By Elaine Bergstrom
Ever since the plans to move Charlaine Harris’ vampire series to television were announced, fans of the books have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the blond, millennium-plus-powerful vampire leader Eric. I don’t need to guess that they are angry. Vampire blogs have been filled with laments about the bad casting since Eric first put in an appearance last season.
Not that Swedish-born actor Alexander Skarsgard doesn’t have the looks to play Eric. He does and with the right script, he’d be perfect. In his brief moments in Season One, he exuded had a certain menace beneath those golden locks, even if he wasn’t menacing enough for Eric’s legion of fans. This season — with his foiled hair, telling Lafayette that Pam will kill him, etc. –- Eric has become a joke, at least so far. When he shows up at the boutique where Bill is shopping for clothes for his vampire ward Jessica sporting newly bleached hair and metro clothing, it’s no wonder that the vamp-smitten saleswoman thinks Bill and the bleached Eric are a couple.
To be fair, I know that it is far easier to portray raw seductive power on a printed page where much can be left to the imagination than onscreen where little can be. It’s almost as if the series creators decided that they could not live up to the novels’ Eric and settled for letting him provide some comic relief along with all that bloody mayhem. When Eric and his cohorts turn Lafayette, as I suspect they will by the next episode, we will finally see a vampire to reckon with – I’m thinking a black Lestat with a keen fashion sense and killer attitude.
I am not sure where the Mary Ann-Tara-Eggs-Sam thing is going, but so far it seems like the worst plot idea since Kendra met Buffy. I do, however, wish that I had Mary Ann’s metabolism and could say “Bring me that third cheeseburger and a side of gumbo!”
The most interesting development last night was Jason’s conflict about the Light of Day Leadership Conference. I get a strong feeling that the group’s leaders think he is an idiot and intend to use him in some horrible scheme, and only his affection for poor Eddie will keep him from going along with it. The conference itself was deliciously underplayed, but that is how extremism often presents itself – hatred and intolerance wrapped inside a pretty and wholesome package.
Lest anyone think Ball will be all that oblique in approaching the theme of intolerance, the final scenes in last night’s episodes reveal his serious side. Jessica convinces Sookie to drive her home, just to look at her old house. But once there, she goes inside and sees her mother and sister. All seems OK until her father comes home, angrily begins beating her for leaving and Jessica’s vampire nature and strength makes him the weak one. I was cheering for Jessica, even as my concern grew for the other women in that sad family. This may end badly, as it has been unclear if Bill possesses the power to set things right.
Photo: Jaimie Trueblood, courtesy HBO
Yes, Bill tried to go home, in the company of the woman who turned him. But he knew they would die if he went back to them (the town would turn on them) so he abandoned them. It was very sad, and it showed the humanity still in him.
Loved reading your thoughts, Elaine! The whole thing with Eric’s hair was beyond weird, though I can’t say it didn’t make me laugh. I am wondering if Mrs. Light of Day (can’t remember her name right now–Amy?) isn’t going to make a play for Jason–did you see the look on her face when he was tearing up the football field, as well as when he play-acted staking her? And if I was married to a stiff like that, I’d go after Jason, too. I do like the conflict Jason is experiencing when he remembers how he allowed Eddie to be treated. I especially loved the pathos of Jessica’s visit to her family. Wasn’t there something last year about Bill and his family after he was first turned? Was it just that he never went home, or something more? I agree with you that Bill may be partially or totally unable to stop what is happening in Jessica’s former home…there was even the implication that he may be poised to participate in it. One of the best cliffhanger endings of the series!