Official Synopses for Episodes 1.01-1.04

HBO just released the official synopses for the first four episodes of True Blood along with their premiere dates. Please note: We’re listing the premiere dates for HBO and HBO2, but episodes will be airing multiple times each week, so check local listings for additional time periods.

Episode 1.01: Strange Love (series premiere)

HBO:Sunday, September 7 @ 9PM EST (2 hour premiere)
HBO2: Monday, September 8 @ 8PM EST

Across the country, vampires have “come out of the coffin” following the invention of mass-produced synthetic blood. In Louisiana, Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a waitress with telepathic abilities, falls under the spell of sexy, 173-year-old vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) – whose thoughts she can’t read. After saving Bill from the Rattrays (James Parks, Karina Logue), 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 (Rutina Wesley) goes to work for Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) at his bar and grill, while Sookie’s roguish brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten) finds himself in hot water when a “fangbanger” with whom he’s been intimate meets a tragic end.

Written and directed by Alan Ball.

Episode 1.02: The First Taste

HBO: Sunday, September 14 @ 9PM EST
HBO2: Monday, September 15 @ 8PM EST

Bill returns Sookie’s favor by rescuing her from the Rattrays’ revenge, healing the wounded waitress with his own blood and leaving her with temporarily heightened senses. After being invited into Gran’s (Lois Smith) 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 he 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.

Written by Alan Ball; directed by Scott Winant.

Episode 1.03: Mine

HBO: Sunday, September 21 @ 9PM EST
HBO2: Monday, September 22 @ 8PM EST

Foiled in their attempt to “glamour” Sookie, vampires Malcolm (Andrew Rothenberg), Liam (Graham Shiels) and Diane (Aunjanue Ellis) 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 (Lynn Collins) for lack of performance, Jason turns to Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), Merlotte’s short-order cook, for help with his problem.

Written by Alan Ball; directed by John Dahl.

Episode 1.04: Escape From Dragon House

HBO: Sunday, September 28 @ 9PM EST
HBO2: Monday, September 29 @ 8PM EST

Another killing in Bon Temps finds Jason back in custody with officers Andy (Chris Bauer) and Bud (William Sanderson). 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 (Alexander Skarsgård) 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.