Do You Get The Impression That She's Just Discovered Fandom?

[shipperx]

I had to giggle at reading this question in TVGuide.com's "Ask Matt Roush" column:

I have recently discovered True Blood and spent the summer watching seasons 1 and 2. Alan Ball and company did all the right things to get me to invest completely in Bill and Sookie. So much so that now I physically hurt at the thought that things might not work out for them. (Kudos to them for getting that kind of response for fictional characters.) I know that things aren't following the books exactly, which is fine by me, since I haven't read them. However, I am getting a little worried about the book fans and their demands for an Eric hook-up and their constant reviling of Bill. They don't seem to want to go with Alan's version of Bill being a better, er, person. Anyway, do you have any idea of what percentage of the True Blood audience has actually read the books? Or are they just louder fans than those of us who only watch the series? Do you think that Team Bill fans will have their hearts ripped out a la Maryann? — Dana

I kind of want to pat her on the head and say "Welcome to shipping flamewars." Although, personally, I know I'm a bit of a broken record in saying that True Blood has yet to inspire me to invest in either Sookie-ship. But that's just me.

Oh. And Matt Roush's response

Haven't a clue how many True Blood watchers are also readers of the Charlaine Harris books, but I've done both and find each experience satisfying in its own way (although I wasn't crazy about the most recent book). They are just different enough—kind of like the Dexter books vs. the Showtime series—that I find myself enjoying them for their differences. And that includes the way the Sookie-Bill-Eric triangle is playing out. (This season complicated by the arrival of Alcide; insert wolf whistle here.) I don't know exactly where Alan Ball's version is headed, but I would expect a major upheaval between Sookie and Bill before long, just to keep things interesting. [MILD SPOILER ALERT] Whether any estrangement will be as long-lasting as what happens in the books, I don't know, but I would doubt it—mostly because of the on- and off-camera chemistry of the leads and because it's probably not in the show's best interest to marginalize Bill over the long haul.

Whatever happens, and I'm still rooting for the show to tackle the fourth book at some point (with a very strong Sookie-Eric story), I'm betting True Blood will give both Team Bill and Team Eric opportunities to win and lose a few along the way. And while it's fun to take sides, my advice as always is to take all the fan noise from either camp with a pinch of salt—or in this case, garlic.

Comments

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

And while it's fun to take sides, my advice as always is to take all the fan noise from either camp with a pinch of salt—or in this case, garlic.


Very sound advice.

[kittyb90.livejournal.com]

BEST. ICON. EVER! :D

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

But fans never take it. :)

[sp23.livejournal.com]

I've just never got interested in the show, but the one or two episodes I did see just didn't bring me into the Bill camp at all. Of course, I read enough of the books to get a real loathing for Bill, so that probably doesn't help. LOL

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

The show is best taken as pure camp. I think that's why I simply cannot take its shipping seriously. I actually don't loathe Bill. I kind of enjoy that he's such a complete dork! >:)

[shapinglight]

Very good advice, but I can't see this lady taking it. She's a 'shipper, you can see.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Oh definitely. She sounded downright Bangel 4 evah!

And I actually am okay with Sookie/Bill (and can understand why Eric/Sookie shippers exist), but I just can't take either ship all that seriously. I don't tend to watch True Blood in quite that way.

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

She sounded downright Bangel 4 evah!

Should Alan Ball expect shipments of cookies coming his way in hopes of Bill and Sookie as a forever-eternal selling point?

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

I've only seen part of the first season and haven't read them at all, so I really can't weigh in on this, but I have to say, Matt, the Dexter books kinda stink (well, the first one was okay). It's one time when the visual media WAY overtook the source in quality!

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen or read Dexter. (I'm too squeamish for the show... which is kind of ridiculous because I watch True Blood, but True Blood violence is so ridiculous that I can't take it seriously. I can't take even a semblance of realism with that sort of violence though).

