True Blood, Seasons 1 & 2

Across the country, vampires have come 'out of the coffin' after the invention of mass-produced synthetic blood. In Louisiana, Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress with telepathic abilities, falls under the spell of a sexy, 173-year-old vampire named Bill Compton--whose thoughts she can't read. After saving Bill from the Rattrays, a pair of ruthless 'vampire drainers,' Sookie tests the limits of Bill's gratitude when the two are left alone in the dark. Meanwhile, Sookie's best friend Tara quits one job to work for Sam Merlotte at his bar and grill, and Sookie's roguish brother Jason finds himself in hot water when a 'fangbanger,' whom he's been intimate with meets a tragic end.

Bill returns Sookie's favor by rescuing her from the Rattrays' revenge, healing the wounded waitress with his own blood and leaving her, temporarily, with heightened senses. After being invited into Gran's house for a 'get-to-know-you' gathering with Jason and her family, Bill joins Sookie for a nocturnal sojourn. They end up at Bill's dilapidated antebellum estate, where Bill fights off his primal vampire urges for the acquiescent Sookie. Later, Sookie's desires get the better of her as she returns to Bill's--and is greeted by a gaggle of his bloodthirsty vampire friends.

Foiled in their attempt to 'glamour' Sookie, vampires Malcolm, Liam and Diane make a hasty retreat after Bill lays claim to the waitress. At Merlotte's, Sam seeks a short-term remedy to his long-term loneliness, while Tara seeks respite from her mother's alcohol-fueled rage. Spurned by Dawn for lack of performance, Jason turns to Lafayette, Merlotte's short-order cook, for help with his problem.

Another killing in Bon Temps finds Jason back in custody with officers Andy and Bud. Tara gets him off the hook, but neither she nor Lafayette has the antidote to his current ailment. Urged by Gran to use her telepathic abilities to weed out the murderer and exonerate her brother, Sookie persuades Bill to take her to a Shreveport vampire bar called Fangtasia, where she impresses a dominant Nordic bloodsucker named Eric with her prescient powers. Later, Bill demonstrates his own considerable powers when an abusive patrolman stops the couple on their way home.

Spurned by an exasperated Sookie, Bill ends up winning over Adele's church audience with his vivid recollections from the Civil War, though Andy and Bud remain suspicious. Sam tries to make the most of his opportunity with Sookie, though she's clearly not ready to commit. Ignoring Tara's rebuff, Lafayette convinces Jason to give vampire blood, a.k.a. 'V juice,' another shot. Alone at home, Bill remembers the painful wartime incident that changed his fate forever.

Numbed by tragedy, Sookie looks for refuge from the cacophony of her friends and neighbors' inner voices. After lashing out at his sister and decking Andy, Jason wrestles with withdrawal symptoms from his V-juice habit. Tara resists the overtures of her mother, Lettie Mae, who's trying to rid herself of a demon and needs her daughter's help. Sam and Tara make a connection in their mutual search for 'something real.'

Sookie's painful childhood revelation about her Uncle Bartlett spurs Bill into action. Despite her skepticism, Tara agrees to pay for an exorcism to purge a demon out of Lettie Mae. In search of V juice, Jason travels to Fangtasia, where he bonds with an adventurous young woman named Amy. A trio of rednecks decide to exact vigilante justice on a pack of vampires who crashed Merlotte's in search of their wayward mate, Bill.

Sookie tries to hold herself together in the wake of another possible tragedy. Tara is amazed by Lettie Mae's turnaround, and considers similar therapy for herself after lashing out at Sookie and Sam. Jason's new squeeze, Amy, charms the crowd at Merlotte's, but shows a darker side to Jason when their V-juice well runs dry. Rene pops the question to Arlene while Sookie is baby-sitting her kids. Later, at Bill's request, Sookie agrees to use her gifts to help Eric, a powerful vampire sheriff, root out a thief at Fangtasia.

