True Blood (Season 3, Probably Spoilers Within! Beware!)

[AndreaDraco]

The I guess you like the old White Wolf RPG, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, or werewolves in any other World of Darkness RPG for that matter.

[Tawmis]

The I guess you like the old White Wolf RPG, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, or werewolves in any other World of Darkness RPG for that matter.

Yes.

We were discussing Vampires, Werewolves, etc here at work just the other day - and discussing battles (and the various versions between them). We all (amazing!) agreed that one on one, a Vampire would/should typically win against any werewolf. However, a Vampire vs a Pack of Werewolves, should not stand a chance, as the pack will use their numbers to assault the werewolf. We agreed it would be an epic battle, because we all tend to think that both werewolf and vampire should have regenerating powers. (Vampires, when they feed; werewolves, naturally healing).

[AndreaDraco]

Unless the Vampire is a Tremere (if you're familiar with the Clan), in that case my bet is on the vampire

[DeadPoolX]

Unless the Vampire is a Tremere (if you're familiar with the Clan), in that case my bet is on the vampire

A Tremere's thaumaturgy discipline is nasty as all hell.

I like the Brujah and Ventrue clans (how different can you get, right?) for serious role-playing. If I'm the mood for something weird or silly, I'd go with the Malkavian clan.

[Maiandra]

However, I think a more interesting take would be someone that was perhaps intensely protective of their pack, but less inclined to indulge in cruelty or sadistic behaviour than a human. After all, animals don't do that kind of thing and if they're more animalistic, then they'd be less likely to have human failings as well.

You haven't seen a cat play with a bird or mouse that it just caught? But there is no need to get into a debate about whether or not that assigning such attributes is anthropomorphizing werewolves or not, but if we are talking about werewolves, we are talking about mythical beasts (ones usually considered monsters), not animals.

I think a cat playing with what it's caught is simply its "Oh, it twitches! *poke*poke*poke*" instinct. They do that with twitching inanimate cat toys too. It's amazing how they fixate on them. It's not the same as deliberate cruelty and enjoyment of others suffering. I doubt they even recognize that they're causing pain to the bird or mouse.

As for werewolves, yes they're mythical, but they are normally portrayed as a combination of wolf and human characteristics, not just some generic furry monster. The traditional, more monster-like concept of the werewolf reflects how people viewed wolves at the time (or times) such myths originated. Wolves have often been demonised in western culture as bloodthirsty ravening beasts.

Now that people know more about wolves and feel they have less to fear from them overall, our views of them have changed to some extent. Even though the depictions of werewolves in many supernatural stories have also changed somewhat, people often continue to use the "beast" half of the werewolf to explore the darker behaviours humans might have or the fear of succumbing to a "bestial nature".

It was this use of the creature that I would like to see explored in a different manner. If they're assuming that a human would act differently if it was influenced by some kind of animal-like nature, then it makes more sense to me that deliberate cruelty and sadism would be less likely to occur, not more likely.

Werewolves reflected how people viewed something at a time (or many times) in the past. Now that times have changed, it would be refreshing to see werewolves change with them, in one story at least. We have an opportunity to examine ourselves more critically through this medium and I think it would be interesting to see someone use werewolves to explore whether it really is the animals that are the beasts, like people assumed hundreds (or thousands) of years ago when the myths began.

[Collector]

There are probably more misconceptions about wolves than most other animals. There have been, at most, only a couple of documented wolf attracts on people in the wild. Early man probably had more of a symbiotic relationship with wolves than adversarial.

[AndreaDraco]

A Tremere's thaumaturgy discipline is nasty as all hell.

I like the Brujah and Ventrue clans (how different can you get, right?) for serious role-playing. If I'm the mood for something weird or silly, I'd go with the Malkavian clan.

For serious role-playing I'd go with Tremere or Toreador I'm currently playing a Tremere, who started out as the typical social climber and slowly evolved in something like a visionary prophet, a messianic guru who rejects every form of political superstructre and preaches about personal salvation in a post-atomic world (in the setting my boyfriend has created, The Technocracy has bombarded the world and hurled it into a new Dark Age, vaguely steam-punk). Raffaele sometimes reminds me of Baltar during Season 4 of Battlestar Galactica, but my vampire really believes in his message and he's not doing it just for his personal game.

[AndreaDraco]

The third episode was a bit disappointing. I can't stand Sam's storyline for this season, and Jason decision about joining the police was a bit too stupid even for him. And while the story had certainly potential, the writers seem to have canned it in the space of one episode.

On the bright side, the King and Talbot are easily amongst my favorite characters ever, and Franklin Mott is right there with them.

In the rare chance that there's someone who knows a bit of Italian, I wrote a review for the episode I gave it a 3.5/5 score. What do you think? Too harsh or too kind?

[Tawmis]

On the bright side, the King and Talbot are easily amongst my favorite characters ever, and Franklin Mott is right there with them.

So... how you liking the third season so far?

[Maiandra]

I've actually been liking Sam's storyline more as it progresses. What a piece of work his father was. I can't help but feel there's still something we don't know going on there.

I have to admit, I'm really impressed with Eric's role (*resists a double entendre* ) this season. He's very cunning and everything he's done so far politically has been very well-played.

I was also very impressed with how Tara got her and Sookie out of the King's estate. That was not only clever, but quite gutsy.

[therogue]

I have to admit, I'm really impressed with Eric's role (*resists a double entendre* )

The guy who plays Eric has said in interviews that he has the Swedish approach to nudity which is that its all good. I could stand for the show to use that some more.

Personally, I'm liking the third season a lot more than the second. With the exeption of the the Crystal storyline.

[Datadog]

This doesn't happen often with any show, but I clapped at tonight's episode. Twice.

1. First off, Jason showing up with a wooden bullet and blasting the re-arrival of my least favorite sub-plot. Awesome.
and 2. "And now the weather. Tiffany?" Best ending yet. I'm actually more interested in the aftermath of that scene than finding out what Sookie is. Like, what is she? A fairy? A muse? An angel? I really don't care anymore. Not when this dude is ripping out spines on national television.

[therogue]

For such a meh episode and the prolonged awfullness of Bill/Sookie the ending sure had me laughing like a hyena.

And now the weather. Tiffany?

[AndreaDraco]

I just saw Episode 8 and Episode 9 and I laughed and clapped a lot during them. The second one in particular is outstanding. I'm amongst the Season 2 fans and I couldn't think the show could top Marianne (especially thanks to Michelle Forbes), but Russell Edgington is simply... perfect. His ending of Episode 9 is pure genius and all the intricacies of vampire politics are what makes this show so great, if you want my opinion (metaphors! more metaphors!) I'm even liking Tara and Sam's storylines, and that's an improvement since I loathed them for two seasons and a half. But the things I always look forward to are the King, Nan Flannagan, Pam, Eric and yes, even Bill and Sookie, now that they are at the center of a mystery. I couldn't care less for Alcide, Debby and the whole werewolf sub-plot, though.

And now two spoilers:

Eric and Talbot. Eric. I applaude Mr. Skarsgard.

Crystal. The plot would annoy me but if I'm right in thinking what I think about Crystal and her family, then I think that this sub-plot could become incredibly interesting soon. Very soon.

Another thing, always spoilery about Lafayette, his mama, Jesus and the new Merlotte's waitress:

Am I the only one who's thinking witches?