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MSRP: $79.98
RATED: TV-MA
RUNNING TIME: 730 minutes
STUDIO: HBO
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Six cast and crew audio commentaries
- Enhanced Viewing Mode
- Inside The Episodes
- True Blood: The Final Touches
- True Blood Lines
- DVD Copy
- Digital Copy
The Pitch
All manner of folk (human, vampire, shapeshifter, werewolf, etc.) want all up in Sookie Stackhouse’s magical hookieknacker.
The Humans
Created by Alan Ball. Based on the novels by Charlaine Harris. Starring Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgard, Sam Trammell, Ryan Kwanten, Joe Manganiello, Rutina Wesley, Fiona Shaw, Chris Bauer, Kristin Bauer van Straten, Nelsan Ellis, Todd Lowe, Jim Parrack, Carrie Preston, Deborah Ann Woll, Jessica Tuck, Brit Morgan, Lauren Bowles, Marshall Allman, Kevin Alejandro, etc.
The Nutshell
Last season saw a vampire king (there’s one per state here in the US) and his werewolf army attempt a rebellion and openly murdering humans. Shit got messy. Season Four opens a year later and most of said mess has been cleaned up. Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton’s romantic relationship is over and the latter is now the new vampire king of Louisiana. Eric Northman desperately wants in Sookie’s pants. Deputy Jason Stackhouse is taking care of an inbred family of werepanthers. Sheriff Bellefleur is addicted to vampire blood, which can be used as a recreational drug. Terry & Arlene are beginning to realize that all is not right with their new bundle of joy. Sam is still dealing with his troublesome brother. Things seem on the up for Lafayette & Jesus and Alcide & Debbie. Oh, and Tara has moved to New Orleans and become a lesbian cagefighter. Amidst all the above troubles and happiness, a new threat rises in the form of a dangerous coven of witches.
Somebody might be a little jealous.
The Lowdown
Before I launch into my overall views on this season, I need to make two statements. First, if you aren’t a fan of the show, the fourth season won’t change your opinion. Most of the characters are taken to interesting places, but if you weren’t previously on board…well, you won’t give a damn. Second, I feel the need to explain my position on the previous seasons.
I was hesitant about giving this series a shot when it began. Like many, I just assumed it was just a sex and violence-filled version of Twilight. I was wrong. The first season won me over and while it wasn’t a “favorite” show at the time, it definitely became one I was going to stick with. Season Two started and finished strong, but was an absolute slog in the middle. If I didn’t love most of the characters, I probably would have bolted. While I seem to be in the minority on this in some places, I felt that Season Three was a MASSIVE breath of fresh air. More story was dished out in the first few episodes than in the entirely of the previous season. Almost all the new characters and additions to the series clicked with me. While one particular arc fell flat for me (and, thankfully, seems abandoned now), it stands as my favorite run on the show to date. This season follows closely behind it.
True Blood is soap opera-y as hell in places. It’s loaded with gory violence and occasional doses of softcore porn. In terms of supernatural and evil beings, to date we have been introduced to: vampires, serial killers, murderous religious fanatics, shapeshifters, demons, pagan deities, werewolves, faeries, mediums, brujos, ghosts, werepanthers, and witches. True Blood is really just a modern version of Dark Shadows set in a backwater Southern town and I’m a fan.
Rocker Bill was…yeah, I laughed.
While humor has always cropped up on this show, there’s a good deal more of it in this season (as well as the previous one) and I feel the series is all the better for it. Given how ridiculous much of what occurs is, it’s nice to have the characters occasionally commenting as such and reacting in a believable fashion to such unbelievable events. The showrunners seems willing to take off in new and interesting directions with each of their characters and no longer afraid to kill them off when the story calls for it. I know that they have taken massive departures from the source material in previous runs and I can only assume that they are continuing to do so. It’s always a good thing in a television show when you hit points where you legitimately aren’t sure if certain characters are going to make it. I’m not going to spoil where things lead, but the overall conclusion to this season left me satisfied.
Bottom line, this one was a winner for me. My faith was shaken after the incredibly rocky second season, but has more than been restored over the two that have followed. Will Season Five leave me feeling the same? I hope so. True Blood is good trashy fun and I heartily recommend this to any horror fan who thinks they might even remotely be interested in this series.
“You should see the other guy!”
The Package
I was surprised to discover that this set also contains DVD and digital copies of the entire season. I’m not sure if this was the case with the previous season (which I haven’t picked up yet), but it was an interesting surprise. The commentaries and docs provide an interesting look behind-the-scenes on the series and the packaging itself falls in line with the previous sets, which is always a good thing. All in all, this set is more than enough to please the fans.
Rating: 
Out of a Possible 5 Stars