On True Blood/Sookie Stackhouse Mysteries, I can't sing uncritical praises of either. They both seem very flawed. (I've watched all of True Blood, and I'm still trying to slog through Charlaine Harris's "Dead to the World"). In theory, however, I have sympathy for both shipping factions because they both can have pretty big beefs with the story.

Over in the books Sookie/Eric is canon (at least to a point), and I've gathered from all the complaints that Eric is a nicer guy in the books than he is in the show (That said, "Dead to the World" is the Sookie/Eric book and thus far... I'm not impressed. And I swear to god I just want to role my eyes every time he calls her "lover"!). Anyway, given the canonical nature of Sookie/Eric (to whatever degree it's canonical. I've only 3/4 read the fourth book in the series) it seems like Sookie/Eric are getting somewhat screwed thus far in the television series. At this point in the TV series, I'd say that Sookie only has contempt for Eric.

On the other hand, I gather that Bill was really done in with the books. I've heard one instance called a 'rape', and I know that they came back and retconned his relationship with Sookie to be about something else. On the show, however, it's quite clear that Alan Ball loves the pairing because at every juncture where the books seemingly made Bill look bad, the tv show has in some way lessened (or at times completely changed) it.

Frankly, this has the potential for huge shipping wars as both fan factions will no doubt hold grudges. For myself, to this point I'm not overly impressed with either incarnation of the 'romances' involved. They just don't hit any of my kinks.

There are parts of TB that I enjoy. It can be OTT fun, but the whole Bill/Sookie/Eric thing does virtually nothing for me.

On the other hand, I do rather love Lafayette, Sam, Jessica, Hoyt, Terry, and dumber than a brick Jason Stackhouse. I used to love Tara (and can again if they allow her to have autonomy for any length of time). Also, the King of Mississippi and Franklin Mott have been enjoyable villains, so the show has its entertaining aspects. I just don't give a fig about its central 'love' triangle.

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

I very rarely get too uptight about 'ships on television; usually I'm pretty happy with what the writers come up with (with some exceptions, o'course *cough buffy/angel cough*).

I'd probably be pretty upset with the show if I were a fan of the books, and usually (usually) I lean toward the original author in those cases. Again, with some exceptions!

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I definitely understand why Eric/Sookie shippers patience has run thin. The TV show really has worked to prop Bill in a lot of instances. It's just that neither romance (book or show) seems so compelling that it actually matters to me. I actually enjoy how ridiculous Bill/Sookie is. And having read most of the book that's Eric/Sookie, I don't see canon Eric/Sookie to be all fascinating (I swear Eric exists on hotness because he has a curiously flat affect... both in show and in book. And his 'fake smiles' creep me the hell out!) But he is far, far hotter than Bill so I'm okay either way. I don't think etierh ship will ever really float for me.

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

As someone who is to a degree invested in the Sookie/Eric relationship (and really, not that invested in it at all because Sookie isn't half as awesome as Buffy and I enjoy watching Jason and Jessica far more than anyone else in the series), I gotta say the fact that Alan Ball is such Bill/Sookie fanboy is rather obnoxious to me. I dislike Bill/Sookie for the same reasons I dislike Buffy/Angel (brooding really, really pisses me off - for chrissakes, just get over yourself! And my god, could this week's episode have been any more season 3 Buffy/Angel if it tried!?!), and have found myself rooting for Sookie/Eric just so we don't have to watch any more of the saccharine Sookie/Bill interactions. The disgusting thing is that I've found myself almost wishing they'd have done the rape just to put a nail in that 'ships's coffin, just like they seem to be continuously downplaying any Eric/Sookie interaction as all mindgames.

Just annoyed right now. Gonna go watch those Jessica video blogs to cheer myself up.

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

Can we put her in a time machine and take her back to the beginning of BTVS? Pretty please? ;)

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Hee! I think she's already there!

[kassto.livejournal.com]

I love Dana's quote, and your reaction to it. :)