I’ll be honest, I started reading Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels after the television series True Blood began its first season on HBO. I loved the show so much that I had to read the books. Now, we all know that the movies/shows are never as good as the books, so it’s obvious that after reading the books I’d take issue with some of the liberties taken in making the television series. But really, I enjoyed seasons 1, 2 and 3, even when they strayed from Harris’ original story lines. I didn’t mind that the show had a character or two that wasn’t present in the book. And I get that the books really focus on Sookie herself, while the television show is attempting to expand on the other characters as well.
In the books there isn’t much said about the family of Sookie’s sexy shifter boss Sam Merlotte. But I liked the storyline about his estranged family and misguided brother. It gave more personality to his character. Although into the fourth season that story is even getting a little odd, to say the least. But this isn’t where my biggest issue is with the fourth season of True Blood. My issue is with what they are doing to poor, sex hungry, Jason Stackhouse.
In Harris’ fourth novel in the series, ‘Definitely Dead,’ Jason goes missing. Come to find out it was Hot Shot’s werepanther resident Felton, and only Felton, who had kidnapped Jason, and bit him on a nightly basis in hopes to turn him into one of them so that Crystal wouldn’t want him any more. No one else in the town really knew about it. And becoming a bitten werepanther actually brings Jason and Crystal closer and the rest of the Hot Shot pack take him under their wing. In the show they all know about it and believe Jason to be some mythical Ghostdaddy who is going to impregnate all of their women with new blood for the pack. Episode four of season four was very disturbing, to say the least. And I am just glad the Jason train ended when the underage werepanther came in for her turn.
What’s more disturbing is that I am now reading book six in the series and Bill is not King, yet he is this season of the show. And, in the books, while Eric Northman is sans memory, Bill is off in Peru looking for more vampires to add to their database. In this current season Bill is still in Bon Temps, trying to find the missing Eric. And what’s with his relationship with Portia Bellefleur? In the books it has been known since the beginning that the Bellefleur are Bill’s relation, but in the show he’s had sexual relations with her, then finds out she’s his relation. Gross. I love the show, don’t get me wrong, but this season is just way off- even the witches have changed from being young and sexy to old and withered. What will they do with the witch war that is portrayed in the books during the same timeline the show is working on? I will still be there to watch, but I can’t say I’ll be happy about it!