True Blood. Tired Stereotypes.
by Guest Contributor Tami, originally published at What Tami Said
Why is it that television writers, who are capable of creating story lines beyond our wildest imaginings, still can’t paint black characters that rise above tired stereotypes?
I’m hooked on Alan Ball’s (Six Feet Under, American Beauty) new HBO series, True Blood. The drama, based on the Sookie Stackhouse series of books by Charlaine Harris, centers on Sookie, a waitress in fictional Bon Temps, Louisiana. In the world of True Blood, vampires are “out” and fighting for their rights as American citizens. TruBlood, a new synthetic product produced by a Japanese company, means proud vampire Americans can get the nutrition they need without, well, you know, offing anyone. Now, the living dead and the living rub elbows at night, much to the chagrin of conservative citizens, and religious and political leaders, who don’t feel minorities should receive “special” rights.
(Yeah, as you can see, there are pretty heavy allusions to civil rights and GLBT issues.)
In the midst of all this cultural turmoil, which is particularly thick down in the Bayou, Sookie (Anna Paquin) is falling in love with 175-year-old vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer).
An out-of-this-world plot line, dark wit, smouldering vampires, lots of sex and violence (It’s not TV. It’s HBO.), southern accents thick as honey, lots of Spanish moss–what’s not to like? I’ve been a sucker for Louisiana bloodsuckers since Anne Rice wrote “Interview with a Vampire.” If only I were better at turning off the anti-racist/feminist part of my brain. Then I wouldn’t notice that Sookie’s best friend Tara (the wonderful Rutina Wesley) is but an HBO’d version of the typical sassy, black sidekick and that Tara’s cousin Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) is a melange of black male/gay male stereotypes.
The light and the dark
In contrast to wide-eyed, blond, naive, buoyant, literally virginal Sookie, who is admired, protected and coveted by every heterosexual male main character and loved by a sweet, nurturing grandmother; Tara is blunt, sarcastic, morose, love-starved and goes home each night to an alcoholic mother who, in Sunday night’s episode, hit her with both a Bible and what appeared to be an empty bottle of Jack. Also, in this latest episode, Tara asks her boss Sam, who of course pines for Sookie, to sleep with her–no strings attached, since they are both horny and lonely.
Tara…
…and Sookie
I love Tara. But it is clear which of the female characters we are supposed to like…which is supposed to be our favorite…and it ain’t tough-talking, complicated Tara. Folks on fan forums were already accusing her of being “too angry” after the first episode. It is sexist that to be the “good girl,” the character of Sookie must be blond and young and thin and pretty and child-like and virginal. It is sexist and racist that despite the fact that the actress Rutina Wesley is young and thin and pretty, she is drawn as the unwanted one–loud, brash, aggressive and hypersexual–a Sapphire, certainly not child-like and virginal. When will black women be allowed to show dimensions other than strong and angry?
Black and gay men fare no better in True Blood. Tara’s cousin and support system Lafayette, played with two-snaps-up-in-a-circle-campiness by Ellis, is a short order cook, who not only deals drugs, but is also a gay prostitute who runs his own porn site.
Am I still going to dig True Blood? Yep. I’m adding it to my list of guilty pleasures. A commenter on Television Without Pity called it “serious mixed with disturbing mixed with sex with a chaser of creepy and a garnish of laughs”–uh-huh and ain’t it grand? But seeing, yet again, another great show by an admired director/writer with one-dimensional portrayals of black people reminds me why we need more of us behind the scenes in Hollywood.
Have you caught True Blood? What did you think of Tara and Lafayette?
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of 
Jaye wrote:
I haven’t watched the show and I’m probably not going to, but in defense of the producers…Tara is a dark-skinned woman who is STUNNING, and you don’t see that too often in tv-land. She even seems to be more beautiful than Sookie, in that model-type way.
But everything else that you said, you’re right.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 7:05 am ¶
merq wrote:
Thanks, Tami.
I guffawed as soon as I saw the TrueBlood artwork at the top of the page, in an “it’s about time” kinda way.
I watched the premiere, and was so struck by the absolutely pathetic writing and complete dependence on stereotypes that I decided I was hooked, and would watch every subsequent episode to enjoy the over-the-top, unintentional hillarity.
Maybe the entire show being an amalgamation of stereotypes is what stopped me from being too pissed at the pathetic black portrayals, but…
Sookie:
Like you said, virginal, childlike, stereotypical wide-eyed, open-minded “good girl” who every male loves.
Tara:
Sassy, ultra-devoted black friend.
Granny:
Typical grandmother character — snaps from sweet to sage to sassy at a moment’s notice.
Jason:
Sookie’s brother. Producers desperately (and obviously) hope he’ll become the eye candy to lure in female fans. Shirtless in 78% of his scenes.
Lafayette:
Like you said, he’s fierrrrce, and he’s not shy about letting you know.
Officers (can’t remember their names):
Typical dim-witted law enforcement characters — sidekick only slightly dumber than his boss.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 7:06 am ¶
EvilAngelfish wrote:
I’ve been watching and I’m hooked too, and I certainly to agree with Tami’s assessment of the two characters of color, to a point. Tara and Lafayette were introduced as giant caricatures and one couldn’t help but groan, ‘Oh Lord, another angry black woman and another tangy gay black man’ but as the series has been progressing (we’re only on episode 3), they’ve been peeling back layers and making the characters more complex and more identifiable. As evidenced by the complete 180 many of the posters over at TWoP have made on Tara, I think the writers are moving beyond the sassy-for-no-reason stereotypical black best friend and actually presenting her as likable and universally relateable, as well as a foil for Sookie. As for Lafayette, as awesome as he is, he still comes off a bit stereotypical, but I wouldn’t sum him up as just a gay black drug-dealing prostitute. Someone on the forums likened him to Puck, or Mercutio and I think those are apt comparisons. So while there are certainly issues with how Alan Ball has recreated the characters (from what I understand, they’re pretty different from their counterparts in Charlaine Harris’ novels), I don’t think we can still call them one-dimensional like they were in the pilot. It makes me wonder if they had to be presented that way in the pilot for some reason…
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 7:21 am ¶
GeeLennox wrote:
I agree with all of your points.
