True Blood - Season 2 - Nothing But the Blood

Mrs. Channelup and I started watching season 1 of True Blood onDemand last month. I got through about 4 episodes before giving up. The missus made it all the way through the season and was actually excited for the beginning of season 2. I decided to give it a second try. After the "previously on" and with some running commentary from Mrs. C. I caught up sufficiently. What I got was a vastly improved show that didn't annoy me as much as the first season (Anna Paquin aside).

For those that haven't seen it, True Blood is about a world where vampires are part of everyday society but are discriminated against. This premise can seem both intriguing and stupid at the same time. Kind of like Heidi and Spencer Pratt.

The second season deals more with the characters and their respective problems and powers. In this world, vampires aren't the only ones living among the normal folk. There are telekinetics, shape-shifters, spiritual healers, and some other crazy shit that I haven't figured out yet. It's basically like Heroes set in Louisiana and with a ton more sex and blood.

I found the characters significantly more interesting and likable this episode. That may be because the plot went light on Sookie and Bill who are the show's two most annoying characters. This is somewhat of a problem being as they are also the main ones. Where I thought the first season had a high campy factor, that seems to have been toned down a bit. True Blood will never be a real serious drama, the storyline and characters don't lend itself to that route. Everyone is a bit of a joke, but last season I was turned off by some of the dialogue and relationships being over the top.

The two main questions right now are:
What are Maryann's motives (and powers)?
How many more times will Anna Paquin get naked?

Getting the answers to those two things are enough to keep me going for at least a few episodes.

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