Women hold the power on ‘True Blood,’ ‘Hung’

from Boston Globe

Summer TV has been quite the trip, largely thanks to a particular maenad and her shivery, incantatory fits. Featured in the second season of HBO’s “True Blood,’’ Maryann Forrester has brought all kinds of wicked primal energy to the screen. Her name may put you in mind of “Gilligan’s Island’’ and a pair of pigtails, but she is more of a maniacal Mary Poppins, dropped into the town of Bon Temps to make life a very jolly holiday indeed.

Played with awesome hauteur by Michelle Forbes, who deserves lots of awards love for this role, Maryann is the queen of every scene she’s in. Whether she’s feeding heart pot pie to her minions or casually shrugging off the death of her manservant, she is creepy, campy, forceful, and irresistible. Alongside the Michigan women of “Hung,’’ who have found liberation with a male escort named Ray, Maryann has helped create a group portrait of women accessing power by shredding inhibition. It’s HBO Animus.

As “True Blood’’ and “Hung’’ wrap for the season on Sunday night, at 9 and 10, respectively, they provide a provocative yin to the sexist yang that is “Entourage.’’

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