Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Death Watch

SUN IN THE EIGHTH HOUSE
Change is inevitable. With the sun in the 8th House, the house of regeneration. Scorpio, the sign of death and natural ruler of the 8th House is on the horizon. That combination shows this to be a time of change, when one chapter ends and another begins. A new plot line opens.

Apparently, I'm a death junkie. I spent yesterday watching the entire first season of True Blood while unpacking. The writing is highly clever and the writers clearly know their vampire lore. And not just the traditional mythos associated with vampires (garlic, holy water, crucifixes, etc), they are out to reference almost anything, including Buffy, Blade, and Anne Rice. Every time someone introduces a new vampire world, they have their own twist on the traditional knowledge. Anne Rice did it with Interview With A Vampire, Joss Whedon did it with Buffy, and now, Charlaine Harris has done with the books that are the base for this new television series.

Still, there's quite another element to this series. True Blood is not ashamed to emphasize the vamp in vampire, nor the suck in bloodsucking. Of course, there's a natural eroticism to the vampire world - always has been. This series puts it right out there in your face. In this series, you can literally flirt with disaster, and many people do. It's part of the subculture.

Still, flirting with disaster seems to be my whole fascination as far as television is concerned. Taking note of my media interests, the list includes dead and undead in various forms: Buffy, Angel, Six Feet Under, Dead Like Me, Dexter, and now, True Blood. Not that every show I watch has an element of death to it. After all, Ugly Betty is bright and campy. Still there is a fascination with the trappings of death, including that which happens after death and the possibilities of undead life.

There is fear involved. It's terrifying to think that our slice of life is so minuscule when compared with the expansive timeline we've created to make sense of the world. Perhaps that's why we take comfort in the idea of immortality. However, considering immortality as a realistic concept, it is highly probably that living forever, even an undead life, would be fantastically boring. Still, it's wonderful to think of furthering life, regardless of the darker stage in which such a drama might play out.

The vampire is a fabulous creature associated with death and sex. In fact, one might consider it a Scorpio's dream creature. It is powerful, intense, erotic, and dangerous. There's something fascinating about such creatures and we're drawn to them with, dare I say it, unholy attraction. Death is terrifying and intense and powerful in its unknowability and I have no doubt that there will be many more media forays into its uncharted lands.

I say bring it on.

3 comments:

  1. I so need to watch True Blood. One can only watch so much Buffy. Who am I kidding, I'm rewatching season 4 right now!

    ~Alex

    P.S. Did you see Dollhouse. No vamps, but pretty amazing, and kindof plays with the idea of death in a existential way.

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  2. I totally agree, I'm basically obsessed with every one of the shows you mentioned. Sadly, I read the first book by Charlaine Harris and I thought it was terrible. The screenwriters of True Blood did an excellent job with it. There is so much that happens in the series that doesn't happen in the book. On the other hand, I'm glad it exists and that so many people love it, else we wouldn't have such a captivating series.

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  3. Alex-

    You so need to watch True Blood.

    I totally love Dollhouse. There was a fight on Whedonesque.com to save it and I'm so glad they did. I swear, if they ever make my book into a movie, I want Joss Whedon to adapt it and direct it.

    Jules-

    I have not yet read Charlaine Harris's books, but I want to. I've heard that they're very different, and a lot of people have said they like the series better than the book, but still, I'm curious. Can't help it. I'm so looking forward to season 2.

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