DVD Reviews

True Blood: The Complete Second Season – Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll May 27, 2010, 14:33 GMT

$Welcome back to Bon Temps, home to mystery, Southern sensuality and dark secrets. For Sookie Stackhouse, life is more dangerous than ever after she and Bill become more deeply involved. Meanwhile, Tara finds herself under a lover\'s spell; Sam puts his trust in an unlikely ally; Jason becomes involved with an anti-vampire sect; Eric becomes interested in Sookie after he recruits her to investigate the disappearance of his 2,000-year-old maker;$

Welcome back to Bon Temps, home to mystery, Southern sensuality and dark secrets. For Sookie Stackhouse, life is more dangerous than ever after she and Bill become more deeply involved. Meanwhile, Tara finds herself under a lover\'s spell; Sam puts his trust in an unlikely ally; Jason becomes involved with an anti-vampire sect; Eric becomes interested in Sookie after he recruits her to investigate the disappearance of his 2,000-year-old maker; ...more

What’s been going on in Bon Temps, Louisiana? If you’re not subscribing to HBO then the release of the second season of True Blood gives you something to sink your fangs into.

If you’ve not watched season one, you might want to stay away from the plot description since it may give something away (not intending to do that though).

Season one recap: Vampires have come out of the shadows with the invention of a blood substitute called True Blood and they don’t have to feed on humans anymore. Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) is a waitress with the ability to read people’s minds. She’s intrigued by vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) when she can’t “read” him and romance follows.

Her shape shifting boss Sam (Sam Trammell), best friend Tara (Rutina Wesley), and Layfayette (Nelsan Ellis) don’t exactly approve of Bill. Some murders under investigation by Detective Any Bellefleur (Chris Bauer) and Sheriff Bud Dearborne (William Sanderson) appear to be the work of vampires and Bill is suspected as well as Sookie’s brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten).

Season Two: Jason becomes embroiled in an anti-vampire religious group the Fellowship of the Sun, led by the reverend Steve Newlin (Michael McMillian) and his wife Sarah (Anna Camp). Eric Northham (Alexander Skarsgard) comes to Sookie and Bill with a missing person case.

Godric (Allan Hyde), a powerful vampire and Bill’s “maker,” has gone missing and his disappearance is causing a power struggle between Stan (Ed Quinn) and Isabel (Valerie Cruz), his lieutenants. Sam is considering leaving town until he meets new waitress Daphne (Ashley Jones).

Tara is living with a wealthy woman named Maryanne Forrester (Michelle Forbes) but Maryanne has secrets of her own and they start to have a hold on Bon Temps. Layfayette has been kidnapped and held prisoner and this season also introduces the vampire queen of Louisiana.

Alan Ball, creator of Six Feet Under, etc, turned to author Charlaine Harris’ southern vampire novels for inspiration and stuck a good vein with True Blood. These days if you want compelling television more than likely you’ll be turning to cable television and not the networks, for those of us that subscribe to them.

I don’t pay for HBO so I have to catch up with some of them when they hit home video. Such is the case with True Blood, no shiny vampires here. I thoroughly enjoyed the first season and was in eager anticipation of the second one.

The results didn’t feel as compelling as the first one did but it was only by a hair. We’re treated to more vampire intrigue but we also get some more supernatural creatures and sexy doings.

A show lives or dies by its leads and True Blood has found some great ones in Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer. Even better when you surround them with compelling and quirky characters and the show also has those in spades in a southern gothic setting. The plotline this season offers an interesting villain and mystery.

This season expands on the religious bigotry against a select group, reflecting some loonies right out of the news, and can be seen as a social metaphor. All in all it’s a compelling continuation of season one, but it does feel like a smidge of a sophomore slump. The good news is that the good outweighs the so-so and fans can look forward to more delights in season three.

True Blood is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (1.78:1). Special features are presented in high definition. Each episode offers a picture-in-picture enhanced viewing experience that has trivia, character interviews, etc.

These are also available separately (two hours of character perspectives, 12 minute “Fellowship of the Sun: Reflections of Light,” and 24 minutes of “The Vampire Report”). There are also seven commentary tracks with cast and crew members. Each episode also features previews of each episode as well.

True Blood continues on a winning streak, but it feels a bit “less” than what came before. However, there’s enough to keep you interested and some sexy, dramatic, mysterious doings to keep you coming back to Bon Temps devilishly delightful residents.