True Blood: A Retrospective

I was sold on True Blood, the incredibly popular and highly influential television series that ran on HBO for seven seasons, when I first saw the absolutely riveting and original opening title sequence. Set to the mesmeric and now iconic sounds of Jace Everett’s song Bad Things, we are ushered into the fantastical and hallucinatory world of the phantasmagoric series through a gateway of images that weave a surprisingly complex and effective tale of death and rebirth by way of a mosaic of symbols and metaphors that evoke predatory violence, illicit sex, and old school religion, culminating in a nighttime baptism signifying the elusive redemption that many of the characters within the narrative are searching for.

     

It becomes readily apparent that the vampires within the world of True Blood are a not-so-subtle cultural metaphor for the LGBTQI community here in the United States, despite the contrary being stated by series creator Alan Ball. It is difficult, however, to view the proceedings through any other societal lens when there are regularly scripted lines referring to vampires “coming out” and the inclusion of a powerful religious organization, the Fellowship of the Sun, promoting the culturally prescient “God Hates Fangs” anti-vampire crusade.

Whether directly representative of the LGBTQI community or not, True Blood is, at least initially, very much about the fight for equality and the fight against oppression, both physical and ideological, that takes place within society in perpetuum. However, with regard to the vampires within True Blood serving as agents of deliverance from oppression, it is imperative to note that true liberation is never about replacing one form of dominance for another, such as the continual cycle of futile electorate reciprocation we experience within the United States that does more to reveal the problem of authoritative hierarchical structures than to actually enhance them. Rather, liberation (as modeled in liberation theology and ethics) seeks to erase the dynamic of domination and coercion altogether. In True Blood, living hierarchical structures are only exchanged for undead ones, as highlighted by the Kings and Queens that rule the various territories around the country.
     
Additionally, as evidenced by its blatant utilization of the Lilith mythology, the series has never shied away from the exploration of religious imagery and motifs, embracing the vampire’s perceived role as the invasive other to address religious persecution. One subplot is especially entertaining, as the villainous pastor of the Fellowship of the Sun who, at one time, advocated for the extermination of all vampires, is turned into one himself, now loudly proclaiming that he is loved by God no matter what he is.

     
In addition, the series explores religious fundamentalism from the opposite end of the spectrum, as the Sanguinista Movement, vampires who believe that following the edicts found within their Vampire Bible is the only one true way to exist, advocate for the formation of an tyrannical vampire theocracy, one set on subjugating the human race and installing them as the food source of the undead.

     
While the series had its share of struggles over its seven-season run, it is undeniable that True Blood left an indelible impact on the culture as a whole, its tentacles reaching out in the form of references on television shows such as The Office, Saturday Night Live, and even the perennial childhood staple Sesame Street. And while its hardcore blend of televised sex and violence spawned other network genre fare such as the more youth oriented The Vampire Diaries, the short lived Death Valley on MTV, and the Netflix original series Hemlock Grove, none have so successfully tapped into the zeitgeist of the culture as deeply as True Blood.