I love Tara and Lafayette but I can’t ignore the blatant stereotypes that are right in front of my face.
As much as I like Tara I’m sick of the “sassy Black friend”. Will black actresses ever be able to escape the neo mammy sassy friend stereotype?
Did you see Diane the Black lady vamp? Now I love Aujanue ellis and I’m happy to see her on the show. But she’s another mean black woman. Why can’t Black women/girls be sweet and innocent too?
I’ll continue you watching because I’m desperate to see black people on a supernatural show.
Oh, and another thing why does every Black woman in their town chase white men?
Tara and Jason and now Sam
Diane and Bill. What’s up with that?
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 7:42 am ¶
Jess wrote:
I am not from the South, so I can’t say how a Southerner would see this or whether it captures what Louisiana is like.
But I get bored with “South/Hot” = “Sexy” which Tennessee Williams started (and maybe Faulkner) and has been badly imitated ever since. I mean, jeez, it seems like people in hot trailer parks are having a load more sex than anybody else, y’know?
I lived in southwestern Florida and I don’t remember seeing anyone around like that. Maybe I was in the wrong town.
Anyhow, that was the major stereotype I picked up, though I get where you are coming from here.
And though I hate to bring this up, i did like the fact that the interracial relationships seemed a natural part of the landscape. Tara hits on Sookie’s brother a little, and hr boss a lot, but there doesn’t seem to be any baggage with it.
Also, I never understood why Soookie had to be a virgin. I mean, I understood why dating anyone when you can hear their thoughts would be irritating, but it could also (sex-wise) be really advantageous. In fact, there was a short story some years back called “I Know What You’re Thinking” I think, that discussed that very thing. That one was about a married woman who develops agoraphobia because of it. But the thing was, she asks a very interesting question, which is “What if both people (partners) knew?”
Anyhow, I groaned a bit when they set this in Louisiana. But I like the show so far. And I did like the bit with the State Senator. That was a hoot.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 7:53 am ¶
Antonio wrote:
It’s disappointing that even the gay character is stereotypical on the show. Although I can’t find a link to back this up, I remember Alan Ball thanking his partner by name in an acceptance speech years ago. And his previous projects show he’s not afraid to feature gay characters in lead roles.
“two-snaps-up-in-a-circle-campiness”
great phrase.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 8:02 am ¶
talulah_m wrote:
I haven’t seen the show, but I read the books up until the fifth or sixth…million one (there are quite a few of them. Charlaine Harris? Doesn’t know when to quit). I remember the exact moment that I got very sick of Harris’ shit: Sookie was describing a new short-order cook at the bar, a black woman named Sweetie (or something similarly infantilizing). Sookie mentions that Sweetie seems really resentful of white people, and attributes this to her having been raised in the pre-Civil Rights era. Sookie then declares that *she* had nothing to do with any of that, so she’s not going to be taking this woman’s crap.
Aaaaaaaaand…that’s it. Sweetie’s never mentioned again, except in passing. No subplot, nothing. Charlaine Harris uses her protagonist to pontificate (unintelligently) about race relations, and then drops it completely.
Not only is that racist, it’s just plain crappy writing.
With source material like that, I’m not surprised that True Blood is running into problems—but it sounds like the showrunners are adding their own layer of Bad!Wrong!Bad! on top of it. Because in the books, I’m pretty sure that Lafayette isn’t a prostitute, and I *know* he doesn’t run a porn site; and Tara is neither black nor his cousin. So, um, yeah. Way to add “diversity,” HBO.
All that being said, I would still totally watch this. Dude, I read Twilight. I clearly have no shame.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 8:04 am ¶
Ebony wrote:
I’ve never seen the show either but I really want to. I am a fan of Six Feet Under and thought this series looked really interesting.
I read up a little on the series and discovered Tara was recast, and found a clip of the old Tara, played br Brooke Kerr.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTvniEPfmQU
A lot of people found her to be much more of an ABW stereotype than the current Tara. I wonder if that’s why they made the swap….
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 8:29 am ¶
Yvette wrote:
*raising hand, tentatively*
I, too, am hooked.
I’m going to give the show a chance, even though the problems with it are as described. I’d probably watch it for the opening title credits alone–What an impelling piece of film making that is! (”…I wanna do bad thiiiiings with you…”)
Despite the early stereotypes, the characters played by Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette) and Rutina Wesley (Tara) are the most interesting ones in the series–and these two are by far the best actors of the bunch. We’ll see where the writers go wit their story lines, but I think there is at least a chance for further development. And Jaye is correct–Wesley is absolutely stunning on the screen.
I think folks who are so inclined in communities such as this one should continue to watch as well as continue to provide thoughtful critique. There is a lot to hold our noses about, but there is also a lot to, um, sink our teeth into w/r/t anti-racist/anti-heterosexist stuff.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 8:32 am ¶
Lyonside wrote:
I’m watching it, for now, because it is JUST interesting enough and it’s pretty and on an intellectual level I’m enjoying seeing what vampire tropes they keep and which ones they ditch and why (why, yes, I did have a LARP/goth period, why do you ask?). And dammit, until Shakespeare In The Trailer Park comes back (that’s The Tudors, btw), I’m stuck with this show.
But yeah… right now (I’m only caught up to ep. 2) the minority characters are stereotypes, including the nameless (I think) Latino construction worker. I’m desperately hopeing they get depth and backstory (as we’re getting glimpses of w/ Tara - I really think there’s more there for the writers to develop, and she is model-gorgeous so on a shallow note, I’m totally a Tara fan). Of course, Sookie is the ultimate stereotype too, a total and complete Mary Sue. I’m acknowleging that from the get-go and hoping that she gets flawed… QUICKLY.
