232 replies to this topic

[Circus Poodle]

The role of Tara seems a bit overwritten to me, as if she just spews her inner monologue instead of being natural. Can anyone be that aggressively angry every minute of every day? What are your thoughts on Tara?

[Last Time Lord]

I like Tara. I think she is funny. Yes, she's a bit over the top at times, but I still like her.

[Carabosse]

I think she's the "sassy black best friend" and I am hoping that she becomes a proper character as the series develops.

[Aunty Mib]

I think that most of the other characters were underwritten which made Tara stick out more.

I enjoyed her character although I expect improvements through the series.

took out a reference to the books

Edited by Aunty Mib, Sep 12, 2008 @ 10:49 AM.

[Kris_AB]

My dad read the Sookie Stackhouse books (he's a big fan of vampire literature, but I was a little surprised to find out he'd read them) and said he had no clue that Tara was black. Does it say one way or the other that she is in the books, or can you maybe just tell from the way she talks even if there's no mention of skin color ? I'm just curious.

Remains to be seen whether she stay appealing or becomes annoying. So far I like her.

[cyberducks]

Kris AB, Tara is white in the books - that's one of the changes Alan Ball made for the TV show. Indeed, BookTara and TVTara seem like completely different characters to me, and I don't mean the skin colour.

It's odd because with everybody else he seems to be following the books so far.

[TheLabRat]

I like Tara a lot (my favorite character so far though I have some reservations because of the sassy black best friend problem), but I think my years of customer service give me a bias. For example in the opener, while her chewing out the lady may have seemed a bit much to some given that she wasn't being THAT bitchy of a customer, I think it made perfect sense in the context of an employee who is tired of idiot customers and abuse and this BS the customer is always right mantra. Lady seriously could have picked up a phone and was going into entitled customer mode with her gripes about driving an hour in light of that. Given what Tara said about manager dude grabbing her ass, my assumption that this lady was the most recent in a long line of similar characters, all of whom she has been told by smarmy managers to humor like they were misbehaving infants, I admire Tara's bravado in not just quitting, but telling it like it is to the both of them.

As I said, I am concerned about her being relegated to the stereotype of sassy black friend, and share the hope that she will become a solid character on her own.

I'm also concerned that new Tara (I saw the unaired pilot) does not seem to have the right chemistry with everyone thus far (common enough with a preair recast); I don't believe she's romantically interested in Sookie's brother AT ALL and her vibe with Sookie herself wasn't quite right (though better) either. Much like when the lead female on "Reaper" was recast before the show actually aired though, I expect that will change dramatically with each episode, as she gets more time to rehearse with her costars.

Edited by TheLabRat, Sep 13, 2008 @ 1:00 PM.

[Mathilda]

Tara's clearly bitchy as a defense mechanism. And she was shown several times looking very frightened, unsure or upset (like when Sookie stormed out), which balanced out her high strung moments for me.

Or maybe I can just relate to her low tolerance of stupid people.

[Circus Poodle]

For some reason a thought relating to this thread bubbled up the other day. Here it is.

Tara is worried as relates to her own self, her own possible pain, her own fears, only. Even when she expresses 'concern' for Sookie, it is because "you mean too much to me to lose". It may be a fine distinction, but nowhere does Tara show true empathy. She is concerned as relates to what Tara wants or doesn't want. She is not above using and manipulating others.

Also - one could argue that repeatedly being fired for ranting in a nearly hallucinatory way at anyone handy is one definition of 'a stupid person'. So far the show balances her out but I may be fast forwarding through Tara's scenes if they keep portraying her as something valid. At least have a point of view on Tara, show writers. Heroic and whipsmart, so far, she is not.

[EvilAngelfish]

Tara was about a thousand times more likable in the second episode than she was in the pilot. She'll still flip out on someone at the drop of a dime but I like they're giving us a little bit of insight as to *why* she does it. For example, in the scene where Bill comes calling on Sookie and talking about the past and Tara starts yelling at him about slaves, it seemed like she was just using that as an excuse to openly show her dislike for Sookie's fascination/infatuation with him, like "It's not that he's a vampire, it's 'cause his father owned slaves! See? He's horrible!" The scene where she mouths off to the tipsy woman in the bar also kind of showed a bit more reason for her random outbursts. Maybe I'm creating my own little backstory, but it is not uncommon for victims of neglect (neglected children, spouses, etc.) to randomly lash out in the way that she does.

And what a sweet, sad scene with Jason!

She was definitely grating last week but I think Tara is growing on me...

