Mortal women falling for bad boy vamps isn’t exactly a novel idea. There’s something about dark, brooding — and dead — that can capture the heart of even a vampire slayer like Buffy.
But with True Blood coming back for a terrific second season, and teens all a twitter over the New Moon movie trailer, it looks like a good time to see how Sookie stacks up against Twilight’s Bella.
While Bella could have just wandered into her high school right out of a Jane Austen or Bronte sisters’ novel, Sookie’s more of a gritty girl. Sookie takes charge, and doesn’t let her love of the undead keep her from doing things her way.
Bella, however, seems to like it when an overprotective dead guy tells her what to do.
Sookie might be the better role model for young girls who have a tendency to let boys rule their worlds, but True Blood’s soft porn makes that viewing suggestion moot.
SAVE ME
The defining moment in the relationship between Sookie and vampire Bill comes right after Sookie meets her first vampire. Bill walks into her Louisiana diner, and exits with a couple that subdues him in the parking lot with silver chains while they try to drain him. Sookie comes to Bill’s rescue. For Bella, an out-of-control van in the school parking lot almost turns her into a pancake, until vampire Edward flies to her side and stops the van with his bare hand. Superman has arrived to save the damsel in distress.
Sookie: 1
Bella: 0
MENSA MATERIAL
Bella’s a top student who matches Edward in intelligence. He may have matriculated many times in the past century, but she’s more than able to keep up with him on an academic level. Sookie, however, has more down-home common sense than book learnin’. So we’ll have to give it up for Bella.
Sookie: 1
Bella: 1
BEST FRIENDS
Sookie puts everything on the line for her friends. When she decides to save — wait, that’s a potential spoiler… Let’s just say that this season starts with Sookie putting herself in danger to save her pal’s life. Bella? She barely remembers her friends’ names when she’s got Edward on the brain. So, she’s devoted to her fang boy, but only puts her friends first when Edward isn’t around.
Sookie: 2
Bella: 1
BLIND LOVE
Bella goes gaga the first time she sees Edward, and completely lets him control her life. If any other boyfriend was this controlling in real life, you would try to get your friend out of that relationship as quickly as possible. Instead, Bella’s fans seem to love the fact that this guy takes drastic steps, including vandalizing her vehicle, so that she does what he says. Boyfriend knows best. Meanwhile, we think Sookie might just blow the coffin lid right off Bill’s corpse if he tried to manipulate her that same way.
Sookie: 3
Bella: 1
HOT SEX
Can we even go here with a girl who is supposed to be a role model for pre-teen and teens? Well, Bella’s ready to give it up to Edward, but he’s more of an old-fashioned kind of guy. Either that or a heck of a tease. Even when they have their first smooch, he tells her she must stay very still and not move. Sure, he’s afraid he might suck the life right out of her, but it’s still a control issue. Meanwhile, this isn’t Bill’s first rodeo with a human. He knows what to do, and things get pretty rough. But there’s something about the sexual tension between Bella and Edward that makes for a sizzling chemical reaction that’s hotter than the wild animal fling between Sookie and Bill.
Sookie: 3
Bella: 2
BREAKUP TRAUMA
In the New Moon book, Edward decides it’s better for him to get out of Bella’s life for her own safety — a decision he makes without giving Bella’s opinion a second thought. It puts Bella into a tailspin. She’s suicidal, and turns to her friend Jacob for support. Jacob, for his faults, at least accepts Bella as she is, and encourages her to be herself. Edward’s too busy trying to rein her in. She goes all depressed and suicidal. In the books, when Bill leaves Sookie she’s heartbroken, but salves the pain by hooking up with another supernatural being. If you can’t be with the one you love, Sookie knows, then you love the one you’re with. It seems like a healthier alternative to suicide and depression.
Sookie: 4
Bella: 2
VAMPING OUT
Sookie doesn’t mind romping with the undead, but she sure doesn’t want to give up her immortal soul and mortal life for him. Bella, who can’t even cope with a prom, thinks she’s ready to commit to a life that means giving up her family, and living a hellish existence. Edward wants to love her through her mortal life, and succeeds in getting his way in almost everything having to do with Bella. But on this, he caves? What the hell?
Sookie: 4
Bella: 3
KLUTZ FACTOR
Sookie may be a little clunky in her rescue methods, but she seems to be perfectly capable of not only standing on her two feet, but keeping upright at a walk. Bella falls not only for the dangerous guy, but also for any pebbles that might be lying on a path. Maybe this is her ugly duckling phase before she blooms into a real swan. But when it comes to tripping herself up, we’ve got to give it to Bella.
Sookie: 4
Bella: 4
SELF-ESTEEM SCALE
For some reason, neither one has had much luck in the past with men or boys. Yet, suddenly, once they get involved with vampires, they become irresistible to other he-creatures as well. When Bella arrives at the high school, boys are suddenly interested in her. One of her sort-of-gal-pals chalks it up to the fact that she’s the shiny new toy in school. Maybe. But there’s something there that sends Edward into a blood lust, and once the most powerful guy in school wants Bella, there’s no stopping her climb to the top of the must-have charts for the local boys. Sookie’s ability to read minds has always made her strange in the eyes of the backwoods boys. She’s had mortal boyfriends, but there’s something about her own abilities that has started to draw the supes to her side. Sookie seems pretty secure in her own skin, but Bella keeps wondering how someone so perfect as Edward could ever see something in her. Great way to keep a relationship going, Bella. Think you can handle this for all eternity?
Sookie: 5
Bella: 4
THE TRUE ROLE MODEL
Bella’s a bright girl who loves the classics and she’s a good daughter as well, but she just doesn’t have the maturity to realize that she’s in a controlling relationship. She’s too immature to cope with most of the small trials ordinary life throws in her path, yet she thinks she’s ready to make the decision to give up her soul for an eternal relationship. In Twilight, she tells her friend to take control of a situation because she’s a strong, independent woman. Yet, Bella doesn’t take her own advice. Sookie might jump in the sack with anything, even if it doesn’t have a pulse, but she stands up for what she believes. She may leap into a situation without adequate thought, but she’s an independent woman whose self-esteem doesn’t rely on what a man thinks of her.
Sookie: 6
Bella: 4
Bottom line: We admire Sookie’s spirit and independence. Bella’s a sweet girl, but she needs some maturing. She could have had plenty of adventures before she opted for the vamp life. Look at Demi and Ashton. Now there’s a guy who appreciates a strong woman.
