Our good friend Matt Fowler at IGN TV.com informed us about his True Blood poll and knew that our readers here at TrueBloodNet.com would be interested in answering the question: In a “True Blood Vampire Showdown: Bill vs. Eric”, “Which undead Louisiana loverboy would win in a Bon Temps battle” both for the love of Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and for ultimate vampire supremacy. The rules? Voters must judge based purely on Alan Ball’s True Blood, not Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse Mysteries which the series is based upon.
In this corner is Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). On the plus side, IGN TV compares Bill to other “tamed vampires” like Louis (Brad Pitt) in Interview with a Vampire and Edward (Robert Pattinson) in Twilight, going on to say:
In his heart of dead hearts, even though he’s had several centuries to get over it, he doesn’t like being a vampire. He never wanted to be turned, and although he gave into rampant barbaric murder once upon a time, he’s lost the taste for it. He’s now in full-on “atonement” mode and will not drink human blood. At the start of the series, he lives alone and drinks the synthetic “Tru Blood” plasma substitute.
Bill, in accordance to the archetype, is also a one woman man. He’s the vampire that believes in true love with a singular soul mate….Bill‘s a lover AND a fighter. Sure there’s some restraint involved when he gets all hot and bothered, but it’s still the best lovin’ Sookie‘s ever had. Bill is a gentleman, a scholar and an all around swell dude.
IGN TV goes on to state that, as Team Bill fans will certainly agree, “Bill is almost aggressively noble. There are times when we’d all like to see Bill…unfurl,” though he is masterfully in control of his actions.
However, IGN TV also points out some of Bill‘s weaknesses as well, stating “as complex and touching as Bill‘s story might be, it’s also one of the reasons why Bill tends to be a bit of a mopey sourpuss.” He lost his family when he was turned, a fact which makes him jealous of his progeny, Jessica Hamby (Deborah Ann Woll), who has been turned after vamps are already out of the closet and therefore has opportunities he feels he was unfairly denied. In addition, despite his best efforts to save her, Bill can’t seem to help Sookie when she needs him most. She often defies his efforts to keep her out of harm’s way, and:
…he’s not a powerful enough vampire to tear himself away from the graces of stronger vampires. He doesn’t have the strength or the authority needed in most situations to properly defend Sookie from the horrors of the night.
We saw the results of Bill‘s weakness against older vampires when both his maker, Lorena (Mariana Klaveno), and Queen Sophie-Anne (Evan Rachel Wood). Both women are able to completely dominate and overpower him without seemingly breaking a sweat, holding him captive to their whims and preventing him from rushing to Sookie‘s side. He is only able to escape Lorena’s clutches when she becomes distracted long enough to allow him to wield a 52″ plasma TV a-la Jerry Springer, and he cannot leave the Queen on his own at all until she dismisses him. She effortlessly keeps him playing Yahtzee and lounging by the pool, though he continuously begs to leave, knowing Sookie is surrounded by zombified townsfolk and needs his help.
Bill‘s opponent is Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård). IGN TV describes Eric as:
Eric is the strikingly tall, strikingly blonde vampire sheriff of Louisiana. He’s a club owner and entrepreneur who has been around for hundreds of years, having been turned into a vampire by the impish, yet emphatic, Godric while he was a mortally wounded Viking.
Eric is…the dick. He’s the a**hole that gets away with being a callous douchebag because he’s handsome and stronger than everyone else around him.
Many fans of the show might disagree with the wording here, but the fact is that several poll sites have listed him as a potential “Best Villain” character. Alexander Skarsgård has said that he believes Eric is not just the “bad guy,” but thus far in the series, we haven’t seen enough yet to change that view of him. And remember, the rules state that the smackdown is based solely on the TV show alone, not on the books.
For die-hard Team Eric fans, on the plus side, IGN TV does agree that Eric is not a one-dimensional character, however:
In any other story, this guy would be the dillweed jock that our hero ultimately defeats. But on True Blood, thanks to the writing and the performance by Alexander Skarsgard, he’s given a few extra layers of “non-douchiness” that might make him more of a match for someone like Bill Compton.
Eric‘s cold and blunt demeanor has been given an explanation. World weariness….This made for an unexpectedly sad moment when we got to see Eric cry tears of blood over his even more world-wearied maker Godric‘s decision to self-incinerate. Is this the fate of the undead? They live so long that the only thing that they can possibly wish for is death? That notion right there is enough to make us care a bit more about Eric; seeing his situation as an actual affliction.
IGN TV then breaks down the good, the bad, and the ugly of Eric‘s actions on the show:
It’s also a bit fun to watch Eric purposely be bad to Bill simply because Bill is so good…Eric‘s the vampire that Bill is not….The good and the bad. The clean and the dirty. It’s somewhat refreshing to see Eric use his special patented form of anti-tact with Sookie, especially when we’re so used to Bill‘s earnestness. It’s truly the “no game” game.
Keep in mind when we say that Eric doesn’t give two s**ts about humanity, that he’s conveniently taken an interest in Sookie – the one woman that “fascinates” him. Because he can’t have her. Because of this fascination, Eric has gone to great lengths to try and sabotage the high school prom couple that is Bill & Sookie Forever! He brought back Bill‘s own maker, Lorena, in order to trap Bill. He tricked Sookie into drinking his blood, which instantly ties her to him in a sort of still-being-defined sexual way. Eric is devilishly devious and that’s a definite advantage, but he’s also not all that sneaky. Part of Eric “not caring” what anyone else thinks about him doesn’t really help him when it comes to secretive scheming. But we suppose that’s where his superhuman strength and his ability to fly come in handy.
Eric may be bigger, faster, stronger, and older, but that may not be enough in the end. Sookie is onto his game, and sweet dreams or not, she may not let him have his way with her after all. After comparing notes with Lafayette, she knows she’s not the only one whose mind he’s invading. She also knows about his little ploy with Lorena. And heck no, she ain’t forgettin’ that he tricked her into being his “little bullet sucker.” Even Eric‘s right-hand woman, Pam (Kristen Bauer), rolls her eyes at Eric‘s obsession with Sookie, and Bill has told Eric that his actions are “desperate, even for you.” He also warns that if he doesn’t back off, he’ll tell the Queen about Eric forcing Lafayette Reynold (Nelson Ellis) to sell “V” for him. Thousand-year-old vamp or not, even Eric may not be a match for Queen Sophie-Anne.
Is Eric strong enough to ultimately defeat Bill and win over Sookie? Or can Bill hold out and be the victor in the long game? Go to IGN TV.com to read the full article and vote on “which vampire wins the night.”
SOURCE: IGN TV.com
(Photo credit: HBO Inc.)
Deb
Team Bill all the way!!!!