>I’ll continue you watching because I’m desperate to see black people on a supernatural show.
Who aren’t evil or one-offs? *sigh* Yeah. Me too. (although Eureka’s tokens aren’t bad).
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 8:40 am ¶
Ebony wrote:
Maybe not. In rewatching both the actresses’ clips of the same scene, it almost seems like they wanted somebody “blacker”.
*shudder*
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 8:42 am ¶
didi wrote:
You’re wrong about Sweetie - she wasn’t dismissed and never spoken about again. She was only in one book because she was a vigilante who traveled from place to place killing Supes, and she got busted at the end if the book.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 8:45 am ¶
Arturo wrote:
BWAHAHAHA. Ah do decleah, it’s like Buffy as written by Larry The Cable Guy, going by those clips. I’ll stick to the Whedon comics, thanks.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 8:51 am ¶
frau sally benz wrote:
When the first episode started off with her being the angry, loud-mouthed black woman, I thought to myself “oh boy, here we go again…” Thankfully, the rest of the show has made up for it enough to keep me interested for now. But I do still cringe every time she’s portrayed as the angry black woman.
The thing that I don’t understand is why they can’t at least tone it down a bit. She has good reason to be angry, but sometimes it’s unnecessary and has no place in that particular scene. Also, does it bother them to play the stereotype to the nth degree??
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 9:36 am ¶
Kit Kendrick wrote:
No, Lafayette isn’t a prostitute in the books, at least as far as we know. I don’t think we ever see him outside of the kitchen at Merlotte’s in the books, so every scene you see of his home is 100% HBO.
My issue with Tara in the pilot wasn’t that she was too angry, but that she would go on random tirades that had nothing to do with the scene in question. I could tell we were supposed to read that as “sassy”, but it came off as “scary crazy person.” Fortunately, they didn’t keep that up in the subsequent episodes, which is probably why fans did the 180.
I should note that the police in the books aren’t bumbling rubes. Come to think of it, the police officer we see most has a black woman as a partner, who’s shown as being good at her job. Where’s she on the TV show?
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 11:22 am ¶
JC wrote:
I’m glad to see this post here as I just finished watching the all 3 episodes back to back. I like the show as well, being a former Six Feet Under fan (Alan Ball’s last project), but the first thing I said when I saw Tara and her brother was “man why ruin a good show has to use all these tired black stereotypes”. I find both black characters WAY more interesting than Sookie and her supposedly hot brother (really? Everyone wants that dumb white boy?).
Although it was interesting to see that even though they did show Tara asking for sex (that kinda disturbed me a bit), they didn’t bother to show her having sex, yet they’ve spend a good portion of the show showing numerous white women having sex, as if it’s some kind of taboo. I guess the only way a white show can display a sexy black woman is to portray her as desperate, and didn’t bother to go though with it as if a beautiful black woman naked would offend someone. Heck, even the vaginal main white character got sorta naked in her masturbatory fantasy.
I am shocked at the stereotypical black gay/prostitute character that is Lafayette. I know Alan Ball is gay and his last show has two very multi-dimensional gay main characters (one of them black), but what the heck happened? It’s one finger snap away from a Wayans Brothers In Living Color parody. He better put some depth into these characters or I maybe forced to stop watching. Please stop making Tara “sassy and angry” and her brother the poster-child of black gayness. Also please don’t put in a stereotypical Asian character or I may really have to drop this show. It’s hard to find a white show worthy of weekly watching as it is… I really hope I can keep this one around.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 11:39 am ¶
ActingDrama wrote:
I am hooked on the show.
The two black characters are stereotypes, but they are funny as hell. Especially Lafayette, if they were not on the show it would be boring.
I also noticed they changed the actress who was playing Tara in the pilot episode to a dark skinned actress, Rutina, I don’t know here last name.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 11:43 am ¶
A.D. Nix wrote:
oooo . . . . Tara’s reading ‘The Shock Doctrine.” Sassy.
I’ve yet to see the show beyond these clips but I’ve been all about it since the tidbits I gathered at Comic-Con. Hearing all of this disappoints me. I’m going to have to sit down with the DVDs a million years from now and just let everything process.
Even if characters are eventually developed beyond stereotypes, scenes like that above with Tara still stand.
Even if black women eventually get to be ’something else’, why must we always arrive sassy? At least throw in a happy, sleepy or dopey every now and then. Damn.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 12:52 pm ¶
Genevieve wrote:
I watched the trailer and I hated it… I just can’t find anything redeeming about it, except the unintentional (intentional?) hilarity of having Anna Paquin reuse her X-Men Rogue accent and then having her boss/potential love interest be named Remy. That tickled me.
I was otherwise unimpressed with the plot, dialogue, and acting…
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 1:06 pm ¶
Dana wrote:
I did find Tara grating at first. I think that now the writers are attempting to show the “why” of Tara’s “angry black woman” stance. I did find it problematic in the beginning, but I think that there is more to it than meets the eye…at least I hope so. It’s a good show. Really, its mindless entertainment. The show is full of stereotypes. There are redneck stereotypes, southerner stereotypes and then there’s Tara. I think Tara is less of a stereotpy than the Rattrays..or however you spelled their name. She is undergoing some character development. I am hoping that she becomes more 3 dimensional in the weeks to come.
I felt like the black female vampire was a bit much too, she had way more anger than necessary…but it is interesting that it could be because of some fling she had with Bill.
Also,in an unrelated WTF, what’s with the bald tattooed vampire…he was so creepy.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 1:09 pm ¶
talulah_m wrote:
@12–you’re right, that’s what happened with the character named Sweetie; I was actually talking about someone else and got the names mixed up. Not surprising, since the character I was referencing gets like an entire paragraph to herself.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 1:37 pm ¶
C-Marsh wrote:
@ Lyonside,
” including the nameless (I think) Latino construction worker.”
