Character of the week: Maryann

Michelle Forbes as Maryann

Is she the Maenad? If you need any more clues, you haven't been paying attention.

Michelle Forbes is not new to the entertainment industry, in fact she has been playing wonderful roles since the early nineties. 

If you are a Sci-Fi fan, you may know her for her role as Ensign Ro Laren in Star Trek The Next Generation (Season 5, 1991/1992) or for her portrayal of the cold hearted, results driven Admiral Helena Cain in Galactica (Season 2, 2005).

Outside of her Sci-Fi roles, she played strong women in a variety of successful shows such as: Alias (as Maggie Sinclair, 2005), Boston Legal (as Juliette Monroe, 2006), and Lost (as Karen Decker, 2008), among others. 

You may remember the fun side of Michelle with her appearance in Seinfield as Julie (1 episode, Season 6, 1995).

Or if you often go to the movies, you may have seen Michelle playing Brazen in Escape from LA with Kurt Russell (1996), or my favorite of them all Kalifornia with Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, and David Duchovny (1993). 

Michelle gives every role her best and that is A LOT!

During the first season of True Blood on HBO, we were introduced to Maryann. A so-called "miracle worker" that helps a drunk-driving, homeless Tara. At first, one wonders if she is the maenad that doesn't really appear in Charlaine Harris' stories until Living Dead in Dallas. However, Alan Ball introduced us to Michelle as a great transition into Season 2. 

Some people wondered if Maryann is the maenad. Really? Do you have any doubts? 

In Episode 12, Maryann is sitting in what looks like a meditation session with a pig by her side while Tara is being introduced to another character that will be prominent in the upcoming season "Eggs". Is she meditating or is she manipulating the events that are going on inside the house? 

Maryann seems to know more about the people of Bon Temp than meets the eye. We can see that she knows Sam and that he doesn't like to have her back in town. Were they lovers in the past or is Sam indebted to her for her success in the bar business? Remember what you learned about the maenad in Book 2 and you can speculate about what will happen in True Blood's upcoming season. 

In Michelle's own words "Maryann has a hidden agenda" and we know it cannot be good!

It will be interesting to see the development of her character and enjoy her be part of a cast that is getting better and better as the show progresses. 

What are your thoughts about Maryann and her agenda? What do you think will happen next?

A few trivia points ...

• She is currently acting in two HBO Series: True Blood and In Treatment
  
• A Star Trek action figure was made in the likeness of Ensign Ro Laren, her character on the Star Trek series.
  
• A quote from an interview in 2004 about her offer to play Admiral Cain in Galactica "I tend to play a lot of authoritative, strong women" Really? We didn't notice... Don't worry, you are great at it!
• Was born in Austin, TX, January 8, 1965
• Moved to NYC at the age of 16 to start her acting career
• Michelle is 5 ft 10' tall

In Love with a Vampire, Out for now...