Bill breaks a vampire taboo in protecting Sookie--and must pay a steep price as a result. Jason and Amy break their own taboo by kidnapping a vampire named Eddie in order to harvest his blood. With Lettie Mae apparently cured, a skeptical Tara consults with Miss Jeanette about exorcising her own inner demon. Sookie returns home to yet another horrific tragedy, prompting Bill to enlist an unlikely bodyguard--Sam--to protect her while he's away.

Caught in a compromising position, Sam shares a secret with an incredulous Sookie. Thinking she's been purged of her demon, Tara celebrates with Lettie Mae--but goes off the deep end when she uncovers Miss Jeanette's true intentions. Sookie has a disturbing revelation during Arlene and Rene's engagement party at Merlotte's; Jason and Amy debate what to do with Eddie; and Tara speeds into a bizarre roadside encounter that lands her in jail. At a vampire tribunal to decide his fate, Bill faces a harsh penalty for his offense, but the magister decides on a more creative sentence involving a young human named Jessica.

Bill fulfills the conditions of the tribunal's sentence, although he and Eric find that Jessica doesn't quite turn (out) as expected. Trying to solve the mystery behind her most recent vision, Sookie heads to a pie shop with Sam and, later, puts the squeeze on a philandering police officer to get info. Jason helps clean up Amy's mess, worrying about their future but unable to break away. Tara's anger over Lettie Mae's refusal to bail her out of jail is tempered when a wealthy 'social worker,' Maryann Forrester, comes to her rescue. Disgusted by the hypocrisy of a vamp-bashing State Senator, Lafayette decides to pay him a firsthand visit on the campaign trail. In Bill's absence, a vulnerable Sookie finds comfort with Sam. A distraught Jason finds himself in hot water with Bud and Andy, again.

In the Season One finale, Sookie finds a link to the string of killings in Bon Temps--and ends up in the murderer's vicious crosshairs. Tara decides to make the most of her second chance with Maryann; Jason finds a new calling after an anti-vampire zealot named Orry visits him in jail; Bill tempts fate during his latest attempt to save Sookie; Sam is perturbed by an encounter with an old acquaintance; Lafayette finds himself at the wrong place at the right time.

Season Two Premiere. A shocking murder outside Merlotte's has Bon Temps reeling. Meanwhile, Sookie's relationship with Bill is tested when she learns of his siring of Jessica, and of his involvement in her uncle's death. Sam recalls a shape-shifting encounter he had with Maryann as a 17-year-old. Jason gets a sudden windfall that allows him to pay for a leadership retreat with the Fellowship of the Sun. Two adversaries find themselves sharing a mysterious dungeon and, possibly, the same fate.

Sookie is forced to cope with Bill's obligations to Jessica, as well as the romantic inconveniences the teen vampire's presence creates. At the Light of Day leadership conference, Jason makes a favorable impression on its ambitious leaders, Steve and Sarah Newlin, though not on his jealous roommate Luke. Maryann casts her spell on the Merlotte's patrons, and Sam proves helpless to stop the revelry.

When Sookie is attacked by a mysterious creature, Bill must enlist Eric's help to save her. At the Light of Day retreat, Jason has second thoughts about the sect's anti-vampire agenda, but Sarah and Steve counter with flattery and promises. After snapping at Tara and new employee Daphne, Sam decides to cut and run. In order to liberate Lafayette, Sookie strikes a deal with Eric. A bored Jessica heads over to Merlotte's, where a smitten Hoyt falls under her spell. At another Maryann-hosted party, Tara finds her attraction to Eggs mitigated by a persistent, aphrodisiac fog.

With Jessica in tow, Bill and Sookie head to Dallas to carry out Eric's vampire-reconnaissance mission--but a surprise awaits them at the airport. At the Light of Day Institute, Jason falls victim to a practical joke, but has the last laugh when the Newlins anoint him for a higher calling. Maryann throws Tara a birthday party at Sookie's, attracting much of Bon Temps to its Bacchanalian revelry. Sam postpones his departure from town to attend the bash, connecting with Daphne in the process. Having barely escaped Fangtasia, Lafayette finds himself reluctantly pulled back into Eric's orbit.