When I first saw him I soooooo thought he was Latino too, but I think he’s supposed to be Cajun. His name is Rene’. You hear a little more of his accent in Episode 3. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s the impression that I got.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 2:15 pm ¶
Zahra wrote:
THANK YOU!!!!
I haven’t seen the show, but I did read the 1st book in the series–the one the 1st season was based on–and I hated it.
At first I really liked Sookie as a narrator, and appreciated what the author was doing with class–Sookie (and the murder victims) are all devalued as uneducated working-class women. But very quickly I started to notice the horrible stereotypes about gay men and people of color.
In the book, all the characters who were of color or gay were either a) stereotypes, b) evil murderers, c) bit parts, d) killed violently, or e) all of the above. There’s actually a scene in one chapter that revolves around a subplot crime (not the main mystery), and I thought, “The only person of color in the room is going to be the culprit.” And I was right.
I really couldn’t stand the Sapphire stereotype (the evil oversexed black female vampire). The only other black woman in the book is a tough overburdened cop (also a stereotype) whose role in the story is small enough you could miss it if you blinked. (There’s also some rah-rah-Confederacy stuff, which appears considerably more sinister given the racism elsewhere in the book.)
At first I thought Tara was a new addition, but it sounds like they renamed and changed from white to black Sookie’s best friend & fellow waitress from the book. Normally I’m excited when they add more people of color (I was kind of suprised by how few black characters this Southern town had in the book), but it sounds like they’ve gone the stereotypical route. Does she still have kids and several ex-husbands, including one she might get back together with, or does the abusive mother substitute for that plot?
Oh, there’s no Asian character in the book, but there is a Native American bartender. Consider yourself warned.
Lafayette does nothing in the book, btw, beyond be subject to Sookie’s patronizing thoughts about how *hard* his life must be as a black gay man, but I had heard that Alan Ball was going to further develop him. He made him a prostitute and a drug dealer? UGH.
(Actually that’s not true–Lafayette gets to wear eye shadow. All the gay men (as opposed to vampires) do–it’s like Harris thought that’s how you can tell a man is gay. Quick, is he wearing mascara?)
I really don’t understand why a gay director would want to make a TV series out of those books. Sookie herself also expresses homophobia in a way that made me very uncomfortable (and killed my liking of the character). There’s also a plotline about the bitter gay man who goes around deliberately killing vampires with Sino-AIDS. Yes, really. (And did you catch the subtle reference about how China is a source of pestilence?)
But finally, the thing that got me is the way she uses the vampires-as-metaphors-for-oppressed-people trope. This is a xenophobic trope to begin with (Bram Stoker, anyone?), but it can be done well. I’m not a fan of Jewelle Gomez’s _The Gilda Stories_ per se (couldn’t stand the writing style), but she does do brilliant things with vampire mythology, race, & homosexuality. (Although she falls into a similar trap: Good vampires are gay and evil ones are bisexual. The one we meet is your standard Evil Sexy Bisexual Villainess.)
But Harris’s main point is that there are these terrible members of such groups (vampires/etc.) who go around doing terrible things and screw it up for the good vampires (like Bill) who just want to assimilate and be like everyone else.
Because of course the majority is _right_ to fear and loathe the other ones. It impossibly muddles her message. The part about Sweetie sounds right on target for Harris’s take on race.
I disliked the book so much I decided not to watch the show. But given the source material, I have trouble seeing how it could get better.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 3:09 pm ¶
Caty Simon wrote:
What’s wrong with the depiction of a proud, self-determining, fun black male queer sex worker? I think some whoraphobia is showing, here.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 3:14 pm ¶
Tru Blood Fan wrote:
True Blood is one of my new guilty pleasures too!!!
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 3:50 pm ¶
EvilAngelfish wrote:
Now I understand why some of the commenters over in the Lakeview Terrace post were getting a bit frustrated with our well-intentioned condemnation of stereotypes and such from watching the trailer without having seen the movie.
While Tami does bring up some good points and provides clips to illustrate them, each show is about an hour long, so she has only presented peeks into the world of True Blood. In spite of the stereotypes, there is a lot of richness we’re beginning to see in all of the characters - flaws, tenderness, all sorts of good stuff. (Well, except for maybe Sookie’s bro Jason, who is just generally dumb and half- to full naked all the time). I think there’s a lot to explore (especially that point about the seemingly casual acceptance of interracial relationships/hookups - we’ve seen a hetero and a non-hetero one so far). If you have the time and/or patience, watch the first three episodes. Then let’s talk about one-dimensional stereotypes.
Also, to clarify, Lafayette is Tara’s cousin, not brother. Yeah, yeah, why do all black people have to be related, but it *is* a small town.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 4:06 pm ¶
JB wrote:
Yeah, I gave up on this after watching the stereotypes paraded out for 15-20 minutes, in fact as someone who practices a “heathen” religion (which is odd because I swear I am of african blood and so why shouldnt I pursue an african religion, but that’s another discussion on the destruction of cultures by assimilation) these sort of movies/series/books always portray non-whites as being on the periphery…
Its the same when we (my wife and I) visit a psychic fair or the like, white people wondering why theses black people are here, they can’t possibly have an interest in non judeo-christian literature or beliefs why aren’t you in church or just generally amoral and hanging out in the “hood”
Sorry about the tangent
One of the reasons my wife and I really liked the original Blade movie was because it actually featured a black hero and heroine who weren’t cheesy Action Jackson/Ruff Ryder sterotypes. It was sad to see once again black life defined by the poorest and least educated of black society.
However, I have to say (like others) that the black female vampire is such a tired, tired, tired character to see again and again and again. She is hot and sexy, and she is always lusting after the charismatic white male vampire to be his chief concubine. Whether its the chick with braids saying “Time to die cowboy” or Blade’s Mother the idea of the sultry lusty black woman is given full expression here by white men, who hide behind the facade of vampirism to justify their lurid projection of how the ideal black woman should behave…A spicy exotic, disposable pet.
