TVSquad

There's been quite a bit of discussion about what sort of creature Maryann is on True Blood. While some TV Squad readers speculated that she's a Circe -- or rather, THE Circe -- Michelle Forbes, who plays the character, set the record straight in a TV Guide interview in mid-July.

She's a maenad, which, according to Wikipedia, were the female followers of Dionysus in Greek mythology. "Their name literally translates as 'raving ones.' Often the maenads were portrayed as inspired by him into a state of ecstatic frenzy, through a combination of dancing and drunken intoxication. In this state, they would lose all self-control, begin shouting excitedly, engage in uncontrolled sexual behavior, and ritualistically hunt down and tear animals (and sometimes men and children) to pieces, devouring the raw flesh."

All of that sounds pretty intense, but Forbes says that Maryann is NOT a villain. "Maryann lives in a different moral construct than the rest of us. Tenderness, violence -- they're the same to her. The more that somebody is feeling alive and in their adrenaline and feeding that appetite for what we're not supposed to do, the more that they're in what she considers purity."

She adds, "All those things that people hold themselves back from -- food, sex, booze, drugs -- she wants to push people into their vices, their purity, their ecstasy. That's what she considers happiness. It's not a nefarious or villainous thing in her mind. She wants everyone to feel the same glory and joy that she feels. She wants everyone to join the party."

I think most of us are trying to be good human beings, so if you're like me, it's hard to reconcile all of this as non-villainous, especially when people are getting attacked. Plus, unlimited amounts of [fill in your favorite vice here] might be nice for a while, but there are consequences. Eventually, you have to rein things in and re-gain some self-control and willpower. Otherwise, the world would be a mad place to live, right?

So if, indeed, Maryann isn't a villain, we have to set aside our own beliefs of right and wrong and just enjoy True Blood for what it is. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out, and what will happen to Maryann. Part of me wants to see her go down in flames, if for no other reason than her ridiculous shaking drives me a little batty.