The happy medium between The Vampire Diaries and Twilight
If there’s one thing series like The Vampire Diaries and Twilight have proven, it’s that there’s something captivatingly entertaining about a vampire storyline, particularly with a love triangle. Part of it might be the drama – the dark, angsty characters torn between humanity and their monstrous nature as they fall in love. On the other hand, I think a lot of us are drawn to the ridiculous fantasy of it all. Twilight, while widely loved, is rarely taken seriously as we’ve all recognized the inherent silliness of the storyline. Whatever the reason may be, vampires are a deep part of our pop culture. Yet despite this, I rarely hear any talk of what I believe to be one of the best vampire series out there: True Blood.
The T.V. series True Blood, based off of Charlaine Harris’ book series, began during prime vampire-media time: one month before Twilight was released and a year before The Vampire Diaries aired. It takes place in small-town Louisiana, and watching it transports you right to a hot, Southern night with a feeling that something’s watching you. It doesn’t take long to notice the raunchiness, either, with plenty of sex, drugs and alcohol to keep the drama high, but in a way that’s raw and tasteful. But what I find most appealing about True Blood is the balance it strikes between dramatic, deep storylines but also humor and awareness of the fantasy world’s ridiculousness.
To elaborate, there’s an intense love-triangle (eventually turned love-rectangle) that plays into the typical vampire storylines we often see. There’s also dark themes of loss, violence, abuse, addiction; in fact, the entire show is a surprisingly meaningful yet uncanny political satire. The vampires have just “come out of the coffin” and revealed themselves to humans at the show’s beginning, but the two groups face tensions and prejudices against each other. Some of the political debates included in the show could be right out of modern American politics discussing issues of race, gender, and sexuality. It’s clear there’s depth and seriousness to the storyline, which keeps you drawn into the plot.
However, the series is also shockingly self-aware of its comedic aspects. For example, when the main character meets her vampire love-interest and learns his name is Bill, she bursts out laughing at how mundane it is. There’s also a character who constantly points out how annoying and frustrating the protagonist is, despite everyone else being in love with her. It almost feels as if they predicted or realized everything the audience could poke fun at and chose to own the absurd parts, too. This is why it’s the perfect love-child of other popular vampire series: it sometimes has the seriousness and depth of The Vampire Diaries, but also the humorous aspect of Twilight.
All in all, True Blood is a captivating yet wildly entertaining watch that’ll have you invested in a number of incredible characters and raunchy love stories. It’s the perfect balance between comedy and drama, and will easily become your next vampire obsession just in time for Halloween.