Sure, sure they have “redneck” stereotypes, but there is an understanding that it is just one type of white person. With other ethnicities, the one stereotype is portrayed again and again as if it is the whole of that culture.
Im sure it has a delightful plot and story ongoing, but really I can’t subject myself to this sort of thing. Its the same reason I gave up on watching Weeds, in fact the only sort of show like this I haven’t found myself not totally repulsed by is Dexter. I can live with only have one cable drama to watch though.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 7:06 pm ¶
Roxie wrote:
Spoiler much, Zahra!?
Thankfully, I didn’t read all of it.
I agree with your analysis Tami…but I have to say I absolutely loved Tara and Lafayette from jump. Especially their scenes together.
I find Sookies shiny white blonde virgin thing a bit boring…
A little O/T….Has anyone here read & critiqued Twilight?
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 7:24 pm ¶
mahsi b. wrote:
I’ve been waiting for this post for a while now. Finally I have somewhere else to rant about this show instead of nagging my brother and co-workers.
I must confess I love the books- and actually I haven’t looked closely enough into the subtle racism that other commenter have talked about. Even so, my main beef with the show (and I gave it 4 chances- I saw the original pilot) is not only the fact that they senselessly ruined two otherwise unimportant characters from the book in a misguided attempt to add diversity (it made sense that in a small deeply southern town, that there weren’t that many black people- hey at least they weren’t invisible), but the horrific acting and the rehashing of the “sexy vampire” theme. If I really needed 4 pointless and irrelevant sex scenes in an hours time- i’d go read a laurel k. hamilton book (now there’s some racism, black people can’t be vampire’s because of sickle cell?!).
And I know that the show/movie can never be as good as the book- but come on! It’s like alan ball went- hey there’s vampires, and I don’t have to think up names for any characters- let’s just make a show a thinly veiled commentary on lbgt issues (yeah, I caught the “god hates fangs” references- wonder how long he’d been waiting to use that one liner) instead of what I took away from the series as power struggles and actual mystery.
I dunno, maybe it’s because I love the books, or because this show is an almost perfect compilation of almost everything I hate in a tv show: horrible acting, totally irrelevant to the plot of the story sex scenes (hey, i’m not anti-sex in media- but make it relevant to the story), bad accents, the best black friend/sapphire characters in the name of diversity (tara is one case where affirmative action does not help black people), and the cooky but lovable old woman (after estelle getty- nobody can touch that character type) .
Oh and there is an asian vampire that works in Fangtasia in the book- he’s described as “exotic” and scary if memory serves me correct- hey at least he doesn’t carry a sword?
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 7:26 pm ¶
Roxie wrote:
expansion..
Seeing as this is an HBO show, I have/had a very itiching feeling that these stereotypes are not all these characters are nor will be….so learning more about their who/why is an exciting prospect to me.
I really hope I won’t regret that.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 7:27 pm ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:
Ahem.
*Takes mod cap off for a sec, slips into her ignorant jacket.*
Now, I haven’t seen True Blood yet. (Just spotted it on demand.) And I’m pretty good on paranormal smut so I’m not really fiending for a new show, but…
Can I just say I *heart* the hell out of the first Tara video? Retail vengeance and my new favorite line -
“This ain’t rude! This is uppity! *SMACK*”
I fell off my bed laughing at that. Can I do that? Will someone please give me permission to knock the hell out of Rep. Westmoreland? Can I just do a run-by preemptive smacking off half the GOP?
And I want to do it while wearing a shirt saying “This smack is for you! Obama ‘08!”
If I make it on the news, I’m also screaming, “This one is for Michelle!!!”
So, on ignorance points alone, I’m tuning into the show.
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 8:31 pm ¶
Roxie wrote:
Latoya, I thought of Wesmoreland too!
Posted 24 Sep 2008 at 10:32 pm ¶
AC wrote:
I am a big fan of the books and enjoyed them in their time. Not so much the TV show…yet. I may have to reserve judgment until I watch more, but I ain’t making it a high priority based on what I have seen thus far.
What I saw in the first episode was the re-working of the Tara character. On the one hand I liked that HBO smartened her up - the book version of Tara would never have had the depth to be reading “Shock Doctrine”, OTOH ABW much? sigh.
Layfette’s character didn’t bother me as much - over the top yes - but true to the book and central to a later to be revealed plot point. I haven’t watched the episodes that develop his porn web site, sex worker, drug dealer status. But I have to ask - why?
My recollection of the author’s overall treatment of GLBT issues was that it was better than race which tends to be exoticized, but I realize as I read the other commentaries that I was approaching it from a hetreo viewpoint. I will concede I may not have been as sensitive to how GLBT characters were portrayed in the series back when I read it.
Interesting in how many posters were disappointed in the director’s (Ball’s) development of the GLBT characters assuming that he, as a member of the community, could do better nuanced portrayals. Yeah and Tyler Perry could surprise me someday too - LOL!
I dunno, I’ll stick to Dexter and wait for the DVDs along with JB.
Posted 25 Sep 2008 at 12:21 am ¶
Therese wrote:
Bad, bad, bad.
Perhaps it’s because I’m a Louisianian with both Cajun and Creole family (a few Yats as well), but I can’t watch more than a few seconds without cringing at the faux accents sounding like people are from Georgabama or the like.
I’m sure it’s full of awful stereotypes of race and sex, but I can’t get past the horridly stereotyped accents to view them.
Posted 25 Sep 2008 at 2:41 am ¶
Pheagan wrote:
I guess this show counts as a guilty pleasure since I’ve watched all the episodes so far even though I think it’s god-awful.
A few things– apparently Tara didn’t exist in the book, so the sassy black best friend thing does seem like a tacked-on stereotype. And I actually did like her more than anyone on the show, probably because she’s one of the few people that can act, but damn they hyperbolize the shit out of that angry black woman thing.
