Adapted from the best-selling Sookie Stackhouse Series (née the Southern Vampire Mysteries) of author Charlaine Harris, True Blood came to HBO in 2008 with the Oscar-winning Anna Paquin in its lead role, Six Feet Under’s critically-acclaimed creator Alan Ball at its helm, and a well-publicized predilection for frequent and kinky sex. The pre-pilot buzz was enthusiastic and deliciously scandalized, and with each new week the show gained an ever more vocal and titillated following.

With its Season 3 premiere bringing in bumper ratings – and HBO’s highest since the halcyon days of The Sopranos, if one doesn’t count the odd boxing match – True Blood has proven itself a winning formula of phantasmagoria, allegory and orgasm.

But what is this premium cable show that has garnered such a groundswell of goodwill amongst the intelligentsia? Hailed as the anti-Twilight, and equally beloved of men as of women in its televised form -- unlike Harris’s paranormal chick lit -- it is the story of Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), professional waitress and amateur psychic, who lives in the small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. Sookie’s is an alternate America in which vampires are no longer the stuff of legends and chick lit; they have recently “come out of the coffin” and are law-abiding, tax-paying citizens who can now drink the recently-invented plasma substitute, Tru Blood. When a vampire, Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), moves into town, Sookie’s workaday world is turned on its head, as the little blonde becomes involved in all kinds of big supernatural trouble.

Here we take a look at True Blood’s first two seasons -- now available on DVD and Blu-ray -- of blood, sex and death…

SEASON 1, by Sara Paige

01.01, “Strange Love”
Written by Alan Ball
Directed by Alan Ball
Original US Airdate: September 7, 2008

We are introduced to the town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, home to many interesting townsfolk. There is Sookie Stackhouse, waitress and telepath who still lives with her Gran (Lois Smith); Jason (Ryan Kwanten), her brother, who seems to be either naked or, working or getting arrested; Tara Thornton (Rutina Wesley), Sookie’s hard-bitten best friend; Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell), the owner of the bar at which Sookie works; as well as the other assorted characters who populate the town.

We are also introduced to the world of vampires. A couple of years earlier, vampires came out of the coffin into the mainstream with the invention of synthetic blood (in the form of the ubiquitous Tru Blood), and rather quickly we meet Bill Compton, sexy vampire and newcomer to Bon Temps. Sookie takes to Bill almost instantly (and who can blame her?), but he falls in with a white trash couple, the Rattrays (James Parks and Karina Logue), who end up trying to drain him of his valuable vampire blood (which is sold on the street as the drug V). Sookie rescues him and puts herself in danger, and begins to interest Bill. Meanwhile, Tara gets a new job at Merlotte’s, and Jason is arrested on suspicion of killing waitress Maudette Pickens (Danielle Sapia), found dead in her home and with evidence of their rough sex in her possession.

BLOOD:	» The Rattrays, a married couple of vampire drainers, try to drain Bill of all his blood. During this time, Sookie beats the hell out of Mack Rattray.
	» Sookie is attacked at the end of the episode by the Rattrays out for revenge.
DEATH:	» Maudette Pickens dies offscreen.
SEX:	» Jason and Maudette.
	» Maudette and a tattooed vamp, on tape (who we later learn is named Liam).

NOTES:	The first episode, absolutely essential for setting up all the characters.
RECOMMENDED:	Hell yes, this episode sets up so much.

01.02, “The First Taste”
Written by Alan Ball
Directed by Scott Winant
Original US Airdate: September 14, 2008

The Rattrays try to kill Sookie but Bill comes to her rescue and kills the Rattrays instead. He gives Sookie some of his blood, healing the wounds they inflicted completely. They start to get to know each other; Sookie is pleased that his is one mind she cannot read. Jason is cleared after it is obvious he did not kill Maudette. Bon Temps Detective Andy Bellefleur (Chris Bauer) remains suspicious, however. After being released, Jason goes to have very athletic sex with another waitress named Dawn (Lynn Collins). Tara, faced with the reality of coming home to her drunk mother Lettie Mae (Adina Porter), opts to go to a party with her cousin, the flamboyant Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), instead. After going on a date -- which meets the approval of Sookie’s Gran, but is crashed by a suspicious Tara and Jason -- Sookie goes to see Bill at his house but is greeted by three other vampires.

BLOOD:	» The Rattrays beat up Sookie in a psychotic, bloody way.
	» Sookie meets Bill’s vampire friends, one of whom has freshly fed.
	» Bill kills the Rattrays, messily.
DEATH:	» Both Mack and Denise Rattray die after beating Sookie. Bill kills them.
SEX:	» Jason and the late Maudette have sex on camera for the Sherriff’s department.
	» Jason and Dawn have sex after he is freed, and then again it’s implied before she goes to work.

NOTES:	It’s so surprising how the cast chemistry is off the charts this episode. All of them are so charming.
RECOMMENDED:	Yes!

01.03, “Mine”
Written by Alan Ball
Directed by John Dahl
Original US Airdate: September 21, 2008

The three vampires, Diane (Aunjanue Ellis), Malcolm (Andrew Rothenberg) and Liam (Graham Shiels), try to alternately scare or glamour Sookie. But their glamour doesn’t work and Bill lays claim to her saying that she is His, meaning the other vamps can’t have her. After saving Bill from a Hepatitis D infection, Sookie outs herself as something other than human and the vamps take off to deal with a traitor. After work, Tara and Sam hang out and decide to have a friends-with-benefits agreement. Meanwhile, Jason gets some revenge on Dawn for tying him up all day and, while having sex (again), suffers from performance anxiety. In the morning, Lettie Mae is no longer passed out and has a huge fight with Tara, who goes to stay with Lafayette; we find out that he is a drug dealer and a prostitute. Or rather, an “entrepreneur.” Jason comes over for help with his little problem, and Lafayette gives him a vial of V. (In exchange, Jason dances for Lafayette’s video website in a Laura Bush mask.) After being sent out to look for her, Sookie finds Dawn’s dead body.

