Getting Acquainted with "True Blood: Season Four:" A Television Review (Blu-Ray, Episodes 1-4)

*full disclosure: a Blu-Ray screener of this film was provided by HBO Home Entertainment.

Director: Michael Lehmann.

Writers: Alan Ball, Charlaine Harris, and Alexander Woo.

Cast: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Alexander Skarsgård, Kevin Alejandro, and Marshall Allman.

"True Blood: Season 4" released on DVD and Blu-Ray May 29th and this season is this reviewer's introduction to the television series. Most fans of the show will know a whole lot more beyond what is discussed here. And really, this review is an intro' to Seas. 4 and to some of the special features hosted on the release, of which there are many.

For those unfamiliar with the show, "True Blood" is a fictional show set in Louisiana. Here, all sorts of monsters reign. There are vampires, shapeshifters, fairies, panthers, witches and likely a few other beasts. All of these groups of mostly hairy ne'er-do-wells compete for control of a small parish. Some of these creatures even date their human brethren. Well, some believe that rape is a form of dating such as the panthers. All of these monsters seem to revolve around the character Sooki played by Anna Paquin. And as far as this reviewer can tell, Sooki remains celibate despite a troupe of fawning men about, in the first few episodes at least.

There are so many plots and characters in this series that only the tip of the iceberg can be touched upon here. Apparently, Sooki spent some time in Fairyland and she left her county for over a year. Her beaus greet her and begin some sort of competition to "own her." The show does not seem to be promoting ideals of feminism. Then, there are a coven of witches bringing animals back from the dead and the local vampires, including the vampire king (Eric), are not happy with this. They are undead after all and prone to manipulation by the witches. Another group, the panthers, are dying out and they kidnap Jason (Ryan Kwanten), a local sheriff, for his procreation prowess. Hmmm, this sounds like a tough job. Many, many more sub-plots and major plots develop over the first few episodes and supernatural viewers are encouraged to explore them all at their own pace. A few themes do crop early though.

Really, the first few episodes of Seas. 4 seem to deal with power struggles and conflicts. Almost every character is scheming against another. Few characters co-operate. If they do, then they will turn on each other in later episodes. These first showings also set the nudity bar high with many women dropping their tops, usually for the vampire king, Eric (Alexander Skarsgård). What a lucky guy. Violence is also rampant with fairies finding their way into vampire maws, vampire queens are shot full of holes and soothsayers hold bonfires with characters set upon the wood. Burn, baby, burn!

All of this action and interaction is shown in beautiful digital colours. The visual sphere is a true delight to watch. The sound effects and music also heighten the story. But, what of the story? There seems to be a little too much going on. There is a lot of complexity here with many stories interweaving into each other. For a newcomer, there just seemed to be far too many characters to keep track of. Perhaps this diversity is what keeps viewers coming back to watch this very popular show.

Also making this show popular are the many extras hosted on the Blu-Ray release. There are cast and crew commentaries for some of the final episodes. Each episode has a recap, preview and synopsis. The entire Seas. 3 also has a recap and there are countless hours of commentaries to listen to. If that is not enough, there are behind the scene features and revelations of "secret relationships." There are literally hours and hours of material to view with this release.

And fans of the show will truly enjoy this additional material. Fans of the supernatural will also want to check out this release. There is an abundance of creativity to be found in Seas. 4 of "True Blood" and while slow paced at times, this is a cutting edge series that will appeal to both young adults and more mature folks, as well. If you do not like vampires, then there are shapeshifters and if you don't like shapeshifters, then are ghosts and if you don't like ghosts...

Overall: 8 out of 10 (a lot of work went into this release which is only touched upon in this review, high productions values, okay writing, lots of characters, tension).

*special features on the release:
-enhanced viewing, 14 character perspectives (character bios, vampire histories, hints, FYIs, flashbacks)
-"True Blood" lines
-seamless play
-inside the episodes
-"True Blood:" the final touches
-audio commentaries

The film's fan page is here:

True Blood on Facebook

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Posted in: 2012,2012 release,blu-ray,horror television review,television,television review,vampire,vampires