Here’s the part that disturbed me. When Bill the vampire goes to meet Sookie’s family and friends Tara asks him pointedly if he had slaves (since he’s old enough to have had and lived in the South), and Sookie totally gives her this ‘don’t-be-so-rude’ look. And Bill says his father did but he didn’t and Sookie basically brushes it under the carpet as quick as she can.
And I was like WTF? This is your BEST FRIEND? I mean, faced with the totally unrealistic situation that I was dating some two-hundred year old vampire from Louisiana, this would actually be the first question in my mind. Followed by, were you a Confederate? But it’s funny because that pretty much is how race is dealt with in so many situations, with white people viewing it as an improper thing to talk about and anyone asking pointed questions getting treated like they’re rude.
Posted 25 Sep 2008 at 6:50 am ¶
Lyonside wrote:
>“This ain’t rude! This is uppity! *SMACK*”
This line was one of the ones that made me think that the writers might be doing the stereotype thing (and by that I mean GLBT, race, accents, gender, class, as well as vampire tropes) DELIBERATELY. If so, then like Roxie I’m going to be watching to see what the writers do wth it. But it wouldn’t be the first time that the actual writing/execution fails to live up to potential (which is when I turn to my fangirls and fanboys to make more sense … God Bless Fandom).
>But it’s funny because that pretty much is how race is dealt with in so many situations, with white people viewing it as an improper thing to talk about and anyone asking pointed questions getting treated like they’re rude.
Pheagan, I’m not a southerner, but I have friends from the VA/MD area, and when I bring up my family’s past, that’s pretty much WHAT THEY DO. That’s another thing that makes me think that people writing/directing the show might know what they’re doing.
I’ve got one friend who, the minute I mention slavery, talks about how the Irish were first treated in the US. I love her to pieces, otherwise, and she does it mostly to mess with me, so I throw her an eyeroll and move on. But she hasn’t internalized what she’s saying, I know, and other friends and family members have done the “do you have to bring race up now?” embarrasment thing. That struck me as wrong but true, and something I don’t usually see on TV.
So again, cosign on all the criticisms, but I’m hoping that it’s not going to turn out as craptastic as it seems at first blush.
Posted 25 Sep 2008 at 8:04 am ¶
Browne wrote:
The stereotypes are typical, not surprising, but the accent thing, it is a distraction.
Tara (the black woman character, I think that is her name) does not have a Louisiana accent. From my minimal experience, this is not how a black person or white person that is supposed to be a native from around New Orleans (or any small town in Louisiana) would talk.
It feels like watching Trainspotting, but everyone is speaking with a Southern California Valley girl accent…weird…also it sounds odd…it sounds like how I would sound if I was pretending to be a Southerner.
But you know she is slightly different than the average sassy black girl character. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s different. It’s different enough that if I watched TV I might check it out again.
Browne
Posted 25 Sep 2008 at 10:53 am ¶
livininphilly wrote:
lmfao!! Tha first clip is hilarious. She slapped the shit out of her boss so unexpectedly. OMG, i’m tuning in now, i won’t be able to resist. She was saying some of the things that i’ve wante dto say to customers through the years. Working in the service industry I didn’t get paid enough to listen to you complain about how my store/restaurant didn’t have something that you wanted.
I have actually been on a recent people of color science fiction trip. I love vampire stories and when I first saw advertisements for this series I was so excited. I’m even more excite dto see that there are black characters in this show. I haven’t watched it yet but now I will.
I also agree that while at first HBO (and showtime) shows tend to play into stereotypes the more you get into them the more complex characters become. Isn’t that what makes people so excited about their shows? Look at The Wire & Dexter all of those shows have (or had) characters that w/in the first episdoe or two just played into stereotypes. As the shows progressed though we saw that they had a lot of other things going on. I’m certain that this development will happen with this show as well. Let’s give it time.
Posted 25 Sep 2008 at 10:58 am ¶
Kmoney wrote:
THANK YOU! The Tara and Lafayette characters really set my teeth on edge. It’s all just way too much Sapphire and Fabulosity for me to take.
Posted 25 Sep 2008 at 2:11 pm ¶
Tamiko Peek wrote:
Being as obsessed with all-things-vampire that I am, of course I tuned in to this show. My first reaction was: “are they deliberately making Tara as unlikeable as possible?” My next thought was, “is she written like this in the book?” Now I’m beginning to wonder why I like this show because Sookie seems like kind of an idiot and there aren’t enough words in the English language to describe how stupid Jason is. My guess is, he gets vamped within the next two episodes!
Posted 25 Sep 2008 at 2:39 pm ¶
michael wrote:
I’m loving the show as a total guilty pleasure. I do have issues with Tara and Lafayette though. Tara has the WORST southern accent i’ve heard in a long time, and the actress who playes her has two expressions, dumb and stunned. I sort of cringe whenever I see her. Lafayette is straight out of a “living color” skit, and that’s really all I have to say about him.
I’ve never read the books, and have no desire too, but I do hope they work out the kinks in this show, becasue I do think it has potential.
Posted 25 Sep 2008 at 2:44 pm ¶
Kaonashi wrote:
I’m a big fan of the books, but I can’t bring myself to watch this show. I’m still recovering from the mess that was made of the Dresden Files.
Posted 25 Sep 2008 at 3:40 pm ¶
Monia wrote:
I agree with the posters that said that the “sterotypes” seem to be intentional…it kind of reminds me of “Fargo”, “Gilmore Girls” and other shows/ movies about small towns and typical characters that are anything but. I like the Tara character too.I don’t have a problem with black women being assertive, brainy, and fearless…she is obviously marching to her own drum, which is cool. She reminds me of myself, someone that folks want to put in a box, using their own perspectives…when in reality, I am more than the sum of what they percieve…she seems like that too…I may have to get the online version….
Posted 25 Sep 2008 at 5:09 pm ¶
Ampersand wrote:
I really love Tara, and I’m surprised that (according to what folks are saying here) many fans don’t like. She’s funny and gorgeous — what’s not to like?
