Vampires, witches, werewolves, shape shifters and fairies kept True Blood fans entertained as Anna Paquin (Sookie), her real-life husband Stephen Moyer (Bill) and Alexander Skarsgard (Eric) fought myriad battles. The seventh and final instalment offers many twists, writes Debashine Thangevelo.
THERE can never be too many horrors on TV. Shows like Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Grimm, Sleepy Hollow, Ghost Whisperer, Teen Wolf and Penny Dreadful confirm this.
True Blood’s dark, twisted and seductive storylines have cemented its cult status. And the residents of Bon Temps have never been more arresting with all those deadly cloak-and-dagger shenanigans.
This season, viewers can brace themselves for a scourge of Hep V-infected vampires terrorising the townsfolk, while a love triangle develops between Sookie, Alcide (Joe Manganiello) and Bill.
Storyline aside, the off-screen romance between Paquin and Moyer didn’t hurt the ratings either, much like Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas (Once Upon a Time) and Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries). And now they share a beautiful baby boy and girl (fraternal twins).
After seven seasons together, it will indeed be a sad farewell for the cast of True Blood.
In a chat with TVLine.com, Moyer said: “The characters can’t (always) be who the audience – or the actor – want them to be at all times. That would be dull. A bunch of people loved Bill and Sookie together, but a whole bunch of people didn’t.”
As Alan Ball (series creator) once said: ‘I’m not interested in people being happy.’”
As for the love triangle this season, the actor wasn’t at liberty to say more, but did reveal that he was “directing the first episode”.
”What Bill did was open up something inside her (Sookie). And maybe that is all he was supposed to be – a window into that world.”
The new season picks up from the kidnapping of several characters and the demise of a lead character.
A key player in the unfolding mayhem is Deborah Ann Woll (Jessica Hamby), who is guiltridden about her hand in killing all except one of Andy Bellefleur’s half-fairy children.
In an interview with Collider.com, Woll said: “She (Jessica) has a lot to deal with, at the beginning, so it seemed like a gigantic task. I think they handled it very well, and gave me a lot of opportunity to show growth. There are a lot of lessons that she learns this season.”
Manganiello couldn’t have asked for a more layered character or complicated storyline. That he is the one keeping Bill and Sookie apart will either delight or annoy fans.
Sharing his highlights of the series with Collider.com, he said: “I loved all of my cast mates and the friendships that I made. Being a kid who grew up loving Halloween, getting to play a werewolf was so much fun. And I have loved getting to interact with fans.”
On Alcide’s romance with Sookie, he said: “I think it was a long time coming. I was glad to see it happen. He was the one who never had ulterior motives with her. He never wanted to do anything but love her and take care of her, where the vampires obviously did not.
“He was the one character who deserved her.”
And in other developments, Skarsgard goes completely buff for a scene. Grrr! A bromance is on the cards for Lafayette.
Bottom line, it’s an Armageddon-esque wrap-up for the final instalment of True Blood. Expect the unexpected as tensions reach boiling point and it turns into an every man for himself type of situation, while Jessica repents for her murderous streak.
• The seventh and final instalment of True Blood airs on M-Net (DStv channel 101) on Monday at 10pm.