True Blood 1x04 - Eric's Scene

Alexander Skarsgård is one of the best examples of casting I've seen of a character from a book since Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy.

I got impatient to see how he did in the role and thus looked on YouTube for his scene. Which meant I couldn't help but see the dunderheads from You Tube discussing him. Complaints ranged from how stupid it was for him to speaking modern Swedish when he's meant to be 1000 years old, to why his name is Eric Northman when that doesn't sound that old either. That his accent was bad - or his voice weird. One of them, oddly, said he didn't look like he could have been a viking.

Bwuh?

Meet many vikings?

He has long blonde hair, chilling blue eyes, he's atheletic and he's six foot something tall. Looks tough enough to me. Plus check the bone structure on his face! He couldn't look more like a Norseman if he was wearing a giant viking helment and swilling beer before he goes out to pillage. Unless they pictured someone fat with a beard.

I want to say *THUMBS DOWN* to all naysayers, I fully support him as Eric Northman. I spent the last couple of days reading the books and I've read his sections several times because he's the character that really appealed to me. Which normally means no actor could possibly live up to my expectations. Well...he's just perfect. I have nothing negative to say *GASPSHOCK*. I don't even care that I think his hair is meant to be longer in the books because he'd probably look like he'd stepped off a bodice ripper if they did that. Alexander Skarsgård seems to have inherited his father's talent but is much prettier. lol

My rebuttal goes like this:

1) On Accent: He's meant to have a slight, mixed accent and modern phrases are meant to sound awkward coming from him. The only reason I can think he sounds strange is because he is speaking in a very different way to everyone else. I LOVED the way he stretched his words as if forcing out perfect enunciation. Many of his words seemed deliberately slowed down or bitten out sharp and slow - I loved that attention to detail.

2) On Language: Eric speaks twenty-five languages in the book so I don't see the point of asking why he speaks modern Swedish rather than an older variety. We don't know how often he studies or when he left Europe or what those other languages are. I don't get the point of quibbling over which dialect he speaks because I think even Alexander said in an interview that it's not like the guy had been sleeping for a thousand years and was thus still thinking like he did back then. He's had to adapt to society, he learned different languages in different places. It's natural for him to still be familiar with a language from the region he originated from. Plus, Alexander the actor is fluent in this language and it was his idea to include the aside, it makes sense for them to use the language he's fluent in. A damn good idea if you ask me because how else is the audience meant to discover this guy is such a cunning linguist? (Okay, totally in bad taste, but I had to say it. Heh)

3) I love the slightly disdainful way he said 'mainstream' like it stuck in his mouth, and the patronising way he kept saying 'Bill', especially when he asked if he was very fond of his 'friend'; he wasn't even looking at Bill for most of that dialogue. Constantly putting him in his place. And Bill did look cowed by him most of the time which was perfect. The only thing I was unsure about in that section was Bill's threatening tone and body language when he told Eric Sookie was his (taking a step forward, grtting his teeth). In the books he says it much more meekly in comparison to when he said it to the other vamps in Mine. Granted, there's no specific description but I just didn't think he'd have the gall to use that tone with Eric, especially when he kept cautioning Sookie on her headstrong responses.

4) On sexuality: God damn, hell yes. My favourite part on this subject was when Sookie handed him the photos and as soon as he recognized Dawn, he made a little sound like a pleased growl. (After seeing all that graphic Jason/Dawn sex, I WISH we'd seen the Dawn/Eric sex....now THAT would have been hot. We all know he's the best sex she ever had, she said so and Jason shits me too much to find anything he does hot.) But he also licked his lips subtly when he looked at Sookie. I sort of wish they'd kept him trying to glamour Sookie away from Eric like he did in the books, but I understand why they didn't since Eric does not know about her telepathic abilities in this scene. I hope they're saving it for another occasion.

5) On Ruthlessness: He kicked a fangbanger across the room for daring to touch him without permission. It took no effort, the guy went flying and it was damn well orchestrated. My favourite part of the show continues to be the fights, I think they are really well choeographed and shot. His nonchalance in the face of that kind of violence says it all. You don't want to piss this guy off. Plus, Bill was clearly edgy around him so props to Stephen Moyer too for helping to establish who Eric is.

6) On movement: Loved the economy of movement. Even when he beckons Bill, he barely moves. Just lifts his hand, moves his fingers - the head and body remain perfectly still. It's like he's utterly aware of his own physical presence, utterly in control of it.

