Search - True Blood: The Complete Second Season (HBO Series) on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 3/26/2024...

Strong start but unfortunately common themes drove the quality downward. Very surprising that this series lasted as long as it did. Avoid inviting some guest in!

Janet P. from STERLING HTS, MI
Reviewed on 12/21/2012...

Loved it..I cann't wait to see season 3 !! I read all of the books 1st and loved all of them.They are very quick to read.

1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Angela P. (ThirstyVampire) from WARREN, MI
Reviewed on 5/16/2011...

This is the only movie collection I won't post because love it so much. I know there's tons of people wishing, and as soon as I'm "over" it, I'll post until then I'm going to keep watching and collecting. Read ALL the books too, great fan of Charlaine Harris! :)

1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

A series you just have to bite into...

CoffeeGurl | MA | 08/18/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been a major Sookie Stackhouse fan for years. I began reading Charlaine Harris's series, then called the Southern Vampire Mysteries, since before book four came out, and have read them all in order. I was puzzled when I found out that HBO was going to make a TV adaptation of it. Why this particular series? Why not Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series? (It would have been suitable, what with all of the sex and all.) There were others as well, like Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld and MaryJanice Davidson's Queen Betsy series -- all of which have the erotic tones that HBO would have loved. So why this book series? Now I know why, but more on that later.



I very much enjoyed season one. It was very faithful to Dead Until Dark, except that small characters like Tara and Lafayette were expanded, and you get everyone's point of view, not just Sookie's. Also, Bill has more depth here, and you see things from his point of view, and you understand him better. Other storylines were added, like the emphasis on "V" addiction, which makes sense. Season two has taken things to a whole other level and I love it so far. I can't wait for the blu-ray release! From the very beginning, the show has very sexually explicit scenes, most of which centered on Jason's exploits, and some violence as well, with a great deal of emphasis to vampire hatred as the new form of southern racism/segregation. Season two takes things further, with gore and horror replacing the sex (there's still plenty of it though), and the fledging out of characters like Eric, Tara and Lafayette (whose death does not happen in the TV series). MaryAnn is the mysterious creature that makes a brief appearance in Living Dead in Dallas, but is expanded on the TV version to the point that she almost takes over the entire show. Jessica, Bill's "daughter," puzzled me at first. What's the purpose to this character? But I like her now, especially after Hoyt becomes her love interest. And I love the emphasis on vampire makers, like Lorena and Godric, the latter of whom moved me almost to tears in the last episode that he's in (plus, the actor who plays him is totally hot). I don't want to ruin it for people who don't have HBO and have to wait for the DVD or blu-ray release, but, in spite of the departures from the books, it's better than season one.



The actors are great. Ann Paquin has grown on me as Sookie, British hottie Stephen Moyer is wonderful as Bill, and I finally like Alexander Skarsgard as everyone's favorite vampire bad boy Eric. I am also enjoying Sam Trammel (Sam Merlotte), Rutina Wesley (Tara), Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette), Michelle Forbes (MaryAnn Forester) and Ryan Kwatten (Jason Stackhouse). I am also enjoying the actors who play Andy Belleflour and Hoyt for the comic relief they supply. (Andy is hilarious as the drunken out-of-work cop who witnesses the orgies and general odd behavior and no one believes him.) All in all, if you're a big fan of the books, then you won't want to miss this show. No boring moments throughout the hour-long series. I cannot wait for season three and season two is not even over yet! And I see why HBO decided to adapt this particular book series. They must've seen the potential for character development and the southern setting on the small screen. Great job!

"

'Saint Bill' vs 'Book Bill'

Kristin D. | 09/27/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I started reading this series when book 1 just came out. What can I say, I like vampire books. I really liked Season 1 on HBO. The deviation the show took that bothers me is that Bill killed Longshadow, not Eric, because that could really become problematic later on.



Bill seems to be becoming one dimensional on HBO, he is nearing sainthood. Why would Sookie ever dump him, or date any of the many people she later dates in the books if he is a saint???



In the books, you eventually see that Bill really has less human feelings/emotions than Eric and other love interests of Sookie. 'Book Bill' is too self-absorbed to even notice Sookie's problems a total change from HBO's 'Saint Bill'.



When Eric got to save Sookie in Book 1 she warmed up to him, which gives an opening for a romantic change for Sookie----makes sense, especially when your "love (Bill)" just stands there and is ready to let you die. Also, when someone you love just keeps lying and keeping secrets, like 'Book Bill' you eventually say (even if you love them) enough is enough time to move on--and GEE maybe he is not 'the one'.



The way the HBO series is unfolding if Sookie leaves Bill and goes to Eric or anyone else she might just seem like a [...]_itch. If she just stays w/ Bill the whole series, then it will probably get boring---or completely deviate from the books storylines, as most of the story lines have a connection to Sookie's love interests at the time. Either way making Bill a saint, in the long run, will not help the series.



The subplots are fine---but it would be nice for them to stay SUBPLOTS and not overpower the show like this season.



Long and Short---- Yes, I have preordered season 2--would have preferred less subplots and less of 'Saint Bill'. One of the best books in the series (and one that has an impact on the rest of the book series) is coming up. It involves Eric losing his memory. I just hope that HBO can get over the total 'Saint Bill' thing before that books plot line is covered, and follow a great story from a great writer, so that the rest of the main plot lines from the books can be used.

"

Not as good as Season One

Grymdycche | New Jersey, USA | 09/09/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"While this is still a very good show, it's already come dangerously close to jumping the shark (jumping the Sook?), in just it's second season. I wanted to give it 3 1/2 stars but that's not possible here. I just couldn't bring myself to give it four, so I went with three.

For starters, the show has veered much too far off on a tangent concerning the Maenad Maryann, and many, many viewers have been frustrated by it. Too little time was spent on the vampires of Dallas, which I found to be far more interesting. Too much attention was also spent on the Jason/Fellowship of the Sun arc, which was a deviation from the book series. All in all, there was too much "filler" to get to the good stuff.

The penultimate episode (#11, "Frenzy") was a disconcerted illogical mess with few highlights, and the portrayal of the vampire Queen of Louisiana, despite Evan Rachel Ward's beauty, left much to be desired, for whatever reasons. I think Holly Valance, who played "Lola" in the (now regrettably defunct) Moonlight episode "B.C" would've worked out better. "Frenzy" is widely regarded as by far the worst episode of the series so far, for various reasons.



Still, inevitably, many characters have been been interestingly further fleshed out from the first season, adding depth to the series; notably, Eric, Pam, Sam, Jason, Tara and her mother, but mostly the effervescent Lafayette, played by the very talented Nelsan Ellis. While many deviations from the books have been made, some good, some bad, the decision to keep the character of Lafayette alive was definitely a good move. We also get to see, briefly, the darker, more powerful side of Eric. Anna Paquin is playing the role she was born to play, she just shines in her role as Sookie, and all in all, the cast is amazing, despite some lapses in judgement this year from the writing staff.



"