as drastic and different as vampires can alter the stagnant culture Sookie Stackhouse inhabits. - Lauren Daley
I don't particularly care for this show, but it has quite a lot of Southern characteristics. As Lauren said, the setting is Southern and particularly is an area that has Gothic and "scary story" origins. The Civil War and the Civil Rights movements are mentioned and alluded to in many of the episodes. Discrimination against the vampires can be quite blatant and remind viewers of the Civil Rights era through signs saying things like "No vampires allowed". In this way, vampires have become the "other". Also there's the feeling that everybody knows everyone else, which is a small town thing.
ReplyDeleteI have never watched True Blood before, but the show appears very southern based on Lauren's description. The contrasting characters prepare an interesting story for the show. I looked up some more information about the show and found some of the issues brought up in the episodes, such as Civil Rights, discrimination against minorities and homosexuals, importance of family, and the power of faith and religion. All of these issues point towards the South and appear quite accurate. The show mixes past and contemporary issues along with vampires, which all create an interesting and original show.
ReplyDeleteCan I just point out that between zombies and vampires hiding in the South, it's a wonder anyone wants to live here> The Southern stereotype just incites fear. Think about it: you have guys playing banjos raping men in the woods, zombies in Atlanta, and now you have blood sucking people (along with the alligators and real life leeches) in the South. The elements of the program seem to incite more fear when knowing that the South has an already established history of inciting fear in others (i.e., the Civil Rights movement). I definitely thought this was an interesting analysis and will be enjoying some of the program during my winter break!
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