In Dallas, Sookie connects with one of her own, then joins Bill and Eric for a strategic summit at the lair of the missing vampire, Godric, attended by his lieutenants, Stan and Isabel. Meanwhile, Jason shows his mettle at a Light of Day boot camp, and is rewarded for his hard work with a gift from Sarah. Rebuffed by Tara in her relocation efforts, Maryann decides to cast her spell on the Merlotte's staff, softening Tara up towards her new 'family.' Eric shares a little-known secret about his past with Bill, and Sookie makes a decision that might solve the Godric mystery--or get herself killed.

Accompanied by Isabel's human boyfriend Hugo, Sookie embarks on a dangerous mission to locate Godric. Meanwhile, Bill is shocked when a vampire from his distant, more violent past resurfaces in Dallas. In Bon Temps, Daphne presses Sam to get more comfortable in his own skin(s); Hoyt continues his unlikely courtship of Jessica; Andy interrogates Lafayette about his disappearance; and Tara and Eggs take a detour while on a road trip for supplies. At the Light of Day camp, Jason finds himself faced with some difficult emotional and physical choices.

Betrayed by Daphne, Sam finds himself in an unenviable predicament at the hands of Maryann and her zombie minions. Imprisoned with Hugo at the Light of Day camp, Sookie uses her telepathic powers to reach out to Bill, who's being detained at the hotel by a stubbornly obsessive Lorena. After crossing a church line, a fearful Jason tries to sever his ties with the Fellowship of the Sun, but gets plenty of resistance from Steve and his lackey, Gabe.

Sookie's captivity takes an unexpected turn when Eric arrives to do his master's bidding, facing an F.O.T.S in full lockdown mode. In Bon Temps, Sam finds himself in hot water after making a gruesome discovery at Merlotte's, but Andy proves no help in coming to his defense. Sent home by Bill, Jessica and Hoyt learn that when it comes to sex, every time is the first time. Tara and Eggs get physical after partaking in a 'Hunter souffle' prepared by Maryann. After Jason pays off his debt to the vampires, Godric looks to enlighten his more single-minded followers.

A wounded Eric plays Sookie for a sucker, to Bill's dismay, and ends up getting inside her head. Later, Sookie and Jason reflect on their recent adventure, and end up bonding at the feuding Newlins' expense. Blaming Eggs for Tara's bruises and bizarre behavior, Lafayette and Lettie Mae try to figure out a way to pry their kin from Maryann's clutches. Hoyt defends his relationship with Jessica to Maxine over lunch, to no avail. Jailed by Bud along with a group of Bon Temps revelers, Sam finds a novel way to escape his cell--and avoid capture by an increasingly obsessed Maryann. In Dallas, Eric and the vampires defend their recent actions to Nan Flanagan, and are shocked when Godric decides to take the fall for their PR disaster.

Sookie, Bill and Jason return to a Bon Temps turned upside down by Maryann. Lured to Merlotte's by Arlene, Sam and Andy find cold comfort in their refuge from a group of bloodthirsty revelers. Bill discovers that traditional vampire techniques don't work on Maryann; Hoyt and Jessica try to keep a lid on Maxine's madness; Sookie tries to push through the darkness consuming Tara. With all hell breaking loose, Jason takes the bull by the horns to rescue Sam, at least for the moment.

With the crisis in Bon Temps careening out of control, Bill seeks out the advice of the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne, but must exercise patience before she gives him critical information. Meanwhile, Sookie and Lafayette find that protecting Tara from herself is more difficult than they anticipated; a desperate Sam turns to an unlikely source for assistance; and Hoyt's allegiance to Maxine is put to the test by Jessica.

(Season Two Finale). The mayhem in Bon Temps reaches a fever pitch as Maryann prepares for her ultimate bestial sacrifice, conscripting Sookie to be Maid of Honor at the bloody nuptials. Meanwhile, Sophie-Anne warns Eric to keep the lid on Bill's inquisitiveness; Jason leads Andy into the heroic abyss; and Hoyt has a hard time swallowing Maxine's endless stream of insults. Deliberating on what may be his final move to save Sookie and the town, Sam is forced to put his trust, and his life, in the hands of a most unlikely ally.