Not trolling. Genuinely curious. What about this character do you love? (If you do love his character.) I write on occasion and would love to learn what makes a character (a mass murderer no less) so loved. Was it just the fact he was easy on the eye and had a wry sense of humour? Is he like Dexter in those respects? Thoughts?
Truth in responding: I'm new to "True Blood," having recently purchased seasons 1-3 of the series, and as I write this, having watched only Season 1.
Of course I have developed opinions, ideas and expectations of all the recurring characters. Eric is one of the characters I "like," and since you asked, here's why I like him:
Alexander Skarsgard: He is well-cast in the role. Everything that follows is supported by his performance:
Eric is droll. He is presented as being very, very old, yet he is not bored. Eric enjoys being a vampire for reasons I suspect season 1 does not reveal.
Eric has a sense of humor. I would think that a couple of centuries of existing and interacting with humans would exhaust any possibility of the surprise needed to find anything funny, but Eric exhibits an un-jaded, quasi-naive attitude towards humans. Contrary to the attitude/opinion of the "Magistrar," and the responsibilities of a "Vampire Sheriff," I think Eric has a certain affection, appreciation, even respect, for humans.
Sidebar: It is my opinion that many adults have forgotten they were ever children. Analogously, vitally, Eric remembers that he was "human."
Apropos of the above, Eric does not unconditionally support the Vampire dogma that humans are lower life forms.
For however long Eric has...existed, he has encouraged himself to be curious, inquisitive, and most importantly, tolerant. As it is my opinion that prejudice and bigotry are functions of ignorance and/or the insecurity and resultant fear people feel when they perceive themselves to be in the presence of people smarter than themselves, this suggests for me that Eric, open-minded and understanding as he presents, is both intelligent and insightful.
Vis. the above proposition: Eric is exceptionally intelligent. He is old because he learns. He is Sheriff because he knows how to apply what he learns judiciously, sagaciously, and respectfully.
Eric is witty. This is always an appealing quality, and in "True Blood" the writers make good use of this. Without being arch, overly sarcastic or mean-spirited, Eric gives everyone around him cause to smile: The Magistrar, Bill, even Sookie, are recipients of Eric's bon mots, clever observations and artful flirtations.
Eric is attractive. Anyone who watches "True Blood" will have some awareness of the impact being pretty, handsome or at least "easy-on-the-eyes" has on a viewer's opinion. Like most "ensemble" TV shows, "True Blood" is cast with "beautiful people," and Alexander Skarsgard would be near the top of most viewers lists of "'True Blood' characters I would most like to be photographed with."
In closing I reiterate, these are the impressions of a viewer informed ONLY by the First Season of "True Blood." Future seasons may develop Eric's character in ways, directions and to actions that give me cause to re-evaluate, but the fact that, at the end of Season 1, these are my answers to your question, suggest yet another reason to like Eric:
"Its not confidential,
I've got potential."---"Somebody Told Me"--The Killers
I enjoyed reading your take on the viking and while I'm a huge fan of the character (and the actor) I have to admit, Eric didn't become my main reason for watching TB till mid-season two, when my patience with Bill/Sookie ran dry, and the writers let us get to know him better. Please post again when you've watched further into the series.
While I wasn't always happy with the writing for Mr.Northman, I always enjoyed Skarsgard in the role and many (professional critics included) have said Eric and Pam remained a saving grace....even when all the rest went so very very wrong. I would have abandoned the show during season five if not for those two...
📝http://bit.ly/bloody-hot
I enjoyed reading your take on the viking and while I'm a huge fan of the character (and the actor) I have to admit, Eric didn't become my main reason for watching TB till mid-season two, when my patience with Bill/Sookie ran dry, and the writers let us get to know him better. Please post again when you've watched further into the series.
While I wasn't always happy with the writing for Mr.Northman, I always enjoyed Skarsgard in the role and many (professional critics included) have said Eric and Pam remained a saving grace....even when all the rest went so very very wrong. I would have abandoned the show during season five if not for those two...
I always liked Eric was very smart. He also was very loyal to those he cared about like Sooki & Godfrey, his maker. Not to mention he's very sexy.
If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now.-Loki (Marvel's Avengers)
The real question you should be asking is why would you not like Eric? Eric was easily the best part of the show and stole nearly every scene he was in. Talk about perfection in casting.
shareWhy? Because he is played by a very charismatic actor who holds more charisma in his left pinkie toe than resides in all of Anna Paquin and her husband put together.
shareI have to agree. I've watched the whole series, except for the rest of season 6, and all of season 7. Eric is far and away my favorite character, just as Spike was on Buffy. Bill reminds me of Angel, and I always thought Angel was boring.
AVADA KEDAVRA!!!
I really started to like him during the Godrick arc. Before that he was really just Generic BadGuy #54. But after meeting and bonding with other characters, Eric's narrative actually evolved.
Compared to Bill, who was a bit of a mopey-Emo guy from the start, Eric embraced being an Immortal and thoroughly enjoyed it. Then the slaughter and general disdain for humanity was challenged in his feelings for Sookie and Eric's character actually changed and grew because of his interactions with her.
From beginning to end, minus "Billith", Bill remained this complaining sort of martyr character. Story wise, that's rather boring and to be honest became old after a while.
Eric went from the Devil back to understanding a bit of what he'd lost since he'd been changed and finally reconciled that change into a new character by the end of the series.
So given a choice between the two, Eric was more interesting because he was just more emotionally complex.
That being said, Team Alcide! lol
I think Eric is one of the best looking guys on True Blood besides Alcide, and Sam.
shareIt certainly didn't hurt that Eric was so handsome and impressive but I think other than that and the fact that his character was so interesting because he was complex and changed throughout the show,he was the quintessential awesome vampire and reveled in being what he was. He owned his vampiric state and was unapologetic about it and the choices he made. Vampires,after all, were the main supernatural season and drove most of the compelling action in the show. Of all the vampires, Eric was the most fun to watch.
sharenever liked him. he is just a swedish pussy
shareHe's the anti hero and people love anti heroes, blame it on Deadpool.
Plus he's hot and every gay men's dream.
"No one is gonna take my soul away i'm living like Targaryen"