BLOOD:	» Jerry’s (Nicholas Gonzalez) wounds were oozing, causing Bill to almost bite him.
	»The three vampires slit the throat of one of their humans, Janella (Roberta Orlandi).
DEATH:	» The three vamps kill one of their humans, Jerry, after it turns out that he has a disease that affects vampires.
	» They also kill their other human, hanging her upside down and draining her in a bucket.
	» Dawn’s body is found by Sookie.
SEX:	» Liam’s human woman performs oral sex on him.
	» Jason and Dawn have sex after she gets off work.
	» Tara and Sam hook up.
	» Not sure if it counts, but Sookie has one great sex dream with Bill.

NOTES:	The plot is definitely starting to thicken with the third episode, and the cliff-hanger ending is really established.
RECOMMENDED:	Yes, again! These beginning episodes are some of the best!

01.04, “Escape from Dragon House”
Written by Brian Buckner
Directed by Michael Lehmann
Original US Airdate: September 28, 2008

Jason arrives a moment after Sookie’s discovery, and is taken in for police questioning, when he remembers he is in possession of the V, and drinks all of it. The townspeople assume Jason is the murderer, but Tara breaks him out of prison. At Merlotte’s, Sookie makes Bill agree to take her to the vampire bar in Shreveport, Fangtasia, to help clear Jason’s name. Much to Sam’s dismay, Bill drives her to Shreveport that night. We are introduced to Fangtasia’s proprietors Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) and Pam (Kristin Bauer), who are both very interested in Sookie. Sookie finds out that both Dawn and Maudette hung out at Fangtasia when the vampires and Sookie must flee as cops begin to raid the bar. Meanwhile, Jason shows up at Merlotte’s with serious problems and Tara takes him to the hospital (where they drain his penis. Without sedation.) We also find out why Tara cares so much about Jason. Sam goes back to dead Dawn’s apartment and snuggles in her sheets.

BLOOD:	» Random guy at Fangtasia gets kicked by Eric and scrapes his head.
DEATH:	» Dawn’s death is still relevant in this episode.
SEX:	» None, unless you count Jason trying to fix his “big problem”.

NOTES:	We get to meet some new characters and there are plenty of plot developments.
RECOMMENDED:	Hell, yes!

01.05, “Sparks Fly Out”
Written by Alexander Woo
Directed by Daniel Minahan
Original US Airdate: October 5, 2008

Bill and Sookie have an argument over a glamouring incident with the cops and they agree not to see each other again. However, Gran thinks that Sookie should give him another chance. Lafayette gives Jason more V along with lessons on responsible drug usage. Gran organizes a meeting of the Descendents of the Glorious Dead, a Civil War memorial league, with actual Civil War soldier Bill as the guest speaker. During the meeting, Bill recounts the story of a boy dying in the war and wins the respect of the town. After the meeting, Sookie and Sam eat at a diner and argue. At Merlotte’s, a fight breaks out between Lafayette and some rednecks and a stoned Jason declares his love for Tara. However, Tara soon catches him having sex with a drunk girl in the back of the bar. Additionally, Bill is questioned by the police about the deaths of Maudette and Dawn, but insists a vampire would have completely drained their blood. We see more of Bill’s back-story as he recounts how a vampire named Lorena (Mariana Klaveno) turned him. Sookie comes home to find Gran has been murdered.

BLOOD:	» Lorena kills Bill and then lets him feed on her slitted throat.
	» Sookie’s Gran has her blood is spattered all over the kitchen.
DEATH:	» Sookie’s Gran is murdered.
	» We flash back to Bill’s friend Tolliver’s death in the Civil War.
	» Bill recounts his own murder at the hands of his Maker, Lorena.
SEX:	» Jason has sex with a drunk divorcee named Randi-Sue (Danielle James) in the back of Merlotte’s.

NOTES:	The stakes are increased this time around with the death of Gran and we are able to learn so much more about Bill.
RECOMMENDED:	Yes.

01.06, “Cold Ground”
Written by Raelle Tucker
Directed by Nick Gomez
Original US Airdate: October 12, 2008

Bill finds Sookie just after she discovers Gran. Sam shows up and both men promise to take care of Sookie after the police leave. Sookie cleans up the blood, and the police argue over whether Jason could have killed his own grandmother. The next morning, people come to pay their respects, but their disrespectful thoughts anger Sookie. Jason, who wasn’t answering his phone, finds out at work that Gran is dead the next day. He goes over to the house filled with neighbors and smacks Sookie, telling her that everything is her fault. When confronted by Andy Bellefleur about the murder, Jason shows off superhuman strength as he throws Andy away from him. At the funeral, Jason invites Uncle Bartlett (Cheyenne Wilbur), which upsets Sookie to the point where she can no longer block anyone out. She gets angry and yells at all of them during her eulogy. Lettie Mae then gets up and talks about Gran like she knows her. When confronted by Tara, Lettie Mae says that she is in need of an exorcism to get rid of a demon inside her. At nightfall, Sookie and Bill consummate their relationship and Bill drinks from Sookie.

BLOOD:	» Sookie’s Gran really bled out, with Tina the cat grossly having a taste.
	» Bill drinks from Sookie.
DEATH:	» Gran’s death is still very present in this episode.
	» Sam and Tara have sex after Gran’s funeral.
	» Jason has sex with Randi-Sue again.
SEX:	» Bill and Sookie finally make love.

NOTES:	Finally, some sexual tension realized! This was such a fraught episode and it makes the audience really feel for the characters.
RECOMMENDED:	Yes!