[ bleep ] left. ian mcshane s character al swearengin steals the show, lock, stock, and barrel, away from anyone else. you want to go into that saloon of his and engage him in conversation. then you say to yourself, if i say something wrong, will i get my guts cut out with a bowie knife? he s a fascinating character in that he scares you and attracts you at the same time. that s kind of a rare thing. can we see your fangs? mommy always said daddy hated vampires. but we don t. i think that true blood was an enjoyable beach read with blood all over it. you could say it wasn t meant to be taken seriously, it wasn t taking itself seriously, except it was such a big allegory for what was going on with the gay community, with aids, with political backlash.