But making her apparently unable to get a date is just weird. This is a TV thing I’ve noticed before — they can’t stand casting conventionally unattractive people in sympathetic roles, nor can someone be a good screen character if they’re painfully shy. So whenever there’s a character who can’t get a date, they write the character as outgoing and funny and then cast someone stunningly attractive to play the part. (Like the movie “The Truth About Cats And Dogs.”).
I have to admit that I didn’t consider if Tara is a black character stereotype; I guess I thought of her more as a mix of a too-smart-t0-be-in-retail comedy character (a la “Clerks”) mixed with the generic main-character’s-best-friend character. What bugs me is the unspoken rule that we can never have the black actress cast as the lead and the white actress cast as her wacky best friend.
Posted 25 Sep 2008 at 6:23 pm ¶
Phil Deeze wrote:
First, having missed the first few episodes of “True Blood, ” and I didn’t know who Tara was. But I’m dadgum sure that I’m married to her, though. THAT woman is a pistol.
Second, I’ve always like Anna Paquin’s selection of roles. I thought she was great in “The Piano,” “Finding Forrester,” and “The 25th Hour.” But she’s got the cutesy role in this series and she’s the main character. And that’s that, I guess.
Black folks are never going to live down the “angry black man” or “sassy/angry black woman” stereotype anytime soon. Please don’t bother worrying about the online forums, guys. There are some pretty scummy people out there on those things. Don’t get yourself dirty mucking it up with them in the pit.
Posted 25 Sep 2008 at 7:32 pm ¶
Roxie wrote:
Pheagan, I saw that episode today and I thought the same thing about the way Sookie tried to shush Tara’s questions
As if she asked something rude or too personal instead of something completely legitimate that would COMPLETELY be on my mind as well!
I know Sookie’s upset with Tara’s non-acceptance of Bill, but come on! He’s talking about the civil war! Can we please not pretend as if she asked him about how he liked using sear’s magazine pages for toliet paper?
Posted 25 Sep 2008 at 10:56 pm ¶
Shelise wrote:
I have read all of the books in The Southern Vampire Series. In the entire series, Tara is just a side character with little development. She and Sookie are friends, but do not have the relationship portrayed in the show. From what I can tell, Tara acts as a narrator type, filling in details from the books. That does not, however, explain the rest of her characterization. Also, in the books, she definitely does not pine after Sookie’s brother. As far as I am aware, her race is never mentioned in the books. Lafayette is also a minor character.
When I was reading the books, I certainly noticed the way race and sexuality were treated, but I guess I sort of read it with the understanding that the books are narrated by a 25-year-old white woman in a small Southern town who is trying to be open to all, but may be limited by her own life experience. Also had in mind that the author is a white woman.
As one commenter mentioned, at least POC were not entirely invisible, e.g. the Twilight Saga.
Posted 25 Sep 2008 at 11:24 pm ¶
stella wrote:
I felt extreme guilt because I hated the stereotypes but was intrigued by the story. It doesn’t help that I have a serious crush on Eric/Brad(Generation Kill)/Alexandar Skarsgard.
Posted 26 Sep 2008 at 7:48 am ¶
Stella A. wrote:
Alright, now I don’t know HOW to feel about this show… I actually liked the first episode in a cringy sort of way, but after reading all of these breadowns, I’m disappointed in Alan Ball. Six Feet Under was so perfect. I really hope he works on developing these characters and their complexities, otherwise I just won’t be able to watch anymore.
Posted 26 Sep 2008 at 9:19 am ¶
EvilAngelfish wrote:
I watched the scene with the question about slaves again and I can sort of see it both ways. The combination of fascination, nostalgia and casualness associated with the topic was very creepy and, were I the only black person in a room full of white people talking about the greatest crime against American blacks in that way, I’d probably be horrified. But, I don’t think that’s all there is to Tara’s reaction and I can just as easily imagine being horrified if say, it was my first date a German guy and my Jewish best friend was like, ‘Were your parents Nazis?!’ with no preamble.
However, I’m a fan, so maybe I’m fanwanking…
Posted 26 Sep 2008 at 10:51 am ¶
Lakergrrl wrote:
On That’s So Raven, Raven (who is black ) is the main character and her kooky best friend Chelsea is white.
Posted 26 Sep 2008 at 11:15 am ¶
bluish wrote:
Yeah you right, Therese. I’m looking forward to adding this as a guilty pleasure - I love southern gothic. But jeebus those Louisiana accents are TERRIBLE!!! As someone who grew up in the area, they are way off base and all over the place! Get them a dialect coach, stat.
Posted 26 Sep 2008 at 1:11 pm ¶
Roxie wrote:
Shelise The Quileute Tribe is very prominent in the Twilight series.
Other than that though, it is really white. I’m glad the director, Catherine Hardwicke, decided to put more diversity on screen (more than was in the books).
Posted 26 Sep 2008 at 6:32 pm ¶
Ange wrote:
Please anyone who’s surprised that a white gay man would portray black people (gay or straight) as anything other than embarrassing stereotypes hasn’t spend much time in the “gay community”.
I’m just surprised it wasn’t worse. I was expecting a fat black woman in too tight clothing with buck shot hair and cheap gold jewelry.
It could be worse!
Posted 26 Sep 2008 at 10:50 pm ¶
brownstocking wrote:
@ #23 Zahra: you must be my sister in the critiquing spirit! Thank you! I have been trying to read more of Harris’ books, but number ONE left a bad taste in my mouth. I was intrigued by Eric, though. But when I saw who is portraying Eric in the TV show: um, not so much yum there.
I was never that much of a Harris fan, the books are cookie-cutter, and Sookie and Bill’s relationship goes through too much drama. I do like vamp romances; I’m more of a JR Ward woman, myself, or Kressley Cole (paranormal funny smut), and I pray Hollywood doesn’t suckify those shows.
I was bored by the first episode, actually, it was so close to the book, but not as well-written. I did love the “uppity” thing, but I thought it was way left field. And Tara crushing on a self-absorbed idiot like Jason? Yeah, not so much.
