I wasn’t moved by True Blood when it debuted this fall, but I’ve been quietly keeping up with it after the first five episodes HBO sent out. It’s still not a Sunday night date for me, but I find myself sort of not hating it. I can’t imagine ever being involved in the show on a character level the way I am with, say, Big Love—there’s just not that much there. But the show seems to have ditched the most hamhanded allegories and stereotyped portrayals of the early episodes (mostly; the anti-vamp politician storyline worries me). Mostly, what keeps me coming back is sheer plot, in particular, the vagaries of vampire culture—loved Zeljko Ivanek as The Magister—and the promise that the show has other supernatural species yet to reveal.
Perhaps it’s just good timing with the whole Twilight phenomenon, but other HBO viewers have not been as hesitant as I have, giving it some of the best ratings for a new HBO show in years. Are you still watching? And extra credit: who has a theory as to why vampire stories seem to especially appeal to women in particular?