I've moved!

2010-01-10T06:16:00.000-08:00

Little Red Sookie Stackhouse

2009-11-08T09:11:00.001-08:00

In folklore, the color red symbolizes the virginal innocence of the female protagonist on the cusp of sexual awakening. In Little Red Riding Hood the wolf, because he is a predator and stalker, is symbolic of the male with questionable desires.

In season one of True Blood, during the first date between virginal telepath Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton, the new Civil War era vampire in town whom everyone but Sookie assumes will kill and eat her, Sookie's Gran provides the guests in her parlour with little finger sandwiches, after which the courting couple head out for a walk through the woods to Bill's house. When Bill kisses Sookie, who is wearing a white dress, he becomes aroused but instead of trying to seduce the equally excited Sookie he immediately escorts her back home.

Not for the last time and despite his courtly manners Sookie determines Bill's vile and despicable vampire friends Malcolm, Liam, and Diane make him an unsuitable suitor and breaks off their courtship for a brief period.

Of course this is not the end of Mr. Compton's pursuit of the anachronistically innocent Sookie. Girls who have slept with vampires are being murdered all over town, and everyone knows Sookie has been consorting with a vampire, though it's generally accepted amongst the residents of Bon Temps, Louisiana that the 'deed' has yet to be done. When Sookie's brother is accused of the murders, her grandmother Adele urges her to use her gift of telepathy to clear his name. Bill Compton generously agrees to escort her to Fangtasia, a touristy but dangerous vampire bar in Shreveport owned by Louisiana's vampire Sheriff Eric Northman, so she can gather information on just which vampires the dead girls were 'familiar' with. On her mission Sookie wears a white dress with a red rose pattern...

"Escape From Dragon House" 1x4

..symbolic of her imminent deflowering. Later, in season 2 and well after she has lost her virginity to Bill, Sookie is attacked by a 'bull-man' and taken by Bill to Fangtasia to enlist Eric's help in healing her. The next night at the bar, Eric tell's Sookie the color of her blood red Fangtasia t-shirt 'suits her very well.
"Scratches" 2x3

Earlier on in season one, Sookie's second visit to Fangtasia was like being 'checked out like a library book' by Eric to help him find a thief in his bar. The culprit, a vampire named Longshadow, is revealed to Sookie by reading the hysterical mind of Ginger the bartender. Longshadow attacks Sookie and is staked by Bill:
"Plaisir D'Amour" 1x9

The vampire literally falls apart before her eyes, splattering blood all over her face and body and briefly giving her the appearance of being enveloped inside a hooded red cape.

Back in Bon Temps later in season one, Sookie's grandmother Adele is murdered by the big bad wolf. Later, Sookie kills Rene Lenier when he attacks her. Sookie's telepathy assures her he was indeed the murderer of the dead girls as well as of her beloved Gran. In one of the oldest traditions of folklore, Sookie had publicly made herself a target when she lost her virginity to Vampire Bill and allowed him to feed on her the very night of Gran's funeral. The storyline is laid to rest along with Rene.

Or is it?

Might Bud Dearborn, deceptively slow-talking, square dancing country boy sheriff of Bon Temps, revisit the murder of Adele at some point? After all, it's only been a couple of months on True Blood since the murder and new facts may emerge. If Sheriff Bud thinks about it, he may wonder why Rene believed Sookie, whom everyone knew to be on a date with Sam Merlotte, would be home while at the same time counting on the elderly Adele being away from home late at night . Bud might remember the other (young, sexually active) girls were strangled and Adele was stabbed with a knife. He might also remember what he said at the scene of Gran's bloody murder: "Vampires have been killing people and covering their tracks for a long time".

Sookie might eventually remember Bill in season 2 implanting a false memory via glamouring into the limo driver who tried to abduct her on behalf of fundamentalist church The Fellowship of the Sun. It might also occur to her that she had yet to have sex with Vampire Bill when Rene failed to find her home from a date with another man and killed her Gran instead. She should certainly consider the illuminating fact of her Uncle Barlett's cold-blooded murder at the hands of Vampire Bill, crippled pedophile though he may have been.

Sookie may eventually come to realize how after her grandmothers death Bill effectively took over Gran's role in her life-as parental figure, guardian, and protector. In many ways, just as the wolf disguised himself as Red Riding Hood's grandmother, he has also taken on Gran's persona-wise, patient, old-fashioned, filled with loving-kindness. This role playing was mirrored when Maryann the ancient maenad once evoked Adele for the purpose of manipulating the damaged Tara, Sookie's friend whom Gran cared for as a child.

to be continued...

Follow Me Down the Rabbit Hole..

2009-11-07T10:46:00.001-08:00

Once Upon a Time: Decoding True Blood

I've moved!

Little Red Sookie Stackhouse

Follow Me Down the Rabbit Hole..