Having lived in Birmingham, those “Southern” accents on half the characters are grating to my ears. I don’t know where they’re getting them!
I am going to watch another episode. You all seem to think there’s some promise in how characters are being developed, I’ll give it another try. This had SOOOOOOO better turn into Dexter quality, or I’m cussin’ y’all out! LOL
Posted 27 Sep 2008 at 8:41 pm ¶
Lyonside wrote:
EA: >But, I don’t think that’s all there is to Tara’s reaction and I can just as easily imagine being horrified if say, it was my first date a German guy and my Jewish best friend was like, ‘Were your parents Nazis?!’ with no preamble.
There’s a difference there though - Tara is talking to someone who was alive in the 1860s, and I’m assuming her family is definitely descended from slaves, whether her roots are local or not. To use your example (not to pull a Godwin’s Law or anything), it’s more like you dating a German guy, and he’s already revealed that his grandparents/parents lived and worked in Berlin in the 1930s-40s. And your friend has relatives who survived the Holocaust (or didn’t). And the questions gets asked.
Posted 28 Sep 2008 at 1:06 am ¶
Jazzy wrote:
I am addicted to show, however havent read any of the books. I would like to though, to compare the differences.
Posted 29 Sep 2008 at 12:58 am ¶
LaurynX wrote:
Like others I can’t get passed the faux accents. I’m from Texas, and I know/have known people from Louisiana…it’s not that far away. And they DO NOT sound like that.
I couldn’t get through the clip…it’s cringe inducing.
Posted 30 Sep 2008 at 1:42 pm ¶
Jessica wrote:
First of all, someone called this a “white show” and that is sooo lame. More importantly, I need to discuss Tara. I am African American and I have never ever ever ever ever met another African American woman like that. Her character is completely over the top. And I don’t see this whole best-friend thing. Sookie and Tara barely ever spend anytime together. But back to Tara. I’m not from the South, but is her accent completely off or what? It’s almost gotten to the point where I don’t even want to watch her scenes. I am interested in reading True Blood just to see if the character is just as annoying or if this is just shitty writing like a few others have posted. And Black or not, the annoying/angry/woe-is-me/bitch character is just stupid and way too easy. Try a little harder guys.
Finally, I do agree that it is pretty cool that they cast an actual darker skinned woman. Almost every show you see, the African American is usually medium to lighter skinned with silky shiny hair. So thumbs up in that respect. Too bad the actress/writing couldn’t be better.
Other than my complaints with Tara, I love the show. I do want to see more with Bill and Sookie. I also enjoy seeing the mixture of pop-culture and vampires (ie Angelina adopts a vampire baby). I think that was pretty funny.
Posted 30 Sep 2008 at 10:36 pm ¶
Ciara wrote:
I agree with everything that you wrote, with the exception of Alan Ball being brilliant.
I think that we give directors a pass when they screw up something their not familiar with. Ball needs to do some research so his characters don’t come across as transparent and ridiculous.
Also why does it seem like the men on the show blow the females out of every scene??
I wasn’t expecting much from Paquin because she seems to always have the “ah shucks” look in every role she plays??
Posted 01 Oct 2008 at 3:34 pm ¶
Ciara wrote:
P.S. six feet under sucked!
Posted 01 Oct 2008 at 3:38 pm ¶
Jess wrote:
For really innovative and cool vampire/race book - see Octavia Butler, Fledgling. And then read everything else by her.
Posted 05 Oct 2008 at 2:10 am ¶
christine wrote:
I actually love tara! her character has been my favorite from the first episode. Not every woman is drawn to the typical “virginal” blonde. I find tara’s character much more intriguing and definately my favorite character, again, from episode one.
Posted 07 Oct 2008 at 12:23 am ¶
tokunbo wrote:
i live in south africa, and bandwidth here is way too expensive to watch the episodes online. i only see lots of clips.
tara: far too stereotypical. i’m amazed she manages to get laid, but then again, she is some serious, erm, sex on a stick.
the writers get points for making sookie have a black best friend, but they lose it for a) the accent and b) the bitterness.
however, they do get some points back for having tara always reading a book. girlfriend stays reading. you all have to give them some points for that.
lafayette. i’m kinda torn. the LONG do-rag, the clip-ons and the campness, ugh. but the IF YOU DONT RESPECT ME I WILL F*CK YOU UP AND B*TCH I MEAN IT… full marks. when i was in school everyone knew i was gay, and i would be mackin on dudes just like my straight friends would be mackin on girls. [sometimes five feet apart from them]. the scene from the party above? totally me. i can relate.
that’s why i can’t call it “two-snaps-up-in-a-circle” gayness because antoine and blaine never for one minute had you thinking that if you picked on them for being gay, you would regret it.
[that said, i mainly dated drug dealers (oh no, stereotype!) during high school and undergrad who were far more omar than lafayette and definitely not blaine and twan.]
but, christ, those accents. as someone said previously, yes, those are georgiabama accents for real. i close my eyes and it’s like hearing my sister or my dad talking. [eutaw represent!] i’ll actually need to ask my sister or my dad about that, actually.
overall, it gets a B- from what i’ve seen.
[i would be totally asking about slaves, too. but if he were telling the truth about how he fought in the war, the answer is more likely to be no than yes, for lots of reasons. i would just wait to hear his explanation so he could correct or corroborate what i’d learned in history books and museums.]
Posted 15 Oct 2008 at 4:50 am ¶
tpeteet wrote:
I am an african -american and I love every character on this show including Arlene. Please realize and look past the stereotypes, in reality this should enlighten people when they meet the next’ angry black woman’ and realize she has a reason to be an angry black woman. Tara mother is an alcoholic. That’s enought to be angry . Trust me, Lafayette may be flaming but he is ALL man…that’s what I love…he is not a punk….watch the show outside of the box…u will learn a lot.
Posted 28 Oct 2008 at 11:49 am ¶