Alan Ball's vampire drama, set in a world where vamps have come "out of the coffin" thanks to the invention of synthetic blood, premiered last Sunday on HBO. I previewed the show a few months ago, based on an early cut of the Pilot leaked onto the internet. After viewing the finished product, my thoughts remain largely the same: I love the premise, Anna Paquin's adorable as mind-reading waitress Sookie, and I want to see what happens next -- but the first episode lacked spark and momentum.The broadcast version of "Strange Love" was certainly a mild improvement over the version I first saw -- just not enough to cause a shift in my overall opinion. The effects were better, the opening credits are excellent, the bizarre vampire sex scene was trimmed (no crazy leaping onto the woman's back on hunched legs), a missing dream sequence was included, the mind-reading sequences are great (pay attention Heroes), and a few scenes looked different (but without a side-by-side comparison I can't be sure.) The most obvious change was the recasting of Tara, with Rutina Wesley replacing Brook Kerr. Tara was still brash and garrulous, but Wesley made her slightly more likeable and comedic by including a few winks and half-smiles.
Overall, I'm hoping this was just a tricky Pilot to get a handle on. It set everything up brilliantly (within 5 minutes) and drip-fed the character relationships very well. It's just a shame the pacing was so languid and important plot points (like a woman's murder) seemed to float by. Reaction online has been mixed, but I've heard that True Blood finds it footing next week, and I'd be surprised if Alan Ball (American Beauty/Six Feet Under) has constructed a total stinker.
