Tracy Spiridakos, Billy Burke

It's been a while, Revolution. We've missed you. At least those of us who still remember the NBC hit after its seemingly endless four month hiatus. But now Revolution's return is only a few weeks away (March 25 at 10/9c) and the question is: does anyone still care? Creator Eric Kripke sure hopes so. "I think, honestly, it's an engine that's humming better than it ever has," he said. While Revolution was the biggest freshman hit of the fall season, many viewers were left lukewarm by the midseason finale. After taking this time off the air to reevaluate, Kripke now believes the show's return has what it takes to attract old fans, those still on the fence as well as a whole new audience. "We've learned from our mistakes and really sort of figured out what works and what doesn't work," he tells TVGuide.com.

Still hesitant to commit? Here are another seven reasons to be excited for Revolution's return:

6 things to know about Revolution's return

1. Things are going to get moving — and fast! With Supernatural's Kripke and Lost's J.J. Abrams at the helm, viewers expected the same quick-paced storytelling we'd come to know from the pair's previous series. Unfortunately, Revolution's first 10 episodes — while a fun ride — moved at a snail's pace. (Ten episodes just to get one kid? Sheesh!) That's all going to change when the show returns. "It explodes into a big ball of fury after this," Billy Burke, who plays Miles, says. "I know [Kripke and Abrams] want to hasten, quicken the pace," Captain Neville's portrayer Giancarlo Esposito says, adding that they also plan to swiftly answer some of the series' biggest burning questions, including why the power went out!

2. There are going to be higher stakes (and an actual revolution) Now that Monroe has power — not to mention helicopters — gone are the days of a simple search-and-rescue mission. "It'll evolve into a really sizeable quest," Kripke says. "I think we really look at the first 10 episodes as the prologue to the story ... now it's time for the revolution to start." But things won't' be so easy for our heroes as they set out to restore power worldwide. "They've got crossbows and swords and [Monroe] has M16s and choppers, so they're woefully overwhelmed and outmanned and outgunned," the creator adds. To help even the playing field, Kripke hints that the rebels might look to outside forces for help. Georgia, perhaps?

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3. We'll see a larger, complex world à la Game of Thrones "We've seen personal relationship struggles and personal revolutions happen, but we haven't seen how this particular power outage has affected the whole world. We're about to," Esposito teases. With the revolution finally beginning, everyone has their own role to play, roles that will take them outside of the Monroe Republic. "We'll see the Georgia Federation this season, we'll see the Plains Nation this season — and they're wildly different nations ... We really want this to evolve into kind of an American Game of Thrones." Kripke says. But with the world expanding, don't expect our recently reunited gang of misfits to stay together too long.

4. What other show has this many badass women? Revolution has done the unthinkable on network TV: feature a cast filled with strong, inspiring women. "If you notice, all the women are incredibly tough," David Lyons, who plays Monroe, says. "If you look at [Elizabeth Mitchell's] character, Rachel, she's as tough as the guys. She's killed more people onscreen than I have!" And Rachel's not alone. Charlie, Nora, Julia and even Maggie (RIP) have all proven their ability to get the job done under distressing circumstances. "I believe there is an essence of grace and brilliance that women embody that's thoughtful, spiritual and intellectually far ahead of what we think about as men and so I love this writing team because I think they're really thinking about all of that," Esposito explains. "I really believe the saviors of our society and our compassion and our world will be female. There's no doubt."

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5. The Nevilles put your family drama to shame "The Nevilles put the fun in dysfunctional for sure," Kripke jokes — but the man has a point. As Monroe's right-hand man, Neville can't stand idly by as his son Jason's affection for Charlie and the rebels grow. "I believe a lot is lost between Jason and Neville," JD Pardo, who plays Jason Neville says, adding the only common denominator between the pair is their love for Julia. "I can't speak for [Neville], but I'm sure there's jealously there. He's got to feel like he's losing grip on his wife and on his son." But according to Esposito, Jason isn't the only person he's worried about stealing Julia's attention. With Neville's job taking him away for years at a time, he becomes more than a little insecure about his wife's relationship with Monroe. "It starts to get really loaded," Esposito teases.

6. Danny and Charlie are going to be way less obnoxious After very vocal complaints about the whiny, pouty Charlie, the innocent girl you once loathed is now all grown up. "She's no longer this little girl that [Miles] met at the beginning. She's now becoming a warrior and she's got the chops for it," Tracy Spiridakos, who plays Charlie, says. As for her brother Danny, who basically has done nothing except ruin everyone's lives by sheer passivity, Kripke says, "I think [his captivity and torture] really matures him and ages him in a way that we'll really see in the second half of the season. He'll really be willing to take up arms in the fight against Mornoe." And thank God, because with helicopters ready to gun them down, the last thing Miles needs to be focused on is babysitting.

7. Miles and Rachel have an amazingly mysterious and tortured history Remember the fear on Rachel's face when she discovered Charlie had been traveling with Miles? What was all that about? "I think it has a lot to do with what his position was and who he was," Mitchell speculates. "I don't know if Rachel necessarily thinks that he would hurt [Charlie] but he is a man capable of extreme violence. I think that's where it comes from. But there's more." The kind of more that causes you to slap someone hello instead of stealing Monroe's only access to power? "Good more," Mitchell says. "It's messy. It's nice and messy and Rachel is morally questionable." Ugh! Even Mitchell's answers leave us with more questions. At least we won't have to wait long for answers. Mitchell promises we'll be delving into Miles and Rachel's backstory soon!

Will you be watching Revolution when it returns?

Revolution returns on Monday, March 25 at 10/9c on NBC.

Additional reporting by Natalie Abrams