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True Blood airs on Sundays at 9pm on HBO.
Did you watch True Blood last night? Are you biting your nails (or neighbor) in breathless anticipation? Watch a preview of episode 9 of season 2, "I Will Rise Up," at the end of this article.
But first, do say: do you think it's time to stop paying so much attention to Bill (Stephen Moyer) and start swooning over vampire Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård)?
In the Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy, Julie Steinberg echoes Entertainment Weekly’s recent cover, where a voters made Twilight's Robert Pattinson the favorite vampire with 49% of the vote while Eric scored 19%, and Bill ended up in third place with a sad 6%. She writes, "The masses have spoken: Team Bill, well, sucks," and proceeds to detail the reasons "why everyone’s Season One favorite vamp has started to sour and why Eric Northman is a welcome beam of Viking sunshine."
Do you agree? Steinberg blaims Bill's passivity of the problem, and also believes that the spark in his relationship with Sookie, the telepathic waitress played by Anna Paquin, is dying out (ironically for his immortal existence). She writes, "Eric, on the other hand, isn’t content to sit around. He’s a doer, a go-getter, a Swedish Ivy-Leaguer overachiever, if you will," and also, "Eric’s all business, the Putin of the supernatural world, and his quiet authority is infinitely more powerful than Bill’s temper tantrums."
To Steinberg, Bill even looks old now, which first of all should be impossible for a never aging vampire, and second of all does nothing to distract from a younger, (better?) looking Eric.
Tell us how you see it!
Watch a preview of next week's episode 9, "I Will Rise Up". It airs on Sunday, August 16th at 9pm EST on HBO. Also, have you seen Evan Rachel Wood in character as Sophie-Anne, Vampire Queen of Louisiana? See the first look pictures!
What do you think about True Blood? Share your opinions in our poll and in the comments section! And don't forget to subscribe to the West Palm Beach Television Examiner for everything TV. Also, check out our Drama section.
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Comments
Stop saying bad things about Bill! Yell at the makeup people!! Yell at the writers. I love his character.
yees i love bill..he is great!!
Totally agree about Bill, and I was a big fan of Bill/SM last season. Alexander/Eric overshadows him in every way. Bring on the Viking!!
I always liked Eric over bill, particularly in the books. But be warned. Bill isn't exactly what he seems and I hope we'll be shown that soon.
I have always liked Eric from the books, and in True Blood it's been a harder choice. It comes down to - Alexander Skarsgård is gorgeous and an awsome actor.
Sorry Bill fans, but Eric still wins.
I'm not particularly a huge fan of Bill's, not because of the whole Eric thing but becuase Bill is an insipid character, and no one enjoys watching those. Eric is by far a more interesting character than Bill because of his mysterious devious way, which honestly is fun to watch/read. Eric likes to act like he cares when in fact he is top on his own list- understandable. I would say this-- both actors do a good job portraying the characters. When you have options sides will always be chosen, and Eric is interesting.
Readers of the book were 'ok' with Bill in the first book simply because Eric was barely mentioned in it. The people I know that read the book would tell you Eric captured their interest in, Book 3/Season 3, because some how he becomes the main male character. Though Eric remains 'eric' Sookie brings out the humanity in him & you cant go wrong with the fun back-and-forth banter between them.
This was longer than I'd wanted it, but hope you get it. One word. Eric.
I find Bill's character far more fasinating. I find his struggling between who he is and what he really wishes to be completely truthful and applicable to anyones life. I also think his civil war day speak and manners are a really interesting juxtapostion with the whole idea of a vampire, as well as this day and age. I do not find that Bill and Sookie's relationship has become boring at all. I wish that all the book readers would get over their book version of what this story and characters should be. If Eric was so great in the books, he isn't on the TV show - rather 2d at this point. and he is kind of geeky looking.
I am a fan of Eric and Alexander Skarsgard. I liked Bill last season, but Eric to me had me sitting up and taking notice from the first glimpse. I am not sure what will bring back interest in Bill. Alan Ball has already had almost two seasons to make Bill the most popular on the show, but even with only 25 minutes of air time last season Eric (Skarsgard) is that one that ROCKS the polls everywhere. The viking just has something about him that appeals to so many and on so many levels. I truly want to see what Eric does next. I will watch him even if Alan Ball has Eric be only the bad boy vampire pulling puppet strings in the Sookieverse... or if he brings the humorous, loyal, powerful, protector side of book Eric out more too.
And Marchare... Agree the make-up is lame, but blaming Bill's troubles on bad make-up is not true, cause Eric also has the same sick white face with bleeding red rimmed eyes too.
Bill is my favorite by far. Stephen Moyer is gorgeous, charismatic and talented. Yes, it is the makeup people's fault if Bill looks 'older' than Eric. The makeup and hair are big changes from season one. Eric doesn't look exactly young if anybody has noticed. His bags under his eyes have gotten bigger and the deep wrinkles in is forehead are more pronounced with all the white makeup caked on. Be fair, people. There is a big difference from last season and I for one think it is to try to push the Eric character down our throats.
