"But, from a feminist perspective, he is still transmitting the same idea: To be desired, a woman should be beautiful, virginal, and submissive."

SPOILER FOR TRUE BLOOD SEASON 1

Maybe this is the Twilight message (I haven't read the books or seen the movie) but I don't get this message from Alan Ball's True Blood. Sookie is strong in many ways (and a bit crazy too). Her special power has hindered her all her life. Part of the reason she loves Bill is because she can't read his thoughts, so she can relax around him. He's the first person she met in her life where this is the case.

She wasn't a virgin to be desired - she was unsuccesful at dating since she always knew what guys were thinking (and it wasn't nice stuff!). Other women in TB are desirable but aren't virgins or submissive (Sam desires Tara, Jason desired Amy - who wasn't a virgin and she WASN"T submissive).

Edited to add Spoiler

[ edited by Passion on 2009-07-13 17:07 ]

Passion | July 13, 17:06 CET

I found the "Buffy Sex Chart" amusing, although I am confused by where the author placed Harmony.

floofypooh | July 13, 17:11 CET

I'm not sure the author of this article is aware that "True Blood" is based on a series of books, and that she's giving Alan Ball a little too much of the credit/blame for the characters' attitudes and behaviors.

Disclaimer: I haven't read any of Charlaine Harris' books, but from what I understand, the show is following them pretty closely so far.

marpocky | July 13, 17:15 CET

Jason desired Amy

To be fair he "desired" every living being who were skirts.

Brasilian Chaos Man | July 13, 17:20 CET

Sookie, who sleeps with her undead suitor Bill, ends up marked as bad...

While some of the people in Bon Temps consider Sookie "bad" for having sex with Bill, I never got the impression that either Charlaine Harris or Alan Ball intended the audience to mark her as bad. We're supposed to relate to Sookie and Bill and see those who disapprove as either narrow-minded or uninformed.

marpocky, the show really isn't following the books that closely. The overarching mystery of the first season was the same, but many, many details, characters, and relationships were quite different.

ActualSize | July 13, 17:31 CET

Yeah, I don't like how this author characterizes True Blood. Sookie isn't bad... maybe naive, a bit dumb, but bad? I never understood why all characters have to be 'positive rolemodels' and all that... what is so wrong about having everyone being messed up not always good people? Like in real life?

And am I the only one who thinks of a particularly controversial scene in season 6 when she said "If one of her lovers (either vampire or human, as she dabbled with both) decided to get a little rough, Buffy’s super strength and agility kept the fight fair." Wonder if the author even saw all of Buffy.

SteppeMerc | July 13, 17:53 CET

Looking at the article, the author suggests Buffy has had a more normal sex life compared to Sookie and Edward, because of her strength and choices. I am surprised Edward Cullen actually tells Bella a list of ways he could kill her if not for his love for her. That's weird.

impalergeneral | July 13, 18:54 CET

The Buffy Sex Chart looks badly rendered, although you could argue that Harmony was strategically placed to mostly obscure the "unclear" line connecting Angel and Spike. Frankly, there should have been some more "unclear" lines in there (Darla/Spike, Darla/Dru), and the whole lack of Angel cast loses a few more interesting loops (Angel->Eve->Lindsey->Darla, for one)

Gaah, I'm torn. I hate 'shipping, but I love social network analysis...

jclemens | July 13, 19:25 CET

"To be fair he "desired" every living being who were skirts."
Brasilian Chaos Man


So true but I took the word a step further in my mind, and equated "desired" to be more than just desired, to include love and ready to make a commitment to (he did tell Eddie she could be "the one", like the one to marry).

"We're supposed to relate to Sookie and Bill and see those who disapprove as either narrow-minded or uninformed." ActualSize

Absolutely!

Passion | July 13, 19:54 CET

To me, this exemplifies TV-Sookie moreso than book-Sookie. I think on the series they play-up the whole wide-eyed innocence thing, which might contribute to the author's interpretation of the character. In the novels, even from the beginning, it wasn't necessarily that Sookie was ignorant of the ways of the world, just that she tried to give others the benefit of the doubt. One of the few things I've had qualms about in the series is how they've changed Sookie's character, making her more like the dumb blonde, damsel-in-distress type, rather than the much stronger and independent character she is in the novels.

deepgirl187 | July 14, 00:20 CET

Re: the chart, it sure looked like Buffy and RJ certainly were thick-lining it to me.

And, I really don't think Cordy and Wesley's amour rates even a dotted line.

Chris inVirginia | July 14, 01:25 CET

I agree with the comments here about True Blood. I just bought the S! Blu-ray boxset, loved it (Lafayette is a gorram riot), and this author indeed misrepresents Sookie. Her virginity is simply due to her telepathy allowing her to see how perverted all her dates were, and she loves Bill partially because she can't read his thoughts. And hell right in the first episode, she fought off the Ratrays with a chain and a knife - hardly a subservient woman who is defined by her boyfriend as I've heard Bella often is. (Take note I haven't read any of Twilight or the Sookie Stackhouse novels, nor any of True Blood S2).

Break_Atmo | July 14, 04:21 CET

I enjoyed the comments to that article and the "final girl" link off the article. Nice bit about the trope vs. Buffy I hadn't read before. Meanwhile I'm having True Blood S1 shoved on me like the 1st Twilight book was, so I'll get to it & be able to read the rest of the spoilery comparison stuff then.

Jav | July 14, 04:51 CET

Someone is really not getting True Blood. Sookie is far from submissive and powerless, nothing like Bella in Twilight.

But kudos for the Buffy love. :)

Shey | July 14, 11:09 CET

I dunno. A reclusive demon who probably thinks about killing most of the time and doesn't have any stable relationships. I can see where that might be complimentary in his mind. Not very PC and rather anti-social... but it may be amongst the sweetest things he could say.

Kinda like, "I'd turn off sports to talk to you."

Just less normal.

azzers | July 15, 03:16 CET