The last audiences saw of True Blood, HBO's hit vampire horror-and-sex soap opera, the show's characters were still shell-shocked from a deadly battle between the vampires and a coven of witches — with faeries, werewolves, and even a few humans caught in the crossfire. Critics weren't too keen on the tangled web of supernatural creatures which siphoned attention from the series' main plot points: The steamy love triangle between feisty Southern belle Sookie and vampires Bill and Eric, and the debate among vampires over how they should co-exist — whether peacefully or violently — with humans. Season five of True Blood premieres Sunday. Is the show back on track?
Yep. It's the best season yet: Last season frustrated me with too many "dead-end detours involving faeries and witches," says Brian Lowry at Variety. Thankfully, season five finds the show back on course, focusing on its intensely riveting vampire politics. And, so far, fewer subplots so trite "you want to zap past them" are muddying the mix. The ensemble is in top form, and the show is as refreshingly cheeky as ever — how many series feature a character who earnestly boasts of being a "proud gay vampire"? True Blood has always been a guilty pleasure. And pleasure promises to far outweigh the guilt this season.
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