Reply to Miranda S's post "Trueblood and the Fellowship of the Sun"

Miranda provided a very insightful examination of the dynamic between vampires and humans in the show True Blood. Like Miranda, I am also an avid True Blood viewer and I see her examination to be truthful to the show. It is true that vampires in True Blood are depicted to be rather benevolent for the most part, with the few bad apples in the bunch. There are limits imposed on the vampires to curb their traditionally violent nature, showing a human side to them.

One thing that I found intriguing about True Blood was that it is not entirely centered around a vampire story despite its title. True Blood is actually centered around a general supernatural story. There are a lot more than just vampires in the show - there are also shape-shifters, werewolves, telepaths, witches and faeries.

Miranda stated that, "In class we discussed how one thing that draws us to monster stories is that in comparison to monsters, humans are shown to be benevolent. Monsters allow us to see our own humanity. With this in mind, I find it intriguing thatTrue Blood often showcases the violent means humans use to combat things they fear or find dangerous."

While I generally agree with the point that Miranda was trying to make, I feel that it does not adequately include all the monsters we can find within the show. The vampires are not the only monsters in True Blood. Monsters are generally defined to be morally objectionable, physically or psychologically hideous, and/or a freak of nature.

With the above in mind, looking at the other supernatural creatures which exist in True Blood, you could argue that each of them are also monsters in their own right. I feel this aspect to the story-line is what makes True Blood such an intriguing show. Applying Miranda's analysis above, humans are shown to be violent in True Blood which she states goes against the norm of monster stories where humans are supposed to be benevolent.

The problem with this analysis is that True Blood often leaves you guessing who exactly is human and who is supernatural. Someone you thought to be human in one episode appears as a monster in another. It is therefore entirely possibly that the humans aren't going against their benevolent nature, but rather they were never meant to be portrayed as humans to begin with. When those who are supernatural are in their human form, they often are rather calm creatures. They tend to not act out or become violent until they shift into their supernatural "monster" form.

Blog Post I am replying to: http://anchor-for-the-soul.blogspot.ca/2012/03/trueblood-and-fellowship-of-sun.html