True Blood Season Seven
Someone dropped the Ball
Release Date: OUT NOW!
2014 | 18 | Blu- ray/ DVD Creator: Alan Ball Cast: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgård, Ryan Kwanten, Deborah Ann Woll, Joe Manganiello
And it was all going so well. Season six was a partial return to form for HBO’s sex and bloodshed vampire drama, but this final run sends the show out on the most dubious bum note since Lost’s anti- climax.
The viscera’s on the wall from the first episode. The Hep V virus has gone global, infecting vampires who’ve taken to roaming the country in packs, eating their way through whole towns. The opening moments see Bon Temps under siege, only for most to survive by the skin of their fangs.
But that’s as exciting as the season gets. The Hep V storyline feels peculiarly small scale. Characters are killed off with wearying frequency. And the final episode hinges on a moment of such idiocy that the emotional impact of a relationship central to the show loses all resonance.
Tara’s bafflingly pointless subplot and the return of a familiar face – simply to manufacture mawkish happy endings for several key players – are the final nails in the coffin. It’s unmitigated rubbish, except for Bill and Pam, who stay classy and hilarious right to the end. Only Viking vampire god mega- fans need bother.
Extras: On DVD: five audio commentaries, a decent 28- minute “Farewell To Bon Temps” special, and a season six recap. The Blu- ray ( rated) adds a 15- minute Making Of on the last episode.
Alan Ball first read Sookie Stackhouse when he called into a Borders to kill time before a dental appointment.