When HBO’s “True Blood” returns for its seventh and final season on Sunday, viewers will be thrust right in the middle of a vampire attack.
Infected vampires are aiming to kill and eat everything in sight. The uninfected vampires are trying to keep themselves and their frantic human neighbors alive. It’s just an incredible scene to be dropped into.
How did they get to that point? It’s really a matter of refreshing your memory of when Season 6 left off.
See video: ‘True Blood’ Star Joe Manganiello on Alcide’s Transformation: ‘He’s the Domesticated Wolf Now’
There really isn’t a lot to brush up on, don’t worry. Last season’s finale pretty much rebooted the series.
Here are five things you should know before watching Sunday’s season premiere of “True Blood.”
1. Infected vampires
The issue at hand is that there are a group of vampires who were given Hep-V, which should have killed them. But, some survived and the side effect of surviving is an uncontrollable need to drink blood. They’re also infecting other vampires.
2. Human-Vampire pairings
In response to the infected vampires, Bon Temps has been making human-vampire pairings. In these pairs, the human agrees to feed an uninfected vampire their blood in exchange for the safety the vampire provides from the infected vampires.
3. Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) is missing or dead
The last time we saw the sexy vamp, he was naked, serving full frontal and reading a book in some snowy Swedish landscape – protected from the sun after drinking faerie blood. Well, that wore off and the last time we saw Eric he was engulfed in flames.
4. Who’s with whom?
Here’s a quick update on the couples: faerie Sookie (Anna Paquin) is with werewolf Alcide (Joe Manganiello); human Jason (Ryan Kwanten) is with the sexually intense vampire Violet (Karolina Wydra); Mayor and shapeshifter Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) is with human Nicole (Jurnee Smollett-Bell); human Andy (Chris Bauer) is with sometimes-witch Holly (Lauren Bowles) and vampire Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) is with vampire James (the role previously held by Lucas Grimes, but recast with Nathan Parsons).
Also read: HBO in Early Talks for ‘True Blood’ Musical
5. Who’s single and ready to mingle?
Vampire and published author, Bill (Stephen Moyer); Vampire Tara (Rutina Wesley); Vampire Pam (Kristin Bauer van Straten); mystic Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) and widowed human Arlene (Carrie Preston).
For an even deeper refresher, watch a recap of the past six seasons here.
“True Blood” returns Sunday at 9/8c on HBO.