Episode #3: "Mine"
Debut: SUNDAY, OCT. 21
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.
Written by Alan Ball; directed by John Dahl.

Episode #4: "Escape from Dragon House"
Debut: SUNDAY, OCT. 28
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.
Written by Brian Buckner; directed by Michael Lehmann.

Episode #5: "Sparks Fly Out"
Debut: SUNDAY, OCT. 5
Spurned by an exasperated Sookie (Anna Paquin), Bill (Stephen Moyer) ends up winning over Adele's (Lois Smith) church audience with his vivid recollections from the Civil War, though Andy (Chris Bauer) and Bud (William Sanderson) remain suspicious. Sam (Sam Trammell) tries to make the most of his opportunity with Sookie, though she's clearly not ready to commit. Ignoring Tara's (Rutina Wesley) rebuff, Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) convinces Jason (Ryan Kwanten) to give vampire blood, aka "V juice," another shot. Alone at home, Bill remembers the painful wartime incident that changed his fate forever.
Written by Alexander Woo; directed by Daniel Minahan.

Episode #6: "Cold Ground"
Debut: SUNDAY, OCT. 12
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 (Adina Porter), 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."
Written by Raelle Tucker; directed by Nick Gomez.

Episode #7: "Burning House of Love"
Debut: SUNDAY, OCT. 19
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 Lettie Mae of a demon. In search of V juice, Jason travels to Fangtasia, where he bonds with an adventurous young woman named Amy (Lizzy Kaplan). 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.
Written by Chris Offutt; directed by Marcos Siega.

Episode #8: "The Fourth Man in the Fire"
Debut: SUNDAY, OCT. 26
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 (Michael Raymond James) pops the question to Arlene (Carrie Preston) while Sookie is baby-sitting her kids. Later, at Bill's request, Sookie agrees to use her gifts to help Eric (Alexander Skarsgård), a powerful vampire sheriff, root out a thief at Fangtasia.
Written by Alexander Woo; directed by Michael Lehmann.