Sookie and Eric's Relationship (DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT BOOK SPOILERS)

I'm glad she's so disdainful and edgy of him in this first interraction because that's completely canon - her fear of his power and his lack of shame about the decadent thrill he gets form being a vampire. In the novels Sookie seems unnerved by Eric's age and how that feeds into his ambitions and priorities, she seems to be her most insecure with him too because every time he seems to desire she seems to slot in a disclaimer that he's not feeling what she is, and she knows it (even though she doesn't). For example, from book four:

We whispered some heartfelt (on my part) mutual compliments, and I was just out of it.

What's that "on my part" she has slotted in there after sexing up the viking? She clearly in insecure about Eric's capacity to feel for her and this is when he has no memories of his loooooooong life so imagine what goes on in her head when he's himself.

Thus she can have sex with Eric when he has amnesia but thinks she would have been able to summon the strength to reject him if he was himself because of his ancient intellect and how she suspects he uses that cunning. I think she's a bit of an unreliable narrator when it comes to his motivations but I'm glad to see they're laying the groundwork for that in these early scences. It's also why I hope they intend to have Eric attempt to glamour Sookie like other vampires have. It would show she's right not to trust him because at this early stage of their interraction, he doesn't much care for her free will as opposed to his own desires.

You can see Sookie doesn't completely get how dangerous he is yet in the way she talks back to him and Pam disdainfully. Like she believes they won't hurt her for her insolence even though Bill is worried they will. Or she thinks Bill has the power to protect her. Either way, it's great she has the guts to snap back at him and gain his interest when most people would be cowed by him.

LOVED all the little reactions as they spoke to each other, how Eric kept staring at her even when he was asking Bill if he was very attached to her. My favourite moment was when he said it was a pity she was Bill's...for him and then licked his lips slightly. Sookie visibly looked unnerved for a second. Heh.

Most importantly: He's as beautiful as the enthralled fangbanger said he was. There's nothing more irritating than having someone universally praised for their mystical beauty when you don't agree. (*cough*Lana*cough*) Thus, I feel sorry for the people who are disappointed in the casting of Eric because the show is just not going to be the same for them.

Seriously, the only casting I'd question out of Bill, Sookie and Eric is Sookie. But then I think Anna is a great actress and has been doing a good job making me like Sookie in scenes where I wasn't necessarily wild about her in the books. She earned my respect when she really WENT for it sucking on Bill's blood in "First Taste." I don't want to keep drawing comparisons, but the bloodplay in True Blood is far more convincing than Moonlight. I always felt, especially when Jason Dohring was biting, that it looked a bit awkward or unnatural. Maybe they were being too pretty about the bloodsplatter. But Anna really sunk her mouth over that fake blood, she had it EVERYWHERE, which makes me hope that they do include the bulletsucking scene from the books (oh god, PLEASE, PLEASE). That would be sweeeeet but I'm not holding out hope because there's no guarantee they'll even follow the storyline of the second novel that closely. Dexter didn't.

Stephen Moyer couldn't be any more Bill if he was really undead. Hence why I loved the interaction between Bill and Eric. Two perfect pieces of casting mostly nailing the interaction between these characters. I think there's more hate in that relationship than love and it's only going to get worse as Eric becomes more intrigued by Sookie so YAY for good acting and coming drama. *Crosses Fingers*

I can't wait until Eric finds out how Sookie knew they had to get out of Fangtasia.

Oh and Pam is kickass too. Casting is not how I pictured her but she's still awesome and I think she has the character of Pam down, so who cares about the physicality of her?

*LOVES*

FANGTASIA

Loved Sookie's comment that it was like a Disney World attraction. Because it totally is and there's never been a more apt description. The bar was set up to exploit human fascination with vampires, not vampires themselves. There are bars where vampires go by themselves, but when they're at Fangtasia they are acting vamp to bring in money from tourists. They sell T-Shirts there (and I wonder if HBO is selling those too, heh). I think Sookie was right but Bill was right to warn her that it gets more organic later too. I wonder if they'll have an actual vampire bar on the show, set up to please vampires, a more underground thing. If that will be more imposing to enter.

I liked the look of Fantasia too and I did like Eric's set up, like he was sitting on a throne. The only reason I'd question it was because Bill's slightly bitter "you noticed him?" comment seems really stupid in that context. Eric is basically sitting on a stage under a spotlight, all by himself, gazing out his groundlings. Anybody would notice him, it has nothing to do with how enthralling Eric is in that situation. I wonder if they should have just sat him in a booth like he sat sometimes in the books so that her noticing him meant something.

Damn it. Why do I have to live here? I'll be two weeks behind again soon....grrr.