[Kris_AB]

Hah, but given her penchant for lying (baby daddy, kids, Iraqi War vet husband, etc), she could've been fibbing about the ass-grabbing too(maybe there was some basis for it that she expanded upon, like he brushed past her once or something), just as an excuse to go off on him real good, slap him, and quit. Just wanted an excuse to get out of there. She looked painfully bored, her friends are at Merlotte's, and there seems to be a lot more happening at that bar--even if the Wal-Mart job paid more, I'd rather be at the bar too.

Was it painful to anyone else to watch what Tara did when she got home and sat down at her kitchen table ? She poured herself a bowl of Lucky Charms (loved 'em as a kid, mom was rarely willing to buy 'em for us even though she'd relent on other surgary cereal--find that kinda thing pretty evil now, knowing the crap in it), and proceeded to add sugar to it ! Might explain a lot, heh.

She was awesome in this episode, but I already liked her. Just wasn't sure if she'd become annoying later. Her behaviour last episode (and I'm not talking about the wit and the constant backtalk, which is awesome, but moreso the aggressiveness in overdrive) could be chalked up to having just quit her job and everything that was going on in the ep. Her crush on Jason is cute, I can see how that would stick around from childhood. And a lotta folks can relate, we don't always want the folks who're good or right for us.

[Rockstar99435]

I wonder if the reaction would be the same if Tara weren't black but had the same attitude.

I think so. The customer didn't get upset and start asking for the manager until after Tara called her stupid and made fun of her outfit.

Hah, but given her penchant for lying (baby daddy, kids, Iraqi War vet husband, etc), she could've been fibbing about the ass-grabbing too(maybe there was some basis for it that she expanded upon, like he brushed past her once or something), just as an excuse to go off on him real good, slap him, and quit. Just wanted an excuse to get out of there.

I assumed she was lying about the manager grabbing her ass too. Mainly because after watching her flip out on a customer for the heinous crime of wanting to buy something, I don't buy for a second that Tara wouldn't have flipped out at her manager the very first time he grabbed her ass.

I liked Tara a lot more the second episode. She is not as crazy and when she did yell at people, she was a lot more sympathetic. Standing up to your boss about the sexist outfits only the female workers have to wear and explaining to a customer that her child does not want to come and pick her drunk ass up is a lot easier to understand than freaking out at customers who just want to buy stuff. Plus, Tara did a lot to win me over by acknowledging that she acts like an idiot when she gets mad. Now, she just has to work on growing up and controlling her temper.

The only thing that bugged me about Tara this episode is learning that she still lives at home. She spent the first episode bitching about stupid people and her alcoholic mom, but she's too stupid to keep a job as a Walmart greeter or to move away from her alcoholic mom. Tara is a bartender which means she has to be 21. 21 is plenty old enough to get your own apartment even if your parents are nice, decent people, let alone if your parents are abusive alcoholics.

[bluegirl]

I just wanted to get in a quick. I am really starting to like Tara. I hope nothing bad happens before they give her a storyline. I don't mind the bitchyness and even enjoyed her wackiness with the guy trying to hit on her. Even though can't understand why oh why does she like jason.

[Dee2]

The only thing that bugged me about Tara this episode is learning that she still lives at home. She spent the first episode bitching about stupid people and her alcoholic mom, but she's too stupid to keep a job as a Walmart greeter or to move away from her alcoholic mom. Tara is a bartender which means she has to be 21. 21 is plenty old enough to get your own apartment even if your parents are nice, decent people, let alone if your parents are abusive alcoholics.

Tara seems to want to remain close with those she considers family.

After she saw her mom had passed out from drinking she immediately called Lafayette, who chastised her for her overreliance on him & advised her to move out.
She also got Sam to hire her, against his better judgment to look after Sookie, so it's not a stretch to believe she has a similar relationship with her mom.

[Carabosse]

Now that I have a better idea of where they are going with the character, I am less worried that she's going to stay a one-note stereotype.

[Kris_AB]

Rockstar99435 said:

Tara did a lot to win me over by acknowledging that she acts like an idiot when she gets mad.

I would've liked her regardless, but it really is nice to see on TV, the self-awareness (Jason displayed some too, which was an even bigger surprise than Tara's and kinda cool). I watch Lost and, much as I love that show at times, it's painfully annoying how many of the characters have little to no self-awareness.

Now, she just has to work on growing up and controlling her temper.

I really hope she doesn't any time soon. The show just started, I want more of her like this for a while, I don't wanna see her get her shit together. I don't always wanna see quick character progression/improvement/growth/whatever when I'm watching TV shows, sometimes I just wanna watch people continue to be flawed and act like average people, who often don't improve.