Book people need to relax and enjoy the show without all the complaining that it's different from the books. Of course it's different. It's a tv show. If they wanted word for word books, then they should be satisfied to just read the stupid books and imagine the characters acting it out.
Alan Ball is doing a great job with his show. It is HIS show so I'm happy to just sit back and watch.
Sorry, Eric fan, but Bill STILL wins in many fans opinions!
I love Eric/Alex!! End story.
I am an Eric girl. I love the fact that he is 1000 years old and is still completely fascinated by things. I love to see his passion about the things that he wants. I think that it is adorable that those around him can see how much he feels for others, no matter how much he may deny it. I love that fact that he is tenacious about the things that he wants. I also see a vulnerability to him, which may sound odd for Eric but it is there. These are traits all based on what I have seen of Eric on the show, so it is not just book fans that like Eric.
It also does not hurt that AS is just plain yummy. 6 feet 4 inches of hotness.
I can imagine that Anna and Stephen thought they were the stars of the show and now Alex is stealing the show.
Humm....It is true, I did like Bill more the last season but Eric is much more sexy lately...
I think they need to show a more relaxed, romatic and passionate Bill.
And Bill did look way better last year - MAKEUP PEOPLE - He doesn't need to be so white he's blinding.
And he is so tense this season(which is the storyline, really) he doesn't seem to have the passion he once did for Sookie(which is ironic because of the real life engagement).
The chemistry was there between Bill and Sookie last season but it is not really "showcased" in the second.
And considering each episode is a day in the life of Sookie Stackhouse - meaning that Sookie and Bill have not been together that long - they act as though they've been together for years. Honey moon stage anyone?
Either way, True Blood is a good show and I vote for them all!
They all deserve praise for the work they do.
Bill is so 2008 LOL.
I saw an interview with the three of them at Comic Con and AP and SM were talking up the Bill/Sookie thing like mad. Go to any forum and you'll soon see that everyone is SO over Bill and Sookie and *dying* for Eric to start putting on the moves.
I was totally into Bill until I read the books and then I fell for Eric *hard*. Skarsgard is playing him so well, despite the one dimensional way Eric has been written for TB. And can any woman with a pulse even look at him in that Black Tank Top of Doom and not want to jump him?? I die a thousand deaths LOL. Last episode we finally saw some glimpses of "book" Eric and I gotta say, your free ride is SO OVER Bill. That sexy blonde viking just oozes it and you are...well..boring!
I hate to break it to Jennifer, but Stephen and Anna ARE the stars of the show. They are the leading man/woman/characters. Eric is conniving his way into Sookies life and if his fans find that romantic, who am I to try to change their minds? Bill will still be the main male character on the show. He will always be my favorite character and I adore Stephen Moyer. He gets the girl both as Vampire Bill and in real life. We expect drama in the show, so let Eric go ahead and trick Sookie into being with him. That's the only way he's going to get her.
To 'aaine', not EVERYONE on the forums is 'over' Bill. You must be reading the wrong threads. You know, those threads that have the same people saying the same things over and over and bashing anybody who doesn't see their fave the way they do.
Bill Compton was the reason many tuned in to watch True Blood and the reason many still continue to watch.
Relax Brenda, or you run the risk of sounding like the people you are complaining about. Many people still love Bill, but Eric is stealing a lot of his thunder though. Bill is a good character and I love to watch him. Many also find Eric's character attractive and for different reasons. Everyone is entitled. In real life I may not think Eric was such a good choice... but on a TV show about vampires I find him exciting, dangerous, powerful, and dang hot.
Are you kidding me? ERIC ALL THE WAY! I thought the show was just MEH the first episodes but them I became addicted once Eric showed his beautiful viking hair on S1... and from that moment I'm a FAN OF THE SHOW!
and 90% of the public thinks this way even though Bill was supposed to be the 'star' of the show, just watch the comic-con reaction to the actors, the place went ballistic when Alex Skarsgard was introduced! and nobody payed attention to Moyer, LOL
Um..Dee, I was there at ComiCCon and you are highly exaggerating things! "Nobody payed attention to Moyer"? What a joke!
You know what I see? I see a lot of jealousy over Stephen's relationship with Anna. It's so obvious and pathetic. It's okay to like one actor more than the other, but why resort to trying to trash the other actor the way I see fans of the Eric character and the actor who portrays him. Not cool and very immature. The show is just fiction and the two lead actors are engaged in real life, so why hate on them so much?
Eric!!!
Aw, Bill will get the girl in the book and in the show. Duh! she chose him to give herself to and in the show I like that he is sneaky, manipulative and really creepy and no one notices. He is like a super stalker with fangs that is not a good look, but he hides it well. Sorry but creepy and hidden is better than hot and obvious, the dangerous one is Bill, the more intriguing character is Bill. Eric is overrated in the books and in the tv show.
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