On the whole, the second season of HBO's TRUE BLOOD proved superior to the first. I believe that because pay cable TV shows have such short seasons (10 - 13 episodes for most, versus 22 - 24 for a network series) it takes twice as long for them to fully develop their characters and develop chemistry among their casts. Of course, the truly brilliant series - THE SOPRANOS, THE WIRE, DEXTER and CURB YOU ENTHUSIASM - hit the ground running. TRUE BLOOD isn't in that league, but its best episodes come close. I've not read the source novels, but I suspect that producer Alan Ball and his writers are somewhat restricted by them, even though following the wide cast of characters in the way that the novels don't offers them a wide path of creative freedom.

Season Two benefited from a deeper exploration of the vampire culture, taking Bill and Sookie on the road, and most of all, from a bravura performance by the outstanding Michelle Forbes as Maryann. Maryann's orgies and rites of cannibalism provided oodles of nudity and gore and comic relief between the bouts of mayhem she injected into Bon Temps. Eric and Tara developed into excellent characters, and by the finale, Sam became a true hero. The season was not without its missteps: Evan Rachel Wood is the least interesting vampire so far, and the Ball-scripted penultimate episode was pure filler.

The finale wrapped up Maryann's story line in the first half hour, then dealt with its after effects. Like last season, the cliffhanger was weak and hardly a nail biter; that's what happens when writers are forced by form to pack a punch that has little to do with what preceded it. But Maryann's arc came to a powerful gross out conclusion (albeit entirely predictable), and the lengthy epilogue was welcome. With ratings on the rise, all signs point to an even bigger third season. Too bad Forbes won't be around to shake things up some more