The only thing that bugged me about Tara this episode is learning that she still lives at home. She spent the first episode bitching about stupid people and her alcoholic mom, but she's too stupid to keep a job as a Walmart greeter or to move away from her alcoholic mom. Tara is a bartender which means she has to be 21. 21 is plenty old enough to get your own apartment even if your parents are nice, decent people, let alone if your parents are abusive alcoholics.

Dee2 mentioned that maybe she just wants to stay close to her family (the blood-related and friend-created kind), I figure this to be the case as well. You're right that one can't continually quit jobs and expect life to work itself out to satisfaction that way, but she's in her 20s and she's still figuring herself out and who knows, maybe she'll be somewhat emotionally stunted and maybe unmotivated and self-sabotaging her entire life. We'll see.

I don't think most people should move out at 21, a whole lotta folks I know just weren't ready at that age. Whether it's because they aren't emotionally mature and/or responsible enough, haven't saved up enough of a base with which to have as a back-up upon moving out, or because they're going to school and would be wise to stay home to save some of the much-needed cash (although I do believe students should still have jobs, even if only a few part time shifts a week...unless maybe they're lucky enough to have rich parents). Until you have a good reason to move out (and unless she feels like her alcoholic mom is keeping her back in life, that ain't a great reason to move out, might as well leech off of home for a bit and help out if it's in your nature to do so, until you genuinely do get too sick of the situation and aren't just complaining for the sake of complaining about it anymore like Tara has been).

[Rockstar99435]

It's not that I think that everyone who is 21 shouldn't live at home. There are a lot of reasons why that is a good idea for some people, it's that Tara hates her mom and her home life so much that in two episodes we've seen her (1) give a guy a five minute lecture on slave names and how much she hates her mom when all he wanted to do was order a beer, (2) tell her boss her 'woe-is-me-my-childhood-was-terrible-because-my-mom-was-an-alcoholic' speech, (3) go off on another customer about how horrible it is to be the child of an alcoholic, and (4) call up Lafayette and complain that she can't deal with her mom being drunk again only to have him tell her again that she should move out.

So this isn't a case of a high school student who was mad and her mom and venting to friends, but a legal adult who is miserable because mother is constantly drunk. High school students with alcoholic parents get my sympathy because they can't leave the situation. Grown ups who spend their time complaining about their lives but don't do anything to improve them don't. Tara is a legal adult. In fact, she's been a legal adult for 3 years. So she is capable of getting her own place, especially if she hates her homelife so much she can't go 5 minutes without bitching about it to someone.

Edited by Rockstar99435, Sep 17, 2008 @ 3:50 PM.

[Circus Poodle]

I agree, RockStar. Tara needs a roommate and a whole lot of Al-Anon and CODA meetings.

I wonder if I need a meeting, too. Is there a group for people who worry about Tv characters' lives?

[Futhark]

I know from experience, children of addicts tend to take on a "parental" role with their parents. Tara may not be able to emotionally move out because she feels responsible for her mother.

[dcsassychica]

Sorry, I grew up in Louisiana, so I cannot stand her attempt at a Louisiana accent. Horrible! She's a beautiful woman, though.

[WitsNSass]

Sorry, I grew up in Louisiana, so I cannot stand her attempt at a Louisiana accent. Horrible! She's a beautiful woman, though.

I love the actress and the Tara character, but that damn feeble attempt at a Louisiana bayou accent is grating my asscheeks, big fuckin' time! This has been a pet peeve of mine since forever. Hollywood just doesn't get the concept of regional southern accents. There is no such thing as one catch-all Southern accent; accent can vary greatly within a section and/or state in the South, and often differ between whites and blacks in the same region, even if they practically grew up in the same part of town. My dad is from Memphis, my mom's side is from Louisiana (New Orleans) and Mississippi, and my husband is from B-ham. They all sound different - you can even tell the difference from my LA and MS bayou relatives- that's how different the accents are. I think if an actor can't nail the accent, just drop it all together. Tara's "accent" is distracting. Even the actor playing Lafayette, who you can kinda tell is a Chicagoan who likely has Mid South relatives, has a more convincing accent, but you can tell he's not from the bayou.

[AnneB53]

It's kinda like British, Australian, and South African accents ... they
all sound kinda alike to me, but a Brit buddy can tell them apart no prob.

[Circus Poodle]

Seems Tara could end up just like her mother. Jumping into anything that takes the emotional pain away for a little while - sex, pills, booze, pot. During one episode no less. Seems she reaches for whatever crutch might be handy.

[Kris_AB]

Yeah, she's self-aware but she indulges anyway.

Isn't drinks + 2 Vicodin (sp?) + weed quite a risk ? I dunno, just seems like mixing that many might bring about a bad reaction in some folks. I drink a little (less and less--bartending for five years actually made it less desirable), had a couple minor drug experiences years ago, but I'm not very knowledgable on what mixes well and I'm too much of a health nut to care at this point, it's easier to just not do 'em.

[Aunty Mib]

I think that her infatuation with Jason won't be solved by her sleeping with him. IMO, the most likely back story is that they already had sex when they were teenagers, he may have been her first experience, but "insensitive, egotistical horn-dog" Jason had quickly forgotten about it. That would be far worse than Jason never, ever noticing her.

[recordstorebum]

IMO, the most likely back story is that they already had sex when they were teenagers, he may have been her first experience, but "insensitive, egotistical horn-dog" Jason had quickly forgotten about it. That would be far worse than Jason never, ever noticing her.

See, this is where I think you could be wrong, Aunty Mib. Why do they have to have any sort of sexual history for Tara to be acting like this? Looks to me like she has a school-girl crush on him that just developed as the years went on. She saw the things that he did (sleep around), but it didn't bother her because over the years, whether she meant it to or not, her vision of Jason grew into this mythical, god-like entity. Why doesn't Tara have a boyfriend? Because Jason Stackhouse (a.k.a. Zeus in Tara's universe) is the ultimate goal guy. He is the guy against whom she judges all others, and will probably therefore never by satisfied by or with anyone else.

Of course, whether she realizes this or not, I don't know. But that's what I think Tara is all about... of course, that's just my opinion :)

[cyberducks]

Because Jason Stackhouse (a.k.a. Zeus in Tara's universe) is the ultimate goal guy. He is the guy against whom she judges all others, and will probably therefore never by satisfied by or with anyone else.

But Jason is such a no-good horndog! About the only thing he has going for him is his hot bod. How can an intelligent girl like Tara who has a lot of common sense (look how she handled that guy hitting on her at the party) have such a blind spot when it comes to Jason Stackhouse? She should be pursuing a decent, smart guy like Sam instead for a real relationship, instead of being content with being fuck-buddies there.

[EvilAngelfish]

She should be pursuing a decent, smart guy like Sam instead for a real relationship

When I first saw the episode, I thought that Tara and Sam was an absolutely terrible idea, but I think you're on to something, cyberducks. They actually do have a really good dynamic (all those wonderfully dry, funny exchanges they have) and they'd probably complement each other pretty nicely. However, I think Tara (and Sookie for that matter) are kind of stuck in a sort of perpetual adolescence (perhaps Sam is as well) and instead of seeing Sam as a good choice for a stable, sensible partner in a mature relationship, Tara's stuck on her girlhood crush. Those crushes have a way of lingering a long time and how dumb or crude or how much of a jerk the object actually is doesn't seem to matter if you've been in "love" with them since you were six.

I'm extremely eager to see the fallout of the no-strings sex. Will Tara tell Sookie about it? Will it really never be spoken of again?

[Quintana]

Tara's stuck on her girlhood crush. Those crushes have a way of lingering a long time and how dumb or crude or how much of a jerk the object actually is doesn't seem to matter if you've been in "love" with them since you were six.

The shelf life of these types of fixations is tripled when there is a rejection involved. In Tara's case, I think it's been a rather oblique rejection. A lot less likely that Jason turned down a direct invitation, and more probable that he's just never picked up on any of Tara's flirting. Which has to really burn, because on some level Tara's thinking "Let me get this straight, you'll sleep with anything in a skirt but me?"

For someone with an obviously damaged self esteem (and she'd have to have one, with a mother like that), Tara is probably perfectly primed to continually seek approval from sources that will never provided her with it.

And fixating on Jason is safe in more than just the ways she lists in her talk with Sam. In addition to being The Rejecter that she desperately needs affirmation from, Jason is also so wildly unsuitable that Tara never has to worry about the reality of having a real relationship with him. It would so obviously crash and burn. But focusing on that saves Tara from having to try and have a real relationship with someone else. Because, as she's learned from her mom, when you really care is when they can really hurt you. And Tara is still trying to walk away from that abusive cycle, so she's probably terrified of getting involved in another one.

That could also explain some of her more acerbic personality traits. I think Tara wants to hold the world at a distance, and hold part of herself back.

Edited by Quintana, Sep 25, 2008 @ 6:33 PM.

[gl_shark]

Will Tara tell Sookie about it? Will it really never be spoken of again?

My guess is Sookie will read her mind if she notices the two acting different.